The Sordid History of ReincarNATE
The cover to ReincarNATE #1!
Let me tell you something: ReincarNATE is the little comic that could. I know, that's corny as hell, but it's true. Way back when Hoax Hunters was getting off the ground at Image, ReincarNATE was the book I wanted, more than anything else, to release next. I thought it had a great concept (a down on his luck PI, Nate, gets shot in the head and can now interact with the people he reincarnated from, helping him stop criminals) and even better art--Keith Burns, who illustrated my first published comic, weaves some magic in ReincarNATE, believe me. But here's thing: no one else agreed with my opinion.
No one.
The book was rejected by every publisher you can name. I submitted it everywhere, and not a single publisher wanted to publish it. The book was universally rejected.
Normally, I'd just throw in the towel. Because that's what you do in publishing--if a pitch doesn't attract attention, you cut your losses and move on to the next one. But I couldn't do that. I didn't want to do that.
Instead, Keith and I persisted. In 2012, we ran a successful Kickstarter to fund the printing of the four-issue ReincarNATE. Keith finished the book, and I mailed off about 300 copies or so, if memory serves. The book was a real thing in the world; we got to see our vision through to the end, and I was thrilled that we did.
Only, the thing is, that wasn't the end. ReincarNATE--again, the book NO comic publisher wanted to touch--caught the eye of James Cooper, an aspiring writer and director. James optioned the series in the hopes of making something of it.
Two years passed without much movement. Then, long story short, the development of the ReincarNATE TV show got a big shot in the arm when Buck Productions and Patrice Theroux, formerly of the mega production company Entertainment One, joined James to bring ReincarNATE to life. You can see the news for yourself here:
http://deadline.com/2015/06/reincarna...
Somehow, this book has managed to stay alive. Kind of like Nate himself, ReincarNATE has defied all odds time and time again. Keith and I always joke that we're either the luckiest people around, or just too dumb to quit.
And now, we're in the middle of the coolest period of ReincarNATE's existence yet. About two weeks back, we announced that David Hayter (who wrote the first two X-Men movies in addition to voicing Snake in Metal Gear Solid) has signed as the showrunner for the ReincarNATE TV show. Which, suffice to say, is amazing. To go from the book no one wanted to being a step away from a pilot being shot (and I've read the script for the first episode--it's truly terrific) is still surreal to me. You can read about David's involvement here:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news...
My heart, of course, will always be with the comic. And that's what I'm primarily writing about. The first issue--re-releasing the four issues found in the Kickstarter trade paperback--is coming out from Heavy Metal this August, and the final date for retailers to place orders is this Tuesday, July 5. Let me tell you from experience after experience, the only thing that gets retailers to order books is if they know it will sell. And the only way they'll know it will sell is if they're told, directly by customers, that they will buy the book.
So, I ask you, please, when you go to your local comic shop this weekend, please tell them to have it in stock. Keith and I have overcome a lot of adversity and beaten a lot of odds to keep this book going, and we want to continue to keep it going--our plan, if all goes well, is to start a new series after the Kickstarter material is re-released.
If you need a little more convincing, you can read the first issue of ReincarNATE for yourself. For real, totally free. Download it right here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2913133/Michael%20Moreci/Reincar%28Nate%29_2016_01_Proof_001.pdf
(P.S. We're still tweaking a few things for the re-release, and the cover isn't the current final cover in this version)
As always, thanks for reading--enjoy the holiday weekend!
