Here at Fanbase Press, we strive to provide an outlet for up-and-coming creators to promote and showcase their incredible works. With thousands of creators utilizing crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to make those works a reality, we will highlight these talented creators and their noteworthy campaigns through #CrowfundingFridays! We hope that you will join us in giving these projects a moment of your time (and possibly your support).
Project #1: Westside: Volume 1
What it’s about: From the creative minds behind ©alifornia, Inc., the powerhouse indie team returns with a gripping new crime saga. Writer Justin Giampaoli (Rome West, Starship Down), illustrator Dave Law (Dungeon Crawler Carl, The Space Odditorium, Wolf Punks), and Studio 12-7 publisher and variant cover artist Arthur N. Ebuen (The Simpsons, Futurama, Systemic) invite you into the world of Westside.
This 52-page neo-noir crime drama plunges readers into a volatile crossroads where race relations, car culture, and crime collide. Drawing from deeply personal, autobiographical roots, Westside: Volume 1 is both a hard-hitting crime story and a haunting elegy to Justin’s hometown in California’s Central Valley. Bringing the world to life is veteran indie artist Dave Law, whose bold black and white storytelling is layered with dramatic ink washes, and creates a stark, atmospheric landscape where every conversation hides a secret and every choice has consequences.
If you’re a fan of the slow-burn tension of HBO’s The Wire or the gritty crime comics of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Westside: Volume 1 will feel right at home on your shelf. Think True Detective, but set in the sun-bleached streets of California’s Central Valley.
Click here to visit the Kickstarter campaign.
Project #2: Genetica #1
What it’s about: Genetica follows the journey of Fox, a bio-engineered operative molded into a living weapon known as a Spliced. Tormented by visions of a burning village, his relentless search for answers pulls him into a shadow war between a deadly network of rogue Spliced and the organization responsible for their corruption.
But as he draws closer to the demonic figure haunting his dreams, the dark truth behind the splicing program and its architects begins to surface, forcing him to confront the one question he’s spent years avoiding.
Are they trying to create weapons… or monsters?
Genetica blends neon-lit dystopia, moral ambiguity, and the deconstruction of humanity into a 40-page full-color first Issue inspired by works like Watchmen, Blade Runner, and Ghost in the Shell.
Click here to visit the Kickstarter campaign.
Project #3: I Hunt Wolves #1
What it’s about: Learn the legend of Bonnie Beltz, a bounty hunter who is being pursued by the law after killing an innocent man. Already hated amongst her peers, the price on her head is steep.
Bonnie finds the young girl named Winter whose lies put the schoolteacher in his grave, taking her from her family not only to protect her from the mob, but to teach her what it is to take a life.
Winter soon learns a darker secret: Bonnie knows her time is up, but before she goes, she intends to take out the clan of werewolves that murdered her family.
Click here to visit the Kickstarter campaign.
Project #4: Wolves of a Feather
What it’s about: A brand-new Lovecraft-inspired crime story that will take you to the heights of cosmic horror and the depths of otherworldly terror.
When a simple heist takes a VERY wrong turn, it looks like the end of the world could be right around the corner…and our thieves are going to help usher it in, whether they want to or not.
*Mature Readers
Click here to visit the Kickstarter campaign.
Project #5: Shrub: The Collected Edition
What it’s about: GLAAD Media Award-winning and Eisner and Harvey Awards-nominated publisher and media outlet Fanbase Press is proud to announce Shrub, an 8-issue Graphic Medicine series which will be crowdfunded by the publisher on Kickstarter.
In this middle grade adventure, readers will join Shrub who is, well… a shrub… for a cross-country trip to Hollywood! Join Shrub and a grieving brother and sister as they hit the open road in search of connection. On their journey, pit stops, wacky plant enthusiasts, uprooting, and re-routing abound.
The series was created and written by Emmy Award nominee Shane Portman (Tumble Leaf, Shape Island), illustrated by Andy Alves (Cosmic Cadets), colored by Sophia Du and Celia FitzGerald, lettered by Oceano Ransford (Eisner Award-nominated Rikki), and with consultation from comics librarian Moni Barrette.
Shrub explores the various ways that we allow grief to take root, inspired by writer Shane Portman’s experience with the loss of his father. The series features “Letting Grief Take Root” essays written by individuals with a personal and/or professional connection to grief who relate Shrub’s story to their own lived experience.
Click here to be notified when the Kickstarter campaign launches.
If you have a crowdfunding campaign that you would like to have included in Fanbase Press’ #CrowdfundingFridays series, please contact barbra (at) fanbasepress (dot) com for details.
