Half-way Through and Nearly There!
11 months ago
– Mon, Apr 07, 2025 at 07:33:31 AM
Hello Everyone!
We've been humming along with decent momentum during the middle part of this campaign and I'm happy to report we're over 80% funded with 15 days to go! I have high hopes we'll hit our goal around the end of the week, but no matter when it happens, I'm super excited to get the book finished and I am really touched by the enthusiasm you all have shown.
Maru is completing more pages and we should have some more to show you in the next update, meanwhile, I'm going to be evangelizing the book at Kalamazoo next weekend (if you're in the Midwest, come say hi!) and have recently been on Wednesday Night Review and Cryptid Creator Corner to talk about the comic. This part of the campaign always feels slow, but from my experience, I think we're doing fantastic! Let's keep it up, hit our goal, and reach some stretch goals while we're at it!
Add-on Spotlight!
One of the books I'm proudest of, The Catskin and the Rose is a graphic novella that we just finished earlier this year. It's a sword fighting adventure and romance in the vein of The Princess Bride or Revolutionary Girl Utena that's unapologetically sapphic and gorgeously drawn! It's available digitally and physically, so if you're looking for a complete story to go along with your witchy issue #1, this is a great choice!
Projects We Support!
"Sacred is a cozy young adult portal fantasy series full of talking animals, elemental magic, and wholesome vibes centered around found family and friendship...oh, and there's flying, fairy-winged toads 
and cat-birds 
"Kickstarter will be the FIRST OFFICIAL PLACE (insert le gasp 
) readers can get their hands on Sacred Book 2: Flames of the Awakened. And new readers can immerse themselves in the series with a new, fully illustrated version of Book 1: Eslura’s Calling. It’s the perfect gateway to enter into the world of a new fantasy series!!"
Going off type for a second to talk about books that don't have pictures, Maggie Beeler's fantasy novel series is an insanely fun, cozy YA experience that I think you guys would really enjoy! The cover design is gorgeous and the reward tiers are fantastic, definitely one to check out here!
"Join Tightrope Press in their first-ever comic series, NO SAINTS NOR POETS, a chaotic adventure-romance comic full of Sea Monsters, Motor-Gondola Races, Pride, Faith and Love Triangles. Created by the critically acclaimed duo of Iolanda Zanfardino (You Never Heard Of Me, A Thing Called Truth, Midnight Radio) and Elisa Romboli (Alice in Leatherland, The Least we can do), now with their first BL / MLM queer story!
"After their beloved city of Serena sinks into the dark waters of the lagoon, leaving it half-submerged, a charming two-bit con artist and a disenchanted former priest reinvent themselves as delivery men working on the razor's edge, bordering between sanctity and blasphemy on their motorized gondolas. As they fight for a brighter future, they soon realize that their past is not too far behind them."
This is a really simple pitch for me, Iolanda Zanfardino and Elisa Romboli are a comic book power couple and their stories and artwork are always 10/10, absolutely no notes, incredible experiences! No Saints nor Poets gives me huge Road to El Dorado vibes and there's nothing about that I don't love. This book should have been double funded on launch, so let's give this book the love it deserves, check it out here!
Last 20%, let's do it!
Wells Thompson
3/4 Funded! Let's do this!
11 months ago
– Thu, Apr 03, 2025 at 08:17:56 AM
Hello Everyone!
With 20 days left in the campaign, we're cresting the last quarter of our funding goal! No rest as we charge ahead and find the next batch of backers that will get us to our goal. We're touring comic shops, going on podcasts, and making ourselves a nuisance on social media. Let's do this!
As we're headed toward our goal, we're thinking about potential stretch goals and things we can do for you guys to say thank you. We're working on a witchy playlist, we're picking out some free comics for you guys, and we're looking at some artists to potentially collaborate with. In short, exciting things are coming once we cross the funding goal!
Add-on Spotlight
Our Name Recognition add-on is a way for digital and physical backers to be a part of the book by having their name displayed on the inside front cover above the creator credits! Of course we're grateful to all of our backers, but we only have half a page to work with, so this is a way for our fans to give a little extra support and see that support reflected back at them. It comes automatically with a few of the higher end reward tiers, but if you're the kind of person that wants to make a big splash without taking up shelf space, this is absolutely the add-on for you!
