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Kickstarter projects
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25 posts in this topic

What kind of experiences have people had with comic art related Kickstarter projects? Have the creators delivered, and how late? Simon Bisley just had one end for an art book and the delivery date for sketches seems VERY optimistic so I expect delays. (Just closed yesterday and expected delivery is "November 2018" and he's got over 100 sketches to do after the book is printed...)

Also, any interesting projects to recommend that are still 'live'?

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Its been hit or miss. Some are very good and delivery on time with books and art, best were Art of Ploog, Erica Lyn Schmidt, Art of JM Dragons. Had bad experience with two, Harry Palmer: Starstruck it was to be done in 2014 took 5 years to get the reward (for me) I know many who are still waiting on their art from Kaluta. The other was  Swords of the Swashbucklers book came out on time but the rewards are slow, been 8 months with little communication. I find that is the big issue when people who do a kickstarter fall behind they just stop posting updates or contacting the people directly about their rewards. That is what annoys me, if they would just keep people up to date I would be fine. But when they refuse to respond that is very unprofessional.

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P. Craig Russell did a great job and the art I got was awesome. I am also super excited about getting my art reward from JM Dragunas as that book looks really lovely. I have art rewards coming on Tim Truman's new Scout book and Mike Hoffman's new Halloween book, so for those, the proof will be in the pudding, but I am confident both will be to my liking.

 

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38 minutes ago, malvin said:

I haven't done too many, but I was on the Kaluta kickstarter and it looks like I will never get my reward.

It's also a kick in the teeth that he takes on new commissions.

Malvin

Many are too scared to call him out on social media because they fear they will never get the art or if they did it will not be what they expected.

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9 hours ago, malvin said:

I haven't done too many, but I was on the Kaluta kickstarter and it looks like I will never get my reward.

It's also a kick in the teeth that he takes on new commissions.

Malvin

That's BS and outright theft. Did Kaluta have a reputation as a deadbeat artist that didn't deliver on commissions prior to the kickstarter project? That is one thing I hate about this hobby, how people pussyfoot around and refuse to call out artists that rip them off.  Guys that do that should be called out publicly and have their names dragged through the mud to prevent them from scamming more people.  I admit although I committed $ I didn't read the fine print, I'm assuming there is no recourse if the creator doesn't deliver? 

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Here is my take:

1- Starstruck-  5 years later and I am still awaiting for my Kaluta sketch piece.  Book was 4 years late.

2- Collectors book of Virgil Finlay-  delivered on time  (Excellent)

3-  P Craig Russell Sketchbook Archives-  delivered on time (or very close to it if I recall correctly)

4- The Art of Ploog- delivered on time  reward was published art

5-  Kros  (Ostrander/Mandrake)-   Book about 2 years late- reward was published art

6- Nexus Compendium-  Book was not and never will be completed. Was offered something else as a substitute but no refund.

7- Hexer Dusk- (Ostrander/Duursema)-  Book almost 2 years late. Still being worked on. Probably at least 6 months from being sent to backers.

8- Drawing Beautiful Women- Frank Cho-  book delivered on time

9- Of Dust and Blood (Val Mayerik)- Book on Custer-  very, very later  (2 years?)

10- Dave Cockrum Futurians- Book very, very late  (2 years?)- got OA as reward

11-  Tim Truman Scout- pending 

12- Simon Bisley sketchbook- pending   with Sketch

13- Jim Starlin Artbook and Novella - about to be shipped-   just the books

14- Ploog volume 2

15- Jill Thompson Scary Godmother Doll-  (just the doll)- 4 years late.

 

Quite surprising as many of the creators had worked for the big two publishers and had excellent track records in getting work done in a timely manner..I am going to say that in general, when there is little to no work to be done by the creator, the book gets done on time  (art compilations).  When the creator has to write and/or draw the book- usually there is a long, long wait............. and the communication seems to vanish. Very disappointing, in general. The best ones have been the Ploog,book, the Cho book

 

 

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Of the two comic related Kickstarts I've backed, both were late. One was about five months late while the other was about ten months late. I have an art reward coming for the ten month late project, but since the printed book arrived just this week, it will probably be a while before the reward gets done.

