VIDEO: Who or What is THE BAKU?

Some people are born to develop new frosty drinks for the Sonic drive-in. Others are born to wrestle gators in Floridian tourist trips. Still others are born to devour demons in the old west. Such is the fate of The Baku, a new horror western one-shot by Mike Federali and Drew Moss. They're running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of the book, so why not turn it over to them for the quick pitch. 

I talked to Mike about the project and the cool incentives for those willing to help in its production.

iFanboy:   Who or what is a Baku?

Mike Federali In chinese and japanese folklore, The Baku is a creature that eats bad dreams and nightmares. In our book, The Baku is a man with the ability to devour demons, devils and ghosts.

iFanboy:   So, it's a dusty, spooky Pac-Man! We're talking about late 1800s, California. Is this the beginning of the demon menace, or does this go way back?

MF:   When I came up with the idea for The Baku, I thought it would be interesting to see how with immigrants coming over from China to get a fresh start in a new country, only to have some of evil creatures follow them there. Chinese folklore has a lot of great evil spirits and monsters. To put them in the setting of the untamed western frontier just makes for good story opportunities.

iFanboy:   What are these demons like? Are there different varieties or are they each unique like hellish, leathery-winged snowflakes?

MF:   Ha! That's a pretty good description. So far we are going with every demon being different. I like diversity in my monsters. You don't want just vampires if you could also have werewolves, gremlins, ogopogos, demons and ghosts right?

iFanboy:   Talk to me about this Kickstarter campaign. People can get cameo appearances in the book? And we can be demons?!

MF:   We've put The Baku on Kickstarter to help us raise money for all the extra costs people don't usually think about with books. People know the artist and writer, but they forget about the lettering, editing, graphic design, printing, advertising and so on. Being in the comic industry isn't easy. So to help aid with the costs we are offering people a chance to be IN the book. You send us a photo of yourself and you'd appear in the background. Kind of like an extra on a tv show. We're also offering "Demonizing". You send us your photo and the amazing Drew Moss while draw you as a demon in the style of The Baku book.

iFanboy:   How can people get a hold of The Baku? Can we track you down at any conventions this year?

MF:   Currently, the best way is through our Kickstarter page, but it will also be available soon at www.thebaku.net.

We will be attending a number of comic conventions this year [even more, depending on the success of the Kickstarter campaign].

To help Mike and Drew reach their new goal of $5000 and to get in on their inventive incentives, check out their Kickstarter page. Everything I've seen from The Baku looks very impressive, and with your help it can all become a reality. The better the fundraiser performs, the better equipped these guys will be to promote the book at various conventions. It's another reason we love the Kickstarter model, and the incentives offered here or among the most imaginative I've seen. Have a look at these previews and see what you can do to help.