Tag: Kickstarter

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Queer Comics Crowdfunding – Magical Boy Basil

Busy Geek Breakdown (TL;DR): If you haven’t checked out this webcomic, you’ll get hooked quickly. It has adventure, magic, teen angst, and plenty of geeky references. We need more stories like this, with complex representation of Queer characters. Checkout their newest Kickstarter. If you want to checkout the comic, you can do that here.

Get ready for an exhilarating adventure as “Magical Boy Basil” returns with its highly anticipated fifth chapter, “Magic Fight,” and you have the opportunity to make it a reality!

In this thrilling installment, Basil finds himself immersed in a world of enchantment as he investigates tangles, mischievous creatures born from fractured magic items. But what starts as a mere investigation takes a dramatic turn when Basil and his friend, Eli, become entangled in an epic magic fight between Noah and Aaron. Brace yourself for action-packed sequences, vibrant magical transformations, and plenty of laughter as Basil navigates through the concluding chapter of the first arc of “Magical Boy Basil.”

If you’re new to the comic, Magical Boy Basil is a free-to-read webcomic that updates every other Friday. It is an LGBTQIA+ story featuring a group of undercover teenage magicians that battle monsters in order to maintain the balance of the universe.

Magical Boy Basil is produced by Jordan Wild (writer) and Beck Murray (artist). They’ve been working on Magical Boy Basil together for 7 years now. (1 year of pre-production, and 6 years of publication)


Since the webcomic’s launch in 2016, the audience has grown to over 30,000 readers. In October 2022, Magical Boy Basil became part of the Tapas Early Access program, was number 1 in ‘New Releases’ the first week of release and has since exceeded 6 million views on the platform.

The first print edition of issues #1-4 (awarded “Project We Love by Kickstarter staff) were all successfully funded through Kickstarter.

Creative Team: Jordan Wild, R.E. Murray, and Sid McNulty

And here’s from my interview with one of the creators, R.E. Murray:

DGH: How has it been interacting with your fans, whether in person or online?

REM: I feel like we’re a small little comic but we’re almost always approached by folks at cons (notably Flame Con) who not only recognize us but are so excited by and love Magical Boy Basil. Having conversations with fans about the story, the genre, and life in general is my favorite part. Everyone is just so friendly!

DGH: How does your personal identity and experiences as an LGBTQIA+ individual influence your creative process and the stories you choose to tell?

REM: I think I almost exclusively write, draw, and am inspired by LGBTQIA+ content. I spent the first fifteen years of my life not knowing why I was different and only consuming heteronormative stories until I learned that queerness was real and that stories could be queer too- My stories could be queer even! 

DGH: Can you walk us through your typical creative process? How do you develop ideas, create characters, and bring your stories to life on the page?

REM: Usually there’s some back and forth with Jordan (our writer) as to what the character’s core traits should be or what a storyline should roughly look like. Sometimes it takes some teasing the threads out to come to a solid conclusion but sometimes designs or story beats will come on like a lightning strike. It’s very in the moment!

DGH: Are there any specific comic book artists or writers who have influenced your style or storytelling approach? How have they inspired you?

REM: Personally, I consume a lot of manga (and graphic novels) so it’s less anyone or anything specific and more a hodge podge of the things that catch my eye- how someone draws clothing folds or expressions or their shorthand for environment details- that kind of thing. I will say that Yuhki Kamatani has amazing visuals and that it’d be cool to try to incorporate more visual metaphors like they do.

DGH: How do you envision your work impacting readers, particularly those who identify as LGBTQIA+? What messages or emotions do you hope to convey through your stories?

REM: I think just telling a queer magical kid story is impactful in and of itself. After all, queer folk can have magical adventures and save the town/world too! Magical Boy is something I wish I’d had when I was younger and we’ve had younger readers come up today saying how excited they were to see Basil’s story so that tells me our message is coming out loud and clear.

DGH: Who is your favorite Federation Captain, and why?

REM: Oh gosh, no judgements please but I’ve never watched much Trek… That being said I DID watch Next Generation and I think Picard is a fantastically complex character.

