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 Okemus #4, an action/sentai series about a boy and the 4 bio-mechanical warriors on his tail, LAAB, an experimental comics newspaper collecting cartoons, crit, and interviews, and more.
Let’s get started!
Okemus: An Action Packed Sentai Sci-Fi Comic Series
Creators: T.J. Sterling (wrtier/artist), Krishna and Barlam Banerjee (colorist), Deron Bennett (letterer)
Goal: $3,000
End date: September 11, 2020
Goodies: A PDF is $5, a physical version is $10, while higher tiers include variants, back issues, and more, with a portion of funds raised going to the National Kidney Foundation and The Harlem Arts Association.
A young boy struggles to control his new found powers in a fight against 4 bio-mechanical warriors sent from the future to destroy him!
The sci-fi/manga/sentai series Okemus is back with its fourth issue. Published by RAE Comics, it follows a boy named Cale who has no idea he’s capable of super-human feats – and the capability to save all of humanity. When we meet him, he quickly discovers that a crew of four bio-mechanical future fighters are out to stop him before he has a chance to fight back. This comic is inspired by Dragon Ball Z and X-Men, filled with hyper-detailed, muscle-bound warriors engaging in over-the-top action, and it only has a few more issues left, so jump on now ahead of the finale.
LAAB: An Art Newspaper Powered by the Radical Imagination
Creators: Beehive Books, Ronald Wimberly (author/cartoonist)
Goal: $30,000
End date: September 10, 2020
Goodies: A digital version of Laab is $7, physical is $20, and other tiers include back issues, signed versions, and more.
An annual broadsheet magazine full of art, comics, criticism, interviews. Our third issue concerns food, waste, soil & sustainability.
Originally launched in 2017, LAAB magazine is a newspaper-style collection of comics, essays, artwork, interviews, and more. Wimberly is handling design, while creators including Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Paul Pope, Mikkel Sommer, Virginia Zamora, Connor Willemsun, and Olivia Fields are contributing. This issue is all about food (literally and metaphorically) as it concerns itself with waste, compost, and media consumption. It’s an experimental project with a message – and the Laab campaign page makes a point to make it accessible, even for folx who can’t afford it.
The Princess Beast Vol.1
Creators: Sarah Burgess (author)
Goal: $7,834
End date: September 9, 2020
Goodies: Grab a digital copy for $14, a physical version for $20, or pledge more for digital wallpapers, stickers, charms and more.
A love letter to shojo manga, about the complexities of anxiety!
The Princess Beast tells the story of a young woman struggling with her identity. When she looks in a mirror, she sees a wolfish monster, but she has no idea what everyone else sees in her. To keep up appearances, she tells herself to always be kind, and always seal away that darker version of herself, living constantly with the anxiety that others might know. Burgess tells the story using fairy tale and Shoujo manga aesthetics over 200 pages of content that also include essays on themes in this volume. For a first look at Princess Beast, be sure to head over to Tapas for the first 63 episodes.
SANTA, SJW Latina Superhero Graphic Novel
Creators: Kayden Phoenix (writer), Eva Cabrera (illustrator), Gloria Felix (colorist), Sandra Romero (letterist)
Goal: $3,000
End date: September 9, 2020
Goodies: A signed, advanced copy of Santa is $25, and higher tiers include t-shirts, back issues from the Latina Superhero library, and more.
A graphic novel where a Latina superhero takes down the ICE detention camps in her town.
As is evident from the title and description of this comic, Santa pulls no punches. It’s set on a fictional bordertown in Texas, where an up-and-coming politician (who goes by the name of ICE) is out to spike racial tensions. As many of Phoenix’s other comics have done, Santa aims to establish a Latina hero created by Latina professionals that focuses on social movements and injustices. Pack that together with a beautifully illustrated comic, and you’ve got an easy buy.
Finding Home Volume 3: The Prince
Creators: Hari Conner (author)
Goal: $6,529
End date: September 1, 2020
Goodies: Grab the PDF for $11, a physical version for $20, or pledge more for previous volumes, a fold-out map (!!!), prints, and art books.
The penultimate volume of the award-winning LGBT+ romance comic, printed as a graphic novel.
Finding Home is a will-they-won’t-they of two travelers whose paths quickly intertwine – but kept apart by emotional fragility. Conner’s illustration and coloring are as tender as you’d expect from that premise, and just as charming. It’s being published on Tapas behind schedule, so anyone can check out the first few volumes over there for free, but this campaign includes exclusives and a prequel comic that won’t be available online.
Don’t forget to check out last week’s ongoing campaign’s as well.
- O Human Star Volume 3
- Skies of Fire #7
- By Man & Angels – a Sci-Fi Fairytale Comic
- Keep Staring
- NEXT DOOR: A Neo-Noir Comic One-Shot
