The Crystal Fractal Universe unnecessarily simplified.

In 1596, Natanael de Velazquez gathers members of his secret order to attempt a Crossing.  the goal of the Crossing was to seal off a portal to another world and stop the looming threat of invasion.  It failed...

Instead, Natanael's companions - including friends and family - were scattered through time, space and dimension...

...and the very threat they were trying to stop was made real as the Crystal Fractal - the physical embodiment of the connections to all realms - was shattered into a 1000 shards - each now capable of opening portals anywhere in space, time and dimension.

And such is the premise of the Crystal Fractal universe.

I recently supported two indiegogo campaigns involving Toronto-based Crystal Fractal Comics, neither of which reached its goal.

I'll be honest, but not give examples; I have seen campaigns that were clearly headed for failure for a variety of reasons. I did not expect CFC to be among them.  They had regular updates, a wide range of perks and a solid number of supporters on Twitter and Facebook.

So I don't get it.  But as a result of being a supporter, what I did get was what I ultimately wanted; the whole line of books published thus far. In fact, CFC was more generous than they needed to be, sending several additional goodies which I appreciated greatly.

When initially looking into the FCF, I wasn't sure about the reading order, but once you're aware of the above it's actually quite simple.  Here's what you need to know:

• The description at the top is laid out in the zero issue.  It's not absolutely necessary to obtain it, but it is very beneficial.
• The two "The Crossing" books are collections of short stories explaining why, of 45 or so invitees to the event, only 15 made it.
• Dr. Twilight #1 and Entropy #1 take place in present times and tell us what some of the characters are currently up to.

As long as you're aware of the "hub" event that is the Crossing, the rest of the books are quite easy to follow.  You can even read The Crossing #2 before #1 because it makes reference to different characters.  Basically, I was making it complicated for myself.

Now being that the Zero Issue is so helpful, CFC makes the most significant portion of it available for free on their website.  Click on the image below to read the seven-page story that sets the universe in motion.

The Crystal Fractal books can be ordered online from their blog, however I think I would suggest writing to a member of the team prior to ordering.  The shopping cart function automatically adds $3 per book for shipping so an order for the whole line (including Redorik) would tack on another $15.  You're looking at about $40 for five books, which is probably a little steep for people looking to take a chance on a largely unknown product.  Maybe write in and see if the shipping costs are accurate.