Crowdfunding backs, boosts comic books
New projects flourish on sites, increasingly drawing big names
Crowdfunding has long been a tool for aspiring comic book creators trying to break through, but lately some established names have taken to it.
Recent arrivals include publisher Boom Studios, which isworking with Keanu Reeves on a Kickstarter project, and Todd McFarlane, the creator of the “Spawn” comic books.
Part of the appeal of crowdfunding, they say, is that it allows them to connect directly with their audience, bypassing the industry’s traditional distribution model. Some critics argue, however, that heavyweights with deep pockets aremuscling into a marketplace intended to help beginners introduce their creations.
But Kickstarter has evolved since itwas established in 2009 to become more inclusive, saidGreg Pak, a comic book writer and author of “Kickstarter Secrets,” a book of crowdfunding tips. “Therewas a sense early on if youwere an established person, you were stealing someone else’s opportunity,” he said. “There is an understanding nowthat Kickstarter is for anybody.”
The success of these big-name campaigns is notable given the disruptions and anxieties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. After a decline in activity inMarch through May, “we’ve seen categories, comics one of them, recovering,” saidMargot Atwell, the head of publishing and comics at Kickstarter. The number of prominent creators using the site has also risen.
McFarlane, who last year celebrated the arrival of the 300th issue of “Spawn” in comic stores, said crowdfundingwas a chance to try a new business strategy. “Itwas an experiment,” he said. “Could this be an add-on to our business model or growinto something bigger?”
He opted to sell a 25th anniversary edition of the first “Spawn” action figure in April, the early days of the pandemic.
“Thingswere getting shut down in our industry,” he said. Two choices were left to him: Wait until it was over, however long thatwould be, “or do something at the beginning while people still had a smile on their face.”
He initially sought $100,000 but earned $3.4 million.
Crowdfunding offers an opportunity to reach a new audience, said Ross Richie, the chief executive and founder of Boom. More than 6million people have backed more than one project on Kickstarter, according to the platform.
Boom began a campaign for “BRZRKR” (pronounced “berserker”), a comic book about a demigod written byMatt Kindt and Reeves and drawn by Ron Garney. The campaign, which ends
Oct. 1, has already earned more than $631,000, blowing past its $50,000 goal.
“If you have aKeanu comic, howdo you get it to people who have never read comics before?” Richie said.
Crowdfunding allows publishers to resolve another challenge: Comic book stories are typically told one issue at a time, leaving readers towait months for the conclusion.
“The problem with the monthly model is that the customermay not return,”
Richie said. Supporters of the Kickstarter campaign are buying future collected editions. “They are saying, ‘Here’s $50. I’m going to order Volume 1 to 3, sight unseen,’ ” he said.
And he has plans to encourage those backers: “We can talk to them. We have the email list,” he said. “Wewant them to get hooked on comics.”
But the campaignwas met with some consternation online.
An article on the internet culture site TheDaily Dot questionedwhy a mainstream publisherwas using crowdfunding. On Twitter, some users thought supporting Boom might siphon backers fromother cam
paigns.
Richie defended Boom’s campaign. “I thinkwe’re using Kickstarter in a very innovativeway,” he said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to reach a different audience.”
The notion of one project taking away fromanother is common but unfounded, Atwell said. “Instead, we see that great projects launching on the platform create more visibility and interest in other projects aswell,” she said, adding that around 30% of its community has backed two or more projects. “We also have a strong core of superbackers who have backed dozens or even hundreds or thousands of
projects,” she said.
Other comic book projects have seen success.
Alex de Campi sought funding inMay for the science-fiction graphic novel “Madi: OnceUpon a Time in the Future,” with film director Duncan Jones. They shot past their $50,000 goal, earning $366,000.
In August, writer Scott Snyder and artist Tony Daniel offered supporters a behind-the-scenes look at their seriesNocterra, which will have its premiere next year with Image Comics. The target for the project, ending Sept. 17, was $40,000, and it has so far earned $169,000.
Snyder found other
opportunities with the campaign. He used it to announce his new imprint, Best Jackett Press, and proceeds will help pay for Daniel’swork aswell as for the artist for a second series. The money helps alleviateworries that this projectwas taking time away from paid opportunities.
Therewere also personal reasons. “Real-life circumstance is keeping us away from fans,” Snyder said. “We can’t go to conventions. We can’t do signings.” So the rewards emphasized access to the creators and a sense of community. “It’s about meeting us, taking a class with us, getting a sketch.”