Today we’d like to introduce you to Dillon Mysliwiec.
Hi Dillon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
SeerNova Comics started in one of the strangest, most serendipitous ways possible: through a mislabeled Craigslist gig.
At the time, I was living in upstate New York in the Capital Region and working as an engineer. I had a day job, but I was also trying to build a business of my own on the side. That business was originally called Artistic Development & Design, which has since become my marketing agency, Marketing A.D.D.
While looking for freelance work, I found a Craigslist post from someone looking for a “graphic designer.” As it turned out, that was not really what he needed. He was actually looking for a comic book illustrator. Had he titled the post correctly, I probably never would have clicked on it.
That person was Greg Moquin, who is now my co-founder and SeerNova’s Chief Visionary Officer. We became friends, started meeting up, and kept talking about comics, storytelling, and what it would look like to build an indie comic book company. Greg had written a huge story that would eventually become the foundation for The Seer Chronicles, and we began working on turning that world into comic scripts.
In August of 2017, we officially formed SeerNova Comics LLC.
When we started, I was not planning to be heavily involved in the creative side. I thought I was going to help with the website, logo, business structure, marketing, and technology. Greg was the storyteller, and I was more focused on helping build the company around it. But over time, I became more involved in editing, writing support, publishing strategy, and the overall creative direction. Today, I serve as Co-founder and Editor in Chief, and it has become one of the most fun and meaningful creative journeys I have been part of.
Our first comic did not come out until 2019, two years after forming the LLC. At the time, that delay felt frustrating, but looking back, we were learning an entire industry from scratch. We had to figure out how comics were made, how to work with artists, how printing worked, how crowdfunding worked, and how to build a real publishing process.
In 2019, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, but Greg and I kept building SeerNova remotely. Since then, we have grown from an idea between two friends into an indie comic book publisher with 10 comic books, 2 anthologies, 2 ashcans, successful Kickstarter campaigns, convention appearances, a yearly virtual comic expo, and our first trade paperback currently in production.
It has definitely not been a straight line, but that is part of what makes the story meaningful. SeerNova started because of one strange Craigslist mistake, and now it has become a growing indie publisher with original worlds, original characters, and a future that we are still building one story at a time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road. But I also do not think I ever looked at SeerNova as something we should give up on. For me, it has always been this fun, creative, challenging thing that Greg and I were building piece by piece. When something did not work, the answer was never really “quit.” It was more, “Okay, what did we learn, and what do we try next?”
One of the first big struggles was learning how difficult and expensive comic book publishing actually is. From the outside, people see the finished book. They see the characters, the covers, the story, and the excitement. What they do not always see is the amount of money, coordination, and patience it takes to get there.
Unless you are a cartoonist who can write, illustrate, color, letter, and produce the entire book yourself, you need a team. That means writers, editors, pencilers, inkers, colorists, letterers, cover artists, printers, and sometimes more. A single comic can cost thousands of dollars before it ever reaches a reader. Then, after the book is created, you still have to pay to print it.
That forced us to slow down and become more strategic. We had a lot of stories we wanted to tell quickly, but the budget did not always allow that. At times, we had to shift priorities, work on anthologies or ashcans, delay certain projects, or focus on growing the audience before moving forward with more production.
Crowdfunding was another humbling lesson. Our first attempts did not go well. We tried Indiegogo first, and then Kickstarter. Those early campaigns taught us one of the most important lessons in indie comics: build the audience first, crowdfund second. You cannot just launch a campaign and expect people to magically show up. Community matters. You need readers who know what you are building and want to see it succeed.
Production timelines have also been a major challenge. There is almost a running joke in indie comics that you can find a newer, more affordable artist who may be able to work on your timeline, or you can find a great artist and you have to work around theirs. That is obviously a simplification, but there is truth to it. Great comic art takes time, and everyone involved usually has other work, other clients, or other responsibilities. Keeping a comic moving from script to pencils to colors to letters to print can be much harder than people realize.
COVID was another major obstacle. In 2020, we finally had a few printed comics and were planning to start attending conventions. Then every convention disappeared almost overnight. That hurt because conventions are one of the best ways for an indie publisher to meet readers, make sales, build relationships, and get direct feedback.
But we used that moment to adapt. Instead of waiting for things to reopen, we focused more on publishing, crowdfunding, and growing our online community. We also created the SeerNova Comic Con Virtual Expo, or SNCC Virtual Expo, as an online event to spotlight indie creators. What started as a response to conventions shutting down became one of the best networking tools we ever created.
Even today, the road is still not easy. Budget is always a factor, but we have gotten much better at running Kickstarters, selling at conventions, and recouping costs. The bigger challenge now is scaling. We want to get our comics into more readers’ hands through stronger online sales, more comic shop distribution, more conventions, and more consistent releases.
