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, IndieGoGo and others. Here’s a look at a few recent campaigns that caught our eyes.
New Comics + Distribution by DOMINO
Who is involved? Domino Books, a small press publisher run by Austin English
Deadline: July 31
Goal: $6,000
What to know: Austin English, an artist himself, founded Domino Books seven years ago to “work with artists who, for whatever reason, fall outside of whatever the moment dictates. Artists who make work that is unique not to a specific school or movement, but specific to themselves. An army of one attitude embodied in a single artists vision,” he says on the Kickstarter page. While he’s funded past projects on his own, he’s turning to Kickstarter to fund two books in particular — the anthology But is it…Comic Aht? #2 and Tad Martin #7 — and to build a “a war chest for our distribution efforts.” You can see all of Domino’s previous comics on their website.
What’s the deal? $6 gets you a copy of But is it…Comic Aht? #2, which was recently mentioned in this article at NPR. $10 gets you Tad Martin #7 by Casanova Frankenstein, which you may want to get based on the creator’s name alone. $15 will get you both publications. English is also offering gift certificates, so you can pay $10 or more and get a gift certificate of equal value that you can use toward current or future Domino Books releases.
Dejects by Jay Stephens
Who is involved? Jay Stephens and Black Eye Books
Deadline: Aug. 28
Goal: $2,000
What to know: Jay Stephens is a cartoonist and animator known for comics like The Land of Nod, Oddville, Atomic City Tales, and Jetcat Clubhouse. This is a collection of his comic strips that don’t really fall into this buckets — his “Dejects.” It would be 132 pages and span 28 years of his career. A portion of proceeds from the direct sales of Dejects will be donated to Mental Health Research Canada.
What’s the deal? $20 gets you the collection; for an extra $5, you can get signed edition that includes a digital copy. There are also some options for retailers to order multiple copies.
Women Do Not Creep By Daylight: A Ghost Story
Creators involved: Vera Greentea and Kyla Vanderklugt
Deadline: Aug. 23
Goal: $12,500
What to know: Vera Greentea has crowdfunded several comics she’s written previously; she also has a graphic novel, Grimoire Noir, coming out this week from First Second. For this book Greentea’s teaming with Kyla Vanderklugt, whose work has appeared in Flight, Jim Henson’s Storyteller and Spera. This campaign is for a 32-page one-shot that’s about a mother and daughter who go to work at a haunted castle.
What’s the deal? $3 gets you the digital copy, while $15 gets the print version.
The Game #1
Creators involved: Charlie Stickney, Conor Hughes and Tríona Farrell
Deadline: Aug. 14
Goal: $9,500 (Goal has been met)
What to know: Stickney and Hughes have previously worked together on White Ash, which they successfully kickstarted and will be released this coming winter. This campaign is for a new 32-page science fiction story; they posted the first 10 pages of it on their Kickstarter page; it’s NSFW but does have a pretty interesting twist at the end of those 10 pages.
What’s the deal? $5 gets you a PDF, while $14 gets you a print copy.