(That was a close one, Beck. I was worried for a second. Everyone here knows I have strong opinions. Anyway, even now, we all know Jean Luc can get it. Then again, so can the new Captain Pike. Anyway, what was I saying? Let’s geek out more when we see each other at Flame Con!)

While webcomics provide an excellent and accessible medium (and I love being able to load them up on my Kindle or phone when I travel), there’s something extraordinary about holding a comic book in your hands. It brings the story to life in a unique way, immersing readers in vibrant artwork and captivating narratives. The creators of “Magic Boy Basil” understand this, and their desire to provide a complete and immersive experience led them to bring the series to print.

By supporting this Kickstarter campaign, you’ll help make “Issue #5 – Magic Fight” a reality and ensure that “Magic Boy Basil” continues its positive impact on readers. Let’s bring this extraordinary story full circle and place the power of “Magic Boy Basil” into your hands. Experience the magic, excitement, and heartwarming moments that await within the pages of this remarkable comic book. Back the campaign now and join us on this enchanting journey!

Title Image and all other images used with permission: The copyright of Magical Boy Basil belongs to Fireside Stories, LLC.

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Queer Project Spotlight: Hairology with co-creators Kat Calamia and Phil Falco!

In this installment of the Queer Creator Spotlight I had the opportunity to talk with Kat Calamia and Phil Falco. You may be familiar with those names as they are the creators, editors, and publishers behind the wildly successful anthology, “Bi-Visibility!” They have another fantastic project running right now on Kickstarter called “Hairology Vol. 1“.

Hair. Love it. Hate it. We all have it. Mostly. Kat and Phil have assembled a wonderful compilation of writers and artists to tell us their own personal hair-raising tales and take us on some very funny and relatable stories about hair. Let ‘s get to it…

Hairology 1 cover art by Maru Davalos from Lifeline Comics

Chris Allo: What prompted the idea to do an anthology about “Hair?“

Kat Calamia: I’ve always had a complicated relationship with my hair. I love my curly hair, but throughout my life I’ve had people try to tell me how I should style it. 

I would learn that everyone has a complicated relationship with their hair, and these are stories we should showcase. I’m very proud of the diverse amount of narratives and genres we were able to stick into this one.  

CA: In terms of the talent, you have on the book, did you put out a call for ideas/stories?  Were there people you knew you wanted to have contribute to the book?

KC: We received all our stories from a submission form that we shared on our social media platforms. We had a great range of writers submit including veterans like Sterling Gates and even newcomers making their comic book writing debut. 

We also had a handful of artists that we hired through the submission form, but we also hired artists we worked with in the past and new artists that we’ve had our eyes on from their social media posts. 

CA: You’ve used KickStarter before, quite successfully, with Bi-Visibility. What is it about the platform and the experience that keeps you coming back?

KC: The community! We love the community we’ve been able to create with our readers, with fellow comic book creators, and the people of Kickstarter themselves. 

Art by Kameron White; Colors by Dorilys Giacchetto

CA: What are some must know/must do when running a KS campaign that you’d like to share with future and current creators?

KC: Know your elevator pitch. What makes your comic book stand out compared to other comics in that genre. 

And have a good thumbnail and sub-header because that’s going to be the first thing potential readers are going to see before committing to clicking.

Art by Kenan Halilovic

Chris Allo: We all love hair!  What do you want for people to take away after reading this amazing book?

Phil Falco: We want our readers to come away from the book with an overwhelming feeling of self-love. Everybody has a different relationship with their hair — it’s such a huge part of everybody’s self-expression. And while every story in “Hairology” is very unique and different, I think it’s fair to say that each of them has an undercurrent of learning to love/accept yourself more through your unique relationship with your hair.

CA: Which are some of your favorite stories from the anthology and why?

PF: We genuinely love all of the stories in “Hairology”, but to name just a few stand-outs: we have an anime-inspired action story about a young professional literally”fighting” her hair before her first day on a new job, a hilariously heartwarming autobiography about a protagonist always considering himself “ugly” finding self-confidence through his hair, a dystopian story that touches on the oppressive feelings of dress codes and hair length requirements, and a beautiful autobiographical story about a trans woman’s first time growing out her hair as part of her journey of self-discover and being surprised by the result.

Art by Yonson Carbonell

CA: Do you have any personal “Hair” stories that you’d like to share that were not included?

