Kickstarter

Hi all,

Pardon the radio silence. Since I last posted, I've conducted tons more interviews, produced tens (doesn't sound like much but it's a lot, trust me) more pages, started a new visual journalism organization called Graphic Voices, bought a motorbike, had a gallery show, broken and fixed aforementioned motorbike, and negotiated the highs and lows of itinerant power, water and petrol shortages (with the occasional national strike thrown in for good measure) out here in Kathmandu. For more info, check out the latest edition of my newsletter here, or sign up to subscribe for the semi-monthly missives here.

The first digital issue, which is long overdue, will be with you very soon - I'm putting the finishing touches to it now and want it to be perfect before it hits the e-shelves. In the meantime, my first piece of graphic journalism on trafficking in Nepal just went live on the BBC News website here. I'd really appreciate it if you share it to get it to the top of the Beeb's "trending" list - the more eyeballs it gets, the better. I'll also be doing a skype interview with the Beeb at 4pm GMT today (Tues, April 23). More soon. Thanks again for the ongoing support!

*If you're new to the project and want to contribute/ order your copy of the graphic novel/ebook/or artwork/get any of the rewards even though the Kickstarter campaign is now over, you can paypal me your pledge using dan [at] archcomix [dot] com as the recipient ID. Or, of course, feel free to drop me a line if you want to discuss specifics or a collaboration.

Hi all,

Wow. The last time I wrote we had just passed the funding goal with mere hours to go on the dreaded countdown-o-meter. I left the Kickstarter ticking to go and work with the survivor group that I see for weekly sessions in Thamel (the city's tourist hub), before spending the weekend in a remote village a few hours from KTM talking to people who had been tricked by traffickers into selling their kidneys. When I got back to the city on Sunday I was gobsmacked to see we'd surpassed our target by over $1300! Thank you all so much for your tremendous support and belief in the project once again. And many thanks to those of you who upped your pledges at the last minute.

One of my first behind-the-scenes pieces on illustrated reportage has now been published by the Poynter Institute, so check it out here if you haven't already. Another big interactive piece is due out very soon, link forthcoming. The first reward, offering more of a window into my process, along with desktop and iphone/smartphone wallpapers, will be sent out next week, fear not, as an xmas present of sorts. That's if we survive the end of the world today, of course...If you're interested in all other aspects of my comics journalism work inlcluding non-Nepal related projects, then check out my website or sign up for my newsletter here.

THANK YOU/DHANYABAD one and all!

To say that the last 48 hours have been a roller coaster (or even a crazed rickshaw ride through the online equivalent of Kathmandu's dusty streets) would be an understatement. Especially seeing as how far off we were only a week ago. I've been truly humbled by the incredible support from all of you and am so thrilled that this can now happen. Dere gajjab (very awesome) as they say here. Or at least I do.

With 36 hours to go though, there's still time to push things forward and aim for some stretch goals!

All pledges increased by $25 as of now will get a customizable hi-res digital thank you print (that could ostensibly double as some sort of xmas/chanukah/holidays greeting card if you haven't sent one out already). 

If we hit $14,000, I will hire a web designer to turn some of the content from the graphic novel into a standalone interactive website.

If we hit $15,000, I will hire an animator to bring some of the artwork assets to life in the form of an animated short.

More updates forthcoming - but I have to run out the door now to meet with my weekly workshop group of workers from Thamel's entertainment industry.  Stay tuned for a link to some graphic reportage from Bhaktapur's brick kilns and please, continue to spread the word!

A huge thank you to all of you who have got the project this far. The social media love and new backers have ratcheted things up a gear in the past few days. Plus we've made it to the "Staff Picks" of the KS comics section. Which is just as well frankly as we're now only 5 days from the finish line, with still some way to go. That deadline is Saturday at 9am PST! 

Now that the end is in sight, please think about increasing your pledge to the next level. Not only will it earn you more rewards, do wonders for your karma and heighten that warm, contented feeling that you've had since originally pledging, but it will get me closer to the all important finish line and make this project a reality. 

Live sketch from an interview last week with a trafficking survivor, talking about the difficulties of reintegrating herself back into her community after her ordeal.

I'm currently working on a 4 page comic that's due out this week, so hopefully I'll be able to link to it in the next update. Here's me pencilling it this weekend at mach 5. I'm off to the brick kilns of Bhaktapur to interview child labourers and families in bonded slavery tomorrow, so will have more on that for you next time too.

Please continue to spread the good word and THANK YOU (dere dhanyabad in Nepali) for your continued support of this project and my work. It means a lot.