Cats, Unicorns, And ‘Sprell’ – Meet Jelly Vampire And Emet Comics On Kickstarter
by Hannah Means Shannon
Aside from having one of the strangest and most strangely compelling titles you’ve seen in a long while, this project is also an all-ages collection that “spotlights the outrageously funny adventures of 13-year-old Lulu Lulusenfeaturing strange creatures, cats, and unicorns…always lots of unicorns…and sprell.” What’s sprell?
Neverdahl became well known in the comics community in 2011 when her “vertical” style comic strip “Like An Artist” caught the attention of greats like Raina Telegemier and Scott McCloud. McCloud actually uses the cartoon in his lectures about understanding the art of comics after encountering it.
Since then, Neverdahl has become a regular contributor to Vice Magazine, and she’s been working on her new project, Jelly Vampire.
The new collection follows the life of Lulu Lulusen, “an unassuming girl in a yellow jumper whose imagination is as wild as it is colorful. Lulu takes on fresh chaos enthusiastically and without assumption, whether she’s livening up a plate of broccoli with her unicornificator or juggling the pressures of leading a secret society.”
The Kickstarter campaign for the project is being run by Emet Comics and its publisher Maytal Gilboa as part of their goal to bring more women writers and artists to the comics market.
Gilboa says:
We recognized the lack of diversity still prevalent in the media and joined the movement to change it; not just by telling stories about relatable women, but by giving female writers and artists a platform to express their unique perspectives on history, literature, and the world we live in. Emet Comics publishes and supports lots of serious fiction and JELLY VAMPIRE is not that! Instead, it’s a wonderfully silly romp of a book by a woman whose art makes me belly laugh every time I read it and that’s important too!
This campaign marks the first time Jelly Vampire will be published in English, with pledges delivered to backers this Fall 2017. Backers of the campaign will receive exclusive rewards, that include “Like An Artist” comic strip, two 8×10 prints based on pages from the book, two sheets of stickers featuring many of Ida’s unique characters and a 2018 calendar featuring twelve months of Ida’s whimsical creations. A limited number of commissions will also be available.
By the way, “Sprell” is a Norwegian word which loosely translates as “mischief, prank or practical joke”.
You can follow Emet Comics on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram.
You can find out more about Ida Neverdahl and Jelly Vampire on Facebook, Deviant Art and Tumblr.
Check out the Kickstarter campaign right here.