Yesterday Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray launched a Kickstarter campaign for the second volume of SEX AND VIOLENCE. Similar to the first volume, the upcoming graphic novel will deliver more stories about crime, lust, and redemption. Containing three stories, two by Palmiotti and one by Gray, the volume will feature art by Romina Moranelli, Rafa Garres, Vanesa R. Del Rey and Paul Mounts. The cover will be by Dave Johnson with limited edition cover by Amanda Conner.
Intrigued already? You can back the Kickstarter project HERE which, right now, is the only way to "pre-order" the book for yourself as this version will be Print On Demand only.
We took the opportunity to ask Jimmy some questions about this project. Keep in mind, this is for ADULTS ONLY. Some images have been censored for the general public but will not be censored in the actual book.
COMIC VINE: With this being the second volume of SEX AND VIOLENCE, do you guys plan one continuing on some sort of periodic schedule?
JIMMY PALMIOTTI: Honestly, the people that support the book are deciding this with each Kickstarter we do, but the first book was so successful we decided to try another with a whole bunch of new artists and break the book into three stories. I would love to do one of these each year, and if we hit the mark, I will make sure to do it. A lot of artists like to draw stories of this nature. More than you think.
CV: Do you have a lot of mature stories filled with sex and violence in your head?
JP: I have a lot of madness rolling around in that arena and doing this book does get some of them out to make room for others. A lot of the work Justin and I do is mature audiences storytelling, like Jonah Hex, Painkiller Jane, G.I. Zombie and more. We just know the limitations of every book we do and try to work the story within those boundaries. With the SEX AND VIOLENCE book, we are not worrying about that. We are writing the stories as we see them and each artist is doing whatever they like. We try to stay hands off while they do their job and let them be as creative as possible. Its all about letting go, taking the story to a dark place and having some fun in-between.
CV: You have two stories in this volume and Justin has one, did you seek specific artists for the particular stories?
JP: With Justin's story, we were looking at someone that would have an eye for detail and history and be able to take this war story to a new level. Rafa Garres has worked with us a few times on Jonah Hex and we thought his eye for drama and detail was a perfect fit. With Daddy issues, we were looking at someone that could get across innocence in a young character and then be able to turn the tables and make the character aggressive. Not so easy, but when we saw the work of Romina Moranelli, we knew we got the right artist for the story and a plus was that she would color her own work, giving it another dimension. For the last story, a friend introduced me to a student artist from the Ringling College of Art and we spoke about working together on and off till we were able to line up our schedules. Vanesa R. Del Rey has a very noir style and as you read this decent into hell story, you can see how she was the perfect fit. We got the best of the best on this one and I am proud to say they each did an amazing job.
CV: Are there any ties between the stories? Do they happen in the same world or are they each stand alone stories?
JP: The stories are not tied together at all. They are happening in small towns, in other countries and in big cities. The themes are what these stories are about. Stories about wanting something better for one self, about justice and about the horrors of war. I think in a way, this is a better form at to follow since the sky is the limit with the storytelling. I will say they all take place in the real world. There are no stories of magic, of flying saucers, and there definitely are not any superheroes. We figure there is enough of that on the racks right now.
CV: You’ve had many successful Kickstarter campaigns. Is that why you make the decision to go this route verses other publishers?
JP: We tried Kickstarter out, delivered the goods time in and time out and a lot of people enjoy being a part of this and the rewards we offer, so it’s working for us now. Each and every book is a risk, no matter where you sell it. I am a collector, a consumer and someone that loves comics. Kickstarter satisfies all three parts for me. I support a ton of them and I love the process of not only controlling the product, but especially love the connection we make with each and every person. It’s a grass roots thing. I still love my mainstream work, but Kickstarter is where we go to do the things that haunt us…the ideas that we WANT to do that other publishers might not want, or have the insight to see how it might work. I love working for Image and will never stop…but it costs me a lot to put out my own books that way, and they don't always sell. With Kickstarter, I have a fighting chance to sell each and every person that visits the page. One day these books will be published somewhere, but not right away.
CV: It’s mentioned that this version will be an exclusive Kickstarter edition. Is the idea to sell a different printed version at a later date?
JP: It is possible, but no plans have been made. My dream is to one day self publish the books ourselves under the Paperfilms banner, but that takes a lot more money and time then I have. I did it once with Event Comics and I was a younger man at the time…this old man before you can only do one thing at a time, so this might take years. I will say that the book we offer and the format it is offered in will not be repeated. It is why the covers are exclusive and limited. If we ever print these SEX AND VIOLENCE books at a future date, we would never use the covers we did for the Kickstarters again as covers. It is a promise we plan to keep.
CV: Has Amanda drawn the "limited edition top secret cover"? How sexy is it?
JP: Amanda has done two different pencil versions of it and is still working on a third. She wants to top what she did before and each and every time she does. She is one of the few artists that can pull off nudity and still have so much storytelling going on that you might forget it's a mature image. Dave Johnson is the same way…look at the cover for Volume 2…there is a bigger story there. To answer your question directly, yes, this cover will be murderously sexy.
CV: For future volumes, will it always be you and Justin writing or might you bring in someone else’s sexy violent story?
JP: For now since the investment is ours, it will continue to be us. I am open down the line in bringing in someone special, but we have so many stories to tell, for now everyone is stuck with us. We have only done two of these so its really just the beginning of it all.
CV: Despite being clearly labeled as a mature title, has anyone complained about the previous volume being too sexy or too violent?
JP: Not one single complaint and I think it is because the title is also a warning and anyone that doesn't expect what they get inside needs to get a new pair of glasses. we warn ahead of time in the Kickstarter that the material is for mature audiences only, so they expect the nudity, the horror and the situations that come with it.
If you want a copy of the volume or just want to back the project, visit the KICKSTARTER PAGE. You'll find more images and information as well as the different incentive rewards you can get. The funding period ends on September 23, 2014. Keep in mind, this is the ONLY way to get the book since it's Print On Demand.