I know it's overdue, but we finally have the art in for the T-shirt and poster, and they are beautiful. As promised, you will be able to change your pledge level or even become a new backer to get these rewards.

The Poster

This 18"x24" poster will be screen-printed in six colors. The design was created by Digital Manga graphic designer Matt Akuginow using art from the book. The inscription is from a poem by Paul Verlaine, who is quoted extensively in "Barbara." It means "The poet is a madman." The full stanza reads:

Le poète est un fou perdu dans l'aventure,
Qui rêve sans repos de combats anciens,
De fabuleux exploits sans nombre qu'il fait siens,
Puis chante pour soi-même et la race future.

Which means (in my own very kludgy translation):

The poet is a madman lost in adventure,
Who restlessly dreams of ancient battles,
Of numberless exploits he makes his own,
To sing them for himself and the men of the future.

The T-shirt

This T-shirt is being printed for us at Forward Printing in Oakland, CA on 100% made in the USA cotton T-shirts from American Apparel. We'll be using water-based ink for a super-soft pattern that will last a long time (read this for more information on why this is awesome). It will be available in unisex sizes from S to 3XL and in Ladies' sizes from S to 2XL. (Larger sizes may be available if needed, so send me a message if you need them.)

How do I get one?

If you're not a backer or your reward level doesn't include a T-shirt or poster and you want to receive one, CLICK HERE. Fill out the survey and we'll get in touch with you.

Important notes about this:

• Both of these rewards are exclusive promotional items that will never be printed again and will never be sold at retail.
• If you are a current backer who's already pledged high enough to receive the poster and/or T-shirt, you don't need to do anything. You will get the chance to select the poster and/or T-shirt in our rewards survey, which will be coming soon.
• If you are not a current backer but want to become a backer to receive the poster or T-shirt, you will be able to add a new pledge at the $60 or $110 levels so as to receive a poster or T-shirt (along with all the other rewards that come with those pledge levels).
• If you are a current backer, you can either raise your pledge level to receive a poster or T-shirt or keep your current pledge level and simply add a poster or T-shirt on top of it.
• You cannot use this form to decrease your pledge level below what you've already pledged.
• The images here are mockups and the final products may not look exactly the same.

We have a release date! Aug. 29. We also have some info on what we're doing with the extra cash the campaign raised. Check out the video for details!

Our next update will cover the poster and should be up sometime next week.

THANKS!

Hello everyone!

The campaign is finally over, and I'm obviously incredibly happy with the results. You showed us and many others that there is a desire for classic manga out there. Thank you.

Regardless of how much you put in, I am grateful to everyone who thought getting this manga in English is as important as I believe it is. And watch this space, because we're not finished yet! We have more Barbara updates to post, and there's a lot more great manga that might need a kickstart...

Thank you for your patience! I know I haven't posted any updates in a while. We had hoped to have the designs for the T-shirt and poster, as well as a sample of the manga itself, up here by now.

Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, things have progressed much more slowly than I had hoped, and now it looks like none of those things will be up in time for the end of the campaign. I wanted to post this update to apologize and let people know, especially those who signed up to receive the poster and T-shirt.

Here's what we will do:

I will post the T-shirt and poster designs here as soon as they are ready. At that time, all backers will have the chance to upgrade if you would like, and we will even allow new backers to join the project using our own retail site, Akadot.com. On the other hand, if you pledged to receive the T-shirt and/or poster but change your mind upon seeing the designs, you will have the option to modify or cancel your pledge for a full refund.

This will not be a precedent for the future -- we will continue using Kickstarter as much as possible, and next time we'll be getting this stuff up much earlier on.

Thanks always for your understanding and support.

Ben