I have done several Kickstarter features over my short writing career and I have ultimate respect for those that Kickstart and those that back because I know both can be very hard. I have seen so many amazing projects come and go as my guilt grew worse with every project I saw pass me up. Like most I was making very little or no money and had a hard time contributing, so in a way my writing was my contribution, until now. I have recently started a decent nine to five that has allowed me a small amount of spending money that I will be using on Kickstarter projects.
I have made a few promises over my time of covering Kickstarter’s so the first thing that I had to do was check out some of the projects I have already wrote about.
The first project I backed ironically started the very hour I started to write this. Bullets and Angels: Rosary Issue 3 by Master Plot Comics. I did a feature on the first Kickstarter for Bullets and Angels at which point I developed a little rapport with writers Brian Lee Byrd and Sarah Hollis. I contacted Brian as needed for the information necessary to write the feature but as time went on we started to see each other in comic forums, mostly on Facebook, and I have followed their projects now through the third issue. Watching Brian and Sarah grow as writers and start Master Plot Comics has been a joy and the art team that they hire is nothing less than amazing. Artist Saint Yak does amazing work that is only enhanced by Robert Nugent’s coloring, and of course for lettering they got one of the best in the business, HdE. I was thrilled to talk about the first Kickstarter and now I’m thrilled to finally be a part of it. I think one of the reasons Bullets and Angels has been successful is the wide backing range. They understand that some of us are broke so they off rewards for as little as a dollar and all the way up to two thousand. I decided to do the twenty three dollar back because I really wanted all three issues and that was the crux of the reward. I realize that a lot of folks are like I was but sending out a dollar of love can get some pretty good karma decent little rewards as well.
The second project I backed was the second book of a series I did a review of, Judas Breed Transformation. Judas Breed is produced through Pen Ink Color Studios, written and created by Kenneth A. Brown, Art by Ryan Best, lettered by HdE. I did the review on the first issue and really enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for sci-fi books and as far as sci-fi goes Judas Breed can hold its own. Kenneth is another friend on Facebook and frequents some of the forums and groups. I backed this project for twenty five dollars because much like the last back I wanted a print copy of the first issue as well as the new one. I feel like twenty five dollars is worth the pledge because even though Bullets and Angels had one more issue Judas Breed offers some other neat little rewards like a couple of book marks PDF versions and a signed mini print.
My third back was also of a feature I did at the end of August, Kursk from Lucha Comics. I know by now a theme has probably been noticed, I’m friends with Lucha’s founder Rodolfo Martinez and writer James A. Bretney on Facebook as well as Twitter and they have been involved in group forums and talked to Bretney and Martinez in search of information in regards to my articles. Unfortunately right at this moment Kursk only has two days to go and is short about seven hundred and fifty dollars. I do want this project to succeed but I’m not sure it will. Kursk is a nice book that is well illustrated and follows a true story. I love the fact it’s a true story and is historically based. I feel like history in comic form garners interest for academics that might not otherwise be there. As I stated, I don’t think the three days is enough, unless people hurry up and back it now.
Like Father, Like Daughter is the final back that I did a review and/or feature on. I was very luck to receive the first issue of Like Father, Like Daughter from Comic Uno on Twitter. There are a few reasons I backed this project; a lot of people say there is a lack of not just female characters but female creators so what better way to combat that than to back a female created comic of a female protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t suggest we give carte blanche to just any female creators, but Comic Uno is one hell of a writer and Like Father, Like Daughter is one hell of a book. The book is great, it promotes diversity within our community, and for the backers it has some great rewards. I only pledged ten dollars but I got a hard copy of both issue one and two. I absolutely love the package deals because like many others I don’t always have the ability to pledge so being able to catch up on both issues as well as it being reasonably priced at ten dollars makes the reward pretty awesome in my line of thinking. Not that my little ten dollars is single handedly funding the project but the backing amounts run from a dollar to two thousand so they seriously appreciate literally every dollar.
Although I said I was done backing projects I have wrote about my loyalty still runs deep. Alterna Comics and their top brass Peter Simeti have been supporting me as a reviewer almost my entire career. Alterna sends me press releases and gives me a shot at nearly all of their new releases as well as their older books and I feel an immense sense of pride about that. I can’t think of a better way to show support that to back a project their trying to get off the ground. Clusterf@#k is a book that is right up my alley, its not just that it’s from Alterna, the tagline at the top of the Kickstarter page is “Wizards! Werewolves! Vampires! GOAT MEN! It’s a CLUSTERF@#K.” If that tagline doesn’t make you want to laugh and checkout this project then there is no help for you. I stuck to my pattern when it came to picking the back, I like to catch up and the twenty five dollar pledge gives me a physical copy of the backed project and a PDF of the collection so I can get up to speed. It is slightly more expensive than some other catch up backs but I believe that the collection is fairly large and I still feel twenty five dollars is a good deal, after all were trying to fund something and part of the fact of backing is that were getting something going not just buying a book.
When I realized I was running out of expendable money I felt like I needed to back something, or a couple of somethings, that I have no ties to. While I was searching projects Cosmos caught my eye in a big way. The cover picture is of an entity that looks like Galactus mixed with a shadow cabinet member from Stormwatch and to put it as simple as possible, it’s BA. That image alone gets me giggling like a school girl, but again, the pledge is fairly reasonable and gives me issue one and two in one shot. The twenty dollar pledge for two issues is a bit more expensive than some, but again the fact that were trying to get a project going is the main goal. I feel like my pledge is ten for the first two issues and ten for the second to get off the ground. Thinking that way makes me feel better about it and I still get two issues out of the deal.
I’ve already spent more than I could afford but this final Kickstarter was just a little too cool for me to pass up. Locksmith has a really imaginative idea that caught my eye and has the expected reward that includes the catch up. Both printed issues and/or all back issues has become my personal favorite reward and if I was a in charge of a project I would probably give that to every tier after the initial because I feel it gives guys and gals like me a chance to really gain interest in the book.
So here it is, my first venture into backing through crowd funding. I truly wish all these projects luck and I hope that they all find success. I truly believe in these projects and when I write about them I do it because I believe and want to see them successful. I could have skipped a few that I already read and had access to but that doesn’t do any good for them in the long run. Part of what makes our community so great is the fact that we all have each other’s back in a big way and the fact that we crowd fund so many awesome projects is just a testimony to that. I feel pride in the fact that I finally got the chance to give and as always I encourage everyone to do the same. These creators need and deserve our backing so be good to each other and see some of these projects through!
