P. Craig Russell revives NIGHT MUSIC after almost 50 years with THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL

Before there was a queer comics shelf, there was P. Craig Russell, drawing Mahler and Wilde like it was the most natural thing in the world. Now, at 75, he's reviving Night Music, the anthology he launched at Eclipse Comics in 1979.

Wayne Alan Harold, Russell's longtime art agent and publishing partner, is running the campaign, billing the book as an all-new hardcover graphic album.

Russell is adapting Oscar Wilde's The Fisherman and His Soul, the last and longest story in the Wilde fairy tale cycle that he began in 1992, which will be 44 of the book's 72 pages. And Wilde, a queer icon whose own life was shaped by persecution.

Colorist Lovern Kindzierski, Russell's longtime collaborator, is coloring all 44 pages, while Galen Showman is hand-lettering directly on the original art boards. The remaining pages hold new short pieces, as well as a gallery of commissioned illustrations that have never been seen in print.

Russell calls the project "bucket list" mode, and he's waited years to tackle it. He says it's all finished, with excerpts rolling out in the coming weeks.

P. Craig Russell's Night Music: The book that let him be weird

After making his name at Marvel on Killraven and Elric, he used Eclipse's better printing and creator-ownership terms to publish more experimental work — opera, literary adaptations, sci-fi, fantasy, whatever lit him up. It ran eleven volumes before ending in 1990.

Here is what Russell has to say about the newest edition to the series:

47 years ago I started a series for Eclipse Comics called Night Music. It served as a vehicle that allowed me to write and draw whatever interested me. Stories like The Magic Flute, Salome, assorted Jungle Booktales, science-fiction, pure fantasy or any other off-the-wall short pieces that felt just right for graphic story treatment.

Now, after nearly half a century, I’m rounding out my career in “bucket list” mode. I’m returning to Night Music and tackling projects that I’ve been waiting years to do. The Fisherman and His Soul, the final (and longest) story in the Oscar Wilde “fairy tale” cycle that I began in 1992, will be the first of those long-delayed passion projects to see print.

At 44 pages Fisherman (and his mermaid) will be the centerpiece of the book, but with 72 pages to work with, I’ll also be including several shorter all-new pieces and a gallery of commissioned illustrations that have never seen print . . . until now.

It’s all “in the can” and we’ll be previewing excerpts from the stories over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing them to life. 😀

P. Craig Russell's Night Music, Volume 1, is on Kickstarter via Wayne Alan Harold Productions.

The Kickstarter campaign has officially launched.