When your family inherits an amusement park from a long-missing Uncle, it turns a potentially boring summer vacation into what could be the greatest summer of all time!
However, when a game of Hide and Seek finds their youngest cousin lost in a huge run down estate, it is suddenly up to the rest of the kids to find him before their parents get home.
But what do you do if there is more to this place than you could ever imagine?
What if the various worlds and rides are portals to something else?
What if they are doorways to other realms?
How far would you go for Family?
You Must Be This Tall To Ride comes from creator John McGuire. The first issue of this young adult comic features art by Ivan Rehzi. With covers by Ivan Rehzi and Amauri Morales, this is a comic written for fans of the Old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, Stranger Things, The Goonies, The Never Ending Story, or any other kind of Kids on Bikes style stories then this is the story for you.
I’ve been writing about it for the better part of the last month, but we are finally LIVE on Kickstarter.
For those who may be unfamiliar to Kickstarter, it is a platform that allows creators to take their work (in this case a comic book) and effectively get people to back the project by saying they want to buy the product. We do this through a number of different reward levels… some of which will just be the new issue of In Our Dreams Awake #3, others will include both issues, digital options, as well as a chance to get signed novels or signed comics from Egg Embry and my back catalogue.
I hope you will join us for the campaign!
Cover by Jose Garcia
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In Our Dreams Awake #3: A Cyberpunk/Fantasy Adventure
John McGuire – Writer/Creator
Egg Embry – Writer/Creator
Edgar Salazar – Artist
Rolands Kalninš – Artist, Colorist, Letterer
Genaro Olavarrieta – Inker
Javier Laparra – Inker
Alexander Lugo – Letterer
Jose Garcia – Fantasy Cover Artist
Rolands Kalninš – Cyberpunk Cover Artist
The Kickstarter campaign ends on Friday, November 7, 2025.
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The Pitch:
In the sword and sorcery nightmare, the mages won, Jason is a prisoner, and his love’s life hangs in the gulf between what the magi demand and what Jason can give.
In the sci-fi nightmare, fish aliens and talking cats are drowning the world. Jason Byron and his love are scheming for a way to escape the planet before they are pulled under the waves.
In Our Dreams Awake is the story of both nightmares spinning out of control. What horrible dream is Jason trying to wake up to?
The Story:
IN THE FANTASY DREAM, Jason and Laura must face the consequences of their defiance of the Magi laws. In the aftermath, Jason reaches out to his one-time friend to perform one more magical ritual for him.
IN THE CYBERPUNK FUTURE DREAM, Jason Byron finds himself in the hospital, as much a prisoner as a patient. But his final plan to escape the planet with his love is still in motion… if one of his enemies doesn’t finish him first.
Who can say what dreams may come? Jason Byron’s guiding light is making their world better for those who hold their heart. But their actions have turned the dreams to nightmares. Can these dreampunks reclaim the dream?
Cyberpunk Variant – Art by Rolands Kalninš
John’s Thoughts:
In Our Dreams Awake began with an idea of having a man dream two different lives. Egg and I then took that to the comic book pages by having two separate artists work on the two different dreams… the two different versions of one story that we were telling.
Issue 1 started things off with us learning a bit about Jason in both his Dreams. A painter who dreams of the unknown, doing his best to keep his contraband technology a secret. A Gang Boss who dreams of a way off a drowned world, doing his best to keep his forbidden love a secret.
Issue 2 furthers Jason’s war with the fish aliens and introduces a feline prescence to their Parliament. Meanwhile in the fantasy world, an unorthodox request from Peter threatens to be the undoing of both Jason and Laura.
Issue 3 escalates that to the next level. Secrets begin to unwind and the consequences will change both his worlds completely.
The Rewards:
The Kickstarter is for the third issue in what will be a four-issue series. Issue 3 is completely done and issue 4 is nearly complete.
We have the options of either the pdf ($5) or print version ($10) to send to you. We have a variant cover by Rolands Kalninš with its homage to the 6 Million Dollar Man ($15). If you missed the first or second issue, never fear, you can get all the digital comics ($8) or the print versions ($25).
