For almost a decade, fans have followed the tale (and tail) of creator Sherard Jackson’s Darbi, a webcomic starring a baby T. rex who is trying to navigated the savage world in which he finds himself—while, at the same, trying to find himself and discover who he wants to be. It’s a story of family and choosing who you’ll be, not letting nature or nurture dictate that path. If you have ever read the comic or if you follow Jackson on social media, you can’t help but be infected by the gorgeous art, the popping-off-the-page enthusiasm of each panel, and Jackson’s excitement for his fans to read each new chapter.

A few years back, Rocketship Entertainment launched a Kickstarter to bring the first volume to print and give backers the opportunity to preorder the comic and a bevy of rewards. (Volume 1 of Darbi is available for retail purchase now!) Now this week, Rocketship is partnering with Jackson again with a Kickstarter to bring the final two volumes to print and offer a dinosaur egg nest’s worth of even more rewards.

I spoke with Sherard Jackson recently about the genesis of Darbi, the cast and characters that populate the book, the Kickstarter itself, and how and why the printing of the final volumes “feels right.”

 

Darbi

 

FreakSugar: Before we get into the Kickstarter itself, let’s talk about the genesis of Darbi. Darbi is wild and I’m here. For. It. How did the concept come to you and evolve to what it is now?

Sherard Jackson: I’ve always loved dinosaurs. Most people do, too. And we all have our favorites.

A long time ago I drew this picture of two T-Rexes running from oblivion. It was like pure extinction chasing them. That image became the core premise of Darbi: Survival. Family. The end of the world, coming for you whether you’re ready or not.

At the time, I knew I wanted to tell a story I owned. Something that was 100% me. No filters, No chasing trends. I needed to do something honest and personal, and I started embedding pieces of my own life experiences into it, kind of reflecting on how I see family, responsibility, trauma, and love.

 

 

FS: For the uninitiated, how would you describe Darbi?

SJ: On the surface, it’s about a bloodthirsty baby T. rex and his family surviving in a savage prehistoric world.

But at its core, it’s about family, identity, inherited trauma, and choosing who you’re going to be in spite of where you come from.

It starts as one thing and ends as something much bigger. Just like the characters.

FS: You have a robust cast. Can you tell us about some of the characters of the comic?

SJ: Darbi is the heart of it all. He’s good-hearted, polite, a little awkward. He’s scared of bugs, too…. Trauma from birth lol. He wants to be better than the violence built into him.

Peet is his good-natured, lovable brother. Loyal to a fault. He’s always at Darbi’s side.

Dolla is the baby of the family, and the most vicious. She’s a tiny bit chaos wrapped in love for her siblings.

Shay is the “crazy” one, but it’s the kind of crazy that comes from feeling too much. Heart of gold. Ride or die.

The twins, Meeka and Meena, are the gamers of the family. Strategic. Hustlers. They never pass up a good bargain and they’re always thinking three steps ahead.

And then you’ve got characters like Mal and Smalltoe who evolved into something much more significant than I originally planned. Their growth was purely organic.

 

 

FS: The comic lasted for over seven years. Did the story take turns that you didn’t expect?

SJ: Oh, absolutely!

Smalltoe started as a parody character riffing on a popular dinosaur franchise. That was the joke. But when I brought her back for the “Straight Outta Hell Creek” arc, she demanded more space. She grew into a crucial lead in the series. She stopped being a punchline and became real.

Same with Mal. Initially, I thought the story would lean more on her children. But her journey and Darbi’s intertwined so naturally that she became a central figure. Their arcs mirror each other in ways I didn’t anticipate at the start.

That’s the beauty of doing a long-form, creator-owned story. If you’re paying attention, the characters tell you who they are.

The way it started versus how it ended are wildly different. The whole series wasn’t perfectly mapped out, but I knew I wanted to show the characters age over time. After the first season, I began building the larger arc. Each season expanding thematically, each one asking a different question about identity and survival. The series grew as I grew.

 

 

FS: What have been your favorite dinosaur-themed or adjacent media: movies, TV, books, comics, anything?

