With Crowdwatch we'll be spotlight new and notable crowdfunded comics projects that are worthy of attention—or support. This week, the Inkstuds podcast hits the road, the second volume of Bold Riley, Hi-Fi Color for Comics, P. Craig Russell's final Guide to Graphic Storytelling, and more.
Goal: $10,000
Pledged as of 3/19: $11,271
End Date: Thursday, March 20, 2014
From cartoonist and illustrator Joey Ellis comes Leaky Timbers, an all-new, all-ages graphic novel starring a colorful cast of monsters and misfits. Meet Wolfie Monster and the others residents of The Leaky Timbers Apartment Complex, as they live as normal a life as a cadre of creatures possibly could in a series of shorts, gags, illustrated poems and more.
The 72-page hardcover graphic novel is hand dawn, inked, and lettered by Ellis, a 10-year veteran of the animation and illustration industries who's worked for clients including The Walt Disney Company, McGraw Hill, PBS kids, HGTV, and The Salvation Army.
Rewards include the Leaky Timbers hardcover, a special hand-stamped process sketchbook, and various merchandise including stickers, buttons, original signed sketches, and video backer updates from none other than Wolfie himself.
Warlords of Wor: The Mini Comics!
Goal: $9,000
Pledged as of 3/19: $5,728
End Date: Saturday, March 22, 2014
On a post-apocalyptic planet, the City of Wor is a lawless battleground between the forces of evil and the city's protectors, a band of hi-tech warriors known as "The Warlords of Wor."
The Warlords of Wor is a line of action figures from Man Or Monster Studios inspired by the fantasy-action cartoons of the 1980s like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Thundarr the Barbarbian. To go along with the figures, Warlords of Wor creator Brandon M. Barker and co-writer Eric Scot Lemons has been creating a series of 8-page mini-comics containing stories of the Warlords. The 4"x6" full-color comics also contain activity pages and fun vintage ads, and are each illustrated by artists including Tom Scioloi (Godland), Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts), Tim Seeley (Revival), Sean Forney (Grimm Fairy Tales), and more.
Rewards include the comics, the figures, merchandise including t-shirts, posters, lunchboxes, original artwork and sketches, a comics or toy shopping spree with the creators, being drawn into a mini-comic and made into an action figure, and a complete tutorial and opportunity to make an original designer toy.
Varney the Vampire for Thrillbent.com
Goal: $30,000
Pledged as of 3/19: $7,781
End Date: Tuesday March 25, 2014
Years after his story was famously adapted by Bram Stoker and his contemporaries, "Varney the Vampire," the original Dracula, has come back to modern day Hollywood to take back his identity and the dignity of vampires everywhere with a movie of his very own.
From digital comics publisher Thrillbent comes Varney the Vampire, an M-rated horror comedy written by Scott Massino and illustrated by Scott Kolins (The Flash, Thor: Blood Oath, The Brave and the Bold). All six issues of the series, currently serialized on Thrillbent.com, will be collected in a full-color hardcover graphic novel.
Rewards include the finished hardcover, CGC combo packs from artists including Bob McLeod, Darick Robertson, Jnanet Lee, Jamal Igle, Glenn Fabry, professional portfolio reviews, and original art from the book.
Inkstuds 500 Interview Roadtrip Bonanza
Goal: $4,000
Pledged as of 3/19: $10,972 CAD
End Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2014
In honor of reaching its 500th episode, comics interview podcast Inkstuds is hitting the road for live a recording in Los Angeles, with host Robin McConnell and special guest Brandon Graham (Prophet, Multiple Warheads). The show will feature interviews with Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim), Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time), and others, as well as a series of on the road audio and video recordings with other creators in the area.
After achieving its original goal of $4,000, the project also completed its stretch goal of $7,500 and will visit New York City in addition to LA, and if $15,000 is raised, the tour will be extended again overseas to the U.K.
Rewards include a copy of the Insktuds book by McConnell, Graham's sketchbook from the tour, original art, comics, t-shirt and hoods, special comics packs selected by McConnell and Graham such as "The 80s Pack" and "The Furry Pack," free ads to be featured on the podcast, and a trip to Vancouver and hang out with the hosts.
The Bold Tales of Whiskers McFadden
Goal: £7,500
Pledged as of 3/19: £2,004
End Date: Sunday, March 30, 2014
When a six-foot tall alien cat-man lands in 1950s America, he must choose to stay and defend his new home from evil or somehow find his way back home. The Bold Tales of Whiskers McFadden is a planned four-issue full-color all-ages action comedy comic written and drawn by Ryan Jenkins and colored by Marie Thomas, to be collected into a complete hardcover book.
