#The Story

The Man Who Shook the Earth is the story of the Operator, the world’s first masked crimefighter, following his life from his humble local beginnings settling disputes and rescuing cats, to his 1950s-1960s pulp-style adventures, to his grim and gritty 1980s exploits, and through to his 1990s superhero team-ups and beyond.

The Man Who Shook the Earth is my long-gestating one-shot graphic novel - 68 pages long, in full color, created with my friends, artist JE and letterer/designer Amal Desai - and it is the first official release on my new imprint, Quick & Dirty Comics! This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, to form a “company” for my comic work, a home for all of my creator-owned work. Not really a publishing company per se, but a unified HQ for my work. Recently I’ve gained back the rights to a few of my books that were previously with publishers, so it seemed like the right time to make this move.

#Preview

#Bios

Mark Bertolini (co-creator, writer) is a Toronto-based writer of comic books and graphic novels. His first published original graphic novel was the post-apocalyptic tale Long Gone in 2012. He has created and written other titles such the super-smart thriller Knowledge; the grindhouse/sci-fi mashup Scum of the Earth, the superhuman crime caper Bastard’s Waltz, the pulp-style anthology The Hand of Glory, the time travel story The Argus, and most recently, the lighthearted mashup comic Bigfoot Frankenstein. Mark has also contributed many short stories to such anthologies as Caliber Presents; the mind-bending Imaginary Drugs; and the New York Times Bestselling FUBAR series. Mark is a father of two and stepfather of two more, and with his wife Julia, he is raising the next generation of avid readers and creators. More can be found about Mark at https://markbertolini.wordpress.com/, on Twitter: @mark_bertolini, and Instagram: @markbertolini

JE (co-creator, artist) grew up in France on a steady diet of US comics, European graphic novels and all the Japanese animation that pervaded the airwaves at the time. Unlike most people, he never stopped drawing once he grew up, nor gave up his dependence on chocolate. A sample of his work can be found here: https://www.je-comics.com/

Amal Desai (letters, design) is a Chicagoland-based comic book letterer, writer, and graphic designer. He is the lead letterer and graphic designer for Lesser Known Comics and Apothic Press. He's lettered books for Scout Comics, Source Point Press, and numerous successfully crowdfunded series. Amal will have writing and lettering credits on From Your Grave, a series coming soon from Geek N Game. More information can be found at https://lettersbyamaldesai.crevado.com/

#Stretch Goals

For an initial stretch goal (amount TBD) I can offer PDFs of some of my other work, such as Bastard’s Waltz (TPB), Knowledge (TPB), and The Hand of Glory (TPB).

After that, profits from funds after costs will be divided equitably amongst each member of the creative team. No one was compensated for the work when it was first created and released, and it would be nice to be able to pay everyone for their work now - once the book is printed and shipped, of course.

#Timeline

The book is complete and ready to go to print right after the campaign ends.

Printing and shipping should take around three months, so delivery of rewards is expected to be done around Sept/Oct ‘25.

Zoop will always be here to communicate with supporters should any delays occur, if there’s confusion about delivery, or if any other concerns pop up.