🎉 We're grateful for you. It was close. Funding came at the 11th hour but it's there. Thanks to the 79 of you who believed in this project and supported it with us. We're going to breathe, break the news to Loui and keep you posted very soon about what's going to happen. THANK YOU ALL.
- Kristal & Fabrice FairSquare Graphics
PS: If you see this update and haven't backed yet, you can still do it! :)
We're getting to the last lap of the RED FLOWER campaign. Will it be victorious? There's a big challenge here! $1500 to bring in such little time. But we won't give up!
We also recently added a ⚡ pledge level with just the two volumes in print.
If we get to our goal, we'll print an additional dust jacket for all backers of any print version! That way, If you already have volume 1 from its first edition, you'll also get something special.
So are we ready to beat the odds? If you're a backer, consider upping your pledge. If you're a follower and not a backer yet, please consider backing! It's time!!!!!
Let's do it!
Fabrice & Kristal, your friends at FairSquare Graphics.
Fabrice here. I'm the lucky publisher of RED FLOWER at FairSquare Graphics. And I want to start counting down with you the days that separate us from the end of our campaign. 12 days. Looks like a lot, but it's not.
And I feel many of the thousands of people who are following us and have supported us in our publishing journey don't know how important RED FLOWER is to us. As of now, we're 41% funded. It's not what I would call an Earth shattering start. We had campaigns funded in a few hours. But not this time.
Me and Loui in 2025 when he came to New York to promote Red Flower
Why? I heard some publishing pros say to me: "Well… Manga tend to struggle sometimes at crowdfunding." Others say: "Well… many of your backers already read volume one of Red Flower" or "You know… the economy…"
All valid points. But I still believe that RED FLOWER deserves a chance and I hope you'll read my love letter to Loui's fantastic series until the last sentence.
1- RED FLOWER is an incredibly well made manga. Art is stunning. Story and dialogue move at great pace and there's no dull moment. It also feature right to left reading, just like the original Japanese manga that Loui took inspiration and learned from. Because the creator went straight to the source, in Japan, to learn how to craft manga the right way.
2- RED FLOWER originally came out at the worst time, when our former distributor Diamond went bankrupt. Most of the inventory has been lost to their bankruptcy process. We saved what we could but 80% of our inventory has been seized by the Diamond estate and there's no way we can get it back. Not only it was a loss for us, but it's heart breaking.
3-In spite of that, everywhere we showed up with RED FLOWER, it sold out almost instantly. We know there's a huge potential to this series. And that's why we decided to relaunch it on Backer Kit. And we did not come empty handed. On top of a brand new cover for volume 1 reissue, we're bringing volume 2 as well.
4-There's the story itself and what it symbolizes. FairSquare Graphics is a company built on representation in the most natural way. We're immigrants and minorities. We're a family. I don't feel we're activists. We're a company that brings under represented voices to light in an organic and natural way. That creates a system where creators are at the heart of the game, not at the tail end of the food chain. RED FLOWER is a perfect example of a book filled with tolerance and culture. It highlights West African culture. There are even some interlude pages describing how the tribe lives: culture, fashion, food, how society is structured. All that on top a coming of age story that everyone can identify with. RED FLOWER has substance and heart. Just like its creator.
5- Who is RED FLOWER for? Well… Everyone. If you're a Shonen manga fan, you'll be in good company. There's some NARUTO, some DRAGON BALL and some ONE PIECE in this series, mixed with its own flavors.
I hope you'll be convinced and will help us take RED FLOWER back to life.
Fabrice here, one half of FairSquare Graphics. I want to thank all of you who backed RED FLOWER on its first day. We have much to do to get to our goal though. And for that, we need all of you.
Red Flower is not just any book. It's a book Kristal and I fell in love with when we read it. I fought to convince French publisher Glenat to leave a small press like ourselves taking on a series like this for English language. It's a book that embodies everything FairSquare Graphics is: diversity, open mindedness, amazing art, great characters tied to a culture wildly unknown in the US and action that rivals the best Shonen manga.
And I was so proud when the first boxes came to our offices, fresh off the printer, in January 2025. But it was going to be a long and arduous road. Our then distributor, Diamond, went bankrupt on January 14th of last year… two days before the palette made it to their facilities. And it's an understatement to say that it disrupted its distribution. But we held on to the idea that we could bring this series back. And thanks to the extraordinary patience and support of both Glenat and author Loui, we're doing that now.
If you believe in Red Flower as much as we do. If you read volume one and can't wait for volume 2… Please share our link on your socials. Please make some noise. Please help us get to our goal(s).
