URBANCE: The Graphic Novel Saga by Joël Dos Reis Viegas

Locking Orders this weekend
16 days ago – Fri, Sep 04, 2026 at 03:12:54 PM

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that we have initiated the Order Lock on the Pledge Manager! You should get an email notification from BackerKit shortly informing you that they will be locking your order in 48 hours, so if you need to make adjustments or add anything to your order, you have this weekend to do so. Please check your payment method and shipping address, as well as the contents of your order. You can access your personal Pledge Manager page athttps://urbance-the-series.backerkit.com/

If you're unsure where you'll be when we start shipping in December, you'll still be able to update your address on BackerKit through November, when we will lock addresses to start prepping packages. But we need to nail down the order quantity for all of the items now, so that information will be locked this weekend.

If you need help updating your shipping address at any point, we can help you out. Please message us here on Kickstarter (as a message to our inbox, not a comment on the campaign or update page) or email us at [email protected] for assistance.

We will process charges for any outstanding balance (shipping, any add-ons, etc) on Monday. Please make sure your payment method info is up to date this weekend. If BackerKit has trouble running your card, they will keep trying, but if they aren't able to collect before we start shipping, your pledge will remain "unlocked" and unable to be fulfilled.

If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us!

Things are rolling ahead smoothly
22 days ago – Sat, Aug 29, 2026 at 12:05:44 PM

Hi everyone!

Yow, it's been a while since the last update! Huge apologies! Although, in all honesty, there hasn't been much to report as the books and other exclusive items are going through the (routine) stages of production...

We did get some color "wet proofs" of the hardcovers and slipcase, however.  These are "dummy" builds of the books (unprinted, but with final paper weight interiors so the size is accurately depicted) with fully-treated covers (2 special PMS lab colors printed on holographic foil paper, with raised spotUV, curved corners, etc) packed inside a hand-built version of the slipcase with all of the final treatments (foil stamping, etc), delivered with corner protectors and shrinkwrapped like how the final boxes will be delivered.

You'll notice that the color of the "1" on the spine of volume 1 is blue -- that's an error that this stage of proofing is meant to catch, and this has been fixed! It will now match the silver "2" on the 2nd volume.

The interiors of these "dummies" is blank, but we'll share images of the finished interiors when we receive final advance copies.

The softcover slipcase will be very similar to the hardcover slipcase pictured above. We haven't received printed dummies of the softcover volumes yet, but we'll share pics if/when we do.

We also got an "F&G" (Folded and Gathered) proof of the animation Dojinshi -- F&Gs are quick, low-resolution proofs printed on inkjet paper to merely ensure the proper sequence of pages. Since the Dojinshi was originally designed for release in Japan, it is designed to be read "back-to-front" (like most Japanese books), so confirming the proper page sequencing with an F&G was important.

The Lesya statues are also in full production, and we received some photos from the manufacturer --

These will come in four pieces, with the base and spray paint cans as separate pieces that can be easily assembled.

We should have more photos from the printers and manufacturers as things come together.

Joel has been making a number of appearances at various festivals in Canada, particularly as the fourth and final volume hits the shelves in its original French language. If you're at a comic show up north, look for his display banner!

That's all for now, but things should start rolling in soon, and we'll be sure to post updates as soon as they do!

Thanks, everyone!

The Smoke Test has begun!
3 months ago – Fri, Jun 19, 2026 at 01:38:47 PM

Hi everyone! 

Happy Juneteenth! Hope you're gearing up for a nice weekend. We just wanted to let you know that Smoke Test Pledge Manager surveys have been sent as of this afternoon! If you're not familiar with the Smoke Test process: a randomly selected ~5% of you will receive your surveys in advance of the others in order to ferret out any hidden bugs in the pledge manager that should be fixed before the larger batch of surveys is sent to the wider audience. That smoke test usually takes about 24 hours, or until ~75% of those test surveys are completed. If you get one of the early survey links, please respond promptly if possible! Be on the lookout for an email from Backerkit on behalf of Neurobellum Productions.

If you don't see an email with a link, you may not be in that initial test group. Once the smoke test is complete (hopefully before Sunday), we'll send the rest. We expect everyone should get their survey links by Monday or Tuesday.

If you have any questions or haven't received your links by early next week, send us a DM here on Kickstarter or email [email protected], and we'll help you out!

Thanks, everyone!

Last minute unlocked stretch goal!
4 months ago – Fri, Jun 05, 2026 at 05:12:59 PM

Hey,  everyone!

What an exciting final hour! You made it across the $40k stretch goal line with only minutes to spare, unlocking the holo sticker set, FREE with every physical pledge!

We'll start working on the pledge manager first thing next week. Backerkit recommends giving Kickstarter a full two weeks to collect all pledges before sending out the surveys, so you can expect those the weekend of June 19th. We'll post another update at that time!

Right now, however, we're gonna roll into this weekend celebrating! This series is gonna blow everyone away, and we can't wait to light the fuse...!

Thanks, everyone!

Another stretch goal unlocked!
4 months ago – Mon, May 25, 2026 at 10:15:54 AM

Hi everyone!

What a first week -- thank you! We've unlocked the first two stretch goals, adding printed lining paper to the inside of the limited edition slipcases, as well as adding a set of chibi stickers to each physical pledge package! Next up is a cool die-cut bookmark featuring tech-rebel Ismael!

We're in the process of translating the final volume in the series now, so rest assured that the full 800+ page epic is complete and on track to begin shipping in November!

We understand a few people are curious how this campaign is related to the original, successful animation campaign from 10 years ago... 

Steambot (the original studio) is no longer in business, but Joel has spent the last decade committed to telling the story that originally motivated that animated pilot. 

800+ pages later, the epic tale is now complete, in all of its cyberpunk glory, and that is what this campaign is dedicated to. We are 100% focused on this completed graphic novel series and getting Joel's story into eager hands. The inclusion of long-sold-out items, such as the Genesis Production Art Book, the Animation Dojinshi, and the limited Lesya statue, will be brand new productions created exclusively for this campaign to celebrate the animated origins of the property.

We understand there was a video game element in that original campaign that some people didn't receive, and while it does appear to be available on Steam, the developer and publisher no longer support the base game or the 10-year-old Urbance DLC. We're here to bring this outstanding graphic novel series to the audience who originally fell in love with the style, characters, and universe introduced in that pilot animation campaign.

We certainly hope that backers of the original campaign will find this rebirth exciting. If you have any concerns, you can message us here on Kickstarter, and we'll welcome you to this campaign as warmly as possible, but please know that we have no connection to what was offered originally. If your concerns are preventing you from supporting this graphic novel campaign, we can assure you that everything offered will deliver as promised, just as we have delivered all 50+ successful campaigns to date. 😎

With two weeks to go, we're excited to see how many stretch goals we can unlock along the way! Please tell everyone you know to join the party! These limited edition items will not be available after the campaign ships, so be sure not to miss out!