Panel Borders: Crowdfunding Epics, with Ahmed Alameen and Jim Starlin

By John Freeman on May 5, 2020

The latest Panel Borders show hosted by Alex Fitch turns the spotlight on two very different comic crowdfunding campaigns, as, Ahmed Alameen talks about his comic The Epics of Enkidu, a sequel to the Mesopotamian legend of Gilgamesh, re-imaged with an autistic hero, launching later this month on IndieGogo; and veteran creator Jim Starlin explores Dreadstar Returns, a new graphic novel follow-up to his classic 1980s comic.

Jim Starlin's Dreadstar Returns — Jim Starlin’s *Dreadstar Returns*

Scheduled for release this October, Dreadstar Returns puts veteran American artist and writer Jim Starlin back in the driver’s chair (and drawing chair) with a new, 100-page original graphic novel.

After launching recently, and already exceeding expectations, on Kickstarter, Starlin, recovered from a debilitating hand injury that prevented him drawing full time for years, and Ominous Press, are full-speed ahead on this new project – including a sister project documenting who’s who in the Dreadstar world.

Art from Ahmed Alameen's The Epics of Enkidu project — Art from Ahmed Alameen’s *The Epics of Enkidu* project

“We decided to create a campaign that help us not to just tell an engaging story,” says Ahmed Alameen of his The Epics of Enkidu, “but also to spread awareness and to help people understand more about autism, which is our main motive to push this campaign.”

• Panel Borders: Crowdfunding Epics airs at 5.30pm Wednesday May 6th 2020, repeated 2.30am Friday 8th May, Resonance 104.4 FM and DAB (London) / broadcast streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

• Check out Jim Starlin’s Dreadstar Returns here on Kickstarter | Ominous Press is online at ominouspress.com

• Check out Ahmed Alameen’s The Epics of Enkidu project here on IndieGogo | Follow Ahmed Alameen on Twitter @AA_psychs

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as 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.