A Writer’s Perspective of Final Gamble
FINAL GAMBLE launches today! Marking the occasion is our first guest BardBlog, from our very first Bard herself, Bobby Singer —–
I’ve been reading comic books for as long as I can remember. The Silver Age Legion of Super Heroes comics were my first, and they helped teach me to read. And before you ask, no, I’m not old, my dad was just a collector.
I’ve always dreamed about having a floppy issue that I wrote being presented on a store shelf. And now, we have the chance to make that dream a reality through Final Gamble!
Final Gamble is my take on the gambling genre of manga which has bred popular titles such as Kaiji and Kakegerui. Through it, and through the lens of the book’s protagonists, gambling addict Danny Lin and disgraced MMA fighter Jasmeet Khanna, I’ll be examining the darkest depths of humanity which can be unleashed through unlimited wealth and power, the strength of unwavering will, and the pain and torment of addiction. And while I’m digging into these heavy subjects, I’ll also be forcing my characters to partake in increasingly elaborate games of chance in order to survive, and designing these games has been one of the most fun parts of writing this story.
Representation is important to Band of Bards and, as an Autistic, bisexual trans woman, it’s incredibly important to me. This has been reflected through both the characters on the page and off it. Between the three main characters of the book and the four members of the creative team, there isn’t one cis, straight white person to see. The guys running this company are the most cis white straight men from Buffallo you’ll ever find, but they’re the ones making this book happen, so we’ll let that slide.
But let’s talk more about my team. On Pencils and Inks, we have Jorge Santiago Jr., the artist of my all time favorite indie comic, Spencer & Locke, who I knew I wanted on the book as I was writing it, and I was thrilled to get him. On Coloring duty is Harry Saxon, whose work on books like Vagrant Queen and Test is outstanding, and whose presence means I can tell all of you that this creative team is 50% trans! How cool is that?! Finally, on Lettering, is George Gant who, on top of being a master of the underappreciated craft, is also a supremely talented artist whose web comic, Beware of Toddler, never fails to make me smile.
I’m proud of what my team and I have accomplished so far, and I know that, if we get the funding we need, we can make something truly special and unique.
If you want to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to supporting diverse comics and creators, or you just want to enjoy a dark, thrilling story with elements of tabletop gaming, martial arts, and both psychological and physical horror, then please, consider backing Final Gamble today.
— Bobby Singer, writer & creator