On the higher end, we have an opportunity to get drawn into the Cyberpunk world as a potential member of Jason’s Gang ($250). The last person opted to instead have their cats featured in the comic which inspired Egg to add them as full antagonists (as seen in issues 2 and 3)!
Finally, we have a number of add-ons ranging from Signed Copies of The Gilded Age Graphic novel, to the Dreamr by the Apocalypse RPG Zine ($10-$20 each).
The Verdict:
In my completely and totally unbiased opinion, why are you still here reading this? Go and back this amazing project!
Back this if you like Dreams, Painters, Cats, Blowing Stuff Up, Aliens, a drowned London, magic, spaceships, and probably a dozen other cool things I’m forgetting about (oooh, Crab people!).
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I’d like to thank you for taking the time to check out our project. A lot of passion went into telling this story, and we hope you will join us on the ride!
In the sword and sorcery nightmare, the mages won, Jason is a prisoner, and his love’s life hangs in the gulf between what the magi demand and what Jason can give.
In the sci-fi nightmare, fish aliens and talking cats are drowning the world. Jason Byron and his love are scheming for a way to escape the planet before they are pulled under the waves.
In Our Dreams Awake is the story of both nightmares spinning out of control. What horrible dream is Jason trying to wake up to?
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In Our Dreams Awake comes from co-creators John McGuire and Egg Embry. The third issue of this 4-issue mini-series features two dreams, the first illustrated by Edgar Salazar with the second by Rolands Kalniņš. With covers by Jose Garcia and Rolands Kalniņš, this is a comic written for fans of love stories, dreampunk, steampunk, and cyberpunk, this series promises an engaging mystery with amazing artwork. This story is about love and loss and asking the big questions:
Who am I?
Where do I belong?
Who do I love?
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IN THE FANTASY DREAM, Jason and Laura must face the consequences of their defiance of the Magi laws. In the aftermath, Jason reaches out to his one-time friend to perform one more magical ritual for him.
IN THE CYBERPUNK FUTURE DREAM, Jason Byron finds himself in the hospital, as much a prisoner as a patient. But his final plan to escape the planet with his love is still in motion… if one of his enemies doesn’t finish him first.
Who can say what dreams may come? Each Jason Byron works for an unseen love. Their guiding light is making their worlds better for those who hold their hearts. But can these dreampunks make their dreams come true?
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After two successful Kickstarters, we have been working hard to get this issue ready for public consumption. We hope you’ll join us on another great comic book adventure!
This coming May 3, 2025 is Free Comic Book Day, and I will be exhibiting my wares with the Galactic Quest Comic Book Store located in Lawrenceville, Ga.
From the website:
“Get ready for an action-packed day at Lawrenceville’s FREE Comic Book Day, presented in partnership with Galactic Quest!
Join us on May 3, 2025, from 10 am to 5 pm, for a celebration of creativity and community. This year’s theme, “Together, We Create,” highlights the collaborative spirit of fandom and the magic of shared imagination. We welcome everyone—whether you’re a seasoned fan or just curious—to join the fun!
Wear your favorite costume or cosplay and embark on the #DTLcomicquest for FREE comic books scattered throughout The DTL. Whether you’re a cosplayer, sci-fi enthusiast, or fantasy lover, this event offers something for everyone to enjoy!
Immerse yourself in the world of comics with expert-led panels and workshops covering comic creation, game development, cosplay, and storytelling. Explore a variety of themed vendors offering unique, character-inspired treasures to enhance your collection.
This isn’t just about free comics—it’s a celebration of creativity, fandom, and connection. Everyone is welcome, and we can’t wait to see the community come together for this unforgettable day.
Mark your calendars and come be part of this incredible adventure. Together, We Create! For a sneak peek at which books will be available visit the Free Comic Book Day catalog.”
Jason Byron dreams of two lives. In one fantasy, magi reactionaries won, technology is banned, and Jason is a portrait painter hiding a contraband telescope. In the other world, he leads a cyberpunk gang amid a future of flooded cities and gilled aliens. When he closes his eyes in one world, he awakes in the next.
In Our Dreams Awake is the story of what happens when both dream worlds spin out of control. What happens when Jason no longer knows which world is the dream and which one is reality?
