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Up, Up and Away: How have Crowdfunfding sites allowed Comic Book Creators to get their work off the Ground?

[This feature article is a repost of one used for a 2021/2022 University assignment]

"Help bring creative projects to life". That is the mission statement for the Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Established in 2009, Kickstarter has taken the independent publishing world by storm. Especially in the world of comic books. But what does Kickstarter’s mission statement mean for creators? Well, for Mark Abnett and David Cranna, it means everything.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Mark Abnett. His entrance into the Zoom call is signalled with a loud "ding dong". For a moment, his camera flicks to black, leaving me only his bodiless voice to follow. He then quips in his thick kiwi accent: "I don’t want to show my misses in the bathroom, that would not be a good idea!"

Mark is the creator of ‘This Land’ a comic book steeped in Māori mythology. The book takes place in the far-off future of New Zealand. The twist: is that the people of the world have had abilities bestowed upon them by ancient gods. Doesn’t sound like your grandpa’s comic book, does it? Everything about ‘This Land’ has bucked regular convention.

According to Kickstarter in 2020, there was roughly $22 million pledged across all comic-related projects. Yet, this tidal wave of support for creators such as Mark is not something that has come overnight. A Dog Groomer by day and successful comic book writer by night, Mark began to explain the process of how he got the comic funded:

"I’ve done three campaigns this year, campaign one made £3,500, it’s on the record, anyone can see it. I had a target of £2,500, but I actually needed £3,500." 

Mark expresses this jump of a thousand pounds with a singular sweeping hand motion. Like a conductor holding an orchestra before the start of a performance.

"If you go too high with your targets, you miss and you usually miss big." Marks's face drops into a mock Batman-ESC scowl, which was only intensified by his thick, furrowed black eyebrows.

"There’s got to be a balance to it. Ideally, you want to know before what the minimum is you need to get the book to the next stage, or whatever you want. Even if that means including some of your own money!"

For many writers, these projects are labours of love, that they put their blood, sweat and tears into. Yet, when it comes to using crowdfunding websites, there is always a risk that their hard work won’t pay off. 

This leads many creators, including Mark, to sink their own money into it. Meaning, before an audience even gets to back the project, there is already a monetary risk involved.

According to the website Statista, as of July 6, 2020, there were 321,325 unsuccessful backed projects on Kickstarter. But, to get your Kickstarter project funded, it goes beyond having a good or interesting concept. 

At a point, it becomes more about pushing your project out there for the public to see. As Mark cracked jokes and one of his 5 dogs jumped onto his lap, he explained his own experience with social media promotion. Snapping back to his usual warm demeanour, saying:

"You have to do the hard work and prime the audience. For me, it was four or five months of posting and engaging with people and running a few competitions. It was basically bribery and corruption for the first couple of months!"

Someone who knows all about the importance of the audience is David Cranna. David is the author of "Glass City’" a comic set in a future Scotland that explores the country's criminal underbelly. Sitting in his kitchen at 8 p.m., after a long shift at the Restaurant he works at, David’s thick Glaswegian accent puts you at ease when talking to him. Like an old friend you’ve known for years, his voice invites you to enter his home:

"The good thing about a Kickstarter is that it’s almost like a book launch. So, everybody buys your book at that point in time.

"But once that’s finished, trying to get it in front of other people to buy it, that can be tricky. After the first Kickstarter, I’ve only sold about 20 or 30 copies to comic book shops."

Although David has struggled to get a following in the mainstream, he’s still positive about his upcoming plans for GlassCity. His positivity is well-founded too! As David has a loyal group of fans behind him who have successful contributed £8,227 over two Kickstarters:

"The community thing came along by accident!" David exclaimed in a gleeful tone. One that’s usually reserved for those who either have won the lottery or managed to pass an exam without studying.

"After I started posting in different groups and reaching out to different people and people reaching out to me and people reading reviews, the community came about.

"What I will say is that Kickstarter has been named the unofficial ‘home of comic books' in the UK."

Mark has also relied heavily on a group of diehard fans who have funded  the first three issues of 'This Land' so far:

"In normal mainstream comics, issue one will say sell one hundred copies. Then issue two sells fifty copies and issue three sells thirty copies and it will stay at thirty copies."

With Kickstarter, it’s all about getting people to know about it and building a community around a project. Or getting people involved who like seeing how the cakes baked." The idea of Mark baking the "cake" that is his Kickstarter conjures the image of all those who have backed it standing in his kitchen waiting for ‘This Land’ to come out of the oven.

According to Business Insider, the funding success rate for creators on their first project is around 47%. By the time they've run three campaigns, that number jumps to a 75% success rate. The main aspect that helps with successful campaigns is building a community around a project. Kickstarter has not only allowed creators to find fans who will invest money in their passion projects, but also given them control over their intellectual property.

As David sits in his kitchen, the light above him flicks on, like a lightbulb floating above his head has sparked an idea into existence as we talked . The camera soon refocuses on David's face: "I like the fact it’s just me doing it, that it’s pretty much all my achievement if that makes sense? Maybe it’s just me being big-headed, but it’s a proud feeling!

"What I like most about Kickstarter is there’s no one saying you can’t write that, or you shouldn’t put this. If someone says to me that something doesn’t make complete sense, then fair enough. But if someone says I can’t put something because of "this" reason, then..."

David screws up his face for a moment, with it resembling a Clint Eastwood-style eye squint. He then followed it up with a noise that resembled a disappointed parent catching their child lying.

"What I would tell them is that they’re stifling my creativity!" He takes on a mock tone that resembles that of a snobbish artist.

"But seriously, Kickstarter definitely allows for creative freedom that isn’t available elsewhere."

This feeling of definitive creative freedom is also shared by Mark. When asked if he thinks Kickstarter allows creators to have control over their work, he exclaimed:

"Yeah, absolutely! 

"So, you see things from publishers like BOOM! Studios, who produced a Power Rangers comic omnibus, which would normally be an expensive buy. But they used the power and leverage of marketing, of Kickstarter, to make £600,000 before release.

"They got many more pre-orders on their omnibuses than they would have if they had sold it directly to comic book shops. That has helped them have the money upfront for books that helps their cash flow.

"It’s the same thing for independent creators, you know. Having money injected into it gives you confidence that others have bought into what you’ve promised." 

A big smile creeps across Mark’s face. Despite how many Kickstarters he's produced, the thought of others being into his work still gets him giddy.

The thing is, is that it’s not just smaller creators who are willing to use Kickstarter, but also celebrities too. The best example of this is BRZRKR (pronounced "Berserker"), a comic book about a demigod written by Matt Kindt and Keanu Reeves (yep, that Keanu Reeves). The campaign, which ended in Oct. 2022, blew past its $50,000 goal, raising $1,447,212.

Ultimately, the impact of Kickstarter on the comic book industry has been massive. It has allowed many small and independent creators to take the reins of their creative ideas. 

 Mark’s book , has found an audience with people across the world. It has allowed people to be aware of the Māori culture and prompt people to investigate the culture on their own.

As I finished up the interview with him, with one of his five fluffy dogs sitting on his lap, he left me with some poignant words about his experience:

"I had three goals for this book; 1. It’s something that shows I can write, 2. It’s something I can leave behind for New Zealand, and kids to get into comics and learn about the Mário culture and language and 3. To make enough money to make the next thing!" Marks' warm chuckle shows that regardless of how much he has Risked, he has accomplished his dream.

Marks' persistence with his Kickstarter leaves only one thought in my mind: If he can write a comic book, why can’t you?