Spotlights for crowdfunding campaigns are among our most frequently requested items for coverage from creators here at Broken Frontier. That’s understandable as platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and others have changed the face of self-publishing forever and provided a vital launching pad for projects that may not have seen the light of day otherwise.
So every fortnight-(ish) we’re going to sift through all the dozens of crowdfunding communications we receive here at BF every week and, along with some interesting campaigns we’ve spotted ourselves, bring you a handful of the more intriguing, exciting, experimental and daring uses of the form. Comics that both fit the Broken Frontier coverage ethos and that we think deserve your support and backing.
This week we start with some old friends of the site…
Retrofit Comics Spring 2017 Collection
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/retrofitcomics/retrofit-comics-spring-2017-6-new-graphic-novels-a
The who and what: There’s just six days to go and Retrofit are soooo close to their funding target. The six books in this Spring collection comprise of:
Combed Clap of Thunder by Zach Hazard Vaupen (below left) – three stories of “emotional and spiritual confusion”.
Steam Clean by Laura Ķeniņš (below centre) – secrets are revealed at a women-only sauna party. BF readers may remember our favourable review of Ķeniņš minicomic Alien Beings from kuš! comics here last year.
How To Be Alive by Tara Booth (below right) – a gorgeously coloured collection of small one-page moments captured in gouache paintings.
Iceland by Yuichi Yokoyama (below left) – neo manga pioneer Yokoyama provides an 80-plus page graphic novel set in a frozen far North environment.
Tales from the Hyperverse by Will Cardini (below centre) – I once described Cardini’s Hyperverse comics at BF here as “Kirby in terms of concepts, Ditko in the sheer otherness of its confines, and yet quite unlike either in delivery, Vortex is a mesmerising conceptual triumph.” This volume allows us to return to a newly coloured incarnation of the Hyperverse.
TRUMPTRUMP vol. 1: nomination to inauguration by Warren Craghead III (below right) – Craghead’s moment by moment rendering of the horror that has been Donald Trump’s road to office captured in all its grisly detail.
What’s on offer: Extra rewards beyond the six-issue subscription include original art from Laura Ķeniņš, William Cardini and Box Brown. And even the opportunity for you to be drawn next to Donald Trump by Warren Craghead.
Why you should back it: Retrofit have been nominated as ‘Best Publisher’ for the last two years in our annual Broken Frontier Awards and are, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most vital and important micropublishers on the scene in 2017. They push often experimental, and always compelling, books that embrace the unique possibilities of this medium with flair and verve. Check out BF reviews from the last batch of Kickstarted Rerofit comics including Summerland here and Lovers in the Garden here for evidence of that. A “must-back”.
Dickie by Pieter de Poortere
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/428273318/dickie-a-hilarious-comic-following-a-lovable-antih
The who and what: A downtrodden loser character that we can all relate to, the often dark humour of Dickie is presented in “silent strip” form by Belgian artist Pieter de Poortere. This collection compiles strips from the character’s 15-year history and is the first longer-form “English edition”.
What’s on offer: Aside from original art rewards there’s also the chance to be drawn into a strip and to own the cover art.
Why you should back it: Former BF staffer Bart Croonenborghs wrote about Dickie back in 2015 in his Crossing Borders column on the site here. It’s a review that signifies the strip’s cult following because well over two years on from publication it’s still bringing in significant weekly traffic. Dickie fans appear to be a passionate lot!
Bart said of the comic then: “Dickie is a laugh-out-loud universal experience drowning in sarcasm and functioning as a window on the human soul.” Sounds like a recommendation to us!
That Girl Comic
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/teamgirlcomic/that-girl-comic
The who and what: Women cartoonists tackle the theme of “growing up” from a variety of different perspectives. This is a re-branded anthology from the same crew that brought us Team Girl Comic – an oft-reviewed collective offering here at BF over the years.
What’s on offer: There’s the opportunity not just to grab a copy of this new collection but, if you’re new to the world of TGC, to pick up all their publications to date at the top end of the rewards tier.
Why you should back it: Team Girl Comic may be evolving into That Girl Comic but there’s no disputing the vital contribution to the British small press scene that TGC have made since 2009. They’ve been as much a creative community as a publishing venture and their grassroots small press activism under the guidance of British Comic Award-nominated Gill Hatcher has been inspiring.
Bottoms Up! from Birdcage Bottom Books
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/birdcagebottombooks/bottoms-up-true-tales-of-hitting-rock-bottom
The who and what: Described as “an anthology collecting real stories of bottoming out from alcoholism, drug dependency, sex addiction, body dysmorphia, pornography addiction and more”, Bottoms Up! is published by Birdcage Bottom Books and collects real accounts of addiction that have been adapted by nearly 40 indie artists.
What’s on offer: There’s an extensive number of original art rewards from contributors including some custom art tiers and a custom animated gif one.
Why you should back it: The last Birdcage Bottom Books anthology I reviewed at Broken Frontier was the superb Cringe: An Anthology of Embarrassment here featuring many of the same creators involved in Bottoms Up!. With names like Lizz Lunney, Victor Kerlow, Noah Van Sciver (above left), Daniel McCloskey (above right) and Kevin Budnik involved you know this one is worth a punt.
