“Kaiju Christmas” is a Christmas story for monster lovers.

Nearly a decade ago, comic book writer Samuel Hayne was working at a bar in Studio City, California, when a regular customer paid him a gift of $100. John Shradd, a regular, was feeling fulfilled after a great job. in the world of Hollywood production, so why not spread the wealth? That advice started a friendship that included a shared passion for Dungeons & Dragons and other geeky things, and now it’s suddenly paid off.

The friends come together to create a high-concept Christmas children’s book, christmas kaiju. Inspired by Christmas Eve, the book is about a group of brave children who must save Christmas (and the world) after a giant, monstrous snowman appears from an extradimensional portal.

Hein, who was born six days before Christmas, grew up in Alaska, where his family watched the annual 24 Hours. a christmas story marathon that airs on TBS and TNT. Those memories made him think.

“What can I watch 24 hours at a time? What can I read once or twice each Christmas? says Hine about the design of the project. And Shraddha is a big fan of the Toho Classic. Godzilla movies, making them the right collaborators for a book fans will expect to love. undercover ranger s Pacific Rim.

The duo is seeking $5,000 to print 200 copies and will launch a Kickstarter on September 6, with one page already live.

It’s been a whirlwind for Shraddha, who received the script in July and had a quick turnaround considering it’s 40 pages of art and needs to be ready soon to meet the Christmas deadline.

“Illustrators I’ve talked to say, ‘I made 24 pages and it took nine months,’” says the artist, admitting his breakneck pace.

Huh, who released the comic last year. Slow city bluesHe knows the burden he’s putting on his artist, but he already has more plans.

Laughing, the writer says, “I have a trilogy planned, if John can hear it. Next time, we will give you more time.”