Crowdfunding Comics Roundup, April ‘18

Cropped from the cover of John, Dear, Laura Lannes, 2018

It’s April! The birds are chirping, the sun has returned to us, and Kickstarter season is in full swing. This month brings us a ton of new exciting projects, from a gorgeous riso-printed exploration of mental health as a freelancer to an own-voices celebration of a Sunday morning in the Bronx. Check them out!

A Vampire in Paris
Sam Curtis, Son M.
Ends April 26

Cover art for A Vampire in Paris, Sam Curtis & Son M., 2018

A Vampire in Paris is a 15 page vampire romance comic, packed & printed alongside 20 pages of prose and even more illustrations and concept work. Follow a supernatural hunter’s granddaughter as she discovers, pursues, and falls for her vampiric coworker, all while tending bar in the Paris night. It’s very cute, and very gay, and looks like it’ll be an absolute delight if you’re a huge fan of process work like I am.

Retrofit Comics 2018
Retrofit Comics
Ends April 27

Retrofit Comics 2018 Kickstarter Banner

Retrofit Comics is back with twelve new graphic novels for 2018! Retrofit has been using Kickstarter to fund their graphic novels for years, and the comics they publish are always innovative and interesting. They’ve carefully structured their tiers so that you can pick and choose your favorites of the year’s roster… or pay just under $100 for all twelve graphic novels, which is incredible. Creators include Pat Aulisio, Baron Yoshimoto, Summer Pierre, Sara Lautman, and more!

Greenhouse
Debbie Fong
Ends April 28

Cropped page from Greenhouse, Debbie Fong, 2018

Only a couple pages are up on the Kickstarter page, but so far Greenhouse looks beautiful, immersive, and deeply resonant. In it, a nameless narrator becomes obsessed with botany, driven by her own struggles with mental health and her isolation as a freelancer. At 24 pages, this is creator Debbie Fong’s longest comic project to date. The book will also be Riso printed, which means each physical copy will feel handmade and unique.

Wash Day
Jamila Rowser, Robyn Smith
Ends May 4

Wash Day cover and mockup. Robyn Smith, 2018

Wash Day has been taking my corner of the internet by storm, and for good reason: the book is an intimate, own-voices celebration of black women and their hair, which is something we sorely need more of. The book follows Kimana, a 20-something living in the Bronx, as she goes through her Sunday rituals: washing her hair, making coffee, dealing with rising rent, and connecting with her best friends. Thanks to the campaign’s success so far, Wash Day will also be translated into and printed in Spanish!

Mirenda
Grim Wilkins
Ends May 5

Mirenda collection cover, Grim Wilkins, 2018

Mirenda is a comic about adventure, demons, and maybe some friendship. The book is almost entirely wordless, influenced by creator Grim Wilkins’ experience of reading European comics and feeling entirely immersed, despite the words being in languages he couldn’t understand. Wilkins has self-published issues 1-4 of Mirenda with Kickstarter, but this campaign is for the full five-issue collection. The book will eventually be printed through Image, but Kickstarter backers will have their copies stamped with a unique, hand-carved print exclusive to the campaign.

Adorned by Chi: The Graphic Novel
Jacque Aye, Crystal Galloway
Ends May 6

Character designs from the Adorned by Chi graphic novel. Crystal Galloway, 2018.

Adorned by Chi is a lifestyle brand that, until now, has focused on clothing, accessories, and celebrating black misfits and magical girls. Now, Jaque Aye is bringing the aesthetic and characters of her brand into a graphic novel. The graphic novel is Jaque’s take on a magical girl story, set in Nigeria with heavy influences from Igbo mythology. The graphic novel is shaping up to be a multimedia experience with a huge creative team, incorporating animation, music and comics into one project!

Firelight Isle
Paul Duffield, Kate Brown
Ends May 6

Firelight Isle hardcover mockup, Paul Duffield & Kate Brown, 2018

Firelight Isle is the print adaptation of Paul Duffield’s webcomic, originally designed to be read as an infinitely scrolling piece. In print form, it will be collected in gorgeous hardcover and top-bound, allowing the spreads to open as tall as possible and preserve reading flow. If you’ve already read the webcomic, the campaign is well worth checking out: Duffield has included a ton of backer perks, and even the Kickstarter page itself is chock-full of animated graphics. You can also read Firelight Isle for free on Duffield’s website.

Group Chat
Carolynn Cabrese, Rachel Weiss, Jenny Mott, Ashley Gallagher
POMEgranate Magazine
Ends May 9

Group Chat cover, Victoria Grace Elliot, POME Press, 2018

Group Chat is a cute as heck comic anthology about friendship and found family. The stories run the genre gamut, but all circle back to people who have each others’ backs regardless of circumstance. With a crew of strong up-and-coming creators from all corners of the internet, the anthology promises to be full of heart and humor. Group Chat is published by POME Press, an imprint of POMEgranate Magazine.

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Zora Gilbert

Zora Gilbert

Zora Gilbert cares a whole lot about words, kids, and comics. Find them at @zhgilbert on twitter, and find the comics they edit at datesanthology.com.

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