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Durruti: Shadow of the People

Created by Autonomous Collective

The true story of the life and death of anarchist Buenaventura Durruti - as told by Ringo Award nominated Comic Creator Brenton Lengel

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Durruti #3 is HERE: Exclusive Cover Reveal!
2 days ago – Mon, Nov 18, 2024 at 06:50:10 PM

Comrades!

You're not going to believe this one.

But first off, I want to thank you for so much for your support, both for my work, and Buenaventura Durruti's memory. 

Over the past two weeks I have been wracking my brain to find how to best foster solidarity in the present and hope for the future. The answer to that, for me, is to continue telling Durruti's story. With fascism resurgent all over the world, the life and deeds of one of the most effective anti-fascists in history is more important than ever.

As such, I'm pleased to officially announce that the art for Durruti: Shadow of the People #3 is DONE and our kickstarter campaign to print the book is IMMINENT.

I've been sitting on this for a while, because I know just how cool it is. Here's the much-awaited cover reveal for Issue #3, and it's honestly my single favorite cover of all time:

Durruti #3's main cover.

Now, I know what you're all thinking: "WTF is The INFINITY GAUNTLET doing in a comic about Durruti?" The answer is...well, when I was first writing Durruti, during my research I found out that Franco was an absolute NUTCASE (big surprise). 

In particular, during the Spanish Civil War, Franco carried around the actual severed hand of a SAINT like it was the f%*king nuclear football! He took it everywhere he went. He slept with it under his pillow. He literally died clutching it. 

The hand in question was the hand of St. Theresa De Avila and...well I'd probably better just show you. Here it is:

Turns out a callous disregard for human life isn't the only thing Thanos and Franco have in common.

When you add on that Durruti is quite literally "The First Avenger" and that he had a real-life "crossover" with Nestor Makhno...a literal winter soldier, well...This right here was the moment that I decided the universe wanted me to tell Durruti's story, and to tell it specifically as a comic.

The book itself is gorgeous.A full 30 pages, that's almost a comic and a half!I was planning to wait for January 2025 but then...well you know.

Durruti witnesses the desolation of the Catalan countryside while Franco plots their coup with General Goded.

Given what happened two weeks ago, I have significantly expedited my target launch date: I want to launch this campaign before December, but I can't do that without sufficient pre-followers.

Kickstarter is all about building critical mass right away. The way to do that is to have a large number of pre-followers watching the campaign on launch day. Pre-followers tells the algorithm that this sequential biography/war epic is something people are interested in and support. 

The algorithm responds by showing our page to more people, many of whom pledge. Whichnot only allows the project to continue, but it also inspires hearts and minds, reminding us all that: another world is possible, because each of us carry that world in our heart. It is growing this very minute.

But I can't do this on my own. It all starts with you.As such PLEASE pre-follow the campaign. It takes just two clicks. Social media shares are also helpful and appreciated. 

Even if you want to sit this one out, your pre-follow will STILL help the campaign in a major way, and there's a TON of great benefits available in addition to the comics themselves, to make it worth your while:

Just SOME of the hyper-detailed , exquisitely crafted premiums we've made over the years. 

So whether you're a long time fan, or just came by and snagged #1, this is the kickstarter for you. And if you've felt paralyzed by the enormity of the disaster we have been faced with, this tiny step can move you from shock to action. 

So please, do whatever you can and you'll get a GREAT comic, a ton of super rare HIGH QUALITY keepsakes for your trouble.

We can do this.

Adelante,

-Brent & Co.

>>> Click Here to Pre-Follow Durruti #3 <<<

Issue #3 is gonna be WILD!

SWZA #5 60% Funded! SWZA Vol. 1 Deluxe HC Missprint 50% Off!
8 months ago – Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 02:01:24 PM

We're doing it comrades!

I will be sharing the Durruti #2 progress early next week. In the meantime, thank you all so much for all the enthusiasm you have showed. I have a very quick update that I'm writing before leaving for Indiana Comicon. If you're in the area come by and see my editor Andrea Molinari at the Scout Comics booth!

Very quickly, while the response on day 1 was phenomenal, things slowed a bit. As I am not one who lets speeping zombies lay, I'm introducing an incredible deal: you can get the SWZA Vol. 1 Delux Hardcover MISPRINT for just $35 as a level OR you can add one onto you order for just $30!

Can you believe that?  I won't even be charging additional shipping to add it on to orders within the United States and only $20 additional for European orders (The weight of the book increases the cost of shipping internationally considerably) 

I am essentially giving the book away at-cost, so the books are limited to only 100 (50 as a level and 50 as an add-on) Pledge/add them on NOW so you don't miss out in this incredible deal, and give the campaign the shot in the arm it needs to raise the remaining $5500!

Solidarity!

-Brent

>>>GET THE SWZA VOL. 1 MISPRINT + SWZA #5 (50+% OFF)<<<

SWZA #5 60% Funded! SWZA Vol. 1 Misprint 50% Off!
8 months ago – Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 01:54:28 PM

We're doing it comrades!

I will be sharing the Durruti #2 progress early next week. In the meantime, thank you all so much for all the enthusiasm you have showed. I have a very quick update that I'm writing before leaving for Indiana Comicon. If you're in the area come by and see my editor Andrea Molinari at the Scout Comics booth!

Very quickly, while the response on day 1 was phenomenal, things slowed a bit. As I am not one who lets speeping zombies lay, I'm introducing an incredible deal: you can get the SWZA Vol. 1 Delux Hardcover MISPRINT for just $35 as a level OR you can add one onto you order for just $30!

