Crowdpuncher | ‘Outlaw’s Apprentice,’ ‘Heartbreak Manor’ + more comic crowdfunding projects

Check out crowdfunding campaigns featuring the work of Chris Schweizer, Steve Niles, Damien Worm, Joan Boix and more.

Welcome to Crowdpuncher, where we round up cool comics crowdfunding campaigns. If you’re looking to buy from or support a creator directly, you’ve come to the right place.

Cartoonist Chris Schweizer has been serializing Outlaw’s Apprentice weekly on Webtoon and Patreon, and now he’s bringing the first collected arc to print. The 208-page Appalachian-inspired swashbuckling fantasy follows Otis, a teenage artist-in-training, and Erska, the former mercenary who took him on as an apprentice, as an injustice sends them both on the run.

Schweizer, who has earned three Eisner Award nominations for his previous work on books like the Crogan Adventures series, is publishing the book in mass market paperback format.

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Space Ghost + the Herculoids will cross over this fall

David Pepose and Jonathan Lau bring the casts of the two Hanna-Barbera cartoons together in September.

Fans of David Pepose and Jonathan Lau’s work on Space Ghost will be happy to know that not only is Dynamite planning a third season of the book, but before it arrives they’ll release Space Ghost vs. the Herculoids by the same creative team, which will lead into the next series.

Pepose told me recently, when we were talking about the Kickstarter for the final issue of The O.Z. (which you can still back for another 13 days) that this summer’s Space Ghost Annual will tease the crossover.

“We’ll be putting an action-packed, emotional bow on our ‘Season Two’ storyline,” he said about the annual, “and towards the end of the issue, it’ll also kick off our big Space Ghost event in September, featuring Alex Toth’s other team of sci-fi adventurers, the Herculoids!”

If you aren’t familiar with the Herculoids, it was another Hanna-Barbera cartoon that ran for 18 episodes in the late 1960s, with new episodes being produced in the early 1980s after its reruns gained a fan following. Both Space Ghost and the Herculoids were part of the Space Stars line-up, where they even had a crossover.

Set on the planet Amzot, Herculoids blended science fiction and fantasy elements as Zandor, his wife Tara and their son Dorno led a team of alien creatures against an endless supply of villains, mad scientists, mutants, giant ants and more. Luckily Zandor and company had the help of the space dragon Zok, the rhinoceros-like Tundro, the rock ape Igoo and two shape-shifting balls of goo named Gloop and Gleep.

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Smash Pages Q&A | David Pepose on wrapping up ‘The O.Z.’

With the third and final Kickstarter for the self-published series now live, the writer reflects on finishing a story he’s been carrying since the early days of COVID.

David Pepose has been carrying The O.Z. to its conclusion for awhile. He finished writing the series during the early days of COVID, and has spent the time since making sure everything was in place to deliver the finale right.

Now the third and final issue, created by Pepose, artist Ruben Rojas, colorist Whitney Cogar and letterer DC Hopkins, is up on Kickstarter, having launched earlier this morning.

The third and final issue is a 44-page conclusion to the story of Dorothy Gale’s granddaughter, an Iraq war veteran dropped into a war-torn Oz. We talked about sticking the landing, what’s ahead for Space Ghost and Speed Racer, and why diapers don’t come cheap.

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Space Ghost Summer: David Pepose + Jonathan Lau relaunch the classic hero in July

Following an annual in June, Dynamite will bring back the scion of the spaceways for another run.

Speed Racer isn’t the only cartoon from my childhood that David Pepose is helping bring to comics. Following the 12-issue Space Ghost series by Pepose and artist Jonathan Lau that ended earlier this year, Dynamite will wrap up the first year’s storyline with an annual in June, which will also bridge to a second series that’ll begin in July.

Starting with the annual, it will bring the Robo Corp storyline that’s been running through the title to a close, as readers learn the truth behind Dr. Xander Ibal’s plans for Blip.