KC & PF: We both have plenty of our own hair stories — Kat especially surrounding the brash way people sometimes regard curly hair. But we decided early on not to contribute our own stories to this anthology. One of the main reasons we create these anthologies is to give other writers/artists the opportunity to tell their own stories. And we wanted to give our creative team as many pages as possible to do so.

One hair story we’ll leave you with that actually partially inspired “Hairology”: Phil was on a professional phone call related to a gig that Kat and he were both working on. For whatever reason, Kat couldn’t join that call but had been on previous calls. And completely unprompted, the other party told Phil that we needed to “think big, like Kat’s hair”. We were both baffled by this random declaration and discussing it after the call is part of what led to the conversation about creating “Hairology”.

CA: Since you’re both editors, can you share some advice for aspiring creatives on some of the ways to get their work seen and read?

Art by Dorilys Giacchetto

PF: Just keep putting yourself out there! We’re fortunate to be in a time where there are so many different avenues to break into creative spaces. So we always encourage creatives to try it all — whether that’s pitches, self-publishing, posting on Webtoon and other digital comic platforms, building an engaging social media, etc. Just always been putting your work out there and keep creating new and diverse work!

CA: Kat and Phil, thank you both for your time and for another great project!

Please click on the Kickstarter link below and get your copy now and continue to support our Queer Creatives!

Hairology: A Celebration of Hair! by Kat Calamia (Lifeline Comics) — Kickstarter

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LGBTQIA+ Creator Spotlight with Kathryn “Kat” Calamia

Happy fall, ya’ll In this installment of the queer creator spotlight I had the opportunity to interview creator, journalist and YouTuber, Kat Calamia. A bi-woman of many talents. She’s the editor, creator, and one of the writers for Bi Visibility: A Bisexual Anthology. She’s also writer/creator for the superhero drama, Like Father, Like Daughter, and the psychological martial arts thriller, They Call Her…The Dancer. She’s also the co-creator for WebToon’s fantastic queer romance, Slice of Life.

Aside from being a talented creator/writer, Kat Calamia has been working in the comic book industry as a critic for over a decade on Comic Uno, her YouTube channel. She’s been writing for various websites including IGN, Fandom, TV guide and for Newsarama since 2017. She currently writes for DC Comics’ DC Universe. A graduate of MaryMount Manhattan, Kat wasted no time pursuing her passion and love of comics!

Chris Allo: When did your interest in comics begin? What was the “thing” that got you into comics?

Kat Calamia: It was a who – my Dad got me into comic books when I was young. He used to collect Silver Age DC comics. So instead of Sleeping Beauty, Superman was my bedtime story. When I started watching more superhero content like Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man (2002), and X-Men Evolution, this helped me venture into getting my own back issues, which then led to me forming my own pull list. I’ve been going to the comic book store every Wednesday since 8th grade – I’m 27 now. 

Like Father, Like Daughter/Cover Art Wayne Brown

CA: How has being LGBTQ informed your work? What is it about being bi that you put into your work?  Or that compels you to want to share with the world?

Kat: Our experiences shape our writing. I grew up in New York – that informs my work. I have a twin – that informs my work. I’m bi – that informs my work. And so on and so forth. 

I enjoy consuming and writing queer stories. I’m humbled that I’m able to contribute to the many wonderful queer stories out there, and showcase what authentic LGBTQ stories look like.

CA: You’re very prolific on Kickstarter. What attracted you to the KS platform? Is that where you primarily publish your work?

Kat: The list is long, but first and foremost it’s the most useful tool to garner an audience and fund your books as an indie creator, and that’s why it’s the primary space that I publish my work. I love the people who work at Kickstarter, I love my fellow creators that post their projects on there, and I love the backers! The platform is all about community, just like comic books themselves.

CA: In order for a Kickstarter campaign to be successful, you need an audience, a community.  How do you go about building that audience from your experience?

Kat: The short answer is that Kickstarter is a community and you should utilize that community to its fullest, and just like any other business – presentation is important. The other answer is that I actually do Kickstarter consulting that helps with that very topic. So if this is something you need help with, hit me up on twitter @ComicUno!

CA: What are the projects you are most proud of right now?

