EVENT: The Dharma Punks Graphic Novel Launch!

Above: The cover of The Dharma Punks graphic novel by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Its been crazy busy here at Earth's End Central, with the launch of Earth's End Publishing's first graphic novel, the long awaited collected edition of The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang!

It will launch tonight (October 23rd) at a special signing event at Heroes For Sale, 582 Karangahape Road, Auckland, from 6.30pm. Ant Sang will be on hand to sign copies, there will be refreshments, and even a music set from the PCP Eagles!

If you pledged on Kickstarter, you will be able to collect your special editions with exclusive extras from this event, and also from the Earth's End booth 95, this weekend at the Auckland Armageddon Expo 24th-27th October. We will also have copies on sale at Armageddon Expo all long weekend, with Ant Sang signing, along with myself with copies of From Earth's End: The Best of New Zealand Comics, Damon Keen from Faction, and the Sheehan Brothers of The Inhabitants fame!

If you don't live in the Auckland area you will still be able to pick up a copy of The Dharma Punks from your local retailer when it is released next Friday, 31st of October. You can pre-order it now at your retailer - as word of mouth will help get this book out there - and if they need directions on where to find us, you can send 'em to: earthsendpublishing@gmail.com!

So hope to see you tonight or over the long weekend, as The Dharma Punks makes its long awaited return to a bookshelf near you!

- AK!

Ant Sang's The Dharma Punks graphic novel available at last!

Above: The cover of the collected edition of The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Today I can announce the publishing date for Ant Sang's The Dharma Punks graphic novel will be October 31st, 2014! This will be the first publication from Earth's End Publishing, a new boutique publishing house formed by myself, Damon Keen and Kelly Sheehan!

Originally published as an eight issue comic series between 2001-2003, The Dharma Punks has been out of print for over a decade,  and has since gained a reputation as a local comics classic. Collected under one cover for the first time, this 424 page volume features re-mastered artwork, exclusive bonus material, and an introduction by Elizabeth Knox (Wake, The Vintner’s Luck).

For the uninitiated, Ant Sang is an award-winning designer & cartoonist. His previous graphic novel Shaolin Burning spent eight weeks in the Booksellers Top Ten List, and was a winner of the Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Award in 2012.

Above: A preview page from The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Synopsis:

Auckland, New Zealand, 1994. A group of anarchist punks have hatched a plan to sabotage the opening of a multi-national fast-food restaurant by blowing it sky-high come opening day.

Chopstick has been given the unenviable task of setting the bomb in the restaurant the night before the opening, but when he is separated from his accomplice, Tracy, the night takes the first of many unexpected turns. Chance encounters and events from his past conspire against him, forcing Chopstick to deal with more than just the mission at hand.

Still reeling after the death of a close friend, and struggling to reconcile his spiritual path with his political actions, Chopstick’s journey is a meditation on life, love, friendship and blowing things up!

Above: A preview page from The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

About Earth’s End Publishing:

Earth’s End Publishing is a newly formed boutique publishing house, aimed at bringing into print comics and graphic novels by some of New Zealand’s best cartoonists. Formed by Adrian Kinnaird, founder of the From Earth’s End blog and writer of From Earth’s End: The Best of New Zealand Comics; Damon Keen, designer and co-publisher of the NZ comics anthology Faction; and Kelly Sheehan, experienced bookseller and writer of the comics series The Inhabitants. Our modus operandi is to produce beautiful, exceptionally designed comics, and to make them available throughout New Zealand and the world.

Copies of The Dharma Punks are now available for order from Earths End Publishing. Email: earthsendpublishing@gmail.com. A special retailer price is available. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or require further information. 

Publishing details:

The Dharma Punks
Ant Sang
Trade paperback, 424 pages
RRP: $39.99
Released: 31st October 2014
ISBN: 978-0-473-28906-5

So check out our new Facebook page HERE, or follow us on Twitter for future Earth's End Publishing announcements and updates!

- AK!

Kickstarting The Dharma Punks graphic novel!

Above: The Dharma Punks #1 by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Last night at an event in Auckland, I announced the launch a Kickstarter campaign to publish the long out of print NZ comics classic, The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang!

Originally published as an 8-issue comic series from 2001-2003, The Dharma Punks follows Chopstick, a punk who is a part of an anarchist plot to blow up ‘Bobo’s’ a multinational fast-food restaurant. Unable to move on after the death of his close friend, and struggling to reconcile his spiritual path with his political actions, Chopstick’s journey is a meditation on life, love, friendship and blowing things up!

When it was released the series gained a cult following, and early issues regularly outsold bestselling comics like Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men at local comic stores. Since The Dharma Punks, Ant has gone on to produce the well received graphic novel Shaolin Burning (2011), and was the designer of the hit animated TV series, Bro'Town.

I recently took to Facebook and Twitter to ask readers what New Zealand comic they would like to see back in print, and The Dharma Punks was the clear favourite. Over a decade after it’s release, the original issues have become increasingly scarce and hard to find. So to remedy this situation I've joined forces with Damon Keen - the editor of Faction Comics, and writer Kelly Sheehan to form Earth's End Publishing: with the intent to publish The Dharma Punks complete collection!

Now to make this a reality, we've turned to popular crowd-funding platform Kickstarter to raise the $8500NZ needed to get this 400 page graphic novel back into print! The Dharma Punks Kickstarter campaign HERE will be running through the month of May. For more details check out our video below:

As you heard in the video, there are some great rewards, from signed copies of the graphic novel, to exclusive artwork and prints only available through this campaign.

We'll be updating the project throughout the month, with new support videos from some notable fans of the original comic series and a first look at some the rewards artwork, so keep an eye on the campaign and help us make this very worthy project a reality!

If you would like a preview taste of The Dharma Punks, there will be a special Free Comic Book Day issue available this weekend exclusively through Heroes For Sale on K'rd in Auckland, and Arkham City Comics at Three Kings Mall in Auckland, and MK1 Hamilton!

- AK!