It’s exciting. It’s fresh. It’s only here for a limited run. Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars is arriving this spring/summer! After such a long delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the fearless vampire hunter from the future is gracing mainstream media once again with a limited release. With less than two weeks to go, the crowdfunding campaign had already met its original goal within two hours after launch, but there is plenty of reason to grab it while you can.
What is Vampire Hunter D?
Younger generations might be familiar with the name but not so much with the media. Vampire Hunter D takes place over 10,000 years in the future, where the world has been reduced to a barely-sustainable landmass where, although advanced technology is present, most of the human race has been reduced to living in small villages like colonial and medieval times. Vampires reign over the world and fiends of legends run amock, doing their bidding during the daylight hours as the vampire nobility sleep. D, a half-vampire, has traveled across the Frontier for thousands of years, taking up work as a mercenary to slay any monster and vampire so long as there’s money involved.
Hideyuki Kikuchi has been delivering this story, one of the biggest sleeper-hit franchises in Japan, for almost 40 years.
The quality of the books is consistent, each giving something just a little extra and brand-new to D’s world, whether it be magic, machines, zombies, demons, floating utopian cities, bio-experimental weapons, reincarnation, resurrection, cloning, or even space travel. Somehow, it all fits together in Hideyuki’s ever-expanding universe. Complete with the illustration talents of Yoshitaka Amano, you can expect every book to be just as beautiful to flip through as it is gripping to read.
Why Should you Back This Project?
Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars is a USA-produced comic adaptation of one of the many short stories that were never released outside of Japan.
The creative work is already complete, the book is finished, and preview copies are already sent out to reviewers. Backers are only paying for the printing and shipping. However, there is some bad news that is also a great incentive. It is with a heavy heart to report that the Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars comic is a Kickstarter exclusive and will not be released to retailers in the near future (as we had originally anticipated). Only backers will be able to get their hands on it. Digital versions and perks are set to be delivered only a month after the funding period ends. For a mere twenty dollars, it can be yours, with the addition of a few exclusive wallpapers.
Those willing to back the steeper tiers, for a minimum of fifty dollars, can get your hands on the physical addition, and a few added perks already promised, with ten stretch goals reached at the time of writing. This includes storage boxes for all physical tiers and a recently broken stretch goal promising a collection of fifteen art prints. New stretch goals have been teased, but not revealed as of yet. Artistic talents include Christopher Shy, Jae Lee, Agnes Garbowska, and Artgerm.
Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars is adapted by veteran comic and screenwriter Brandon Easton, illustrated by Ryan Benjamin, and inked by Richard Friend.
The Kickstarter is now live until Sunday, February 20th. J-List is not affiliated with the project.