Kat: Of course, I’m proud of every project that I put out there, but if I had to choose one it would be Slice of Life. I write this with my business partner, Phil Falco, and we’re having a blast posting it on WEBTOON. It’s a different experience posting your work online and getting feedback in real time about your writing. We’re really happy with the character work there and our exploration of the LGBTQ and high school experience.

Slice of Life/Calamia

CA: Here’s a lighter question. Who is your favorite existing queer character and why?

Kat: That’s a hard one because there are so many I love, but if I had to choose only one I would say Runaways’ Karolina Dean. She was the first character I ever saw in comics where we actually got to see her coming out journey. As a closeted bi, I was actually a little scared to read it because I related to it so much, but there was something that gravitated me to continue at the time. 

Brian K Vaughan gave her room to explore what it meant to be a lesbian. If you read Runaways #1, its obvious that Vaughan was planning to tell a queer story with her from the beginning, but it was never rushed. And then Rainbow Rowell picked up those pieces and told a wonderful queer love story with Karolina and Nico.

CA: What lesson or advice would you give to aspiring creators? What do you wish you knew then that you know now when it comes to being a working creator in today’s industry?  

Kat: WRITE! I see a lot of up-and-coming creators wanting to be writers without writing a script. Practice makes perfect. Start small. Don’t write your 100-issue epic just yet. Start with a short in an anthology, a one-shot, or if you want to aim big – a mini-series.

CA: Being bi-sexual has long been pigeon holed as being a choice primarily in a sexual context.In the “Bi-Visibility” Anthology you all dispel that notion and shine a much more authentic and complex lens on what it mean to be “bi.” I really enjoyed “LGBT” RPG, “A Most Unusual Trajectory” and “The Bi Card”. I thought that your story “Will I Regret It” was particularly poignant and touching. What was the goal with the anthology?

Bi Visibility/Art Lisa Sterle, Katlyn Gonzalez

Kat: For sure, we wanted to showcase the many different bisexual experiences through different genres and perspectives. There’s an unlimited amount of bisexual stories that we can tell! And we purposely made this an all-ages book so kids and teens could also read the anthology. 

CA: Your WEBTOON ongoing? “Slice of Life” with Phil Falco and artist Valeris Peri is fantastic!  How did the story materialize for you? Why did you choose to put it out on the Webtoons platform?

Kat: Phil and I had worked together on a crossover one shot between our two books Haunting and Like Father, Like Daughter, were we had superheroes and the supernatural collide in a fun Scooby Doo styled one-shot. We had so much fun with that project that we wanted to work together on more books.

We both really love WEBTOON and the sheer possibility of tempting those readers to also pick up traditional comics. There, Slice of Life was born as a Webtoon that would also have a printed edition through Kickstarter. As for the story, Phil and I both wanted to create a queer narrative and Phil had an idea of an anime character coming to life. We had a few meetings and the concept about Cheerleader falling in love with anime character was born! The rest is history. 

CA: How did you decide on Valeria as the artist? Was she familiar with the way a story is told on WEBTOON?

Kat: We actually found her on Pinterest when we were scouring the web to find an artist for the book, and her fan art caught our eyes. We contacted her, and she was game. I believe this is the first WEBTOON she has worked on, but the more technical scrolling aspect of the comic is actually done by our letterer and fellow WEBTOON creator, Garth Matthams (Witch Creek Road).

Slice of Life/Art Valeris Peri

CA: Aside from being a talented writer you’re also a journalist. You’ve written for many different websites with a focus on comic book content. Did you go into journalism specifically for that or did you have other journalistic aspirations?

Kat: I have a journalism minor as part of a Communication Degree from college so I’ve also taken a lot of classes about more classic journalism, but I always enjoyed entertainment journalism – specifically comic book journalism.

Bi-Visibility/Art: Lisa Stele, Charlie Kirchoff

CA: You also have a successful Youtube channel, Comic Uno, where you talk comics and give reviews.  How did that come about?  What is it about that forum that propels you to continue to create content there?

Kat: I’ve been working on Comic Uno since high school actually (which was 10 years ago, I feel old haha). I’ve always just loved the medium of YouTube and talking about comic books on a weekly basis. It’s my zen place! 

