Happy Friday the 13th, and welcome to another installment of The Beat’s Comics Crowdfunding Roundup! This week we have a whole range of projects, but we are kicking off the list with the Dark Horse Comics’ House of Fear, for Friday the 13th, of course.
(Editor’s Note: This should’ve run on Friday the 13th. Instead it ran on Saturday the 14th. Which can be just as spooky! But don’t hold that against Rebecca. -JG)
House of Fear Vol. 1 & 2
Creators: James Powell (writer), Jethro Morales (artist), James Hislope (chapter break art), Josh Jensen (colors), and Matt Krotzer (letters/designs)
Goal: $11,000
End Date: May 24, 2022
Goodies: Kickstarter exclusive limited edition, Punk Rawk Ninja Crossover print by Nate Lovett, bound trade paperback to match the first Dark Horse volume
Our new trade paperback collects 176 pages of giant spiders, shape-shifting aliens, sinister pumpkins, and more!
With the recent release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s the perfect time to get kids into age-appropriate scary stories to tell in the dark! House of Fear is Goosebumps meets Tales from the Crypt, and this exclusive Kickstarter for the second trade paperback edition, House of Fear: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow and Other Scary Stories, collects eight stories from the series and includes two new stories as well, “All That Glitters” and “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow”! In addition, the campaign brings back the second issue of House of Fear for the first time ever (and for all you metafiction lovers out there, this story is for you)!
Memento Mori: Death and New Beginnings – A Comics Anthology
Creators: Amelia Board, Annie Hsu, Benyamin Rivera, Brady Evans, Casper Manning, Dan Beglov, Emilio A. Owens, E.P. Witz, Hannah Gray, Hannah Smith, Keiko Nishijima, Lilly Higgs, Liv Hamilton, Mela Rogers, Summersjoy Whittaker, and Svetlana Kurkalova
Goal: $8,500
End Date: June 13, 2022
Goodies: DRM-free PDF copy, paperback copy, 3 tarot-themed books, flower sticker sheet, prints, tote bag, a special “Thank You page, and art booklet
A new comics anthology presented by Level Ground Comics revolving around the themes of death and new beginnings.
Support young, talented creators with this anthology from Level Ground Comics, a grassroots publisher looking to give experience to up-and-coming artists and editors. This is the third anthology from LGC, and it explores the endings (whether it be death or the end of a job or relationship), grief, and new beginnings. The anthology features 16 original comics by 16 different creators and is a great way to see up-and-coming talent.
The Hearth and the Stone
Creators: E.C. Ibes
Goal: $4,000
End Date:
Goodies:
This Zoop campaign is bringing the popular webcomic to print for the first time as a 200-page softcover graphic novel, and is helmed by a female creator! Woop! Ibes is a talented web-creator and it will be exciting to see this story in print. The Hearth and the Stone story is about Pakora, who has been summoned home for the Winter Harvest Festival where her parents will be awaiting elegant offerings of spices, silks, gold, and copper to honor them. However, as a temple guard, Pakora has none of these expected riches. Only the Matriarch Goddess can help her now…
The Comic Book Encyclopedia of Pro Wrestling Volumes 1 & 2
Creators: John E. Crowther (writer, wrestling historian), Kevin LaPorte (writer, editor), Dell Barras (art), Rich Perotta (art), Rando Dixon (art), Alan McMillian (art), Javier Lugo (art), and Carlos Tron (art)
Goal: $3,000
End Date: May 22, 2022
Goodies: Throughout the campaign, the Kickstarter will be surprise-dropping AUTOGRAPHED and EXCLUSIVE pro wrestling comics and collectibles from Squared Circle Comics’ catalog as Add-Ons to your chosen Encyclopedia reward tier!
558 pages of true stories of legendary professional wrestlers, plus original encyclopedia entries featuring them & allies & enemies!
Comic book histories are the best histories. Who doesn’t want their history to come with a side of comics? Or their comics to come with a side of history? The two-volume set contains 19 comics about legendary professional wrestlers plus encyclopedia entries about wrestling superstars!
Naked Raygun “Broken Things” etched 7″ Record + Comic Book
Creators: Naked Raygun (Chicago punk band), Josh Bayer (artist), James Romberger (artist)
Goal: $6,200
End Date: June 8, 2022
Goodies: record on limited edition pink vinyl (500 copies), limited edition blue vinyl (1000 copies), original artwork by Romberger and Bayer, artist-designed Naked Raygun t-shirts, and vintage “Free Shit” promotional items from Naked Ray gun shows from decades past.
Single song 7″ with etched B-side and original comic book adaptation by James Romberger & Josh Bayer.
One of Chicago’s most iconic punk bands, Naked Raygun, is putting out their first album in 30 years! To celebrate, they collaborated with Eisner-nominated artist James Romberger and Ignatz-nominated Josh Bayer on a limited edition etched Broken Things 7″ and comic book set, released by Xylophone Media. The single-song 7” will feature the song “Broken Things” from the Naked Raygun’s 2021 album Over the Overlords (Wax Trax). In addition, Romberger and Bayer are creating an original 14-page full-color comic inspired by the song that will be a “visually-driven story drawing on the chaos of our times, unfolding in a deconstructivist spiral.” Sounds punk to me. Besides, who doesn’t love a good pairing of music and comics?
Here are some already-funded projects worth checking out:
- Bad Love: The Vigilante Edition
- Head Wounds: Sparrow – a new graphic novel from Oscar Isaac
- Black Boy’s Blues – An Honest Graphic Novel of Hard Times
- Impossible 2C: Impossible Jones & Polecat Team-up!
And don’t forget to check out last week’s campaigns:
- Stretch Marks Graphic Novel: A Psychologic Autobiography
- Moistly Harmless: How to Appreciate Newts and Salamanders
- A Cat’s Day by Genie Liang
- Nobunny Loves U.
- Tails of Mystery Complete Collection + Issue 4
And finally, here are some projects that haven’t launched yet, but that look to be worth keeping an eye on:
- The Kooky Wander #1: A Sci-Fi Western
- Skin Horse vol. 11 & 12
- Rafael Garcia: HENCHMEN – A Workplace Comedy about Evildoers
- Sunrise Blossom Vol 1 – 3
Miss any of our previous Comics Crowdfunding Round-Ups? Check out the archive here!