What was this all about?

I’m Michael Jantze. I’ve worked in animation, journalism and publishing, but I’m probably known most for my comic strip “The Norm”.

“Knocked Out Loaded” is (now) finished, folks!

In 2013, I asked for contributions to fund my effort to finish a full-color ebook/book "Knocked Out Loaded" (KOL), contributors came through with early donations for KNOCKED OUT LOADED with process pages as well as Norm-related sketches from other professionals and young professionals.

Who’s on board, you ask? Sergio Aragones, Jim Borgman, Chris Eliopoulos, Norman Feuti, Paul Gilligan, Rick Kirkman, Kelly McNutt, Joe Murray, Mark Parisi, Lincoln Peirce, Jerry Scott, and many more!

The campaign also helped reboot the comic strip weekly on GoComics.com/jantze. And sometimes I turn them into Comic Readeos:

Here's how far we got on the stretch goals in 2013: 365% funded! 

Perk details and INTL shipping

Perks will be delivered as described in the perk descriptions. For those of you living outside the United States, $10 for Canada and $15 for all other countries will be added at check out.

Your Impact

Here's how your contribution made a difference in 2013:

• Allow me the time this year to finish this book: Editing, drawing, design, fulfilling orders.
• Allow me the resources and people needed to make this ebook (iBookstore, Kindle, Comixology and Nook editions) and make the print edition a real piece of art.
• Get me focused on writing and creating -- I've spent the last nine years helping make others' work fantastic, now I want to finish my own work!
• Put "The Norm" back in your hands -- as an ebook and a print book. And with the stretch goals...put "The Norm" comic in your life again...weekly! WHICH YOU DID! THANK YOU!

Other Ways To Help

If you can’t contribute, you can still help me:

• Get the word out and make some noise about my campaign and rewards.
• Use the Indiegogo share tools to link up with your social media friends.
• Donate time or services.

The Stretch Goals Are Here!

Thank you so much. I’m so excited and humbled that so many people have helped me... 

STRETCH GOAL NO. 1: BIGGER, UNCUT AND LOADED
UNLOCKED! The first stretch goal raised an extra $3,500 for a total of $11,000 to expand the KOL book and ebook. Along with the book you'll receive an ebook titled “Be Do Have” on how to be successful AND happy at anything you do in life. You're going to really dig it. The money for this stretch goal will go to supplies, shipping, design fees and printing fees.

STRETCH GOAL NO. 2: BACK IN THE SADDLE
UNLOCKED! ($23K total) unlocked  “The Norm” strips weekly and an ebook “Our Comics Future” and a short ebook of "Sketches and Process". The money for this stretch goal will pay to reboot the website and update any code, replace aging equipment, and design and coloring expenses. I start on August 12, 2013 ... the 17th anniversary of when THE NORM started in newspapers! Here's a YouTube video of me working on the first new comic: http://youtu.be/LbXNX3Fywxo

STRETCH GOAL NO. 3: THE BIG KANORMA
Beyond $23K, extra monies will be used to color "The Norm" comic strip archive. This helps you -- how? Oh yeah, that's right...as we finish coloring a set of strips you will receive a free eBook of those strips. One after another...we're promising at least 9 ebooks! 
If we raise an additional $35,000 for a grand total of $58,000 I will color all THE NORM daily strips EVER.  

"The Color of Norm" would go like this:
$1,000 - ($24K total) I'll color "The Norm" strips about holidays and unlock The Holidaze" ebook
$2,500- ($25.5K total) I'll color strips with Boy Norm in them and unlock “Boy Norm: Full Mental Jacket” ebook
$4,000 - Chris strips with Chris the Wookiee and unlock “Night of the Wookiee" in full color for the first time! ($27K)

AND THESE WILL BE USED FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN IN THE FUTURE!
$7,500- Unlock “My Friend Reine” the year of strips where Norm and Reine fell in love ($30.5K)
$9,000 - Unlock “The X-GFs: Mistakes Were Made” ($32K)
$12,000 - Unlock “Wonk Me Up” ($35K)
$15,000 - Unlock “He-folks and She-folks” ($38K)
$20,000 - Unlock “Ford: Understanding the Bro Code” ($43K)
$35,000 - Unlock “The Color of Norm:The Boxed eBook Collection” ($58K)

If we unlock all of them, you’ll get ALL nine years of the "The Norm" (and "Knocked Out Loaded", of course), including Sundays, as an ebook collection.

The contributions will be used to pay colorists as well as a designer to collect and assemble the ebooks. eBooks will be ready as they're finished, probably well into 2014. A schedule will be created once the book is finished (early 2014).

A Bit of History of my graphic novel

“Knocked Out Loaded” is a story I pitched and sold to DC Comics in 1990 -- along with another graphic novel titled “Rave On” -- but when DC went through a rough patch in the early 1990’s, I retreived my rights and we parted ways. KOL sat in a file folder until 2006 when I decided to make it a storyline for “The Norm”.

Ten months and 250 strips into "Knocked Out Loaded", life imitated art when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, beginning a journey so many women and their families are familiar with. In 2009, my wife and I decided to give her a break to heal properly and I accepted a position teaching at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

My wife  is now healthy and we’re back to the norm again. Ha. (see what I did there?).

I want to finish this book this year and I’ve cleared the decks to do it -- I resigned from teaching, I'm not consulting with any companies and I'll get back to writing comics -- but I need your help.

I want to raise money to fund not only the production of the ebook, but also the design and production of a limited edition print book.

Original pitch video is here (yes, it's still embarrassing): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Waunv_zHYRM 

What's Cool About This Project

First off, "Knocked Out Loaded" is 80% done...

In 2007 I published "Knocked Out Loaded" to jantze.com five days a week as a color daily comic strip; I wrote it daily with only an outline and theme in mind. In other words, I let the characters take the story where they felt it should go, knowing only where everyone needed to meet at the end of the story. Kind of like jazz or improv.

Another way to describe the process is I wrote a long-form story using short-form techniques. Each three strips make up a page in the book. And each six strips make up a layout in a book spread. In 1989 the presumptive 20-something version of me called it a comic art novel...because it was meant to be a mix of the comics and the novel forms.

“Knocked Out Loaded” is about fear. After his wife’s miscarriage, Norm doesn’t want to move forward, he’s afraid of anything new. He’s stuck in his life, his relationships, his job. So he runs away from it all for a day of skiing, where he’s knocked out loaded. Literally. Short-term memory loss. So when Norm stumbles back to his life, love and job with no strings attached, man, does it drive everyone nuts! "Knocked Out Loaded" is about the fear to grow up, grow strong, grow wise and, ultimately, grow old.

What Will The Funds Be Used For?

Here's a breakdown in more detail, the first two items will be the bulk of my expenses:

• Pay for eBook production.
• Pay for the exclusive Indiegogo print book -- a FULL COLOR softback with French folded covers. It will be an objet d'art.
• Pay for shipping and shipping materials.
• Pay for any production and design needs above my own expertise.
• Finish drawing, inking, coloring more than 50 new strips to augment the story.
• Pay any and all Indiegogo, Paypal and other partner fees

The funds will NOT be used for lifestyle purchases (I pay for my own coffee, etc.). So share and contribute and know your donation will make the world a better place to laugh in.

Thank you for contributing for the "Knocked Out Loaded" book. I'm blown away with your generosity and kindness.

Do what Norm would do...come on, tell all your friends!

– Michael Jantze
Jantze.com

The Norm™: It's a Serious World, Someone Has To Make Fun Of It!