CA: Must be great to have your passion place also, be your place of Zen!

Can you give us a sneak peak/link to. your next project?

Kat: As I write this, we’re closing off submissions for our next anthology – Hairology. A comic book all about hair. I’m super excited for everyone to see what we have cooking up with that, and I hope people find stories to relate to. That will launch on Kickstarter in early 2023. 

CA: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us, Kat!

You can find Kat on Twitter, YouTube, and Kickstarter

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Kevin Keller CELEBRATION! A 10th Anniversary Omnibus Now On Kickstarter!

Dan Parent has brought Kevin Keller to Kickstarter! As part of Archie Comics‘ celebrating their first high profile LGBT character, you can now get every Kevin Keller story in one volume with over 700 pages of content.

As of writing this post, the campaign has pulled in $13,301 from 135 backers in just over a full day of being live. All reward tiers are still available and you can get the printed omnibus collection starting at just $45.

Dan Parent has been with Archie for over three decades and introducing Kevin Keller during that time is something that’s been important to Geeks OUT readers. That fact is important to Dan as well, who took the time to join Geeks OUT for our virtual Flame Con that was broadcast last month.

Join Louie Pearlman (XOXO Riverdale Podcast) in a pre-recorded talk with Dan Parent about 11 years of Archie Comics’ first queer character Kevin Keller, Die Kitty Die, and queer icons The B-52’s.

You can read the full press release from Archie Comics below.

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WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN… KELLER 

Prolific Comic Creator Dan Parent Announces Kickstarter Campaign for KEVIN KELLER CELEBRATION!

To Mark His First Decade in Riverdale, Comic Omnibus
Will Celebrate Kevin Keller’s Greatest Moments

(Los Angeles, CA) – XX, 2021– American comic book artist, writer and Archie Comics legend, Dan Parent, announced today a Kickstarter campaign to develop KEVIN KELLER CELEBRATION!, an omnibus of the trailblazing character’s first decade in Riverdale. With the blessing of Archie Comics, this complete compendium of all things Kevin will feature over 700-pages of comic book fun, chronicling Kevin’s game-changing first appearance to where Kevin’s legacy stands today. 

“For the past 35 years, I’ve had the pleasure to work on multiple characters and titles for Archie, but my heart always comes back to my heart and soul, Kevin Keller,” said writer Dan Parent. “Being able to spearhead this campaign, with the support of Archie Comics, is the perfect way to continue the legacy of the character as well as celebrate the 80th anniversary of Archie Comics.” 

Harvey Award nominee and 2013 GLAAD Award winner, Parent aims to build on the massive success of the highly successful Kickstarter campaign tied to his hit comic series DIE KITTY DIE with a comprehensive look at the life and times of Archie Comics’ first LGBTQ+ character. Fans of Kevin, Riverdale and Archie Comics will revel in this celebratory collection which features Kevin’s first appearance, the four issue mini-series, the complete fifteen issue KEVIN KELLER series, the LIFE WITH KEVIN graphic novel, highlights, extras and so much more!

“When Dan came to me with the idea of introducing Kevin to Archie Comics ten years ago, I knew we were on the precipice of a huge cultural shift for our brand and for that reason, among many others, is why we fully support Dan’s campaign efforts,” said Archie Comics CEO/Publisher Jon Goldwater. “The introduction of Kevin, Archie Comics first gay character, ignited readers and fans across the country and it’s a testament to Dan’s creative work that Kevin is such a positive and everlasting fixture in the world of Riverdale.” 

Additional details  on the KEVIN KELLER CELEBRATION! campaign as well as a full breakdown of Kickstarter rewards  can be seen here.

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Review: Letters for Lucardo: Fortunate Beasts

Letters for Lucardo: Fortunate Beasts is the second book of the acclaimed Iron Circus graphic novel series by Otava Heikkila. I wrote a review of the first book for Geeks OUT back in 2017; you may want to start there if you’re thinking of reading the series. This review will contain some unavoidable spoilers for the ending of Letters for Lucardo. Fortunate Beasts was funded through Kickstarter in late 2018.

