When Comixology Submit first began last year, indie creators everywhere finally had a chance to get their comics in front of thousands or even millions of potential readers. Originally beginning its life as a free-to-read webcomic, Moth City from Tim Gibson quickly became a notable Submit title when it first hit the platform in April. Beginning as a sort of pulp crime thriller, with some politics and history thrown in, Moth City slowly transformed into a sort of action/horror in an effortless way that no doubt helped to earn Tim and Moth City a spot on Comixology’s “Best of 2013” List. That’s on top of his success serializing Moth City on Mark Waid’s Thrillbent site. 2013 wasn’t too bad for Tim.
To celebrate, Tim is putting all the issues of Moth City on sale this weekend (Feb. 1 & 2) for just 99¢, with the first issue being completely free! And even better is that a prequel one-shot titled The Resevoir is coming to Comixology next Wednesday (Feb. 5), a stand-alone story that centers on Governor McCaw, one of the main characters of Moth City, years before the events of Moth City ever occur. Expect a preview and review in the coming days!
For now, we asked Tim just a couple of questions about the sale and the upcoming one-shot.
Leo Johnson: Moth City has been received pretty well the last year, even getting named to Comixology’s “Best of 2013” list. How does it feel to be on that list?
Tim Gibson: Epic. To be named in the same Comixology Submit category as Joshua Hale Fialkov and Becky Cloonan, let along be there with titles like Sex Criminals, Afterlife with Archie or Saga… ridiculous really.
Yeah, 2013 was great. There’s still a lot to achieve in 2014 though and I’m pretty excited about what’s coming up. This time last year I just had a webcomic, now I have six (soon seven) titles up on Comixology, a great relationship with Mark Waid and Thrillbent and some solid momentum. Picture a pig, then some sh…
LJ: To celebrate, you’re running all six current issues of Moth City on sale for just 99¢. What are you hoping to accomplish with the sale?
TG: Just find some more readers, that age-old goal for any creator-owned series without a marketing team.
With comics like mine you have your early adopters, those people who actively search out new stuff and give it a read (love those people), and other people need a little more convincing. I’m hoping that those people I love will help me convince those people I want to love to try the series.
LJ: Your new comic The Reservoir is coming in just a few more days (Feb. 5th). What’s that story about?TG: It’s about a family broken apart by a father’s ambition and mistrust. It’s a very masculine tale, a Western, with hunting, shooting and murder. There’s no dialogue, just bold full-screen images and hard-hitting text. It’s an experience, I’ll tell you that. It has upset a few people.
Also it’s a one shot, so anyone can grab it, enjoy it, and move on with their lives.
LJ: The Reservoir is a new release that’s set in the same universe as your larger Moth City story. How do the two relate?
TG: The ‘bad man’ I described above just happens to be a younger version of Moth City’s Governor McCaw. If you ever wondered how a swaggering piece of work from Texas ended up running a munitions empire in the Orient this’ll solve some of those mysteries.
Careful readers will also spot a lot of the thematic crossovers and visual clues that surround McCaw and Glitter’s (his daughter) stories. It stands alone, but it’s a really nice addition to the Moth City world and fleshes out one of its more interesting and complicated relationships.
Be sure to catch up on Moth City during the sale on Saturday and Sunday and pick up The Reservoir next week!
