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Stephan Franck's PALOMINO Volumes 2 & 3

Created by Dark Planet Comics

The Critically-Acclaimed Neo Noir Graphic Novel Set In LA’s Country Music Clubs Continues

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Only 4 days left + exclusive AMA + California Neo Noir authors convo!
26 days ago – Mon, May 11, 2026 at 09:27:27 AM

Hi dear backer!

Only 4 DAYS LEFT in our PALOMINO Vol 6 / AKA THE COMPLETE PALOMINO campaign!

Which not only concludes the Palomino series in an epic way, with the following items:

  • All 6 volumes of Palomino available!
  • All of my previous titles!
  • BRAND NEW BEHIND THE SCENES BOOK: "From Script to Final Art"!
  • Great Palomino merch!

Also, do not miss our backers-only LIVE AMA SESSION on storytelling: TUESDAY 5/12 7pm PT! CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE VIDEO LINK (will be sent 30min before call). https://dark-planet-comics.com/story-call-sign-up

MEANWHILE... A TALE OF TWO VALLEYS!

It has become common practice in the Kickstarter community  to end campaign updates with an "if you like this, you'll also like that" section, where we present other cool campaigns that we think are rad and well worth your time. 

HOWEVER, it is rare when you find something that is such a perfect fit--Visually, thematically, and a truly exciting voice that we've fallen in love with. And it happened twice in this campaign. Once  with the amazing coast-to-coast symmetry between Palomino and Real Life Comix: Only In New York, and now with WESTSIDE!

Westside is also a neo-noir with a complicated young woman as its lead detective, and like Palomino it takes place in a California Valley--but not the San Fernado Valley... The Central Valley! Westide is truly incredible, fantastically lived in work, and we've fallen in love with it!

So much so in fact that I sat down with Westside writer Justin Giampaoli for a great convo on California neo noir! You can find our chat--which was truly cool--on out fellow California  neo-noir author (yes there are a few of us) Jaime Parker Stickle's Stubstack!

Here are cool covers from her fantastic latest novels!

A former reporter gets a new spin on life in this gripping debut from author Jaime Parker Stickle, whose psychological roller-coaster ride set in sunny Los Angeles tackles motherhood and murder.

New mother Corey Tracey-Lieberman wakes up to nightmarish news: two teenage girls found hanged in a nearby park. Even more unsettling is how the news casually casts the tragedy as the result of increasing street crime, as if the victims’ lives didn’t really matter.

Corey knows better. In the six years she’s lived in Highland Park, she’s seen gentrification but no uptick in criminal activity. A former broadcast journalist, she knows all about spin―and not just the media kind. She now teaches spin classes in the neighborhood, between caring for her nine-month-old son and battling postpartum anxiety.

When police efforts fall short, Corey launches her own investigation into the hangings, flexing her idle sleuthing skills with baby in tow. And after a third murder strikes too close to home, she knows she’s onto something big.

An emotional gut punch tempered by belly laughs, Vicious Cycle is a tour de force certain to thrill all readers.

"Stickle buttresses her well-executed mystery plot with sharp wit, visceral depictions of Corey’s postpartum anxiety, and a surprisingly stark focus on systemic violence against women. Readers will be hungry to hear more from Corey soon." – Publishers Weekly

"Jaime Stickle’s debut VICIOUS CYCLE is a layer cake of enjoyment. Any former reporter can investigate murder, but Stickle’s protagonist, Corey Tracey-Lieberman, does it with a baby strapped to her chest while fighting postpartum anxiety. Funny in spots, heartbreaking in spots, Stickle brings the humanity – and lands the plane with nary a bump.” – Tracy Clark, award-winning author of the Cass Raines and Det. Harriet Foster series.

Are we sensing a theme, yet? And yet, these are three completely different characters, points of view, voices! Artistic kinship at its best.

THE COMPLETE PALOMINO -- ONLY DAYS LEFT + BACKERS ONLY FREE AMA WITH STEPHAN FRANCK
29 days ago – Fri, May 08, 2026 at 09:41:41 AM

This is it, folks! ONLY DAYS LEFT on the Palomino Volume 6 (AKA THE COMPLETE PALOMINO campaign)!

Don't miss the series' epic final chapter! Follow Liz as she embarks on embarks on one final odyssey,  where every secret will be revealed and all scores settled. To survive the night, Liz must confront the ghosts of her past and, maybe – just maybe – emerge on the other side reborn and free.

FREE, LIVE AMA SESSION WITH STEPHAN FRANCK

Just like we did last year, we'll go live on Tuesday 5/12 at 7pm PT for a free AMA sessions to celebrate the end of the campaign -- any question about storytelling is welcome!

Follow this link to register for the AMA story call! Links will be sent 30minutes before the call.

In love with comic book storytelling? Follow me behind the scene with FROM SCRIPT TO FINAL ART, which offers a full-access breaks down of my storytelling process through one of the most ambitious chapter of Palomino.

Graphic Policy has an exclusive--

And if you are a fan of noir, here's something we also think you might like!

Dick Tracy debuted in newspapers on Sunday, October 4, 1931 and was written and drawn almost entirely by creator Chester Gould until 1977. Through Gould’s nearly five decades of dedication on the strip, he created a pantheon of eclectic supporting characters like Pruneface, The Mole, Flattop, and Tess Trueheart that make Tracy the beloved character he is today. The Library of American Comics remastered and collected the strip in a series of hardcover collections, many of which are out of print and highly sought after. Now Clover Press and the Library of American Comics are bringing the collections back to print in an affordable softcover format with Dick Tracy: 1961-1964, featuring Gould’s iconic early 60s strips. Backers will receive all four volumes at once, as well as commemorative prints of each of the covers by Cat Staggs, Brent Schoonover, Howie Noel, and Daniel Hillyard. The Kickstarter is now live.

The new softcover will collect the strip strictly by year, reprinting each installment from January 1 to December 31. Each volume will measure 11" x 8.5" in a horizontal format and will slide into a vertical slipcase, designed for protection and easy shelving. Each year’s collection will also feature a new cover by a diverse selection of contemporary artists. 

Fulfillment in progress!
9 months ago – Mon, Sep 22, 2025 at 11:03:57 PM

The news from the Dark Planet Packing Plant is good, y'all!

Happy to say that a large number of packages have already shipped, so many of you might have already received your books. The rest will continue shipping through the next few days--So it's time to start keeping an eye on your mailbox!

If you ordered book plates, they will ship with your books, however, prints will be sent separately.

Meanwhile, the digital downloads just went out tonight! Anyone who has filled out their surveys should have received an email with download codes.

For commissions tiers, I will be contacting you directly.

That's it for tonight!

Only 3 days left on PALOMINO & RITAOTSG!
about 1 year ago – Mon, Jun 02, 2025 at 06:29:27 AM

Dear backer,

Only 3 days left in our 2025 campaign, which includes the 2 brand new volumes of PALOMINO, and ROMANCE IN THE AGE OF THE SPACE GOD!

Just speaking from the heart for a moment, this campaign has been an incredible vibe. The response from peers, and critics alike, has not only celebrated these most recent books, but also deeply validated my work in comics over the past decade

All of this work has been accomplished in complete independence, and you, dear reader, even if you’ve only ever picked up a single one of my books, have made it possible for these little tales of truth, justice, and the American way to exist. I’m forever grateful.

If you choose to continue on the adventure, THE TIME TO DO IT IS NOW!

“You can’t read a Franck piece or witness his world-building without walking away feeling you’ve had an experience.”—FREAK SUGAR