ANNOUNCEMENT: Loyalty Program + Top 10 Comic Book Kickstarters of 2024
Big news this week as we announce the Lifeline Comics Loyalty Program and share our Top 10 Favorite Comic Book Kickstarters of 2024!
Hey there, Lifeline Comics Readers!
Two big topics coming at you in this post!
Firstly, we’re excited to announce the debut of the Lifeline Loyalty Program — our way of thanking backers who support multiple projects with FREE ITEMS you can claim at the end of the year!
Secondly, we’ll be listing off our Top 10 Comic Kickstarter Campaigns of 2024! This is the latest of our “end of year wrap-up” lists, and possible the one we’re most excited to share since we love celebrating the ingenuity of the Kickstarter Indie Community.
We’ll also talk about Taylor Tomlinson’s “Save Me” Tour, Kat’s trip to New Orleans, our thoughts on movies Carry On, Dìdi, and His Three Daughters, and more!
Let’s go!
Lifeline Loyalty Program 2025
Phil: We are excited to announce a new program we’ll be implementing next year that will give FREE BONUS ITEMS to backers who support multiple Lifeline Comics projects throughout 2025!
The Lifeline Loyalty Program allows you to claim exclusive items based on how many projects you back! Details below!
In January 2026, we’ll have a three-week period where backers can claim their Free Items based on how many of our projects you support over the next twelve months.
This is our way of saying THANK YOU to our repeat backers. We couldn’t produce all of our titles without your support and are so excited about this new opportunity to give you more free exclusive merch!
Top 10 Comic Book Kickstarter in 2024
There have been SO MANY great Kickstarters this year, and we wanted to do our part by spotlighting some of our favorites.
10. Phil’s Pick: Wicked Town #1: 40 Pages of New Horror Fantasy Series
The first comic project from Wicked Town Studios, but you wouldn’t think that from looking at the Kickstarter page. Creators Andrea Dailey and Francis Stokes confidently put their best foot forward presenting this occult tale of a 1970s housewife who joins a bridge club only to suspect that she’s stepped into a coven of witches.
There’s so much beautiful art shared on this page between the interiors and the covers. And some of the art is even shown via super cool GIFs — probably the product of artist Andrea Dailey’s background in video games. As a sucker for a good witch story, this was really easy backing.
10. Kat’s Pick: CULT OF THE LAMB: THE FIRST VERSE | An All-New Graphic Novel
This was not just one of the biggest comic campaigns of the year, but ONE OF THE BIGGEST OF ALL TIME for the category making over half a million dollars as Oni Press shows the power of a “cult” fanbase.
I’m not a huge gamer, so I have to be honest, I had never heard of Cult of the Lamb until this comic book, but fans came in waves for this one. I really love when the power of a fandom from a different medium gets potential eyes on not only comics, but also Kickstarter.
9. Phil’s Pick: When We Transform: A Superhero Tale of Transition
There’s something that just feels right about a Trans Tokusatsu story. And Tomi Trembath — host of Transcending Comics — really is the perfect person to tell it. Her love for the genre and excitement at putting a new spin on the Power Rangers-style storytelling bleeds through all over the Kickstarter page.
And if the premise alone doesn’t sell you, the special edition book sports a super unique color-changing mechanic that looks absolutely beautiful in the videos on the campaign page. Definitely left an impression on me!
9. Kat’s Pick: White Ash Annual #1
Charlie Stickney is one of the biggest names in crowdfunding for a reason! He continues to be able to rally his audience to make big splashes on the platform with titles like White Ash and Glarien, but most importantly he’s always there to give a helping hand to creators’ around him.
White Ash Annual #1 is a special campaign not only because it marks the return of the series, but also because we get to see other voices contribute to Stickney’s universe including: Tango, Mick Beyers, Amanda Deibert, and so many more wonderful creators.
