Fan The Flame Concepts launches “Red Card”

By John Freeman on October 11, 2019

Fan The Flame Concepts LLC, a US independent comic and graphic novel producer, has announced the first issues of Neymar Jr. Comics’ latest science fiction title Red Card, the first new comic series to debut on their enhanced digital comics platform – and available to read for free.

Developed by New York Times-bestselling author and comic and graphic novel creator Jason M. Burns, Red Card’s SF plot begins after a mission into space leads to alien spores – known as Shuttle Dust – being released into the atmosphere, transforming the majority of the population into mindless, insect-like creatures.

The world falls into disarray and those who remain turn to a man named The Zoltan, who hosts dangerous, gladiator-style soccer games, where players must face off with the Shuttle Dusters. Junior, his star player and the story’s protagonist, attempts to master the games and liberate the camp of survivors.

“The creative forces at Fan The Flame have done another amazing job of bringing my passions to life,” said Neymar Jr. “Red Card combines my love of science fiction, superheroes, comic books, and of course, soccer. I believe the new platform will make the readers’ experience even more enjoyable.”

Aiming to expand on its already impressive audience – more than 2.6 million followers in just a year since its launch – Red Card is the first title of several planned to take advantage of an entirely new model for comics, tailored to its digital-native audience’s mobile-driven habits and preferences.

Short episodes of content will be available five days or more per week, in a free, ad-supported user interface that publishes in six languages and utilises multiple reading capabilities, including the Digitoons vertical scrolling format, which is similar to other popular reading systems such as Webtoons.

Featuring art by Ramon Espinoza and colours by Dustin Evans, Red Card can be accessed online – but the interface is pretty clunky on a desktop machine, so you’re probably better off taking a look at the strip or using the Neymar Jr. Comics app, available in either iOS format through the App Store or Android format in the Google Play Store.

Neymar Jr. Comics also offers options for the traditional comic book reader: print editions will be available in the coming months to buy, and the purchase option in the digital platform allows a reader to view and download the entire book at once, without any advertising present or having to wait for the full series to be released weekly over a two month period.

Like all Neymar Jr. Comics titles, Red Card donates a portion of its proceeds to the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr., Neymar’s non-profit social organisation. INJR aims to expand opportunities for children, adolescents and their families living in situations of social vulnerability through education, culture, sports and health.

Neymar Jr. Comics is also available for partnerships with entertainment ventures looking to license new, original stories, and the new platform is designed to be a new, high-engagement avenue for advertisers and brands looking to reach new audiences in an intuitive new way.

Fan The Flame Concepts is part comics and graphic novel studio and part technology solution. In addition to Neymar Jr. Comics, the team has over 30 years combined experience creating, publishing and distributing content for dozens of high profile names, including Sesame Street, Shrek, Penguins of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more.

NR Sports specialises in image management, with exclusive representation rights of Neymar Jr. It was founded in 2006 by Neymar da Silva Santos and Nadine Gonçalves, the player’s parents, who saw the need for professional image management, given the interest that their son inspired in the football and commercial markets. Leveraging the athlete’s popularity, NR Sports has built a world-class brand that is one of the most sought-after in sports marketing.

• Check out Red Card online for free at www.neymarjrcomics.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.