That's the story behind Chicken Outfit, a new horror/sci-fi comic series from co-creators Joe Deagnon and Kirby Stasyna that is currently running a campaign on Indiegogo.
Drawing inspiration from 80s horror films, underground comix and first-hand office culture,Chicken Outfit, a phantasmagoria of horror, science fiction, dark humour and characters dressed in stupid costumes, is a comic series for these future-shocked times. Chicken Outfit chronicles corporate greed, maniacal assassins, undead biker-chicks, drunken psychic shaman, pretentious aliens and a couple of under-paid slobs who find themselves in the most hellish situation of their lives.
The story focuses on Stan Munson and Rusty McDoodle, two hapless shlubs working in online porn under the management of a madman and his dog-like cronies. During a secret experiment, Stan inadvertently opens a portal to another dimension and brings about hell on earth. As the story progresses, Stan and his best friend Rusty team up with a drunken psychic, who harbours a bizarre secret. Follow their adventures as they attempt to sabotage their employer's nefarious plans, fight douchebags and demons, save the girl, and, ultimately, discover their soul-shattering fates.
When asked about the inspiration behind the creation of Chicken Outfit, artist and co-writer Deagnon responded, "I've been reading and drawing comics since the age of nine. Mad Magazine, EC horror titles, and underground work from artists such as Gilbert Shelton, Robert Crumb and Jean Giraud have always fueled my fascination with satire, parody and the macabre. Reading Helter Skelter and Stephen King at a very formative age, along with 70s and 80s genre films by directors like John Carpenter and David Cronenberg, had a great deal to do with my development as an artist.
Chicken Outfit is the culmination of the hard work I've put into it over the years as well as a product of my love of horror and science fiction. I wanted to put together a piece of work that would be exciting and bizarre, something I would want to read. My hope is that others, who have tastes similar to my own, will appreciate our comics."
Deagnon and Stasyna are currently running a crowdfunding campaign for the comic on IndieGoGo. Visitors to the Chicken Outfit campaign can watch the exclusive comic trailer, view the cover for the "hellish first issue" and support the project through a variety of contribution levels. The packages include a copy of the premiere issue of the comic, a series of "horror movie homage" postcards, a sticker set and a limited edition Chicken Outfit t-shirt that will be exclusive to Indiegogo contributors.
When questioned about their decision to launch Chicken Outfit on Indiegogo, Co-writer Stasyna commented, "For us, crowdsourcing is not about raising money from total strangers; it's an avenue for reaching people who support independent artists and are interested in more than they might find at their local comic shop. Plus, we are hoping that as many people as possible read Chicken Outfit and much like the hapless fools in the comic, are infected by an unspecified madness, mutate in some horrible form and attack their friends and co-workers."
The Indiegogo campaign for Chicken Outfit runs from Dec 12, 2012 until February 15, 2013 and is available at: http://www.indiegogo.com/chickenoutfit.
Joe Deagnon (Artist & Co-Writer) has previously published five issues of Paranoid Tales of Neurosis. Called "lowbrow and entertaining", "hyper-fun and sickly twisted" and "bizarre and wonderful", his work has been described as a combination of Harvey Pekar meets Ralph Steadman and dubbed "a Mad Magazine for the 90s" by drive-in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs. Herschell Gordon Lewis commented on his humor as "sick and vicious, just like mine." He also was a regular contributor to the music weekly Exclaim and Film Threat magazine.
A self-proclaimed success story in the tradition of Tom Vu, Kirby Stasyna (Co-Writer) is not living the luxurious life he is seen enjoying on TV. Relying only on street smarts and empty beer bottles, much of Kirby's time that should be spent working on Chicken Outfit projects is wasted looking for jobs, feeding birds, volunteering at museums, and playing around with vintage gizmos and obsolete electronics. A proven creative and conceptual specialist, Kirby has yet to create or conceive personal success, financial freedom, or anything of any worth or value that isn't owned by some other company. Kirby's artistic sense has been so toned down by ex-employers that he can only see in 2-bit color without the use of special glasses. He also has the distinction of being co-creator of the Naked News.
And now, for the trailer!