8. Phil’s Pick: The Hollowed Night #1: a Victorian horror comic book
The Hollowed Night #1 is a book that grabbed me the moment I saw it. On top of its fun premise of a Vampire, a Werewolf, and a Witch teaming up to kill a monster hunter, I absolutely LOVE the covers and interior art. It’s all so dynamic and expressive. Dark, but just a touch cartoonish in a way that I find really appealing. Everything from the premise to the look of the book is so up my alley that I just had to include this book in my list.
8. Kat’s Pick: Blood of Atlantis #1: A Modern Magical Pulp Adventure
It was Jon Auerbach first foray into crowdfunding a comic book, and he hit it out of the ball park. He had an easily digestible pitch with Indiana Jones meets Dungeons & Dragons, a STELLAR thumbnail, and an interior artist/variant covers that matched the caliber of Blood of Atlantis’ elevator pitch. If you’re a new creator, this is a campaign to study!
7. Phil’s Pick: Sidequests: A Comics Anthology About the Road Less Traveled
As I will undoubtedly say a few times in this list: I’m a fan of anthologies. Especially anthologies with a unique theme. And Sidequests has the refreshingly unique perspective of focusing on the “little adventures” or the “journey” — the moments that give a story humanity and make it worth telling (outside of “VANQUISH THE BIG BAD AND SAVE THE WORLD”).
On top of the unique premise, I was quite taken by the wide variety of different stories offered in the anthology. It would be easy to tell only Fantasy stories in an anthology about side quests. And while there is plenty of Fantasy, I appreciate the dedication to showcasing a variety of different genres.
7. Kat’s Pick: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Set
My Top 10 has to do with what I personally enjoyed the most on Kickstarter, but I’d be amiss to not add this Gi Joe juggernaut. Skybound has quickly become adjacent to the Big 2 with their Transformers and Gi Joe licenses climbing the direct market charts, and creating record breaking Kickstarter campaigns making close to 4 MILLION Dollars.
This succeeded as well as it did because 1) Skybound already had a Kickstarter audience. 2) It utilized a nostalgic property that not only comic fans could get behind, but fans of the show could be introduced to. 3) AND it was a complete set of a cult classic run that industry giants like Larry Hama could promote to garner an older audience that needed a gateway to get into this new wave of comics.
6. Phil’s Pick: Trick 'r Treat: Witching Hours
I don’t think I can possibly say it any better than I did when we talked about this campaign in our newsletter:
Here’s a thing you might not know about me: I LOVE Sam! The adorable mascot of Trick ‘r Treat is one of my favorite horror characters of all time. HE’S JUST SO CUTE 😱. He’s one of the few things in this world that immediately fires those “AWWWWW” synapses in my brains — like kittens, or baby pandas.
ANYWAY. When I learned that another comic adaptation was on the way helmed by franchise creator Michael Dougherty, you literally couldn’t stop me from backing.
I love horror. I love anthologies. And I love Sam. That’s really all that needs to be said.
Honestly, I think more anthologies need adorable mascots who trickle in and out of the featured stories. It’s such a fun device to tie everything together.
6. Kat’s Pick: WILD WISPS #1 - a comic of creatures, fantasy, & myth
And if we are talking about Kickstarter juggernauts, we could not have a Top 10 list without our good friend Pat Shand and his Space Between Team. I really love how much Space Between diversifies with their content and wants to tell stories that you just won’t be getting in the direct market. Wild Wisps is exactly that book! You can tell how much passion has been put behind this title, and it really shows that you can still make money doing the stories that your heart drives you to tell.
5. Phil’s Pick: KOLCHAK MEETS THE CLASSIC MONSTERS
Harkening back to the classic Universal Monster Movie crossovers, this hardcover collection sees reporter Carl Kolchak (a legacy character as well, from the 1970’s Night Stalker) face off against a Werewolf, Count Dracula, Frankenstein, and Konga. And if the fantastic art/covers and easy-to-love premise aren’t enough to entice you, the collection is brought to us by some true horror legends: Rodney Barnes (Blacula, Killadelphia), David Dastmalchian (Count Crowley, Late Night With the Devil), and Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Batman: Gotham After Midnight).
