Welcome to this week’s edition of The Beat’s Comics Crowdfunding Round-Up!
Join us for a thrilling exploration of three upcoming Sci-Fi tales. First, the campaign for a project about a Park Ranger Mech is winding down, but there’s still time to get in on the action. Then, witness humanity’s fierce retaliation against an alien species. Finally, journey to the far reaches of the universe as an astronaut finds himself marooned in an enigmatic, distant world.
Modern Carapace: O Bounty Of Thy Ribs
Creators: Jacob Kuddes (writer and illustrator)
Goal: $3800
End Date: September 16th
Goodies: The Digital PDF and Physical copy of Modern Carapace, and a one of a kind T-shirt.
The story of Esther Wheatley, a park ranger who protects giant monsters from the threat of poachers, using her mecha “strider,” the Tarantula Hawk.
A living witness to the calamitous emergence of an enormous creature that poisoned the West Coast, Esther has reforged her fear of megafauna into a quest to study them, and eventually, a fierce drive to defend their existence.
Living in the ruins of an abandoned amusement park with a loyal pirate animatronic named WÉD, Esther has access to a subterranean tunnel system that leads to The Ribs, an arid waste that is home to Armacada, a massive, pale insectoid species that only emerges every seven years. Piloting the Tarantula Hawk, a blue prototype mecha, she heads into the desert to keep a watchful eye on this rare phenomenon as a sandstorm approaches. But she is not alone.
This marks Kuddes’ inaugural foray into the realm of comics, but he passionately characterizes this 72-page, full-color comic as a labor of love. Following a job loss, Kuddes devoted their time to amalgamating their diverse influences and experiences into this captivating world of mechs and monsters. The concept of a Park Ranger Mech pilot immediately piqued my interest, and the prospect of them confronting poachers to protect colossal creatures that had left our reluctant hero scarred only solidified my desire to immerse myself in this comic. This is why, here at The Beat, we are sounding the final call for this extraordinary comic!
WAR OF THE WORLDS: THUNDER CHILD BOOKS #1 & #2
Creators: Matthew Hardy (writer/editor/publisher) and Kevin Castaniero (artist)
Goal: $18,752
End Date: October 3rd, 2023
Goodies: some of the rewards available to backers are issue one and two with various covers, the digital pdf for both issues, hand drawn commissions from series artist Kevin Casteniero and more!
The Martians have delivered their first devastating blow.
Now the crew of the HMS Thunder Child must decide whether to save the crumbling ruins of a global empire or the rapidly dwindling human survivors of an Impossible Invasion.
Thunder Child is set within the world of beloved Science-Fiction novel ‘The War of the Worlds’ by H. G. Wells. Set against a backdrop of unstoppable terror and brutal tragedy – all leading up to the Thunder Child’s final showdown with the War Machines of Mars.
A new take on The War of the Worlds focused on a naval battleship fighting one of the Martians “fighting machines” was not a comic I expected to be created. To have some great art go alone with it and some gnarly looking previews we at the Beat think this is something to look forward too!
OXYGEN
Creators: Andrew Wildman (Writer/Artist)
Goal: $2500
End Date: October 1st, 2023
Goodies: Seven chapters, seven rewards! Not only do you get the book but you also get the digital pdf, a fridge magnet with slogan, Luna button badge, a bookmark, different Art Prints, and a T-shirt!
An astronaut finds himself marooned on a strange barren planet. His thoughts are muddled and his memories non-existent. His only companion is an A.I.drone who seems to be guiding him somewhere but is giving nothing away. Where is he going? What is the mission? And what is the shattering destination that his A.I. companion is leading him towards?
At the moment Oxygen has raised over $4000 of its $2,500 goal, its easy to see that fans of Wildman’s previous novel, Horizon has garnered favor in the indie omics community. To then release a new novel that remind me of The Martian but on an alien planet with an AI companion leading him to an unknown destination with time running out? This is looking to be an interesting Sci-Fi novel any fan would want as a part of their collection.
Miss any of our previous Comics Crowdfunding Round-Ups? Check out the archive here!
