Friday May 8 is the final day to back our project. If you’d told us when we launched the Kickstarter campaign for First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium that we would go on to raise over a million dollars, we would have laughed. (Heck, if you told us we’d be funded in just over an hour, we probably would have laughed at that too, but we wouldn’t have had much time to do so.) Over a million? For a book? In this economy?!
The Fango team has had to pinch ourselves at least once a week to remind ourselves that what you all did is real. You saw a chance to tell horror history with us, and you leapt right into this crazy journey alongside our team.
Now, as the Kickstarter comes to a close, we wanted to send out yet another heartfelt thanks for all you do as a community. (And, of course, to remind you that you have just one more day to become a Backer and make sure you get your hands on Issue 0 of FANGORIA Comics!) This book means a lot to us, but it wouldn’t be possible without you. And sure, that sentiment might sound a little trite, but I’m not just talking about everyone coming together to give a hearty “hell yeah!” when asked if you wanted to help us curate and share the Fango legacy.
I’m talking about everyone who read Fango under the covers so their parents wouldn’t catch them and take it away; the folks who have been with us long enough to attend FANGORIA’s Weekend of Horrors; the people who have joined us at our recent convention booths and attended our panels; the ghouls and gals who celebrate our stories in print and online; anyone who’s ever voted on the Chainsaw Awards; and the people who enthusiastically welcomed us back when we launched Volume 2.
Whether you were able to financially support the book during the Kickstarter, or if you’ve been here at any point during our history, know that we could fill an entirely separate book with just how thankful we are that you’re on this ride with us.
Additional Update From Compendium Editor Meredith Borders:
The Kickstarter may be closing, but this is far from the last update you’ll receive on First in Fright. We still have plenty more to share, but we wanted to remind you that every dollar, every share, and every time you told someone in person about this crazy project has mattered. We’re in awe, and we hope you will be too when you’re able to hold the Compendium in your hands.
Where We’re At, Where We’re Going
We’d like to give backers a quick recap on the book as well as all the amazing upgrades and special stretch goals you will receive, based on your reward tier, for supporting this project. We also have new updates on the final roster of composers for The Music of FANGORIA Album, additional details on FANGORIA Comics, and some early information on the Pledge Manager and when we’ll be setting that up so you can provide your vote on the special articles that are being included in the book.
Book Updates
We’ve been hard at work since the day this project funded to make sure that all of the rewards you’ll be receiving are the best they can be, starting, of course, with the Compendium book itself. We’re pleased to report that Meredith and her editorial and design teams are wrapping up pages at a quick clip. The sections we’ve seen so far are equally entertaining and informative, and dripping with the nostalgia of 40+ years of horror history that only FANGORIA could deliver. All is on track for the book to be uploaded to the printer on the scheduled date.
All Stretch Goals Reached
Crossing the $1 million threshold in backer support not only affirmed how incredibly passionate FANGORIA fans are for all things horror, it also helped unlock a dozen special Stretch Goals that will make your book even better and allow us to deliver some extra goodies that we know you’ll love. Below you’ll find a list of the items that are now being produced for supporters of First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium who backed the project at the digital and physical tiers:
- Increased book size to 9” x 12” to provide even more content per page!
- Red ribbon to hold your place in the book
- 48 Additional Pages to celebrate the top horror films, characters, and a Horror Hall-of-Fame as nominated by the editors of FANGORIA and chosen by you, the backers.
- Crimson red metallic gilded pages on every book
Additionally, physical backers will also receive the following items with their other rewards:
- Physical bookmarks featuring 9 different FANGORIA covers
- Physical 15-month Calendar highlighted with selected FANGORIA covers and special dates to remember
- Physical edition of issue #0 of FANGORIA Comics
Lastly, the following digital upgrades will go to all backers of both the physical and digital reward tiers:
- Access to the FANGORIA Vault with additional behind-the-scenes information, images and materials from the magazine and the projects it covered
- Access to 27 digital issues of GOREZONE, the FANGORIA companion magazine, via the Digital Archive
- A digital download of The Music of FANGORIA album featuring original music from top horror composers created just for this campaign
- Access to a digital edition of issue #0 of FANGORIA Comics
The Final De-Composers
One of the highlights of the campaign was working with many talented composers responsible for soundtracks to some of the biggest and most beloved horror films of all time. Our final roster of “de-composers” includes:
- Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th)
- Joseph LoDuca (Evil Dead)
- John Harrison (Creepshow)
- Richard Band (Puppet Master)
- Charles Bernstein (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
- John Massari (Killer Klowns from Outer Space)
- Brian Satterwhite (Cell)
- Christopher Cozzi (The Ties That Bind)
- Ignacio Rosado (the next generation)
We’re so excited to have these amazing talents contribute to our Magazine Soundtrack and the work they’ve delivered has been amazing. Also, those who were lucky enough to be in the first group of De-Composer Edition backers, as well as anyone who backed the Leather Edition of the book, will receive a copy of the Album signed by Harry Manfredini himself!
FANGORIA Comics
We’re thrilled to announce Issue #0 of FANGORIA Comics. We partnered with Panick! Entertainment to create a brilliant, brand-new horror anthology comic with some of the biggest names in the biz. We’re announcing the rest of the contributors NEXT WEEK so be on the lookout for that, but we have already announced the amazing Tony Fleecs (Feral) as one of our anthology talents.
Pledge Manager Coming Soon
Longtime Kickstarter users know that once the campaign ends the next phase of the project is the Pledge Manager. This is where you will be able to provide us with important information like where to ship your physical rewards or vote on the bonus sections that will be included in the book. It’s also the way we’ll provide you with certain content like the codes you’ll need to access the Digital Archive when that goes live.
We will be sending you a more detailed introduction to how the Pledge Manager works and how your unique profile will be set up and how to access it in an update that you’ll receive on May 8th. We are currently targeting May 11th to activate the Pledge Manager and will be adding backers to the system throughout that week (just to make sure everything is running smoothly and everyone is getting onboarded without issue). We’ll have the details of how that will work and when, specifically, you’ll be added to the Pledge Manager in another update going out on May 8th so stay tuned.
That’s it for this update! Remember, if you or someone you know would still like to back First in Fright, the clock is ticking towards Noon PST on May 8th as the final chance to be a part of horror history and support The FANGORIA Compendium project on Kickstarter! Thanks again to everyone for their excitement and encouragement, and we’re looking forward to the next update.
