Drunk3PO and Xwing once again proved that audiences are hungry for quality pirate fiction. Their 144-page historical revenge epic Daughter’s Revenge raised over $45,000 from 825 backers in its first 24 hours on Rippasend, marking one of the most successful independent comic launches of the year. The campaign hit its $50,000 goal within the first weekend, demonstrating that fans will support creators who deliver craftsmanship, respect for history, and unapologetic adventure storytelling.
The Story: Historical Revenge on the High Seas
Daughter’s Revenge follows Jonathan Reed, a loyal naval officer and devoted father who returns from war to find his family murdered and his faith destroyed. Branded a traitor and condemned by the Crown, Reed is cast adrift with one choice: die with his honor intact, or sail beside the pirates he once hunted.
The 144-page graphic novel is a historical revenge epic set during the Golden Age of Piracy, blending real historical figures with fictional characters in a story about loss, redemption, and the cost of vengeance. Created by Jay David (Drunk3PO) and Russ Morgan (Xwing) with art by Erik Hodson, the book explores what happens when a good man is pushed beyond his limits and forced to become something he once despised.
“Once a loyal naval officer and devoted father, Jonathan returns from war to find his family murdered and his faith destroyed,” reads the campaign description. “Branded a traitor and condemned by the Crown, he is cast adrift with one choice left: die with his honor intact—or sail beside the pirates he once hunted.”
The story features real pirates from history, including Sam Bellamy, woven into a fictional narrative that respects the period while delivering the kind of swashbuckling action audiences expect from pirate fiction. Jay and Russ spent years researching the Golden Age of Piracy through their History of Pirates YouTube channel, and that knowledge shows in every page.
The Creative Team
Jay David, known online as Drunk3PO, is a popular YouTube content creator and social media personality with a passion for pirate history. His History of Pirates channel has built a dedicated following by telling the real stories of historical pirates with enthusiasm and respect for the source material. Russ Morgan (Xwing) is a craftsman, writer, and historian who brings deep knowledge of material culture and historical context to the project.
During the launch livestream, Russ reflected on the journey: “I’ve written a thousand short stories that have been buried on binder paper. And it’s always been a passion of mine... when that phone call came in after Indiana Jones, I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’... I bet you we can make something special here. And I think we did.”
The project began after Jay watched Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and called Russ in frustration. “I went and saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Jay explained during the stream. “I was so disgusted and aggravated at how horrible this movie was I called Xwing immediately... and I said, ‘Man, what if we did our own story? Let’s just do a pirate Indiana Jones story where they look for artifacts.’ That’s how it began anyway.”
That conversation turned into a trilogy outline, which became Daughter’s Revenge—a story about faith, loss, and what happens when a man of principle is forced to compromise everything he believes.
Erik Hodson handled the art, delivering 144 pages of detailed, atmospheric illustrations that capture both the beauty and brutality of the Golden Age of Piracy. Hodson worked on the book while dealing with an autoimmune disease that has affected his hands for over 20 years, and he completed the project during one of the most difficult years of his life.
“This illness came on while I was in art school,” Hodson said during the stream. “I cried out to God, like, please don’t take my hands. That’s all I got. I had this dream of being a comic book artist, and if I lose this, I don’t have much of an identity. And he took my hands and made me a better artist than I was before they got crippled. I give all glory for that.”
Hodson also noted that 2024 was particularly challenging: “It was also the year my dad passed away in July. And our colorist’s mom passed away. So last year we got this book done while probably all suffering one of the worst times in our lives.”
The result is a book that looks and feels like a labor of love—detailed ship rigging, expressive characters, and action sequences that convey the chaos and violence of naval combat.
The Art: Golden Age Style Meets Modern Craftsmanship
Hodson deliberately styled the art to evoke Golden Age comics, including the pirate books from the 1940s and 1950s that told adventure stories with brush and ink. “I wanted my art to look like it was done with a brush and ink and be gritty,” Hodson explained. “The onomatopoeia... those aren’t fonts. Those are all hand-drawn.”
The book is available in both full-color and black-and-white artist editions, and Hodson encouraged fans to get both: “I encourage everybody to get both editions. Because you’re going to see something different in both formats.”
The black-and-white edition showcases Hodson’s linework and allows readers to appreciate the craftsmanship without the distraction of color. The full-color edition, colored by Big Boy Robo, uses watercolor-style washes that evoke vintage adventure comics. “We wanted to make this look like look as much vintage as possible without being actually vintage,” Hodson said.
