In the third issue of Baby Barbarian (a YA fantasy comic), the Berrserk family leaves the safety of the Coldfast mountains to return a longtime guest to her family. An easy enough journey if the road south wasn't so fraught with danger....
Since returning from their adventures abroad, the Berrserk family have settled into their old ways. Life is once again as it should be for a barbarian in the Coldfast Mountains: short, brutish, and cruel.
Until Brunhild's 30th birthday that is, when Meera, moved by the convivial celebration, expresses to Brom how much she misses her parents.
The next day, Brom reminds his mother of the promise she and Bjorn made Meera to reunite her with her family, far away in the Warmslow Desert.
When Brunhild brings it up on a foraging trip, the two get into a bad argument. Sharks are kicked and smacked with paddles as cruel verbal barbs are exchanged.
Afterwards, Bjorn skulks sulkily off to his regular haunt, the Blustering Blowfish while Brunhild takes matters into her own hands, telling the children to get ready because they are leaving Lethomme!
Thus begins a new adventure with our lovable family, who are once again separated. This time thanks to their inherited Berrserk stubbornness!
If you've ever wondered what the world of Shenanigania is like below the Coldfast Mountains then this book is for you!
Baby Barbarian and the Forgotten God features many familiar faces as well as some new ones.
If you've read the first two issues, then you'll be well familiar with the Berrserk family, Bjorn, Brunhild, and Brom, as well as their friends and companions, Meera, Gulfas and Gertie Gruel, The Thunder Priest, and Wolf Foxhound, the hook-handed proprietor of the Blustering Blowfish.
But once you leave Lethomme, there's a whole slew of rabble rousers out in the wilds. For example...
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... a gang of ne'er-do-wells that wander the badlands beyond the Gaping Gorge of Gruel!
We have Mortus the Mage (blue robe), Nero the Nimble (shorty with pistols), Rake the Rogue (hottie with sword), and Flanders the Fighter (big bloke looming over t'others and spilling gold out his shoulder sack).
After a fracas, the Murder Hobos provide some important information about a ghost from Bjorn's past. Someone Bjorn never thought he'd see again!
This character is so important, that you'll have to read the book to find out who this...
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...is. For now, we'll use his empty seat at the Quivering Quarrel as a placeholder of sorts. (Note the size and make of his helmet... does it appear eerily similar to someone else's?)
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Of course there is the titular riddle: who is the Forgotten God? This divine personage plays an outsized role in the story. To reveal him here might unravel one of the central mysteries of the story.
In short, you'll have to wait until you read the book to find out who it is. Still, perhaps a teaser is merited.
There he is with, Brunhild and Brom. But why are their crowns melting?
That's almost all the new characters worth mentioning. All that is except for two. Two characters whose purpose is so vile, whose plans are so sinister that the mere mention of them here sends a shiver down my spine.
These characters come onto the scene at the very end of the book. Who are they and what is their endgame? Only time will tell, for their story begins, even as this first book ends.
But I would be as bad as them--or nearly so--if I didn't provide some hint as to their existence.
Without further ado, cast your gaze upon their panel!
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And that's just about everyone!
Oh wait! I forgot. When Bjorn, Gulfas, and the Thunder Priest leave Lethomme, a local band forms to send them on their way. Introducing...
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Their fish-amplifier turns up to eleven. They've got an electric lute and a barrel drum kit. Read the book and you'll fairly hear their song come off the pages.
And that's it... for real this time. Well.. maybe there are a few more. But to meet them, you'll have to get the book.
Our main offer will be the 32-page Baby Barbarian & the Forgotten God comic book, with interior art by Arthur Mask, and a gorgeous cover by Arthur Randolpho. Lucas Gattoni, the letterer for the previous issues, once again brings his skills to bear.
That's it. That's all we're offering. Except...
Baby Barbarian has another story arc that you might not know about.
Baby Barbarian and the Player's Throne was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in two parts in 2021 and 2022, respectively. We are absolutely going to make that story available in case you never had the chance to read it!
There are four variant cover options for the first issue and three for the second. The full 60-page story arc is also available if you back the campaign in the first 48 hours.
Look at the options in the pledge levels section of the campaign. Here's some of the covers for the first two issues.
That's it. Except...
Have you seen Thomasz Spell's walkthrough of Castle Slapdash, the setting for the majority of Baby Barbarian and the Player's Throne?
What about Jamie Noble's fantasy map of the world of Shenanigania?
