I recently returned from a small vacation to Los Angeles where I relaxed and drank silly amounts of coffee. There’s something else you should know about me, I’ve got a bit of an issue with trail mix. By that I mean, I cannot satiate the part of my body that enjoys it. I try not to keep it around the house because I will hoover it up with the hole in my face in less than 3 minutes. It’s not pretty but it is my life. Anyway, I’m kicking off September with a glorious return to form at Crowdfunding Watch HQ. We’ll take a look at three projects that I think are pretty nifty and hopefully, you will too.
From the ever-lovely Hiveworks Comics comes this queer romantic comedy from Mari Costa (Peritale). Costa has been working on the 150-page graphic novel for almost two years now! Life of Melody is the story of a beast and fairy godfather raising a child together. The graphic novel deals with magic, love, and free will. The series is meant to be read by teens and older folks. The graphic novel was originally a Patreon reward but the folks at Hiveworks have decided to bring this story to the masses. The graphic novel will be a full-color, softcover and includes bonus material not previously seen.
Here’s a synopsis of the story, as seen on Kickstarter:
In the fairy realm, a Fairy Godparent is tasked with fulfilling fairy tales in the human world. The human protagonist’s own motivations and wishes are of little consequences to the fairy working their case. As such, humans are regarded as pretty difficult to work with by the fairies, who otherwise don’t seem to know much about them. The fairy Razzmatazz decides that the perfect solution to get around how unaccommodating humans can be is to raise the fairy tale protagonist from infancy to her 18th birthday. Despite his superiors telling him the idea is completely crazy, he commits to it, and by extension, commits to becoming co-parent with a beast named Bon, who found the child at the same time as him.
Here we see Bon and Razzmatazz discovering those first few weeks of parenting. Image via KickstarterChoosing a name isn’t easy. Image via Kickstarter.What will the future hold for this magical family? Only time will tell. Image via Kickstarter.
Something that I particularly enjoy about Costa’s work is her use of color. It feels joyous and buoyant and Life of Melody is no different. There are ample reward tiers available and they include a bunch of nifty stuff. There are special commissions, sticker sets and postcards available. For only $5.00 you can get yourself the e-book of Life of Melody which is literally less than what I spend on coffee every single day. Some of the backer tiers include an additional 40-page zine called White Fox, also by Costa.
Hiveworks has created eight previous Kickstarter’s in the past and they have a good track record for delivering quality products on time. The goal of this Kickstarter is $15,000 and numerous stretch goals will unlock should they reach the $20,000 range. Funding for this Kickstarter will continue through October 3. So go on, bring a little magic into your life.
Vanessa Stefaniuk is a writer, illustrator and plushie maker who hails from Canada. Her LGBTQ+ coming-of-age webcomic, Radio Silence, tells the story of a British rock band just on the verge of making it. The group tours the United Kingdom in the search for fame and success, along the way they discover and uncover mysteries about themselves and one another. The webcomic does deal with more mature themes such as self-harm, domestic abuse, and medical conditions, so that’s something to be mindful of. To give you a better sense of what the comic is about, here’s a trailer that offers a good overview:
This volume offers the chance for readers to immerse themselves in the world Stefaniuk has created. It’s the first time the webcomic has been compiled into a book form. Volume 1 will feature 200 pages of full-color-content and has also been relettered. Here’s a peek at some of the pages from Radio Silence, as seen on Kickstarter:
Stefaniuk put in a lot of care and thought into the backer rewards and they include some of the cutest damn mini-plushies I’ve seen. The various backer rewards tie-into the theme of Radio Silence perfectly, from a faux tour badge to star-shaped buttons, it’s all thought out. Backers also have the ability to obtain previous anthologies Stefaniuk has contributed to and helped organize. This is her fourth Kickstarter. As such, she’s been considerate and mindful of the budgeting and time frame for this project. There’s a helpful pie-chart which gives readers a greater sense of where money is being allocated. That transparency is super helpful and appreciated. Stefaniuk is hoping to raise $6,852 by September 19.
Launched back in July of 2013, Sparkler Monthly has been creating its digital magazine of comics, illustrated prose and audio dramas for girls aged 15 and up for a hot minute now. Lianne Sentar (managing editor), Rebecca Scoble (head audio editor, head of retail), Lillian Diaz-Przybyl (head comics editor), and Jill Astley (CFO) are the creative forces behind this magazine. This Kickstarter is to help fund the next year of content. The team at Sparkler has dedicated their Kickstarter towards letting you know what they are all about.
Here is a bit of what they had to say:
Sparkler Monthly is an independent fiction magazine publishing stories for women, men, and non-binary readers in a wide variety of genres, but with a unifying viewpoint (think of the shojo and josei genres in Japan). Most of our series are comics, but we also publish illustrated prose novels, audio dramas, and short stories – we’ve even put out a visual novel video game!
The team has even included a way for you to preview material by providing would-be-backers access to the Sparkler starter pack. There’s a lot of different ways you can show your support to this magazine. First, you can choose a reward tier under $50.00, which will give you access to Sparkler paper books and ebooks of your choosing. For $50 and above, you can get yourself a membership. That membership will grant you access to 12-issues for Sparkler Monthly. There are also special VIP memberships which allow you access to additional content, including every back-issue of the magazine. That’s five years worth of content people.
Why should you pay for a membership? Well, there’s a very good reason and that is to help pay the creators who make the webcomics and series we love. Sparkler Monthly pays their contributors and also shepherds them through an editorial process. That takes, yes you guessed it, both time and money. They’ve tried to streamline the Kickstarter process by making the rewards easier to fulfil, noting past difficulties with previous Kickstarters. The team is hoping to raise $20,000 by October 2 to help fund the next year’s worth of content.
Until next week my friends remember to be kind, have fun, and drink your coffee (if that’s your thing).
I have the exact same problem with trail mix, Andrea!
Thank you both for posting about these books and the lovely write-ups. I’m likely going to pledge for some.
Comments are closed.