Fortunate Beasts opens with a brief passage set seven years in the future before cutting back to the aftermath of Letters for Lucardo. When Lucardo confronts his father about sending Ed away, things quickly escalate. The ensuing fight pulls back the curtain a little bit more on the true nature of Lucardo’s family and the Night Court. Lucardo ignores his father’s warnings and immediately begins searching for Ed. It isn’t long before Ed’s quiet new life is disrupted. Lucardo then brings Ed back to the Night Court in the most boisterous and public way possible, setting the stage for a showdown with his father.

One of my favorite this about this series is how the sex is a natural part of the story. It really goes against the grain of puritanical notions about sex that are embedded in our society. Heikkila is also particularly adept at including some delightfully awkward and funny moments that make the sex scenes feel really lived in. If you were to take away the erotic scenes, you would still be left with a touching story. But that story would be missing a pivotal part of what drives the relationship between these two men.

Fortunate Beasts is a more than worthy follow up to its predecessor. It added even more emotional depth to the characters, revealed more about the world of the Night Court, and left me really excited for the third book in the series. Both books are available now through the Iron Circus store.

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Extracting Beauty from the Darkest of Places

Seven years ago, I started working on a comic book with my good friend Reed Olsen. It would go on to become the series Dream Crasher, which we are now self-publishing through Kickstarter. Dream Crasher is a 12-chapter story about a group of children who survive a bizarre cataclysmic event and find themselves navigating a strange new world filled with angry ghosts, strange beasts made from human parts, and interdimensional parasites that feed on their dreams. At its core, Dream Crasher is also a story about overcoming trauma, the fight for autonomy, and creating a world where we all have a chance to define our own destiny.

One year into our new comic creating process, Reed and I were on fire. Kickstarter was just beginning to reveal itself as an vehicle for indie comics. Chapter one was drawn and painted, and the work on chapter two had already begun. I had found my voice in writing, and had found a brilliant creative partner in Reed. We had momentum. I was excited for what the future held.

Running parallel to all of this, I found myself very much in love for the first time in my life. Blair changed my jaded views on that four letter word. He challenged me to be a better person. He made me smile every time he laughed at his own jokes. He gave me confidence in the creative choices I was making. He was also a talented writer and musician in his own right, and he encouraged me on this project when it was still in its early stages. To say my life was perfect would be a lie, but I was the happiest I had been in a long time.

All of this changed when Blair died in the summer of 2011. My whole world fell to pieces. The unexpected trauma, the weight of the grief, and the subsequent depression and healing all took their toll in various ways. I’ve written extensively about the grief and the healing over the years since. This tragedy permeated every aspect of my life, and the still-unnamed Dream Crasher was no exception. Comics were put on hold. I scribbled ideas in notebooks and thought about the project from time to time, but in the end it took more than six months before I sat down to work again. And even then, the work was slow. It took another year after that before I finished the script for the third chapter. It felt like starting from scratch and learning how to write again. In hindsight, this was in no small part due to a fresh perspective I had on my main character, Amalie.

I had been following Kurt Vonnegut’s sixth rule to a T. I was being a sadist and making awful things happen to my main character, but I hadn’t given a second thought to how it was affecting her. I hadn’t thought about how she processed the world around her, or who she was because of it. Through my own grief, I suddenly understood her on a whole new level. In many ways, Amalie is a representation of how strong I wish I could be. She’s lost everything she once held dear but has never given in to despair. She’s not unshakeable–she’s persistent. She’s not fearless–she’s brave. She’s a survivor in every sense of the word.

In his own writing, Blair had a knack for extracting beauty from the darkest of places. His example inspired me to do the same. I began to think of this bleak new world as less of a graveyard and more like fertile soil. I realized that it’s not a story about the world that’s been destroyed, but rather the new one that is taking its place. It’s about the children who have an opportunity to shape it and truly make it their own. As dismal as the world can seem sometimes, there are still dreams worth fighting for. Beneath its dystopian exterior, Dream Crasher is a story about finding the last bit of light in a world that’s gone dark and protecting it with every fiber of our being. Even when the powers that be are stacked against us. Even when the cause seems hopeless.

As devastating as Blair’s death was, I didn’t let it stop me. That in and of itself is a cause worth celebrating. Reed and I both had numerous opportunities to put this project down and quietly walk away from it, and no one would have thought less of us for doing so. We didn’t. I’m grateful to say that, in the face obstacles we never could have anticipated, we persisted.

