Welcome to The Beat‘s weekly Kickstarter round-up! Each week, we collect comics crowdfunding projects that we think are worth your time and money. If you see something you like and you have the funds to back it, go for it! Otherwise, sharing the link can be a huge help to these creators.
In case you missed it, several of the projects featured in our previous round-ups are still funding, as well. Be sure to check them out!
Conceptual Heist Vol. 1
Goal: $5,952
Ends: Sunday, May 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Creators: Jay D’Ici, Matt G. Gagnon, atelierMUSE, Mat Valle & Shawn Baichoo
In the year 2090 Jemma Heiss is the greatest art thief in the world. After pulling off one of her most dangerous jobs, she decides to take crime out of this world and steal a painting off of the New Manhattan Space-station Casino. 350 Kilometers from the Earth’s surface Jemma is going to pull off the most dangerous heist in history, while never letting on to who she really is.
Click here to back this project.
Cheater! Fouls & Violations: Life of a Referee Uncovered
Goal: $5,100
Ends: Monday, May 27 at 10:15 a.m. ET
Creator: Kevin Sparrock
The focus of this Kickstarter is on the printing and shipping of the first book installment of my ongoing webcomic, FOULS & VIOLATIONS: Life of a Referee Uncovered. The book is 70 plus pages of comic strips from the first three years. You will be thrust into the world of sports officiating through the eyes of Sleepy, the local high school basketball referee. You will also see the transition of my art and my growth as a writer. The initial strips started in black and white but slowly transitioned into full color.
Click here to back this project.
WANDER: A Johnny Wander Travelogue Collection
Goal: $9,600
Ends: Friday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Creators: Yuko Ota & Ananth Hirsh
For the 10th Anniversary of Johnny Wander (!!!), we’re collecting our travelogue comics! If you’re a fan of our autobio comics from Johnny Wander: Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us, then you’ll be excited to hear that our travelogue comics go hand-in-hand with them! These comics span 2012 to 2017 and cover many of Yuko’s trips to Japan, as well as trips Ananth & Yuko took together to India, Hawaii and Japan! While these comics were posted intermittently with our autobio comics online, they have NEVER all been collected in a book before!
Click here to back this project.
Dixie York’s Mysterious Cauldron Comics Anthology
Goal: $7,500
Ends: Sunday, June 2 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Contributors: Amy Lynn Jackson, Taylor Esposito, Marcus J Eskow, Gregory Ramos, Justin Prokowich, Michael Kraiger & Sarah Fletcher
Dixie York Press, a brand-new indie publisher out of New Jersey, is proud to present our first publication, The Mysterious Cauldron, in combination with our first Kickstarter! This Fantasy Anthology will contain five different stories for a total of 40 pages of full-color narrative, plus more pages of bonus materials, including promotional images and artist sketches. We’ve pulled together a talented team to complete this project and present you with the best product possible!
Click here to back this project.
Bear Company 2: A Gay SFF Zine
Goal: $5,000
Ends: Monday, June 3 at 9:27 a.m. ET
Contributors: Blue Delliquanti, Jey Pawlik, Michelle Parker, Shean Molloy, Val Wise, Vincent Batignole & Ziyed Yusuf Ayoub
Last year, Pocket Bear Press Kickstarted and published our first zine, Bear Company, featuring four stories of fat gay men hanging out. Now Bear Company is back, and 33% fatter! This new volume features an amazing wrap-around cover by DJ Kirkland, and 64 pages of Science Fiction and Fantasy stories.
Click here to back this project.
Brotherhood
Goal: $5,000
Ends: Friday, June 7 at 5:39 p.m. ET
Creators: Joey Buckingham, Nenad Cviticanin & Tobet Racicot
My name is Joey Buckingham and I’m the creator of “Brotherhood”, an original story about three boys whose fates converge while attending an all-boys boarding school. All three come with their own baggage — one is an orphan, one comes from a broken home, and one faces familial alienation due to his sexuality. The three develop a strong bond but are forced apart because of an unexpected turn of events. Through the journey of the characters, readers are confronted with the harsh realities of sexuality, racism, and mental health. This is a new series to be released early Fall of 2019.
Click here to back this project.
Finding Home Volume 2: The Healer
Goal: $8,351
Ends: Wednesday, June 12 at 6:34 a.m. ET
Creator: Hari Conner
Finding Home is an award-winning LGBT romance comic that explores nature, magic, mental health recovery and relationships. Torn between the fae and human worlds, Chepi got used to being alone – that is, until he met Janek. Janek is unguarded, straightforward, and longs to return home to his friends and family – but there may not be a place for Chepi in Janek’s old life. As they grow closer on their long journey together, Chepi struggles with anxiety, past trauma, and his complicated new feelings for Janek. Janek doesn’t understand his friend’s hesitance and is unsure if the spark he feels between them is even real. With time running out before their journey ends and dangers lurking on the path before them, can they make it home at all?
Click here to back this project.
