Welcome to this week’s installment of The Beat’s Comics Crowdfunding Round-Up. Join us for a look into a Victorian-era steampunk thriller, a job quota that is not of this Earth, a golden age must-have, and more.
Boston Metaphysical Society
Creators: Madeleine Holly-Rosing (Writer/Creator), Emily Hu (Artist), Gloria Caeli (Colorist), Fahriza Kamaputra (Colorist), Shawn Aldridge (Letterer), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
Goal: $10,000
End date: April 18
Goodies: Special edition hardcover and/or softcover; a digital download, CD, and/or a USB flash drive of “The Ghost Ship”; Volume 2, which includes four standalone sequels; the first two issues of Mystery at Pikes Peak; and more.
WHO WILL LOVE BOSTON METAPHYSICAL SOCIETY?
Fans of Penny Dreadful, Girl Genius, Ruse, steampunk, and gaslamp fantasy stories.
People who like to read paranormal, historical fiction, and/or alternate history.
If you like character-driven comics with a mix of paranormal and science fiction, then these are the comics for you!
If you are new to the series, the original six issue mini-series is about an ex-Pinkerton detective, a spirit photographer, and a genius scientist who battle supernatural forces in late 1800’s Boston. They live in an alternate steampunk history where ghosts and demons are a normal part of life. Families known as the Great Houses control the economy of the Great States of America while the middle class and lower classes sole purpose are to serve the Great Houses.
Honestly, Boston Metaphysical Society is such a unique take on a Victorian-era story — mashing steampunk, ghosts, demons and detectives into one story. All of which is only enhanced by extreme (and without choice) loyalty to the so-called great houses and how each of these characters react to that arrangement. With great art to coincide with what looks to be an unbelievable amount of fun, Boston Metaphysical Society is a Kickstarter you don’t want to miss out on.
Gunpunch
Creators: Fernando Pinto (Writer/Artist)
Goal: $3,000
End date: April 10
Goodies: The Gunpunch graphic novel in PDF format, a wallpaper for your digital devices, the softcover or hardcover Gunpunch graphic novel, and prints.
My favorite comics and cartoons have always been the odd chapters.
Remember that episode of Dragon Ball Z where Goku takes his driving test? Or that issue of Hitman where he meets Superman and they talk about life (Right before Hitman goes back to killing people). When the fantastic meets the ordinary, and the absurdity of both gets called on and expounded to fun (And sometimes hilarious) results.
That’s where this book lives. A story of a regular man who after having the worst day of his life hooks up with a mysterious girl and now has superpowers well beyond his wildest dreams. Thing is, being a superhero when you’re not that good at it, kinda sucks. Especially when your paycheck is proportional to how many evil aliens you can dispose of in a week. And you thought making this month’s rent was hard before.
Gunpunch looks to be a gory, funny, action-packed, wonderfully drawn comic that’s, most importantly, full of life. Who hasn’t gone through losing a job, their partner, and just getting hit with hit after hit after HIT? This tale’s main protagonist gets up, though, over and over again; and even though he sucks at his new job, he still pushes through — and we get to laugh (and suffer) alongside him. If Gunpunch isn’t on your watch list, you need to fix that.
Stuntman
Creators: Joe Simon (Writer/Co-Creator) Jack Kirby (Artist/Co-Creator)
Goal: $500
End Date: March 31
Goodies: Stuntman No. 1 main cover (Buckingham); Stuntman No. 1 and OA Edition Simon & Kirby; and more.
You asked, and we listened! Featuring the original Stuntman by Simon and Kirby. This beautiful comic is professionally restored to capture the original look of the comic from 1946. Keeping the pulp like texture and having elements of golden age comics.
Featuring two Stuntman stories, “Killers in the Big Top” and “House of Madness”, this is some of the very first work Joe and Jack did after returning from World War II. Originally printed by Alfred Harvey’s Harvey Comics, Stuntman is a treasured character from Simon and Kirby’s portfolio.
This 32 page comic book, printed on matte paper delivering a similar experience to a golden age comic. These comics are a must have for any fan of the golden age!\
Featuring never-before-seen artwork and the opportunity to own a piece of history, beautifully restored to maintain the look and feel of a golden age comic, it’s a must-have for any comic fan’s collection. Make sure to join their Kickstarter before it’s too late.
George Smith: Paranormal Investigator of the PNW
Creators: Cammry Lapka (Writer/Artist), Adria Lapka (Editor)
Goal: $8,000
End Date: March 31
Goodies: Your name in the book, a digital pdf of the comic, the physical book, “Dino Nuggies” sticker, keychains, T-shirts, and more.
In the heart of the mysterious Olympic National Forest, a seemingly ordinary man named George Smith finds his world plunged into chaos when his beloved daughter is inexplicably abducted by paranormal forces. Desperate and determined, George embarks on a perilous journey into the unknown to rescue his daughter.
However, George doesn’t face this alone. Hank is a retired Forest Ranger haunted by the disappearance of his own brother in the same woods years ago. Despite the passage of time, the whispers of the forest continue to echo in Hank’s ears, urging him to uncover the truth.
United by their shared grief and a common enemy, these two numbskulls form an unlikely alliance to navigate the otherworldly and breathtakingly beautiful landscape of the Olympic National Forest. As they delve deeper into the supernatural mysteries surrounding the abductions, they discover a hidden world teeming with mythical creatures, ancient curses, and a malevolent force that seeks to plunge both the natural and supernatural realms into chaos.
George Smith possesses all the elements of a fan-favorite horror/drama comic, with characters brimming with life and personality. Cammry Lapka’s art elevates the experience to another level, capturing our attention with vibrant characters. We’re already invested in how the disappearance of George’s daughter will unfold and how Lapka will weave the mysterious allure of Olympic National Forest into the narrative, especially with the cryptid hinted at in the beginning. George Smith looks fantastic, and we at The Beat are eagerly awaiting more.
DevteamLife
Creators: Victor Lahlou (Writer/Artist)
Goal: $3,684
End Date: April 9
Goodies: The DevteamBook as a DRM-free PDF, The Devteambook Vol.1 (a 112-page book), and more.
My name is Victor Lahlou, and I am a game developer based in Montreal, a city renowned as one of the, if not the biggest creative hub for the video game industry. After working in the biz for 5 years in France, I moved to Canada in 2018. Then, in 2019, when a former animation director accidentally almost smashed a colleague’s head in with a foam hammer, the idea to report our day to day life popped into my head. DevteamLife was born!
Since then, what began as a side project has grown leaps and bounds. I started to find my gamedev audience on social medias, met with the local gamedev scene, and started building a following.
So the next logical step was to publish those stories in one nice volume. And that is where you come in to help us make it the best darn book it can be! Everyone from the gaming industry, from the hardcore fan to the gamedevs (especially gamedevs but not exclusively), will find something they can relate to, and knowing you are not alone feeling that way has the side effect of bringing people together.
If the video trailer on their Kickstarter wasn’t enough to get you hooked, then this quote from the campaign just may do the trick: When a former animation director accidentally almost smashed a colleague’s head in with a foam hammer, the idea to report our day to day life popped into my head. The best part is this comic is that its made for anyone to understand — you don’t need to be a game developer to enjoy this fantastic look into the industry through a comedic, and sometimes very real, lens.
Miss any of our previous Comics Crowdfunding Round-Ups? Check out the archive here!
