Ruinas - "Vol. I: LA ESPADA".

The world has become a desolate place. Faith has died, and the corpses of the gods have fallen upon the earth, their colossal bodies rising like grim figures that have forever transformed reality. The once proud cities now lie in ruins under the terror of these fallen deities, which, turned into grotesque monstrosities, unleash their indiscriminate wrath upon humans. Mortal souls, decimated and on the brink of extinction, have been forced to hide in caves and nearly inaccessible cities, seeking refuge against the fury of the cadaverous gods.

In the midst of this destroyed world, the Swifts emerge, humans blessed with the gift of going unnoticed by the gods. Among them is Duncan, a neurotic hermit who finds refuge in contemplating an isolated existence. However, his peace is abruptly interrupted when Duncan's life becomes intertwined with that of Alector, another young Swift with a dark past. Together, they will join forces with other survivors, embarking on an epic adventure that will take them across the world with the aim of liberating humanity from the oppression of the loathsome gods that were once worshipped.

"Ruinas" plunges into a universe where survival demands more than steel and bravery; it requires the ability to evade the gaze of the divine. In this comic, action, adventure, and the struggle for freedom intertwine in a gripping narrative, accompanied by compelling artwork, as our protagonists confront not only the putrid monsters but also the shadows of their own secrets. Can Duncan and Alector lead humanity towards redemption, or will they fade into oblivion along with the gods who once ruled the world? The answer lies within the pages of "Ruinas," and thanks to Verkami, you can discover it.

All the budget of the campaign will be allocated to launch a minimum of 250 units of the first volume of "Ruinas," as well as the development and printing of the rest of the rewards. At ContraCulto, we aim to be as fair as possible with the authors and artists, so if we surpass 100% of the campaign, the exceeded percentage will be distributed among all the collaborators and artists who have contributed to the artwork of "Ruinas."

"Ruinas" is an adventure comic set in a post-apocalyptic world where the gods no longer watch over humanity's faith from the heavens. Now they dwell among mortal souls, transformed into abject beings whose objective is to decimate humans completely, forcing them into hiding to survive. Young Alector, along with other survivors, will join forces to try to find a way to confront the putrid gods. It will be the first volume of 6, in a format of 17x24 and 68 pages each.

In this first issue, Alector follows the trail of a goddess and meets the hermit Duncan. Unwittingly, their lives will be guided by the salvation of mortals as they encounter various survivors of the desolate world along their journey. These survivors will unite their strengths and skills to embark on an epic journey with the aim of rebuilding the ruins of their civilization.

The mind and artistry of Jae Tanaka present us with a classic adventure comic with epic fantasy as its premise, but with the tone of a twilight western reminiscent of Sergio Leone or Sam Peckinpah. "Ruinas" is a story that speaks of overcoming obstacles and the union of forces to overcome challenges that go beyond mere survival. Tanaka offers us a world with a rich cosmogony and a torrent of creativity in character designs and situations, along with a powerful reflection on where faith and convictions lead us.

Jae Tanaka grew up playing D&D, reading Conan and The X-Men, and renting B-movies at the video store, so those are the main influences on his personal work. In his professional career, he started out doing layouts for French and Spanish animation series, then transitioned to advertising and corporate image design for television channels such as Cartoon Network, TNT, WBTV, TVE, or FOX. Currently, he juggles graphic humor with illustration work for independent role-playing game publishers. He likes Kiss and lives with his wife and two cats.

Discover his work:

• Behance

• Instagram

ContraCulto is a new cultural editorial and collective imprint that anchors its creative drive in the roots of the underground, aiming to shake up the alternative comic scene by flooding the shelves with biting, daring, and subversive works. It fosters the launch of novice authors or those whose creative proposal deviates from the usual form. The caravan cult comprises several authors and artists related to different disciplines, but each of them has the initiative to unite underground scenes and bond their art. "Ruinas" is not their first foray into comics or crowdfunding projects, and unless someone stops them, they will continue working to offer great comics in the international underground scene.

The campaign offers five types of rewards:

• Volume 1 of Ruinas: Contains 80 full-color pages, in a 17x24cm format, written and illustrated by Jae Tanaka.

• An artbook: In staple-bound format with 24 pages of 17x24, featuring black & white and color illustrations, where more than ten artists from all over the world offer their perspective on the world of Ruinas.

• An A3 print: Drawn in traditional style and created by the artist Sergio Bleda.

• Custom Portrait: Hand-drawn in traditional style by the author, transforming you into one of the monstrous gods of Ruinas.

• Resin Figure: Standing at 12cm tall, designed by the American sculptor Ken Robkin, produced by Venanzio el Ranzio, and hand-painted by África, also known as Gomasuzia.

The prices of the rewards include order preparation and shipping costs to Spain. If the shipping is to the Canary Islands or outside Spanish territory, the corresponding reward must be purchased.

In this campaign, we have wanted to compile a collection of illustrious collaborations to develop an Artbook of the world of Ruinas. We don't want to reveal all the works, but here are the names of the female and male artists who have offered their creative piece to Tanaka's universe.

• Penny Melgarejo

• Dabiz del Reino (Hombrearrugado)

• Gisselle Anderson

• Polocom

• ElHombreTucán

• Larily

• Clara Gavira

• Elena Aragoneses

• Tito Montana

• Moño

• María Jara.

If you've made it this far, we can't do anything else but express our immense gratitude for the time you've invested in reading the campaign. Our goal as an editorial collective is nothing but to develop good comics, and without all of you, it wouldn't be possible.

Go ahead! Become a backer of the work, acquire the reward you like the most, contribute your bit with donations, and if you can't, share the campaign, follow all the authors and artists on social media, and keep loving comics.

Thank you so much!