Welcome to this week’s installment of The Beat‘s Comics Crowdfunding Round-Up! This week we have an asexual/aromantic anthology, a medieval fantasy, and more!
Aces and Aros: An Asexual and Aromantic Comic Book Anthology
Creators: Lifeline Comics
Goal: $30,000
End Date: June 26, 2025
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $15, the premium digital for $22, the physical copy for $30, and the fair hardcover for $40!
Aces & Aros strives to be a vibrant graphic novel that celebrates asexual and aromantic experiences. It does this through 21 different and heartfelt stories brought to you by multiple talented creators, whose love of the project and hard work on it are apparent the moment you look at the crowdfunding campaign. It’s a powerful platform for diverse and authentic Aspec voices, which are long overdue. With the project having already raised over $24,000, it is well on its way to meeting its goal. I highly recommend looking over its campaign; you won’t regret it!
Of Ichor & Bone – A Medieval Fantasy Horror One-Shot
Creators: Asa Wheatley (Writer), Sammy Ward (Artist)
Goal: $4,030
End Date: June 12, 2025
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $7, the physical copy for $14, the variant for $27, or at higher tiers, get the original art set for $68, and much more!
Exploring the pressures of self-inflicted failure through the eyes of an exiled knight.
Ichor & Bone caught my attention with its cover. I am a sucker for fantasy-themed horror, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. It’s meant to be a dark medieval fantasy horror comic that blends the haunting atmosphere of Dark Souls with the same depth as something like The Green Knight. It’s wonderful, and it makes sense why the story follows Aethelflaed, a reluctant young knight who confronts monsters, the undead, and her own fear of failure.
RIDE OR DIE: Chapters 1 and 2
Creators: Mars Heyward (Creator/Artist)
Goal: $18,400
End Date: June 12, 2025
Goodies: Get the digital for $9, the physical copy for $25, the bundle of both books for $45, or at higher tiers, get the premium book for $49, and much more!
Demons. Cars. Gay people. THE COMIC
Ride or Die genuinely looks like so much fun. I can’t get over the art from Heyward; they have done their absolute best to make this a high-octane supernatural comic. To me, it feels like they wanted the depth of Spider-verse with the eerie horsepower of Stephen King‘s Christine. The story follows a misfit with some pretty bad luck who discovers a demon-possessed car and races into a deadly underground tournament to uncover his mother’s disappearance. Genuinely, what? I couldn’t help but smile looking through this campaign because it is exactly what I love about creator-owned series on Kickstarter—and the best part the inspiration comes from the creators’ very own car. Make sure to check this project out, there is a reason it’s sitting comfortably at over $21,000 raised!
Town: St. John’s in Comics
Creators: Black Panel Press
Goal: $7,220
End Date: June 19, 2025
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $12, the hardcover for $24, the townie pride bundle for $31, or at higher tiers get the Black Panel Press Bundle for $86 and much more!
A collection of short comics by eight legendary local artists, featuring eight different neighborhoods in the city of St. John’s.
As a San Diego-based writer, I find it extraordinary to be enthralled with a project focused on St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Labrador, and yet, here I am. Town is a heartfelt graphic anthology that captures the world of the town through the eyes of eight legendary local artists. Each story spotlights a different neighborhood, from Rabbittown to Signal Hill, and these creators dig deep into the humor, heartache, and beauty that shape this city of legends. From styles that range from vivid color to black and white, this collection is about much more than just St. Johns, it is St. Johns. Curated by Nancy Pedri and published by Black Panel Press, Town honors a rich and overlooked comics tradition rooted in the local voices that make it that much more special. Check out this project, you will not regret it.
BINARY: a sci-fi monster fight comic
Creators: Mark Haven Britt (Writer/Creator), Steven Yu (Character Designer), Josef Sison (Illustrator), Saida Temafonte (Lettering)
Goal: $5,000
End Date: June 23, 2025
Goodies: The digital bundle is $15, the physical copy for $25, the original art backer tier for $100, or at higher tiers, get the commission build for $200 and more!
“Imagine Godzilla and your therapist made a comic.” I won’t lie readers, the moment I read that, I was sold. Binary is a crazy, genre-clashing comic where a fully enlightened octopus fights a rhino kaiju. To be fair, I was already invested, but knowing that it’s meant to also be a raw emotional journey about trauma, friendship, and survival, all in an art style akin to Daniel Warren Johnson, I could not have signed up faster.
For more from The Beat’s Crowdfunding Round-Up, check out our archived posts here!
The Kickstarter link for “Of Ichor & Bone” is wrong. It instead leads to a different Kickstarter project.
Thank you for letting us know! I have updated the link.