Can you believe that?  I won't even be charging additional shipping to add it on to orders within the United States and only $20 additional for European orders (The weight of the book increases the cost of shipping internationally considerably) 

I am essentially giving the book away at-cost, so the books are limited to only 100 (50 as a level and 50 as an add-on) Pledge/add them on NOW so you don't miss out in this incredible deal, and give the campaign the shot in the arm it needs to raise the remaining $5500!

Solidarity!

-Brent

>>>GET THE SWZA VOL. 1 MISPRINT + SWZA #5 (50+% OFF)<<<

Snow White Zombie Apocalypse #5 Trailer Reveal
8 months ago – Sun, Mar 17, 2024 at 08:21:51 PM

Hey Comrades!

Thanks so much for supporting my work, and helping to keep Durruti's memory alive.

Enon Films (The folks behind the Durruti movie and the Wanderer's Feast prequel) have made an awesome semi-animated trailer for the upcoming Snow White Zombie Apocalypse #5. Please check it out, it's got new music by Crüxshadows and I think it's one of the best ones I've done yet. Make sure you watch PAST the end:

Badass, right? SWZA is my flagship series. It's success is the primary reason why I was able to make the Durruti comic in the first place. 

So while you're waiting on Durruti #3, I thought I'd take some time to tell you that the first NEW Snow White Zombie Apocalypse comic in TWO YEARS is finally here, and comrades? It looks AMAZING:



I'm going to be launching SWZA #5 this coming Tuesday 3/19/24 at 7:30 AM EST. 

The campaign will run for 30 days. We have a very ambitious $12,000 goal, so I'm gonna need all your support to make it work. If we get overfunded, the additional money will be rolled into Durruti & NPCs. Also, the book is just absolutely breathtaking:

Jack does not make a very good first impression.

And of course I couldn't help but slip in some biting social commentary:

Take THAT monarchism! A thing I should not have to say in 2024 :/

This is actually the first bit of purely NEW territory, the previous five books being more or less adapted directly from the play. It intersects with and continues the story in SWZA #0 Reign of the Blood-Covered King...and because it's ME it takes the form of a dungeon dive to recover a magic sword:

So even if you aren't able to back SWZA right now, or want to wait until Durruti #3 you can still help out with just a few seconds of your time. Pre-Follows help immensely with the Kickstarter Algorithm:

Also, to make it worth your while, if you pre-follow, then back at "The Book" level or higher and comment "Adelante" on the page, I will send you this as a free, limited edition print:

We need at least 250 pre-follows before launch and at the moment we have 217. There's nearly 600 of you, so if everyone helps out, we'll be in a VERY good place to launch on Tuesday 3/19/24. So please, take a few seconds to:

Click here & then click "Notify Me."

NPCs: Myth, Magic, and Retail + FREE "Class War Monkey" Sticker
about 1 year ago – Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 03:50:20 PM

Hey Comrades,

Thanks to all of you who helped to make Durruti #2 the success that it was *as well as* those of you who helped to raise more than $500 for civilian relief efforts in war-torn Ukriane and honor the name and legacy of Nestor Makhno!

I and Autonomous Collective are launching out THIRD original comic series *TOMORROW* Tuesday 10/17/23 at 7:15 AM EST

It's as different from Durruti as Durruti was from Snow White Zombie Apocalypse, however, as it's *me* making the book, you will find common themes and perspectives throughout all three. So *if* you liked Durruti and/or SWZA there's a great chance this workplace comedy will be right up your alley! I give you:

NPCs: Myth, Magic, and Retail:

Badass, right? NPC's is the kind of comic that ask: "What would happen if Bob's Burgers ran headlong into Game of Thrones, with a dash of Skyrim for flavor?"

his is an absolutely hilarious satire of the entire fantasy genre, created with my old comrade and co-writer Zac Xeper, frontman for the Anarcho-Queercore Punk Band, Dogpark Dissidents.

Zac and I met at Occupy Wallstreet and have been friends and occasional collaborators ever since. He's a crazy smart, talented and insanely funny whose music absolutely slaps:

As you can see, while the work I write and publish is incredibly diverse in terms of setting, genre and content, there's still a thematic through line that can bridge the gap between Action/Horror Fairytales,  Historical Biopics/War Epics, and queer comedies centered around the fantastical heights of the fantasy genre while remaining grounded in the socio-economic realities of life in late-stage capitalism.

And speaking of that, check out this edgy new sticker we've created for you:

Uh oh! Where'd he get that molotov?

This is "Class War Monkey" the first in a series of playfully edgy stickers depicting scrappy animals striking back against their human oppressors!

You will notice that this cute little guy is a longtailed macaque, a species of monkey that are known for developing particular cultural practices INCLUDING stealing valuable stuff from tourists and refusing to return them unless given food:

What a cute little Robin Hood!

I'm going to be making these into a series of stickers and prints, as well as t-shirts--if there's enough interest (Sound off in the comments if you want one).

So, how do you get one of the first print run of these stickers? WELL you could either wait until the Durruti #3 campaign OR pre-follow and pledge to my newest series:

If you're a fan of the fantasy genre in any respect: Books, Movies, Videogames, you name it! You're gonna LOVE NPCS:

The art is being done by Kit Buss of Critical Role, and Juan Francisco Mota, artist for Durruti: Shadow of the People #2.

They have both done some incredible work on this book, and I am so excited to bring it to you, but I can't without your help!

So how do you help out a comrade with critical mutual aid AND get this guy absolutely free of charge, before anyone else does? Simple, just click here or belowand then click "Notify Me". Then, pledge at "The Book level" or higher, and comment: "Adelante!" to get this sticker absolutely free!

So what are you waiting for? Smash that "Notify Me" button like it's a bugged NPC blocking the door! 

Solidarity,


-Brent