Imagine for a minute one of these groovy posters hanging from the wall of your dining room, living room, study, or (wo)man cave.
If it's the poster you and yours have been looking for, then I have great news. This time round, all the comics and the posters will be available for purchase!
Meet William Gosline, founder of Own Goal Books and the writer and creator of Baby Barbarian. Here's a picture of what he looks like now.
As a freelance writer, William has written novels, screenplays, and game content. He has an MFA in Creative Non-fiction from Pacific University. Baby Barbarian is his first comic series... but it won't be his last!
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Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Arthur is a self-taught artist who began drawing at the age of two. He has been in the industry for over 20 years, refining his signature style to create characters and scenarios for numerous studios and publishers. He enjoys working on cloudy days and watching horror movies.
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Arthur Randolpho Amorim Martins de Melo is a Brazilian character designer/illustrator with a degree in design from FUMEC University. He has worked as an artist, developing visuals for independent games, illustrated books, and comics. He has always enjoyed watching animation and, for a long time, believed the characters and worlds actually existed on the other side of the screen! Animation has been a huge part of his life and fundamental to his personal development.
Arthur Randolpho
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Lucas Gattoni is a Ringo Awards nominated comic book letterer with over 20 years of experience as a graphic designer and typesetter.
He’s lettered for many indie creators and publishers, including DC Comics (DC Pride, Blue Beetle, Alan Scott: Green Lantern), DSTLRY (Eisner winner Somna), AWBW (multiple award winning Young Men in Love), Dark Horse (Eisner nominee Killer Queens), Boom, IDW, and Mad Cave Studios.
He lives in Argentina with his husband and their three unnamed goldfish (oops! Make that two now!).
Logically, shipping and fulfillment are two of the most important parts of a crowdfunding campaign. Creators can sometimes underestimate the cost of sending their products, especially to far off places or during uncertain times, such as the ones we live in now.
Incredibly, some very successful projects have gone into the red because the creators did not factor in the cost of production, packing, and fulfillment.
Having said that, we are being very cautious about shipping our comics and posters. While we are happy to ship the comic(s) almost anywhere (there are some countries in more remote places that are excluded) please be advised that the cost of shipping IS NOT INCLUDED in the pledge level. That will be factored after the campaign is done and fulfillment begins.
Similarly, while we are extremely proud of our beautiful posters, we have decided not to shit them to any country other than the United States. Sorry!
IN SUMMARY: Comics will go anywhere. Posters inside the US. Shipping IS NOT INCLUDED in the pledge manager prices and is based on weight.
Luckily, comics allow us to ship via media mail, which will definitely keep the price of shipping to a somewhat reasonable.
We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you understand that, as a small company, we need to limit our risk and liability. Thank you for your continued support.
Estimated* shipping costs (for threecomic books):
$5 USA
$15 UK
$12 Canada
$15 Australia, NZ, etc.
*Please note that these are estimated prices and in addition to the pledge levels as listed.
Our expected delivery date for rewards: January 2026.
We have a great team on this project and have two other successes under our belt. This puts us in a fine position to take on the risks and challenges that will arise. Experience tells us that things don’t always go as planned.
The Good News:
Art: The cover, the interior art, and the lettering are all DONE!
Printing: We have a great relationship with the printer, Comic Impressions in Florida. They've printed the comics for the prior two campaigns and we are confident that they will do right by this one as well.
Here's what we can anticipate as potential problems.
Printing: Printers can run into problems completely out of our control (and often out of theirs!): supply shortages, unexpected delays due to company holidays or industry events, shipping problems, printing errors, tariffs, and so on. In the event of defective product, we will send a replacement at no cost to you. As we print our books in the USA, there's less of a chance the... vagaries of the current administration will suddenly cause the cost of the book to skyrocket or otherwise create problems getting the books to us.
Shipping: Packages get lost. We'll send replacements. Shipping can take longer than expected. As noted in the Shipping section above, we regrettably can't offer delivery to every country as part of this campaign.
There are always risks and challenges with any project. I will be sending updates out regularly with details on production and fulfillment. We will also respond to backer inquiries within a few days.
The cover art, interior art, and lettering is all done.
This is our third campaign, but the first on Backerkit. The first two campaigns were successful. We expect this one to be as well.
If there's any risk or challenge YOU can think of that we haven't mentioned here, please write in and ask. We love to answer questions, and we do our best to provide an unparalleled customer service experience whenever possible. We want to keep the wheels on the wagon for as long as possible; we can only do it with YOUR SUPPORT.
