As you’re reading this, I will be on the train coming into DC. Because DC Zine Fest is tomorrow!
If you’re in the area, I hope to see you there! It’s at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library from 11 am to 4 pm – also it’s free and accessible to attend.
This Zine Fest will be the in-person debut of New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi, as well! So if you missed the KickStarter for these books, DC Zine Fest will be a good place to get copies. I will also have copies of my new zines, “Purrmaids,” “The Himbo’s Guide to Cooking Chicken,” and “Witchy Kitties.”
Can’t make it? Missed the KickStarters? That’s ok, there’s a third option for you…
I have not sent out minicomics and mini-prints yet for Ko-fi Club members. If you would like to get these mailed to you, become a member on Ko-fi! Members get minicomice, zines, stickers, and mini-prints mailed to them each month. Even if you can only do one month, that’s ok – cancel at any time, no questions asked.
Ko-fi rewards will be mailed out around Halloween, so you have until then to sign up.
Today is the last day to claim some of these limited edition rewards and add-ons through Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts’ Kickstarter! If you need a breakdown of which rewards are expiring today, I wrote up a Kickstarter update that goes into more depth. (That post was published on the 11th, but the rewards expire today).
The patron-exclusive mini-print for the KickStarter is still a work in progress, but we’re getting there! Here’s a preview of that…
Ko-fi supporters will get the final render of this as a mini-print included with their Kickstarter Rewards when they back the campaign.
For Folks Who Backed New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi…
Your rewards will be sent out either today or tomorrow! I tried to get UPS to pick up the packages from my place on Saturday, but UPS never came. 🙃 Once rewards are shipped, keep an eye on your inboxes for the tracking numbers.
But for the folks who backed that campaign and have not backed Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts yet… I will include this art in your rewards if you do.
Once again, today is the LAST DAY to claim the limited edition rewards on Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts’ KickStarter! The campaign itself ends October 21st, but today is the last day for the limited edition stuff. So head on over to the campaign and check it out!
Jamie Roberts is not a boy or a girl – they are a PIRATE! Jamie and their two best friends, Thomas and Daniel, find an unfinished map during a pirate raid and decide to leave the seas to hunt for treasure!
But the land they have arrived in has many secrets, including the secrets kept by their new employer, Ragun Basho. Who was chasing after him? Why is he talking about dragons? And who are these people Jamie is seeing in their dreams?!
The answers are revealed in the first two volumes of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, capturing the lush, vibrant, Indigenous-inspired world of this swashbuckling adventure.
Fans of my work may be like, “Hold up. You did campaigns for volume 1 and volume 2. What’s going on?”
So here’s the short version: when I made volume 1, I worked with a comics printer that ruined the first run of books. I did manage to get reprints, but let’s just say it was the latest in a long list of issues I’ve had with them in the past. After what happened, I switched to a new printer for volume 2.
However, the second printer raised their prices without warning over the last few months. They also have a minimum order that makes things prohibitive for me, a person doing all of it solo. That left me searching for a new printer, which leads us to this campaign.
This campaign is to help fund a new print run with a NEW printer for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volumes 1 and 2.
It means new and improved quality paper! Vibrant colors! Better pricing! All to share the magical genderqueer adventure that is The Legend of Jamie Roberts with as many readers, new and old, as possible.
“But isn’t this a webcomic? That I can read online for free?” Yes!
“So why should I get these books?”
BECAUSE…
Both books have specific pages redrawn and remade from the original web versions.
These books have extra content the webcomic site does not have, like bonus comics, sneak peeks at the comics-making process, and more!
By purchasing these books, you’re helping to continue The Legend of Jamie Roberts as an ongoing comic project. Seriously, we’re very close to releasing volume 3 next year! I plan on making 5 volumes of The Legend and need support from readers like you to make it happen.
This campaign starts October 1 and ends October 21 at 11:59 pm EDT. There will be a 24-hour “Late Pledge” grace period, but Late Pledges have a late fee. Keep that in mind!
We also have new add-ons and new stretch goals – so even if you backed the previous campaigns, there’s something new for you to check out, including…
So if you’re able to support The Legend, go to the campaign and pick the rewards that work best for you!
Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Be sure to use the link tinyurl.com/tlojr-reprint. Shares help more than you know.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your time and support!
