Kickstarter launched for new Kirkcaldy comic

Barry Lumsden, of Iron Dynasty Comics is launching a Kickstarter campaign to help finish off his new trilogy, Rona.

Fresh from his work on Iron Wolf, which tells of the struggle to maintain unity among a group of mystical races, Barry is staying in the sword-and-sorcery genre with his latest comic.

He has already completed the first two comics for Rona, and as he looks to finish the third, he is offering readers the chance to help fund the publication and have a character named after them in a future comic.

Barry explained the background for the Rona.

He said: “She lives in a country ruled by women, her mother died and her dad deserted her when she was young and there’s this mystery over her origin.

“The queen of her settlement has a son, Harald, who isn’t allowed to rule because he is male.

“Now he’s returned to try and overthrow the female leadership.

“It all takes place in the same world as the Iron Wolf series, there are a few characters from that which appear in Rona as well.”

As in Iron Wolf, Barry feels it’s important for science fiction to tackle modern issues and be fearless in its approach.

“One of the many reasons that I think companies like Marvel have had such success is that there are interesting characters that can interact.

“I think good sci-fi tries to educate people and tackle things like anti-racism or gender equality.

“You can have a strong story but for it to last longer it has to be relevant so people can relate it to the world they live in.”

Barry is also hoping to reschedule comic workshops which were planned before lockdown.

The workshops, which were scheduled to take place at Kingdom Comics on Kirkcaldy High Street, aim to encourage others to get into the comic industry.

Barry says he hopes to organise the events next year, bringing on board others with experience in producing comics.

Rona, issues 1 and 2, is already available at Kingdom Comics, or Dunfermline’s Little Shop of Heroes.

The Kickstarter campaign launches on Friday evening at 6pm.

It can be found at www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironwol/rona-1-3

“