By Todd Allen
While this doesn’t look like it will quite get to the amazing funding levels of of the Order of the Stick Reprint Project (nearly $650K with 8 days left), there’s another webcomic with an even more modest goal that’s making some serious coin at the crowdfunding game, this week. R Stevens is about to hit 3000 strips in his Diesel Sweeties webcomic. All he wanted was $3K to buy him some time to compile the entire run of the strip into ebook format. Right now, he’s got a bit over $22K pledged for the project.
According the Stevens, it only took about 45 minutes to raise the money. More amazingly, this is money being contributed for a product that will be freely distributed. Stevens makes his money off merchandising the strip and advertising (mostly merchandise). Like Order of the Stick, this is basically an archival project.
Also like Order of the Stick, Diesel Sweeties is a long-running, popular webcomic. You may recall that Diesel Sweeties even crossed over to print as a daily newspaper comic strip for a while, before Stevens decided to pull back his focus to the web product.
Whereas Burlew is pulling out all the premium stops for Order of the Stick, Stevens is really just offering some thumbdrives and prints with this pledge drive. Still… $22K to format your work into a free eBook(s). Wow.
While $22K isn’t a top 10 comics project on Kickstarter these days, there are also 25 days left on the drive, so who knows where this will wind up…
I’m in on this, too. Webcomics represent!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1786800131/get-the-queen-victoria-books-back-in-print
One that’s just starting today and would be totally worth your attention (link above). Get “the New Adventures of Queen Victoria” back into print!
There’s no money in comics indeed.
There’s money in comics just like there’s money in novels and fine art and music. But most of it goes to a rather small number of practitioners; for every Stephen King or Andy Warhol or Madonna there are countless talented creators who don’t even get beer money from it.
As a long time fan of Diesel Sweeties, this is incredibly awesome. It’s now over $24,000!
Also while not comics, Kickstarter has 2 projects pass $1 million in pledges. One which is now at $1.6 million for a point & click game, something the game publishers have said is dead.
@Jason Quest
Very, very true. Eventually, the stuff with the broadest appeal out earns the most artistically talented stuff. But, it’s very fun to see the webcomics world being much bigger than anyone thought and guys like Burlew and Stevens get some shine.
Plus, the webcomics world is still a bit like the Wild West. People are making their own rules and connecting with their audiences in new ways.
One more thought on Jason’s point….
I’m currently reading a book by forgotten underground rapper J-Zone about his disillusionment with the music industry. J-Zone was an extraordinarily talented hip-hop artist and he never got recognition or money in direct proportion to his talent. He also never signed a major label record deal or made music to appeal to the masses. And like, webcomics are starting off independent and succeeding. What could Warner or Disney offer to a Penny Arcade or xkcd? Nothing. So, I’m optimistic the continued success of webcomics means we won’t see a webcomic version of J-Zone.
@Jason Quest: the point being: there IS money in comics at least for some.
I’m getting tired of certain people claiming everywhere that nobody gets rich doing comics and you have to do it ‘for the love of the medium’. Every time somebody say that they sound like a pimp.