Communication was pretty good overall, though I would agree with other posters that when there isn't much work being done, the communication has tendency to go dark.

All that said, I enjoyed the finished products from both Kickstarts immensely and was ok with the wait.

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I answered above with the good kickstarter stories, but of course there are some bad ones too. Overall, I like Kickstarter-I have gotten books that I never would have seen otherwise(The Little Nemo "Dream another Dream" in particular was simply outstanding)  and art that I am very happy with. On the other hand, I have absolutely been disappointed by a couple of the artists that have crapped out on projects-especially since the two items that I haven't gotten have been from people that I know personally and see at least a couple of times a year. I am not going to cry about being out 2 or 300 dollars though-the fact is that I have purchased commissions for far more than that which have been disappointing. I am actually pretty confident that Michael Kaluta will do all of the sketches he owes backers, including me. The other project, which was actually my first kickstarter, is clearly a write off and it wasn't even an art reward-just a book that will probably never be finished. I am super excited about getting my book from JM Dragunas as it is done and ready to ship and I know the art reward will be worth every penny. I am also excited about the new Scout book from Tim Truman , the Halloween kids book from Mike Hoffman and the three book set of classic novels and short stories illustrated by Paul Pope, Bill Sienkewicz and Yuko Shimizu-those look amazing. I am going with the cup is 90% full, not 10% empty.

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Update on the Bisley Kickstarter sketchbook project: I was very pleasantly surprised to receive my book with sketch yesterday about six weeks after the funding period ended and within the projected delivery time. I honestly didn’t expect such a quick turnaround.

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39 minutes ago, MIL0S said:

Update on the Bisley Kickstarter sketchbook project: I was very pleasantly surprised to receive my book with sketch yesterday about six weeks after the funding period ended and within the projected delivery time. I honestly didn’t expect such a quick turnaround. 

That's good news.  I saw a few sketches posted.  Can you post a pic?

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82 pledges

72 made

01 in funding round

19 incomplete

52 complete

 

Here's the status on the 19 incomplete orders:

Given Up for Dead

  • The Steamworld Chronicles - The Constantine Quest pt.1    $75.00    SIMONSON SKETCHBOOK SETS
    • The artist offered me his proof, but I didn't take it because it was unfair to everyone else. The writer said he has the books in his garage. This was a very early KS and I suspect he underestimate shipping costs and labor by a lot.
  • The Superiors:Villains Vengeance!    $33.00    Print Copies of the SUPERIORS #3 and #4.
    Estimated delivery May 2016
    • Clint seems to have moved on from an Injustice style comic to softcore porn comics. Every once in awhile, he'll update, but I don't think it will happen. Bummer. I liked the story.

 

On Life Support, but not yet Dead

One that does irritate a bit - though they have updates and I didn't pledge much and I haven't quite given up on getting - is the Coolest Cooler. These guys had a great idea, but really didn't have a finished design or manufacturing capacity. So, I'm still waiting for mine - closing in on four years later. They are shipping though and mine will ship when they have enough profit to pay for shipping.

  • COOLEST COOLER: 21st Century Cooler that's Actually Cooler    $185.00    COOLEST COOLER: Get your very own COOLEST, complete …
    Estimated delivery Feb 2015

Another in this category is the next Molly Danger book from Jamal Igle. I like Jamal and Molly, but this is a bit ridiculous. Still, he does give updates occasionally so I haven't given up on it.

  • Molly Danger: The ongoing series    $124.00    Original black and white head sketch in a signed copy of …
    Estimated delivery Oct 2015

 

Strong Pulse, but not Walking in the Door

There are 2 delayed and related books. Both have regular updates and I'm not particularly worried or dismayed by the delay though they are pushing 3 years late!

