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

KICKSTOPPED: 37 Late Crowdfunded Comics

Every now and then on Bleeding Cool, as well as looking at new projects appearing on crowdfunding services like Kickstarter, Patreon, IndieGogo and more, we look at ones that have faltered. have delayed. Have not delivered on what they promised. Now, this in some ways is part and parcel of the experience. It is not like pre-ordering something, it's all about supporting the creation of something – and sometimes creations can go awry. And there is always an element of risk and fans of certain creators should go in with their eyes open, especially when certain creators have a history of lateness or non-delivery. Still, here are some of the more egregious examples.

Brigade Returns by Rob Liefeld – In 2013, comic book writer/artist/publisher, creator of Youngblood and Major X and co-creator of  Cable and Deadpool, Rob Liefeld, crowdfunded an appeal to revive one of his earliest creator-owned comic books Brigade on Kickstarter. The plan was that he would be able to print a large number of issues which he would be able to give away for free, as well as those who donated to the appeal getting exclusive merch. But that was 6 years ago. Liefeld has made a number of refunds, including very recently, but some a) don't want a refund, they want what they were promised and b) some haven't had that refund they believe was promised to them. When last heard from, he was promising guest stars and a new cover reveal for May 14th. Then on June 8th, it was uploading shortly, saying 'Book on track to become the single biggest and most important of my career. Period.'

Joe Madureira's Battlechasers: Night War. In 2015, as part of the $850,000+ Kickstarter for the Battle Chasers: Nightwar game from 2015, based on Joe Madureira's comic book Battle Chasers, published by Image Comics' Cliffhanger imprint back in the day, Madureira promised he would draw the unpublished Battlechasers #10-12 for release in December 2016. The game was delayed, the comics even more so, he recently announced he would no longer be drawing all of the pages.

Tony Harris' Roundeye started in 2010, the oldest project on this page, caused some problems, by originally being a Kickstarter that would supply people with a book, to being cancelled and restarted, now with the rewards only supporting the production of the book. It's always good to read the small print before you donate. However nine years later, the book has not been finished and shows no sign of completion.

Metamora #1 & #2 by Lou Frontier. Launched in 2016, creator has ghosted everyone and has deleted his Facebook page.

Great Big Hawaiian Dick 100 Page Hardcover by B Clay Moore from 2015. Told backers previously that he wasn't allowed to create new material after the TV rights were bought by NBC. However, when last heard from, as posted by disgruntled backers, this is now scheduled for printing in August.

Molly Danger the Ongoing Series by Jamal Igle was launched in 2015 with delays that Igle puts down to other projects such as BLACK intervening, and a major upheaval in his life. However, he has kept constant updates to his backers – communication and addressing raised issues is often key to keeping fans onside.

Midnight Harvest: Sensual Nightmares by Richard Pace was launched in 2013, collecting mostly already drawn pin-ups and a new 12-page story. He doesn't post a lot of updates, and people are left hanging for months but he does still appear to be working on the project.

Journeymen Anthology #1 by Noel Burns from 2011 was a new comic anthology designed to give new creators and artists a chance to work in a professional setting and be seen. It fell apart. Completed stories were posted online, but the project was declared abandoned in 2017.

The Princess Lucinda graphic novel series by Malcolm Harris from 2012 did actually see publication – but it seems that Kickstarter backers didn't get the print copies they'd pledged for, even as the books were sold in stores back in 2013.

Paul Dini's Boo & Hiss launched in 2017, late by everyone is being kept up to date with updates on the process – though some are annoyed that there's no deliverables.

Lackluster HC Graphic Novel by Eric Adams launched in 2015. A dark satire about an albino man using vandalism and journalism to change his world while evading his fanatically religious siblings… but no dice. And it was all down to sick cats, apparently.

The silver lining, however, is that it all seems past now and the past 4 days were a great return to productivity. I have completed nearly every remaining design detail on my to-do list and it looks likely I will finish this week. With as crappy as 2017 ended, I'm eager to start 2018 off with a big win.

No one got their books. Some people got a mug though.

The Black Mill Comic Book: Issue Zero by Paul Di Filippo launched in 2016, an April update says they are almost there…

Just a small progress report to let you know that Orion Zangara is drawing his heart out for the project and reports good progress. See the tiniest sample below, and stay tuned!

