NOW ON KICKSTARTER – The Legend of Jamie Roberts, Volume 3!

A young genderqueer person with blonde hair and glasses sits on the edge of a mesa. Two young men stand behind them, one with dark brown hair and the other with light blonde hair. All three wear a light green cape and are gazing out over the horizon. In the distance is a long, winding path leading to a mesa and a castle town sitting on top of it. Text next to them reads "The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3"

It started with a pirate raid…

Jamie, Thomas, and Daniel found an unfinished treasure-map to a land they had never seen before. Once they took the map, they left the seas and became bodyguards for a wandering king. Now, after encountering strange spirits, fighting Eldritch creatures from another plane of existence, and bearing witness to their boss become A MOTHER-FUCKING DRAGON…

There is more adventure to be had!

This! Is! The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3, continuing the fantasy adventure epic that started as a webcomic back in 2018 and that has grown since then. While the webcomic is free to read, print editions like volume 3 feature re-touched art, bonus material that’s not on the website (like concept art and a peek at the process of making comics), and even additional comics exclusive to the print editions.

The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3 is 110 pages of full-color glory, continuing the adventure from where it left off in volumes 1 and 2 (those are also available in this KickStarter campaign, so if you’re new here, you have a chance to catch up). Volume 3 also features bonus content like extra character bios, concept art, and an exclusive short comic that will *only* be in volume 3.

two wide comics panels. Panel 1: a genderqueer person in a green cape, blue pants, brown boots, and white sleeveless short falls, a look of shock on their face. They are in freefall. 

Panel 2: two hands clap the hands of the genderqueer person. Sound effects say "GRAB"

WHY NOW?

I’ve said it before in past KickStarter campaigns, and I will say it again – The Legend of Jamie Roberts is the story I wish I had growing up. As a teen, I wanted stories with genderqueer leads, dragons, magic, and fresh challenges on gender stereotypes. I wanted to see adventures featuring someone I could relate to – and most importantly, I wanted a story where the main character had best friends who would stick by them no matter what.

Turns out, a LOT of readers felt the same way! This comic has gotten successfully funded on KickStarter *and* Crowdfundr, and gets regular support from members on Ko-fi. Thank you, members! (You’re getting a special, exclusive reward included if/when you back this campaign.)

It is by the grace of support from fans like you that The Legend of Jamie Roberts exists. I cannot get this to print – let alone send it off to the far reaches of our readership – by myself. That’s why I ask patrons like you to chip in and help bring this book to print.

This might surprise you, considering the political moment of being a genderqueer artist in the United States making a webcomic about a genderqueer pirate…but I’m not stopping anytime soon. Come hell or high water, I’m making this comic, and I’m going to get this comic to as many readers as I can reach.

Maybe I’m biased, but I think MORE people need to read this comic. And with your support, we can make that happen.

3 comics panels, all showing the same angle of a young blonde man talking to his two friends - a young man with brown hair and a young genderqueer person with blonde hair and glasses.

Panel 1: Daniel says, "HOLY SHIT SO PRINCE ODINON CAME UP TO ME IN THE PALACE AND -

Panel 2: Daniel passes a bag to Jamie the genderqueer one. Daniel says, "Oh. Here's our payment." Jamie says, "Thank you. Please continue."

Panel 3: Daniel goes back to screaming as Jamie counts coins out of the bag. Daniel says, "AND HE WAS ASKING ME QUESTIONS AND I THINK HE KNOWS ABOUT THE CAPTAIN!"

This campaign runs UNTIL NOV 13. If we hit our base goal before then, then there can be a 24-hour late pledge grace period.

With any luck, once we hit our goals, all rewards will be shipped out in time for the holidays! I will post regular updates in the Campaign Updates (as well as in my email newsletter) to keep everyone in the loop. After backers get their rewards, volume 3 will be available for the general public.

So if you’re ready to nab this treasure, ya’ best be grabbin’ it before it sails away!

Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Good pirates know to spread the word when the gettin’ is good, and shares help more than you know. Use the link tinyurl.com/tlojrvol3 when you spread the word on the virtual seas.

That’s all for now…

THANKS FOR READING!

You. Are. Awesome.

What if Jamie Roberts Was NOT a Pirate??

a genderqueer human brandishes a sword with a dramatic sweep of the cape

You all know about Jamie Roberts, the genderqueer pirate who left the sea with their two best friends to go treasure-hunting in a land full of dragons.

