Smart adventure comic Atomic Robo has a new field guide for action scientists coming out, along with a boatload of merchandise. And short anime charmer Little Witch Academia is getting a sequel—and you can help fund the production. Plus, two veteran VFX artists are working on an intriguing pilot film, and could use a bit more funding.
Little Witch Academia 2
We loved the anime short Little Witch Academia, about a young student at a school of magic just coming into her own power. Now the creators, Studio TRIGGER, are working on a sequel. Originally, the plan was to make the episode 20 minutes long, but now that they've hit their Kickstarter goal, they'll be increasing that by 15 minutes. For a $20 pledge, backers will receive a digital download of the series artbook and a standard definition download of the episode. [via Cartoon Brew]
Atomic Robo Needs You! Tesladyne Recruitment Drive!
We love Atomic Robo, Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener's action-adventure comic about a wisecracking robot built by Nikola Tesla. Fans have been asking for Atomic Robo merchandise, so they're creating the Tesladyne Field Guide (for everything an action scientist needs to know) and Robo merchandise to raise merchandising capital. For a $10 pledge, backers will receive a PDF of the Field Guide. For a $20 pledge, they'll receive a print copy of the Field Guide, a PDF copy, and a mini-poster. There's plenty of merchandise (including lab coats) at higher pledge levels.
The Ningyo
Visual effects veterans Miguel Ortega (Thor, The Mist, Priest, Underworld: Evolution, Drag me to Hell) and Tran Ma (Transformers 3, Thor, Alice in Wonderland, G.I. Joe, John Addams) are working on a cryptozoology pilot film (15-22 minutes) set in 1909:
Dr. Marlowe, a paleontologist and professor, finds a piece of a map pointing to the place where the Ningyo, the mythical Japanese creature, could be found. The legend claims whomever consumes its flesh will attain remarkable longevity. He presents the project to his peers, who mock and dismiss him as a fraud. He decides to risk everything and go after the Ningyo on his own in hopes to bring to light what could be one of the greatest contributions to science. What he could not anticipate is that, in his search, he is confronted with a choice that puts the very foundations of his morality to the test.
They've got lots of lovely concept art up at Kickstarter. For a $10 pledge, backers receive a digital download of the film, plus a full color sticker.