So no, it has not been smooth. It has been expensive, slow, unpredictable, and full of lessons we had to learn the hard way. But every obstacle forced us to become better publishers, better marketers, better editors, and better partners to the creators and readers who support us.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about SeerNova Comics?
SeerNova Comics is an indie comic book publisher creating bold, character-driven stories across superhero, horror, sci-fi, action, and adventure.
At the simplest level, we make comic books. But the bigger picture is that we are building original worlds, original characters, and a community around independent comics. Everything we currently have published under SeerNova is owned by us, and we are now moving into the next phase of building SeerNova into a stronger publishing company that can eventually help bring more creators’ stories to the world as well.
Right now, we are probably most known comic-wise for INK and Mittens: Space Pilot.
INK is one of our darker, more mysterious series. It blends supernatural action, crime, and vigilante storytelling. It follows Shane Murphy, a tattoo artist whose life changes after receiving a strange tattoo that pulls him into a war between worlds. It has become one of the books we are most proud of, and we are currently preparing to release INK: The Trade, our first trade paperback.
Mittens: Space Pilot is very different, which is part of what I love about SeerNova. It is an all-ages sci-fi adventure/comedy about a cat space thief who gets caught up in a galaxy-spanning adventure. It is fun, weird, action-packed, and great for families or readers who want something lighter and more playful. Mittens will also be getting a trade paperback later this year.
We also publish Chronicles of Horror, our horror anthology series, and Knightwatch, a martial arts and vigilante story with crime, action, and MMA influence. So if someone is into sci-fi, superheroes, horror, martial arts, or darker street-level stories, there is probably something in our catalog they would enjoy.
Outside of the comics themselves, I think SeerNova is also known in the indie comic space for community building. For the past several years, we have hosted the SeerNova Comic Con Virtual Expo, or SNCC Virtual Expo, which is an online event built to spotlight indie creators. We have also been running a podcast for years, staying active on social media, supporting other creators, and trying to build relationships across the indie comic industry.
Last year, SNCC had sponsors and partners like GlobalComix, Comix Wellspring, Apollo City Comix, Metal Ninja Studios, BluRock Media, and Blick Art Materials. Seeing that event grow from a COVID-era idea into something other creators recognize has been one of the things I am most proud of.
What sets SeerNova apart is probably our scrappy persistence. We are always trying to do something. We learned how to make comics. We built an online comic platform. We attempted a video game at one point. It failed, but we attempted it, and we would love to return to that idea one day. We built a virtual expo for indie creators. We attend conventions consistently. We run Kickstarters, sell books online, host a podcast, connect with creators around the world, and continue expanding the brand piece by piece.
Sometimes it feels like we are all over the place, but I think that is also part of what makes SeerNova what it is. We are not just trying to put books out and disappear. We are trying to build something bigger around the stories, the readers, and the creators.
Brand-wise, I am proud that people seem to see us as “good guys” in the indie comic space. That is something people have said to us more than once, and it means a lot. We try to give back where we can. We try to support other creators. We try to create opportunities, share what we are learning, and build community, even while we are still growing ourselves.
I am also proud when the work connects with readers. At Nashville Comic Con in 2025, someone came to our table, talked with us, and bought the INK series. He was a big fan of major mainstream comics like Spider-Man and Batman. That night, he read all of INK, and the next day he came back with his friend so his friend could buy it too. For an indie publisher, that is an incredible moment. That tells you the story connected. It was not just a sale. It was a reader becoming excited enough to bring someone else in.
People can support us by visiting www.SeerNovaComics.com, buying our comics directly, signing up for our newsletter, or reading us digitally on platforms like GlobalComix and Comix.One. We also officially have a Patreon now, where people can support our efforts to tell new and interesting stories, grow our publishing company, and continue building the indie comic community.
At the end of the day, I want readers to know that SeerNova is a growing indie publisher for people who want original comics outside the mainstream, and we are just getting started.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
One surprising thing people may not know is that one of the recurring characters in our comic universe is based on a real person that both Greg and I knew when we were kids.
The funny part is that Greg and I did not grow up together. We went to completely different schools and did not meet until we were adults. But somehow, years later, we realized we both knew the same person from childhood. That person has now become a character who will continue appearing throughout the SeerNova universe.
That feels very on-brand for how SeerNova works in general. A lot of this company has been built on storytelling, hard work, and weird coincidences. Even our origin story started because of a Craigslist miscommunication. Greg posted that he needed a “graphic designer” when he really needed a comic book illustrator. I clicked the post because I was looking for freelance design work, and that one small misunderstanding eventually led to an entire comic book company.
So apparently, SeerNova runs on comics, persistence, and strange little moments that somehow turn into bigger stories.
Pricing:
- Comic Books – $10
- Ashcans – $6
- Anthologies – $15
- Trade Paperbacks – $30
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seernovacomics.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seernovacomics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seernovacomics/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seernova-comics
- Twitter: https://x.com/seernovacomics/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/seernovacomics
- Other: https://patreon.com/seernovacomics
