We take a story its author stands behind and brings a first audience to. We turn it into a published comic, collectibles and other formats, and get it in front of more people.
They fail because there is no one to see them through.
Anyone with a story has two options today. Do nothing. Or try it alone: find an illustrator, launch a crowdfunding campaign, sort out printing, shipping, complaints, payments and contracts. Most give up halfway.
That is why so many stories never get made. Whaleden exists so that they do.
And by going through the whole thing ourselves.
Dracula 2168 is our own story. We started working on it in 2024. Claudio Chiaverotti wrote the script, Giuseppe Cafaro drew it. In February 2025 we put the first issue on Kickstarter and 83 people backed it. Then came the part nobody talks about much: printing, packing, shipping, collectible cards, a figurine.
It taught us one thing. The work doesn't end when the drawing is done. That is when the part begins where most stories fail.
Comic-Con Prague, April 2025
Readers taught us the second thing: they can decide what gets made.
We showed visitors at our booth five comic pitches. For each one a cover, three pages and a story outline. They didn't know who wrote them. Voting ran through a QR code, and Neon Requiem by Gaia Cafiso won with 49% of the votes. It is now being made into a comic.
Neon RequiemThen we started meeting people who had a story and wanted to stand behind it. They were missing everything else.
“They didn't come to me with a marketing idea. They saw that the story already existed – they just offered a way to get it out.”
Jiří Beran, Olympic fencer, on how Moral Code came about
That is how one comic became a studio.
We have a network of more than 50 professional artists. We find the right ones among them, arrange and manage production, take care of the rights and deliver everything. The story becomes a real thing people can see and have at home.
And we stay with it afterwards. We measure interest continuously and develop what people want: more chapters, items, other formats. We aim for a story that can be licensed further: into animation, a game or a film.
When you bring your own story, we make it as a co-production: the rights and creative control stay with you. We get a broad licence to develop the story into other formats and to monetise them. Alongside co-productions we have our own stories, Whaleden Originals: Dracula 2168, Neon Requiem and Luna. Those we develop ourselves.
We take fees from sales according to our price list and share the net profit. Who pays for what and how the profit is split, we show in full and up front. Not only in the final statement.
We start with a few pages and a pre-sale with a minimum. If the pre-sale doesn't reach it, we refund the backers and the story stays yours, with no obligations.
It is handmade work: the artist signs their work and you can see what they contributed to.
That is why we take part of the risk with you. That is why we share the profit. And that is why we are fast: you deal directly with the people working on your story.
We are not big enough to ignore you, and we don't want to be a company that does. We read every message.
The true story of Olympic fencer Jiří Beran and of principles that reach far beyond the piste.
Discover Moral Code
A story about music and determination. A comic with its own playlist.
Discover Sound BoundDracula wakes up in an American metropolis in 2168 and remembers nothing. Issues #0 and #1 are out.
Discover Dracula 2168
Custom collectible cards for cosplayers.
Discover Creator CardsThe organisations, brands and people we finish stories with and bring them to an audience.
Whaleden's visual side is led by co-founder Jitka, who in 21 years in design has created work for more than 65 brands, from Ferrari to Czech Airlines. Her collaborations
Write us a few sentences about what you have. We usually reply by the next day.
Do you draw or write? For authors and artistsWriting about us? [email protected]Who is behind it? TeamWhere are we heading? Roadmap
Whaleden, Inc. · 1111B S Governors Avenue, STE 21470, Dover, DE 19904, USA. We started in 2024. The team works mostly from Prague.