SJ: Let’s get the obvious two out of the way: Jurassic Park and Godzilla.

Jurassic Park presented scientifically grounded dinosaurs in a horror framework. It showed how nature is wondrous and terrifying.

Godzilla took that horror and turned it into iconography. A monster who becomes myth. That shift fascinates me.

Comics-wise, Steve Bissette’s Tyrant was huge for me. So was Age of Reptiles by Ricardo Delgado. That one was pure visual storytelling. No dialogue. Just dinosaurs being animals. That restraint was a big influence on my storytelling.

And All Yesterdays was massive in shaping the look and texture of Darbi. That speculative approach of pushing against the “shrink-wrapped dinosaur” aesthetic. It gave me inspiration to be weirder and more expressive with the designs.

FS: What has been your favorite or most gratifying part of working on Darbi over the years?

SJ: Without question, it’s the impact on readers.

I’ve had people message me saying Darbi inspired them to make their own comics. That it helped them through dark periods. That it gave them something to hold onto.

That’s everything to me.

When you create your own series, you have to make the thing you need to see. You have to tell the story you need to tell. Even if only one other person connects with it, that’s worth it.

I’ve been fortunate that it resonated with a lot of readers.

There were times during the run when things felt dark, when I questioned whether any of this mattered. And then I’d remember there are people out there following this story, growing with it, finding something in it…. And that kept me going.

 

 

FS: Following up on that, what are some fond memories you’ve had interacting with fans? I know you have a devoted fan base.

SJ: My fanbase rocks!

Conventions are always great because I get to nerd out with fellow dinosaur fans. I’ve had readers bring me gifts. A few years back. A couple gave me a dinosaur coffee mug that I still use. I’ve seen incredible fan art. People have gotten tattoos of Dolla, which is wild to me!

And the fan fiction: The Darbi lore fan fiction gets deep. I love it! Seeing people expand the world on their own is surreal and humbling.

FS: With Darbi at an end, how does it feel to bring the final chapters to print?

SJ: It feels right.

Bringing it to print feels like giving the series new life in a new form. It’s a way to introduce Darbi to new readers and also give longtime supporters something tangible. It’s been a long time coming, and it feels earned.

FS: What can you tell us about the Kickstarter itself? What kind of rewards can backers expect?

SJ: This Kickstarter collects Volumes 2 and 3.

It’s been several years since Volume 1 was funded through Rocketship, and they did an incredible job producing it. They’re handling these volumes as well, which means they’re going to look phenomenal.

We’ve got some fun incentives planned: patches, enamel pins, a plushie keychain, and a few surprises across different tiers. I wanted the rewards to feel like extensions of the world, not just add-ons.

 

 

FS: Are there any other projects you’re working on that you’d like to discuss?

SJ: I’ve got a few things cooking.

I’m currently drawing my comic strip on Instagram, TikTok called BALLSDEEP. It started as me just playing around with lettering and design, and I fell in love with the rhythm of it. I’m having fun developing it further.

I’ve also been shifting more toward writing. I wrote two issues of the Street Fighter Masters series and I’m currently working on an issue of Darkstalkers. Stepping into established universes and bringing my voice to them has been a new and exciting creative challenge.

And I’m always looking for the next challenge.

FS: If you had a final pitch for the Kickstarter, what would it be?

SJ: If you’ve ever connected with Darbi or if you just love dinosaurs, family epics, and weird heartfelt stories, back the Kickstarter!

Let’s get the full series on shelves. Let’s give it the definitive form it deserves.

Let’s make it happen, D-Fam!

The Kickstarter for Darbi Volumes 2 and 3 goes live this week! If you’re a longtime fan or a lover of fun dino-themed stories, this is for you! As you can tell, this is a labor of love for Sherard Jackson and every panel shows. Putting on my reader hat, I can tell you that Darbi will keep you in suspense, it will keep you hooked, and it will always leave a smile on your face. It’s just that ebullient.

You can follow Sherard Jackson on all of his socials found here.