FCBDoS: PHENOMENOCITY
Welcome to the City.
We’re continuing the Free Comic Book Day festivities here at Free Comic Book Day on Substack with eleven pages of brand new, never before seen comics, available right now.
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
Phenomenocity (fuh-nom-uh-nahs-uh-tee) is a near-future noir comic about an atmospheric phenomenon, the City beneath it, and a woman who never expected to live this long. Drawn by Phillip Sevy and written by Tini Howard, it’s an exciting step forward for us - entirely creator-owned and reader-funded.
And subscribers to The Scorpio Room will be able to read every page for free.
HOW DOES THAT WORK?
Since 2018, I’ve been lucky enough to be very, very employed. In that, I am one of the luckiest people in comics, truly. And yet, still - getting funding to make your own comic can be incredibly complicated and sometimes a creative bummer. So for my next project, reader, I turn to you.
PHENOMENOCITY is an entirely reader-funded initiative. If you’re eager to support my next creator-owned outing: here it is, and this is how you do it:
SUBSCRIBE! - FREE
In addition to the standard weekly check ins from Tini, you’ll get something else amazing: every page of PHENOMENOCITY by TINI HOWARD and PHILLIP SEVY, for FREE. As more pages are released, subscribers at the free tier will receive their comics pages on a slight delay — but you will always be able to read the whole comic for free. But if you want to read pages two weeks early and support creator-owned comics…
PAY! - $7 A MONTH…or…
Paid subscribers are our lifeblood, and as such, we’ll be thanking you for it by inviting you into the City’s community. Tini and Phil will be sharing process posts, faction info, hangouts, Q&As, tutorials, podcasts, videos, special essays, and more. Additionally, paid subscribers can now join the conversation with commenting access on most posts - to talk to us about Phenomenocity, making comics, or anything else - something we’re incredibly excited about reinstating. This is more than about just having the conversation with you all for fun: we want to invite you in.
(Not to mention, Tini is cooking up some special writing projects on her own just for you. From fashion and costuming essays to “the Mad Men Wrestling Foundation,” I’ve got a lot on the back burner, and if you’re a fan here, you’re the kind of fan I’d like to share my wildest ideas with. 🖤)
STAY - $70 a year…or…
Those of you who support us at these higher tiers like the ANNUAL and FOUNDER options are doing so as an act of faith, one we thank you for. Like many comics patron situations, we’ll be offering you a special print version (PHENOMENOCITY: EDITION ZERO - more on that below) before anyone else. But that will obviously take time.
So we want to thank our most generous subscribers right away with a physical gift. In addition to an exclusive numbered PHENOMENOCITY print, Annual subscribers will each receive a signed single issue comic from Phil and I’s personal collection of comps, and Founders will each recieve a complimentary signed trade paperback. (While supplies last. If you all take all our comps we’ll think of something else.)
BECOME A LOCAL - $200
Founders of the city get REAL ESTATE. Hard to find for that price these days!
The City is growing all the time. What would you do there? Design a laboratory for your own sinister research or a flower shop for young lovers? Would you be sanctioned by the Tourism Board or working in the steamy alley behind the Temple Arcade? Founders are truly founders of our City, and will work with us on Founders-only interactive posts to create new elements of the City, unlocking new stories and adding to the geography of Phenomenon City.
Additionally, these readers will get our special ZERO EDITION of Phenomenocity, the first time it will be in print anywhere, available solely to backers at this tier - a beautiful artifact to remember the very strange city that you helped build.
I’ve been taking my time on this one, folks. As you know, it’s been a while since I’ve entered the creator-owned world, and I am beyond ready to bring years of hard work and advanced knowledge to this one.
I’m thrilled to have this space to play - to open up my mind and tell whatever story is there, and to have the incredible Phil Sevy by my side - one of my best friends and favorite artists.
You may notice that we haven’t yet promised how many pages we’ll be doing a month - and there’s a reason for that. Phenomenocity is, once more, fully reader supported. This one’s like a snake, she’ll get as big as you’ll feed her. More subscribers means more pages, exciting new team members like a colorist for us, and more time Phil and I can dedicate to this story.
A share always helps.
Now enjoy the comics. That’s what we’re here for, right?
(We are still exploring PANELS ourselves - for now, enjoy it in your choice of PDF or CBZ file.)
And as always - thanks for being a reader.
When reading your pronunciation key, I keep hearing the “Mah Na Mah Na” song from the Muppets for the first four syllables. Now it’s in your head too.
First: I now, too, have the Mahna Mahna song stuck in my head.
Second: I love you and I love this! I think Substack is a *brilliant* idea for publishing a comic ... especially for an easily distracted person like myself who can't open a new tab to go buy a comic on another platform without forgetting what I was about to do.
The spot colors are gorgeous and I love this premise. Super glad to see you getting back to your own creator-owned stuff again, Tini!