As crowdfunding continues to be a viable method for creators to fund their creative endeavors and connect directly with fans, comic-related projects flourish on sites like Kickstarter, Patreon and IndieGoGo. Here’s a look at a few recent campaigns that caught our eyes.
Pink lemonade #1
Who is involved? Nick Cagnetti and It’s Alive! Press
Deadline: July 27
Goal: $2,000
What to know: The art and visual design for this one jumped out at me on Twitter, I think; that’s a striking cover, and the interiors look really fun, too. For instance:
Here’s the description: “Mysterious past…colorful costume…altruistic…nomadic lifestyle…it’s all pretty cool! Pink Lemonade dreams of doing big things. She just wants to be good and help where she can. But things don’t always work out the way we plan. And soon Pink Lemonade finds herself in jail, after a big misunderstanding with some cops, while trying to help a child. And just when you think she’s sunk, a powerful man shows up with an offer she may not be able to refuse! But is it too good to be true?”
This one’s coming from It’s Alive! Press, the former IDW imprint that publishes and crowdfunds reprints of out-of-print graphic novels and translations of foreign material, as well as its own projects. Also, you can find advance reviews of the comic at Doomrocket and Comics Grinder.
What’s the deal? $4 will get you the first issue with a standard cover, seen above, or the Jim Rugg variant cover. There are two other variants to choose from, and $16 will get you all four covers.
Dread Gods Hardcover
Who is involved? Ominous Press, Bart Sears, Ron Marz, Tom Raney Deadline: July 19
Goal: $14,500
What to know: Dread Gods is a series from Ominous Press, which has crowdfunded and published previous series by Jim Starlin, Graham Nolan and others. This Kickstarter is for the Dread Gods Olympian Edition, a “lavish, oversize hardcover” collecting the first four issues of the series. It also includes a new 10-page story by Marz and Raney, plus a bunch of extras.
Here’s the description: “Master storytellers Marz (Green Lantern, Silver Surfer) and Raney (X-Men, StormWatch) join forces to reveal a post-apocalyptic landscape where the population plugs into a daily entertainment provided by the Prometheus conglomerate, featuring god-like heroes led by Zeus and Hera. In their bucolic paradise, the gods live glorious lives of adventure and romance, but Zeus is troubled by strange dreams, even as his long-simmering feud with Hades is about to boil over. Meanwhile, in the barren Wasteland, a wheelchair-bound man named Carver comes to believe the gods are in danger, and must be saved.”
What’s the deal? $15 will get you the digital edition, while $40 gets you the physical hardcover. Other reward levels offer posters, art books by Ominous artists and original art.
Shots Fired anthology
Who is involved? Comicker Press and a whole lot of creators (see below)
Deadline: July 16
Goal: $14,959
What to know: This is a charity project that’s seeking to raise money for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Community Justice Reform Coalition, both dedicated to helping to end gun violence in America. The Kickstarter campaign will pay for printing and shipping of the books themselves, with any additional money going to the two organizations.
Comicker Press will publish it, and they’ve assembled an impressive list of creators to contribute stories. They include Scott Snyder, Paul Tobin, Colleen Coover, Fred Van Lente, Steven Grant, Jamal Igle, Roger Langridge, Kelly Thompson, Shannon Wheeler, Devin Grayson and many more. Brendan Wright, formerly with Dark Horse, is editing the book. Steve Morris at The MNT spoke with him about the project.
What’s the deal? $10 will get you a digital copy via comiXology, while $20 will get you a paperback copy. There’s also a hardcover for $35. There’s also a reward level that includes past Comicker Press projects.
The Eye of Mongombo
Who is involved? Doug Gray
Deadline: July 20
Goal: $15,000
What to know: The Eye of Mongombo was a fun series by Doug Gray published by Fantagraphics back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Imagine Indiana Jones, turned into a duck by a witch doctor, and the subsequent shenanigans that ensued. Actually you don’t have to imagine them; Gray has posted the first chapter online. Since the previous series ended, Gray has worked on Disney comics, in video games and as an animator, but now he’s returning to Eye to edit and revise the previous comics, as well as finally finish it. His plan is to release it as three books, and this Kickstarter is for the first one.
What’s the deal? $10 will get you a digital copy of this first book, while $25 gets you the hardcover. Actually, there are still “early bird special” copies of the hardcover available for $20, but you’ll need to act fast. Gray is also offering original sketches, as well as the chance to have yourself transformed into an animal (on paper, that is).
Space Bastards Vol. 1
Who is involved? The Intergalactic Postal Service, a.k.a. Eric Peterson and Joe Aubrey
Deadline: Aug. 2
Goal: $20,000
What to know: Space Bastards has an interesting premise; the mature readers science fiction tale is about a future where America has headed into space, and the mail needs to be delivered — which is “damn near impossible.” So someone “came up with the idea that these packages may just make it to their destination if the person delivering them knew their life depended on it.” Basically whoever can deliver a parcel gets the cash when it arrives, no questions asked — and the fees go up every time the delivery changes hands. Any postal worker can use any means necessary to steal that package and deliver it themselves.
Peterson and Aubrey have worked with several artists to create their universe, including Darick Robertson, Simon Bisley, Glenn Fabry, Colin MacNeil, Boo Cook, Clint Langley and Gabo. The oversized anthology will be more than 120 pages. You can read a sample of one of the stories here.
What’s the deal? They’ve kept things simple, and are offering two tiers — $30 gets you the hardcover, while $500 gets you the signed version.