Comic Watch Presents: The Krowdfunder Korner – July 27 2024

Riptide Sanitarium #2

by Keith Dallas and Juan Romera

The second issue of the imaginative, multi-genre comic book anthology by Ghostbusters writers Keith Dallas and Jim Beard!

What is the Ghost Light?

You’ve seen it. We’ve all seen it. That strange glow out there, deep in the woods. Late in the night. Up on an empty stage in a dark theater. That flash out of the corner of your eye, something bright and fleeting, flickering in the reflection of a mirror.

But I hear what you’re asking. What is it? What is the Ghost Light? That’s what you really want to know. Need to know.

It’s an afternoon thunderstorm. It’s a creaky floorboard in an otherwise empty house. It’s the reason the attic light is burning that dull orange, way up there at the top of those stairs and you don’t remember ever pulling the cord to turn it on.

Very nice, you say. Dramatic, all that. But, c’mon. Tell me what it is.

Fine. Lean in. Listen closely. And don’t tell anyone.

It’s where the stories come from. Not all of them, of course. But the lasting ones. The scary ones. The ones that stick with you long after you’ve closed your eyes. Or tried to, at least.

Because there’s nothing better than a scary story, right? Depends on who you ask, maybe. Personally, the only thing better than one scary story is a whole bunch of scary stories.

Growing up, I’d spend special days hunting bookstore and library shelves for short story collections of creepy, weird, uncanny tales, followed by magical nights hiding under the covers and reading until one of two things happened. One, I fell asleep. Two, morning came.

GHOST LIGHT TALES takes the anthology a number of steps further and combines all the best things: Comic books (like those old House of Mystery issues where you didn’t know if you were gonna get a werewolf story or one about aliens invading some unassuming small town!); creepy illustrations (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, anyone?); and Choose Your Own Adventure (but with comics and screenplays and stage plays! I always thought my ending to that unsettling little story set on the train to nowhere was way scarier, anyway).

We also add in an educational component, thanks to Franco’s teaching background and Alex’s current job as director of programs at a 5-star library in Connecticut.

Claudia Christian’s Dark Legacies – The Compendium Edition

In the far. far future, after Earth and her colonies have come through a period of cruel dictatorship and war into a new era of democracy and relative peace, Major Jessica Steele (modeled on Claudia Christian) is tasked with cleaning up the remnants of the previous regime. However, the death of her parents at the hands of her older sister still haunt her and the impending threat of alien invasion means even the survival of the new regime may be short lived.

A hard hitting action Sci Fi romp from the mind of the Babylon 5 star with Chris McAuley and the pencils and pens of Staz Johnson and Glenn Fabry

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SWAT: Eldritch Blue Issue #1

by Justin Coke & Rachel Distler

of broken-down outcasts, weirdos, and wizards battle to enforce the Grand Bargain— the agreement in which the Monsters of the world have agreed to hunting quotas in exchange for safety from wizards like Larry Slaughter, who are always ready to hand out the punishment for breaking the Grand Bargain— summary execution.

SWAT is about a bunch of people who are real goddamn tired of crap jobs in an insane world. We can all relate.

Three cutting edge creators come together to deliver a sharp new comic book that drips blood and beauty in a cutting comics masterpiece! Mirka Andolfo, Tim Seeley, and Steve Orlando spin tales that take Vampirella to a new place with art that is slick and kinentic. And the art is presented in stark black, white, and blood (red) making the jagged teeth of this thrilling special even stand out boldly against the page.

But don’t take my word for it…turn the page into Vampirella Black White & Blood…if you dare…

Kentucky Kaiju: Extended Edition

Kentucky Kaiju is a love letter to giant monster movies that proudly wears it’s influences on it’s sleeve. From the classic Godzilla to the less-than Gorgo, Kentucky Kaiju takes a cue from giant monsters and spins them into the idea that many, many more monsters just happen to roam the bluegrass state.

<The book was created by Justin Stewart, Tressina Bowling and Shawn Pryor. It began as a small, 4.5? x 6? digest-sized book published by Apex Book Company in 2016 and has since gone on to be a best-selling item for the creators at conventions all over the United States.

Each city listed is a completely real place in Kentucky, and each monster the creators made for that city is unique. Each spread features a special Kaiju and lists where they’re from, how big they are and some flavor text filling the reader in on its origins and habits.

Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow: A Queer Fantasy Romance

A fairytale about a mysterious noble lesbian who lives in a snow-blanketed manor and a poor farmer’s daughter.

