Crowdfunding

A woman breaks up with her terrible deadbeat boyfriend and has to start a new life. That's been the start of many stories, but this one's a little different. The woman in question is the world's greatest assassin, and she and her awful ex both worked for a criminal mastermind known as Requin, and the ex's response to getting dumped is to declare her a traitor. That means the new life she must start necessitates taking down Requin and his entire criminal empire before they kill her. That's the premise of Kill Them All, the upcoming graphic by Kyle Starks, which he's funding with a Kickstarter campaign that launched today.

You may be familiar with the hit Dungeons & Dragons podcast The Adventure Zone, starring Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy and Griffin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother & Me alongside their father, Clint McElroy. The show is a light-hearted and hilarious affair as Griffin plays dungeon master for his family, leading them through perilous adventures and battles. Inspired by the podcast, a host of incredibly talented illustrators and indie comics artists have come together to create The Adventure Zine, a fifty page book of fan art dedicated to the show, and today the campaign to create the book has launched with the aim to raise money for Facing Hunger, a network of food banks based in Huntington, West Virginia.

For the past few days, Osamu Tezuka fans have been patiently waiting to see what secret reveal lied at the conclusion of a countdown site teasing what appeared to be a mash-up game featuring a number of Tezuka's creations. With nothing but silhouettes of more recognizable characters like Astro Boy and Black Jack, a list of mangaka and game creators contributing and the idea to "Trust the Ministry," there wasn't a lot to go on. Today, all the truths have been outed, and Project Atom unveiled the Kickstarter campaign for Astro Boy: Edge of Time, a new digital collectible card game that takes place in one world wherein all the Tezuka characters live. There's just one problem; Astro Boy's gone missing.

Leeds-based cartoonist Kate-mia White has been working on a fairytale, a hand-crafted comic set into seven fantastical parts. A Dark Forest is the story of Elizabeth, a young woman who lives with her family in a small house in a tiny village. However, Elizabeth starts to wonder why everyone around her is acting so strangely, and it turns out that her sister, Grace, has a bit of a secret --- and everybody else in the village is suspicious. Now running a Kickstarter for the third issue of the series, White takes elements of folk tradition, myth, and dark fantasy and blends them into a unique, wonderful narrative. Completely hand-made --- every issue is hand-bound --- the sheer level of craft on display with this project is absolutely amazing. A Dark Forest is illustrated in keen detail, with a slowly unravelling narrative that feels like a fresh take on the classic fairytale. Back Pages spoke to White to learn more.

The weekend is here! Take a look back at what’s happened in the past seven days. New comics, new stories, new podcasts, new art being made — it’s all part of the ComicsAlliance Weekender!

Robin Hoelzemann's webcomic Curia Regis has been running since 2010, an 18th century battle of wits (and sometimes weapons) centered on a power vacuum that can only be resolved when someone ascends to the throne. Whether that person deserves the throne is not important; the kingdom needs a regent! As Hoelzemann brings the series to Kickstarter to seek a print release of the first volume, Back Pages spoke to her about how the story came about, and how she keeps up her weekly routine of comics intrigue.

Trina Robbins is often not given the credit she deserves both as a legendary creator and as a force for real change within the comic book industry. A trailblazer her entire career; she designed the classic Vampirella costume, was the first woman to draw Wonder Woman, and was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2013 in recognition for her lifetime of work in comics. Robbins deserves many more eyes on her work, which is why it's so exciting that a Kickstarter has been put together by Drew Ford under the It's Alive imprint to collect and publish her adaptation of Sax Rohmer's 1919 novel, Dope.

Czap Books is a new micropublisher from America, founded by Kevin Czapiewski. The goal of Czap is simple: to bring new works to print, and get notable comics in the hands of people who are going to love them. The 2017 line consists of Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky, Don't Tell Me Not To Worry (I'll Worry All I Want) by Kelly Kwang, and Egg Creme #1 by Liz Suburbia, and Czap has taken to Kickstarter to fund the line, and has already hit the funding target of $12,500. That's an impressive feat, and testament to the drawing power of the three cartoonists. Czap Books has huge plans for the coming years, and this Kickstarter is just the start of it. Back Pages spoke to Czapiewski about the publisher's plans and what to expect for the future.

If you're on the internet, there's no doubt you've seen KC Green's instantly memetic cartoon strip where a dog in a bowler hat sips coffee as his kitchen burns down around him. As the flames lap at his feet, he utters only three words; "This is fine." The two panels from a longer strip have been shared likely millions of times at this point, often without attribution to Green or his webcomic Gunshow, but as of late there's been a renewed push for recognition. Green has launched a Kickstarter for a plush doll of the "This is fine" dog, which comes complete with a hat, coffee mug, and that trademark blank stare that we all know and love (and feel, deep in our souls). KC Green has also debuted a sequel to the original strip, addressing the current state of global affairs.

People may say that superheroes are still the biggest thing in comics in 2016, but don’t be fooled: romance is where it's at. The comics scene is increasingly packed with different anthologies and stories finding new ways to explore romance, connection, love, and friendship. There’s no end to what you can do with a strong romance story, and that’s evidenced brilliantly in the new comics anthology Strange Romance, which is running on Kickstarter right now. Back Pages spoke to editor Adam Prosser about how the book came together, and what strange, weird love stories readers can find inside.