A good time travel story—one that is intelligible, easy to follow, and with a strong narrative—can be a balancing act. One that is fun and full of joy? Well, for every Doctor Who or Back to the Future, there’s a Looper. (For the record, I like Looper, but it’s bathed in storytelling darkness.)
Lucky for us, there’s Time Dog. A dog who can time travel in his world because dogs “live in the moment,” the goodest boy titular canine and Noelle, his genius-but-poor-student human companion, have a tendency to get into time-related hijinks, so many that it leads to where we find the duo at the beginning of Time Dog and the Dark Future, now funding on Kickstarter in partnership with Rocketship Entertainment. Populated by cave people and robots and a time council, Time Dog and the Dark Future has everything and the kitchen sink—in the best way possible. It also has a beautiful message of living in the moment and enjoying the time you have while you’re here. It’s just the best.
I spoke with Vincent Kings recently about the idea behind Time Dog and the Dark Future, the cast that populates the comic, the Kickstarter itself, and the joy of working on the book.
I’ve seen some of the book and I’m already hooked. It seems like such a ball and the characters are ebullient and so well-defined. I am jazzed that this comic exists and that Vincent Kings is navigating the chrono-waters to make this a reality.
FreakSugar: Before we get into the comic itself, what can you tell us about the inspiration behind Time Dog?
Vincent Kings: I had a really good dog growing up – a mini Aussie named Abby who coulda been a champion sheepdog. Unfortunately, the only thing to herd in our suburban SoCal home was me and my siblings, which led to a lot of nipped ankles.
So, Time Dog is just all my favorite things in one book: a dog with a job, time travel, and the kind of subversive kid wish-fulfillment that I grew up with like Captain Underpants, Spy Kids, and Jimmy Neutron.
FS: What is the conceit of Time Dog and the Dark Future?
VK: So you’ve got a happy-go-lucky girl and her time-traveling dog, who receive a threatening letter from her chronological neighbor, The Mold Mind of The Dark Future.
It asks Noelle and her nosy mutt to kindly stop making changes to settled history. Some people like the Dark Future just the way it is, thank you very much. Otherwise, the Chronological Council (whatever that is) will authorize a full-scale Time Invasion against humans and dogs, to put a stop to Noelle and Time Dog’s unlicensed travels. All they have to do to avoid this outcome is stay put.
Well, Time Dog knows a lot of neat tricks, but “STAY” is not among them…
FS: The characters that inhabit the world are so defined and so much fun. What can you tell us about the cast we meet in the comic?
VK: I wanted the world to feel immediately lived-in, like they’ve been having adventures forever.
You’ve obviously got Time Dog the titular time-traveling dog. It was really important to me that he be a regular dog who doesn’t talk or anything. Time travel is only possible for those that “live in the moment” in the world of our comic, and thus impossible for humans who regret the past or worry about the future.
The human star of our book is Noelle the girl genius with bad grades. She tries to live in the moment, but homework and life keep getting in the way. She’s at that age when you first start to realize that the freedom of adult life also comes with endless obligations and responsibilities.
Rounding out the cast you’ve got Mech-P.A. the Mechanical Parenting Assistant left to Noelle by her mysteriously absent father, Bo the first cave boy to domesticate a wolf, Dogor the first dog (based on an actual Siberian archeological specimen with the same name), and the Mold People of the Dark Future…
FS: Do you have any favorite time travel story or stories?
VK: This book wouldn’t exist without all the Classic Doctor Who DVDs my dad stocked our house with, and I was the perfect age when the 2005 reboot hit. You also can’t go wrong with H.G Wells’ O.G. The Time Machine for how evergreen its social commentary is.
And more recently The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas is the best page-turner I have read in years – the closed time-loop murder mystery at the heart of it is so, so good.
From the Kickstarter rewards
FS: What can you tell us about the Kickstarter itself? What kind of rewards can backers expect?
VK: Well first off, I’m really fortunate to be doing with a publishing partner like Rocketship. The Kickstarter video was cut by their own Jimmy Deoquino, featuring “The Time Dog Theme Song” written and performed by my talented friend Lasse, who knocked my song commission out of the park.
In addition to all the softcover, hardcover, and other versions of the book, the campaign offers prints, patches, and enamel pins featuring the characters. I had a blast designing everything. My wardrobe includes various apparel and souvenirs I brought back from the giftshops of America’s National Parks, so I wanted the merch we made for the campaign to feel like the kind of cool souvenirs you’d bring back from such travels across time.
At the higher reward tiers, you can also commission a pet portrait from me, or be drawn into the comic itself as background extra in one of the classroom scenes!
FS: What has the process been like working with Rocketship?
VK: They’re the best, man. I tell people they’re like the Image Comics of Kickstarter in terms of how they help creators get original books out there. I’m an a-typical case because my comic has not been a webcomic before, but the visual depiction of time travel as a character jumping from one panel to another is only possible in print, and we’ve got a few surprises I won’t spoil for how the physical book object plays a part in the time travel hijinks!
FS: The comic looks like it’d be a joy to work on. What’s your favorite part of creating Time Dog stories?
VK: Dude, everything. I love the chess game of scripting a time travel story that is both chronologically complicated but easy to follow for the readers. I love drawing. I love coloring. And honestly, I love promoting and marketing a project that I am 100% confident in. Independent comics like this don’t happen unless they are a labor of love.
I do all the art traditionally before I scan it into the computer to add digital colors. A lot of artists swear that all-digital is faster, but I just don’t believe it. The temptation to endlessly Undo is too great for me.
I just love the sensation of drawing, and I think you feel that on every page of this book. I studied under Disney Renaissance animation masters in art school, and worked on video game cinematics at Telltale Games after I graduated, so I like to think I have a trained eye for movement and cinematic composition.
FS: You have two other graphic novels in the hopper coming up: My Friend Frankenstein and Sara and the Spider. Can you say anything about those yet?
VK: Only a bit. I’m the writer on those, and they are both to be illustrated by my insanely talented wife Helene Lespagnard. My Friend Frankenstein will be published in French first as Mon copain Frankenstein. In 2026, then the English translation and Sara and the Spider will follow in 2027 if all goes well! Both are gothic kids’ graphic novels with a lot of heart.
FS: If you had a final pitch for the comic and Kickstarter, what would it be?
VK: Time Dog and the Dark Future tackles the big questions in a kid-friendly way: How do we share this pale blue dot we call Earth? Can we enjoy the good times if they are finite? And of course: who is a good boy?
I might also mention the high pedigree that this dog enjoys already: a Russ Manning Promising Newcomer nomination at the 2024 Eisner Awards and winner of the Ringo Award for Fan Favorite New Talent at Baltimore Comic Con the previous year.
Yours truly was also selected by my 7th grade art teachers as “Most Creative” of his class. So, you know, nobody can ever take that away from me.
As of press time, the Kickstarter for Time Dog and the Dark Future has almost hit its funding goal, with 27 days left in the campaign. As I said, I’ve gotten to look at some of this book and it’s so much fun! It’s well worth your time to give it a look!