5. Kat’s Pick: It’s Fun To Kill People #1 - A Dark Comedy Comic
Anthony Stokes is a guy you need to be keeping an eye on! Every comic he cranks out is a winner from the art styles to the creative pitches. Anytime I see a concept truly jump off the page I know that Stokes probably has something to do with it. I mean, who doesn’t want to read a story about a poorly adjusted kid who has a pair of serial killers as parents?
4. Phil’s Pick: unSEEN/unHEARD: Disability & Neurodivergence Comic Anthology
As the curators of several anthologies all about giving voices to underrepresented communities, we absolutely love this anthology centered around disabled and neurodivergent communities — some of the most unseen and unheard groups out there.
The covers for this collection are all beautiful and diverse in their styles. And I love the variety of different stories featured in the previews. A great anthology, in my opinion, has a little bit of something for everyone. And looking through what unSEEN/unHEARD has to offer, I got the very distinct feeling that anyone who checks out this anthology will be able to find something to love.
4. Kat’s Pick: Epiphany Engine
This was one of the BIGGEST collaborations I’ve ever seen…well…maybe ever. Advent Comics puts together a list of black creators and black owned publishing houses to create a close to 200-page graphic novel that features incredible stories from your favorite crowdfunding and direct market creators.
3. Phil’s Pick: WINGLESS #1 - A New Comic Book Series!
A story about survival from the perspective of a bird born without wings. I love the idea of a story about disability being told through the perspective of a wingless bird needing to survive in a world on the brink of destruction. The art in the book is fantastic, managing to be adorable, funny, menacing, action-packed, and dynamic as required. And creator John Schell III’s write-up about what this particular story means to him is moving and informative. Everything about this campaign has really stuck with me since it launched.
3. Kat’s Pick: Crazy Latte Thing Called Love ☕A Manic Romantic Thriller☕
I truly believe there just isn’t enough romance comics out there! I am so glad comics like Adriano Ariganello and Mattia Monaco’s Crazy Latte Thing Called Love get to exist because of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. A one-shot love story turned thriller, a modern twist on the femme fatale with artwork that fits both its slice of life nature and more twisted storytelling.
2. Phil’s Pick: MISKATONIC HIGH meets TART - A trading card crossover
A first-of-its-kind campaign in so many different ways. Not only is it a crossover between two beloved and long-running Kickstarter comic series — Kevin Joseph’s Tart and Mike Shea’s Miskatonic High — but it’s a crossover where the story is told entirely through a set of 24 Trading Cards! And if that’s not cool enough, the crossover is set at an anime convention!
There’s just so much to excite fans of both properties in this collaboration, and also enough to entice folks who are new to both series. It’s the fresh and unique kind of team-up that I hope to see more of in the future.
2. Kat’s Pick: The Comics Courier, A New Comics Criticism Journal
Just like the comic industry itself, comic journalism has changed tremendously in the last few years, especially in a post covid landscape. There’s less outlets, fewer reviews, with even the Eisner’s eliminating their journalism category.
We need emerging voices with thoughtful commentary and a love for the medium, and that’s exactly what Tiffany Babb provides with The Comics’ Courier. This was one of Babb’s first Kickstarter campaigns, and she ran it FLAWLESSLY. It was a well-oiled machine that I’m glad got the recognition it deserved with over 700 backers. That’s impressive for any creator, but especially someone newer to the platform.
1. Phil’s Pick: WILD WISPS #1 - a comic of creatures, fantasy, & myth
The only campaign that is on both Kat’s and my list, but it’s just one we both loved so much that we had to talk about it. I find it almost hard to believe that Pat Shand launched the first issue Wild Wisps this year. He’s done such a phenomenal job of establishing this new property — which is already crowdfunding its third issue in the same year that the series debuted!
As a lifeline fan of Pokémon and other Monster Catching media, Wild Wisps scratches a very particular itch for me. I absolutely love the creature design, and you can tell from a mile away just how much care and thought goes into every monster, every trading card, and every story beat. And the fact that multiple official Pokémon TCG artists have contributed artwork to the series? So freaking cool.
