Crowd Funding Watch: Brilliant Western Webcomic ‘Next Town Over’ Rustles Up Print Edition

With tradition publishers and retailers taking less risks in an unstable economy, many creators are forgoing the standard route of getting their books to readers and taking to newer platforms like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo to get the funding they need to make their project a reality. With several books looking to gain your hard earned dollars, ComicsAlliance is breaking down some of the best campaigns to the basics: What It Is, How Much It Will Cost, What You Get, When You'll Get It, and Why You Should Care.

This week we take a look at one of my personal favorite titles that's finally making its way into a print collection, the stunning Western webcomic called Next Town Over by Erin Mehlos.

What It Is: A kickass Western comic that has demon horses, gun fights, drinkin' and general ne'er-do-wellin' drawn in a beautiful fashion that gives the story a thoroughly epic quality.

How Much It Will Cost: $6,500, the smallest amount any campaign we've covered has asked for.

What You Get: $25 for a paperback version of the final book or $25 for the digital version along with a t-shirt. For a great bargin, I recommend the $50 tier, which gets you a signed, limited-edition hardcover of the book along with a t-shirt. If you're feeling particularly generous, $500 will get you the hardcover book, t-shirt, a bunch of goodies like bookmarks and your name in the credits and a sketch, and a full-color original illustration of your choice (Sorry, no porno or licensed characters. So my idea would be shot down twice, but maybe you can think of something).

When You'll Get It: April 2013, but Mehlos recently found/purchased/spawned something called "a baby," which is popular among human beings. So maybe give her a little slack if it ends up being late. Apparently these young creators cannot sustain themselves upon entering the world. Hahahaha! Crazy humans.

Why You Should Care: Back in March of this year I called Next Town Over "easily the best webcomic to come out in the last five years." (Yet, Mehlos quotes another site on her Kickstarter page and not this one -- come on, Mehlos! What gives?!) And, while I'm not as up-to-date with the titles available online now as I was in the spring, I welcome being corrected in the comment section below if someone can point to a superior effort.

My word is not enough, you say? Scoundrel! Well, then feast your mind's eye on the assorted pages below and be convinced. Still not enough? Fine! Read the first four chapters online for free and you'll understand why Next Town Over Volume One: Maybe Next Time is worth your support.