Chip Zdarsky will publish his new creator-owned comic Public Domain and the second volume of his Image series Kaptara (co-created with artist Kagan McLeod) on the subscription platform Substack, making him the latest of a stream of prominent creators to join that program (see “James Tynion IV Leaves Batman for Substack”).  But he’s not abandoning traditional publishing:  He also will offer subscribers exclusive variant covers for a new, ongoing Image series that has not yet been announced.

Zdarsky will write and draw Public Domain, which he describes as “about a family of comic creators wrestling with their greatest creation and the people who lay claim to it.”  In addition to the comic itself, he will post process updates in the newsletter. 

Image started publishing Kaptara, which Zdarsky calls “our grand, sci-fi, muscley adventure,” in 2015 (see “Scott Snyder, Jeff Lemire, Darwyn Cooke, Brian Wood, More”).  Five issues were published and compiled into a collected edition, which was labeled as Vol. 1; Zdarsky says he will publish the comic along with a “catch-up guide for the uninitiated” and short comics, which he calls “Kaptara Chuckles.”  He added that both Public Domain and Kaptara will “probably” wind up in print as well.

In addition to these comics, Zdarsky says Substack will be his new home base, as he plans to stay off Twitter and avoid comics conventions. (“I got bad lungs, old parents, and I can’t participate in events that bring together thousands of people,” he wrote.)  He has partnered with Comic Sketch Art to offer mail-in signings, and he will also hand out brush-and-ink head sketches to randomly chosen subscribers.  Another subscriber bonus:  The opportunity to purchase exclusive variant covers of his comics, starting with a new, as yet unnanounced, Image series he will be launching soon.

Like the other prominent creators, Zdarsky received a grant from Substack, so, like Molly Knox Ostertag, he will donate the first year’s subscription fees to charity; Zdarsky’s donation will go to Rainbow Railroad, which helps LGBTQ+ people flee persecution worldwide.

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