Body Bags: Don't Die Till I Kill You by Jason Pearson was launched in 2015. It got later and later and later and the creator claimed that he hated the comic. Earlier this year, he said

'It will come out this year. But I'm doing four mini-series in a row. DDUIKU is the first. After "Vicious" maybe I'll take a break and say hello to y'all. Until then that means no cons, no book signings, no appearances from me. Just straight back to doing my best comic work. I'm sorry for the delay but yours and everyone's patience will pay off in the end. Because Body Bags will have a series finale. There will be an end to Mack and Panda.'

Unhappy White Girls: A comic book novella by Christian Beranek, Triska, Vivian Lee and Thomas Mauer launched in 2011, private updated in 2014, when Christian was looking for a colourist. No news since.

Mandi #1 by Shawn Surface, launched in 2015 promising to 'join in on a voyage of discovery and mystery during a special year of a very special girl's life.' And… nothing. Last year a backer shared this response, talking about health and financial issues.

I am here to assure all my backers that I haven't abandoned you or my project which is near and dear to my heart. I have just recently re-settled and am starting to concentrate on a release schedule for "Mandi #1". Barring any great catastrophe(me dropping dead or the Earth hurtling into the Sun) "Mandi #1" will be coming out by end of this year 2018, I will of course keep all updated on latest developments on the project including an official release date and the shipping out the rewards kits.

No book, no updates.

Madam Satan: Deadly Origins, A Graphic Novel by Elizabeth and Shelby Robertson, launched in 2015. Witha  most recent update from late 2015, blaming financial issues and having a kid.

But rest assured the book will be out and shipped by the end of the year.  Shelby leaves for SLCC on Tuesday and then Emerald Valley Comic Fest directly after,  we are hitting the ground hard after that to get this all wrapped up.  Trust us, we want this book out just as much as you guys do!

Didn't happen. Though they are selling copies of the book online…

A Translation of Osamu Tezuka's "The Crater" by Kansai Club Publishing from 2013.  In 2014 they posted,

I will be posting another update this week with the new dates for when the books will be shipped once we receive the updated schedule from our printer.

There were no more updates.

Cyberfrog: Blood Honey by Ethan Van Sciver was launched this time last year, for publication at the end of last year. It didn't. Ethan citing the expanding size of the project for the delay. This time last month, he said it was going to print.

Hobson's Choice Issue One by Keith Smith and Mike Ellis was launched in 2015. 'In this supernatural thriller, Jake Hobson seeks meaning behind a world that gives him free will with no real choices but destined path.' Some folk dropped $250 on this. The last update was in 2015, saying,

'To all of our wonderful backers! We apologize for the delays we have experienced, but want to assure you that even though it moves slowly, everything is still moving forward with Hobson's Choice. Due to changes in the structure of the team(s), ColossalArts will no longer be able to provide you with updates through this KickStarter account. For all future updates, please visit our FaceBook page at: https://www.facebook.com/hobsonschoice.2/'

That link is dead…

Zombie With A Shotgun #2 by Rats & Crows Publishing from 2017. No updated, no comments, no nothing.

Sam Eggleston of Dead By Wednesday #2, launched in 2016, got in touch himself to tell us about his latest. He had posted,

'I am sitting here in absolute shame that we have hit 3 years. But the good news is I am shipping out over a dozen packages today, leaving me with just 50 backers left to get rewards out to. And those rewards? Well, the goal is to have them done by the end of August — including our international backers.'

Two from the same person now, Wicker launched in 2014 and Ruin launched in 2013 by Darker Sho. He offered refunds for the latter but no one has heard from him for five years.

The ComiXwriter-Scriptwriting software for Comic Books from 2013 was backed by some big names but seems to have made no difference. Updates are full of people asking for refunds, very few getting them.

Voodoo Detective: Old Wounds and Other Tales was launched in 2017, but before the year was out, creator Rik Thomas Favino had ghosted the internet.