Projects We Support!
"Grimm Space is a sci-fi/fantasy mashup series that takes classic fairy and folk tales and re-imagines them in a Star Wars-esque universe.
"Shelley Holmes is the best detective in the galaxy. After solving the mystery of who knocked down the Mayor's brick house on Piglia, Holmes is on her way home when she's contacted by her superior, Captain Huuk. He diverts her ship to the palace of Prince Char-Ming, who needs the detective's help finding the enigmatic owner of a lost glass slipper."
Fairy tale mashups seem to be all the rage right now and this one looks appropriately fun, capturing the energy of a high society space opera, an obsessive cyborg detective, and crucially, a creative team that's not afraid to stop taking themselves so seriously! The art and writing are on point and I think this entry into the series is going to be a joy to read.
Check it out here!
"No Spell Lasts Forever is a six-issue comic series written by Sarah Cooke, with art by Eze Di Savino and Aimée Hawley (scroll to the bottom of this page for a four-page preview of Eze's gorgeous pages). This campaign will raise funds for the fourth 24-page issue. It is a noir urban fantasy about a magic user named Rosette Diamant who, after meeting an untimely death, makes a deal with the devil for a second chance at life. But can she follow through with it, and what will it mean for the fate of her eternal soul if not?
"It’s a comic that has eye-grabbing displays of magic, romance, and some pretty exciting fight scenes. But most importantly, it’s a story that ultimately has a hopeful message about the power of overcoming self-doubt and allowing yourself to realize your potential."
If you're looking for good Urban Fantasy, and you're backing my comic so I assume you are, I think this will absolutely scratch that itch! A fantastic neo noir with magic, mystery, and grit, this mini series has nearly 100 pages of art to bite into with more to come in the near future. It's compelling, it's got some killer design, and it's pulling from a really incredible artistic tradition! Definitely one to check out here!
That's all for now, let's close in on the finish!
Wells Thompson
Over 60% Funded!
11 months ago
– Sat, Mar 29, 2025 at 08:31:58 AM
Hello Everyone!
At the end of our first week, we're headed toward 60% funding and climbing every day. This is definitely turning into a "clawing at every dollar with broken fingernails" kind of campaign, but that's honestly okay. We went into this book knowing it wasn't going to be the most popular, but that it was going to be someone's favorite (probably a lot of people's favorite, really). So, let's keep clawing until we get there!
A huge thanks to all of you for supporting us so far, we have no doubt we're going to reach our goal in due time. In the meantime, we recently introduced a retailer tier, so if you want to see By Appointment Only #1 in your local comic shop, let them know so they can pick up copies for the store!
Add-On Spotlight
I love getting to make new themed enamel pin designs with Brenda and it took no time to decide that the By Appointment Only mascot was this cutie! Maru's design for Chester is adorable and extremely fitting for a cat that has the powers of speech while also being terminally orange (which, for the uninitiated, means confidently stupid). We already got this one made with our last order of enamel pins and they're absolutely incredible!
You can pick this guy up as an add-on, or in the Starter Pack or Everything tiers!
Projects We Support!
"Our story opens on the streets of London. Magic is real, and so are monsters - although they try to keep a low profile because of their problematic reputations. The independent problem-solvers of magic or monster related issues are street magicians... and their bodyguards, known as guns.
"Eddie Caution (a street magician and supernatural investigator), meets Liz Pendragon while she is defending her girlfriend from the roving hands of the local mob. Impressed, he offers her a job as his gun, which means she now encounters magic on a regular basis. Together they investigate ghosts, rescue those kidnapped by monsters, try to stay out of trouble (often difficult), and try not to worry Liz's girlfriend, Prana, too much (incredibly difficult!)."
When I say that there's a bunch of hidden gems on Kickstarter that don't get as much love as they should, this is pretty much exactly what I'm talking about! An incredibly moody neo noir queer romance/street fighting comic that has serious 20 Fists and A Thing Called Truth vibes, two books I absolutely adore. This book has about $200 USD to hit it's goal, so please go check it out here!
"They Call Her...The Dancer is a story that focuses on the beauty and brutality of dance and martial arts, delving into the morally gray psyche of a professional dancer and assassin.
"At first glance, They Call Her…The Dancer is about analyzing the similarities and differences between dance and martial arts. Dance is something that is seen as beautiful, but many don’t think about the pain that is done to one’s body to truly be a dancer. Martial arts are thought of as violent because it’s a form of “fighting”, but there’s also a dance like quality to this work of art. But once you dig deeper, the reader will quickly realize that The Dancer is actually a story about mental health. Mia is forced to face her own childhood trauma of witnessing her parents’ murder when she becomes the enemy that she once dedicated her life to fight against. The Dancer is a morally gray story that shows that good and evil aren’t so black and white."
Kat Calamia and Phil Falco don't really need an introduction on Kickstarter, they've been running at least one campaign, often two at every waking moment for the last year and a half, so if you're reading this, you're likely familiar with their output. The Dancer was one of the first projects they published through Kickstarter and one of the first that I ever personally backed. It's a gritty Batmanmeets Black Swan comic that celebrates motion and artistry in glorious form. Definitely worth checking out, right here!
Talk soon everyone!
Wells Thompson
Magical Start for a new Issue 1!
11 months ago
– Wed, Mar 26, 2025 at 11:07:16 AM
Hello Everyone!
Thanks so much for being the first to support By Appointment Only! After the first 48 hours, we're fast approaching the halfway mark in terms of funding, which puts us on a great track to hit our goal and then some.
Things are slowing down a bit, which is totally normal, but we still have good momentum for the rest of the first week. Fingers crossed, we can see this campaign funded midway through the campaign rather than holding our breath at the end. As the early adopters, you guys are going to be fundamental in our success, both as the starting point for earning the rest of our goal and as cheerleaders for the comic!
If you have a second, I'd love it if you would comment on the project itself and let people (and me) know what you like about it and what drew you to the comic.
Add-On Spotlight!
Do you hunger for answers? Want to see your name in lights? Does the thought of being a part of the book excite you? For the first time ever, we're making the backmatter interactive for our backers! In an in-universe advice column, you can ask us a question and we'll print a response in the back of the issue in-character as your friendly neighborhood witch! Space is very limited, so get your slot before they're gone!
Projects We Support!
"WE CALL THEM MYTHS is a story about a hard-boiled detective and his awkward robot partner who are investigating cases based on cryptids, myths, and fun conspiracies.
"In the first issue, we were introduced to a grizzled detective named Sacramento Stone, who was investigating the New Jersey sewer systems for reports on the Gator Man. Stone is joined by his relatively new partner, Roscoe Roboter, a German robot created for evil but wanting to do good. During their investigation, they stumble upon a larger conspiracy that may affect not only the Gator Man cryptid but many others around the United States. An unknown entity is causing havoc for cryptids and norms (normal people) alike. A winged entity with glowing, swirling eyes....."
Full disclosure, I'm friends with Kristian and Coleton and I'd want to support them no matter what, but this comic is fun as hell and I can fully endorse it independently of how I know the creative team. It does what comics do best mash the silly and the self serious together to get something both incredibly sincere and undeniably fun. Check it out here!
"Cameron, Jade and Olivia are college juniors who can see the light at the end of the tunnel after midterms. A girl's trip is their reward for their hard work and a way to reconnect.
"The rental they book at Lost Lake is the perfect isolated getaway, except for the serial killer also hiding out at the lake. Their dream vacation is about to become a nightmare."
I really like Cabin in the Woods style horror and Lost Lake ticks a lot of those boxes in the best way possible. The creative team is phenomenal, the art is stylish as hell, and despite the lack of lettering on the sample pages, I know Lesly's work well enough to say that the story is going to be insanely compelling. This book is being slept on and you all should check it out here!
That's all for now, let's hit our day 3 goal!
Wells Thompson
