Z'Isle - A Cyclepunk Zombie RPG

Over on the Captain Canuck Legacy blog, I praised Chapterhouse Books last night for expanding their story-telling methods by releasing a Captain Canuck novel this December entitled The Terror Birds.

The folks at Z'Isle are doing something similar and I'm pleased to support it.

First of all, for those who are not aware of the comic book series, Z'Isle is about people attempting to survive a zombie infestation in Montreal. But there's a bit more to it than that. Here's is how Z'Isle describes itself (in part).

Z'Isle is a human tale incorporating themes of survival, societal equity and sustainability.

Neighbourhoods have been reconstructed into fortresses against the onslaught of zombies (known as feeders) communities have formed alliances, Old World assets have become repurposed and upcycled, farming is ultra-local, and industry is fledgling at best. Those who can make things are kings and those who get too comfortable… die.

Z’Isle takes direct inspiration from Montreal and its unique places, people and subcultures. Many characteristics that make Montreal unique will see new life in the world of Z’Isle, for better… or worse. 

“We are all familiar with Steampunk and Cyberpunk. Z’Isle is Cyclepunk,” explains Creative Director & Illustrator Lateef Martin. “Montreal isn’t known for having a lot of guns, so we eventually run out of bullets. But we have a strong bike culture making them the most readily-available resource to make weapons, gear, and vehicles. This makes for some interesting weapons vehicles and gear unique to Z’Isle.”

That last bit is a big deal because it's a key feature of many characters and sets Z'Isle apart from the multitude of zombie outbreak material out there. Check out this guy, for example:

Actually, why njot have a look at the real thing i this shot from Montreal Comicon?

For that matter, the promotional banner displays the principle of bike parts being used as weapons from the recipient's point of view.

Let THAT sink in!  Stupid feeder...

Whether it was part of the plan from its inception or an idea that emerged later, Miscellaneum Studios have now directed their efforts towards creating a video game. The resulting Kickstarter campaign is well underway.

All the features are clearly listed. You can get a digital copy of the game for only $15 (early bird, so move your ass) if you're not into the all the bells and whistles, but the $50 package includes a soundtrack for the game (rough sample available) as well as pdf versions of the nine comic book issues of volume one.

So look around a bit and sample the material.  You might find it's easy to get roped into the world of Z'Isle.

Z'Isle on Facebook
Z'Isle on Instagram

Z'Isle: the Montreal-Based Zombie Apocalypse Comic Book Series

About once a week I browse Indiegogo and Kickstarter for new comic book projects.  Last week, I came across one that I thought looked pretty damn cool.  After a little Twitter and e-mail back and forth with creator Lateef Martin, I was sent the information below. 

My name is Lateef Martin, founder and Studio Director of Miscellaneum Studios, a start-up transmedia company.

One of our first projects is called Z'Isle: a comic set in Montreal seven years after a zombie infestation. Z'Isle follows the lives of various characters from different corners of the city and explore how they've balanced morally with survival, some with the hope of rebuilding Montreal to its former glory.  We also plan to dodge many of the clichéd tropes of the zombie genre and go beyond the expected.

Z'Isle is distinctly 'Montreal' and unlike any other zombie story out there. Here are a few reasons why:

• most stories deal with trying to get away from the problem. Our story is set seven years after the zombie apocalypse and shows how people have built their lives around the problem of a zombie infestation.
• bullets have run out a long time ago.  As Montreal is a city of bikes all weapons are made from bike parts.
• societies have been built around zombies. Therefore there is a new generation who to consider zombies as just a regular thing. This give us a lot to play with in terms of conflicting world views, especially with those who lived I. The 'Old World'.
• fans actively participate in expanding the world of Z'Isle.

This leads to our Indiegogo campaign where fans can actively contribute to the world! We create a character based on them and a short paragraph that could be an origin story, or just details about the character.  We then incorporate that into our overall story.

We also have other great rewards including printed copies of the comic, a soundtrack, t-shirts, stickers, buttons, posters, prop weapons from the story, and other gear characters use in the world of Z'Isle. The goal of our Indiegogo campaign is to create the first 6 issues: Volume 1of a trilogy.

Sounds and looks pretty wild.  The interactive part of it interesting; you can have your personal survival story recounted on the $25 perk level, and appear in the book as part of the $50 version.

Hmmm...I like the thought of being referred to as a "Nature Ninja"...

Here are the various ways by which to track their progress.

Facebook: Facebook.com/zisleseries
Tumblr: Z'Isle.tumblr.com
Twitter: @zisleseries
Instagram: Zisle