About
We’re raising $3,500 to launch The Lump Sum Saga: Creator’s Guidebook. This digital reference maps out the lore, overarching plot, and technological backbone of TLSS. This is the key that will open the door for new storytellers to step in and start shaping adventures in our shared superhero sandbox.
Backers can get their hands on the digital guidebook, plus existing print and digital comics from The Lump Sum Saga universe. Your support doesn’t just fund a book. Funds raised this round will lay the foundation for a whole new wave of stories.
STORY
“The Lump Sum Saga is this RELENTLESSLY inventive, weird and wonderful sci-fi world!” ~ Paul Allor (Marvel Rivals, G.I. Joe, TMNT)
On the surface, The Lump Sum Saga is a sweeping SciFi epic that examines the unintended consequences of a remote space exploration mission of a remote planet - Earth. Scientists from two alien races on the planet Home have collaborated to explore the mysteries of the universe.
Or that’s what the powers in charge would have their citizens believe. As the series unfolds, readers will discover that this mission represents so much more to these alien races than pure scientific discovery.
The two issues crowdfunded to date establish important groundwork for the series. You can read Prologue: Only the Fate of Our World and the first four chapters in Lump Dog on Global Comics at The Lump Sum Saga.
But Wait, There is More
What’s only just beginning to surface in the story published so far is that The Lump Sum Saga (TLSS) was built from day one by creator Greg Tjosvold to be a collaborative sandbox - a shared superhero universe where writers and artists can play.
Oversimplifying, the series’ alien-exploration thread was inspired by the need to come up with a science-adjacent plausible explanation for how regular humans and animals might end up with super-powers. The answer: The alien probe lumps in the story give their hosts the same tools as the Mars Curiosity Rover, only amped up to hyperbolic alien technology levels.
Think “Thunderbirds meets Spider-Man, if the spider had a story.”
For creators, TLSS opens the door to telling your own superhero story without waiting for the big two to “discover” you. Through one to five issue story arcs, writers and artists can introduce their own heroes or villains and bring their vision to life.
There’s just one rule: by the end of your arc, your protagonist must die or lose their powers, clearing the way for the next creator’s story. This “extended anthology” approach has been compared to the one used in Brian Azzarello’s 100 bullets.
All these arcs unfold against a rich alien backdrop that explores themes like scientific curiosity vs conquest, colonization, family, and love.
Greg will script, and Sergi Domènech will illustrate, the ongoing “through-thread” chapters that weave these standalone stories into a single, expanding universe. After laying the groundwork, the team will invite other creators to pitch their own earth-based-super story arc. This campaign will get us closer to making this a reality.
The Creative Team
The Lump Sum Saga is currently written by creator Greg Tjosvold & illustrated by Sergi Domènech. With Josh Jensen on colors, Sean Rinehart on letters, Dave Sharpe on logos, and edited by Paul Allor, the team has already successfully created and crowdfunded two issues. Members of this exceptionally talented team have worked for Marvel, DC, and most every major North American comic publisher.
The Campaign
The primary goal of this Ethereal Legacy round is to fund the creation of The Lump Sum Saga: Creator’s Guidebook. This digital reference is designed to ultimately open up this shared superhero universe to new storytellers. Our goal is $3500, and we need your help to make it happen.
The Creator’s Guidebook will give writers and artists everything they need to craft their own TLSS stories that fit seamlessly into the larger saga. It will outline the series’ core “givens,” detail the different lump types and their powers, explore alien culture through rich world-building entries, and lay out the long-arc “through-thread” that ties the universe together.
In addition, Greg will write the scripts for Marina, Lump Man, and Alyssa. These foundational scripts will get the story to where other writers will be able to pitch their own super-story. In short, we plan to build the roadmap that will keep this universe thriving, even if its original creator (now cheerfully in the blessed-to-wake-up-each-morning stage of life) can’t keep writing it forever.
Backers can choose from tiers that include the digital guidebook, digital comics, and even limited physical comics and collectibles from the existing TLSS inventory.
What We Need
Most of the funds raised will go toward commissioning 3D models of the ten alien probe types - the “lumps” - providing an important visual foundation of The Lump Sum Saga. While unlikely, if there is money left over, illustrations to augment the Veloxipedia “cultural universal” entries may be acquired. Greg will tackle the written components of the guidebook and key scripts on spec.
Risks
Any time you commission third-party talent to create art (in this case the 3D models of the lumps) there is always the possibility that they will not deliver in a timely manner, or at all. The team will do their due diligence to ensure anyone brought on board has a positive reputation for doing excellent work in a timely manner.
