Section Zero From Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett Returns Via Kickstarter

Veteran comic book creators Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett are returning to their long-dormant creator-owned series Section Zero, with a new Kickstarter that would not only reprint the three Gorilla Comics issues for the first time since they were released, but give the pair an opportunity to finish out the story in a new collected edition.

To make it happen, they've recruited a roster of A-list comics talent to provide pinups, introductions, and to participate in their Kickstarter launch video (above). You can see the full details at the Kickstarter's project page.

Originally released in 2000 as part of Image's "Gorilla Comics" imprint alongside books by Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, George Perez and others, Section Zero is about a secret team of experts and explorers investigating the strange and unknown.

"It's high-octane high-adventure," said Kesel in a statement. "In broad strokes— Jack Kirby does The X-Files."

Only three issues were published, however, before it was shelved; Kesel describes it as a reluctant decision made for "personal reasons," but the Gorilla Comics imprint didn't last long, so even in a perfect world where Kesel and Grummett could have quickly come back to the project, it's possible there wouldn't have been a publishing infrastructure available to help them finish it.

"Our original tag-line was 'There is no Section Zero'," Kesel said. "It was wonderfully mysterious and enigmatic…but it was also kinda prophetic."

Still, the creators have always wanted to revisit the world, and there has always been fan interest. Unpublished pages released online created a lot of buzz, and the questions continue to come up at conventions.

As Grummett puts it, "I've often been asked: when are you going to bring back Section Zero? My response would be: for something that special, the stars have to come into just the right alignment."

After a number of detours and dead-ends, Kickstarter could be Kesel and Grummett's best chance to finish what they began 17 years ago.

"We're doing it as a graphic novel," Kesel explained. "Collecting the 5-page prologue originally published in George Perez's Crimson Plague #1, all three issues of Section Zero, the 12 additional pages Tom and I produced in 2012 when we posted the book online, and a 6-page "Interlude" story we did a few years back. That stuff is all done, just waiting to be printed. Then we need about another 3 issues of new material to finish the story."

The collection will also feature an introduction by Kurt Busiek, behind-the-scenes material, and a gallery of the various Section Zero characters by an murderer's row of artists. Look for pin-ups by Walt Simonson, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Terry Dodson, Chris Samnee, Ben Caldwell, Matt Clark, John Paul Leon, Kelly Jones, Jerry Ordway, and Dave Gibbons.

"Not only are these people insanely talented," Kesel said, "they are unbelievably generous to help us out. Tom and I will never be able to properly repay them or thank them enough."

"I've been a fan of Section Zero since I first heard the idea, and I've been itching to see how it all plays out ever since. This is the book that brings together everything they're inspired by and everything they're great at, all under their complete creative control. I can't wait to see more," said Busiek. "I've been lucky enough to work with both Karl and Tom, and I was regularly amazed by their creative energy and storytelling skill. They're a dream-team-come-true — Karl's stories burst with clever ideas and engaging characters, Tom's art is powerful and lively and Karl's crisp, elegant inking brings it all together into a seamless whole. Together, they're a perfect mix of talent and skill, and the stories they tell together never fail to satisfy."

Even with the reputations Kesel and Grummett have established for themselves, and fans who want to see Section Zero completed, a $60,000 ask isn't easy to accomplish, and Kesel knows that. He's bringing a lot of unpublished material, rare and exclusive perks to the rewards roster.

"This is a labor of love," Kesel added, "but that passion don't pay the bills. We're working as close to the bone as possible, but we still need to put food on the table for both our families while we finish this. So we need people's support — the more, the merrier. Of course, we also have some cool rewards for our supporters — you give, we give back. That's only fair."

Potential backers can check out the list of perks -- which include original art, sketches, at the Kickstarter link

"We can't do this on our own," Kesel said. "If we could have, we would have done it long ago. The bottom line is we need other people to believe in Section Zero as much as we do. We need you. Because that's what it comes down to — there is no Section Zero…without you."