Welcome to another installment of The Beat’s Comics Crowdfunding Roundup! This week we’ve got an eclectic mix of projects, from a queer sci-fi bonzo to a collection of pop culture art to a zine about mental health. Let’s get started!

MURENGA – Queer African Sci-Fi Graphic Novel

Murenga Characters

Creators: Nyasha Mugavazi (writer), Andrea Cancian (artist), Funmbi Ogunbanwo (editor), Jason Lamy (design lead), Tumo D. Mere (variant cover), and Marie Carames (editor)
Goal: $12,645
End Date: June 22, 2022
Goodies: Digital edition, softcover or hardcover edition, name printed in the back of OGN, digital companion book, bookmark sticker, enamel pin, variant foil softcover, and A3 Foiled Art Print

From Kugali, co-creator of Disney’s upcoming series IWAJU, MURENGA is a queer African Sci-Fi bonzo (graphic novel).

On a recently colonized planet, a group of friends uncovers the existence of dangerous neurotechnology being developed by the corporate government to “help” people with mental illness. Although the government advertises that neurotech is designed to help a lot of people, in truth, it’s only as good as the people who made it, and their sense of right and wrong. Rooted in Kugali‘s African Pantheon of stories, Murenga, a science fiction bonzo, is from the team behind Disney Animation’s Iwájú and is described as having the political intrigue of V for Vendetta, the pacing of Saga, and the themes of N.K. Jemisin‘s The Fifth Season. Furthermore, for comic fans able to pledge $45 to the campaign, you can donate a softcover copy of Murenga to an African school or library.

Become a backer here.

LIBRARY

Library Pages

Creators: Glenn Bray
Goal: $25,000
End Date: June 24, 2022
Goodies: Hardcover or a signed copy, retailer bundle

You CAN judge a book by its cover!

With the success of The Blighted Eye, uber collector Glenn Bray is again sharing his collection of pop culture and comic book art with a broader audience. Curated by one of the world’s foremost collectors and publishers of the odd, overlooked, and fantastic in comic illustration and art, LIBRARY is 800 pages of “obsessively curated” books, magazines, and pamphlets printed over the last century that celebrate a “vast array of high and low art – from a first-edition Hemingway to off-brand adult magazines of the 1960s, with everything sacred and profane in-between.”

As a comic book fan and fellow lover of weird things, I think this collection looks delectable. But don’t take my word for it, because Art Spiegelman agrees! Bray’s “Grand Library of Babble” is more than your typical collection of obsessively curated “oddball paper detritus that escaped the recycling bin.”

Become a backer here. 

Purple Eyes Vol. 1

Purple Eyes Vol 1

Creators: Sean Dicker (artist), Justin Birch (letterer), Phillip Maira (script), Alex Jourdain (writer, letterer), CG Salamander (writer), Castro Jr. (writer, artist), Chris Maiurro (artist), Devaki Neogi (artist), Deyvison Manes (letterer), Galen Haecky (writer, artist), Ilaria Fella (colorist), Jack Foster (cover artist), Jão Canola (colorist), Jimmy Kucaj (artist), Justin Birch (letterer), Keaton Miller (writer), Kevin Sharp (writer), Kyla Aiko (artist), Leonie O’Moore (artist), Lewelin Polanco (writer), Liam ‘Pais’ Hill (artist, writer), Mario Candelaria (writer), Micah Myers (letterer), Nenad Cviticanin (artist), Raymonde Chira (writer), Roberto Duque (artist), Robin L. Davis (artist, writer), Scott Arnold (artist, writer), Scott Ewen, Shadia Amin (artist), Skye Berggren (artist, writer), Steven Charles Rosia (artist, writer), Valeria Araya, and William McLaughlan (artist, writer) 
Goal: $18,000
End Date: June 15, 2022
Goodies: Full-color anthology, Death Cards, all three Crackle anthologies, digital bundle add-on, drawn into a story, and custom commissions

What would you do with only 73 min left to live? 33 creators invite you to a world where 73 min before you die, your eyes turn purple.

Contributing to the 140+ pages of “humor, heartache, and humility” in the Purple Eyes anthology are 33 of the top creators in indie comics. With so many creators contributing to this anthology, campaign backers can expect a wide array of stories from diverse perspectives. 

Become a backer here.

Scrape

Scrape Comics Crowdfunding Round-Up

Creators: Cee Raygun, Alex Williams, and Greg Smith
Goal: $2,000
End Date: June 19, 2022
Goodies: Saturday Morning Print, VHS Print, digital or print copy of the 40-page Scrape #1, stickers, Crime & Space: Fool’s Briefcase! (signed)

Book One

Science fiction is full of action-packed galactic battles, strange new worlds, and truck stops in space. But where do space peeps eat when they need something extra greasy… Space Denny’s? More like Zurk’s Diner. Yup, this comic is about a couple of space dishwashers who love blasting hair metal and getting into hijinx. If you like the art stylings of Jamie Hewlett and the Foodcourtia episode(s) of Invader Zim, this campaign is for you!

Become a backer here.

Thready: Tuesday

Thready: Tuesday Comics Crowdfunding Round-Up

Creators: Utku Yavasca (artist), James the Stanton of Gnartoons (cover artist), Brandon Hayes (writer), and 100% Comics (publisher)
Goal: $2,000
End Date: June 27, 2022
Goodies: A copy of Thready: Tuesday; digital download of Thready: Monday

Thready is back with the second issue of his 7-days of adventure. Come see what happens to Thready on Tuesday!

Thready: Tuesday is the second issue about Thready, a “manic-depressive recluse who, outside of bi-weekly meetings with his treatment team, spends most days alone in his room and is always seen wearing a mask.” Starting with Thready: Monday, released last year, the first issue in the seven-issue comic book run introduced Thready and his mental health struggles (if you missed the first issue, a digital copy is currently being offered with the campaign). Thready’s creator, Brandon Hayes, was diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder in 2012. Still an avid writer, Hayes dedicates his work to raising mental health awareness and believes in “destigmatizing the illness with a creative approach.” Dope!

Become a backer here. 

Here are some already-funded projects worth checking out:

And don’t forget to check out last week’s campaigns:

And finally, here are some projects that haven’t launched yet, but that look to be worth keeping an eye on:

Miss any of our previous Comics Crowdfunding Round-Ups? Check out the archive here!