Your One-Stop Shop for the IMPOSSIBLE!
(IMPOSSIBLE JONES, that is— the thief-pretending-to-be-a-hero created by KARL KESEL and DAVID HAHN.)
Latest Updates from Our Project:
The Final, Fateful 48 Hours
6 months ago
– Wed, Mar 13, 2024 at 11:44:43 AM
FIRST
THANK YOU for supporting IMPOSSIBLE JONES. David Hahn, Ryan Cody, Comicraft and I make the comics— but it’s people like YOU who make those comics, well, possible. We couldn’t do it without you.
I’ve worked for a lot of companies and made a lot of comics in my life— and this is the BEST way, IMO. I’m here as long as YOU are.
I mean, look at the amazing book we’ve put together:
256 Pages! (Up 4 pages from 252 because of a Stretch Goal)
Oversized!
Hardcover!
Fold-Out by ARTHUR ADAMS!
Pin-Ups by ADAM HUGHES! BILL SIENKIEWICZ! STUART IMMONEN! TERRY MOORE! JEFF SMITH! MIKE McKONE! And more!
New Pin-Ups by MICHEAL AVON OEMING and CONOR HUGHES— thanks to Stretch Goals supported by people like YOU!
Collects the IMP TEAM-UP stories from IMPOSSIBLE TEAM-UP A-D!
15 additional, new story pages!
Hot Pink Ribbon Bookmark! (An Ultra-Cool Stretch Goal, if there ever was one!)
Not to mention these charming chibi stickers of Mr. GILA MONSTER, IMP, and PERSEPHONE by the enormously talented and infinitely generous GIAN CARLO BERNAL— FREE to every Backer (digital backers get digital version):
PLUS we’re reaching for the Next Stretch— an ENAMEL PIN of the Peerless POLECAT (also based on the work of Mr. Bernal) once we hit $52,000:
No digital version for enamel pins, I'm afraid. Sorry!
(Between you and me: I’d love to do an enamel pin of CAPTAIN LIGHTING, too— hell, I’d like to see the whole IMPOSSIBLE cast get “pinned”— but one step at a time…)
Which nicely segues into…
SECOND
I need your help.
We’ve raised enough to get this book finished and printed. Easily. Thanks to YOU. But here’s the thing: I want to finish strong and raise enough to pay for the next IMP book.
David and I usually produce a handful of pages for any given IMP comic, launch a Kickstarter, then use the money raised to pay our bills while we complete the book. But that could take 6, 7… 9 months or more.
I want to get ahead of that curve. I want money in the bank so we can finish an IMP comic before we Kickstart it. For us, that would take away a layer of stress, of worrying if we take longer than we originally planned to wrap a book.
For YOU, that means a much shorter time between the end of the Kickstarter and the book showing up in your mailbox. Only the time it takes to get the book printed, really— which, if we’re talking domestic printers (and with IMP we usually are), could be as little as 2 months!
I’m sure this is something we ALL want.
How To Make This Happen
Well, you could just throw fistfuls of cash at us. That would work. But in case you want, y’know, something in return, here are a few ideas:
Upgrade Your Pledge!
If you’re a Digital Backer, you could upgrade to a physical copy. You still get the PDF, but you’d also get that sweet, oversized hardcover that will make you the envy of friends and family (plus any enamel pin swag we swing before the show ends)! If you’re worried about not enough shelf space… Bah! What kind of comic collector are you?
You could Add-On an IMP T-SHIRT. Recent scientific studies show that the IMP T-SHIRT instantly makes you look 39% cooler and 7% taller. I’m not making this up! (Except, I am.)
If you have a little more (well: a lot more) disposable income, you could nab one of these STUNNING David Hahn watercolors:
Why these weren't snapped up LONG ago is one of the world's great unsolved mysteries!
Needless to say, there is only 1 of each. Yet I still felt the need to say it.
The T-Shirts and Watercolors are ADD-ONS. To get them simply:
Click the MANAGE YOUR PLEDGE button
Choose your same reward (or a different reward).
Once you’re in the CONFIGURE YOUR PLEDGE area (why they call it that, I’ll never know; very confusing, IMO) scroll down until you see the goodie you want.
Click it. (This adds the item on to your pledge, hence the name ADD-ONS.)
DONE!
SHARE, LIKE, COMMENT!
Whether or not your disposable income is already disposed of— and I get it if it is, believe me!— please SHARE, LIKE and/or COMMENT on every IMP post you see. AS MANY AS YOU CAN! The more interaction these posts get, the higher they move up the almighty algorithm, the more people get to see them. New eyes are how we find new readers— and let people who already like IMP know there’s a new book on its way. (You’d be shocked how many fans don’t know! I hear from them after every Kickstarter ends. “Oh, no! Am I too late?!”)
