Welcome to this week’s installment of The Beat’s Comics Crowdfunding Round-Up! We wanted to put the Spotlight on black creators today to celebrate Juneteenth and what better way than to show the fantastic projects they are working on right now! So join us for a look into amazing artwork, a new take on classic comics, a wild team of bounty hunters, and two more projects we love.
Swayonce: The Mini Artbook by SWAYART
Creators: Joshua Sway (Swayart/ Creator)
Goal: $5,000
End Date: July 5
Goodies: Get the hardcover for $32, the cover signed for $46, everything bundled including die-cut stickers and other exclusives for $80, and much more!
Having handled variant cover duties several times in short order for Marvel & DC, Sway is now taking matters into his own hands with his new art book showcasing his sketches, commissions and process work.
Sway has been releasing some pretty fantastic covers, their Starfire cover for Titans is one of the most recent and is a phenomenal piece of work. Even then fans have been very aware of what Sway was working on. So its no surprise that Swayonce has already been funded and has over 100 backers. If you’re interested you should check them out before their art book is gone for good!
The Elite Warriors
Creators: Jamal R. Simpson (Creator/Writer/Artist)
Goal: $500
End Date: July 17
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $5, the standard physical copy for $10, different variants from $10-$15, and at higher tiers get the villain variant and the squad up peeps Tier.
Tungsten Studios’ awe-inspiring superheroes together in one epic series.
The Elite Warriors is written with Batman and the Outsiders (the original run) in mind and it was through that idea that Simpson came up with these marvelous heroes. Using the inspiration of classic comics to come up with something new and refreshing while respecting the comics this came from and the new comics that are to come in the future. At $10 an issue I think that’s a steal and the campaign is slowly growing, well on its way to completion.
A SAFE SPACE
Creators: Anthony Garcon (Writer/Creator), Rick Moraes (Artist), Carlos Junior (Story Boarding), Roden Ray (Background Layouts), Rocco Moreira (Concept Artist), Igor Strochit (Letterer), Nakai Lawrence (Editor)
Goal: $3,000
End Date: July 18
Goodies: Get the digital edition for $20, the paperback for $35, the hardcover for $73, or at higher tiers get the metal print, vintage cover, bookmarks, pins, and more!
An R-rated graphic novel telling a wild sci-fi story about a ragtag team of bounty hunters coming together to make space safe.
A Safe Space looks like so much fun, the moment you open up the kickstarter you’re introduced to all the fantastic characters in an animated trailer. To quote the page: What’s the first thing you would do if you learned aliens existed? If your answer is run and hide, then this comic is NOT for you. If your answer was to give them a McDonald’s Sprite and see what happens, welcome home! You’ve found your community. That quote sets up what the rest of the page is about as you learn that the project is meant to be about a crew of bounty hunters who rely on each other to have some form of peace in their newfound way of life, its pretty easy to understand why the campaign has amassed over $1800. Its well on its way to being funded so don’t miss out!
AFROFUTURES
Creators: Troy-Jefferey Allen (Creator/Writer), Chief Mayiahey Starrchild (Illustrator/ Designer),Erika Hardison (Writer), Nelson Blake II (Artist), Justin Fennel (Animator) Chris Scott (Artist) Jeff Toliver (Cartoonist), Tam (Artist/colorist), JT Wilkins (Cartoonist) Goal: $4,200 End Date: July 18
Goodies: Get the digital cover for $10, the physical copy for $25, variant covers for $25, or at higher tiers get bundles that include all copies and exclusive access to 808’s Virtual Block Party!
20+ creators, nine stories, and one DJ! AFROFUTURES invites Black creatives to run wild with their unique, thunderous imaginations!
Afrofutures is mean to be a concept album transformed by pen and paper. It uses 808 the AI robot to be its master of ceremony who is looking back from their future. 808 is meant to remix this saga of Black mythology. Our past, their present, and our future the only way a DJ could even begin to imagine. I love that concept and I think on that alone it makes this project so interesting. To top that off with fantastic creators, brilliant writers, and phenomenal artists, Afrofutures is a project you cant miss.
ZETA GALAXY OUTLAWS 
Creators: Kenneth Laster (Writer/Artist), Reed Hinckley-Barnes (Letterer), Christa Harader (Editor), Andriy Lukin (Logo Design), Joey Galvez ( Book Design & Layout)
Goal: $2,500
End Date: June 29
Goodies: Get the digital PDF for $5, the physical copy for $12, cover B for $14, or cover C for $15.
The Good, The Bad, and The Exploited on the Final Frontier
If we had to give a reason to pick up this comic, right off the back we would mention the fantastic artwork. Laster’s work is vibrant and jumps off the page which fits in well with the new frontier that he has envisioned. Then you get a protagonist like Tex Wyatt and the journey she takes as they try to become a new hero in a world where the line between activist and outlaw is blurred. We at The Beat are more than interested and with only 9 days left ZGA is well on its way to meeting its goal. Make sure to check their page out before its too late.
Miss any of our previous Comics Crowdfunding Round-Ups? Check out the archive here!
