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      Lee Parker on March 22, 2011

      How do I pledge? I can't find a link.

      LPcomics.com

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      Ryan Colucci on May 13, 2010

      This is a great idea... I'm shooting a bit younger with mine - even nursery schools need to get on this bandwagon!

      www.worldoflil.com

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      Magda Sereno on May 7, 2010

      I love what you guys are doing with this. My daughter is 4 and getting into comics and we are using them to help her get into reading. I do believe this is a wonderful tool to get more kids into reading, and more future superheros. ;).
      Woud've loved to donate more, but I budget is holding me back. I will continue to donate as I get more funds in.

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      Russell Lissau on April 11, 2010

      Friends:

      If you're coming to C2E2 this week (and I know at least a few of you are), it's a great time to learn about READING WITH PICTURES and to meet some of the creators involved in the project.

      Home base will be Exhibitor Booth 1468.

      Additionally, there are the following panels:

      SATURDAY:
      RWP Iron Artists Tournament
      6-8 pm, variant stage
      Watch nearly a dozen of your favorite artists compete head-to-head on stage in the ultimate speed-drawing contest! The audience (That's YOU!) decides what the artists have to draw, and then our judges decide who drew it best. For in the end, there can be only one... Iron Artist! ARTISTS: Jill Thompson, Jeffrey Brown, Raina Telgemeier, Aaron
      Reiner, Dirk Tiede, John Bivens, Jen Brazas, Brion Foulke, Gabe Bautista, Joe Dunn, and John Gallagher with more to come! Brought to you by Reading With Pictures: a non profit organization that advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve educational outcomes for all students.

      SUNDAY:
      MAIL ORDER NINJA LIVE!
      11:30 am, variant stage
      Join "Mail Order Ninja" creator Josh Elder and the rest of the Reading With Pictures team as they bring the award-winning story of a boy and his ninja to life on stage. And be sure to stick around for an exclusive C2E2 preview of the next all-new "Mail Order Ninja" story. Performed by Josh Elder, Trevor Mueller, Steve Wallace, Katie Doland and Russell
      Lissau.

      MEET THE LOCALS
      12:15-1:15 pm in Panel Room 6:
      Chicago's comics community is inherently eclectic. Meet some of the local creators and and learn how broad their spectrum is. This is your panel, Chicago! Meet your hometown heroes!

      SMILE...LIVE!
      2-3 pm, variant stage
      We take our smiles for granted, but Raina Telgemeier had to earn hers. Join Raina and the Reading With Pictures players as they bring her heartwarming and hilarious story to life on stage. And be sure to stick around for an exclusive preview of Raina's next project. PERFORMERS: Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, Josh Elder, Trevor Mueller, Katie
      Doland and Russell Lissau.

      READING WITH PICTURES READ-ALONG
      3:30-4:30 pm, variant stage
      For the first time ANYWHERE, see an exclusive preview of the forthcoming all-ages anthology "Reading With Pictures" that benefits efforts to bring comics into the classroom. Then watch as the creators come together on stage to bring their certified awesome stories to life. Performed by Josh Elder, Trevor Mueller, Katie Doland, Russell Lissau,
      Steve Wallace, Michael Moreci and Raina Telgemeier.

      So, stop by and say hello.

      -Russell Lissau, writer

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      Bruce Nelson on April 3, 2010

      Hmmm... I'm a teacher, I draw my own webcomic, and Jimmy Gownley is holding Cecil, my stuffed monkey & classroom mascot supporting this project is a no brainer! Can't wait to share it with my students!

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      Thomas Dorsch on March 28, 2010

      To: Russell Lissau, I think what you are doing is a wonderful thing and we're proud to be part of it. I hope you guys hit your target goal in time. I would had liked to donate more, but were on a pretty tight budget here currently, but subject to change. Keep drawing/writing... you have a gift.
      Tom D. Jr. and family

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      Dr. John Rhodes Ph.D.arts. on March 15, 2010

      "This is simply wonderful!!!" "Amazing"!! "Awesome"!!

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      Russell Lissau on March 5, 2010

      Wow! What a great show of support! THANKS, EVERYBODY!

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      Kathleen Doland on March 3, 2010

      I think I will be the comic character...huh! I'm already a character!

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      Kathleen Doland on February 27, 2010

      I'm trying to decide who, besides me, will the the most appreciative of being a comic book character. Oh , I will get back to you soon. I have 5 nephews. Maybe I should pick the one with the scalpel. That might be a smart move! And his birthday is soon.

376
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$14,969
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Funding Successful

This project successfully raised its funding goal on May 23, 2010.

Pledge $5 or more

26 Backers

GO DIGITAL: A high-end digital copy of the anthology with lots of additional bonus content. Available in the digital format (PDF or CBR/CBZ) of your choice. You'll also get access to all our Kickstarter updates, interviews, story previews and more. Finally, all donors at all levels will receive a special thank you on the Reading With Pictures website.

