Welcome to The Beat’s crowdfunding round-up: a collection of some of our favorite campaigns from the week including one-shots, on-goings, anthologies and everything in-between! This week we’re checking out the sci-fi/fantasy road trip, Cat Trails, an eerie introduction to the world of Hiraeth, and more.
Let’s get started!
Cat Trails: Volume 1
Creators: Enrique Rosado (writer), Cammry Lapka (artist)
Goal: $4,100
End date: March 12, 2021
Goodies: Grab the digital version for $10, go physical for $15, or pledge more for digital posters, behind the scenes content, and more.
A Fantasy/Sci-fi comic about adventure and discovering what you want to be in life.
In Tierra Nova, there’s a globe-spanning path split into nine parts and convening in one place where it seems no logic applies: the Cat Trails. Combining science and magic both, Cat Trails was first published on Webtoon and Tapas, and is now making the move to collected versions with this campaign. Volume 1 kicks off the meeting of our protagonists – a goat man accused of a crime he didn’t commit and a wild but powerful druid – over 100+ black-and-white pages.
Hiraeth : Dawn’s Hunt
Creators: Heartship Studios
Goal: $413
End date: February 27, 2021
Goodies: Grab the PDF and all stretch goals for just $6!
A 23-page comic introduction of the world and lore of our future boardgame Hiraeth.
Hiraeth is the story of a wanderer in a harsh world filled with oddities like frozen ash, giant isopods – and unnamed horrors. Based on the preview pages, this succinct comic will be a quiet, exploratory one with a hint of eeriness. Its black-and-white art is detailed and the protagonists’ design is irresistibly uncanny. In the future, the team plans to create a boardgame set in the same universe, with hints of nightmares, survival, and discovery.
MERAKI #4 – A Futuristic Odyssey Adventure Story!
Creators: MK Palmer (Creator/Writer), Minh Hằng (Artist), Sebastian Cheng (Colorist), Trang Pham (Flat Colors)
Goal: $9,000
End date: March 3, 2021
Goodies: The PDF is $4, the physical version is $9, and higher tiers include back issues, variants, and more.
Follow along Psi’s dark journey as she takes on Zeus & the Gods!
As Meraki picks up with its fourth issue, Psi and her team of elite warriors known as the Alopix have to break free and put the fear of humans in the Gods. If you’ve missed the story thus far, the series follows an LGBTQ+ cast of characters (plus some pets) in an adventure through a savage science-fantasy setting where humans and Gods are at war. Issue four will come to 24-pages of full-color art and is available in a variety of covers, including a holofoil edition.
Mythic Creature Trainer #1+2
Creators: Rene Pfitzner (artist/writer)
Goal: $3,095
End date: March 11, 2021
Goodies: A PDF is $5, a physical edition is $12, and higher tiers include back issues, Pfitzner’s Sneaky Goblins series, and more.
A fantasy adventure comic about friendship and creatures.
Ulrick is a royal stable hand, but he might not be much longer. Because of his penchant for running late, his boss is giving him one last shot to prove his worth by brewing up a special potion and curing an adorable baby dragon of its fever. This second issue in the series will come out to 36-pages of full color art in a 6.625 x 10.25in format. A well-seasoned Kickstarter creator, Pfitzner’s pages are ready to print and ship soon after the campaign ends.
Slightly Exaggerated #1-2: A Treasure Hunt Fantasy Adventure
Creators: Curtis Clow (writer), Pius Bak (artist), Toben Racicot (letterer)
Goal: $11,000
End date: March 10, 2021
Goodies: The PDF is $6, the physical version is $14, and higher tiers include back issues, bundles including the teams’ various other comics, and more.
A dying girl must steal back a sacred artifact from a crazed cult leader in a whimsical fantasy world where religion is law.
The second issue of Slightly Exaggerated is well on its way to print. For those just catching up, the series is set in an imaginative, colorful fantasy world where an expiring treasure hunter sets out to steal back a sacred artifact from a group of cultists, and deals with themes of death, legacy, and religion. If that’s not enough, wait ‘till you get a look at this preview art from Pius Bak.
Plus, check out these already funded projects:
- Beneath an Alien Sky
- Sasquatch: Klondike #1
- The Bridgebuilder’s Creed
- Spectral Void – Volume 1
- MONOLITH – a cinematic graphic novel by designer LRNZ
And don’t forget to check out last week’s campaigns!