I’m getting some serious Stranger Things and The Last of Us vibes from the latest Simon Stålenhag project that’s live on Kickstarter. The acclaimed artist and storyteller has returned for The Labyrinth, another haunting alternate reality that confronts humanity’s fears and possible futures with these dark and otherworldly illustrations.
At least we know how the world came to an end:
A world covered by ruins and ash, the remnants of an otherwordly phenomenon that has ravaged the earth’s atmosphere and forced the few survivors deep underground. Matt, Sigrid, and Charlie leave the safe harbor of the enclave for an expedition onto the wastelands of the surface world. During their journey, they are forced to confront dark secrets from the time before civilization’s fall.
The campaign has already successfully hit its funding goal and has surged above 600% of its initial target with over 2000 backers eager to claim the next artbook from Simon Stålenhag. Four stretch goals have been unlocked and I imagine more will be revealed as the backer community grows.
Other works from the author includeTales From the Loop, Things From the Flood, and The Electric State. His imagination is remarkable and he’s able to craft some really rich landscapes and narratives from the people, objects, and images in each of these sci-fi realities.
He now turns his gaze to the future withThe Labyrinth. The details on the campaign page promise a top-quality narrative artbook, and backers can choose between the standard retail edition or the limited Kickstarter edition that won’t be re-printed later down the road.
