It’s no secret that we here at The Nerd Signal are big Tank Girl fans, so when there’s news like this, we’re all over it.
Co-creator Alan Martin has been waving the Tank Girl flag for some time now. After fellow co-creator Jamie Hewlett left comics in the mid-to-late-90s to pursue other fields (finding success with the Gorillaz) and after the failure that was the film adaptation, the character laid dormant for about a decade. Then Martin began teaming with a series of artists in 2007 to revamp and revive Tank Girl for a new era (it being 20 years since her creation).
Now Martin’s taking his anyone can draw this character mind-set and putting it all into one book that you can help make happen. 21st Century Tank Girl is an anthology graphic novel being funded through Kickstarter. The book features art by seven artists, some of which are new to the character and at least one is a surprising return.
Philip Bond was a frequent Tank Girl artist back in the 90s, while Jim Mahfood and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell have both done recent runs. Jonathan Edwards was slated to draw a Tank Girl mini back in 1996, but that book was cancelled when everyone decided they wanted nothing to do with her.
Craig Knowles and Brett Parson are the two new artists in the anthology, but it’s not their first time drawing Tank Girl. Martin reached out to them after he found art they had posted on the internet.
Perhaps the least expected artist on the book however, is co-creator Jamie Hewlett. Returning to comics after a 15 year absence, Hewlett will contribute not only a strip, but also two covers. He’ll be providing the standard hardcover as well as the art for the slipcase (which is only available via the Kickstarter).
The 100 page, oversized graphic novel (it’s A4 size, about an inch taller and two inches wider than a standard comic) is available with any donation of £23 (about $38) or more, but there are a ton of cool things under that level and some really crazy things over it.
As of this writing, it’s about three hours since the Kickstarter went live and it’s already more than 10% towards its goal with over 100 backers.
