Tag: indie comix

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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!

SET SAIL ON KICKSTARTER

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.

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I Made A Comic About Lake Erie and the Toxic Algae Blooms

I made a comic about Lake Erie and the toxic algae blooms! You can read it now, freely, on Crucial Comix and The Revelator.

This is my first nonfiction comic publication, aside from a 3-page explainer for a Columbus, OH zine about the 3 Sisters crop arrangement (that’s coming later). I had not made a science comic like this before, and I’m glad I accepted the challenge!

On Crucial Comix, it’s, “Lake Erie Was Declared Dead. Now We’re Fighting For Its Life.” On The Revelator (a publication of The Center for Biological Diversity), it’s, “In Ohio, Facing A Future Without Clean Water.”

Here’s a sneak peek of it:

part 1 of my lake erie comic.
part 2 of my comic about Lake Erie

To read the rest of the comic, head to Crucial Comix or The Revelator. Links are above the art.

I want to make more comics like this. The scientists who got me in touch with the biologists for this are expressing interest in working with me again on a separate project. We’ll see who likes the pitch and where we can go with it!

During the making of this comic, I learned *way too much* about Lake Erie. So if you have questions, leave them in the comments and let me know.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Now on Crowdfundr – A New Collaboration, “An Ignorance of Romance”!

Announcing: a new collaboration with Kai (co-creator of Seeing Him) on a new webcomic project! “An Ignorance of Romance: Adventures in Wooing” is now on Crowdfundr, looking for support.

An Ignorance of Romance is the story of an unfortunately straight young man named Lian, tasked by his father The Duke with embarking on a quest to find his True Love™. Assisted by his squire, the two encounter Amber, a warrior woman searching for her lost husband. Adventures and attempted seductions ensue!

Here are some sketches we have finished so far for production!

pencil sketches of a young, effeminate man with two different haircuts
sketches of a lady knight and her facial expressions, from determined to perplexed
a sketch of a knight looking off-camera, one arm propped on the handle of a battle hammer
sketches of swords

Kai and I are running a small Crowdfundr campaign to cover the cost of domain registration and webhosting costs so we can host this comic ourselves. We also want to cover the labor for the first handful of pages of the webcomic.

We have some fun rewards available, including (but not limited to):

  • Early access to the webcomic pages!
  • Commissions!
  • And even the opportunity to be drawn as a character in the comic!

This campaign will run for one month, starting March 28 and ending on April 27, 2025.

And full disclosure – we are running this as a “Keep It All” campaign, not “All-or-Nothing” like KickStarter. This way, we can start production as soon as possible!

If you have any other questions, check out the campaign first!

Broke? Share this campaign with your friends! Sharing is caring and helps more than you know.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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It’s a Ko-fi Membership Drive!

It’s time for a Ko-fi Membership Drive!

WHAT?

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!

Thank you so much for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.

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Preparing for Awesome Con with Ben-Wright Heuman – A Live Stream

Lurk while Ben Wright-Heuman and I work and prepare for Awesome Con! We’re sharing a table at this event (happening March 8-10 in Washington, DC). Be sure to check out Ben’s website and YouTube channel, as well!

⭐ To get free phone wallpapers and other goodies, join my email newsletter.

💜 Get early updates and behind-the-scenes peaks at The Legend of Jamie Roberts by supporting the comic on Ko-fi.

🖌️ I’m available for commissions! Check my Commissions Board to get started.

🎨 TOOLS USED:

  • Streaming – Streamyard
  • Mic – Blue Snowball
  • Drawing software – Clip Studio Paint

👏 THANK YOU TO MY CLUB SUBSCRIBERS! 👏

To get your name added to this list, join one of my clubs.

  • magicalgirlkyra
  • All Unka
  • Raiden
  • Ella Q
  • Andrew Balch
  • Adam Vazquez
  • Maya Smith
  • Pat Jade
  • JessicaMcIntosh
  • RPZ
  • Bryce Bargar
  • Heidi Allison
  • Saphronia Maple
  • Bamboo Studiosbv
  • Cakes
  • Isaiah Broussard Art
  • C McClain
  • Rainer Kannenstine

And thank YOU for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.