This one is a heavy-hitting week in indie comics and pop culture. You won’t want to miss this Crowdfunding Round-Up!
Waypoint Vol. 1 | A Cosmic Crime Saga
Creators: Jeff Treppel (Writer/Creator)
Goal: $5,000
End Date: August 13, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $6, get the print copy for $12, the digital bundle for $25, or at higher tiers get the print and digital bundle for $40.
Follow Claire Carlisle as she tries to survive the depths of space and find herself. For fans of Doctor Who and Saga.
Waypoint follows Claire Carlisle, a human- the only human- on a space station who must solve an impossible murder. Okay. From the get-go, it’s a space noir; I admit I find that appealing; however, what really grounded my attention was hearing Treppel explain his love of the series. From The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, to Saga, to The Long Goodbye, I couldn’t help but be interested. To then deal with the ideas of depression and overcoming your own demons, it’s clear why Waypoint exists, and maybe a reader might stumble upon this fantastic story and find their own way back to themselves out of this project. You won’t regret taking a peek.
SYSTEMIC VOL. 2: A 92-page SF/F anthology
Creators: Studio 12-7 (Publisher)
Goal: $6,000
End Date: August 20 , 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $13, the physical copy for $27, the digital premium edition for $15, or at higher tiers get a signed copy for $32 and much more!
The hit anthology returns with nine all-new stories where infinitely critical human lives and systemic forces grind together.
Studio 12-7 has been mentioned in the round-up multiple times; it’s no secret why, given the publisher has had 8 different Kickstarter campaigns and met their goals. In this case, I love to mention SYSTEMIC. An anthology series that collects some amazing creators in both mainstream and indie spaces, and sets them loose to tell a sci-fi story about individual people at points where society clashes, where cultural, technological, economic, and governmental issues meet. A systemic issue that all of us are all too aware of. Ebuen really does let these creators go all out; no art style is the same, and the stories are all very different. For an independent project, you get so much out of one copy. Make sure to check it out before it’s too late.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Commemorative 40th Anniversary Gallery Edition & Enhancement Packet
Creators: Graphitti Designs (Publisher)
Goal: $10,000
End Date: August 20, 2026
Goodies: Get the 40th anniversary gallery edition book with enhancement packet for $150, the Frank Miller Dark Knight Returns special variant for $200, a signed Frank Miller’s Ronin limited edition for $225, and much more!
In 2016, Graphitti Designs, under license from DC Comics, released the definitive presentation of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’s original artwork in their BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS Gallery Edition. To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the release of the series, two additional never-before-reproduced-in-this-format pages are being offered in this special limited-edition package.
In terms of popularity, Frank Miller will always be a household name, because of that it makes anything The Dark Knight Returns related just as popular. Most of the time, I let much of these kind of projects slide. Miller does not need my help to make sure people know their projects exists. However. Zoop has released something truly special that even I cant ignore it. To be fair, it is a beautiful
Start Your Engines #1: A 48-page Action-Adventure
Creators: Travis Hymel (Creator/Writer), Shawn DePasquale (Screenwriter, Writer, Letterer), Dave Dwonch (Writer, Artist, Editor)
Goal: $5,000
End Date: August 13, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $10, the physical copy for $15, the variants for $20, or at higher tiers get the cover bundle for $40, and much more!
A race car driver and his team face off against saboteurs and mutant dinosaurs in one book!
Admittedly, racing comics have been on the mind lately. It’s something I keep an eye out for, especially running off of the excitement forSean Gordon Murphy’s The Last Driver; there has been an uptick in hits on driving-related comic media. In this case, I am glad that it’s something that made me keep an eye out for projects like Start Your Engines, reading a race car team face off against mutant dinosaurs and saboteurs. I couldn’t help but think of a campy Speed Racer that still wants to offer more to its readers. In this case, a comic book with 48 pages of campy, fun, action-packed adventures with some great art and an interesting premise. So if you’re willing to take a chance, check out Darrell “Dare” Derrington and Team Dragonfly as they pop off the pages of this comic.
SHITKICKERS #1 and #2 — Rude, Crude, Sci-Fi Action w/ ‘Tude
Creators: Joey Esposito (Writer), Andrea Schiavone (Artist), Sabrina Filleri (illuistrator), Lucas Gattoni (Letterer), Erik Norris (Editor)
Goal: $5,000
End Date: August 13, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $10, the physical copy for $20, variant editions for $30, or at higher tiers get the bundle for $50, and much more!
It’s Green Lantern meets Lethal Weapon with some Starship Troopers for garnish!
Shitkickers caught my eye because of the thumbnail. Wow, how original, I know. But I had to know why there was the equivalent of an alien naked mole rat and a spaced-out Ron Stoppable reading comics. What I found were preview pages chock-full of color and life, with the words “Mother fucking amateur!” blurted out across consecutive panels. I was hooked.
The letterer clearly knows how to keep me reading, while the illustrator brings the world of this story to life in a way that makes the vision immediately apparent. Seriously, looking through these pages, you know without question what kind of sci-fi story you’re getting and the kind of wild world-building that comes with it. In short, Shitkickers looks like so much damn fun.
To top it off, Sean Von Gorman (The Pedestrian) and Sabrina Filleri (Milo Gray’s Imagination Adventures, and yes, this book) have contributed variant covers. What more do you need?
How about a story about fighting oppression, finding your place in this existence, and doing it all with a lot of help from your chosen family?
The fact that this project has only raised a little more than half of its goal with just six days left is criminal. I hope you all fix that.
For more from The Beat’s Crowdfunding Round-Up, check out our archived posts here!