Rewards include digital and print editions of the comics and collected hardcover, maerchandise including t-shirts, posters, badges, toys and more, original art and sketches, an appearance in a Whiskers McFadden story, a limited edition resin maquette of Whiskers, and entry to a London-based convention to meet and hang out with Jenkins.
Dream Life | a late coming of age
Goal: $3,000 CAD
Pledged as of 3/19: $4,608 CAD
End Date: Monday, March 31, 2014
After nearly a decade, Canadian-based cartoonist and self-publisher Salgood Sam is close to finishing part one of his webcomic, Dream Life | a late coming of age, and is collecting the entire first half into a 162-page printed graphic novel, to be debuted at this year's Toronto Comic Arts Festival in May. After successfully reaching it's initial goal, the project is aiming for it's first stretch goal of $5,000, which will expand the print-run and extend the tour to promote the book.
Dream Life | a late coming of age is about a group of friends in their late 20s-early 30s, reuniting once a year and taking stock of the directions of their lives. It's a look at the unpredictability of life and how much personal connections matter.
Rewards include digital and print copies of Dream Life, a digital subscription and print issue of Revolver, an anthology created by Sam, select music downloads, merchandise and art books, original prints, and a stop on Sam's tour in both Canada and possibly the U.S.
Goal: $5,000
Pledged as of 3/19: $6,675
End Date: Monday, March 31, 2014
After 2012's The Legend of Bold Riley introduced princess-turned nomad Rilavashana SanParite (known as Bold Riley) and her world known as The Coin, comes the continuation, Bold Riley: Unspun. After leaving her life of luxury and embarking on her quest, Bold Riley heads south to Kabumzala, a desert kingdom teeming with riches but also new dangers.
Written by Leia Worhtington, Bold Riley is a planned eight volume full-color fantasy series published by Northwest Press and illustrated by various artists including Marco Aidala, Kelly McClellan, Jason Thompson, Jonathan Dalton, Joanna Estep.
Rewards include digital and print copies of Bold Riley: Unspun and The Legend of Bold Riley, and signed original art.
P. Craig Russell's Guide to Graphic Storytelling Vol. 5
Goal: $5,000
Pledged as of 3/19: $3,761
End Date: Monday, March 31, 2014
After four successful previous campaigns, award-winning artist P. Craig Russell is publishing his fifth and final Guide to Graphic Storytelling, an "educational video project that teaches the art of graphic storytelling." In each volume, Russell breaks down the mechanics of telling stories with pictures using the work of famous comic creators including Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Will Eisner, Carl Barks, and Bill Watterson. The fifth installment will expand on the topics introduced in the previous four volumes and cover topics such as composition, negative space, and drawing techniques.
P. Craig Russell is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning artist who has been working in comics since the 1970s, working on fantasy series such as Killraven and Elric, later moving to more mainstream comics work, most notably Marvel's Doctor Strange and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, as well as his critically acclaimed adaptations including the Jungle Book, The Magic Flute, The Ring of the Nibelung and The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde.
Rewards include original prints by Russell and other artists, the digital and physical copies of the DVD guides, comic shop sponsorship, and an original art commission from Russell.
Goal: $14,900
Pledged as of 3/19: $16,954
End Date: Thursday, April 3, 2014
Comics coloring studio Hi-Fi Colour Design is funding a reprinting of Hi-Fi Color for Comics, a crash course in digital coloring techniques used by professional colorists and illustrators. The guide covers both theory and practice and provides step-by-step Photoshop tutorials on topics such as importing and formatting, automation, flat and rendered color, special effects, color separation, and more.
Hi-Fi Colour Design was founded by comic colorist Brian Miller, who is the also the co-author (with his wife and Hi-Fi v.p. of development Kristy Miller) of Hi-Fi Color for Comics and Master Digital Color (Impact Books). Miller has worked in the comics industry for years with clients including DC Comics, Marvel, Disney, and Image.
Rewards include a variety of bundles that contain digital and physical copies of the new edition of Hi-Fi Color for Comics, mini-prints, enrollment in Hi-Fi Academy, a portfolio review, original prints and sketches, a private tutoring session, and "Comic Coloring Boot Camp." Stretch goals include new chapter additions, bonus art-packs, and printing scripts used by Hi-Fi.
Got a project you'd like to see on Crowdwatch? Email suggestions to mwhite@publishersweekly.com.