There’s a new campaign on the October horizon… By that I mean I have a new campaign coming on October 1.
If you’re thinking, “What about your campaign for New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi?” I’ve been posting weekly updates on KickStarter. This is the latest update, all about which printers I’ve heard back from and what’s done already.
However, New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi are at my least favorite stage of getting to print: “Hurry up and Wait.” It’s the stage where you send off your files and you’re waiting to hear back from your printing partners. It’s a lot of back and forth, waiting and then a flurry of activity before you send things off and wait again.
During this waiting time, I started setting up the next campaign.
On October 1, I’m launching a KickStarter campaign to bring The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volumes 1 AND 2 back in their next print run! I’m very nearly sold out of my current stash, and would love to print more of this swashbuckling, genderqueer epic.
If you missed the previous campaigns for these books – or even if you backed them and are looking for new rewards! – you can now sign up for notifications.
More details about this campaign are coming next week. Why the delay? Because I’m also preparing for TWO in-person appearances coming up soon!
Find Me In Toledo…
Sept 21 and 22, find me at Momentum in downtown Toledo off Summit Street. I’m under the big tent with a handful of other artists. Be sure to come down and check out my work in person, and take a look at the other very cool artists local to the area! More details are on the official site through The Toledo Arts Commission.
Sept 28, find me at River East Mural & Art Festival in East Toledo. I’ll try to share more details when I get them, but for now, you can check out their event page on the Visit Toledo site. (The site also links to their Facebook page).
After these two events wrap up, The Legend of Jamie Roberts reprint campaign will launch October 1!
New Punk Signal – two college boys, Mike and Steve, have big dreams to support their friends and their indie music…until the pandemic hits and shuts everything down. Now they have to figure out how to support the people they love when the world is changing its frequency.
Fwishi’shi – Fuloos is a bird-man who lives alone in a home by the sea. By day, he runs a radio show in the small town of Seabank. One day, he meets a fan of his work and her boyfriend – and everything changes.
These two stories are about community, assistance, and platonic love that saves the day. And with your help, I’d love to get these stories into the hands of more readers with the power of KickStarter!
So New Punk Signal is a comic spin-off-slash-sequel to Validation and ROXIE, following resident himbos Mike and Steve. And Fwishi’shi is – for the first time in my book catalog – a written novella. It’s not a comic (gasp)! It’s also set in the same universe as two comic projects I’ve done called Johnson & Sir and Thoughtful Dinosaur.
I like to think that you don’t need to read the other books to understand what’s going on in New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi. But if you would like to delve more into those worlds, these extra stories are available as add-ons in the campaign! If you’re inclined, there’s also The Radio Tower Tier, where you can get all of these stories in one bundle.
THE HOW
The good news is – a lot of expenses for Fwishi’shi are covered by a grant from the Toledo Arts Commission! Thank you to the commission for covering the cost of the ISBNs, printing 20(ish) copies of the book, and printing bookmarks.
However, New Punk Signal needs a little support to get to print. Also, if Fwishi’shi gets a lot more than 20 orders, I need a little help to cover printing. There’s also the added wrinkle of distributing these books once they’re printed.
For these reasons, I’ve opted to run a KickStarter – not only to help New Punk Signal get printed, but to get BOTH books in the hands of readers with KickStarter’s reach.
So in short – the asking goal is low because some expenses are already covered thanks to the Toledo Arts Commission (yay)! But KickStarter will help get these books out to the masses.
THE WHEN
Because of grant deadlines and printer timelines, this campaign will run UNTIL Aug 31. Once the funding period ends, I can place orders to the printers right away. The goal is to get everything printed and in the hands of backers by September 30.
THE WHY
New Punk Signal and Frishi’shi are both projects I made during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Both were created to process my feelings and what I had seen work – and not work – during this time. I’ve also come to realize that as time goes on, the more my stories focused on the importance of community and helping friends along the way. And, as a result, both of these stories are my love letter to the importance of platonic love.
We live in a culture that romanticizes individualism, and only allows exception for romantic love. I wanted to challenge both by creating New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi, stories that focus on the importance of interpersonal connections outside of romance.
So if you can, check out the campaign and choose the reward tier that works best for you! We also have add-ons such as spin-off comics, prints, and even art books!
Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Shares help more than you know.