Beyond Beauty, A Graphic Novel by Najela, a gender twisted version of the Beauty and the Beast, got ugly fast. Launched in 2013, earlier this year, the creator wrote a massive apology, including,

'doing this kickstarter the way I did was a huge mistake. The main mistake was that I assumed I would be in the position to come out of pocket for the books and the postage and I wasn't up until recently. By then, it had been years and it was just embarrassing to admit that I shouldn't have done this in the first place. I'm glad it was successful and that people responded to it in a way that I wasn't expecting. It made all that pain and heartache that I went through when I first wrote the story almost worth it.'

Frostlings, launched by Patrick Block in 2014 was intended as a 200+ page graphic novel set on a snowball. They just updated saying that a Chinese printer has let them down and refunded their payments so they are looking for a replacement.

Brendon and Ali Jerwa's comic book movie Untold Tales Of The Comic Industry, launched in 2011. He privately updated in September last year, apologising and saying,

Right now, we have an assembly cut, and completely original music in-hand. We are in the fine-tuning stage now, and finalizing some narration to guide the story….

Again, I understand this is BEYOND late. But we are pushing it to the finish line, and we will have all this out before the end of the year.

They didn't.

Aztec Ace launched in 2016 by Drew Ford was to be the first complete collection of Doug Moench's comic. A couple of weeks ago he updated saying

 As I type this, Doug Moench is going over a final rough draft of the entire collection.  He may want to make some changes, but once we are done with that, we will finish up the front and back cover designs and we will be ready to go!  As I always do, as soon as the book is completed in digital form, I will be sending out an update with a link to the PDF.  That way, while you are waiting for the books to be printed, you will at least be able to enjoy the book in digital form

Diskordia Book 2 by Rivenis, launched in 2017. Recent update promises they will be shipping but for those who wanted refunds?

Ok, I really had intended to address this in last month's update but I tend to always forget something when there's a lot to keep in mind. Anyway I've received some refund requests and those are reasonable however the bottom line is it's impossible for me to issue them now and here's why: Every cent I make is going into the project. Paying the Vat fees at the port, the aforementioned boxes etc. Several thousands of dollars paid so far and more to go coming directly from my own pockets. Issuing refunds to dissatisfied customers would literally be siphoning money away from the project itself.

For those that want refunds the only compromise I can offer is that you wait until I've shipped the books to those that still want theirs and then we can re-address. I know it's not ideal and I deeply apologize but that's the reality. For the rest of you look out it's almost mailing time.

Vito Delsante proffered his own Kickstarter, The Golden Guard from 2017, saying 'we are currently refunding with a plan to relaunch once we've finished.

I Was A Teenage Michael Jackson Impersonator! by Keith Knight, launched in 2012. People waiting, private updates, considering the delay most people seem chilled on the comments…

Grayhaven Comics has plenty of abandoned projects but Jason Snyder Glenn Matchett wrote to BC to say

'Sadly, this is before I took over as Editor-in-Chief, but there weren't any records kept and passed on to me by the people before me regarding the Kickstarters (we haven't run any campaigns since I've been in charge). I've had a few people approach me regarding rewards over the last two years, and if it's been something like books or PDFs that I've been able to fill, I have in good faith. Obviously, there are some that I may not be able to (such as rewards supplied by some creators), but if anyone is still missing books, they're welcome to contact me, and if the books are still in stock or in print, I will happily see about getting them to the right people.'

Space Goat Productions did a Kickstarter for an Evil Dead 2 Comic Omnibus which launched in 2017 but still hasn't shipped or updated in a while. Last year, Shon Bury stated,

With the apparent failure of the equity crowdfunding campaign, we have taken a step back to regroup and consider a number of options. Some paths forward have been presented to us. We need a few weeks to find the best path forward. As soon as we find that best path forward, you all will be the first to know.

No update since, however it is on sale on Amazon for release in September

And there are still people waiting on Womanthology from 2011… and Peter Pan from 2012 from Ray Dillon and Renae De Liz.

Packing even more Peter Pan books. It's been such a nightmare trying to get all of these shipped, but it is a really pretty book and I can't wait to do the second volume….All money goes to help us finish shipping the last of any Kickstarter copies left (ran out of funding due to spiked Intl shipping and printing costs, so have been shipping any time we have extra money). Also, the latest batch was returned because I made a stupid shipping error (for any orders in the past months too), So have to repay/resend those!

Feel free to add your own in the comments – I feel a 'Part Two' coming on…

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