You may have seen some IMP ads on Facebook, maybe some other places. I’m trying a company named Jellop, who have a nifty little animated logo:
I have to say, the results have been better than I expected. But I want you to know that SHARES, LIKES and COMMENTS on these ads count, too! EVERYTHING HELPS! In fact, I’ll make a deal with you:
Every time you leave a comment, I will reply to it!
Doesn’t have to be much. “Can’t wait!” or “I love IMP!” or “When are we going to see you naked at an awards ceremony, Karl?” (answer: when I have a body like John Cena’s). I keep pretty close track of my Social Media (Facebook, Twit/X, BlueSky) and Jellop lets me know every time someone comments on their ads— so the chances of me responding to you are very good.
So let’s hit the ground running in these FINAL, FATEFUL 48 HOURS! Let’s give it our all! Or, as Captain America once (in)famously said:
I didn’t know TIM SALE, but I certainly knew— and loved— his work. I always thought “Our paths will cross. There’s time.”
Except there wasn’t. Tim left us far too soon. Luckily, we will always have his amazing art to remember him by.
Part Zorro, part V For Vendetta, unlike either, BILLI 99 is from early in Tim’s career, and it’s astounding how well he had mastered the medium even then. Bold, deceptively simple, completely engaging, BILLI 99 deserves to be in every comic lover’s library.
It’s definitely going in mine.
IMPOSSIBLE Things Are Happening Every day…
6 months ago
– Wed, Mar 06, 2024 at 07:24:28 AM
This just in from Conor Hughes:
This magnificent pin-up has been added to the IMPOSSIBLE JONES ULTRA-COOL COLLECTORS EDITION— because of YOU! YOUR support helped us reach the Stretch Goal that made it, well, POSSIBLE! THANK YOU!
We have room for ONE MORE PIN-UP. And I know who I'd like to get. Here's a (very big damn) clue: POWERS. THE AFTER REALM. PROJECT BLUE BOOK.
BUT FIRST we have to knock down our current Stretch:
I started looking over all the behind-the-scenes sketches and stories and secrets and insights and realized "I can't fit all this in 8 pages!" So I'm hoping we can add 4 MORE PAGES to the Backmatter section so you can really see how this superhero sausage is made. So to speak.
And How Do We Do That?
We get more people to support IMP.
And How Do We Do THAT?
SHARING posts!
LIKING posts!
COMMENTING on posts!
The more you interact with an IMPOSSIBLE JONES post, the more the easily-distracted internet algorithm pays attention to it, promotes it, and lets more people see it. And that's what we want, what we need: more people learning about IMP!
You may not be comfortable with sharing everyIMP post— that's cool. But sharing some is better than sharing none. As I often say— so often I'm sure you could say it with me— YOU know people I don't. People who like the SAME THINGS you do! People who will THANK YOU for letting them know about IMPOSSIBLE JONES!
Less social-media-awkward is LIKING a post. This cost you nothing, most everyone doesn't even know you're doing it, but it can make a HUGE difference in how many people see a certain post. My advice: "LIKE" EVERY IMPOSSIBLE JONES POST! EVERY DAY! EVERY SINGLE ONE!
But I'm biased.
COMMENTING also helps. And you know what? I'd love to hear from you. I'd love to respond to you. A big part of what I love about crowdfunding is getting to know the people who like my work— people like YOU. So take a minute. Talk to me. I'll talk back as much as possible. (That doesn't sound right, does it? But you know what I mean.)
ALMOST FORGOT! This just in from ARTHUR ADAMS:
Please do not share this image. Let's keep it Our Secret for now, okay?
FELIPE CAGNO has been producing his astounding THE FEW AND CURSED epic for a while now. Set in a barren, American West apocalyptic world minus most of its water but plus all sorts of monsters and demons (not what I'd call a fair trade-off!) this latest installment follows a group of scrappy kids trying to survive these horrors. It's GOONIES meets (INSERT YOUR FAVORITE MONSTER MOVIE).
This is what I love about Filipe's comics: he sees this world SO COMPLETELY. Yes, his curse-chasing Redhead gunslinger is over there, but meanwhile there's a post-apocalyptic postal worker trying to deliver the mail, while over here are these kids who are clearly biting off more than they can chew! The depth and detail he puts into his world-building is breathtaking!
HIDDEN AWAY is a done-in-one graphic novel, with a beginning, middle and end. If you already love Felipe's work, here's more to love. If you're new to his wold, this is a perfect place to start.
BTW: There are a FEW interesting Western/Horror/Fantasy books out there right now! And I love me a good Western! I'll talk more about them in future updates, but if you're curious you might want to check out THE SPELLSLINGER and DRAGON GRIT.
