Volume III of the hit supernatural series focuses on the title character’s still-living children Lexi and Nico. After manifesting paranormal abilities, the siblings decide to use their gifts to battle darkness. Volume III’s crowdfunding campaign will begin on February 13, 2024, and offer a host of perks that include original pieces of comic artwork.

NOTE: Roberto, Lexi, and I are launching our Kickstarter in a week. The more pre-followers we have on the page, the better Kickstarter’s algorithm will treat us. By clicking the link and clicking “notify me” you will be telling Kickstarter that this is a worthy project. As a result, it will show the project to more people when we launch. We are trying to get 100 followers before the launch--we have 70 (last I checked)--can you help us put it over the line?

HERE IS THE LINK: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2025955669/the-shepherd-volume-1-to-3

“…thoroughly heartfelt, heartbreaking, and terrifying…” -- Comical Opinions (Review of “The Valentine” Issue #1)

“The book manages to blend noir pacing with horror elements seamlessly. The reader gets an introspective look into a child struggling with the loss of a parent while also feeling the suspense of a gothic horror story… ” -- The Comic Book Yeti (Review of “The Valentine” series)

"The tasteful, colorful art grounds the story excellently. Its simplicity matches the story’s simplicity beat for beat but isn’t afraid to knock the reader over the head with juicy, horrifying drama when it is needed. It feels like a more mature Scooby-Doo with lots more to say." -- Comic Book Yeti

FORT MYERS, FL -- In a world full of suffering, brutal violence, and unresolved trauma, what happens when two young children decide to step up and rescue those desperately in need of help?

Such is the premise for The Shepherd, Volume III. Previously released by Scout Comics as single issues, both stories in this volume will now be collected and published in hardcover form.

“These comics were previously published in 2022 under the assumption that the pandemic’s complications were behind us,” says co-author/co-creator Andrea Lorenzo Molinari. “Unfortunately, COVID’s lingering presence affected the release and promotion of these books. Now that we’re finally able to give these stories their due, I’m excited to bring them to fans as one collected volume.”

For The Shepherd, Volume III, the writing team took a new angle for the stories, making the still-living children of the titular character the protagonists. Coping with the deaths of their father and brother, Lexi and Nico solve paranormal mysteries in the three-issue arc of The Valentine and the one-shot The Pit.

Explaining Volume III’s stories, Molinari says “Both of these stories are violent and grim, taking readers into disturbing territory. The Valentine is the first adventure of these young siblings. Exploring how we care for one another through tokens of affection, the story sees Lexi and Nico take up a dangerous quest to help a little girl recover a lost item. This is a straightforward, modern gothic horror story.

"The other story is The Pit, which puts the siblings on a mission to stop an underground dog fighting ring. Since the topic of animal cruelty is so disturbing, we decided to tell the story using a more whimsical art style that wouldn’t alienate readers.”

The creative team for Volume III’s stories includes both familiar and new names to the series. The Valentine features the artwork of Jaime Martínez Rodríguez (“The Cast of Dr. Who #1”/ “Devil’s Road”), and “The Pit” is brought to readers courtesy of the work of Ramiro Borrallo (“Deadfellows”).

“In addition, for The Pit, my daughter Alexandria Molinari joined our team. This added both a female’s perspective to the book and an emotional depth necessary for a story like this to work,” Molinari explains.

 

The crowdfunding campaign for the Volume III hardcover will commence on February 13, 2024, lasting for thirty days. This is the first crowdfunding campaign of this size for “The Shepherd” series, and one that Molinari hopes will help grow the comic’s fan base even further. To make the campaign appealing to comic book fans, the title’s creative team is offering as many perks as they can. In addition to the autographed individual issues and trades already on the slate, four artists from “The Shepherd” series will be providing original works exclusively for this campaign. This includes original watercolor paintings by Rodríguez, Borrallo’s pen and ink/colored drawings, pieces by Chris Hamer (“Gutt Ghost”/ “Red Winter”), and ten different works by The Pit cover artist Marco Fontanili.

“We’re in the middle of planning additional rewards for this campaign that will be announced at a later date, including the offer of more collectible memorabilia that will be signed and the offer of creative services, since many people who back indie campaigns are creatives themselves,” Molinari explains. “We want this campaign to appeal to everyone so that we can grow the title’s fan base, as we’re ready to tell bigger stories and reach a wider audience.”

The crowdfunding campaign for The Shepherd, Volume III ends on March 12. Comics fans who want to back the crowdfunding campaign may find it via this link.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2025955669/the-shepherd-volume-1-to-3

For further information about The Shepherd, visit the comic’s website and social media.