EXCLUSIVE: Monty Nero and Yishan Li’s Frenemies: The Lost Planet cover reveal!

Pipedream Comics

Following on from our fantastic interview between Monty Nero and Joe Glass, we’ve also been gifted an exclusive first look at the cover of Monty’s new comics: Frenemies: The Lost Planet which is debuting on Kickstarter this Wednesday 14th October. Featuring art from Image superstar Yishan Li (Paradox Girl), Frenemies concerns seven LGBT+ and straight rivals searching for a mysterious Lost Planet that will destroy the solar system unless one of them can find it.

The black one on the right is the Masterpiece Variant which you get it at the four highest tiers and comes without cover furniture. While the version on the left is the the Fan Variant, available at the Fan level or higher.

When asked about this new campaign, writer and co-creator Monty Nero says: “We’re pushing the boundaries of what Kickstarter can do by turning it into a storytelling medium. The minute you hit the page, you’re inside the Frenemies world, and each daily update expands the sci-fi universe we’ve created. I love the pace and action of old sci-fi, like the classic Universal Flash Gordon serials, and this develops that by mixing it with some progressive new ideas.”

But how exactly does it work? “From the backers’ point of view it’s simple,” explains Nero. “You just back our comic at any level and boom – an update appears for you every day. It’s a free story, expanding on what’s happening in the comics, a welcome distraction from doom-scrolling through social media.“

Nero describes Frenemies: The Lost Planet as a rich and complex sci-fi universe that will expand for decades to come. “That’s the beauty of creator owned comics,” he says. “We’ve got an epic four-issue arc prepared but the plan is to nuture this story with great depth and complexity for years to come.”

For all the innovation the main thing Nero wants is for readers to have fun. “There’s a sample from the comic available for everyone to enjoy. Yishan’s an incredible artist, particularly character design and acting, which is why she’s working with the best companies around. She’s already finished the whole thing and it looks stunning.”

“The aliens are so advanced their quantum technology looks to us like Dark Magic,” says Nero .”We focus on how alien technology transforms our protagonists in their quest. Only one of them can reach The Lost Planet so do they cooperate or subtly f*ck each other up? Or can they do both? Is your best friend your worst enemy when so much is at stake?”

The Kickstarter for Frenemies: The Lost Planet 1 and 2, which starts at 58 pages, can be found here

More info on the series here

And to read our review of the first issue of Frenemies then go here