“From the very beginning, Space Ghost has been a true labor of love from me and artist Jonathan Lau, bringing together the best parts of superheroes and science fiction — and we’re so excited for readers to finally witness the epic showdown that we’ve been building up to all along!,” said series writer David Pepose. “We’ve been so lucky to have an army of creators, fans, retailers, and press tirelessly champion our work, and I can’t wait for everyone to see what Jonathan and I have coming next. The future couldn’t be more exciting — or more dangerous — for Space Ghost and his intergalactic found family!”

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You better look alive: ‘Speed Racer’ returns to comics this July

Mad Cave will preview the rebooted property on Free Comic Book Day.

Writer David Pepose and artist Davide Tinto will chart a new path for Speed Racer, as Mad Cave Studios launches a new ongoing series for the popular character from Tatsunoko Production’s classic anime Mach GoGoGo in July

Mad Cave and Tatsunoko announced last year their plans to reboot Speed Racer as a comic series, following their partnership on Gatchaman comics. Pepose and Tinto will be joined by colorist Rex Locus and letterer Buddy Beaudoin.

“Buckle your seatbelts, comic fans… we’re putting the pedal to the metal with the return of Speed Racer,” Pepose said. “I couldn’t be more excited to launch this brand-new series based on the classic cartoon — think of Rocky in a race car, as we push Speed to his absolute limits and beyond in the high-octane Formula X Championship League. As he drives the legendary Mach 5, can even Speed move fast enough to save his family and bring justice back to the tracks? Starting this Free Comic Book Day, get ready for more action, heart and car chases than you can imagine in the pages of Speed Racer!”

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Slugfest | Deadpool + Wolverine are together again in Marvel’s January solicitations

Marvel kicks off the new year with a new Cable series, Galactus, an amped up Power Man and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on Marvel’s January solicitations, plus at least one project coming in February. Hit the links for more information.

Deadpool and Wolverine, you might remember, had a pretty big summer together, but the lovefest is far from over. In January Marvel will launch Deadpool/Wolverine by former Wolverine writer Benjamin Percy and his X-Force colleague Joshua Cassara.

“Josh and I really hit it off when we were working together on X-Force and became great friends,” Percy told IGN. “When he made the jump to X-Men, it was honestly a little traumatic for us both—but if you get the opportunity to draw a flagship title, you have to go for it. And he drew the living shit out of that series. We never stopped texting or hanging out at cons. We’re always trading stupid jokes (and many hundreds of Arnold Schwarzenegger GIFs). I even helped his wife locate one of the elusive 12-foot Home Depot skeletons recently, so we’ll both be celebrating Halloween like bosses. This is all to say: we were both so damn excited to get the band back together. Deadpool/Wolverine is us cartwheeling onto the stage and shredding our guitars once more while smoke machines churn and pyrotechnics explode all around us.”

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Slugfest | Black Widow gets ‘Venomous’ in a new one-shot

Plus news and announcements on Hellverine, Misty, Nick Cagnetti, Paul Pope, Blood Hunt, Briar, Joy Operations and more!

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you that we haven’t otherwise covered. Hit the links for more information.

If you’ve been reading Venom of late, you know that the Black Widow — who already has a cool spider name — has gone and gotten herself a symbiote. This summer, writer Erica Schultz and artist Luciano Vecchio will “unleash Natasha Romanoff’s full potential as a symbiote warrior” in a new one-shot.

Black Widow: Venomous will not only show the super-spy figuring out how to work with her new partner, but will also set the stage for the upcoming Venom War event.

“Who doesn’t want to write Natasha Romanoff? And with a badass symbiote, it didn’t take much to convince me,” Schultz said. “Luciano Vecchio’s art is so amazing. It’s been so fun to delve into Nat’s spy craft techniques, and you just may learn something new about her.”

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David Pepose and Dave Wachter introduce a new Punisher this fall

A retired SHIELD agent will take up the mantle, becoming ‘the Danny Ketch to Frank’s Johnny Blaze.’

Spencer & Locke co-creator and former Savage Avengers writer David Pepose will team with Planet of the Apes artist Dave Wachter on a new Punisher series, as a retired SHIELD agent named Joe Garrison takes up the mantle once held by Frank Castle.

