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Kickstarters You Should Be Backing: June 2021 Edition

Kickstarters You Should Be Backing: June 2021 Edition

Posted on by Bob Harrison

It has been a while since we did one of these, but it is time to let you all know about some of the amazing Kickstarter campaigns going on right now. One of the positive side effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine has been an increase in creators turning to Kickstarter to get their projects out in the world.  There have been some fantastic comics produced over the past year. They range from single issues, to new original graphic novels, themed anthologies, and everything in between.

Today we are highlighting five Kickstarter campaigns that are ending in the next month and we think are worthy of support. We will list them below in the order of the end of the campaign with the soonest end coming first.

Good Boy #1: Old Dog

Campaign Ends: June 24, 2021

This is a campaign for the first issue of the new comic series Good Boy. It is co-written by Christina Blanch and Garrett Gunn. The art is done by Kit Wallis and the book is lettered by Dave Lentz.  The premise for the series and synopsis for the first issue is as follows:

Set in a world where humans and dogs are equals, Good Boy is a thrill-packed treat for anyone who loves action, dogs, and good stories.   

Flint Sparks and his human Jon, both former mercenaries, have settled down in quiet retirement from an industry where the job is supposed to be forever. But, unlike anyone before, they found a way out. However, this new life, filled with peace and joy is not to be. 

In the dead of night, some of their former “colleagues”, who disagree with their decision to retire, break into their home and murder Jon, leaving Flint alive in the bloody aftermath. 

That was their FIRST mistake. 

But don’t worry – they haven’t seen anything yet.

This book looks like lots of fun and while it is fully funded, there are some stretch goals well within reach. We highly recommend getting in on the ground floor of this series.

BACK IT HERE

Dead Beats 2: London Calling

Campaign Ends: July 1, 2021

This is the second musical themed horror anthology put together by A Wave Blue World. The first installment was Ringo Award nominated. The original editorial team of Joe Corallo and Eric Palicki are back to curate this collection of over twenty new stories featuring over forty creators. Just a few of the creators involved in this book include:

Claudia Aguirre, Nancy Collins, Gab Contreras, Taylor Esposito, Jamal Igle, Jody Houser, Liana Kangas, Ron Marz, Lilah Sturges, Kelly Williams, and so many more. 

This book is not yet funded, and we are hoping that it reaches its goal so that we can experience the sure to be wonderful stories collected in it.

BACK IT HERE

Filth & Grammar: The Comic Book Editor’s Secret Handbook

Campaign Ends: July 3, 2021

This is the latest Kickstarter from editor extraordinaire Shelly Bond. Shelly has spent the last few years cultivating wonderful themed anthologies using the crowdfunding platform, but this one is a little different.

“FILTH & GRAMMAR: THE COMIC BOOK EDITOR’S SECRET HANDBOOK is [Shelly Bond’s] 160-page magnum opus, a step-by-step guide to making comic books from cover to cover. It’s the first time Bond reveals the alchemy and method to her editorial madness.”

We are very excited to get our hands on this book. There promises to be tons of great advice for how to make good comics and includes pro-tips from people like:  NEIL GAIMAN, MARK BUCKINGHAM, PETER MILLIGAN, SIMON BISLEY, CHRIS BACHALO, MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED, PETER GROSS, MIKE CAREY,  DAVID F. WALKER, SANFORD GREENE, JIM RUGG, CECIL CASTELLUCCI, GLYN DILLON, DUNCAN FEGREDO, SEAN PHILLIPS and more! Continue reading “Kickstarters You Should Be Backing: June 2021 Edition” →

With Further Ado #115: Overstreet and the Hero Initiative

With Further Ado #115: Overstreet and the Hero Initiative

Posted on by Ed Catto

I’ve often said that The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is more than just a much-anticipated book release with a bunch of back issue prices. It’s really an annual book release wrapped up as a pop culture celebration. Every year, collectors look forward to the new edition and opine on which cover – Gemstone Publishing releases many cover options each year – is their favorite.

But there’s another tradition within this tradition- a special charitable tradition that’s been going on for a decade. I caught up with Gemstone’s J.C. Vaughn, Gemstone’s V.P. of Publishing, to get the skinny!

