I’m sure, in your internet wanderings, that you’ve checked out Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, or at least heard about them by now. You’ve probably backed at least one campaign. Every week thousands of new projects are launched through these websites, and many comic creators have found that this is a great way to bypass the regular publication/distribution model, to get their books directly into the hands of their fans.
It really is a bold new era, where creators come to you directly with their wares, and comic properties sink or swim based on the whims of the fans instead of editorial edicts and profit margins.
But seriously, crowd funding has been a game changer in its few years as a viable publication model, allowing many projects that wouldn’t necessarily have seen the printed page to come to life because of fans like you. Now, there are so many different campaigns being launched on a weekly basis, with a little something for everybody. But where do you start?
Let us be your guide to the thrilling world of crowd funded comics, art books, film, and associated geek and sundry. Each week we’ll scour the aforementioned websites, and profile those projects that we feel are worthy of your Paypal fees. Those projects that are offering something different than what you get at your local comic shop. Projects that defy classification, ones with interesting backer rewards, books that you might love, but would otherwise probably not happen without your support.
We’ll start with Digital Webbing’s Fist Of Justice on Kickstarter.
Fist of Justice is a series that started as a one shot, seven page tale in Digital Webbing Presents, but proved popular enough to return to those pages, and eventually get his own series. It was a rollicking superhero adventure series in the vein of classic Bronze Age comics, and it was a lot of fun! Unfortunately, life has a way of interceding, and just as it was getting good, FoJ was shelved.
Cut to many years later, and you have the chance to resurrect FoJ for a new generation! This wonderfully fun title has a chance to come back, but only with your help. The Digital Webbing community launched the careers of so many creators over the years, many of them, such as Yildiray Cinar (Supergirl, Teen Titans, Adventures of Superman) and Chad Hardin (Harley Quinn, Spider-Man, Stan Lee’s Traveler, Warlord), had their first published work right here in FoJ!
Fist of Justice was the super-heroic defender of Charm City until he made a fatal mistake that ended his career. He threw in the towel and was locked away and soon forgotten. But his power — though dormant — did not leave him. Now it has returned and resurrected FOJ — restoring him as defender of a city dealing with the new villains of the 21st century. Villains who are tougher, stronger, and meaner than ever. Collecting the fantastic first story arc into a trade paperback, and finally releasing the long-awaited sixth issue, Fist of Justice is back!
As if seeing this great series that hearkens back to a golden age of comic adventure come back in print isn’t enough, there are some pretty great backer rewards involved as well. There are copies of the book in print or digital form, exclusive prints, t-shirts, 1 of only 3 offered sketch cover editions, and even a walk on role where YOU help ole Fisty save citizens from certain death!
Whether you want some cool rewards, or just miss the fun inherent in comics of a bygone era, Fist Of Justice is the real deal! This Kickstarter campaign has the FanboyNation Seal Of Approval*.
*FanboyNation Seal Of Approval may not carry as much weight as the writer assumes. – The Editor
Next up on our whirlwind tour of all things crowd funded, we come to The Tethermen & The Neolithics.
This is an interesting one, a poster-sized comic that folds down into a normal sized book, with a different story on each side. On side one you’ve got The Neolithics, created by Chris Garrity, a comic about a misfit team of superheroes that operate around 10,000 B.C. Side two brings us The Tethermen, created by Matt Bellisle, a darker story about a group of unique individuals called Tethers, who can jump into the dreams of others, to control and influence what those people do once they awaken.
Two creators who have worked in the independent comic scene for years, and honed their considerable chops in the design and marketing world as well, this is the first time they’ve teamed up, and what a partnership it is! These are two unique visions coming together to form one great project.
Two very different stories by two unique creators, this campaign is to fund the printing and distribution of the first issue. There are some pretty great rewards too, should you choose to back this book, including digital copies of the issue, signed print copies, hand-painted prints, t-shirts, marker sketches, and more! But you have to act fast, as this campaign is over on February 6th, and is only 33 percent funded at the time of writing.
Super cavemen on one side, a war in the Dreamscape on the other, this book seems like a lot of fun, with some brilliant artwork, and with its fold-out properties it sure won’t look like anything else out there.
Our third entry this week is Pinoy Komiks, an anthology collecting comics from some of the best indie cartoonists in the Philippines.
The American comic industry is an insular one, rarely branching out into the comics of other countries, with a few exceptions. This project aims to bring the exciting world of Filipino comics to an American audience.
Featuring Filipino artists both from within the Philippines as well as those working outside of the country, Pinoy Komiks will feature a wide array of artists from popular web cartoonists, to indie creators, and even a few industry professionals working for big international publishers.
It will also contain work from international creators out of the UK, Korea, Japan, America, and Canada, each story inspired by Filipino culture, history and folklore. From tales of vampires, to autobiographical stories, and everything in-between, Pinoy Komiks is an intriguing and intoxicating look into a side of comics many may not be familiar with.
The list of creators is a long one, with each one bringing their own vision to you, but only if it gets funded in time. To sweeten the pot, there are some fantastic backer rewards available if you pledge, including digital as well as print copies of the book, your name in a special thank you section, original art including pages from the book and custom drawings, and even the chance to have a story YOU CREATE printed within these hallowed pages!
This is a great chance to see the world of comics through an all new set of eyes, new experiences, and new voices!
We end our tour this week with Comic Book People: Photographs from the 1970s and 1980s, a treasure trove of candid photos of artists, writers, and other comics folk taken by an insider photographer.
This hardcover photography book is perfect for the Comics Historian in your life, or anyone who would like a peek behind the comic creation curtain. A hardcover, high quality coffee table book with over 600 behind the scenes photographs, including a 16 page section in blazing color!
Noted comic historian, Jackie Estrada, has had an inside track for over 40 years, photographing comic professionals at conventions and other events. These photo negatives have been transferred to digital, remastered, and preserved within the pages of this wonderful tome.
This book features rare photos form the days when the founding fathers of the art-form were still among us, and today’s top talents were just aspiring young pros trying to get noticed, a candid and unfiltered picture of a simpler time in the comic industry.
There are rare shots of Golden and Silver Age greats like Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Carl Barks, Bob Kane, Harvey Kurtzman, C. C. Beck, Murphy Anderson, Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, Curt Swan, Joe Kubert, John Romita, Alex Toth, Wally Wood, and many others.
Plus top creators from the Modern Age such as Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Dave Gibbons, Grant Morrison, Jill Thompson, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Mike Mignola, Matt Wagner, Art Adams, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Stevens, and more!
Not to mention top underground and alternative creators like Trina Robbins, Art Spiegelman, Spain Rodriguez, Harvey Pekar, Scott McCloud, Denis Kitchen, the Hernandez Bros, and Robert Williams.
There are plenty of photographs of editors, publishers, famous fans, comic strip artists, cartoonists, SF authors, TV and film stars, and kings of animation as well. It is a virtual who’s who of pop culture, with commentary and notes from the author.
The rewards for this campaign include an acknowledgement in the book, photo postcard sets, signed copies of the book, a rare poster, a 16-month calendar, and a one-of-a-kind 48 page booklet with unpublished photos picked by you!
These are just a few of the unique and interesting projects waiting to be crowd funded this week. There are plenty more out there, with new ones going up every day. The great thing about crowd funding, as well as its biggest flaw, is that these projects only happen if they get funded, so if you see something you like, pledge away! See you next week!