IN THE FANTASY DREAM, a mage arrives at Jason Byron’s cottage with orders: Paint and document a downed flying machine before the Magi destroy the heretical technology. But, will the authorities let Jason live with this forbidden knowledge?
IN THE CYBERPUNK FUTURE DREAM, there’s a turf war in Drowned London, and Jason Byron must parley with the rival gang leaders. Can Jason make peace with the ‘A People, those mouthy cat aliens, and other gangs? Will this escalate and go to guns?
Who can say what dreams may come? Each Jason Byron works for an unseen love. Their guiding light is making their worlds better for those who hold their hearts. But can these dreampunks make their dreams come true?
With In Our Dreams Awake, Egg and I are giving this concept a bit of a twist. Instead of trying to figure out how Jason Byron’s life might have gone wrong, he instead sees a world nearly the opposite of the current life he lives. And that would be fine, we could all use a little bit of fantasy in our lives (or cyberpunk as the case may be), but what happens when those two realities begin to bleed into one another. How would you determine which was the real world and which was the dream world?
And how would you know which one was worth fighting for… or dying for?
Go here and check out the Kickstarter for In Our Dreams Awake (Co-created by Egg Embry).
I’m a pack rat. I don’t throw away anything I don’t have to. Whether it is strictly because I believe I may need the item again at a future time or because I’ve attached memory to the item and worry that if I get rid of it then the memory will be lost forever… I’m not sure.
Behind all of that is this need not to throw out “useful” things. To not turn my back on an idea simply because it didn’t work at that time. Sometimes it is a matter of just finding the “right” time to put the thing out into the world.
In Our Dreams Awake is that idea for me. It’s a story that has fought and fought to try to get out into the world only to hear that it just wasn’t the right time for it to exist. Whether that was because of my own paralysis or not, I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that I fully believe that not only is now the time for this story to come out, I have great hope that this release will begin a new chapter for me and comic books. I have a handful of ideas I’d love to bring to life, and I really think that this could help launch things.
Jason Byron dreams of two lives. In one fantasy, magi reactionaries won, technology is banned, and Jason is a portrait painter hiding a contraband telescope. In the other world, he leads a cyberpunk gang amid a future of flooded cities and gilled aliens. When he closes his eyes in one world, he awakes in the next. Jason’s only desire is to wake up in the arms of his true love, Laura… Uh, or is it Fem’a Lin?… If only he knew which one was real?!
I’m obsessed with the idea of What If when it comes to how people live their lives. Those little moments then spiral out to set the course of our lives. How easy it is to focus on the things we don’t have rather than embrace all the gifts we do have. It’s very easy to lose sight of what is important when you always are lamenting the things you don’t possess.
It’s human nature to evaluate and then reevaluate and then wonder about the path not taken.
With In Our Dreams Awake, Egg and I are giving this concept a bit of a twist. Instead of trying to figure out how Jason Byron’s life might have gone wrong, he instead sees a world nearly the opposite of the current life he lives. And that would be fine, we could all use a little bit of fantasy in our lives (or cyberpunk as the case may be), but what happens when those two realities begin to bleed into one another. How would you determine which was the real world and which was the dream world?
And how would you know which one was worth fighting for… or dying for?
Jason Byron dreams of two lives. In one fantasy, magi reactionaries won, technology is banned, and Jason is a portrait painter hiding a contraband telescope. In the other world, he leads a cyberpunk gang amid a future of flooded cities and gilled aliens. When he closes his eyes in one world, he awakes in the next. Jason’s only desire is to wake up in the arms of his true love, Laura… Uh, or is it Fem’a Lin?… If only he knew which one was real?!
In a society ruled by mages, Jason Byron is a master artist trying to provide for his family. He has a secret heirloom, a telescope. With it he can see the stars, but can he see the trouble his illegal piece of technology will bring to his family?
In drowning London, Jason Byron deals in chum, the hottest drug among aliens. He and his true love are trying to escape their world. Can they keep the peace long enough to get away before the world is pulled beneath the waves?
In Our Dreams Awake is the story of what happens when both of those worlds begin to spin out of control. What happens when Jason no longer knows which world is the dream and which one is reality?
