Maxwell Atoms Confirms He Will Be Kickstarting Dead Meat

For the last year I’ve been keeping a close eye on Maxwell Atoms and his  new project, Dead Meat, and last week the Billy & Mandy creator confirmed he will be turning to Kickstarter to finance his creation.

If, like me, you have been stalking the Grim Adventures’ writer and director via his tumblr, you will have noticed that Atom’s has been shaping a new creation under the title  “Dead Meat” . The project has been a self funded, multi media, labour of love for Maxwell and he had initially denied that he would ever turn to the crowdsourcing platform for help in bringing it to life. Last week, however, he admitted a change of heart:

About a year ago, when I decided to pursue Dead Meat, I made a post somewhere that said I wasn’t going to do a Kickstarter.  I’m hideously stubborn, violently independent, slightly reactionary, and I generally don’t like to feel like I owe anyone anything. But let’s face it.  If I’m going to run around being a dope and not wanting to owe anyone anything… I’m way too late.  I owe you guys my whole career.  

At the turn of the century The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy was voted into existence during Cartoon Network’s Big Pick Weekend by the fans.  I hesitate to even use the word “fan” because there really wasn’t anything beyond a wonky seven minute short to be a fan of.  But you saw something in there that made you want to see more.  And two or three times you guys dragged the show back from the chopping block.  In the end, we were together through seven years, seventy-six-ish half hours of TV, and a couple of DVD movies, specials, and video games to top it off.  I’ve been very fortunate to have fans I don’t feel like I owe, but who I look forward to sharing my ideas with.  Y’all’s got good taste.

So here I am thirteen years later with something new and fun I’m very passionate about just sitting in my lap.  Something besides my dong and pizza sauce this time.  Something entirely different than anything I’ve done before, but still 100% “me”.  So heck yeah I’m gonna do a DEAD MEAT KICKSTARTER!

Barring any disasters, it should go live in a couple of weeks (mid-September) and then I’ll be able to finally share with you what it’s all about.  In the mean time, I hope you’re as excited as I am!  Tell your friends!  Ask me questions!  Tell the kids you grew up watching Billy & Mandy with!  Tell those poor kids who weren’t allowed to watch because their moms were mean!  Write “Dead Meat Roolz” in the dust on the back of your car!  Write “www.maxwellatoms.tumblr.com” on your friend’s forehead with a Sharpie while he sleeps.  Have your name legally changed to Dead Meat.  

Spread the word!

And when the time comes, trust me to make you something awesome and I won’t let you down!

This is great news for those of us who have sorely missed Atoms’ particular brand of deviance on screens during the last few years, I can scarcely believe it has been 13 years since the start of  The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and, barring his involvement on Disney’s Fish Hooks, (Ed’s Note. Fish Hooks is cancelled)  our TV schedules have been lacking since Grim Adventures finished in 2007. It seemed inevitable then, that like other creators Atoms would cotton on to fan power and turn to crowdsourcing for help in bringing his new project to fruition, it has just taken him a bit longer than most to realise the idea himself.

We will of course, fill you in on all the details of the Dead Meat Kickstarter when it begins, until then, feast your eyes on some gorgeous new promos for the project and I encourage you to check out Maxwell Atoms’ tumblr for more art and production shots.

Dead Meat promo by Maxwell Atoms

Deadmeat Black Light poster by Maxwell Atoms