Wild Wisps is obviously a major passion project, and it’s impossible not to feel Pat’s excitement when looking through one of these Kickstarter pages.
1. Kat’s Pick: Our Sins are Scarlet - An Erotic Spy Thriller
This has Kat written ALL OVER IT! It’s the book I was most excited to back this year. The pitch just completely sold me. Jordan Alsaqa scripts an intriguing gay thriller with the stellar Skylar Patridge completely selling the sexy dark tone with her interior art.
I want to see more queer stories like this hit the platform! Kickstarter has a handful of queer representation throughout the year, but there is always room for more, especially books on this caliber.
What Have We Been Up To?
Let’s talk about some of the things we’ve done to keep busy these last couple of weeks!
Taylor Tomlinson’s “Save Me” Tour
Kat: As a fellow bisexual with religious trauma, Taylor Tomlinson’s relatability has helped skyrocket her to my favorite comedian. Tomlinson is a great storyteller with some of the best comedic timing in the biz as she’s able to connect to the audience on a personal level, while still keeping a healthy boundary between the “real” Taylor and Taylor the “performer”.
Tomlinson’s last Netflix special, Have It All, hit a mainstream stride as it focuses on feeling like you have it all figured out, while still feeling completely lost while entering your 30s. The Save Me Tour is a riskier hour as it focuses on sexuality and religion. I really loved how Tomlinson tackled these topics. It truly felt like a “this one is for me” instead of solely focusing on marketing appeal. And in the long run, that authenticity is the smartest marketing tool. It’s going to continue to make Tomlinson a fresh voice on the scene and hopefully allow more niche groups to be able to discover her.
Phil: Kat got me into Taylor Tomlinson with her last Netflix special. So I was very excited to see more of her material live! And while it was impossible to enjoy this show as much as Kat (seriously, Gay Religious Trauma? Those are three of Kat’s favorite words), I had a fantastic time. I really love Tomlinson’s material and her comedic timing.
I also love the way that she does crowd work — having the audience text her their own experiences (guided by prompts) before the start of the show and then interacting with their experiences by reading out select texts at the end. It’s a unique and inclusive way of breaking down the barrier between the performer and the audience.
I’ll also give shout out to opening act, Jay Jurden, who was hilarious. He had some wonderful material about bisexuality. And it was a fun coincidence that he has written comics (Marvel's Voices X-Men) before and that he talked about that experience in his set. Taylor and Jay has wonderful off-the-cuff banter at the end of the show when they did text-reading crowd work together.
Kat’s Trip to New Orleans
Kat: It’s always a nice feeling to go away. Especially when you visit friends and get to see their city through their eyes.
We had the chance to visit the city’s annual Christmas carnival that was full of rides and beautiful lights.
Hit up some of the less touristy restaurants!
It wouldn’t be a trip with Alex Calamia if we didn’t go plant shopping.
And one of my personal favorite things to do when visiting a new city is hitting up the grocery store to check out the local snacks and spices.
Media
We’re keeping it light this week on Media since we talked about so many comics in the main portion of this newsletter. So let’s quickly talk about our thoughts on Netflix’s newest movie, Carry-On and indie darling, Didi.
Carry-On
Kat: Ironically, I saw this on a plane, heading to New Orleans (the very city this was filmed in), which made this thriller an extra bit more thrilling. Carry-On improves upon your standard action movie by switching up the main setting to an airport. Taron Egerton plays a TSA agent, who just like many millennials, feels stuck in their lives. He’s about to have a baby with the love of his life (who, of course, also works at the airport), but doesn’t feel like he’s done enough to be a good father.
Carry-On doesn’t meander and really gets you right into the action as Jason Bateman’s menacing villain plants himself into Egerton’s ear. Once Bateman comes out of the shadows, we really get to see a hauntingly playful dynamic between him and our lead. He was a surprisingly great villain!
