Exclusive Interview: Omar Spahi Brings The World Of Xenoglyphs To Kickstarter

Thanks to a brand new Kickstarter campaign, fans will finally have their chance to read the entire story of Xenoglyphs.

Xenoglyphs is the brainchild of writer Omar Spahi, who teamed up with artist PJ Catacutan to deliver the first six issues of the epic back in 2014. Now fans will have the chance to make the next 24 issues a reality, as a new Kickstarter campaign brings the original team together to finish the story.

Fans can find a special animated trailer on the Kickstarter page that will give you a sense of the series, which focuses on the journey of Steven James and his best friend Dom Jenkins as they try and keep the Xenoglyphs out of the hands of Anubis. Writer Omar Spahi took some time to chat with ComicBook.com about the series, and what sets it apart from other comics on stands.

“The series was always meant to tell the complete story,” Spahi said. “It evolved from the first few issues into this behemoth. The thing that sets it apart is the journey Steven and Dom take around the world, and the joy we as readers get from watching them grow into heroes with the help of the stones and some unexpected friends.”

The Xenoglyphs universe also includes the spinoff series Separators, and fans of that series will also get a nice surprise as part of the Kickstarter campaign.

“Separators is a continuation of Xenoglyphs and this Kickstarter will collect all the released issues of Separators and bring them back into the fold,” Spahi said. “Xenoglyphs was about the stones, and Separators explored the different stone holders and their role of keeping the stones separated. Now, Xenoglyphs is bringing all the Separators issues back into one place.”

The Kickstarter also provides a chance to get physical copies of the first six issues into reader’s hands.

“I’ve felt the demand for this series grow after its initial run, and Kickstarting is a great way to get it directly into the hands of the people that want it for a fraction of the cost,” Spahi said. “The bundles offered as rewards give everyone the opportunity to get the full story from beginning to end, all at once, without waiting for issues to be released.”

Spahi has taken some breaks to work on other projects since the first six issues, but Xenoglyphs has never been far from his mind.

“I knew where the story was ending from the beginning and it’s mind-blowing to see it take shape better than the way I imagined it,” Spahi said. “Ultimately, they’ve been outlined from the beginning, but I’ve taken a few breaks in between to work on other projects. Now all my focus is on Xenoglyphs and I couldn’t be more excited for it to finally come full circle.”

Xenglyphs includes a varied cast of characters in addition to Steven and Dom, including names like Jennifer, Bailey, and Carlton, and future issues allow one of those names to truly shine.

“I’m really impressed with Carlton’s transformation in the coming arc,” Spahi said. “How he’s changed? You’ll just have to read to find out. Dom has always been my favorite to write. Every time I write anything with him in it, it just turns into a blast for me. He’s such a goofy person and always has a quip back for any situation.”

While Carlton might be his favorite, Steven’s journey in future issues shouldn’t be ignored.

[Start Gallery Call-to-Action Key=7184]

“I’m a big Steven fan,” Spahi said. “Steven has been obsessed with finding out what happened to his family, and the mystery of his parents’ disappearance is slowly driving him mad. He’s going to grow the most over the series in ways you wouldn’t expect. In addition, besides characters in the book, even my artist PeejayCatacutan has transformed as the series has been developed. It’s crazy to see how different his art is from the Original Issue 1 to the Remastered Issue 1. It’s mind-blowing.”

The next several issues will also provide the opportunity to get more creative with the Xenglyphs themselves, including one stone in particular that fans should pay attention to.

“I definitely did some controversial storytelling with the “love” Xenoglyph coming up when a certain historical figure gets their hands on the stone,” Spahi said. “It turns heads because it’s not what anyone would expect. Something I’ve really tried to honor is going back into history once per arc and telling the story of a unique historical figure in a new fun way.”

The Kickstarter will finally bring this story to an epic conclusion, but the universe has grand aspirations.

“This brings the story to a close in the way it was intended and there’s something beautiful about that,” Spahi said. “The goal has always been to take it to other media like film and TV, but the first step is finishing the comic book. I can’t wait to see who joins the team and helps grow this project into the next step.”

Fans who back the Kickstarter will also have a hand in getting the story in front of even more readers eyes, including a free web comic.

“With this Kickstarter, it will be the last chance to get the physical, printed issues of Xenoglyphs. But, the thing I’m most excited for is transitioning the comic into a web comic,” Spahi said. “We will be releasing two pages a week until the entire series is available online for free.”

As for Spahi, he’s got another exciting project in the works after Xenoglyphs is finally complete.

“It’s an exciting time in the comic world right now and I have some big ideas for a new comic book company,” Spahi said. “Truthfully, I am working to tackle something I feel has been missing from the industry. But, in order to learn more, you’ll have to keep an ear out for more updates from me.”

You can find more covers from the series in the gallery, and the official description has been included below.

XENOGLYPHS #1 / $0.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Omar Spahi

artist: PJ Catacutan

color: PJ Catacutan

cover: PJ Catacutan

The Great Pyramid Of Giza Part 1
Enter a new world, very much like our own, where the unsolved mysteries behind events such as assassinations, Stonehenge, and Machu Picchu are all connected by the presence of a mysterious set of stones called the Xenoglyphs. Steven and Dom, two members of the Illuminati-type group known as The Separators, arrive in Cairo to stop whoever has been trying to go collect the stones for themselves. The origin of the Xenoglyphs begins to unravel.

The Xenoglyphs Kickstarter is live now, and you can check out more about it here.