The book is Golden Age-sized, roughly 7.5 by 10 inches, matching the format of classic pirate comics from the 1940s and 1950s. It’s a deliberate choice that reinforces the book’s connection to the adventure comics that inspired it.
The Campaign: Community Support and Handmade Rewards
The Rippasend campaign offers multiple editions and reward tiers, including standard covers, foil editions, black-and-white artist editions, and a special cover by former Marvel artist Irene Strychalski. But the most remarkable rewards are the six hand-forged swords created by Russ Morgan himself.
“Hand forging a sword is a lot of work,” Russ said during the stream. “To do that six times... I adore them. I just hope people enjoy it.”
The swords sold out within minutes of the campaign launch, with backers paying $2,000 each for hand-forged blades inspired by the book. Each sword comes with a certificate of authenticity and is serialized. One of the six is the Sword of Sam Bellamy, featured in the book and crafted from burled maple with hand-forged mild steel guards.
The campaign also includes flags, apparel, and other merchandise, but the community support goes beyond official rewards. Fans have created their own Daughter’s Revenge content—custom coins hand-cast in pewter, bracelets, bandanas, and decals. Several fans have gotten Vindicta tattoos (the book’s symbol) before the book even released.
“The amount of community support that we have gotten with this book has been astounding,” Russ said. “All the way up to the point where people have gotten this flag tattooed on their bodies already. It is incredible, man. Absolutely incredible.”
The Success: $45,000 in 24 Hours
The campaign launched on January 10, 2026, and within two hours had sold over 600 books. By the end of the first 24 hours, the campaign had raised over $45,000 from 825 backers, putting it at 90% of its $50,000 goal. The campaign reached its goal within the first weekend.
During the launch livestream, the creative team watched in real-time as the numbers climbed. “626 books sold,” Jay announced about two hours into the stream. “Now, is that just books that that’s tracking or is that all items?”
“Tracking sales and books,” came the response.
The rapid success caught even the creators off guard. “I was hoping for for a hundred,” Jay admitted. “If I was like, we get a 100 opening night, I think we’re on a good track. But holy crap.”
Eric July, founder of Rippaverse and owner of Rippasend, joined the stream to congratulate the team. “Seriously, guys, thank you. Uh, obviously everybody here worked incredibly hard on this on this project. Um, shout out to, you know, Eric has always been wonderful to work with, man, on any like adjustments that we need to make so we can uh send this thing over the finish line. But, man, you guys worked incredibly hard for it and uh you guys deserve this.”
The campaign also crashed the Rippasend website multiple times due to traffic, forcing the team to upgrade servers mid-launch. “We weren’t we weren’t we weren’t expecting that,” July said. “Dev team wasn’t expecting that. But that’s that’s awesome. That means you guys really really came through and just showed up, man.”
The book also demonstrates that faith-based themes can work in mainstream adventure fiction without being preachy. Jonathan Reed is a man of faith whose beliefs are tested by tragedy. The story explores his struggle without turning it into a sermon. That balance is rare in modern comics, where creators often avoid religious themes entirely or handle them with condescension.
“I wanted to tell a story of a Christian man who was put in a situation that forced his hand to do things that he normally wouldn’t do,” Jay explained. “A man of faith whose faith is tested... I like stories like that. Of the faith struggle in people.”
The book treats faith seriously while remaining accessible to readers of all backgrounds. That’s good storytelling—exploring themes that matter without alienating audiences who don’t share the creators’ beliefs.
The Future: A Trilogy and Beyond
Daughter’s Revenge is the first book in a planned trilogy. Jay and Russ have outlined the full story, and if the first book’s success is any indication, readers will support the entire series.
“We wanted to draw on that for sure, but also be a little unshackled from the reality of history so that we can play in that playground, if you know what I mean,” Russ said about balancing historical accuracy with fictional storytelling. “We can have a little bit of fun with it. So, it is historical fantasy.”
The campaign runs through February 27, 2026, with all orders shipping in Q2 2026. Backers will receive their books before Mega Con, where the creative team will be available for signings.
For fans of pirate fiction, historical adventure, or just quality independent comics, Daughter’s Revenge delivers. It’s a 144-page revenge epic that respects history, tells a compelling story, and showcases the kind of craftsmanship that’s increasingly rare in modern comics.
Back Daughter’s Revenge on Rippasend: rippasend.com/daughtersrevenge
What do you think? Are you backing Daughter’s Revenge?
This sounds great!
Since I was a pirate in a past life I will definitely have to buy this! :)