But what truly makes this movie better than most action flicks is Egerton. He’s such a likable lead, and feels like the everyman, who can also somehow be an action star. He’s just as much a pawn as his “damsel in distress” girlfriend, who actually gets to play to her own strengths by the end of the film. Surprisingly, there are plenty of strong female leads that take center stage, which even includes a law enforcement officer that plays a vital role.
The well-rounded cast made this feel more modern than your classic ‘80s flick. Maybe this will even replace Die Hard for you on your Christmas re-watch list. I know it will for me.
Dìdi
Phil: A coming-of-age drama in the vein of Eighth Grade that follows thirteen-year-old Taiwanese-American boy Dìdi/Chris/Wang Wang in the summer between Eighth Grade (the end of middle school) and Ninth Grade (the beginning of high school). Moreover, the film is set in 2008 and places a heavy emphasis on the role that the early internet plays in shaping Chris’ image of himself and his peers.
Let me lead by saying that I’m very predisposed to like this movie. It literally follows my exact age and creates an eerily accurate picture of life as a teen in the early 2000’s. But beyond that, it is such a specific story about the life of writer/director/producer Sean Wang that expertly balances the many pressures that Chris feels as he steps from childhood to adulthood. It’s an incredibly specific film, but also an incredibly relatable one.
Oftentimes, middle school media gets caught up in the “cringe”. The preteen ages are the most awkward of our lives. And without a doubt, everyone has memories from that time that we look back at and just…shudder. And while Dìdi doesn’t shy away from showing us those awkward cringy moments, I think one of the things I find most compelling about it is that it presents them as just one part of the complicated tapestry of this time in your life. Dìdi is just as focused on the awkward as it is on the quiet, the infuriating, the hilarious, the heartbreaking, and the uncertain.
It’s an unsanitized movie, not afraid to use language and imagery that was used in 2008. But not in an exploitative way, as many “period piece” media are. All of it serves to put you in Chris’ position as he struggles with internalized hatred, racism, and inadequacy that is reinforced constantly by the things his peers say to him. No character in this film is all good or all bad. Every single major player (whether they’re “protagonist” or “antagonist”) is shown to be morally gray to at least some capacity. And the effort that Sean Wang takes to make every character feel real and complex really shines through in the final product.
Dìdi is a great film for anyone fascinated by an exploration of the transitory period between childhood and adolescence. But especially if you fall into that awkward age where the internet was just taking hold as part of our daily lives (probably if you were born in the 1991-1996 range). It’s an uncomfortably familiar experience, but also a cathartic one.
His Three Daughters
Kat: His Three Daughters is very much an “award season” movie — focused moreso on acting chops and unique camera angles than it is on digging deeper into the story’s built in emotional crux.
Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne play three estranged sisters that find themselves tied to the apartment of their dying father. Because the sisters are estranged, Azazel Jacobs’ film uses monologuing to avoid a true dialogue between the siblings. As a character piece with limited space, I was impressed by Jacob’s unique cinematography as he primarily focuses on the New York City apartment by expertly avoiding seeing the thing that has brought these girls together - their ailing father.
His Three Daughters is a well-crafted film, but its emotionally stunted leads talking “at you” instead of to each other for a majority of the film made it hard for me to fully feel connected to a movie that I would have otherwise enjoyed.
In Closing
Thanks for reading this post!
We’re looking forward to giving bonus items via the Lifeline Loyalty Program next year! And we hope you share your own Top 10 Comic Kickstarters of 2024 lists with us in the comments and on social media!
We’ll be announcing our first Kickstarter campaigns of 2025 very soon, so stay tuned! We’re super excited for them!
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Thanks for including 'Crazy Latte Thing Called Love' with all these amazing projects! I was lucky enough to be able to support a lot of them this year and can't agree enough.
It's truly wonderful to see so many new and different indie projects out there getting support from both of you.
All the best for 2025!
(BTW, I love the loyalty idea and excited to see how that all plays out.)
Thank you so much for including Blood of Atlantis! I've learned so much from watching the two of you launch successful campaign after successful campaign! Here's to a great 2025 for the Kickstarter comics community!