Kai and I are now making pages for An Ignorance of Romance!
Here’s a peek at the thumbnails for the first 4 pages…
This is the stage where I read the script, then I lay out what I think the pages will *roughly* look like. Once sketched, I send them to Kai for approval. If approved, I can start actually drawing the pages.
Good news – Kai approved of these thumbnails! So now I can start drawing pages.
Thanks to the funding raised so far, we can cover webhosting and domain registration, and covering costs for the first page or two.
As an FYI – there will be extras in these opening scenes, like castle staff, stable hands, and market folks. So if you (or a friend!) want to be drawn in this comic, there are spot available for you to claim that reward!
You might be asking, “Will this comic be drawn in color?”
Surprise: this comic will be drawn in black and white with tones. This is so we can post two (or more) pages in a week, because black and white pages are faster to produce. There’s a LOT of story here, so we want to post more often!
Got more questions? Ask them in the comments and we’ll get back to you!
Also, I (Kelci) just came back from Pittsburgh Indie Expo, where I had some promotional zines for An Ignorance of Romance for free for attendees to nab. I hope to see some folks from PIE in the comments (maybe even signal boosting this campaign and backing us)!
My next show is Detroit Zine Fest, were I will have more promo zines for An Ignorance of Romance. I hope attendees are ready for me to gush about this webcomic project!
You may be thinking, “I see this is a Keep-It -All campaign. Does that mean you get my order right away?”
Yes, and your payment is processed the same day.
“So what are you doing with the money before the month ends?”
Right now, our next step is booking the domain name. Possibly two, so one could be a back-up. We have enough raised to cover that, plus the cost of hosting this webcomic ourselves.
“Why aren’t you posting this on Webtoons or Tapas?”
I’m opposed to Webtoons’ treatment of their artists, especially the ones they have under contract. They also started using and embracing AI art, which is antithetical to our ethics and what we’re doing. So on those alone, we’re not posting to Webtoon.
We *might* mirror the webcomic on Tapas, but Tapas has formatting standards that would mean changing the comic art. So let’s put a pin in that for now.
Kai and I want to host this comic ourselves so we have more control over how the webcomic looks, and so we can cultivate a community outside of the Webtoons or Tapas culture. The fans who have been with us since 2013 know that we respect the folks who engage in our comments section, and that any bad actors are removed ASAP. We don’t have time for trolls, and neither do you. And we want to respect our readers and their time.
If you have any other questions about the webcomic, please leave us a comment! We read them all.
This is a drive to get more memberships on my Ko-fi page, whether you give just once, or you join with a monthly membership. (Though there are definitely more perks if you join the monthly membership, more info below).
As of right now, we have 8 active Ko-fi members. If we can make these following benchmarks, we can unlock the following goals:
At 10 active members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get a 4×6-inch Little Caticorn mini-print!
At 15 members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get that PLUS a 4×6-inch Forest Spirit mini-print!
At 20 members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get these PLUS a 4×6-inch Prince Odinon mini-print!
At 25 members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get these PLUS a 4×6-inch mini-print of The Two Sisters – a watercolor painting from the 2022 Columbus, OH show, Comics vs Art!
More rewards will be announced as more goals are unlocked!
WHY
2025 is going to be an uncertain year for a lot of folks for many different reasons. For me, 2025 will be risky because of book bans and their challenges (I’m a genderqueer comic artist who makes comics about LGBTQ+ characters). Plus, for 2025 I’m *only* going to zine fests and shows in the Toledo, OH area. For one, those shows are friendlier to comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts. Also, the proposed tariffs are affecting many artists’ ability to afford merchandise stock like keychains and books. This isn’t even mentioning that comicons and pop culture cons are too expensive to go to as a vendor, even with splitting tables with friends.
Because of these impacts, that leaves us with a question: how can comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts, Vanita and the Demon King, and so many zines and minicomics happen with these challenges ahead? How can we solve at least one part of this puzzle?
That’s where Ko-fi Memberships come in.
Ko-fi Memberships are an easy way to get cool and custom rewards *and* support to keep making comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts. The more supporters there are, the more comics and art that can be made and shared with more and more readers!
I want comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts to keep going. More importantly, *the readers* want comics like The Legend to keep going. This comic especially is written with teens and young adults in mind, who, like me, struggle with gender identity and their place in the world. Stories like this cannot exist in a vacuum, and need support from readers like you to continue.
