Last year, Eric July made history with the launch of his comic, Isom #1, which not only made over $3.7 million in sales with more pre-orders than most Marvel and DC Comics sell, but the campaign also drew media attention from the likes of Glenn Beck and Fox News.
July’s detractors and fans have both been wondering whether the second installment in the new superhero universe, dubbed Rippaverse, would be as successful. After the first 48 hours, which raised nearly $1 million, we have an answer—Rippaverse fans are here to stay.
Maybe even more astounding is that Isom #2’s campaign has been plagued by an unresponsive website that has been down at times, which July’s team says they are working dutifully on trying to fix. It appears as if there is too much traffic for the website to handle generated by the excitement of Rippaverse readers. Nevertheless, it’s still raised $960,067.00
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Isom #1 received near-universal praise for the book, both with readers enjoying the art and the world which was being built by July and his team.
When it was announced earlier in the month that legendary comic writer Chuck Dixon would be joining the Rippaverse for a team book called Alphacore, fans also rejoiced at the prospect of new superhero stories from a man long blacklisted by mainstream companies.
The Isom #2 campaign, which features a storyline by Eric July, artwork by Cliff Richards, colors by Gabe Eltaeb, and letters by Eric Weathers gives readers a reminder of “the story so far” leading up to issue #2, with this synopsis, “The story so far… Avery Silman is thrown into a world he thought was behind him when he hung up his suit and must decide if wearing the mantel again is the best course of action.”
“In Issue One, Avery’s sister—Altona—calls Avery to have him investigate the disappearance of a young woman who was last seen with former friend Darren Fontaino,” the synopsis continues. But Darren had changed since he was hanging out with Avery when they were young. Instead of the friend he knew, Darren has become a cold-blooded shot-caller and one of the most feared men in the city.”
“The visit turns into one of the longest days in Avery’s life. Around these parts, people call ‘special beings’ Excepts. And unfortunately for Avery, he has the luxury of running into some of them. The Alphacore and Yaira have their own set of conflicts, while the living tank known as Santwan reappeared to add more difficulty to Avery’s life,” it reminds.
The synopsis concludes questioning, “What are the consequences of Avery’s choices in Part 1? Who will come to his aid? Grab Isom #2: Ill-Advised Pt. 2 and find out for yourself!”
The campaign also features a high-quality animated trailer featuring July voicing his Isom character in a fight scene, which fans are speculating may lead to future animated film work based on the Rippaverse property.
Creating even more buzz to the delight of comic readers is the news that iconic Green Lantern artist Ethan Van Sciver and DC Comics veteran Shane Davis have joined forces with July to produce covers for Isom #2.
Van Sciver tweeted about his involvement as the book released, stating, “Good morning! Hopefully you’re up and ordering ISOM #2, cover B, by me!”
With the addition of hard-hitting comic book veterans to the Rippaverse team and the buzz from readers and reviewers generated by the first issue, it appears as if Isom #2 will be breaking records again to create another success for Eric July and his team. How high will it go? Only time will tell.
What do you think of Eric July’s Isom #2 launch? Leave a comment down below and let us know.