🎉 We're grateful for you. It was close. Funding came at the 11th hour but it's there. Thanks to the 79 of you who believed in this project and supported it with us. We're going to breathe, break the news to Loui and keep you posted very soon about what's going to happen. THANK YOU ALL.
- Kristal & Fabrice FairSquare Graphics
PS: If you see this update and haven't backed yet, you can still do it! :)
We're getting to the last lap of the RED FLOWER campaign. Will it be victorious? There's a big challenge here! $1500 to bring in such little time. But we won't give up!
We also recently added a ⚡ pledge level with just the two volumes in print.
If we get to our goal, we'll print an additional dust jacket for all backers of any print version! That way, If you already have volume 1 from its first edition, you'll also get something special.
So are we ready to beat the odds? If you're a backer, consider upping your pledge. If you're a follower and not a backer yet, please consider backing! It's time!!!!!
Let's do it!
Fabrice & Kristal, your friends at FairSquare Graphics.
Fabrice here. I'm the lucky publisher of RED FLOWER at FairSquare Graphics. And I want to start counting down with you the days that separate us from the end of our campaign. 12 days. Looks like a lot, but it's not.
And I feel many of the thousands of people who are following us and have supported us in our publishing journey don't know how important RED FLOWER is to us. As of now, we're 41% funded. It's not what I would call an Earth shattering start. We had campaigns funded in a few hours. But not this time.
Me and Loui in 2025 when he came to New York to promote Red Flower
Why? I heard some publishing pros say to me: "Well… Manga tend to struggle sometimes at crowdfunding." Others say: "Well… many of your backers already read volume one of Red Flower" or "You know… the economy…"
All valid points. But I still believe that RED FLOWER deserves a chance and I hope you'll read my love letter to Loui's fantastic series until the last sentence.
1- RED FLOWER is an incredibly well made manga. Art is stunning. Story and dialogue move at great pace and there's no dull moment. It also feature right to left reading, just like the original Japanese manga that Loui took inspiration and learned from. Because the creator went straight to the source, in Japan, to learn how to craft manga the right way.
2- RED FLOWER originally came out at the worst time, when our former distributor Diamond went bankrupt. Most of the inventory has been lost to their bankruptcy process. We saved what we could but 80% of our inventory has been seized by the Diamond estate and there's no way we can get it back. Not only it was a loss for us, but it's heart breaking.
3-In spite of that, everywhere we showed up with RED FLOWER, it sold out almost instantly. We know there's a huge potential to this series. And that's why we decided to relaunch it on Backer Kit. And we did not come empty handed. On top of a brand new cover for volume 1 reissue, we're bringing volume 2 as well.
4-There's the story itself and what it symbolizes. FairSquare Graphics is a company built on representation in the most natural way. We're immigrants and minorities. We're a family. I don't feel we're activists. We're a company that brings under represented voices to light in an organic and natural way. That creates a system where creators are at the heart of the game, not at the tail end of the food chain. RED FLOWER is a perfect example of a book filled with tolerance and culture. It highlights West African culture. There are even some interlude pages describing how the tribe lives: culture, fashion, food, how society is structured. All that on top a coming of age story that everyone can identify with. RED FLOWER has substance and heart. Just like its creator.
5- Who is RED FLOWER for? Well… Everyone. If you're a Shonen manga fan, you'll be in good company. There's some NARUTO, some DRAGON BALL and some ONE PIECE in this series, mixed with its own flavors.
I hope you'll be convinced and will help us take RED FLOWER back to life.
Fabrice here, one half of FairSquare Graphics. I want to thank all of you who backed RED FLOWER on its first day. We have much to do to get to our goal though. And for that, we need all of you.
Red Flower is not just any book. It's a book Kristal and I fell in love with when we read it. I fought to convince French publisher Glenat to leave a small press like ourselves taking on a series like this for English language. It's a book that embodies everything FairSquare Graphics is: diversity, open mindedness, amazing art, great characters tied to a culture wildly unknown in the US and action that rivals the best Shonen manga.
And I was so proud when the first boxes came to our offices, fresh off the printer, in January 2025. But it was going to be a long and arduous road. Our then distributor, Diamond, went bankrupt on January 14th of last year… two days before the palette made it to their facilities. And it's an understatement to say that it disrupted its distribution. But we held on to the idea that we could bring this series back. And thanks to the extraordinary patience and support of both Glenat and author Loui, we're doing that now.
If you believe in Red Flower as much as we do. If you read volume one and can't wait for volume 2… Please share our link on your socials. Please make some noise. Please help us get to our goal(s).