Corruptor 1-2

The continuing story of a mafia hit man recruited by hell to corrupt souls before the world ends

JM DeMatteis Presents The DeMultiverse Phase 2 +Edward Gloom

5 new comics with artists Tom Mandrake, Shawn McManus, David Baldeón, Vassilis Gogztilas & Scott Koblish. Superhero, fantasy & more

Backers of our first campaign now know The DeMultiverse consists of four all-new, all-different comic books written by legendary writer J.M. DeMatteis (Kraven’s Last Hunt, Justice League International, Moonshadow, and hundreds more). Each of the four DeMultiverse titles is completely different in tone and style, and each one is co-created by a different artist, including David Baldeón (X-Factor, Spider-Man), Tom Mandrake (Batman, Spectre), and Shawn McManus (Swamp Thing, Sandman)!

But wait, there’s more! 

For this campaign, we’re also offering a second chapter of our special bonus FIFTH JM DeMatteis-penned title, The Edward Gloom Mysteries (co-created with artist Vassilis Gogtzilas). 

All five books will be offered in single issue comic book format, and the four DeMultiverse titles (ANYMAN, WISDOM, LAYLA IN THE LANDS OF AFTER, GODSEND) will also be collected in a DeMULTIVERSE Volume 2 TPB. The four main titles will also be available with your choice of two covers: Cover A by the series artist. And Cover B by a special guest artist. (More on all this below.)

Additionally, we are offering a limited number of all the books from our first campaign to give new readers the chance to catch up. You’ll find these on our Add-Ons page.

QUIET: LEVEL ONE – An Original Graphic Novel by Jonah Lobe

From Jonah Lobe (Skyrim/Fallout/Marvel), an epic adventure graphic novel about a little skeleton’s quest to save the Tree of Worlds.

The House of Bartolo Toy Theater & Illustrated Booklet

Illustrator Chris Schweizer and opera’s Alek Shrader reimagine “The Barber of Seville” with 18 figures and a spooky playset!

WELCOME! Here’s a creepy, kooky toy theater playset chock full of classic monster motif mash-ups! (Yes, it’s also an opera, but don’t let that SCARE you!) Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” has never been more ALIVE!

Inspired by classic horror movie and literary monsters, as well as artists like Ed Gorey, we’ve blended them into all the comedy and drama of the original story.

Chris Schweizer is a three-time Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist, writer, concept artist, and illustrator! (6 Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, Mars Attacks, Rock Candy Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Crogan Adventures)

Alek Shrader is an award-winning tenor, director, writer, and all-around opera guy! (Appearances in Barber as Almaviva at The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper, and many more)

And this is our CREATION! Bartolo’s ghastly manor is printed in full color on die-cut foam core and stands 16″ tall by 24″ wide when assembled (shipped flat with assembly instructions). It’s free-standing and rotatable, with a multi-level interior and exterior and comes with 18 stand-up figures, plus furniture.

You’ll also get a 24-page Illustrated Booklet (9.85″ x 13.78″) that tells the terrifying tale, with new artwork and character descriptions! But you can always build this action playset and live out your own operatic horror adventures!

Hawi: African Mythology Graphic Novel [Hardcover]

The award-nominated graphic novel inspired by Ethiopian history & Queen Yodit Gudit. 120+ pages. Hardcover. Made by an all-African team!

Stranded in the Axumite Empire, Emnet must figure out how to save her mom and go home, all while unraveling family secrets and facing a sinister force that threatens both worlds.

Faded Away Volume 2

The collected second volume of qiseki’s hit manga webtoon FADED AWAY!

The Faded Away story continues in Volume 2! 

Following Sou, Mitsuko, and their friends – an exciting spring is what awaits them! Friendships bloom and wither in their final year of high school, and while everyone is trying to make the most out of it…the underlying mystery surrounding Mitsuko is growing evermore!

Faded Away Volume 2 collects episodes 23 to 50 of qiseki’s hit webtoon which has over 350k subscribers and has been read nearly 16 million times. Like the Volume 1 graphic novel, every panel of the webcomic is being carefully reformatted to a manga format (reading right to left) in 3 deluxe full-color formats – the softcover with an anti-scratch matte finish, french flaps and spot UV coating, the hardcover with an anti-scratch matte finish, spot UV coating and foil, and the Kickstarter exclusive hardcover with dust jacket variant.

The Prince & The Frog: A Queer Retelling ?

In Rococo France, a prince and a peasant boy find themselves entangled in a magical queer retelling of The Frog Prince

When a promise takes an unexpected turn, Philippe DuGard, a young noble and son of the town’s mayor, embarks on a captivating journey with Rana, a clever peasant boy turned frog. As they navigate their starkly different worlds, they discover that promises, appearances, and struggles can be more than what meets the eye.

In the fantastical era of 1730s France, the two boys find themselves entangled in a magical retelling of The Frog Prince in this completed 26-page comic.