While standing next to his first published graphic novel "SEASONS Vol 1: Spring" at The Antiquarium, local writer Nandor Fox Shaffer showcases a flyer for his newest graphic novel book project, "Lifeline." Photo by Samantha Pogue / News Tribune.

A little less than a year ago, Jefferson City resident Nandor Fox Shaffer was able to publish his first graphic novel, "SEASONS Vol. 1: Spring," through raising slightly more than his $6,500 goal through a Kickstarter campaign.

Now, the first in a four-part series has sold about half of the 500 printed. He has been well received from comic book industry leaders, held four book signings, and was a guest on two podcasts. The book is available at four Mid-Missouri bookstores and on Amazon, and Shaffer attended Planet Comicon in Kansas City, Wizard World Comic Con in St. Louis and Cosmicon in Jefferson City.

"I did so well at Cosmicon here in Jeff. I sold 38 books in the course of three days and had very good reception," he said. "Some people would buy the book, read it and come back the next day to talk about it. One lady came back and said she was crying her eyes out last night; it really affected her. That is what I was hoping to hear about 'SEASONS.' I wanted to move readers with my writing."

Shaffer's intent was to make a relatable character with the star of "SEASONS," 20-something Fletcher Hart Iiams, whose journey takes him through four seasons of super power realization and personal growth. Even though his legacy continues to blossom with "Vol. 2: Summer" set to publish late next year, 20-year-old Shaffer's growth as a graphic novel writer has just begun.

He has a new Kickstarter campaign underway for a separate graphic novel project, "Lifeline," a book where seven illustrators from all around the world come together to tell Shaffer's story of one man's family, legacy and reflection. With the $3,091 of his $5,500 goal pledged as of press time, Shaffer plans to publish this second project in late spring 2019.

Shortly after "SEASONS Vol. 1: Spring" was funded in 2018, Shaffer decided to start writing something new, but he didn't want to do another book series.

"I asked myself, 'If I were to do a project, what would I want it to be? Not as ambitious as "SEASONS," but just as exciting.' I wanted to work with more artists," he said.

He enjoys working with California-based illustrator Anthony Gonzales-Clark on his "SEASONS" series, but also knows it is best to connect and work with new artists in the industry on different projects.

"In the comic book industry, you have to work with different artists, and I wanted to challenge myself and see how I could communicate with these other artists. These artists are ones I am fans of and really like their work. I consider myself an artist hunter, seeing what people are creating," he said. "How can I do that and how can I bring people together and work with more people?"

The answer was conceptualizing a graphic novel that brings these different artists together for a purpose. Thus, "Lifeline" was written. The graphic novel records the life story of Lewis Wakefield through the eyes of his father, wife, best friend, daughter, a stranger and grandson. With present day alternate to the past and decades of Lewis' life revealed, readers see how each of these characters have affected Lewis, how he has affected them and Lewis' "hopes, fears, dreams, insecurities, successes and failures through defining situations and conversations" mold one man's existence, Shaffer said.

"I had the idea, if I were to create this new story, I wanted it to be about living life. What does it look like to live someone's life? It is simple, but everyone's life is complicated in its own way. Lewis' story is the reader looking back on his life and answering the question for him, 'is your life worth it?'" he said. "The cool thing about the book is each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character around the main character, Lewis. That plays into the visuals. Each chapter is drawn by a different artist and each perspective is equally complimented.

"I like pushing the medium and trying to use the medium the best way I can. That harnesses comic books and what they can do with visual storytelling. You couldn't do this story any other way. It was an experimental project to see if it could happen. Can you work with seven different artists from around the world and make it still cohesive and coherent?"

The answer is yes. Shaffer knew of specific artists he had in mind to illustrate each of the six main chapters, hoping they would agree to be a part of "Lifeline."

"I scripted everything in each chapter and each character, meticulously making it where each chapter would use the strengths of each artist. When I was writing each chapter, I had some of these artists in mind," he said. "Most of them said yes, which was good enough for me. Having 75 percent say yes was amazing; and each have their own style."

Patrick Buermeyer, of Corvallis, Oregon, is illustrating what Shaffer calls the "present day" pages, which are the preludes and glue that binds the six chapters together, as well as documenting Lewis' final days and designed the book's cover.

Emily Schall, of Providence, Rhode Island; Lyndon White, of Manchester, United Kingdom; Scott Austin, of Goteborg, Sweden; Wren Nowan, of San Francisco, California; Erwin Arroza, of Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines; and Jefferson City resident and Shaffer's friend, Kaden Quinn, are the remaining artists working on the project.

"Kaden came to one of my signings for 'SEASONS' and we hit it off real quick. He loved the book and showed me some of his art. I thought it would be awesome to share his work with this story. He is such a great guy, and he wants to do the same thing I'm doing. That is really cool," Shaffer said.

Quinn also introduces Lewis' scar he received during an accident on senior prom night, in which all the artists use for Lewis in subsequent chapters as it follows his life chronologically outside of the present day preludes.

"The scar (among other significant items) are drawn by different artists through each chapter after it is presented. It is cool to see how they showcase a continuing part of the story but in their own style," he said.

Short descriptions of each artist, a synopsis of "Lifeline" and a 14-page preview of the first full chapter of the book are available through Shaffer's live Kickstarter campaign. He is seeking $5,500 to print paperback copies of the book, which was less than the $6,500 goal he had for "SEASONS Vol. 1: Spring," which has a hard cover.

"However, if you meet your goal, there are planned stretch goals that allows us to do more. So, if we make it to $7,500 by the end of the campaign, we will print it as a hardcover book," he added.

Shaffer is excited to reach his second Kickstarter campaign goal with his new project and have it ready to start promoting and selling in late spring 2019. He then will start his next Kickstarter campaign to print "SEASONS Vol. 2: Summer," which he plans to print by late fall or early winter 2019.

For now, he is excited to continue to promote "SEASONS," talk about "Lifeline" and look to the future of his creative writing career. He is a writer, but he is about leading projects like this that bring working artists together with readers who can relate to the content. He believes that is what "Lifeline" represents.

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"'Lifeline is a community project, bringing all these people together to share different styles of art and one relatable story," he said. "I love writing stories where you can replace the main character and put yourself into it. No matter your age with 'Lifeline' you can connect with it. If you are a kid reading chapter one and you are going through a troubled childhood — or a teenager, or an insecure or struggling parent — life throws you curve balls throughout all decades of your life. So, this hits a lot of different people."

Check out "SEASONS Vol. 1: Spring" at Antiquarium, Downtown Book and Toy, Downtown Book and Toy II at Capital Mall (also where Shaffer now works), all in Jefferson City, at Rock Bottom Comics in Columbia, or on Amazon.com or seasonsthecomicbook.com.

Visit kickstarter.com/projects/306932693/lifeline-a-graphic-novel to learn more about "Lifeline" and Shaffer's Kickstarter campaign.