Introduction
Hi there! My name is Hady A. Hamid. I've been reading comic books since I was 12, and ever since then, I've been fascinated by the world of superheroes, fantasy and sci-fi. Those elements immediately struck me as something I can hang on to, since as a kid, I needed to constantly escape to a world where good truly triumphs over evil.
I've been creating my own comic book characters since 12, but started refining them when I hit 20. And the dream just kept getting bigger and bigger, and more real as I began to realize that I could actually write many stories about my characters, and write them well. At present, Red Grade Comics has over 200 characters that will span over 300+ issues.
Professionally, I'm a TV writer with 7 years of experience, and I've recently graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor in Creative Producing. It was there that I learned how to combine my comic book knowledge and writing skills with real-world media business strategies and know-how.
"Be Part of a New Era, Be Part of Red Grade Comics" is my campaign to raise funds required to set up Red Grade Comics and its official site, redgradecomics.com, which will act as the main distribution platform for our digital comics.
As of now, we already have an official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/redgradecomics) that contains many of our selected promotional images. We have an official blog called The Red Grade (http://redgrade.wordpress.com/) that features important updates regarding the progress of Red Grade-related matters, as well as links to new images. We have also recently completed the inaugural issue of Eras #0, and are looking towards finishing Eras #1-#20 to complete our first story arc, "Rebirth".
Who is "we" that I've been talking about? Well, it's just me and my best friend/artist, Muhammad Ali. We realize that we can no longer do this part-time. We need assemble a team that can commit full-time in order for us to achieve our 1 June 2016 launch date.
By contributing to our campaign, you'll help us get a step further to achieving our goal, and you will also be part of a new era of comic books!
What's in It for You?
We have actually worked out the math, and we need a total of $400,000 to run our operation for the first two years. My artist and I have agreed to contribute $60,000, and so we are seeking the remaining $340,000 through investors, grants and crowd-funding.
But for now, we are testing the waters with this campaign to see whether we can raise funds, while at the same time, market our brand. The $40,000 that we seek will go towards setting up the team, producing subsequent issues, developing the website and producing marketing materials.
Now, you may ask yourself, "What's in it for you?"
Since our comic books will mostly be distributed digitally, the top 500 contributors will be able to receive single-issue physical copies of Eras #0-#2! The top 50 contributors will be able to receive hardcover physical copies of Eras #0-#20, the entire story arc of "Rebirth"! And, the top 5 contributors will be able to have their names used as characters (hero or villain)!
Exciting, isn't it?
But what if we don't actually reach our targeted amount? Well, we'll still use whatever money we get to set up our team. Because this dream...it's never going to die. It's been with me since I was 12, and that was back in 1996. Now, you kinda have an idea why we plan to launch in 2016 - to mark the 20 years of developing our dream!
Our Conviction
I was raised with a lot of American pop culture, one of which was comic books. To this day, comic books are still considered one of the best exports of America, and I believe it's because of the values embedded within them.
Call me old-fashioned, but I believe in living life with certain values.
At Red Grade Comics, our mission statement is as such: To share great and inspiring stories with the rest of the world. Because I believe a story shouldn't just be about exciting twists and turns or exploitation. I believe a story should come with a potent, responsible message for society. It can be dark, fantastical and even whimsical, but what's the point of telling a story if people can't learn from it?
The aforementioned 300+ issues that we have planned...they will be spread across five major Books - Faith, Justice, Hope, Freedom and Peace. Through these five convictions, we aim to share stories that not only inspire on an aesthetic level, but also on a societal level.
Call-to-Action
Just 'cause you can't contribute financially, doesn't mean you can't contribute at all.
If this campaign really means something to you, you still can do us a solid by helping us get the word out, and make some noise about "Be Part of a New Era, Be Part of Red Grade Comics"!
You can either use the available Indiegogo share tools or head on down to our official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/redgradecomics) and/or our official blog, The Red Grade (http://redgrade.wordpress.com/) to "Like", "Subscribe" and "Share" our campaign, latest news and updates on our lead up to the launch.