They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I am here to ponder if that is true? Did you miss these missives? I was torn away from the comfort of my computer and cup of coffee to attend to the demands of the holidays, family, and cookie baking. But we’re back folks and better than… well, we’re back. I thought I’d spend some time on this New Year’s Day on some notable crowdfunding projects to start your year off right.

Plume: The Omnibus

After six years the incredibly popular Plume by K Lynn Smith has come to an end. That doesn’t mean you can’t still have massive amounts of western-inspired fun with Vesper Grey and her reluctant guardian Corrick as they uncover the truth about their past.

The Plume Omnibus clocks-in at 480 pages. The hardcover edition is bound to keep you entertained for a few hours at least.

Here’s what the Omnibus  includes:

• Plume Volume 1 (Chapters 1 through 5)
• Plume Volume 2 (Chapters 6 through 9)
• The Corrick Origin Story
• Plume Volume 3 (Chapters 10 through 13)
• The Tegan Origin Story
• Plume Volume 4 (Chapters 14 through 17)
• ALL NEW Corrick Short Story (STRETCH GOAL UNLOCKED)

There are numerous Kickstarter exclusives, including a matte hardcover edition or UV spot glass. This is a bonus if you happen to be one of those people who enjoys touching book covers. I know I can’t be alone in this.

There are numerous stretch goals, many of which have already been unlocked, so if you want even more Plume it looks like you are very likely to get it. Special backer rewards include enamel pins, t-shirts, and lovely combo packs. This project will continue to fund through January 12, 2018 with an expected delivery of April 2018.

Hopeless

Described as surrealist black and blue comedy with Kafkaesque elements, the comic Hopeless seeks to entertain those looking for something a little more experimental. Here’s how the Turkish comic creators Oytun Yılmaz and Onur Böledescribe describe their graphic novel:

The protagonist Mr. Hopeless is an unsuccessful, weak and slothful everyman, with a body too naïve a pain in the neck of his soul, who eventually leaves him. Having become all the more spiritless now that he lacks a soul, Hopeless notices that he has also grown invisible and that he does not, in the regular sense of the word, even “exist” in the world which now seems to him a negatively-aesthetic cluster of images. Accompanying his invisibility is a dog that only he can see, a dog that can randomly multiply and decrease in number. It turns out that the dog(s) will guide him throughout the search for his soul, as a letter that he receives informs us. The letter is from a man who introduces himself as Mr. Spider. The story begins right in the beginning of the protagonist’s surreal journey across the Mother Land, a world of fantasy with metaphysical undertones, inhabited mostly by animals: it is the probable shelter of lost souls.

With characters like Hopeless himself, Mr. Four Legs, The Pig and Daddy Longlegs– the comic promises to satiate the desire to explore worlds seemingly so unrooted in a time and space that we can’t help but use our own reality to understand and navigate them. It’s through this, perhaps, that we may examine and unfurl our current social, political, and moral constructs.

Through this Kickstarter, the creators of Hopeless are hoping to raise awareness about their work and comic in the United States and other western media markets. Funding will continue through February 9, 2018 and the team is hoping to raise $12,000 to cover the production and shipping costs associated with international publishing and delivery.

Bear Company

Artist Pat Myers began 2018 with a simple goal: create fun, inclusive and diverse comics. With that in mind, he’s decided to compile a body positive comic anthology big gay men hanging out and enjoying one another’s company.

Geared towards young-adult and up, the anthology includes four stories about bears having a good time without fetishizing them. Myers looked to his artist friends to create this queer, trans and non-binary friendly collection.

Bear Company will be presented as a 42-page book in black and white with a full-color wraparound by Amanda Lafrenais (LoveMeNice) and stories by Sfé R. Monster (Eth’s Skin) and Myers. All artwork has been completed and artists have been paid. Myers is looking for funding to help cover publishing costs.  The Kickstarter for Bear Company will continue through January 17, 2018.

Here’s a preview of what some artists have contributed:

   Blue Delliquanti

   Dorian Cliffe and Ryan Estrada

   Nero O’Reilly

 

If you’d like to share any neat crowdfunding projects you’ve come across, please leave a comment or you can reach me on Twitter @missafayres.

 

P.S. From now until January 7, 2018, all profits from the sale of this nifty ‘Go To Therapy’ enamel pin by Hazel Newlevant will go towards Magnolia Mental Health which provides free therapy for Black women. This design is also available as a patch!