Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide (PUG-W) is a new indie publisher founded by former Marvel Comics publisher John Nee and former IDW editor-in-chief John Barber. They’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign for their debut project, “SIGNA,” a post-apocalyptic survival tale created by Barber and his longtime collaborator Andrew Lee Griffith. The project has garnered attention from fans, who are eager to support it, and we have some exclusive pages providing a glimpse into the unique world of “SIGNA.”
Searching ancient ruins, Ketna Vora and her fellow scavengers are ambushed by century-old war mechs! One of them pursues Ketna, cutting her off from the rest of her team—and then Ketna’s necklace, a gift from her late father, starts talking to her…
SIGNA
Script by John Barber
Art by Andrew Lee Griffith
PUG-W (Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide) proudly unveils SIGNA, its inaugural graphic novel Kickstarter project. What better way to kick off this exciting venture than with a creation from PUG-W’s very own editor-in-chief, John Barber and longtime collaborator Andrew Lee Griffith.
The book’s kickstarter campaign showcases a 48-page exclusive hardcover edition of the first chapter of the SIGNA universe. Five unique cover variants are available, featuring covers by series artist and co-creator Andrew Lee Griffith, along with guest stars Chrissie Zullo, Tom Sciolli, Alex Milne, and Josh Perez (colors). Plus, don’t miss out on the exclusive PAN UNIVERSAL GALACTIC VISION 3-D cover!
Barber and Griffith are joined by talented collaborators Ronda Pattison (TMNT, The Maxx) on colors, with Chris Mowry (Godzilla, Transformers) providing lettering.
Synopsis: A hundred years after a war with renegade mining robots transformed the sun into a red giant, dooming the Earth, the grandchildren of that war struggle to survive off the ashes of the past. That is, until a scavenger named Ketna Vora and her crew find SIGNA—an old war mech that thinks it might know how to save the solar system. But the real question is: save it for who? Because after a century…the machines have returned.
“I’ve always loved science fiction—I was the kid that liked anything with lasers and spaceships. And if you’ve followed my work before, you know I like robots, and I really like using them to tell big-scale stories with my friend and collaborator Andrew Lee Griffith. That comes together in SIGNA,” John Barber said. “We’re trying to pull in some of the energy of Star Wars, Transformers, and Mechwarrior and mix with old school SF writers like Heinlien and Haldeman with contemporary influences like The Expanse, Martha Wells, and Becky Chambers. Andrew and I like to push our characters to the limit and see what they’re really made out of, and that’s what we’re doing here.”
“To me the heart of the book is the friendship between our lead, Ketna Vora, and the SIGNA mech,” said Andrew Lee Griffith. “Ketna’s got some baggage, and while capable and smart, tends to shoot from the hip and lacks the experience that a more seasoned adventurer or spacefarer might have. So it will be interesting to see her character bounce off of this mech that is basically a new unique form of artificial life that has essentially just opened its eyes to the world and has a fresh-eyed and naive, perhaps even pragmatic way of looking at things.”
The Kickstarter for SIGNA is live here – stay tuned for mid-campaign news!
PRAISE FOR SIGNA:
SIGNA is the kind of big sci-fi worldbuilding I crave, a blockbuster spectacle hiding a human story told in the ruins of our future.”
–Ivan Brandon (writer: The Roman Stars, Viking)
“Yes! A brand new epic sci-fi to sink my teeth into. An exhilarating jaunt to 2234 and wonderful mysteries to explore! Fun, kinetic art and snappy dialogue kept me hooked. I’ve been a fan of John Barber and Andrew Griffith since their days on THE TRANSFORMERS and I’m thrilled to see what they have in store for us now as they spin their own interstellar story. I’m excited to learn more about SIGNA, the war, the pirates, the sun…everything…and I do love me a cliffhanger!”
– Dominic Burgess (actor: Picard, Flash, Our Flag Means Death)
“Dig this futuristic epic you’re building here. Love the art and colors, and the thoughtful worldbuilding. I am totally along for what looks like a wild and mysterious ride!”
–Amy Chu (writer: Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, Sea Sirens)
SIGNA occupies a place in the comics universe and claims extremely valuable territory. When I was initially working on Transformers and G.I. Joe in the 80s, I wondered, ‘What’s the adult version of this? Where will a generation raised on this stuff go with it? A lot went ‘dark,’ and some of it went ‘relevant’ or ‘religious’ in the sense that it became a platform for political blowmouth, but SIGNA manages to dodge minefields, snares, and bungee traps to deliver classic action/adventure and a strong sci-fi/spec-fic idea behind it. Book 1 of SIGNA balances story, world, and an array of characters, who, I suspect, will fill a whole alignment chart and a plot that is getting more and more interesting. Keep going, John, Andrew et al. Give it a read, folks. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.”
–Flint Dille (writer: Transformers, G.I. Joe, Visionaries)
“A fantastic introduction to a new universe that grabs you with well realized characters right from the start. Each page fills in more of what feels like a sprawling backdrop and it’s done without breaking the pace of an action-packed debut. Full of big ideas, and big robots bashing each other. What’s not to love? I want to keep exploring this space.”
– Pablo Hidalgo (writer: Star Wars books, The Transformers Vault)
“Get ready for a genuinely original new concept. A total treat. I enjoyed this just as much as you will so check it out.”
–Mark Millar (writer: Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Civil War)
“Mecha meets The Expanse in this absorbing, large-scale sci-fi epic. If you’re a space nerd like me, this is high-tech catnip.”
–Stuart Moore (writer: Captain Ginger, Marvel Crisis Protocol: Into the Dark Dimension)
“Waww, this comic looks beautiful!!!”
–Ariel Olivetti (artist: Punisher, Cable, The Last Avengers Story)
“SIGNA is filled with large scope space action, great designs, and sharp and funny dialogue! John and Andrew created a new instantly interesting and entertaining world of science fiction.”
–Livio Ramondelli (writer/artist: The Kill Lock, Transformers)
“A bleak future in technicolor, SIGNA gives us hope that things just might get better…”
–Erica Schultz (writer: Daredevil, Rat City)
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