About that Kickstarter NSFW crackdown...

Hey, there! Periodic reminder that I’m Clay Adams, writer of BLAZING BLADE OF FRANKENSTEIN, DREAMQUEST, and BLOOD OF THE GRUNCH, co-writer of PRODIGAL SON and CARMILLA UNBOUND, and co-editor of the NIGHTMARE THEATER horror anthology. You probably signed up for this newsletter on one of those Kickstarters… or maybe we met at a signing or con? In any event, glad you’re here. Pull up a seat, grab a beverage of your choice, and feast your eyes on the latest news…

As always, I’m gonna get the shilling out of the way first, but I promise you, this time it actually has something to do with the meat of the post!

DREAMQUEST, our Lovecraftian horror saga, returns for the grand finale next week, on May 19th at 11 AM Eastern, to be exact, so mark your calendars--and don’t oversleep!

In addition to the main cover by Mick Beyers & Fin Cramb, we have stunning variants by Bryan Silverbax & Damir Rosic and Mexifunk:

We know we’re biased, but we think this is the best issue yet, as our intrepid group of Dream Warriors brings the fight to Nyarlathotep to settle the fate of the world.

As always, we have some secret links for exclusive subscriber discounts.

All bundles are already heavily discounted, but to save money on the various covers, bookmark these links, which will be active when our campaign goes live:

OK, I promised this bit of promo would relate to the main theme of the newsletter. So, let’s get down to it!

I’ve fielded a lot of panicked messages from people this week, asking what the new Kickstarter rules regarding NSFW material means for creators.

In case you missed it, Kickstarter sent out an update outlining their new policy for mature content on the platform, and it’s confusing and contradictory, to say the least.

But the upshot is that books that promise sex and nudity too prominently will get shut down. And putting censored bars over your risqué covers won’t cut it anymore.

That Mexifunk cover I posted earlier? I can’t show it on Kickstarter under the new policies. (It would’ve passed muster just a year ago.)

They also made me remove a preview page I’ve shown on both prior campaigns for the book.

Comics has a nasty history of censorship, and it wrecked the industry in the 50s, thanks to Frederic Wertham’s book “Seduction of the Innocent” and the Senate Hearings that followed its publication.

There’s lots of stuff on the web about this dark period in history. If you’re not familiar, I recommend you do a quick Google search on the creation of the Comics Code Authority.

Or pick up Rue Morgue’s Blood in Four Colors, which I’ve written about before:

Or check out Mark Pracht’s play, “The Innocence of Seduction.” Here’s Mark talking to Word Balloon’s John Siuntres about the period:

The comics that got the most (negative) attention during the senate hearings were the EC line of horror comics, led by Tales From The Crypt.

Again, if you don’t know about the Kefauver hearings and the infamous “Severed Head Exchange”, it’s worth reading about.

Long story short: EC Comics went out of business, thanks to covers like the one above, and Bill Gaines and most of the creators behind the horror line put their efforts into MAD Magazine instead (okay, so maybe one good thing came out of it).

But horror and crime comics were all but eliminated for decades. And when they came back, they were a shadow of their former selves, at least for some time.

Those early Tales From the Crypt comics, available in gorgeous editions from Dark Horse, are phenomenal. For the serious reader or student of writing, these are every bit as worth studying as the works of Edgar Allan Poe or O. Henry.

They’re that good. And that influential.

And this is what the censors took from us.

For decades.

Look, I’m not going to argue that I’m producing anything of the same quality. Or that the general NSFW book on Kickstarter rises to these heights.

But stifling speech is never the answer, whatever the question. I will defend anyone’s First Amendment right to say or publish anything, even if I disagree with it.

And, yes, I know, Kickstarter is not the government.

This isn’t censorship. This is a company that relies on the banking industry in general and Stripe in particular to collect its funds.

And both companies have the right to set their terms.

Until there is a truly competitive alternative to Kickstarter, creators have to play by their rules, even if we think they’re wrong.

Will that stifle creativity and innovation?

You bet.

Did the game just get harder?

Yes, but that’s life.

Adapt or die.

Speaking of adapting, I recently had the great pleasure of talking with two excellent hosts, Max Hoven and Andrea Lorenzo Molinari, about my long (forty years and counting!) career in entertainment, as well as thoughts on things like Kickstarter vs. Conventions, the state of the industry, and…well, I’ll let the graphic do the talking:

On the lighter side, I made a triumphant (?) return to Kristian Horn’s Part-Time Fanboy podcast to discuss JAWS 3-D with guests Joe Slepski and Yvis Cannavale.

I guarantee this podcast is more entertaining than the movie. (But it was worth watching to get a chance to hang with these gents for an hour!)

And in case you haven’t heard, the beloved COMIXLAUNCH podcast by Tyler James is no more, but there are still a few spotlights I haven’t gotten around to sharing.

My penultimate interview was a chat with Randy Stone about his journey in the comic book industry, highlighting his various roles in comics creation, including writing, drawing, inking, and lettering:

• BLAZING BLADE OF FRANKENSTEIN VOLUME ONE is in active proofing mode for all our bonus material, and we plan to send to the printer as soon as the funds clear our account (in about two weeks). If you missed the campaign, we are still accepting late pledges!

• A VERY CARMILLA CHRISTMAS CAROL - Late pledges are closed, unfortunately…because the book is at the printer! We are currently in review with Backerkit, so surveys should be coming shortly.

• And later this month, I’ll be part of a great group of creators playing in Charlie McElvy‘s sandbox for...

Vagabond: Nowhere Man follows Marsias, an immortal wanderer whose mysterious origins date back to at least 10,800 BCE. For millennia, Marsias has walked among us—witnessing the rise and fall of civilizations, the spark of invention, the birth of myth, and the shaping of human destiny.

In this bold first volume, journey with Marsias as he is drawn into some of the most pivotal—and peculiar—moments in history:

• The legendary fall of Atlantis

• The turbulent U.S. Presidential Election of 1824

• The mythic rise of King Arthur’s Court

• …and more tales from across the vast tapestry of time.

This 64+ page anthology showcases an impressive lineup of acclaimed and rising indiecomics creators, including:

• Ron Marz

• Chris Moses

• Anthony Stokes

• Travis Gibb

• Scott Fogg

• Nandor Fox Shaffer

• Vito Delsante

• Dean Haspiel

• … and many more!

OK, that was a big one. As always, thanks for reading. Back soon with the DREAMQUEST 3 launch (Kickstarter willing)…

-Clay

P.S. Since I finished this email, it’s been brought to my attention that The Beat has a write-up on the Kickstarter situation that mentions us, although not by name. You can read it here: