SARAH COOKE isn't Slowing Down with FASTER THAN LIGHT Vol. 2

Interviews Editor, Andrew Irvin, heralds Sarah Cooke's return to chat with Comic Book Yeti about the next installment of her sci-fi anthology, Faster Than Light, on Kickstarter now.

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COMIC BOOK YETI: Sarah, welcome back to the Yeti Cave with the next installment of Faster than Light! You last sat down with Hernando Diaz for his first interview with Comic Book Yeti in December. You’d mentioned the second volume was forthcoming, and it’s encouraging to see it come to fruition. Can you tell us about what you learned from rolling out the first volume?

SARAH COOKE: Thanks so much! I’m very happy to be bringing the second volume to life. I think the biggest thing I learned from volume one, which was the first anthology I had ever edited, was how many more moving pieces there are in a campaign for an anthology than a campaign for a single issue of a series. It’s amazing to be able to work with so many talented creators, and that’s probably my favorite part of making anthologies. But having more stories means there are more logistics to coordinate. So this time around, I tried to plan for that a bit more.

CBY: It looks like you ironed out the details pretty quickly to get this out just half a year later. You have also continued No Spell Lasts Forever with a fourth issue. Do you have an intention to continue with subsequent issues, or is the arc concluded for the moment? 

SC: No Spell Lasts Forever is a six-issue series. Eze Di Savino, the incredibly talented artist I work with on the series, and I are hoping to launch Issue #5 late this year, and Issue #6 in 2026.

CBY: So there is more in store for readers - good to hear! You’ve pulled together 20 creators for the nine stories included in volume two of Faster Than Light. How many first-time comic writers and artists are making their debut in this anthology? What range of perspectives from around the world can we expect out of this batch of stories?

SC: To my knowledge there aren’t any first-time creators in the book, as they’ve all produced projects of their own (which everyone should check out!). I do think that’s one of the advantages of anthologies, though. They can give first-time artists and writers a platform to get their work out into the world, without having to undertake a larger project.

There are a lot of different perspectives! Stylistically, each story looks unique. The art is all gorgeous, and the book includes a wide range of art styles. The stories and perspectives on family vary quite a bit, too. The theme of these stories is family – how do families stay connected in a futuristic world? One of the things I wanted to emphasize when I put out the call for submissions was that my definition of family was quite broad, and I was open to stories not just about families of origin, but found families of all shapes and sizes. And the creators definitely delivered! Some of the families include a pair of ancient alien creatures, an assassin and his girlfriend, and an intrepid mom, dad, and kids who travel through space aiding victims of injustice, to name just a few.

CBY: Since backers have already hit the funding threshold, can you elaborate on some of the stretch goals for the campaign? How did you plan out what you’d be able to offer at each target amount?

SC: I’m very excited about the stretch goals! First are two digital, mobile wallpapers with art by Matta Sorcier and Mike Seers. Next is an upgrade for the digital comic. If we hit this stretch goal, the digital comic will include two bonus stories, inks, and an editor’s letter written by me. The third stretch goal is a print upgrade. If we reach it, the book will be printed as a beautiful, perfect-bound trade. And the final stretch goal is an increase in funding for our super-talented contributing creators.

I planned the stretch goals mostly based on what has worked for me in previous campaigns. I also discussed it with the talented Brittany Matter, who has edited a lot of my work and contributed to the campaign as a Kickstarter consultant. Our goal was to offer stretch awards that would be enticing to backers and also economical.

CBY: I see you’re partnering with Comix Wellspring for printing, and I’ve seen them tied to a few other campaigns over the past couple years. What can you share about their process and the decision to partner with them for delivering upon this latest campaign?

SC: I’ve actually worked with Comix Wellspring on every campaign I’ve done. Faster Than Light is published with Lesser Known Comics, which has a strong relationship with CWS, so it made perfect sense. Also, CWS offers things like points for printing and other discounts that are particularly helpful for Faster Than Light, both volumes 1 and 2, since these books are longer than the single issues of No Spell Lasts Forever, and more expensive to print.

CBY: You’re now six successful campaigns into your comic publishing efforts with Kickstarter. What advice do you have for others embarking on their first campaigns now that you’ve refined your process through various iterations?

SC: I’d say the two most important things to do before launching your first campaign are to build up an audience of people who are interested in what you do and connect with a community of other creators. Building your audience beforehand means that, when you launch, you’ll have a group of potential backers ready to support your work. And connecting with other creators means you’ll have a community of folks who can give you advice, and who will likely be eager to help promote your work (and you should return the favor). I spent close to a full year building my social media presence and newsletter mailing list, as well as connecting with other creators, before I launched No Spell Lasts Forever #1.

