A heartfelt Thank You.
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 10:57:55 PM
Hi everyone!
It has been a busy week since our last update, and while we were trending so quickly out of the gate, we found ourselves standing by with a "Coin Unlocked!" update queued up and ready to go... But whether it's the holidays or other distractions, that trend came to a rapid drop on Day 4. No idea what factors are involved, but something put the breaks on the curve, and we've been teetering back and forth at the current total for about 5 days now... While we will be out of the office for the next few days on holiday travel, we will be showcasing more content and cool stuff as soon as we're back. We still have more than 2 weeks left to go, with over 500 spectators watching, so it's all good! 😊
In fact, I want to take this occasion to personally say "Thank You." I know I've said that a lot in these various campaigns and updates, but I mean it in such a deeper way this time around. This series really is special, not just for its powerful, unique, and breathtaking storytelling, but -- for me, at least -- on an emotional level for reasons to follow. And I want to say thank you for not only supporting another wonderful Magnetic Press title, but for supporting this series in particular.
I mentioned in the campaign how this release of FIRST BORN is special because it is the last work of author Hubert Boulard which we are releasing posthumously with his passing in 2020. His departure left a huge impression on the professional comic community in France, not just because his talent was so burgeoning and his stories so poignant, but because he was so thoughtful and kind in life. He made a real personal impression on anyone he met. Which was what made his passing at the age of 49 such a punch in the gut.
I was humbled to first meet Hubert prior to our release of PETIT, a book that clobbered me with such feelings that I had already placed him on a pedestal before even knowing what he looked like. And he was everything I imagined he would be: softspoken, intelligent, very well-read, and above all enormously empathetic. He was without a doubt very aware of and concerned about a wide variety of social issues, and was an active proponent of authors' rights with various unions, but he wasn't the type to argue or debate anything openly. Instead, he liked to ask questions and listen, then voice his thoughts through his stories, most of which speak louder than any manifesto ever could. As a quiet, single gay man in Paris, he seemed filled with so much silent understanding that you couldn't help but wonder what he's thinking and what he'll write next.
If one were to pour over the four books in THE OGRE GODS SAGA thoroughly enough, you could no doubt start to filter the ingredients of his personality, the essence of a man distilled into abstract fiction. And not only THE OGRE GODS SAGA, but his other hits as well, including MISS DON'T TOUCH ME and the upcoming A MAN'S SKIN, all of which use fiction to do what fiction can do best: shine a spotlight on the truth.
PETIT is the story of a boy struggling with what he is told by family and tradition what he is supposed to be while inside he knows he is something else.
HALF-BLOOD is the story of an individual who refuses to let his destiny be defined by those of a higher class and inherited privilege, forging his own future (however dark it may be) using his own wit and talent.
THE GREAT MAN is the story of an aging soldier who continues to do what he feels is right, despite the many scars and obstacles his actions bring, all the while secretly seeking little more than the approval and forgiveness of a distant father figure.
And FIRST BORN is the story of a young woman rebelling from a grim, patriarchal society in an effort to change the future.
And that's just what's evident on the surface of these volumes. Within lie layers upon layers of empathy and intrigue. These are the kind of books that people talk about decades later. And I have no doubt people will be talking about these.
I last saw Hubert about a week before he passed, stopping in Paris after the 2020 Angouleme festival to have coffee with him and Bertrand to discuss our plans for the series. He felt he was coming down with something, so he didn't want to hug or shake hands, another sign of his sharp empathy. But we still sat for nearly two hours talking about the series, his other projects, the state of the industry, the state of the world, and much more. When we left, we were to follow up on some ideas by email. I believe I told him how proud we were to be publishing this series. He was genuinely grateful and happy it was finding a new following here.
Nine days later, he was gone.
The circumstances of his passing are private and impossible to understand. Suicide can never be rationalized by outside speculators. But there is no denying that a heart as large and sensitive as his must have been much more prone to breakage. His was certainly a giant's heart.
Which makes re-reading the books in this Saga that much more powerful.
To each and every one of you who have chosen to pick up this amazing series of books, whether you're new to the Saga or have been reading since we first released PETIT, THANK YOU. I am sure Bertrand would join me in expressing our gratitude for your interest in Hubert's Saga. While it is by no means the entirety of his phenomenal work, it is certainly the most comprehensive, multi-faceted, and dynamic of them all.
