BloodRayne Returns with New Comic Kickstarter, Limited Edition Night Channels Apparel, and a Definitive Collection Update
Modern retro publisher Ziggurat Interactive is celebrating the birthday of BloodRayne with two announcements for fans of the iconic action horror series: a Kickstarter campaign for a new BloodRayne comic collection, produced in partnership with Roditeli Productions, and the Night Channels x BloodRayne limited edition apparel capsule, Ziggurat's first-ever merchandise collaboration.
Since BloodRayne first arrived on Halloween 2002, the red-headed dhampir (half-human half-vampire) Rayne (voiced by Laura Bailey) has cut a bloody path through the Third Reich in BloodRayne, her own vampire siblings in BloodRayne 2, and an underground castle in BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites. The latest console versions of all three games are coming together in BloodRayne: Definitive Collection. Now Rayne is stepping off the screen, onto the page, and into fans' wardrobes.
Coming to Kickstarter, new BloodRayne stories to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise
The pre-launch page for the new BloodRayne comic series is now live, and the campaign is set to launch in the first quarter of 2027. The crowdfunding campaign will celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary, with many surprises and announcements to come! Fans can sign up to be notified at launch and back all-new stories from Rayne's life. Pledge rewards include Kickstarter-exclusive editions of the #1 issue, exclusive variant covers by all-star artists (to be revealed), and BloodRayne merchandise available only through the BloodRayne comic rebirth 25th anniversary campaign!
The 2027 comic series is written by Kevin Roditeli (POSTAL, SWAT Kats) and drawn by artist BRÄO (The Crow, Penthouse Comics). Beyond the main story, the book will feature expanded-universe stories by writer Felipe Cagno (The Few and Cursed) which will lead to a larger worldwide threat in the BloodRayne universe, with assistance from BloodRayne lore builder Andy Lanning (Guardians of the Galaxy, Punisher: Year One) and Ant Williams (X-Men, Deadpool). The creative team is rounded out by comics veterans letterer/designer Serge LaPointe (Assassin’s Creed, Christopher Nolan’s Batman) and editor Chris Stevens (Lost Fantasy, Marvel Artbooks).
The new comic book series is produced by Roditeli Productions, the comic studio led by CEO and Creative Director Kevin Roditeli that specializes in bringing beloved entertainment properties to comics through crowdfunding. Its SWAT Kats - First Ever Comic Book campaign raised more than $1,000,000 USD from over 7,000 backers, setting the record for the biggest single-issue comic Kickstarter of all time. Earlier this year, the campaign repeated its success with bringing another beloved video game property, POSTAL, to comics in partnership with Running With Scissors. It became the biggest debut issue for a video game comic adaptation on Kickstarter. Now, it's BloodRayne's turn.
"Rayne has been slicing through the action horror genre since 2002, and her fans have stuck with her the whole way," says Alex Lotz, Managing Producer at Ziggurat Interactive. "Partnering with Roditeli Productions lets us give those fans something they've been asking for: new stories, told by a team that knows how to make a comic campaign special."
"Rayne is one of gaming's great antiheroes that collectively influenced a generation," says Kevin Roditeli, writer and Creative Director, Roditeli Productions. "Her influence as a character is still resonating in games, films and comics to this date. We had no other choice but to bring her back to comics for the 25th anniversary of the franchise. She is a pop culture icon that deserves to be present in comics ongoingly, and that’s what we want to accomplish. She is back to stay!"
Night Channels x BloodRayne: Ziggurat's First-Ever Merch CollaborationZiggurat Interactive is also celebrating Rayne's birthday with its first-ever merchandise collaboration, a limited edition capsule with Night Channels. For 15 years, the independent apparel label has made fan-designed shirts, hoodies, and accessories for devotees of cult film, horror, experimental music, occult art, and gothic literature. Night Channels has built a catalog of more than 700 original designs on a "made by fans, for the fans" ethos, and has previously partnered with the cult hit game Buckshot Roulette.
The Night Channels x BloodRayne capsule pairs classic BloodRayne art with Night Channels' raw, high-contrast print style, in blood red, bone white, and black. The initial capsule includes:
BloodRayne Logo Embroidered Hat
BloodRayne Limited Jumbo Print Boxy Tee
BloodRayne (Japanese) - Heavy Tee
BloodRayne (Russian) - Heavy Tee
BloodRayne Title/Load Art - Heavy Tee/Hoodie
BloodRayne Brimstone Society Sweats
"We grew up with Rayne. She was goth, she was dangerous, and she never apologized for either," says Jed Hamilton, Creative Director at Night Channels. "Getting to put more than two decades of BloodRayne on shirts, hoodies, and sweats is a dream collab for us, and we made every piece like fans, for fans."