Ngozi Ukazu’s ‘Check, Please: Year Two’ Smashes Crowdfunding Goals

Kickstarter is still proving to be an extremely useful way for comics creators to get their work printed and into the hands of fans, and one of the biggest comics crowdfunding success stories of 2016 is Ngozi Ukazu's Check, Please: Year Two, which is not only fully-funded, but has raised over six times it's starting goal of $32,500 within the first few days of the campaign.

If you're unaware, Check, Please is, in Ukazu's words, "an online comic about hockey, college, and the frequent baking of pies." It follows the lead character Eric Brittle, a prodigious hockey star and one-time junior figure skating champion, as he settles in at the prestigious Samwell University --- and crushes hard on his team captain.

In April 2015, Ukazu launched a Kickstarter for Check, Please: Year One that raised $74,290 towards printing the first volume of the series. The new campaign has already far exceeded not only the goal of $32,500, but last year's final total as well --- and, in fact, the two sums combined! And backers are still rolling in as the campaign continues throughout the month.

The new campaign aims not only to bring the second volume to print, but to reprint the first volume, which is currently completely sold out. Rewards include digital and print copies of both volumes, as well as signed bookplates, print sets, and even a replica Samwell University jersey.

Check, Please's success is as a testament to the demand for inclusive stories featuring LGBT characters and themes. While many mainstream publishers struggle to find emerging talent to tap into a growing audience that knows what it wants, cartoonists and webcomics creators are finding ways to get their comics into as many hands as possible, and are finding huge success doing so.