 EC: Can you explain to me exactly what these Hero Initiative Editions are and how they work?

 JCV: Each year, beginning with The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #40 in 2010, we produce a limited, hardcover-only edition of 500 copies of the Guide exclusively for the Hero Initiative, always with covers by top artists. Hero and their affiliates are the only source for these books. Gemstone Publishing does not sell them, and as a matter of fact, we don’t take a penny for them, and neither do our printers. All of the proceeds go to the Hero Initiative. Continue reading “With Further Ado #115: Overstreet and the Hero Initiative” →

PANDEMIX Is the Comic Anthology You Need to Be Reading Today

PANDEMIX Is the Comic Anthology You Need to Be Reading Today

Posted on by Bob Harrison

We are living and surviving today in a world with a virus that has changed so much of how we were used to living. It has affected everyone in America and most of the world whether you “believe” in it or not.

Talented artistic folks have invariably impacted significantly. While many artists were used to the working at home that has become the new norm for so many more, the world is different than it was pre-COVID19, and we knew that it would be only a matter of time before we saw creative expression of what the pandemic has wrought in comic form.

That time is now. We present to you PANDEMIX: Quarantine Comics in the Age of ‘Rona!! Available Today!!!

A group of nineteen talented artists and writers have come together to share their impressions of how they are seeing the world that we live in today. It is a wonderful collected anthology of comic goodness, but wait there’s more. This self published digital edition is available on Patreon , and all proceeds go to charity with donations to The Hero Initiative.

Continue reading “PANDEMIX Is the Comic Anthology You Need to Be Reading Today” →

Comicsnomics?

Posted on by Mike Gold

Our pal Greg Goldstein writes:

“Happy to announce the launch of a new educational program primarily intended for current (or burgeoning) independent comic book creators. It’s called Comicsnomics and, as the name implies, its aim is to dive into the nuts and bolts of comic book economics – a dynamic subject that has definitely been impacted (perhaps even turned upside down) by the pandemic.

“The first zoom cast, sponsored by the Hero Initiative, is coming Monday June 15 at 7pm EDT. It’s completely FREE, but donations to Hero are STRONGLY encouraged. Also, space is limited, and registration is required. (If for any reason, you are closed out, Hero will add your name to its mailing list for future seminars.)”

Details: https://www.heroinitiative.org/comicsnomics/

We will note that, while Comicsnomics sounds very interesting, any and all support for the Hero Initiative is a swell idea… at any time, at any spot in the time-space continuum on every parallel dimension.

Creators are Caring for Comic Shops

Posted on by Bob Harrison

With the mass chaos and uncertainty that the physical comic book industry is in as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, comic book writers and artists are finding unique ways to try to help comic shops. As we have detailed earlier, comic professionals are also affected by this pandemic in real financial terms. As their income streams dry up and “pencils down” orders are given, the community searches for ways to survive.

We are confident that the medium of sequential art will not go away, but it may emerge from this crisis altered. Will it be for the better? It is impossible to tell. In the meantime, the community is trying to support each other.

Today, we want to highlight some of the innovative efforts to support both creative talent and comic shops.

Love and Capes Returns

We told you in an interview earlier that cartoonist Thom Zahler has been working on the new Love and Capes: The Family Way series, and selling small print run single-issues at conventions. IDW will be collecting and printing a Trade Paperback this summer, but with all conventions on hold, Thom came up with an inventive way to get the story and get new inventory into the hands of comic shops that are still open in whatever form.

He is offering a way for comic shops to order the individual issues directly from him, and is, even, offering a way for the issue covers to be customized. Comic Shops can get all the details and links to the order forms on Zahler’s website. Orders are being taken until Friday 4/17 at Noon!!

Fans can reach out to their Local Comic Shops and encourage them to order the new content.

#Creators4Comics

An event is going over in the Twitterverse. Over a hundred comic creatives are auctioning off artwork, books, and experiences through the #Creators4Comics. The auctions will end on Monday 4/20. The funds raised will be donated to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, an organization that supports independent booksellers, including comic shops. Continue reading “Creators are Caring for Comic Shops” →