CBY: Last time you stopped by, you mentioned a short with Carl Bourne called “Betty and the Ogre” for Concrete Arcanum, Vol. 2, and another project with Dom Monette. How’s everything shaping up, and are there more projects on the horizon for you in the near future?

SC: The campaign for Concrete Arcanum Vol. 2 just ended recently, and I’m very excited for backers to read the story I did with Carl! I finally just recently started writing the project with Dom. It took some time to outline it, and I had to hid pause on it for a bit while I managed my Kickstarter campaigns. But I’m finally in the writing stage!

Another project I’m very excited about is the short I have in Mad Cave’s Flash Gordon Quarterly #4, which will be available in shops this Wednesday, July 30! With art by Léo Chiola, colors by Maksim Strelkov, letters by Adel Talemi, and editing by Chas Pangburn. I so enjoyed working with the Mad Cave team!

CBY: So after a successful first volume, and the funded volume two forthcoming, what do you have in mind for a third volume? How will you select contributors; are you planning for the continuation of stories with existing contributors, and is there a way for aspiring comic creators to put forth submissions?

SC: I don’t have any plans for a third volume, but I am considering potentially doing a campaign for an omnibus that collects both, though that’s not definite yet. I really enjoyed putting these books together, though, and I’d love to produce more anthologies in the future. Creators who might be interested in submitting to future projects can follow me on Substack and Instagram, @sarahccomics.

CBY: You have been proactively building collaborative projects with a variety of creators, building your own narrative worlds. You’ve partnered with Lesser Known Comics on both of these anthologies, and have worked with Negative Space and Mad Cave following your success in their talent competitions. What collaborative relationships would you like to explore with other publishers and creatives, if giving carte blanche and open opportunity to work on projects of your choice?

SC: First, I’d love to do more projects with the creators and publishers I’ve already worked with. I’ve been fortunate enough to build relationships with some very talented people, and I’d be very happy to continue working with them in the future. As far as other publishers and creatives, I’m extremely open! I hesitate a little bit to name specific people or organizations, only because I never would have predicted connecting with some of the wonderful people and groups I’ve already had the chance to work with, so I know there are additional opportunities out there I’m not aware of yet. I think connecting with creatives and industry professionals is one of the most important and rewarding aspects of being in comics, and I plan to continue doing that, staying open to new relationships that come my way.

CBY: As per usual, we close with an opportunity for our guests to highlight some creative work unrelated to their own publications they’d like our readers to know about. What other comics, films, art, music, literature, etc., would you recommend everyone make sure they check out?

SC: I’d highly recommend checking out any and everything by Brittany Matter, Dom and Lydia Monette at Life on Saturn Comics. They have really gone above and beyond to contribute to and support multiple projects of mine, including Faster Than Light, and they’ve got some exciting projects of their own, too! Also, definitely check out Eze Di Savino’s work, outside of No Spell Lasts Forever. He’s such a talented artist!

James Powell has edited a lot of my work, too, and has some excellent books. He also writes a newsletter called The Fiction Coach that’s a great resource for writers.

Karla Medrano a.k.a. Moon the Storyteller has a wonderful fantasy series called Luna the Queen of Mahru. She’s also the founder of Blaq Girl Comics and the Zelda Awards, a new award recognizing women in comics. (which I’m also helping with).

Tyler James’s ComixLaunch community has been an incredible resource for me over the years. And I want to give a shout-out to our local comics group here in Columbus, Ohio, the Columbus Cartoon Coalition. They put together a great anthology every year, organize awesome in-person events, and contribute a lot to our local comics community. 

Tim Daniel at Second Rocket Comics (where Brittany Matter has worked on projects, too) did the logo treatment for both volumes of Faster Than Light and has been involved in a lot of exciting projects, like Post Malone’s Big Rig.

You mentioned Negative Space, Lesser Known Comics, and Mad Cave, but I want to give them all a shout-out, too. 

And Apollo City Comics consistently produces exciting projects. Submissions are open now for their forthcoming anti-fascism anthology. 

And there are so many more amazing creators I’ve connected with, I wish I could share all or their work! 

CBY: Sarah, it’s been a delight to have you back, and all of the recommendations are greatly appreciated. Now is the time and place to share any portfolio, publication, and social media links you’d like our audience to know about. Thanks for stopping by!

SC: Thanks so much, it’s great to connect with you again! As I mentioned, the best places to find me are Substack and Instagram, @sarahccomics. I’m also on Bluesky at the same handle.

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