Pledge $15 or more

61 Backers

GET THE BOOK: All of the above, plus a signed softcover edition of the anthology shipped straight to your home. You'll also receive one of our custom RWP bookmarks.

Pledge $20 or more

207 Backers

GET THE HARDCOVER: A signed, limited edition hardcover copy of the anthology shipped to your home plus an RWP bookmark, the digital edition, access to the updates and a special thank you on our website.

Pledge $50 or more

33 Backers

GET THE T-SHIRT: An RWP logo T-shirt plus a signed copy of the hardcover, an RWP bookmark (all with free shipping), the expanded hi-res digital edition and a special thank you on our website.

Pledge $75 or more

12 Backers • Limited Reward (88 of 100 remaining)

LIMITED EDITION SIGNED PRINT: One of 100 numbered prints of the RWP anthology cover signed by artist Jill Thompson, an RWP logo T-shirt, a signed copy of the hardcover, an RWP bookmark (all with free shipping), the expanded hi-res digital edition and a special thank you on our website.

Pledge $100 or more

10 Backers SOLD OUT (0 of 10 remaining)

BECOME A COMIC CHARACTER (Background Only): You or the person of your choice will be drawn into one of the stories in the RWP anthology. This is for background characters or "extras" only. To be a character with substantial dialog and appearances on multiple pages, please purchase the $250 reward. You'll also receive a signed hardcover, a bookmark, the expanded digital edition, the RWP T-shirt and the signed, limited edition print by Jill Thompson. NOTE: This reward will not be available after April 30th.

Pledge $150 or more

8 Backers • Limited Reward (16 of 24 remaining)

JOIN THE HONOR ROLL: Get your name and likeness added to our "honor roll" of high-level donors in the back of the print and digital editions of the anthology. You'll also get a signed hardcover, an RWP bookmark, the digital edition, access to the updates and the website shout-out. Upon choosing this reward, please contact us immediately so our artists can begin work on your portrait.

Pledge $250 or more

5 Backers SOLD OUT (0 of 5 remaining)

BECOME A COMIC CHARACTER: You or someone you love will be drawn into one of the stories in the anthology by artists like Chris Giarrusso, John Gallagher and Gabe Bautista. You'll also receive a signed hardcover, a bookmark, the digital edition, access to the updates and the website thank you. Upon choosing this reward, please contact us immediately so that our artists can add you to the anthology.

Pledge $325 or more

1 Backer

CLASSROOM PACKAGE: 30 copies of the softcover plus 30 bookmarks and an RWP poster for your classroom or library.

Pledge $1,500 or more

0 Backers

DELUXE CLASSROOM PACKAGE: 150 copies of the softcover plus an equal number of bookmarks, the poster and RWP Executive Director Josh Elder will visit your school or library for an all-day cartooning workshop. Josh's travel expenses will be paid separately by the donor.

Project By

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Josh Elder is an award-winning cartoonist, a nationally recognized advocate for the use of comics in the classroom and the founder of the educational nonprofit Reading With Pictures.

As a comics scribe, Josh has contributed to the superheroic sagas of Batman and Superman and the sci-fi phenomenon StarCraft. He is nonetheless best known for co-creating (along with artist Erich Owen) the nationally syndicated comic strip and certified awesome graphic novel series Mail Order Ninja. The series was named one of the 25 Best Graphic Novel Series for Children by School Library Journal and the comic strip was syndicated in over 40 newspapers nationwide including The Boston Globe, The LA Times and The Denver Post.

However these days, Josh spends far more time in the classroom than at the keyboard. In order to promote the use of comics in education, Josh gives cartooning workshops to thousands of students each year at schools, libraries and literary festivals across the country. He has done workshop events with the Chicago Public School System, the New York Public Library, Northwestern University and the Novello Festival of Reading among many others. Josh has also provided professional development services for or on behalf of numerous clients including the Illinois State Library, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and DePaul University. He has also given conference presentations on the role of comics in education to organizations such as the International Reading Association, the San Diego Comic Con, TEDx, and the American Library Association.

A graduate of Northwestern University and a National Merit Scholar who took college courses while still in middle school, Josh has always credited comics for his academic successes. He taught himself to read at age four by using comics, and they have been his scholastic “secret weapons” ever since. Now he wants to share that secret with students in every city, every school and every classroom.

In 2009, Josh joined with a group of likeminded individuals to found Reading With Pictures. Josh is honored and privileged to serve as the organization’s Executive Director and President, guiding Reading With Pictures’ efforts to get comics into schools and get schools into comics by developing educational resources, cultivating academic research and publishing high-quality curriculum materials.

Josh makes his home in the small, Midwestern town of Chicago, Illinois.

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