Nuclear Strudel is an action-comedy sci-fi story set on the alien planet, Mega. Rumors of a notorious heretic have resurfaced and 3 warrior-priests are sent to investigate, the vitality of their faith now at risk.
Welcome to Nuclear Strudel! An all-new 60-page graphic novel chapter from the Quantum Marmalade team.
Nuclear Strudel is an independent narrative set in the Quantum Marmalade universe. It blends intriguing alien cultures, giant monsters, questions about organized religion, and plenty of jokes about pastry. ("Kefsh’koopz" is the Diotashese word for pastry, in case you were wondering, which I KNOW YOU WERE.)
Strudel grapples with the process of letting go of one's faith. The characters in the narrative have grown up within the Kilviosh Church, a militant institution with sacred technological power. Fighting in the Church's many wars was their entire purpose for decades.
But what if the Church was built on a lie? As our characters discover the hidden past of the Kilviosh Church, they face a reality starkly different from what they've been taught. They must now wrestle with questions about their upbringing, their beliefs, their leaders, and even their very existence. As someone who grew up very religious, and has since let go of my faith, this story is a deeply personal one.
But hey, I've also tried to make it funny because we could all use some levity. And also baked goods. You're welcome.
Our story takes place on Planet Mega, home to the Holy Kilviosh Empire, a theocratic autocracy ruled by Christina, the Queen Pontiffa.
Christina (in chair) and Sprinkle (on lap)
Christina forged the Empire via blood and technology -- the Sacred Kilveshrak -- a radical metamorphosis, turning their soldiers into a powerful, fully-synthetic priesthood.
With their Kilveshrak warrior-priests, Christina took over nearly half the planet in less than a decade.
But now the Crusades are a distant memory. Christina's defeat at Eshirasht, more than 20 years ago, was the last major campaign. Since then, the Church has become stagnant, with Christina themself becoming more secretive and secluded.
That is, until whispers of a notorious heretic begin to surface. Britney, a mad terrorist, is said to have created a neural virus that could instantly wipe out the entire Kilveshrak priesthood.
Christina must find and destroy Britney before it's too late. To do so, the Queen calls upon two of their most trusted and skilled warriors -- Drag and Snag -- as well as a brand new Kilveshrak -- Haggis.
Will Christina & Co. succeed in their vital quest? Find out in Nuclear Strudel Chapter 1!
Let's talk turkey
Read Nuclear Strudel Chapter 1 and catch up with the Quantum Marmalade story by purchasing a BUNDLE -- that's over 300 pages of content at a considerable discount! Plus, you get to read my jokes in *two* made-up languages, Diotashese (NS) and Qi'dolo (QM). What a steal!
By supporting any of our physical, PRINT tiers, you are eligible to receive the 6 cross-collab Oracle Cards, if you also support our collab partner! These 6 cards are FREE add-ons for backers of both projects -- visit the "Collab & Booktopia" section to learn more.
And by supporting any PRINT tier at the DELUXE level, you get the mythical 7th card -- STRUDEL. This card is unique to the Nuclear Strudel campaign, and you can only get by being the BOUGIEST OF BITCHES.
As mentioned, the BUNDLES include all 4 Quantum Marmalade chapters (at a discount), or you can purchase them individually as add-ons:
An important note on shipping -- international prices have increased as compared to our previous campaigns and shipping fees will be collected AFTER the campaign ends. See the "Shipping" section below for more details.
Shipping is expected to start at the beginning of November -- see the "Schedule & Risks" section for the full estimated timeline.
(if you could hie to collab)
Welcome to Booktopia — a celebration of creativity and collaboration from a vibrant collective of writers, authors and artists collectively running crowdfunding projects from September 5th - September 26th.
For our collaboration, we've partnered with the wonderful Metacosm Chronicles.
Metacosm is a complex science fantasy universe, developed over almost two decades by authors N. and A. Soleil.
The Fractured Balance is the second Chronicle, and it's technically a side-stepped prequel to their debut, Everdark. It's a dark, gory, and philosophical tale plumbing the depths of how corruption and evil doesn't bother to hide itself when it has had a hand in creating the system everyone else must live by. Pheonix's journey was inspired by classic scifi and fantasy like the Dark Elf Trilogy, Ben Bova's Orion, the Foundation Trilogy, Dune, and the original Final Fantasy 7.
Christina (left) of Nuclear Strudel, and Pheonix (right) of The Fractured Balance. (Art by N Soleil)
If you support both projects at any physical rewards tier, you get 6 unique Oracle Cards as a free add-on – three from each campaign!
And not only that, but tons of other Booktopia creators also have their own cards! The more projects you support, the more cards you get -- collect 'em all to get the full BOOKTOPIA 2024 DECK!
"But Danny," I hear you asking, "what about the elusive, exclusive STRUDEL CARD?" The card foretold in myth and legend!
Well, my friends -- this card is only available at the DELUXE PRINT tiers of this campaign; visit the "Rewards" section to learn more.
So, to recap:
Support both Nuclear Strudel & Metacosm Chronicles (at any physical tier) to get 6 cards free
Support Nuclear Strudel at any Deluxe (physical) tier to get the mythical 7th STRUDEL card
Support more Booktopia projects to collect all the cards in the Booktopia Deck!
Quantum Marmalade is our other graphic novel, taking place on planet Ee'ezzo. It follows the adventures of a group of A-9s, cybernetic soldiers in the middle of an alien war. There are lots of explosions:
... you get the idea. Oh, and also there's Harold:
Here's our current plan for the production and shipping schedule:
There are always risks with crowd-funding campaigns, but we've run 4 successful projects so far and learned A LOT, including:
The best shipping materials and processes
The correct customs forms and information
Better estimated printing production and reward compilation
Better estimated shipping costs and packaging
Better QC processes to avoid unnecessary reprinting
We continue to study other projects and we feel confident in our campaign goals and the quality of our story and art. Additionally, we've taken steps to choose vendors that we trust, and planned our schedule to allow for any unforeseen circumstances.
All that said, we commit to communicating any additional delays or difficulties we experience and finding quick solutions, without sacrificing quality.
