Savannah Houston-McIntyre, Canadian comic book writer, is turning to kickstarter to fund the first volume of ‘Amya Chronicles’; a high-fantasy graphic novel following the adventures of a mute woman as she attempts to stop the forthcoming apocalypse.
Writers Savannah Houston-McIntyre and Andrew Hewitt, along with illustrator Rebecca Gunter-Ryan, are placing the fate of their High-Fantasy graphic novel in the hands of the internet. It is their hope to generate $16,000 towards their first print run. In a male dominated and centred industry, ‘Amya Chronicles’ shines through as a refreshing change. The cast if primarily female; all of whom are diverse and deeply human.
Following Kickstarter’s guidelines, the creative team has 40 days to raise the the needed funds, or they will receive nothing. If they are unable to generate the $16,000 by August 25th, the pledges will not be processed and the print-run will be cancelled.
When asked why she decided to bring her story to the internet, Savannah noted, “It is critically important that we evaluate the media we intake and lead by example. The media we create now will influence how future generations perceive their world. The fact that media shapes the society and culture we live in is an undeniable truth. I noticed a lack of female and minority voices in the media I was consuming, and decided it was my duty to put my creative skills towards a solution. I hope our online audience will see the work we are doing, and strive to support it.”
The rich story of ‘Amya Chronicles’ has been woven over the last five years, and will continue for many more if all goes well. There are a total of five volumes planned for the series.
Amya tells the story of Faye, a mute spell-touched who lives a sheltered life as the youngest daughter to a great lord. She is burdened with dark dreams of an apocalypse, and it isn’t long until her tranquil life changes when a fateful encounter with a young stranger sends her on a spiralling journey of self-discovery.
As Faye and her unlikely companions pursue an adventure that is greater than any of them could have anticipated, she discovers how heavy the burden she carries truly is. She is to be the pinnacle of the world’s survival or destruction, and must decide if she wishes to sacrifice her own humanity for the world — or the world for her humanity.
To learn more about the series, readers can view the project’s Kickstarter page here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1530128474/amya-volume-one