HOW
Ko-fi Memberships come in two flavors – one-time donations and monthly memberships.
If you give just a one-time donation during this Membership Drive, you get…
Ko-fi shop discount codes,
First dibs when I’m available for commissions,
If you join any of my monthly memberships – the Digital Club, the Zine + Sticker Club, the Art Club, you get all of that PLUS…
Webcomic updates two days earlier than the rest of the internet,
Sneak peeks at how comic pages are made,
Access to comic scripts,
Shout-outs on YouTube,
Member-exclusive zines and stickers (for Zine + Sticker Club and Art Club members),
Exclusive 4 x 6 inch mini-prints (Art Club members),
AND members-only rewards if you back a KickStarter or Crowdfundr campaign.
To get these rewards, head to my Ko-fi page and click “Memberships” to join monthly, or “Shop” to get some goodies. Spending $3 or more in the shop gets you the one-time rewards. You can also get one-time rewards by leaving a tip of $3 or more on the main Ko-fi page.
Keep in mind, too, that you can cancel monthly memberships anytime, no questions asked.
These are options IF you have the budget for it. If you are broke or struggling, absolutely *do not* feel pressured to join. Like I mentioned up top, I understand that 2025 will be a tough year for all of us. So if you are broke, share this campaign with other folks who love genderqueer pirates, trans girls, demon kings, dragons, fantasy malarkey, and supporting queer creators. Sharing is caring and helps spread the word that this campaign and these comics are even happening.
WHEN
This Ko-fi Membership Drive will run UNTIL JAN 31, 2025. I will be updating you once a week on Tuesdays to let you know how the campaign is going. Rewards will ship out after Feb 1.
That’s all for now. If you have any questions or anything, please let me know!
Today is the FINAL DAY for Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts on KickStarter. So let’s talk about the campaign – what worked, what can be improved, and what’s next one way or the other.
Jamie Roberts is not a boy or a girl – they are a PIRATE! Jamie and their two best friends, Thomas and Daniel, find an unfinished map during a pirate raid and decide to leave the seas to hunt for treasure!
But the land they have arrived in has many secrets, including the secrets kept by their new employer, Ragun Basho. Who was chasing after him? Why is he talking about dragons? And who are these people Jamie is seeing in their dreams?!
The answers are revealed in the first two volumes of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, capturing the lush, vibrant, Indigenous-inspired world of this swashbuckling adventure.
Fans of my work may be like, “Hold up. You did campaigns for volume 1 and volume 2. What’s going on?”
So here’s the short version: when I made volume 1, I worked with a comics printer that ruined the first run of books. I did manage to get reprints, but let’s just say it was the latest in a long list of issues I’ve had with them in the past. After what happened, I switched to a new printer for volume 2.
However, the second printer raised their prices without warning over the last few months. They also have a minimum order that makes things prohibitive for me, a person doing all of it solo. That left me searching for a new printer, which leads us to this campaign.
This campaign is to help fund a new print run with a NEW printer for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volumes 1 and 2.
It means new and improved quality paper! Vibrant colors! Better pricing! All to share the magical genderqueer adventure that is The Legend of Jamie Roberts with as many readers, new and old, as possible.
“But isn’t this a webcomic? That I can read online for free?” Yes!
“So why should I get these books?”
BECAUSE…
Both books have specific pages redrawn and remade from the original web versions.
These books have extra content the webcomic site does not have, like bonus comics, sneak peeks at the comics-making process, and more!
By purchasing these books, you’re helping to continue The Legend of Jamie Roberts as an ongoing comic project. Seriously, we’re very close to releasing volume 3 next year! I plan on making 5 volumes of The Legend and need support from readers like you to make it happen.
This campaign starts October 1 and ends October 21 at 11:59 pm EDT. There will be a 24-hour “Late Pledge” grace period, but Late Pledges have a late fee. Keep that in mind!
We also have new add-ons and new stretch goals – so even if you backed the previous campaigns, there’s something new for you to check out, including…
So if you’re able to support The Legend, go to the campaign and pick the rewards that work best for you!
Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Be sure to use the link tinyurl.com/tlojr-reprint. Shares help more than you know.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your time and support!