Today, we are on the cusp of completing the first arc of the series. That first arc, which parallels my own story of grief, captures the resilience of a character who has outgrown my original idea of her. A character who grew and inspired me in ways I never expected. I have never worked harder on any single piece of art, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world. Like many up-and-coming creators, we have launched a Kickstarter Campaign. With it, we hope to raise funds to cover the cost of printing, lettering, and designing the book itself. We’re offering a variety of rewards to any backers, ranging from digital chapters for as little as $4, the physical book for $25, and several pieces of original artwork from the series for $100. We’re off to solid start. and we’ve already made it farther than seemed possible just a few years ago. The campaign runs until October 6, 2017.

Photo Credit: Blaise Allen.
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Kickstarter We’re Into: Bingo Love

There is so much about Bingo Love, an 80-page graphic novella about two older black women in love, that feels unprecedented, including its subject matter, its intersectionality, and the speed with which it was funded. This is a comic unlike anything on the market right now, and deserves attention. I first learned of Bingo Love through my Twitter feed, and was immediately intrigued. I always want to know about any queer-themed comics that are being produced, and support them as best I can, and the image of two black women with gray hair cuddling over bingo cards was stunning. Launched on March 15, the Kickstarter campaign organized by publisher Inclusive Press reached its goal in only five days.

Image result for bingo love

The story written by Tee Franklin (who will be tabling at FlameCon 2017) concerns Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray, two black women who meet in 1963 and become friends. Their relationship develops into love, but suffers because of the time period. It proves indomitable, though, as they reconnect several years later, and learn they are just as in love as older women as they were as teenagers. Jenn St-Onge is the artist who will bring these characters to life, accompanied by the colors of Joy San and the letters of Cardinal Rae. Erica Schultz is the editor.

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As quoted by Bleeding Cool, Franklin wanted “Black Mirror’s ‘San Junipero’ meets Moonlight. We want to tell the story of women who are gay, Black, and in love — and who learn to live without apology. We also want to show that love and passion are present at every age — and just as intense for women in their sixties as for teenagers.” Franklin is the innovator of the #BlackComicsMonth campaign and started the publishing company behind Bingo Love to increase representation. In a recent interview with Comicosity, she explained why she chose Kickstarter as the method of producing this book: “There are so many strikes against this comic that doesn’t fit in this straight white male comics dominated world.” Hopefully, this comic’s tremendous success will change the industry and what it perceives as bankable properties.

As of this writing, Bingo Love has earned more than $31,000 of its initial $19,999 goal, and that number continues to climb. With more than one thousand backers, it has garnered media attention on Huffington Post and Book Riot.

Image result for bingo love

The Kickstarter campaign for Bingo Love ends Monday, April 17 at 11:00 CDT. Among the rewards are digital and print editions, enamel pins, postcards, and variant covers by other artists, including Genevieve Eft and Nilah Magruder. There are also script and portfolio reviews available from comics professionals such as Shawn Pryor (Cash and Carrie) and Bryan Edward Hill from Top Cow, and Skype sessions with comics legends such as Gail Simone and Steve Orlando. Let’s see what stretch goals we can unlock!

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A Conversation with Activist and Author P. Kristen Enos

On October 17, the Kickstarter campaign was launched for Active Voice The Comic Collection by P. Kristen Enos, subtitled The Real Life Adventures Of An Asian-American, Lesbian, Feminist Activist and Her Friends! The title comes from a column Enos wrote for the Blade Newsmagazine in Orange County, CA from 1994 to 1998. She described what it was like being an out and proud lesbian Asian-American while navigating hostile territory in the corporate world and life behind the “Orange Curtain,” a conservative backwash between the more progressive cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. I got the chance to have a phone conversation with her last week to talk about it further.

Active Voice: The Comic Collection: Real Life Adventures of an Asian-American, Lesbian, Feminist Activist And Her Friends!

This seemed apt, since Enos wanted the audience to feel like reading this collection would be like a “dinner conversation.” “I very much put myself in the shoes of the reader,” she said, choosing each story because people would find it interesting.

