Avas Demon Skybound Partnership Interviews 

Ava’s Demons Come Out In Support Of A Successful Kickstarter With Michelle Czajkowski Fus

By | October 14th, 2020
Posted in Interviews | % Comments

Kickstarter has been a great way for fans to get behind projects they believe in and being an active participant in helping fund the creation of the work they love. Over 400,000 dollars of a 25,000 dollar goal is a clear statement from a lot of readers and fans that they believe in project. As I write this introduction its actually 5,479 fans backing on project. That is a lot of people. What project, you may be asking me. Kyle, what project would 5,480, what it just went up as I wrote one sentence, people get behind? Well that answer is “Ava’s Demon: Reborn” from creator Michelle Czajkowski Fus.

“Ava’s Demon” is an “ongoing science fiction and fantasy, multimedia webcomic about a girl named Ava and the demon haunting her.” “The story follows Ava as she makes her way across the universe, teaming up with the demon haunting her on a quest for revenge, while fighting her own inner demons along the way. ” Reborn is the third successful campaign from Michelle featuring Ava and will collect the first two books from the ongoing webcomic and two previous campaign.

As the Kickstarter heads into its finally hours we were able to talk to Michelle about the project, the success, Ava and much more. A huge thanks to Michelle for taking the time in this very busy final stretch of her campaign. The project is live now on Kickstarter and will be ending on Wed, October 14 2020 3:00 PM (EST). Following the campaign for those who miss out Michelle has teamed up with Skybound to release a softcover version of the book for the mass market down the line.


“Ava’s Demon” is a project you have been working on since 2012. What is the biggest difference from that first panel to where you are now with the series?

Michelle Czajkowski Fus: A lot has changed, I think now I understand better how to work smarter and not harder. I originally took on the comic to get better at illustration in general, and making 10 panels a week definitely helped me learn how to plan illustrations faster and forced me to observe how professionals in the digital art industry work to get things done on time. I’m happy to have developed the positive difference in my drawing abilities and I hope I can say the same again years down the line.

The response on Kickstarter has been huge. As a creator, what has this campaign been like for you?

MCF: I’ve been working on making this comic and its books for so long that I find it can be hard to get excited for a lot of things when exhausted, but what has really made me happy recently is watching the number of readers and supporters steadly grow. I’m most happy when I’m making others happy with my work, so seeing more supporters than ever before on this campaign has really lifted my spirits in an excellent way and I’m very, very grateful for their readership.

For those just coming to the series through the current Kickstarter, what can you tell them about the story so far with “Ava’s Demon?” Who is Ava?

MCF: Ava’s Demon is an Odyssey-type story set in a dystopian future full of God-like alien ghosts haunting the lifeforms of the universe. The ghosts are a metaphor for the inner selves of the main cast of characters; they are their inner demons and hidden turmoils that they deal with while navigating their chaotic lives, hence the title, Ava’s Demon. Ava is a sort of part of myself when I was young and still daydreamed about escaping mundane life and leaving the terrors of the world behind me by going on a grand adventure into space. The alien ghost that haunts her reflects my own struggles with self worth and mental illness. I try to depict unique types of struggle and emotion in all the characters through their demons and to teach empathy for others through displaying reason behind their outer and inner selves.

How did the partnership with Skybound come about, and what has it meant for getting Ava into the hands of readers?

MCF: Skybound actually reached out to me, and I am eternally grateful that they found me. It’s been really hard making a comic that is so experimental in digital media while also trying to demonstrate to publishers that it could work as a physical book. Many have turned me down previously simply because they could not understand what they were looking at. I am super lucky that Skybound understood my comic despite its format and digital/multimedia execution. I really hope that getting the comic into the hands of readers will not only help bring the story to an all new audience, but also help the Ava’s Demon universe reach its full potential.

Continued below

Running a campaign to fund the production of your own book allows for you to really curate the quality of the product you produce. I always love seeing the care creators take in putting out their ideal presentation of their work, and it really seems like you did that with this production of “Ava’s Demon: Reborn.” What was your goal with this release of Ava in terms of the book presentation and quality?

MCF: The goal of this book was to put as much content in it as possible. This meant reformatting it into a more traditional comic book, with 6-8 panels on a page, instead of trying to mimic the website, on which you read it one panel at a time as if you were watching a movie. Having the comic now in both of these formats is very special to me because it feels as if I am making it all over again and giving it new life in a completely different and more familiar presentation. I also really enjoyed making a traditional cover for it, something I never thought would be asked of me, but also something I had dreamt about doing since I was 13; making the cover for my first real comic book.

One interesting aspect of the collections is adapting it from the web format to the page format. What was your approach when going from single panels to putting multiple on a page for the collections?

MCF: When I initially started making the digital version of the comic, I figured that storyboards were the backbone of every story. I figured that as long as I had the backbone of my story, I could sculpt it into whichever format I wished in the future. Even though I decided to present it like a movie on my comic’s website, during that time I had planned to put it together, panel by panel, into a more traditional book in the future.

As part of the Kickstarter you teased new stories for the collected edition. What can fans expect from these new stories, and what did you want to explore with them?

MCF: I honestly just wanted my colorists to draw things from the comic that they love personally, so the mini comics were sort of my way of letting them write some of their own Ava’s Demon stories. The minicomic I’m making is a continuation of an actual canon story from the book that I did not have time to fit into the actual comic. I’m very happy I can go back and now include that special side plot.

A really amazing thing you have done with the Kickstarter is reward previous backers with free items. What made you want to provide this extra reward for previous supports of your work?

MCF: I think my readers honestly really deserve anything I can afford to give them for free. Their support has made my work and story flourish and without them my comic would not be what it is today. I feel it’s only right that I can give back to them as much as possible for sticking with the Ava’s Demon universe for so long and making it such an awesome community of people.

What do you hope readers take away from Ava and her adventures?

MCF: Above all, I hope they can find comfort in following the adventures of my characters and use Ava’s journey to cope with their own chaotic and ever-changing stories.


Kyle Welch

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