Kickstarter Comic Round-up!
I wasn’t able to get to the comic store this week to get my browse on, so in lieu of a review, I turned to our favorite crowd-funding platform to see if anything caught my eye. I go through phases where I check the comic section religiously for new projects, and others when I get so discouraged by what’s there that I don’t go back for weeks. Well, I’m glad I went hunting, because there are definitely some diamonds among the dross. Peek below for this week’s top comics (on Kickstarter, and IMO…)
Super-Ego. I’m a fan of deconstructing the superhero genre and Caio Olivera’s Super-Ego seems as deconstructy as it gets. Dr. Eugene Goodman is psychiatrist to the super-powered and Super-Ego explores para-human practice. The concept is cheeky and the art has a “The Tick”-ish vibe that touches my happy place. The project page is cute—it’s written “in-character” by the Dr. Goodman character—which would normally turn me off (a project page should be clear and concise, imo), but Olivera provides a great deal of clarity regarding his pledge levels and add-ons which saves the project from ambiguity. I also like that it’s a funding to finish project—the art is very nearly done and coloring is underway—Olivera’s just getting his ducks in a row to get the book published. 28 days to go.
In the Dark – A Horror Anthology. Just in time for the Halloween season, we’ve got In the Dark, A Horror Anthology with 20 all original horror tales, a foreword by veteran horror comics writer, Scott Snyder, and a walk through the history of horror comics by comics historian, Mike Howlett. The project has tried (and succeeded) to raise $30K to fund the print and ship the lovely hardcover, with the extra funds to be divvied -up among the roster of creators, who volunteered content with no upfront remuneration. And what a talented roster it is! I won’t rehash them all here, but scroll the project page. If you don’t recognize their names, you’ll definitely recognize their work. Another notable aspect of this project is that it is uncluttered by excessive stretch goals and add-ons—it’s all about getting a quality product into backers’ hands. I can respect that! One week to go.
Zombies Hate Kung Fu. This book grabbed my attention for its… high concept. You see, Zombies hate Kung-fu. They just hate it… Actually, what made this project standout to me is how the creator intends to execute it: by “comic-scoping” (like rotoscoping) choreographed fight sequences executed by an actual kung fu master, to create “the most electrifying, vibrant, and realistic kung fu comic possible” (with zombies). This one gets a mention for its weirdness and for it low cost of entry: 5 GBP at the digital level (about $8). Is it worth it? Well that depends how much kung fu you like in your zombie. Or how much zombie you like in your kung fu… 16 days to go.
Kali Yuga – Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got Kali Yuga, “a story about a time traveling wizard named Abaraiis, who must defeat the seven Lizard Kings–masters of Kaos sorcery.” The creator swears that this is rooted in his studies of world mythologies, and he uses phrases like “Odiniic wanderer” in his project description (this is a ‘Bad Thing.’ No cares how much mythological veritas your story about ageless wizards and lizard kings has. No one.) What makes this project great (and where the creator’s love of mythology and world cultures actually shines through) is in the art. Frankly, it’s breathtakingly good and super stylized. Besides the overly intellectualized project description, but other gripe is that the project is for the first issue (e.g. 20 pages) of a n “epic sci-fi/dark fantasy graphic novel trilogy.” I tend to avoid “issue one launch projects” as a rule, because I have little faith they’ll ever become more than that (though I’d love to be proven wrong). That said, rules are meant to be broken: of all the projects that we’ve looked at today, if I had to choose just one to support, this would be it based on the quality of it’s art alone. Definitely take a look. One week to go.
Well that’s it for todays Kickstarter Comic Round-up. I hope to be back in review mode by next week. Until then, auf wiedersehen!
Caffeineforge 