Also, as mentioned earlier, the writer is old as dirt. While he is currently in good health, there are no guarantees. It is this unfortunate reality that actually inspired Greg to move forward with this project now.
Future Rounds
This round is the start of a much larger multi-stage plan that will ultimately allow more writers to play in The Lump Sum Saga universe sandbox.
Round 1 - The current round - the Ethereal Legacy Round - will ensure that the blueprint for the overall saga will live on in digital form.
Future rounds on Fundl will grow TLSS with each stage being more ambitious than the one that came before it. While subject to change, here is the tentative progression.
Round 2 - The Establishing Artifacts Round - The scripts written in round one will be illustrated, colored, and lettered. These foundational stories will be released as a hardcover.
Round 3 - Collaborative Canon Round - The goal will be to raise enough funds to enable at least ten authors to bring their TLSS stories to life.
Round 4 - Canon Builder Round - Software and legal infrastructure will be built to allow fans to nominate their TLSS favorite fan-fiction stories to be added to The Lump Sum Saga as canon.
Needless to say, we have ambitious plans for the series. But first things first. We need to fund round one.
Additional Details
It is our goal to get The Lump Sum Saga out to as many potential readers as possible. As such, it is likely that TLSS stories funded on Fundl will also be made available on other crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and possibly even in local comic book shops through the direct market. If this happens, we will do our best to ensure that Fundl backers will receive privileged access to products created for those markets.
Final Note To Creators
If you are like me, you are always looking for opportunities to get stories into the world in a way that won’t leave you broke. In the long term, it is our goal to help you do just that. Eventually.
Please do not contact us with ideas for characters or storylines just yet. The legal infrastructure to ensure we both are properly protected is not in place yet, so we cannot read pitches at this time. Any submissions will be ignored.
However, please note that if you are reading this you already have an inside track to becoming a TLSS author as understanding the content in the Creator’s Guidebook we are building in round one will help you be ready for when we are ready to invite others into The Lump Sum Saga creator family.
The Lump Sum Saga: Creator’s Guidebook
What if anyone (even pets) could have superpowers for five issues? In these series, characters will die or lose their powers by the end of their arc. Either way, they are transformed.
Launching soon...
Help the campaign before it goes live
All or nothing. This campaign round will only be funded if it reaches its goal.
About
We’re raising $3,500 to launch The Lump Sum Saga: Creator’s Guidebook. This digital reference maps out the lore, overarching plot, and technological backbone of TLSS. This is the key that will open the door for new storytellers to step in and start shaping adventures in our shared superhero sandbox.
Backers can get their hands on the digital guidebook, plus existing print and digital comics from The Lump Sum Saga universe. Your support doesn’t just fund a book. Funds raised this round will lay the foundation for a whole new wave of stories.
STORY
“The Lump Sum Saga is this RELENTLESSLY inventive, weird and wonderful sci-fi world!” ~ Paul Allor (Marvel Rivals, G.I. Joe, TMNT)
On the surface, The Lump Sum Saga is a sweeping SciFi epic that examines the unintended consequences of a remote space exploration mission of a remote planet - Earth. Scientists from two alien races on the planet Home have collaborated to explore the mysteries of the universe.
Or that’s what the powers in charge would have their citizens believe. As the series unfolds, readers will discover that this mission represents so much more to these alien races than pure scientific discovery.
The two issues crowdfunded to date establish important groundwork for the series. You can read Prologue: Only the Fate of Our World and the first four chapters in Lump Dog on Global Comics at The Lump Sum Saga.
But Wait, There is More
What’s only just beginning to surface in the story published so far is that The Lump Sum Saga (TLSS) was built from day one by creator Greg Tjosvold to be a collaborative sandbox - a shared superhero universe where writers and artists can play.
Oversimplifying, the series’ alien-exploration thread was inspired by the need to come up with a science-adjacent plausible explanation for how regular humans and animals might end up with super-powers. The answer: The alien probe lumps in the story give their hosts the same tools as the Mars Curiosity Rover, only amped up to hyperbolic alien technology levels.
Think “Thunderbirds meets Spider-Man, if the spider had a story.”
For creators, TLSS opens the door to telling your own superhero story without waiting for the big two to “discover” you. Through one to five issue story arcs, writers and artists can introduce their own heroes or villains and bring their vision to life.
