14/03/2024
Should have posted this last month but I've been neglecting FB...
Official Statement on the Vic King Situation:
It has come to our attention that the artist who created some cover artwork for several graphic novels and interior work for one other under the pen name Vic King has been revealed to actually be Robert Victor Kincaid - an individual convicted of multiple counts of child r**e and providing alcohol to minors.
We at DarkGift Comics, and the teams we publish, are mortified by this news. We have zero tolerance for such crimes. For those of us who called him friend, as well as collaborator, the betrayal of his deception stings personally, and are disappointed in his disregard for the reputation of those connected to and a part of this company in whatever way, as well as the community as a whole. We had no prior knowledge of his crimes or true identity.
The campaigns affected are Hunting Alice, Lightbringer: Genesis Volume 1 and Lightbringer: Genesis Vol 2. Once news broke and the reality of these devastating crimes sank in, we wasted no time in rectifying the problems presented. All artwork and reference to Kincaid (King) were removed from the projects and website and replacement artists were found and already hard at work.
HUNTING ALICE
All backers of the Vic King variant cover will be notified that Kincaid - AKA Vic King's cover art is being entirely redone by artist, Peter Gilmore. The matching tapestry will be replaced with Pete’s artwork. Colors to be announced. (Side note, Doc Blalock has been helping translate thumbnails to layouts, so that finishes can then be applied to help speed up production of the book, and we are nearly complete.)
LIGHTBRINGER: GENESIS VOL 2
Covers A and B are being totally replaced. John Dillard will be replacing cover A with his amazing artwork and has already done the pencils and inks. He will be coloring it himself. (See the line work below). Cover B will be redone by The Quaff, with colors to be announced.
LIGHTBRINGER: GENESIS VOL 1 is the complicated one. This book has already been published and fulfilled. As of now, we have deemed that version “Out-of-Print.” It is also on LB2 as part of a catch-up tier. Here’s where we are at with that:
Speaking with current interior artist, Dean James, we are preparing to have him redraw book 1. However, there is no date for that yet. He is currently finishing up book 2, and then is moving on directly to finishing the Embrace 2. Backers of the LB2 catch-up tiers will have 2 options. 1) Receive a physical of Book 2 and a digital of the original book one, and once the Dean James version is printed, we will send you a physical and digital copy. 2) Receive a complete refund. If for some reason you still want a copy of the original version, you can let us know. But at the moment, plans are to burn whatever stock is left.
BACKERS OF THE ORIGINAL LB1 CAMPAIGN will get a free digital copy of the new version.
Additionally, DarkGift Comics will now have more stringent protocols for all artists and writers contracted for future projects, while current collaborators and I will work on satisfying any newly developed need for transparency. We are looking into ways to maintain a reputable operation with talent we work with, while maintaining any privacy creators who use pen names may require.
While we realize this may present some issues with collaborations going forward, we believe it is necessary to prevent this type of deception from occurring again through our platform. The safety of minors and the character of the artists we support carry tremendous importance. We aim to operate ethically, legally and promote positive creative content, as well as being a reputable arbiter of the community.
We apologize deeply for this oversight and vow to use whatever is in our means to not have it happen again. Please reach out with any other questions or concerns you may have regarding this situation and our response.
New covers Below: