We here at Comic Watch want to highlight and support those projects across the various platforms, especially those projects that still need a push along with those stretch goals.

Below is a brief synopsis of the project; for more details and to support the projects, click on the link to the campaign page.

Star Marshals

Cleaning up the galaxies one perp at a time.

From the creative team that brought you HERO HAPPY HOUR, the comic book about superheroes hanging out in a bar, comes STAR MARSHALS, the comic book about space cops, umm…hanging out in, uh—space. This is the sci-fi buddy cop comic book that you didn’t know you were missing.

These are the investigations of the Intergalactic Justice Coalition Marshals. Their oath of service: to apprehend wanted fugitives; to investigate intergalactic violations and felonies. To boldly skew where science fiction and police procedural tropes have gone before.

It’s Lethal Weapon meets Star Wars.

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SCRAP BOOK

Glenn Bray is a renowned collector and archivist of underground comix, low and high art, and the creator of the critically acclaimed books LIBRARY and The Blighted Eye.

“There are many different sorts of collectors. Freud attributed the condition to bad toilet training, but he was often something of a kill-joy. Of course, at one end of the spectrum there are The Hoarders, those who turn their homes into dangerous obstacle courses, with treasures and trash combustibly mixed together. Anyone who ever walked through Bill Blackbeard’s large Victorian home, The San Francisco Academy of Comic Art, a three-story house with only narrow paths between the stacked-high bound volumes of newspapers absolutely everywhere but the bathroom (for fear of water-damage), might have diagnosed him with that pathology. Though discerning and prescient (Bill knew the difference between trash and treasure better than most everyone) he tried to collect it All… and it has served my art form well.

Here he has arranged neuron-firing, free-associative found images as a series of two-page spreads that comment and reflect upon each other. By turns darkly funny, apocalyptic and blissful, SCRAP BOOK is a subconscious flow of words and pictures that no one was supposed to save or revere. You’ll see some famous names in the art and cartooning world here alongside anonymous tabloid clippings, forgotten advertisements and bizarre things that somehow wandered into the mainstream.

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A Never-Ending Adventure

The fantastic quest of an aspiring creator looking for an idea.

Current Funding: $2,011
Funding Goal: $4,000
Days Left: 6
Link:  A Never-Ending Adventure

A Never-Ending Adventure is a one-shot story of Mark Bear, a young Latino struggling to keep his head straight. A former corporate worker turned comic book writer, Mark needs to think of a winning idea to make a living from his passion. But his –undiagnosed- ADHD disperses his thoughts and ideas, and the modern culture of fast stimuli doesn’t help. Therefore, we will follow a day of his life, trying to accomplish his goals by having great adventures, which include trips to his past and foreign lands. Will he be able to write a comic book by the last page?

We will focus on exploring Mark’s thoughts in the form of a fantastic adventure and the Latino approach to mental health. We will show Mark’s struggle with distractions, disappointing loved ones, and dealing with imposter syndrome. The book will feature a series of side stories, with different art styles and artists, spawning from Mark’s main story, that shows how his head works and how he easily transitions from one thought to another. With your help, we will make this book about career change, mental health, creating comics, and epic quests a reality!

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Previously featured, fully funded Kickstarters Worth A Look:

• The Ballad of Valkyrie Sinclaire #1 – 2 — 5 Days Left
•  Terminus Veil Volume 1 – An Explosive Action Mystery — 17 Days Left
• TRIGGERGIRL 6: JUSTICE – by Palmiotti, Santacruz and Conner — 19 Days Left
• [Boyish²] Butch×Butch Yuri Anthology[vol.2] — 37 Days Left
• Out of Style: a gorgeous, all-new winchestermegg artbook! — 6 Days Left
• VIXX THE HUNTER #1 – A Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy — 5 Days Left
• Collectors Annual #7 MORE Funny Comics About Comics & Wives! — 5 Days Left
• PLAINER JANE – The Complete Full Colour Graphic Novel — 13 Days Left

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Sapphic Pulp: Collected Tales of Love and Desire

A 120-page anthology of short, erotic comics from creator Natasha Alterici, and a talented team of queer creators (NSFW, 18+).

Current Funding: $18,095
Funding Goal: $23,000
Days Left: 27
Link: Sapphic Pulp: Collected Tales of Love and Desire

Sapphic Pulp is a 120 page collection of 10 short erotic comics from writer Natasha Alterici, with art, covers, editing, and letters from a team of incredible queer artists.  It’s at times hot and silly, and other at others steamy and sentimental, but it’s always Sapphic as hell. This work is intended for mature audiences.

So, what’s so special about this queer comics anthology versus all the other amazing ones out there? Well… all these stories are written by one author, so she’s flexing a bit, indulging in some of the sexiest ideas she’s had for comics yet.

While Natasha will be drawing a couple of the stories, all the others are drawn by one of six amazing queer artists, all of whom were hand-selected for this project. Each story is paired with (or in some cases, written specifically for) an artist to suit their style and interests.  The stories range in length from 10-16 pages which is almost double what similar anthologies have done, a satisfying length that doesn’t leave you wishing for more.

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Complete Jim Henson’s LABYRINTH Graphic Novel Collection

Reserve the new graphic novel adaptation of A.C.H. Smith’s LABYRINTH novel along with premium hardcover sets & limited merchandise!

Current Funding: $497,822
Funding Goal: $25,000
Days Left: 18
Link:  Complete LABYRINTH Visual Library & Graphic Novel Adaptation

Celebrate Jim Henson‘s seminal and beloved LABYRINTH film as you’ve never seen it before. In 1986, playwright A.C.H. Smith wrote a novelization of LABYRINTH while the film was still being completed. This novelization includes moments and scenes never shot or captured in the final feature film.

Now, award-winning and bestselling publisher BOOM! Studios, in partnership with The Jim Henson Company, is publishing a graphic novel adaptation of this novel, visualizing the entire story for the first time! And for the first time, BOOM! Studios is also offering every LABYRINTH graphic novel we’ve ever published in two beautiful deluxe hardcovers!

These essential stories include the COMPLETE LABYRINTH: CORONATION – the untold origin of Jareth the Goblin King immortalized on screen by the legendary David Bowie – as well as Labyrinth Tales, Labyrinth: Shortcuts, and Labyrinth: Under the Spell alongside the Labyrinth: Artist Tribute book showcasing the greatest comic book illustrators of all time in the COMPLETE LABYRINTH: BEYOND THE GOBLIN CITY.

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BILLY DOGMA

A psycho-sexual Dean Haspiel deep cut!

Current Funding: $7,541
Funding Goal: $6,000
Days Left: 19
Link: Billy Dogma

Where COVID COP is a hardboiled love story hiding inside a pandemic-spawned dystopian horror, BILLY DOGMA is a psychedelic romance gone galactic between a dumb-luck bruiser and his knock-em-dead dame.

From Ringo Award and Emmy Award-winning cartoonist Dean Haspiel, the creator of The Red Hook and Covid Cop, comes a brand new comic book for mature readers, BILLY DOGMA and JANE LEGIT. BILLY DOGMA is a psychedelic romance gone galactic between a dumb-luck bruiser and his knock-em-dead dame. In “I Will Break You But I Won’t Kill You Because I Need You,” the insanity of Billy Dogma and Jane Legit’s love affair comes to a crossroads when Billy realizes they must find a better way to love or Trip City will burn under the fever of their romantic touch. And with psycho-sexual vignettes like “Bring Me The Heart of Billy Dogma,” “Sunflower Kisses,” “The Last Romantic Antihero,” “Wet Dreams,” and “Sex Planet,” plus a brand new story,  this oversized comic book offers 48 pages of erotic comix noir.

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DEFIANT The Story of Robert Smalls – written by Rob Edwards

A graphic novel series chronicling the epic journey of Robert Smalls. Featuring artists Nikolas Draper-Ivey and Ray-Anthony Height.

Current Funding: $67,419
Funding Goal: $10,000
Days Left: 18
Link: DEFIANT The Story of Robert Smalls – written by Rob Edwards

The incredible story of Robert Smalls is one that deserves to be told – and remembered. During the height of the Civil War, Smalls, an enslaved harbor pilot in Charleston, pulled off one of the most daring heists in history – stealing a Confederate warship and sailing it past the naval blockade to freedom! Not only did his actions help convince President Abraham Lincoln to accept African American soldiers into the Union Army, but Smalls eventually served as a captain in the Navy – of the very ship he had stolen!

After the war, Smalls was elected to the House of Representatives, becoming one of the first African Americans in Congress. While there, he wrote legislation for the first free and compulsory public school system in the US and so much more. Help Legion M tell the remarkable true story of Robert Smalls! By becoming part of this incredible project, you can join a talented creative team in bringing his legacy to life through this beautifully illustrated graphic novel, with an eventual goal of making a feature film or TV series. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a difference and bring this powerful story to the world!

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John Garvin’s Trace War – Comic Book Series

John Garvin, ex-PlayStation writer/director of Syphon Filter and Days Gone, brings you Trace War

Current Funding: $7,838
Funding Goal: $10,000
Days Left: 44
Link: Rook

Trace War takes place in a far future Pacific Northwest in a world that has been ravaged by climate change, global wars, the arrival of mysterious pockets of dark energy called  “The Trace,” which has led to the collapse of global civilization. Chapter One follows the saga of Ash Naranjo, born without arms and transformed by TechGyn – high tech nanotechnology – Ash grows up an outcast. When his enclave is attacked by the oppressive Freelanders, Ash joins the Order, an ancient organization dedicated to restoring humanity’s lost knowledge. Having lost everything – his former life, his family, his home – Ash now finds himself in a war to save all of humanity. But can he save himself?

With years of successful games under his belt, Garvin has consistently shown his ability to create rich, complex worlds filled with fascinating characters and gripping narratives. His passion for storytelling is the driving force behind Trace War.

Trace War takes place in a far future Pacific Northwest in a world that has been ravaged by climate change, global wars, the arrival of mysterious pockets of dark energy called  “The Trace,” which has led to the collapse of global civilization. Chapter One follows the saga of Ash Naranjo, born without arms and transformed by TechGyn – high tech nanotechnology – Ash grows up an outcast. When his enclave is attacked by the oppressive Freelanders, Ash joins the Order, an ancient organization dedicated to restoring humanity’s lost knowledge. Having lost everything – his former life, his family, his home – Ash now finds himself in a war to save all of humanity. But can he save himself?  This series promises to be a compelling blend of action, science fiction, and Garvin’s trademark narrative depth.

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Warp Hustler

Go anywhere. Do Anything. F*** everyone. Mature Readers Sci-Fi WTFery from Martin Simmonds and Paul Hanley.

Current Funding: $2,987
Funding Goal: $4,000
Days Left: 10
Link: Warp Hustler

Austin, 2021: Janice Hoffman’s a 34 year-old pot-smoking slacker working at the last video store in Texas.  Her life may look aimless and boring, but she’s watching every Star Trek episode ever in in-universe chronological order and already made it through 3 seasons of Enterprise.  So there.  Also, she may get shot in the face for choosing the wrong color swatch.

New Jersey, 1937: A very confused Janice materializes on the Hindenburg for 21 seconds as it’s engulfed in flames.

A different Austin, 2021: An adult Janice with a child brain briefly appears on top of a parking garage.  A stylishly-dressed woman wants her to take a message to Bob (this may also involve getting shot in the face).

Mexico City, 1987: Baby Janice is maybe being abducted by maybe-aliens.

No Damn Idea: Janice is running from totally-for-sure-aliens who travel on kaiju-sized hermit crabs.  Janice is speaking Spanish with a 7 ft tall gas-masked zombie in what looks an awful lot like a 1920s German Expressionist sci-fi movie.  Janice is free-falling through the thermosphere of a gas giant, in the exact 21 seconds of time and space where it won’t cause her to asphyxiate, freeze, burn or explode.

Also, possibly in a meta-level where time is moot: Janice is consulting with an infinitely large publishing house on the comic book adaptation of her life story (which itself possibly only ever happened in a comic book).  It’s written and painted by infinite chimpanzees, a miracle of temporal engineering that was humanity’s final FU to AI writers and artists.

Through all this, one thing’s always the same: Janice is waiting for Bob.  Partly to explain WTF is happening, but mainly to kick his ass.

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We Will No Longer Have to Cover Each Other’s Wounds

A haunting and gorgeous graphic novel about love and loss by Siyuan Wen.

Current Funding: $5,871
Funding Goal: $7,500
Days Left: 18
Link: We Will No Longer Have to Cover Each Other’s Wounds

We Will No Longer Have to Cover Each Other’s Wounds is a 128-page graphic novel by acclaimed artist Siyuan Wen. An excerpt of this book, <now I can never know you more than those white walls>, was the winner of the 2023 Minicomic Award, and now we have the complete story ready to share with you.

Estranged from his mother after a frightening incident in childhood, Wayde now struggles to come to terms with her death. We Will No Longer Have To Cover Each Other’s Wounds is a masterful examination of broken relationships, generational trauma, and the need for connection.

The goal of this project is to fully fund the printing of this book. We’ve carefully budgeted printing costs, design costs, and accounted for hidden variables and potential additional fees (like recent paper price increases).