Kickstart From The Heart – Al Baleed, Borderline And Autobiographical Conversations

Published Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:00:17 -0500

Last updated Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:56:12 -0500

Bleeding Cool's Kickstarter Correspondent, Shawn Demumbrum has lead three Kickstarter campaigns to launch comic books, two successfully funded and one that wasn't. Each week he will point out some of the unique Kickstarter projects that wouldn't normally be published by the big comic book companies, but deserve your attention. Shawn is the Manager of Comic Book Programming for the Phoenix Comicon. He is currently working on the Nothing Can Stop Me Now: Stories Inspired by the Songs of Nine Inch Nails.

I've gotten a lot of feedback by readers that I should incorporate Indiegogo and other crowdfunding site projects into my weekly column. I really believe in the idea of all or none funding for crowdfunding projects. It's come to my attention that there are some projects that due to Kickstarter's project restrictions, Indiegogo's lack of marketability or Indiegogo's flawed navigation haven't gotten the attention they deserve. So this week I bring you a very special edition of Kickstart from the Heart with three Indiegogo projects.

Project: Al Baleed – Let's save the Land of Frankincense

Creator: Brian Miller of Hi-Fi Design

Concept: "My name is Brian Miller, I am an artist who is fortunate enough to be married to an archaeologist. I am spending the summer helping out on an archaeological excavation at Al Baleed, Oman, also known as the Land of Frankincense. Al Baleed is a Unesco World Heritage site and the largest archaeological site in Oman. The ancient port city of Al Baleed served as a hub of trading between the west and the Far East and was the primary port for exporting frankincense. My wife, Kristy Miller, is working with Dr. Krista Lewis, Sarah Graff, and Lamya Khalidi. The locals refer to them as, "The 4 Doctors". Dr. Lewis and her team are doing amazing work excavating and preserving the buildings and artifacts at Al Baleed.

You can get involved with this archaeological excavation by supplying some of the much needed technology, lab equipment, and field supplies for the 2013 excavation season."

Sweet Spot: Pledge $30 or more. "Limited Edition Lithograph Dream of visiting the Land of Frankincense with this vintage style travel poster illustrated by Brian Miller (artist for DC Comics, Marvel, Disney, and Lucasfilm). Each full color lithographic print measures 13" x 19" and is printed in the U.S.A. on heavy card stock. The print edition is limited to 250 pieces all signed by the illustrator."

Tipping point: Although not a traditional comic book project, Brian has started releasing limited run art prints. This is a case where a non-licensed art print by a comic book artist could help preserve history.

So far: $1,804 of $1,900 with 20 days to go

Project: Borderline

Creator: Vincenzo Balzano

Concept: "BORDERLINE. It's a 24-page comic written, drawn and coloured by me. It takes place in a dream trip where there is a thin border line between light and darkness.

A book that conceals a secret world…The writer David Noel know his own fears and will travel to a dark city in search of his redemption but his fears will follow him on the journey. What will uncover in the end?"

Sweet Spot: Pledge $15 or more. "Get a copy of the book along with a digital PDF."

Cool Zone: Pledge $200 or more. "Get a copy of the book along with a digital PDF. An original page from the book, two posters and a 12" x 16" sketch."

Tipping point: Beautifully painted pages with a dark story that seems to be a cross between Sandman and Hellblazer. Oddly enough you can only find Borderline by search the name or click the link above. Browsing the comic category won't find the project, which is the only conceivable reason why this project hasn't hit its goal.

So far: $315of $1,100 with 8 days to go

Project: Autobiographical Conversations

Creator: Ryan Claytor

Concept: "Autobiographical Conversations centers on a discussion between Harry Polkinhorn (a professor of English who teaches classes on the personal essay) and me (at the time, a graduate student studying Comics and Fine Art) about autobiography, comics, and the intersection of the two.

I have spent several years researching, developing, and illustrating this project and I'm eager to share it with you in its final collected edition, as I envisioned it from the start. My hope is that the comics medium will provide a more visual approach to understanding autobiographical theory and framing the subject matter in the context of a conversation will allow the reader to feel more engaged, almost as though they were part of that conversation unfolding. "

Sweet Spot: Pledge $15 or more. "The new book, Autobiographical Conversations, will be sent to you autographed with a personalized sketch. You tell me who to make it out to and I send it! Plus, you will receive the limited-edition, signed and numbered, 4×6" print available exclusively to fund raiser supporters."

Cool Zone: Pledge $250 or more. "This perk gives you EVERY SINGLE ONE of my books (12 in all), including all of my sold-out mini-comics that you can't find anywhere (unless you bought them years ago or you raid my closet). This perk allows ONE lucky person to do the latter. Will it be you? Incentive includes Autobiographical Conversations autographed (with personalized sketch) as well as the limited-edition, signed and numbered, 4×6" print available exclusively to fund raiser supporters."

Tipping point: I meet Ryan 8 years ago. Ryan impressed me with his handcrafted autobiographical mini-comics. He screen-printed the pages and the covers were made of this sueded material that had a kind of craftsmanship that I had never seen in mini-comics. He still puts that level of craftsmanship in all his books.

So far: $3,551 of $3,000 with 5 days to go

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