What is Dissolution?

What if there is another world, just beyond our own? It's there, its footfalls are in sync with ours, but just slight enough that we fail to notice - and if we do, it's a barely-perceptible clicking noise that makes our hair stand on end. A shadowy movement out of the corner of our eye. The smell of roses where there is no reason for them to exist. A heartbeat whose source cannot be traced by our human ears. A world we fail to notice - but most definitely notices us. Now, imagine the veil being lifted and that world revealed at last - would you cling to your sanity or feel it slip between your fingers?

Dissolution is my pet project, going back many years. I first envisioned it as a novel in 2006, and in fact have written over 300 pages of sheer text of the story. However, as my art skills developed and I rediscovered my love of illustrating other people's works and ideas, it kindled a hunger to illustrate my own work. I kept coming back to Dissolution, looking at it fondly, and then deciding I just didn't have time for it yet.

2012 saw a creative flowering of several projects in which I was involved, and I decided that I would make time for Dissolution. I wanted to see it in color, in images, give the characters faces to go with their names, and above all, SHARE the story so that others could see it too. I established a website in September of 2012 where I could share comic pages (and random thoughts/recipes) weekly.

Can I see any samples of your work?

Samples? Heck, you can go see exactly what you'll be getting! Well, the first half of it or so. Visit Dissolution, I update weekly with a new page! The printed version you are backing encompasses the first 48 pages of the story, far more than the website currently displays, but it's all set and ready to go and you hopefully will be able to tell from what's already available if it's a story that piques your interest! Warning: There IS some mature content in this story!

What is the Kickstarter Fund money going to be used for?

I will print a run of at least 200 copies of Volume One - the first 48 pages of Dissolution. If I get more backers, I will print more copies! That may seem like a small amount, but I am excited to even start with that. In addition, funds will cover merchandise included in tier level rewards - t-shirts, stickers, mini-buttons, and art prints. If there is a little left over, it will be funneled into purchasing an artist's booth at one of our local (or close-to-local) conventions (Shooting for one of the following: April 6-7, 2013 - Planet Comicon (in Kansas City); June 21-23, 2013 - Trek Expo ; or July 2013 - Tokyo in Tulsa).

Why should I pay for it when it's free online?

This is a savvy question, and one that I struggled with in creating this Kickstarter. It's true, Dissolution is free and viewable online - there aren't even any ads on the website. However, I can think of three reasons why you might choose to back this project in spite of that!

Dissolution: Volume One will cover the first 48 pages of the story.You will notice that there are nowhere near 48 pages on the site yet. This is because I've been building a backlog in preparation for this printing, and yet have kept my online updating to once-weekly. Backers will be WAY ahead of online readers when it comes to knowing what happens and where the story is going!!
By supporting this project, you are also supporting the continuation of the story in all its forms. Being able to print and market Dissolution is a dream come true - and it means that the website will be going strong for a long time in the future! A successful project here tells me that enough people are interested in the story and art that it is vital to continue.
You are an amazing person who likes to support authors and illustrators by purchasing their work. This can't be overstated. People who choose to back art and literature in spite of it being available online are among my favorite people (along with Jacques Cousteau, Michio Kaku, Georgio Tsoukalos and Neil deGrasse Tyson - what a list to join!). Seriously though, it's a big deal - your decision to back my project humbles me, and I thank you.

"But wait," you may say. "I WILL be ahead of the story - but then I'll have to wait SOOOOO long for the website to catch up!" Ah, but I've got you covered! If this Kickstarter is successful, I'm considering moving to faster updates - updates aiming for the reveal of the end of Volume One online (page 48) to correspond to the offer of Volume Two in the future. Backing this project will mean faster reveal of the storyline in TOTAL, for those online and in print. EVERYBODY wins! But especially you. Because you get to hang out with Kaku, deGrasse Tyson, Tsoukalos and Cousteau in my head.

Who are you?

Hi! My name is Indi Martin. I write, I illustrate, I don't sleep as much as I should. I've been drawing and writing all of my life - I actually have several completed novels, but am generally too much of a perfectionist to be happy enough with them to shop them around. Though I've done a lot of illustrating for projects, I still consider myself amateur simply because I have never been paid - or paid much - to complete them. My largest and longest dream has always been to someday make a living - even a super-meager one - through my creative endeavors!

I love to Geocache in my spare time (I'm "Starbuck2011" in the Tulsa Area Geocachers group!) and really bliss out when I find high terrain-high difficulty caches first! I don't consider myself an "avid" hiker, but I'd love to be. I took some time out from life to hike the Appalachian Trail a few years ago and completed about 1000 miles of it - considering I had never actually camped out more than one night at a time prior to that, I'm glad the risk paid off and I grew to love it!

Be sure to check out the
OFFICIAL Dissolution Kickstarter site
for a video, more details,
learn about ALL the fun rewards for backers
and to make a contribution.

please LIKE the

DISSOLUTION Facebook Page!

Don't be a muggle, show some love for a fellow geocacher!
~ Alana