More Than Money – Why I Will Write Peter Panzerfaust Regardless of Sales

by kurtiswiebe

Have you heard of my comic series Peter Panzerfaust? peter_04_cover

It’s a strange little retelling of the Peter Pan story in World War II. Or, as some others have eloquently summarized it: Peter Pan vs. Nazis.

I ask the question because I believe that this series isn’t very well known. I believe if people simply heard that pitch or gave the first issue a try they’d really love it. I know I do.

It’s easy to say that about a series that you’ve created. It’s obvious you are going to like a project that you’re personally invested in but I can say it in a very genuine way because eight issues in, I’ve begun to love these characters. They’ve gone from a cast of misfit orphans to children with real motivations, desires and fears. They escape my brain to live on the page.

Sometimes that connection to a world, to the people that live inside it, will transcend all the issues that arise when creating independent comics. Sales, marketing, schedules. They all play a major part of keeping a series alive. As creators we also deal with real life issues outside the work itself and it affects all of those aspects. So, after taking a lot of time to think about what I want most out of this series and talking with Tyler Jenkins, the tireless illustrator behind the gorgeous art you see in every issue, I came to a conclusion that solidified in my mind why I set out to tell this story to begin with.

I will tell this story. Whatever happens, I will see this through to the end.

The truth is, our sales are right on the line. At the moment, it’s not costing our publisher money to keep it alive, but at this stage it is very much a project of passion for Tyler and I. My concern in the last few months was that I didn’t want Tyler to put 3 weeks of his life into a series that didn’t pay him. But, you know what, that wasn’t my decision to make. After talking to Tyler and being set straight that he was able to decide just fine for himself what he wanted, I knew that both of us were in this for the long haul.

And I can tell you this: We have never been more excited for the future of this story.

This arc alone has some of the best scenes I’ve ever written and there will be some major reveals in the final three issues that will have our fans reeling. The third arc is going to take the story in a brand new direction and answer some dangling questions about the enigmatic Felix. The fourth arc is an uncorked bottle of action and suspense that will lead into the fifth arc that slowly brings the past and present together in a way I’ve been planning for four years.

You will not regret staying with us. I promise.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan