The mission of The Comics Crowd is to curate the crowdfunding campaigns in the Kickstarter Comics category in order to identify and spotlight those projects most likely to yield actual comics and to yield the most high quality comics in terms of story, design, and cover/interior artwork.
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Featuring SEVEN classic H. P. Lovecraft first-person short stories reimagined as tales of a retrofuturistic spacefarer encountering and enduring the very monstrosities conjured by Lovecraft’s own tortured mind, but in the environs and technologies of deep space and adapted to the artform of comics.
23 campaigns reviewed from yesterday’s slate; 18 comics made the non-NSFW rankings, plus 1 NSFW book ranked separately.
$132,943 raised across every ranked comic on day one, from 1,861 backers combined.
Biggest single number: The HEX-ECUTION of Raven Hex, $65,443 (436% of a $15,000 goal) — more than half of the entire day’s ranked total by itself.
Highest percentage funded: Nick of Time #1-3, 2,463% on a $100 goal.
6 of the day’s 19 comics (18 non-NSFW + 1 NSFW) lean horror or gothic — the most represented genre by a wide margin.
11 campaigns land in today’s Comics I Like picks
Waterbat (Isaiah) · Burlington, VT · Cozy-surreal mystery
A bed-and-breakfast stranded in the desert, a concierge-in-training named Jay, and a new guest who arrives as a sentient, faceless ooze — issue 2 keeps the found-family weirdness of issue 1 going without losing its warmth. It’s the kind of small, confident, all-ages-adjacent worldbuilding that tends to get buried under a Tuesday full of splatter horror and grimdark revenge plots, and it deserves better.
$377 raised / 14 backers / 16% funded
Matthew Wilding · Boston, MA · Historical pirate noir
Wilding’s pirate-noir series has quietly built a real body of work — two prior Free Hands issues, a Nightmare Man book, an Old Devils miniseries — and issue 3 brings in a new artist without breaking stride. The pitch (Treasure Island structure, Se7en/Usual Suspects twist logic) is more ambitious than most single-issue Kickstarters attempt, from a creator who’s shown up for it before.
$418 raised / 32 backers / 17% funded
Inverse Press · Fairhope, AL · Cosmic/sci-fi horror
Reimagining Lovecraft’s Mythos tales as retrofuturistic first-person space horror is a clever hook on its own, but Inverse Press has been publishing weird horror comics since 2010 and it shows — this deluxe hardcover collection is already funded and closing out its final week strong.
$3,696 raised / 44 backers / 370% funded — FUNDED ✓
Caleb Palmquist, Lorelei Jonason, Kay Woolhiser, Dave Lentz · Spokane, WA · Fantasy western
Cowboys who ride dragons is a pitch that could go cheap and doesn’t — issue 6 closes out a run whose first five issues the creators have confirmed as fully shipped, a rare data point of actual delivery in this business. 326 backers on day one for an ongoing series issue says the trust is earned.
$8,325 raised / 326 backers / 139% funded — FUNDED ✓
Rising Star Comics · West Richland, WA · Superhero action
A shapeshifting supervillain crashing a billionaire’s gala is familiar superhero furniture, but Rising Star Comics executes it with clean, confident art and a genre fan’s sense of pacing. Three issues in, Rebound is shaping up to be a solid, unpretentious mainstream-style superhero book in a landscape where most indie capes lean grimdark.
$1,056 raised / 35 backers / 211% funded — FUNDED ✓
Simon Birks, Marielle Bouleau (Blue Fox Publishing) · Edinburgh, UK · Gothic horror
Adapting Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 classic into sequential art is a smart choice for a Tuesday full of original horror IP — the source material is public domain, genuinely unsettling, and still under-adapted in comics form. Birks has a solid publishing track record behind Blue Fox, which lowers the risk on a period-piece adaptation like this.
$1,342 raised / 101 backers / 200% funded — FUNDED ✓
Flesk Publications · Oceanside, CA · Gothic horror graphic novel
Wendy Pini co-created Elfquest in 1978 and has been one of the medium’s most respected independent voices ever since; a 400-page Poe adaptation from her, published by a house with Flesk’s design pedigree, is as close to a sure thing as Kickstarter comics get. The day-one numbers back that up without any gimmick pricing needed.
$25,940 raised / 343 backers / 173% funded — FUNDED ✓
Xion Studios, Charlie McElvy · Fredericksburg, VA · Historical fantasy anthology
An immortal wanderer moving through different eras and mythologies is a classic anthology engine, and Xion Studios has run more than a dozen campaigns testing variations on it. It’s a slower burn than the day’s splashier horror entries, but the anthology format means new readers can jump in anywhere.
$2,222 raised / 50 backers / 30% funded
Bleedingpulp, Justin Gray · Bronx, NY · Horror/dark fantasy
A monster hunter who steals her prey’s powers by literally eating them is a great, nasty premise, and this is the second Kickstarter for the concept in about two years. See Creators with Unfulfilled Prior Campaigns below before backing at a high tier — we couldn’t confirm delivery status on the earlier campaign.
$7,306 raised / 186 backers / 122% funded — FUNDED ✓
Black Mask Special Projects · Staten Island, NY · Horror/crime
The Wu-Tang-affiliated horror-crime comic — built around RZA’s 2013 concept album with Ghostface Killah — gets a deluxe reissue, and the music-comics crossover pedigree alone makes it one of the more culturally interesting books on the slate. Black Mask’s broader distribution history has had rough patches historically (see the Concurrent Kickstarters section), but this specific project is deep into overfunding territory.
$5,326 raised / 41 backers / 800% funded — FUNDED ✓
Kevin Brown · Rochester, NY · Historical martial arts manga
A West African martial arts manga set during the decline of the Mali Empire is a genuinely rare setting in indie comics, and Volume 1 picked up starred reviews from Kirkus and IndieReader before this sequel even launched. Slow day-one numbers shouldn’t be read as a quality signal here — this is exactly the kind of underfunded, well-reviewed book the Comics I Like section exists for.
$585 raised / 8 backers / 10% funded
The nominal-goal play was everywhere yesterday. RZA & Ghostface Killah’s Twelve Reasons to Die set its goal at $666 and closed day one at 800% funded; Nick of Time #1-3 went further, setting a $100 goal and landing at 2,463%. Neither number says much about real demand — a low enough goal guarantees an inflated percentage and a flattering headline stat — but both campaigns also pulled solid raw dollar totals ($5,326 and $2,463 respectively), so the tactic isn’t hiding weak underlying interest here, just dressing it up.
Pedigree did most of the heavy lifting at the top of the money list. Jim Balent (a 25-year run on Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose, following a defining 1990s Catwoman) and Wendy Pini (Elfquest) took the day’s #1 and #2 spots by funding outright, with the RZA/Ghostface Wu-Tang connection adding a third veteran-pedigree book to the top five. Meanwhile this slate’s two true debut creators — Magdiel Vilchez (The Mixtape Memoirs) and Matt Verdell (Black Lotus) — landed at the bottom of the funding table despite clean, personal pitches. Nothing unusual about that pattern on Kickstarter generally, but it was especially stark yesterday.
The day’s single strangest data point: The HEX-ECUTION of Raven Hex pulled in $65,443 — more than half of everything ranked below — while the materials available for this report showed zero pages of actual sequential interior art, only cover-style pin-up renders. Jim Balent has 25 years of goodwill behind him and draws every page himself by hand, so this is likely just a case of an inconsistent campaign page rather than an inconsistent book. Still, a $65K number built on faith rather than preview pages is worth a second look before backing at a high tier — even veteran, hand-drawn-everything artists owe backers a look at the actual comic they’re funding.
Genre-wise, horror and gothic material dominated: five of the day’s eighteen non-NSFW ranked comics — The Yellow Wallpaper, Masque of the Red Death, I Eat Monsters, Deep Space Lovecraft, and The HEX-ECUTION of Raven Hex — fall somewhere on the horror spectrum, plus NSFW entry Pyromantik makes six of nineteen comics total. Easily the largest genre cluster of the day.
1 — The HEX-ECUTION of Raven Hex — Jim Balent — $65,443 — 426 backers — Goal $15,000 — 436% funded — Avg pledge $153.62 — Occult horror — FUNDED ✓
2 — Masque of the Red Death by Wendy Pini — Flesk Publications — $25,940 — 343 backers — Goal $15,000 — 173% funded — Avg pledge $75.63 — Gothic horror graphic novel — FUNDED ✓ (Comics I Like)
3 — Dragon Grit #1-6 — Caleb Palmquist — $8,325 — 326 backers — Goal $6,000 — 139% funded — Avg pledge $25.54 — Fantasy western — FUNDED ✓ (Comics I Like)
4 — I Eat Monsters: The Hunger — Bleedingpulp — $7,306 — 186 backers — Goal $6,000 — 122% funded — Avg pledge $39.28 — Horror/dark fantasy — FUNDED ✓ (Comics I Like)
5 — RZA & Ghostface Killah’s Twelve Reasons to Die — Black Mask Special Projects — $5,326 — 41 backers — Goal $666 — 800% funded — Avg pledge $129.90 — Horror/crime — FUNDED ✓ (Comics I Like)
6 — Deep Space Lovecraft Deluxe Hardcover — Inverse Press — $3,696 — 44 backers — Goal $1,000 — 370% funded — Avg pledge $84.00 — Cosmic/sci-fi horror — FUNDED ✓ (Comics I Like)
7 — Nick of Time #1-3 — Jessica C / JC Comics — $2,463 — 47 backers — Goal $100 — 2,463% funded — Avg pledge $52.40 — Sci-fi adventure — FUNDED ✓
8 — Vagabond: Nowhere Man — Xion Studios — $2,222 — 50 backers — Goal $7,500 — 30% funded — Avg pledge $44.44 — Historical fantasy anthology — active (Comics I Like)
9 — Flesh & Steel Vol. 1 — Warrick Walker — $1,838 — 54 backers — Goal $4,000 — 46% funded — Avg pledge $34.04 — Sword & sorcery anthology — active
10 — The Yellow Wallpaper #1 — Simon Birks — $1,342 — 101 backers — Goal $672 — 200% funded — Avg pledge $13.29 — Gothic horror — FUNDED ✓ (Comics I Like)
11 — REBOUND #3: The Human Slime — Rising Star Comics — $1,056 — 35 backers — Goal $500 — 211% funded — Avg pledge $30.17 — Superhero action — FUNDED ✓ (Comics I Like)
12 — Storyborne Vol. 1 — Louis Southard — $892 — 29 backers — Goal $2,000 — 45% funded — Avg pledge $30.76 — All-ages fantasy adventure — active
13 — The Mixtape Memoirs Volume 2 — Magdiel Vilchez — $717 — 8 backers — Goal $500 — 143% funded — Avg pledge $89.63 — Autobiographical memoir — FUNDED ✓
14 — Lion’s Game Vol 2 — Kevin Brown — $585 — 8 backers — Goal $6,000 — 10% funded — Avg pledge $73.13 — Historical martial arts manga — active (Comics I Like)
15 — FREE HANDS 1-3 — Matthew Wilding — $418 — 32 backers — Goal $2,500 — 17% funded — Avg pledge $13.06 — Historical pirate noir — active (Comics I Like)
16 — The Beached Lighthouse: Issue 2 — Waterbat — $377 — 14 backers — Goal $2,400 — 16% funded — Avg pledge $26.93 — Cozy-surreal mystery — active (Comics I Like)
17 — Black Lotus: Way of the Board Issue #0 — Matt Verdell — $345 — 10 backers — Goal $400 — 86% funded — Avg pledge $34.50 — Action/martial arts — active
18 — Teen Aged Vigilantes: 32 page Premier — Torrey Hopkins Sr. — $160 — 6 backers — Goal $1,250 — 13% funded — Avg pledge $26.67 — Superhero action — active
Cheeky Comics Cosplay Special — Cheeky Comics · $23,670 raised / 406 backers · FUNDED ✓ · A pin-up cosplay photo collection bundled with one new short comic (Amorini); primarily cosplay photography, not sequential art.
Doc’s SKETCHBOOK 2026 — Scott P. ‘Doc’ Vaughn · $944 raised / 23 backers · FUNDED ✓ · A black-and-white sketchbook and art collection plus a new movie-review zine; no sequential story content.
Z Class Presents: The Boy in the Closet — Kevvo · $885 raised / 16 backers · 74% funded · Fourth book in an ongoing kid-superhero series; the campaign materials reviewed for this report didn’t show sequential interior art.
Jim Balent (BroadSword Comics) · Brodheadsville, PA · Occult horror · Goal: $15,000 · Raised: $65,443 · 436% funded · 426 backers · Avg pledge: $153.62 · Ends: Thu, Sept 3, 2026 · Prior history: 17 created campaigns, 25-year run on this series · ⚠️ Campaign materials reviewed for this report showed no sequential interior art, only cover/pin-up style images.
Occult horror. Issue #147 of Jim Balent’s Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose, the independent series he’s self-published since 2000. In this chapter, Raven Hex faces a rival witch’s fatal curse — a “Hex-ecution” — that threatens to unravel everything she’s built across the series’ quarter-century run. Balent, best known for a defining 1990s Catwoman run, continues drawing and inking every page himself.
Day-1 funding note: $65,443 against a $15,000 goal (436% funded) makes this the single largest number in Tuesday’s slate by a wide margin — more than double second-place Masque of the Red Death — on 426 backers averaging $153.62 apiece, a testament to a 25-year collector base. Worth flagging: the materials reviewed here didn’t include a single page of sequential interior art. Backers should look for actual preview pages before pledging at this level, however decorated the artist.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
Jessica C (JC Comics) · Norwich, CT · Sci-fi adventure · Goal: $100 · Raised: $2,463 · 2,463% funded · 47 backers · Avg pledge: $52.40 · Ends: Wed, Aug 12, 2026 · Prior history: 5 created campaigns
Sci-fi adventure with a knowing pin-up streak. Nick, a time-traveling adventurer, gets stranded in an Egyptian tomb for 2,000 years before waking in 1957, where he teams with archaeologist Celeste — until the pair get swept up by a UFO headed for Area 51. The three-issue arc is packaged as a single 48-page, full-color volume with a B-movie sensibility and some suggestive cheesecake art.
Day-1 funding note: A $100 goal was always going to fund fast, but 2,463% funded ($2,463 from 47 backers, $52.40 average pledge) with six days left is still one of the day’s more eye-catching multiples.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
Warrick Walker · Los Angeles, CA · Sword & sorcery anthology · Goal: $4,000 · Raised: $1,838 · 46% funded · 54 backers · Avg pledge: $34.04 · Ends: Thu, Sept 3, 2026 · Prior history: 2 created campaigns
Sword-and-sorcery anthology. Warrick Walker’s debut anthology gathers short fantasy stories from a rotating slate of indie creators into a single black-and-white volume. Specific contributor lineup and story summaries weren’t detailed in the submitted materials, but the pitch leans on classic sword-and-sorcery beats — armor, blades, and body horror in equal measure.
Day-1 funding note: $1,838 raised of a $4,000 goal (46% funded), 54 backers, $34.04 average pledge — steady early traction with 28 days left to close the gap.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
Louis Southard, Puré, Buddy Beaudoin · New York, NY · All-ages fantasy adventure · Goal: $2,000 · Raised: $892 · 45% funded · 29 backers · Avg pledge: $30.76 · Ends: Thu, Sept 3, 2026 · Prior history: 4 created campaigns
All-ages fantasy adventure. Writer Louis Southard (X-O Manowar, Flash Gordon) and artist Puré (Skybound’s Creepshow in Love) send exiled princess-in-hiding Errolyn on the run with a colorful cast — Sir Stuffington, the Plushie Village, the Gil-Gon Gang — while two mismatched criminals chase her for their own ends. The 170-page original graphic novel is already fully completed; this Kickstarter funds only printing and shipping.
Day-1 funding note: $892 of $2,000 (45% funded), 29 backers, $30.76 average pledge — modest day-one numbers for a book creators describe as 100% finished, which lowers delivery risk relative to in-progress campaigns.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
Magdiel Vilchez · Sherwood, AR · Autobiographical memoir · Goal: $500 · Raised: $717 · 143% funded · 8 backers · Avg pledge: $89.63 · Ends: Tue, Aug 25, 2026 · Prior history: debut creator, first campaign
Autobiographical memoir comic. Magdiel Vilchez continues a true story of Nicaraguan immigration told partly in verse, with Volume 2 following health struggles, faith, and a pivotal university decision. It’s a debut Kickstarter for Vilchez, working in a genre — memoir comics — that’s rare among this slate’s fantasy- and horror-heavy lineup.
Day-1 funding note: Already funded at $717 of a $500 goal (143%) on just 8 backers, an $89.63 average pledge — a small but generous audience for a personal, low-goal project.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
Matt Verdell · Silver Spring, MD · Action/martial arts · Goal: $400 · Raised: $345 · 86% funded · 10 backers · Avg pledge: $34.50 · Ends: Tue, Sept 8, 2026 · Prior history: debut creator, first campaign
Action/martial arts. Debut creator Matt Verdell, a skateboarder and martial artist, builds a world where skateboarding literally is the fighting style, opening with a Prologue issue that introduces the concept and its masked antagonist. It’s Verdell’s first Kickstarter and first published comic.
Day-1 funding note: $345 of a $400 goal (86% funded), 10 backers, $34.50 average pledge — close to funding on day one for a first-time creator with no prior backer base to draw on.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
Torrey Hopkins Sr. · Superhero action · Goal: $1,250 · Raised: $160 · 13% funded · 6 backers · Avg pledge: $26.67 · Ends: Fri, Sept 4, 2026 · Prior history: 2 created campaigns, 218 backed
Superhero action. Torrey Hopkins Sr. reboots his “Tough Azz Vigilantes” universe: after the original team is defeated, its members are reborn as teenagers in an alternate reality where heroism itself has been outlawed by a corporate-political villain class. It’s billed as “Games People Play Part 1,” a soft-relaunch premiere issue.
Day-1 funding note: $160 of a $1,250 goal (13% funded), 6 backers, $26.67 average pledge — the slowest start among the day’s full profiles, with 29 days to build momentum.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
Nolan Hartsoe, Alexandre Nascimento, Patricio Hernandez · Las Vegas, NV · Dark fantasy · Goal: $999 · Raised: $4,492 · 450% funded · 101 backers · Avg pledge: $44.48 · Ends: Tue, Aug 25, 2026 · Prior history: 9 created campaigns
Dark fantasy. After nine pyromancer witches are burned at the stake, sole survivor Izolda claws her way back from death seeking vengeance against the empress who condemned her coven, her fire magic growing more dangerous — and less controllable — with every battle. Issue #3 picks up directly after Issue #2’s reversal, as Izolda regroups and a mysterious armed ally enters the story. Creator Nolan Hartsoe cites Game of Thrones, Berserk, and Dark Souls as touchstones for the 24-page, fully colored issue.
Day-1 funding note: $4,492 raised against a $999 goal (450% funded), 101 backers, $44.48 average pledge — a strong showing for a teenage creator (Hartsoe, born 2006) three issues into a self-sustaining series.
Adult content — 18+ only.
Cover and interior art at the Kickstarter page.
HOLLOW — Cory Ridley / Blackreach Studios, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK — https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/r1dleyy/hollow-3 — Excluded: $0 raised, 0 backers on a $6,727 goal, with no interior art, no cover art, and no sequential storytelling anywhere on the campaign page — just AI-generated character concept renders over dense text walls. Matches the pattern flagged for suspected AI-generated launches; readers can judge the page for themselves at the link above.
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