“The man might be different, but the punishment remains the same,” said Pepose. “I wanted to introduce the Danny Ketch to Frank’s Johnny Blaze.”

Now that is a great analogy. If you read the recent Jason Aaron-written Punisher series, you know (SPOILER!) that Frank Castle has moved on from this earthly plain. No, he isn’t dead, but he’s on Weirdworld, helping kids and not being the Punisher. So now someone new is stepping into the role.

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Scarlet Scarab will make her comic book debut in July

The character from the ‘Moon Knight’ show on Disney+ will appear in a Moon Knight miniseries.

Layla El-Faouly, the character played by May Calamawy in the Disney+ show Moon Knight, will make her comic book debut in Moon Knight #25, with her costumed identity, the Scarlet Scarab, soon to follow.

The character will be shown in flashbacks as a member of the Karnak Cowboys, a mercenary group that Marc Specter was a part of. The character will then make her superhero debut in Moon Knight: City of the Dead, a new miniseries by David Pepose and Marcelo Ferreira.

Jed MacKay, writer of Moon Knight, said that the character will debut in one of three stories that will appear in Moon Knight #25, an oversized issue featuring art by Alessandro Cappuccio, Alessandro Vitti and Partha Pratim. 

“Working on Moon Knight #25 was a bit of a mammoth task… 70 pages of story, cutting between three stories, each with their own artist,” Jed MacKay told IGN. “It was a really exciting opportunity to have that much space to work in, telling a Moon Knight story in a longer form than we’re usually used to.” 

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‘Avengers Unlimited’ coming to Infinity Comics

David Pepose, Farid Karami and Alan Robinson present a story featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and more.

Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort revealed in his Substack newsletter over the weekend plans for a new Infinity Comics series called Avengers Unlimited.

“The idea is to curate a mixture of longer and short stories from all across the length and breadth of the Avengers concept,” Brevoort explained. “But they’re all new, all designed for this format, and all taking place within current mainstream Marvel continuity.”

Marvel’s Infinity Comics line lives on its Marvel Unlimited service and offers “vertical stories” formatted to easily scroll through on a mobile device. Avengers Unlimited follows last year’s X-Men Unlimited, which featured various mutant characters by rotating creative teams.

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‘Only the Savage will survive’ in Pepose + Magno’s ‘Savage Avengers’

A new team led by Conan the Barbarian takes on an evil Deathlok in the series, which debuts in May.

The Savage Avengers will return in May with an eclectic line-up and a new creative team, as David Pepose and Carlos Magno pit Conan and a new team of “loners, berserkers and killers” against an evil Deathlok cyborg.

Joining Conan on this time trek are Anti-Venom, Black Knight, Cloak & Dagger, Weapon H and Daredevil — aka the assassin formerly known as Elektra.

Pepose, whose credits include Scout’s Honor, Going to the Chapel and The O.Z., makes his Marvel debut on the title.

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Fund Me Friday | Iron Circus kickstarts ‘Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales: North America’

Plus: ‘The O.Z.’ and ‘The Baboon’ return, Cary Nord and more.

Crowdfunding continues to serve as a viable method for creators to fund their creative endeavors, as comic-related projects flourish on sites like Kickstarter and Patreon. The internet also allows creators to sell their creations direct to fans, through sites like Gumroad, Big Cartel and of course their own websites. If you’re looking to buy something from or support a creator directly, you’ve come to the right place. And that’s a good thing to do, now more than ever.

Iron Circus Comics launched their latest project, Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales: North America, earlier this week, and they’ve already blown well past their $20,000 goal by almost $100,000. And they’ve still got 14 days to go! That’s all in a day’s work for the publisher, who are up to 30 successful campaigns, and, according to publisher Spike Trotman, they aren’t stopping anytime soon.

“I’ve grown an audience that’s interested in what I do and everything that I publish,” she told Forbes. “At this point my audience kind of knows my tastes and knows my inclinations and even if it doesn’t fit like a glove, it’s something they can get behind.”

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