Do you love The Witcher? Do you love manga? If you said yes to both, you may want to keep an eye out next week for a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign is for The Witcher: Ronin, a 100-page manga with writing from CD Projekt Red’s own Rafał Jaki.
As added incentive for Witcher fans to contribute to the Kickstarter, anyone who contributes to the campaign on launch day (September 7) will receive a bonus collector’s miniature that’s 12cm in size and features a fight between Geralt and Tengu.
Kickstarter for The Witcher: Ronin Manga Goes Live Next Week
Save the date! The Witcher: Ronin Kickstarter campaign will launch at noon CEST on Sept. 7th: https://t.co/HG37FYAyTB
We have a special bonus for everybody who pledges within the first 24h — a 12cm tall collector’s miniature depicting an epic fight between Geralt and Tengu ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/LkgAfT7xK8
— The Witcher (@witchergame) September 2, 2021
On social media, CD Projekt Red revealed information about the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for The Witcher: Ronin. As for what this is, it’s described on its Kickstarter page as, “An original comic set in an ancient-Japanese-inspired world where monster slayer Geralt trails the mythical Lady of Snow Yuki Onna.”
The Witcher: Ronin will have writing from CD Projekt Red’s Rafał Jaki who co-created The Witcher card game Gwent and is helping develop Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an animated series for Cyberpunk 2077 to be created in partnership with Studio Trigger and Netflix.
According to an article from IGN, Rafał Jaki reportedly took inspiration from comics like Batman Ninja and Superman Red Son which feature stories where an established character is taken out of an established location and placed in a brand new setting.
In the case of The Witcher: Ronin, it’s putting a character like Geralt in a “fantastical Japanese setting” as noted by Jaki in the article from IGN.
Quoting that article, “Jaki says putting Geralt in a fantastical Japanese setting was an interesting exercise since Japanese folklore also has a rich tradition of monsters known as yokai. And that tradition formed a bridge that connected Geralt with the new setting.”
Adding to this, Jaki also stated, “We took cues from other Elseworld comics where, for example, in Superman Red Son even though Superman lands in the CCCP instead of Kansas, [in the] U.S. he is still called Superman – it’s an artistic license that allows people to have fun with the concept and understand it easily.”
And if you’re wondering why a successful company like CD Projekt Red would put such an exciting project on Kickstarter in the first place versus funding it themselves, there are two reasons: to launch the manga globally (more availability), and to offer a Collector’s Edition.
The global launch reason here is key as CD Projekt Red is based out of Poland. Distribution of a manga like The Witcher: Ronin to countries like Japan or the United States adds extra cost and an extra layer of difficulty to the project, so we completely understand the desire to put the project on Kickstarter.
The campaign will reportedly have on offer a 100-page, full-color story from Rafał Jaki and illustrations by Hataya, along with three additional 15-page stories from three contributing guest artists. We’ll know more about the tiers and options for Kickstarter backers once the campaign goes live on September 7 at 12:00 p.m. (CEST).
To prepare for the Kickstarter launch, you can visit the pre-launch Kickstarter page and request to be notified of the Kickstarter’s launch. You can also bookmark the page and check back on September 7, whatever’s easiest.
And for more detailed information on The Witcher: Ronin, we recommend reading through the in-depth feature from IGN on the subject as it goes over everything from the manga’s origins, to what you can expect, what it might look like, and more.
While we wait for the Kickstarter for The Witcher: Ronin to launch on September 7 at at 12:00 p.m. (CEST), we’re curious to hear what you think about the project. Are you planning to back the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live?
Do you want to do this day one to get the special collector’s miniature, or are you waiting until you find out the price? Let us know on our social media channels including Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to check back for more Witcher coverage here on Prima!
Related: The Witcher Season 2 Gets a Release Date
