“A crossroads is where destinies can get made or broken,” states Big Shoulders #1, the first of a proposed six-issue full-color comic series. This Chicago-based fantasy, where the mundane and the cosmic collide, features twenty-two-year-old Coda Walker waking up and finding himself transported to the 1893 World’s Fair.

Two pages (not yet colored) from Big Shoulders #1, showing Coda Walker in front of the Administration Building at the 1893 World’s Fair. [Art: Scott Gray]

Written by John Dudley, with art by Scott Gray and coloring by Faz Choudhury, Big Shoulders has launched a Kickstarter campaign to entice investors to meet its $8,000 goal by July 12, 2024.

The series title refers to one of the city’s monikers, earned from Carl Sandburg’s famous 1914 poem “Chicago.” This City of the Big Shoulders, however, comes with dragons, aliens, and immortals. As Coda explores Chicago, the story weaves a history lesson or two into its narrative.

The first issue will have 30 pages of story and 10 pages of additional content. To support Big Shoulders, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bigshoulders/big-shoulders