But what if they weren’t pirates? Believe it or not, in very early drafts of this comic, Jamie and friends were not pirates at all!

In SUPER early drafts (we’re talking back in 2011 to 2013), they were students at a military school. In those versions of the story, they discover the top brass held an earth-shattering secret plan: to release a demon king and destroy their enemies. They would flee the military school and get refuge in the land where the demon king was sealed away.

In hashing out one draft, I had it that they were military school students, then turned pirate to escape. And the feedback I got was, “Why don’t you just…make them pirates?”

Honestly, storytelling 101: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Besides, I really wanted to get to the pirate bits more than the military school bits. People love pirates more than school, anyway.

So that’s how they became pirates!

Some of these concept sketches, though, will be making it into the bonus material of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3…Which is coming to KickStarter on October 14.

Be sure to sign up for my email newsletter to be the first to know! The newsletter is free and private, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more!

Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

Last Day for the Limited Edition Rewards!

Today is the last day to claim some of these limited edition rewards and add-ons through Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts’ Kickstarter! If you need a breakdown of which rewards are expiring today, I wrote up a Kickstarter update that goes into more depth. (That post was published on the 11th, but the rewards expire today).

The patron-exclusive mini-print for the KickStarter is still a work in progress, but we’re getting there! Here’s a preview of that…

a sketch of Jamie Roberts, a genderqueer pirate, stands on the wood beams off the mast of a ship. They have a smile on their face and a sword in their hand as their coat flaps in the wind

Ko-fi supporters will get the final render of this as a mini-print included with their Kickstarter Rewards when they back the campaign.

For Folks Who Backed New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi…

Your rewards will be sent out either today or tomorrow! I tried to get UPS to pick up the packages from my place on Saturday, but UPS never came. 🙃 Once rewards are shipped, keep an eye on your inboxes for the tracking numbers. 

But for the folks who backed that campaign and have not backed Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts yet… I will include this art in your rewards if you do. 

an anthropomorphic red bird man and a young adult himbo help a drunk genderqueer pirate, who's laughing on the floor

Once again, today is the LAST DAY to claim the limited edition rewards on Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts’ KickStarter! The campaign itself ends October 21st, but today is the last day for the limited edition stuff. So head on over to the campaign and check it out! 

If you’re broke, share the news far and wide with the link tinyurl.com/tlojr-reprint yo. 

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support! 

You. Are. Awesome.

NOW ON KICKSTARTER – Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts

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…

  1. Both books have specific pages redrawn and remade from the original web versions.
  2. These books have extra content the webcomic site does not have, like  bonus comics, sneak peeks at the comics-making process, and more!
  3. 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…

minicomics are available as add-ons! Minicomics include The Legend of Azu-mi, The Legend of Norsa, Legendary & Casual, and Ranki in Cosplay
stickers are also available as add-ons for this KickStarter! Stickers include Thomas, Jamie, and Daniel dressed as punks, Basho's twin in a crop top, and Jamie posing with their sword

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!

You. Are. Awesome.

The First 69 Page of The Legend of Jamie Roberts…

here is 1 of 69 pages that went into The Legend of Jamie Roberts. This shows a black and white version of an existing page, before colors and final touches are added.

Fun fact: the first 69 pages of The Legend of Jamie Roberts…were drawn traditionally, then colored and lettered digitally. After page 69, the comics-making process became completely digital.

Why? Well, I moved to a smaller apartment at the time. So I had to switch to a digital process to save on physical space. There was also the problem of my old scanner being in rough shape. I had to leave it behind in the move, and replacement scanners could not scan 11×17-inch pages.

Also…I wanted to achieve certain special effects in the pages of this comic. And those special effects are easier to do digitally.

I do like the work that went into these originals. I’m still very pleased with how they turned out. Yet I don’t have the space to hang them up or show them off.

So I’ve been sitting with these 69 pages in studio storage. I think it’s time they find homes where they can be shown off and appreciated more.

That’s why I’ve included these 69 pages in the Spring Cleaning Sale on Crowdfundr. There are also tons of other original art available, from sketchbook pages to pins and keychains. Plus, pages from my other webcomic projects are also available.

here is another one of 69 pages that went into The Legend of Jamie Roberts. This shows a black and white version of an existing page, before colors and final touches are added.

Shipping is free on these original pages, as well as the other big-ticket work that’s available. You have until May 6 to get these.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.