CHRISTMAS in February!
7 months ago
– Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 11:16:51 AM
Another Gift From DAVID HAHN:
This spectacular piece of our favorite Christmas Thief (and IMP's BFF) HOLLY DAZE— watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil, pen and ink on 11x15 board— is available as an ADD-ON right NOW! Of course, something this one-of-a-kind isn't cheap. $500, in fact, but well worth it.
I'd consider it an early Holiday present to yourself. I mean, it's only February, but— you've been good this year, right?
Of Course, David Also Painted Our Leading Lady, IMP…
For reasons too byzantine to go into concerning interfaces and, possibly, human sacrifice (or lack thereof) this image was deleted from the last Update! Because the gods hate me, that's why! Well, good news: here it is! Finally!
Also good news: it, too, is still available. Also a $500 ADD-ON.
How Do I Add-On an ADD-ON?
Simple, really. On the main IMP page, select MANAGE YOUR PLEDGE. Then select your SAME PLEDGE again (that way you won't lose any SECRET VALENTINE or EARLY BACKER stuff). You'll then be directed to the ADD-ON page. Scroll down until you see the IMP and HOLLY watercolors.
Voila!
We have a New STRETCH GOAL!
YES! New Hope City's crime boss with the venomous bite finally gets his own CHIBI STICKER! All we have to do it hit that $41K goal— which I know we can do!
Insert wry remark about "An offer you can't refuse."
In Other News…
I started posting about IMP on Twit/X yesterday. I have HUGE problems with how that site is run these days, but I'm happy to use it for my own nefarious ends to spread the IMPOSSIBLE GOSPEL. And we saw an uptick in pledges yesterday. Coincidence? Conspiracy? Luckily, on Twit/X it can be BOTH!
PLEASE "LIKE" AND "SHARE" ANY/EVERY IMP-POST YOU SEE!
On Twit/X, Facebook, BlueSky— anytime, anywhere we can bend the algorithm in our favor, let's.
Collects all 11 issues of Sarah Vaughn and Leila Del Duca's fantastic fantasy comic, with plenty of extras.
Not a fan of fantasy? Neither am I. But I am a fan of GREAT COMICS— which this most definitely IS. I mean, one of the main characters is the SLEEPLESS KNIGHT— which is a great name— but take a look at him:
That's right— one of the heroes has HUGE CIRCLES UNDER HIS EYES because he DOESN'T SLEEP!I love it! I can already see Timothy Chalamet in the part, looking wonderfully horrible.
Anyway. Support this book. NOW. You won't be sorry.
JONESING for an IMP Watercolor?
7 months ago
– Tue, Feb 27, 2024 at 08:14:17 AM
Look What DAVID HANH did:
This stunning piece is watercolor, acrylic and colored pencil on 11x14 watercolor board. Needless to say, there's only ONE. And it could be YOURS.
This painting is available RIGHT NOW as a $500 ADD-ON.
TO GET IT: click MANAGE YOUR PLEDGE, then choose your SAME PLEDGE AGAIN, and when you get to the ADD-ONS page, scroll to the bottom. If this watercolor isn't there it means someone was a little faster than you.
Don't cry. Please stop crying. I can't stand to see you cry.
David has said he'll do a couple more of these. None of us know what they'll look like— other than GORGEOUS!— or when the muse will hit him. You know these artistic-types! But when he does another one, you'll hear about it HERE, and you'll hear about it FIRST.
The Good News
As soon as someone snatches this beauty, we will have SOARED past our current Stretch GoaL— a CONOR HUGHES IMP PIN-UP— making our ULTRA-COOL COLLECTORS EDITIONEVEN COOLER!
If you don't know Conor's work, you're in for a TREAT! He made his mark on the book that set the standard for Kickstarter Comics— WHITE ASH— and has (enviously!) only gotten bettersince! He continually produces jaw-dropping, stop-in-your-tracks alternate covers, like this one for GANGSTER ASS BARISTA:
THE INSTANT CONOR FINISHES HIS IMP PIN-UP, you'll see it HERE. (But he just brought his newborn son home last week, so cut the guy some slack!) (I'm very interested in seeing what sleep deprivation does to Conor's art…)
WHAT'S NEXT?
Excellent question. I assume you mean "What's the next STRETCH GOAL?" And I'm thinking maybe… Trading Cards.
An eon ago I put out a set of IMP Trading Cards— a different character on each front, one large, new image on the card's backs when you laid them down together. Well, there's been a lot more IMP since then, with a lot more characters who don't have their own trading card. And that's not right. That's morally wrong.
That's something we need to FIX!
(Hmm… might even have to do a 2nd printing of the first set…)
Look for more info about IMP Trading Cardssoon.
