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 pre-commercialization holiday anthology, Yule, the English publication of Urban Tails, and more.

Let’s get started!

Dragons by the Yard

dragons by the yard

Creators: Kelly Swails (author), Paola Amormino (penciler), Laurie Foster (inker), Sandra Molina (colorist), Liezl Buenaventura (colorist), Saida Temofonte (letterer)
Goal: $7,500
End date: May 5, 2021
Goodies: The digital fifth issue is just $3, get the physical version along with an enamel pin for $20, or check out higher tiers for back issues, inked drawings, and more.

Anna, Robert, Mae and the young dragon Albert flee Pasadena with the dragon Kalsaru and her weyr of infant dragons in pursuit.

Dragons by the Yard is a modern fantasy about dragons woven from fabric. In the past, publisher Kymera Press has sold issues to many eager fans at cons, but, in lieu of hand-selling, it’s now headed to Kickstarter for issue #5. This is a perfect jumping on point for anyone interested in a charmingly epic story as it prepares for four more issues. Plus, if back issues aren’t your thing, this campaign video does an excellent job of catching up new readers.

Become a backer here.

Urban Tails – an Israeli lesbian family dominated by cats

urban tails

Creators: Ilana Zeffren (author)
Goal: $4,167
End date: May 3, 2021
Goodies: The digital version is $7, the softcover is $21, and higher tiers include prints, hardcovers, and more.

Ilana Zeffren’s charming LGBT+ cartoons about her, her girlfriend and their cats, and their life in Tel Aviv. Translated from Hebrew.

The widely celebrated comic strip, Urban Tails, is coming to English language readers for the first time ever. This ongoing autobiographical story follows two moms and their two cats – Rafi and Spaghetti – in their everyday adventures living in Tel Aviv. It’s at once funny, sad, heart-warming and enlightening for readers unfamiliar with the city and its issues. For more, check out a preview on the campaign page and if that still isn’t enough, look for the sampler towards the lower middle of the page.

Become a backer here.

Yule: Dreadful Tales for the Holiday Season

yule

Creators: Grant Stoye (organizer/artist)
Goal: $15,000
End date: April 30, 2021
Goodies: Grab an early bird PDF for $10, go physical for $20, or check out higher tiers for bookmarks, extra copies, and more.

Yule is an anthology of short (3-5pg) stories based on pre-commercialized Christmas/Yule/Solstice folklore.

It’s never too early to get festive, and that’s precisely why the Yule: Dreadful Tales for the Holiday Season anthology is here. Described as a pre-commercialization take on holiday traditions, this project collects quick tales of little-known folklore from around the world, featuring artists like Meredith McClaren, Jenn St Onge, LetterSquids, Fell Hound and more. With artwork already 80% complete, this mix of horror and holiday spirit is sure to be a hit.

Become a backer here.

Young Offenders! #1-3: A Young Adult Team Superhero Comic

young offenders

Creators: Mark O. Stack (writer), Mike Becker (artist), Jodie Troutman (letterer/designer)
Goal: $10,000
End date: May 5, 2021
Goodies: Grab all three issues as PDFs for $10, get #2 and #3 in print for $20, or check out other tiers for digital archives, prints, and more.

The conclusion to the first arc of Young Offenders! It’s time for them to save the world… if they don’t kill each other first!

The world’s superheroes are missing and the Earth is under attack, so it’s up to their misfit successors to band together and save the world. Young Offenders comes from the writer of The Scent of May Rain and is drawn with unabashed style. This campaign is funding the second and third issues, which will tie up the first arc of what’s planned to be an ongoing series. Over on the campaign page, perspective backers can (and should) check out a 16-page preview of the first issue.

Become a backer here.

MUTINY MAGAZINE#0

mutiny magazine

Creators: Fair Square Comics LLC
Goal: $9,000
End date: May 8, 2021
Goodies: The digital version is $10, the print version is $15, and higher tiers include variant covers, an extended audio interview, and more.

Indie and mainstream comics together in one diverse magazine!

Mutiny Magazine is setting out to become a new comics periodical covering as much of the indie to mainstream spectrum of comics as it can. In this zero issue, the team at Fair Square is pulling in Todd McFarlane for an extended interview, Leila Leiz, Chris Cross, and Greg Capullo for variant covers, and a slew of additional creators for 7 back-up stories to accompany all the interviews and features.

Become a backer here.

Here are a few funded projects we love:

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

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR