Crowdfunded Comics and my Contributions.

 

One thing I have always stood by is that I support independent creation, in written, illustrated, and any other visual form. I will always pride myself on being an independent writer because it gives me freedom and control over my own work, not some publisher. When the Comicsgate movement kicked off, and with it a wave of independently created comics and graphic novels, I was on board with it, because I understood why they were doing it.

I saw, like many, some of the amazingly shit writing and art that had made it into modern comics, specifically Marvel and DC. The worst part about that is there are so many examples I could cite here. Everyone has their own worst moment/s when they saw these examples in a comic and shook their head. I always remember the one that was the start of it for me.

Yeah. Angela Queen of Hel.  A comic so badly written, especially when it forced in unwanted pop culture references, and weird moments like above, as some sort of humour, it was shitcanned after seven issues. And then, there's this one.

A cheap dig at any reader who disagreed with X23 taking over from the then-dead Logan as Wolverine. The funny thing was, I didn't actually mind the choice because it made sense to me. The biological daughter taking over her father's mantle. The problem was that the writer was not as good at his craft as he thought he was. I stopped reading the book after issue six, and the series was eventually canceled. I don't remember what issue it was, nor do I care to look it up, but one of the final stories involved Laura fighting to save a trainload of turkeys.

Really?

It's been a long time since I have read anything from the mainstream comics industry, and I do not miss it. I started backing various crowdfunded comics when Comicsgate appeared, starting with the original Jaw Breakers and then Cyberfrog. Now, I remember the issues surrounding them and their lateness, and I was more forgiving at the time because it was something new. But, nowadays, there are crowdfunded comic campaigns appearing like bubbles in soapy water, all trying to reach a monetary goal of varying degrees, and it gets hard to keep track of them. I have backed a lot, and fulfillment has been different with each one, but I reached a point last week where the whole thing finally pissed me off.

Why?

Most of the campaigns have been very late. One was around four years late, and I had to pony up additional postage costs to actually get the book. Another I backed has had two of the three-part story fulfilled, but the second part took that long to reach me, I had to reread the first issue to remember what happened. As for part three? Its Indiegogo was supposed to have launched about two years ago but never showed. Other projects I have backed with assured multiple parts of the story have taken so long to appear that my interest just died.

But then, there were the ones that brought about the writing of this post.

The first is a thirty-two-page comic that was due February 2021. I complained about the lateness and was offered a meek apology which meant little, since the creator had launched other campaigns during the wait. When I asked for a refund, it was refused for not being in the budget.

The second is a sixty-page comic that was due in October 2020. There have been sparse updates and my request for a refund has so far gone unanswered.

The third is a forty-eight-page comic that was actually completed, quite late. But, judging from the comments on the campaign page, international backers (including me) never received their copies. No explanations were given, comments were not addressed, and assurances from the creators on Twitter have so far resulted in nothing.

The fourth one pissed off everyone who backed it. A forty-eight-page comic, due way back in 2019, that took almost $41000 (£34000) and never appeared. I only backed the digital copy because the postage was simply too high, something I am grateful for in hindsight. As far as I am concerned, this one was a scam. The creator simply disappeared, as far as I can tell. The only trace of him is a locked Twitter account.

As a result, I decided enough is enough. I will only be backing books from creators who have fulfilled in a reasonable time, or have stuff I really like and don't mind an additional wait. Most others I will not go near because my enthusiasm for their work has gone and the postage costs have risen to stupid amounts. The images from the top of this post, and above this paragraph are from one of my favourite books, Mary Boys. Both the campaigns, for the origin comics and the full graphic novel, were fulfilled in good time, delivering quality books with great art and story. I will back anything from that creative team and even had the pleasure of meeting them last year, where we became friends.

I find it a shame I reached a place like this, but here we are. If you are running a crowdfunded campaign, fulfilling it needs to be a priority. Failing it and your backers not only taints you and your work, but also puts the whole crowdfunded scene in a very bad light. My wallet is now shut to most of these endeavors until things improve, but whenever that could be is up in the air.

And finally, for anyone who suggests I run a crowdfunded campaign to see how I do, I did. I had one for my seventh novel, Niven's War. I completed it and shipped all copies to my backers three months before the deadline, even after I had to put my own money into the postage costs when the prices went up.