Welcome back to The Beat‘s weekly crowdfunding comics round-up! Each week we’ll spotlight comics projects we think would be a great investment, whether it’s a one-shot story or a sprawling anthology. This week’s round-up includes a demon-fighting luchadora, time-traveling heroes, and a brand new Iron Circus anthology, Smut Peddler Presents: Silver.
Let’s get going!
1. SHIP WRECKED: Volume 4
Aar
Goal: Approx $3,640 USD
Ends: Sat, September 28 2019 11:03 AM EST
Creators: Aaron Fever (Writer), Zakk Saam (Writer/Letterer), Katie Fleming (Artist), Rebecca Nalty (Artist)
Best Value Tier: Approx $13 USD for 3 PDFs and a print copy (includes shipping)
Launched on the 30th of March 2016, Ship Wrecked is the story of the Intergalactic Spaceship Bowie‘s Accounting Department. The comic follows our diverse team of misfits (Aloe, Bobsjvul, Trey, Gar-E, Bertilak, Oscar, and Sunayana) as they attempt to get through their work day without going mad. They’re not involved with any of the cool stuff happening on the ship but they still have a job to do and they’re going to find a way to do it before boredom takes their will to carry on.
Romance! Intrigue! Accounting! Ship Wrecked is an on-going webcomic from Aaron Fever and Zakk Saam, with gorgeous art by Katie Fleming and Rebecca Nalty. The added bonus of webcomics crowdfunding is you can typically check out a few pages before you dive into the campaign, which is the case here. The previous three volumes of Ship Wrecked are available on Tapas, and have a playful humor and warmth that will suck you in. Volume 4 is print-only, but approximately $13 USD including shipping will let you a print copy, a mini anthology, a digital poster, and a digital script.
You can back the campaign here.
2. The Michaels Girls: A queer children’s comic book
Goal: Approx $16,553 USD
Ends: Wed, October 2 2019 9:51 AM EST
Creators: Nelson Leloup (Writer), Ana Karenina Garcia (Artist), Mariam Trejo (Colorist), Dominik Schwäger (Letterer)
Best Value Tier: Approx $8 USD for a digital copy
“The Michaels Girls” is a 64 page children’s comic book following four sisters: Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche, and Rose, as they travel back in time to Paris 1985 on a mission to save their dads and the city itself. Love has become a crime, and it will take a lot of self-love and courage from the girls to defeat the evil Mercuror and his terrible army of Love Shaders.⠀
This comic looks so cute! Ana Karenina Garcia’s gentle lines and Mariam Trejo’s vibrant colors give The Michaels Girls a very Sailor Moon or Jem and the Holograms vibe. Writer Nelson Leloup’s passion for this tale of found families and fighting evil by Paris moonlight shines through in both their campaign video and the short preview comic Leloup offers. There can never be too many queer comics for kids in the world, and this one looks positively delightful. Approximately $8 USD will net you a digital copy and printable coloring pages.
You can back the campaign here.
3. 20 FISTS
Goal: Approx $758 USD
Ends: Sun, October 6 2019 9:00 PM EST.
Creators: Frankee White (Writer), Kat Baumann (Artist), DC Hopkins (Letterer)
Best Value Tier: Approx $3 USD plus shipping for a digital copy
20 FISTS is a queer Romeo & Juliet during a break-up meets The Warriors. It’s a tale as old as time. Two women, who met on the battleground, find themselves sorting through the rubble of their relationship in the illegal and unlicensed fight league that runs rampant throughout their city. Issue #1 features two chapters: Round One is the first part of the fight between The No Names & The Big Jackets. Following Round One is a flashback that sets up the growing friction between Chel, Billie, and their crews.
The premise of this comic rules, but there’s also quite a bit of body diversity here and I’m already obsessed with the brawler with the rose tattoos. Kat Baumann delivers incredible art in the preview pages, particularly in the subtleties of expressions that can be tough to capture — little motions around the corners of eyes and the tilt of a mouth. $3 USD will net you a digital copy of the first 35 page issue.
You can back the campaign here.
4. Smut Peddler Presents: Silver!
Goal: $20,000 USD
Ends: Wed, October 2 2019 7:00 PM EST
Creators: Anthology
Best Value Tier: $15 USD for a digital copy
We love all our children equally, of course. But real talk? Smut Peddler Presents: Silver is easily one of the most beautiful anthologies we’ve put together to date. Check it out!
I’ll never not recommend an Iron Circus Comics anthology Kickstarter. Spike Trotman and the Iron Circus team consistently put out some of the best comics anthologies on the market, and Smut Peddler Presents: Silver! looks to be no different. Silver brings together fifteen creators for erotic stories featuring leads with a bit more experience than the romance genre tends to center. $15 will net you a digital copy, but if you’re new to the Smut Peddler series and want to catch up on previous editions, $65 will net you all five volumes.
You can back the campaign here.
5. The Legend of La Mariposa: The Demon Gauntlet
Goal: Approx $5,237 USD
Ends: Mon, October 14 2019 7:00 AM EST
Creators: James Lawrence
Best Value Tier: Approx $7 USD for a digital copy
The Legend of La Mariposa: The Demon Gauntlet is a 200 page all-ages full-colour graphic novel collecting the popular webcomic of the same name. Please note, this is a COMPLETE, FINISHED BOOK! It’s ready to print and that’s where you come in, because we are gonna bring this beautiful beast into the world together through the magic of KICKSTARTER!!
Cartoonist James Lawrence’s The Legend of La Mariposa is an absolute delight. The character designs are a joy to look at, and his art is dynamic and playful. La Mariposa follows the adventures of the titular La Mariposa, a wrestler whose dream is to join the legendary Sons of Justice. What will she do when her initiation takes puts her in the path of four demons? Kick butt and take names (and masks) of course!
You can back the campaign here.
The following campaigns from previous round-ups are still running:
- Miss Anthology Volume 3 (Ends 9/22)
- The Royal Book Of Oz (Ends 9/27)
- Life Finds A Way (Ends 9/28)
- klub zin #4 (Ends 9/29)
- Don’t Go Without Me (Ends 10/2)
- The Lost Falcon (Ends 10/2)
- Electricity Is Her Element (Ends 10/3)
- Ukelele Spells: Coda (Ends 10/4)
- SOME STRANGE DISTURBANCES: The Lunchroom Under the Arch (Ends 10/4)
- Living The Crowdfunded Life—A Diskette Press Zine (Ends 10/6)
- Koreangry (Ends 10/7)
