Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, Focus, kickstarter

Kickstart From The Heart: Focus, Silver Cord, The Cabinet and Found Slides

Published Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:00:26 -0500

Last updated Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:08:53 -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's current project Break the Walls: Stories Inspired by the Songs of the Pixies is also being funded through Kickstarter.

Project: Focus

Creator: Erik Wahlstrom, Zach Hunter and Matt Brownson

Concept: Focus follows the story of Lee Mullen, a middle –aged passionless photojournalist. After noticing strange anomalies in his photos, Lee decides to investigates, and quickly finds himself thrust into the world of the supernatural.

Fundraising for: The funds will also be used to print the comic and other rewards as well as cover the shipping costs.

Sweet spot: Pledge $14 or more. A signed hard copy of the comic, a high quality digital version of the comic and your name on a special thank you page of the focuscomic.com website.

Cool Zone: Pledge $100 or more. An original Focus sketch by Matt Brownson, Your very own Focus team member press badge(using a photo you send us available), and a very special limited numbered run poster. We will also put your name in a special thanks page in the back of the comic. An exclusive KickStarter only Focus poster and Orange Monster Focus T-shirt. A signed hard copy of the regular cover and Kickstarter alternate cover comic, a high quality digital version of the comic and your name on a special thank you page of the focuscomic.com website.

Tipping point: Seeing ghosts in photographs in one thing, but using them to find and capture demons and ghouls is the fodder for a comic book.

So far: $1,928 of $4000 with 5 days to go

Project: Silver Cord

Creator: Kevin Kelly, Steve Masseroni, Phil Lorin, Kiel Murray and others.

Concept: "This is a story about the young half-breed girl who gets caught in a war between newly conscious robots and ancient jealous angels. She has to save the human world."

Fundraising for: "On the second book we will pay (modestly) everyone who works on it (except me, Kevin Kelly, since I am doing this for the joy of it.) Our budget includes paying the script writer, the story-boarder, the artist who draws, the artist who colors, the letterer, and the production person bringing it all together. (Remember too, that almost ten percent of the raised amount goes to Kickstarter and Amazon.) Finally, for those who earn the reward of a printed book ($35 and above) there is the substainial cost of printing and mailing each copy. The $40K will cover it all, but without any fluff."

Sweet spot: Pledge $35 or more. A printed copy of the second volume of the book and your name listed in the acknowledgements.

Cool Zone: Pledge $200 or more. A printed copy of a limited edition Concept Art book with developmental sketches, research, art and extras, A printed copy of the second volume of the book and your name listed in the acknowledgements.

Tipping point: Described as techno-epic from one of the founders of Wired magazine and creatives from ILM, Lucas and Electronic Arts. The first 210 pages of the first volume of the graphic novel are available to read for free on their website, silver-cord.net. Sounds fairly low risk high return if you are willing to wait until July 2014.

So far: $15,948 of $40,000 with 8 days to go

Project: The Cabinet

Creator: Christian Sager and Kelly Williams

Concept: "On a doomed 1901 mission to the arctic Northwest Passage, a "shadow cabinet" of social outcasts opposing America's government find horror and madness that leads them to the assassination of the President of the United States"

Fundraising for: "Nearly all of the money from this Kickstarter will be going to pay the very talented Michael Webber for his fine work and to pay for printing/shipping costs."

Sweet spot: Pledge $25 or more. A softcover print copy of The Cabinet with your name listed inside.

Cool Zone: Pledge $80 or more. A hardcover print edition of The Cabinet with your name listed inside and an original art piece by The Cabinet artist Kelly Williams on 11×14 paper , ink with ink washes.

Tipping point: Historical horror fiction is the new Zombies. This seems like the Walking Dead of historical horror fiction. Full discloser: The artist, Kelly Williams, worked on a story for my comic anthology, Unite and Take Over: Stories Inspired by the Songs of the Smiths Volume 2. Further full discloser: He kicks ass on it.

So far: $3,260 of $6,000 with 10 days to go

Project: Found Slides: A Life Remembered

Creator: Mike Lyman

Concept: "The story is autobiographical and is based on real events which occurred in 2011 when I purchased a vintage slide projector from a thrift store in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the base of this projector were color Kodachrome slides taken in the early 1950s of a couple of families somewhere in America." It's the story of the quest to find the owners of the slides and how those events impact his present day life in odd ways.

Fundraising for: "The donation goal will fund the initial print run of 300 or so copies of the first volume, the purchase of an ISBN number and bar code so that it can be sold on-line and in stores, plus ancillary publishing expenses."

Sweet spot: Pledge $20 or more. A signed copy of the finished book and a business card with a hand drawn illustration on the back.

Cool Zone: Pledge $100 or more. A disposable camera filled with pictures I've taken and a hand drawn artist postcard. A phone call with the author. A signed copy of the finished book.

Tipping point: They say that the truth is stranger than fiction, so this story could get really strange.

So far: $316 of $2,000 with 11 days to go

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