Day: July 13, 2023

Kickstarter’s comics projects have increased by 14% this year

The crowdfunding platform shares some of their data for the first half of 2023, as comics projects continue to flourish on the site.

Crowdfunding continues to serve as a viable method for creators to fund their creative endeavors, as comic-related projects flourish on sites like Kickstarter. Even with the rough economic environment we’ve seen over the last six months, with rate hikes, inflation and layoffs, comics-related projects on Kickstarter have remained resilient — and have even grown compared to last year.

With Comic-Con on the horizon and the first half of the year complete, Kickstarter shared some of their recent data with us.

In the first half of the year:

  • Comic projects on the platform grew by 14% when compared to the first half of 2022. Comic projects in the first half of 2022 numbered 1,457 and increased to 1,666 in the first half of 2023.
  • Dollars pledged to comics campaigns also increased, from $14.4 million in 2022 to $17.6 million in 2023.
  • While the number of overall projects increased, so did the number of successful projects. 1,171 comics projects, or 78.1%, successfully met their funding goal this year. This is a 13.5% increase compared to the same time last year. 
Continue reading “Kickstarter’s comics projects have increased by 14% this year”

Flash Gordon will soar again at Mad Cave

The publisher plans both new and reprint titles, which will kick off next year.

Mad Cave Studios and King Features have announced plans for Mad Cave to publish new Flash Gordon comics, along with reprints of older material and graphic novels.

In addition Papercutz, the middle-grade imprint owned by Mad Cave, will publish new Flash Gordon comics aimed at that younger audience.

“As one of the first action heroes Flash Gordon has always been powerhouse in the comics universe,’ said Christina Nix Lynch, King Features’ licensing director. “We’re delighted to have a partner like Mad Cave Studios on board who are true Flash fans as well as publishing experts. This program will bring a long-awaited, regular stream of new and legacy content to generations of readers.”

Continue reading “Flash Gordon will soar again at Mad Cave”

Top Cow opens ‘Destiny Gate’ in October

Ryan Cady, Christian DiBari and Simon Gough bring the upcoming video game to comics.

Top Cow is teaming once again with video game designers EP1T0ME Studios to co-produce and to publish Destiny Gate, a “noir thriller” comic.

This will be the fourth title the two companies have collaborated on, following St. Mercy, The Clay People: Colossus, and Revolvers. This one is based on a video game concept by Paul Limon, which EP1T0ME plans to make in the future.

“I told Paul, an ex-Blizzard artist, that his Destiny Gate game pitch was one of the best I’d ever read;” said Richard Leibowitz, President at EP1T0ME. “We’re happy to work with Paul and Top Cow to make the comic and look forward to making the game next.”

Writer Ryan Cady, whose Haunt You to the End debuted a few weeks ago, will work with illustrator Christian DiBari, who drew The Clay People: Colossus, and colorist Simon Gough.

Continue reading “Top Cow opens ‘Destiny Gate’ in October”

A killer doll runs wild and Betty gets a superhero upgrade in this preview of ‘World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #27

The Boy Buddies and Mr. Justice return to Riverdale in two new stories appearing in next week’s digest from Archie Comics.

Courtesy of Archie Comics, we’re pleased to present a preview of two new stories from World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #27, which comes out July 19.

This week we start with an homage to the already classic killer-doll-run-wild movie M3GAN, as the Little Archies call in the Boy Buddies to help them stop M1N3RVA 2.0, a doll Little Dilton brought to life with an AI upgrade. This one is by Ron Robbins, Steven Butler, Bob Smith, Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli.

Then, in the second story, Mr. Justice is back in Riverdale looking for another sidekick — I guess things didn’t go so well with Moose — and this time he has his sights set on Superteen, aka Betty Cooper. Ian Flynn, Bill Golliher and Jim Amash team with Whitmore and Morelli on this one.

Check out both stories below, along with a complete classic Veronica story by Jamie L. Rotante and Dan Parent.

Continue reading “A killer doll runs wild and Betty gets a superhero upgrade in this preview of ‘World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #27”

Street Noise announces two new titles for fall 2023

New projects from Joseph Kai and Karina Shor will arrive from the nonfiction graphic novel publisher later this year.

Activist nonfiction graphic novel publisher Street Noise has announced two new graphic novels it will release this fall: Restless, by Joseph Kai, and Silence, Full Stop, by Karina Shor.

“I’m blown away by the two books we have coming to you in the fall of 2023. Each of these books is breathtaking and transporting in its artwork, and both Joseph Kai and Karina Shor have the power to take us outside ourselves and broaden our understanding of the struggles and trauma of the life of another,” said Liz Frances, Street Noise publisher and founder in a statement. “These graphic novels are clear examples of the transformative nature of the art of comics.”

Street Noise Books is a fairly new publisher but already has an impressive list of books under their name, by creators like Hayley Gold, Tracy White, Gabriel Ebensperger, Elizabeth A. Trembley, Woodrow Phoenix and more. You can check out their backlist here.

Here are more details on both graphic novels:

Continue reading “Street Noise announces two new titles for fall 2023”