KEEP LIKING US!
On SOCIAL MEDIA. What else did you think I meant?
As always, I cannot stress how important it is to LIKE and SHARE any and all IMP posts you see on Facebook, Bluesky and, yes, Twit/X. (I'm going to tiptoe back into Elon Musk's world later today. Desperate times…)
Not everyone sees every one of my posts (or yours)! There's no way of knowing when someone will be in the right place at the right time, see IMP, and want to join the fun! So we need to keep stirring this Social Media stew. We need to keep IMP near the top, where she can be seen. And we do that by LIKING and SHARING and LIKING and SHARING, over and over. As much as you're comfortable with. And then, maybe, a little more.
MONTY NERO has been producing excellent Kickstarter comic for years. Well, CHROME ROSES is what he's been up to for the past 10 months, ever since (and in response to) a high-speed car wreck he was in— and freakishly/luckily walked away from!
Monty has worked with other artists in the past, but here he's writing and drawing it HIMSELF. Look at that insanely crazy detail! No one ELSE would draw all that! This is clearly Monty's PASSION PROJECT.
The WORLD BUILDING is over the top! Sure, there are deadly Trackerborgs, but also freaky ideas like Husks and Skinfreaks… and Monty's even got his own tilted take on how the economy and democracy works (or doesn't)!
This is a murder-mystery— described as "Hellboy meets Blade Runner"— but to me it has the earmarks of a career-defining comic. A comic that will stay with you long after you've finished reading it.
A comic you shouldn't miss.
Which reminds me: ACT FAST!CHROME ROSES ends Friday, March 1, 4 PM PST!
Maybe a Better Name Would be INCREDIBLE JONES…
7 months ago
– Wed, Feb 21, 2024 at 06:55:08 AM
INCREDIBLE (See? There's That Word) First Week!
The IMPOSSIBLE JONES Vol 2 ULTRA-COOL COLLECTORS EDITION had a "Secret" launch on Valentine's Day— and you showed your love, rocketing past the initial goal in 3.5 hours (give or take)! And here we are one week later, just edging past a staggering $37,000!
Amazing! Incredible! But clearly not Impossible— not for YOU!
Thank you for ALL of that. And in return…
ARTHUR ADAMS' Layout for his FOLD-OUT!
Ain't it a thing of beauty?
I've asked for a few minor tweaks— move EVEN STEVEN so we get a getter view of him, put CAPTAIN LIGHTNING's gun in one of his hands— but for the most part, this is what it'll be!
And it'll be AWESOME!
(Extra points if you can figure out who's causing the ruckus in the center of the image. It's a character who's appeared in IMP before— for one panel!— and the sort of character Arthur loves to draw.)
What's Next?
We're in the DOLDRUMS, no doubt about. The long middle stretch of most Kickstarters where new support comes in very… very… s l o w l y …
To counter that, we need to keep beating the drum about IMP, keep spreading the IMPOSSIBLE GOSPEL. That means SHARING as many IMP posts as you feel comfortable doing and— VERY IMPORTANT— "LIKE" EVERY IMPPOST YOU SEE! Every single one. The more "likes" a post gets, the more that annoying algorithm makes sure it's seen by others.
I'm doing a series of posts where IMP tells what she thinks about the other characters. They're fun and perfect for sharing/liking…
Click on any of these, they'll take you to their FACEBOOK posts, where you can LIKE and SHARE them. Do you know how great it would be if each IMP post was getting 100+ LIKES? Really, REALLY great! And so simple for you to do.
I've been avoiding Twit-X, but I might have to put my toe back in, just to keep us moving forward in the Doldrums.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve, too. A few surprises in store. As a… well, not very wise, but certainly good-hearted man once said: It's all in the reflexes.
The newest offering from the unstoppable KAT CALAMIA and PHIL FALCO (do they ever sleep?) and the 2nd book in their engaging, entertaining, edgy EVERAFTERVERSE, updating and inter-connecting various fantasy and fairy tale realms.
The high concept here— as you can see in the wonderfulDRAVACUScover detail (above)— is basically BUFFY IN WONDERLAND. Which is a pretty great idea, if you ask me. And as show-stopping as that cover is, I had to get a different one for myself…
…because I can't say "No" to CONOR HUGHES!
This is a NSFW comic! Just so you know.
More news as it happens. Stay tuned…
BTW: You know how someone can say something in passing, a small comment, but it sticks with you? A long time ago, I read an interview with AL CAPP, the man behind the (at the time) wildly popular LI'L ABNER comic strip and he casually mentioned that he used a lot of BOLD words in his strip to draw attention to it on the newspaper comics page, to make it look more EXCITING.