  • Kros: Hallowed Ground    $210.00    PORTRAIT OF A VAMPIRE/ PLUS SKETCH Tom Mandrake will i…
    Estimated delivery Jan 2016
  • Hexer Dusk    $30.00    SIGNED BOOKPLATE in a HEXER DUSK TPB -two 3" sticker…
    Estimated delivery Dec 2016

 

There are a cluster of 5 late books from Drew Ford. He had money stolen and it's thrown him off, but he keeps in touch. I still have hope

  • THE LONELY WAR OF CAPT. WILLY SCHULTZ    $64.00    Early Bird LONELY WAR SIGNED HC
    Estimated delivery Mar 2019
  • COMBAT by Sam Glanzman w/ BRAUN, HEATH & SIMONSON!    $15.00    D-DAY Glanzman cover
    Estimated delivery Aug 2018
  • Tanith Lee's Silver Metal Lover by Trina Robbins    $65.00    Early Bird Special Doran Cover SIGNED
    Estimated delivery Jun 2018
  • COMBAT DUNKIRK comic book by Sam Glanzman w/ Walter Simonson    $8.00    EARLYBIRD: Print edition Glanzman cover
    Estimated delivery Feb 2018
  • VOYAGE TO THE DEEP by Sam Glanzman    $294.00    Tip-in + 1 Glanzman Page
    Estimated delivery Mar 2017

Other books by Drew have been terrific especially the collected U.S.S. Stevens hardcover.

The rest are either on schedule or delayed, but shipping.

So, 2 failures out of 72 made pledges.

 

I don't know if this helps or not, but it is my experience.

 

 

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On 11/22/2018 at 9:48 AM, alxjhnsn said:

There are a cluster of 5 late books from Drew Ford. He had money stolen and it's thrown him off, but he keeps in touch. I still have hope

  • COMBAT DUNKIRK comic book by Sam Glanzman w/ Walter Simonson    $8.00    EARLYBIRD: Print edition Glanzman cover
    Estimated delivery Feb 2018

 

I received my copies today. Books look great in hand.

Edited by Jimmy Linguini
semantics
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On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 8:27 AM, Keys_Collector said:

Every Kickstarter i've ever purchased whether its comic related or anything else has delivered but 9 out of 10 times, they are pretty late.  The last comic I purchased was shipped in a horrible way and arrived all bent up.  

I've sworn off of Kickstarters in general. I bought in on two, and I was fortunate enough to get the product (and had no complaints about it), but all you are really getting is an early-bird discount the vast majority of the time. I want equity! Now, a comic book kickstarter is a different animal, because you can get original art rewards, and exclusive, limited edition comics that might have value at some point.

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On ‎11‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 9:48 AM, alxjhnsn said:

82 pledges

72 made

01 in funding round

19 incomplete

52 complete

 

Here's the status on the 19 incomplete orders:

Given Up for Dead

  • The Steamworld Chronicles - The Constantine Quest pt.1    $75.00    SIMONSON SKETCHBOOK SETS
    • The artist offered me his proof, but I didn't take it because it was unfair to everyone else. The writer said he has the books in his garage. This was a very early KS and I suspect he underestimate shipping costs and labor by a lot.
  • The Superiors:Villains Vengeance!    $33.00    Print Copies of the SUPERIORS #3 and #4.
    Estimated delivery May 2016
    • Clint seems to have moved on from an Injustice style comic to softcore porn comics. Every once in awhile, he'll update, but I don't think it will happen. Bummer. I liked the story.

 

On Life Support, but not yet Dead

One that does irritate a bit - though they have updates and I didn't pledge much and I haven't quite given up on getting - is the Coolest Cooler. These guys had a great idea, but really didn't have a finished design or manufacturing capacity. So, I'm still waiting for mine - closing in on four years later. They are shipping though and mine will ship when they have enough profit to pay for shipping.