There’s just one rule: by the end of your arc, your protagonist must die or lose their powers, clearing the way for the next creator’s story. This “extended anthology” approach has been compared to the one used in Brian Azzarello’s 100 bullets.
All these arcs unfold against a rich alien backdrop that explores themes like scientific curiosity vs conquest, colonization, family, and love.
Greg will script, and Sergi Domènech will illustrate, the ongoing “through-thread” chapters that weave these standalone stories into a single, expanding universe. After laying the groundwork, the team will invite other creators to pitch their own earth-based-super story arc. This campaign will get us closer to making this a reality.
The Creative Team
The Lump Sum Saga is currently written by creator Greg Tjosvold & illustrated by Sergi Domènech. With Josh Jensen on colors, Sean Rinehart on letters, Dave Sharpe on logos, and edited by Paul Allor, the team has already successfully created and crowdfunded two issues. Members of this exceptionally talented team have worked for Marvel, DC, and most every major North American comic publisher.
The Campaign
The primary goal of this Ethereal Legacy round is to fund the creation of The Lump Sum Saga: Creator’s Guidebook. This digital reference is designed to ultimately open up this shared superhero universe to new storytellers. Our goal is $3500, and we need your help to make it happen.
The Creator’s Guidebook will give writers and artists everything they need to craft their own TLSS stories that fit seamlessly into the larger saga. It will outline the series’ core “givens,” detail the different lump types and their powers, explore alien culture through rich world-building entries, and lay out the long-arc “through-thread” that ties the universe together.
In addition, Greg will write the scripts for Marina, Lump Man, and Alyssa. These foundational scripts will get the story to where other writers will be able to pitch their own super-story. In short, we plan to build the roadmap that will keep this universe thriving, even if its original creator (now cheerfully in the blessed-to-wake-up-each-morning stage of life) can’t keep writing it forever.
Backers can choose from tiers that include the digital guidebook, digital comics, and even limited physical comics and collectibles from the existing TLSS inventory.
What We Need
Most of the funds raised will go toward commissioning 3D models of the ten alien probe types - the “lumps” - providing an important visual foundation of The Lump Sum Saga. While unlikely, if there is money left over, illustrations to augment the Veloxipedia “cultural universal” entries may be acquired. Greg will tackle the written components of the guidebook and key scripts on spec.
Risks
Any time you commission third-party talent to create art (in this case the 3D models of the lumps) there is always the possibility that they will not deliver in a timely manner, or at all. The team will do their due diligence to ensure anyone brought on board has a positive reputation for doing excellent work in a timely manner.
Also, as mentioned earlier, the writer is old as dirt. While he is currently in good health, there are no guarantees. It is this unfortunate reality that actually inspired Greg to move forward with this project now.
Future Rounds
This round is the start of a much larger multi-stage plan that will ultimately allow more writers to play in The Lump Sum Saga universe sandbox.
Round 1 - The current round - the Ethereal Legacy Round - will ensure that the blueprint for the overall saga will live on in digital form.
Future rounds on Fundl will grow TLSS with each stage being more ambitious than the one that came before it. While subject to change, here is the tentative progression.
Round 2 - The Establishing Artifacts Round - The scripts written in round one will be illustrated, colored, and lettered. These foundational stories will be released as a hardcover.
Round 3 - Collaborative Canon Round - The goal will be to raise enough funds to enable at least ten authors to bring their TLSS stories to life.
Round 4 - Canon Builder Round - Software and legal infrastructure will be built to allow fans to nominate their TLSS favorite fan-fiction stories to be added to The Lump Sum Saga as canon.
Needless to say, we have ambitious plans for the series. But first things first. We need to fund round one.
Additional Details
It is our goal to get The Lump Sum Saga out to as many potential readers as possible. As such, it is likely that TLSS stories funded on Fundl will also be made available on other crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and possibly even in local comic book shops through the direct market. If this happens, we will do our best to ensure that Fundl backers will receive privileged access to products created for those markets.
Final Note To Creators
If you are like me, you are always looking for opportunities to get stories into the world in a way that won’t leave you broke. In the long term, it is our goal to help you do just that. Eventually.
Please do not contact us with ideas for characters or storylines just yet. The legal infrastructure to ensure we both are properly protected is not in place yet, so we cannot read pitches at this time. Any submissions will be ignored.
However, please note that if you are reading this you already have an inside track to becoming a TLSS author as understanding the content in the Creator’s Guidebook we are building in round one will help you be ready for when we are ready to invite others into The Lump Sum Saga creator family.