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In Our Dreams Awake comes from co-creators John McGuire and Egg Embry. The first issue of this mini-series features two dreams, the first illustrated by Edgar Salazar and the second by Rolands Kalniņš. Both artists provide covers in addition to Sean Hill’s variant cover. Written for fans of love stories, dreampunk, steampunk, and cyberpunk, this comic offers an engaging mystery with amazing artwork. This story is about love and loss and asking the big questions: Who am I? Where do I belong? Who do I love?
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We are launching the Kickstarter on March 30, 2022; however, you can make sure that you get notified when it launches by signing up at the Pre-launch Page!
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Over the next month and a half, I’ll have preview pages, origin stories, interviews with the creative team, and probably some stuff I’m not remembering right now all over at Tesseraguild.com. I hope you’re ready to join me on another comic book adventure!
The Echo Effect is released today! And for this release week, it is only $0.99!
In the world before, Aaron Anders had a different life with a different family…
Until the White Light washed them away.
A select few know the truth about our world: every time the calendar approached the year 2025, the world resets and creates a new Earth, with a new history for each of us. The Awakened remember their previous lives, and throughout history, many of them have done their best to ensure that the world proceeds on a particular path.
The lucky few.
Aaron didn’t feel lucky. Trapped in this loop, forced to live again and again in half-remembered lives, his current reality was spiraling out of control. His wife and his best friend thought he was losing his mind, and the worst part was they might be right. Another existence filled his head, mixing false memories with his real ones until he wasn’t sure of the truth.
And the only one who seemed to know anything was a stranger convinced “They” were after both of them.
In celebration of my upcoming novel release, I thought it was probably past time for a sale on my very first novel: The Dark That Follows. So for a limited time (roughly a week), the price will be only $0.99 over at Amazon. If you’ve never read it before, now’s your chance. And if you have read it and liked it, maybe mention it to a friend so that they can get a copy while it is on sale.
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A disgraced former cop who possesses the ability to see the future… A college student whose life has become entangled in black magic… A girlfriend who is no longer sure who to trust… And a vision of the future, which shows only the darkness of the void…
With a touch, Jason Mills’ mind is flooded with images of what may come. Am I going to fall in love… am I going to be rich… am I going to get that promotion…
Until the reading that shows him absolute nothingness.
Drawn into a web of secret societies, Black Masses, and beings of immense power, Jason races to determine the truth behind his visions in order to save the future from being wiped out completely.
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To purchase the ebook for $0.99 beginning at noon today (Sept. 16, 2020), just go to this link.
Go here and check out the Kickstarter for the Crossing (Co-created by Robert Jeffrey II and Sean Hill and in conjunction with 133art).
Robert came to me a couple of years ago and we talked about working on a comic book series with one another. The plan was for each of us to bring an idea to the table and then we’d work on both concepts, alternating who wrote each issue.
Funny enough, both were science fiction stories, with mine focused on a post-apocalyptic section of the galaxy and the few people who manage to survive in it. Robert’s was this story inspired by Sliders and Quantum Leap and the DC Comics Elseworlds stories and the Marvel What If stories.
All of which pressed all my buttons. Because if there is one thing I love as much as a good time travel story, it is a good multiverse story!
From there it was all about brainstorming ideas. There was a fugitive, Dr. James Kincaid, who has kidnapped his kid and jumped to alternate worlds. There was an FBI agent who saw this as a second chance. There was the inexperienced scientist who was trying to prove herself to everyone, and who was clearly in over her head.
It was one of those conversations where things just fell into place. Robert would mention an idea and then I would see how that could connect to another moment and before long we had the four-issue story laid out.
Flashforward a couple of years as we’ve pitched the concept to a few comic companies. 133art saw the concept, saw the artwork from Sean Hill (always amazing), and said: “Let’s do this thing!”
So here we are on February 29, 2020, and we are doing this thing. Come over and check out the Kickstarter page to see more of the artwork and get a little more of the characters.
I think this is going to be one of those comics where it is going to be crazy worlds and amazing artwork, but also the characters are going to be the type you can get invested in.
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Be sure to go to the Facebook Page and like it so that 133art knows people are interested!