  • COOLEST COOLER: 21st Century Cooler that's Actually Cooler    $185.00    COOLEST COOLER: Get your very own COOLEST, complete …
    Estimated delivery Feb 2015

Another in this category is the next Molly Danger book from Jamal Igle. I like Jamal and Molly, but this is a bit ridiculous. Still, he does give updates occasionally so I haven't given up on it.

  • Molly Danger: The ongoing series    $124.00    Original black and white head sketch in a signed copy of …
    Estimated delivery Oct 2015

 

Strong Pulse, but not Walking in the Door

There are 2 delayed and related books. Both have regular updates and I'm not particularly worried or dismayed by the delay though they are pushing 3 years late!

  • Kros: Hallowed Ground    $210.00    PORTRAIT OF A VAMPIRE/ PLUS SKETCH Tom Mandrake will i…
    Estimated delivery Jan 2016
  • Hexer Dusk    $30.00    SIGNED BOOKPLATE in a HEXER DUSK TPB -two 3" sticker…
    Estimated delivery Dec 2016

 

There are a cluster of 5 late books from Drew Ford. He had money stolen and it's thrown him off, but he keeps in touch. I still have hope

  • THE LONELY WAR OF CAPT. WILLY SCHULTZ    $64.00    Early Bird LONELY WAR SIGNED HC
    Estimated delivery Mar 2019
  • COMBAT by Sam Glanzman w/ BRAUN, HEATH & SIMONSON!    $15.00    D-DAY Glanzman cover
    Estimated delivery Aug 2018
  • Tanith Lee's Silver Metal Lover by Trina Robbins    $65.00    Early Bird Special Doran Cover SIGNED
    Estimated delivery Jun 2018
  • COMBAT DUNKIRK comic book by Sam Glanzman w/ Walter Simonson    $8.00    EARLYBIRD: Print edition Glanzman cover
    Estimated delivery Feb 2018
  • VOYAGE TO THE DEEP by Sam Glanzman    $294.00    Tip-in + 1 Glanzman Page
    Estimated delivery Mar 2017

Other books by Drew have been terrific especially the collected U.S.S. Stevens hardcover.

The rest are either on schedule or delayed, but shipping.

So, 2 failures out of 72 made pledges.

 

I don't know if this helps or not, but it is my experience.

 

 

I actually got the Coolest Cooler, and they shipped mine like two years ago. I feel horrible about all the folks that still haven't received theirs. My Coolest is really great. What they should do is sell the thing to Igloo, or something.

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3 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

I actually got the Coolest Cooler, and they shipped mine like two years ago. I feel horrible about all the folks that still haven't received theirs. My Coolest is really great. What they should do is sell the thing to Igloo, or something.

I could have received mine IF I paid more for shipping. I decided to wait. :)

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6 hours ago, Jimmy Linguini said:

I received my copies today. What was the point of the kickstarter? He offered the exact same books through Diamond at much cheaper prices.
I can't believe I paid $45 for two books shipped to me that I could have paid Midtown $16 this week. And one of those books was supposed to be a kickstarter exclusive cover...

A total joke.

Set aside the uncertainty of ever GETTING the books, I just can't spend $10-$20 for a single comic book.  I get the cost is high because of the low print runs, ect, but figure it out or I can't back the project.

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Was curious about people getting stuff from Kickstarter.  Was going to post a new thread till I found this one.  Glad I did.

So far, for me, I've backed 3 comic book related kickstarters.  

  • Ron Marz, Darryl Banks Team for WW2 Harken’s Raiders Comic
  • Kevin Eastman's DRAWING BLOOD, Vol. 1: A Graphic Novel
  • Elders of the RuneStone (Quinn Johnson and Robert Atkins)

Of the 3, I have in my hands the Drawing Blood GN (+ bonus of Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls) (see pics below).  For Elders of the RuneStone, which I believe is to be 5 issues, I have received the first 3 issues digitally (as expected).

Harken's Raiders Comic is planned to be delivered in March of 2019 and I am optimistic I will receive it sometime in March.

KS1.jpg

KS2.jpg

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