The volume is illustrated by four artists from three different continents: Casandra Grullon and Beth Varni from the United States, Leesamarie Croal from Scotland, and Derek Chua from Singapore. This was not a deliberate choice on Enos’s part. Instead, she made an open call for submissions from artists, making it clear that this would be a “labor of love.” She looked for a range of styles, and a versatility that approached a “more comic strip” sensibility. “I looked over what [the artists] were capable of, and chose what would fit.” She didn’t factor in any demographics. “I don’t know if any are LGBT,” she admitted with a laugh.

Enos is familiar with the comics medium, and did not give original columns of “Active Voice” to her collaborators. “I wanted to give them stories that had never been columns,” she told me. “About one fourth [of the stories in Active Voice The Comic Collection had never been columns.” For example, the story “Above and Beyond” was written as a collaboration with Heidi Ho, an Assistant Professor at University of San Francisco School of Law, who ran a “weekly rap group” at UC Irvine’s Women’s Resource Center in 1989. “I was sorting things from memory for a first draft and would have four or five revisions.” She started with a “skeleton script,” which led to “proposal sketches” from the artists. “We offered lots of feedback to each other before the final inks.” Enos did the lettering, and it was all digital. “I wanted there to be a good balance of art and text,” she said.

The Most Interesting Thing page 3

Working from memory did have its drawbacks, as Enos discovered when she scripted one of the stories based on a previous column, “The Quilt at U.C.I.” about the debut of the NAMES Project’s AIDS Memorial Quilt in Irvine in 1990. “The story was finished and the script was sent off,” she explained, but she had forgotten about how she had fought against an attempt at appropriating the AIDS Memorial Quilt for a quilt representing student organizations. “Thankfully I was able to rewrite the script before Leesamarie [Croal — the artist for that story] had done much work on it.”

This story in particular highlights part of why Enos thinks activism is so important. “People don’t know” how they may be hurting other people. They may have good intentions, but remain ignorant of how sensitive a subject is. That’s why she sees activism as an “opportunity for discussion.” She tries to raise “awareness of another way of looking at something.”

I asked about her legacy of activism and how that makes her feel. “I definitely feel a sense of pride,” she answered. “My friends and I did something, contributed to something concrete for future generations that was meaningful for the time and place, but it was a stepping stone.” She recently interviewed Las Vegas queer youth and learned that “personal struggles are very much there.” “It Gets Better is not that old,” she added. “People still have issues standing up for themselves; there is still suicide…A lot of change has happened in thirty years, but racist homophobic adults are still out there.”

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“Yes, this is the model photo for the cover” according to the Author Biography

Enos said the ultimate message of Active Voice The Comic Collection is “you can’t live your life expecting the worst-case scenario, but you won’t know if you don’t try.” “You don’t know how people will react.” She further explained, “You have to realize who your allies are…stand up for at least yourself, and give people a chance to stand up for you if you can’t. Give them a chance to be allies, especially if they are in a position of power.”

She has had a table at both Flame Cons and thought they were well put together. “I was impressed with Geeks OUT and glad [they] reach an audience and fill a need.” She singled out the intimate atmosphere at Flame Con as praiseworthy, noting it’s easy to feel “lost at mega-cons.” She is familiar with that, having created and moderated panels at San Diego, including “LGBTQ Year in Review” (which included Geeks OUT’s own Amber Garza and one on Queer Imagery in Animation.

What’s next for P. Kristen Enos? In addition to Active Voice The Comics Collection, she’s working on a graphic novel for her comics Web of Lives and Web of Lives: Demons and focusing on the arts as a creator. “I’m not interested in journalism,” she said. “I’ve been there, done that.”

Image result for p kristen enos web of lives

Active Voice The Comic Collection will be 120 black and white pages. Besides physical and digital copies, other rewards for contributing to the campaign are a packet of zines created by Enos earlier this year as a way of continuing her column and signed bookplates from her collaborators. The cover is a full-color illustration by Archie Comics artist Dan Parent. The foreword for the volume is written by Joseph Amster, a journalist and former editor of the Orange County and Long Beach Blade Newsmagazine. The Kickstarter runs until Wednesday, November 16 and has a goal of $3,000. I strongly urge anyone to give as much as they can and enjoy this book!