
Hi, guys! Spike here.
First and foremost, I am NOT responsible for the beautiful picture of Penny and Nickel, the stars of Poorcraft, in the title image. That is the work of Diana Nock. Diana will be illustrating Poorcraft, and I'll be writing it.
Poorcraft is a project I've been thinking about for years. No one gets into comics for the money (no one with a clue, anyway), so I got an involuntary crash course in the discipline after I left school. I've learned a lot about poorcraft since then, most of it the hard way. I'm glad I did.
Over time, I've noticed people who read comics are often people who want to make comics. But aspiring creative types are pretty easily discouraged by the specter of the "starving artist." It doesn't have to be that way! And not enough people realize that.
So, I want to make a book. A comic book, naturally. Full color cover, black and white interior, 100-120 pages, with a $10.00 cover price. And at least 75% of that book would be comics. Comics about housing, food, entertainment, education, travel/transportation, health care, and employment, and doing all those things on a dime. The book wouldn't just be for cartoonists, either. People who wanna quit their job and stay-at-home parent their kids, people starting businesses, people who want to take a pay cut in favor of more free time, students. A lot of people could benefit from Poorcraft.
Diana and myself have a six-month schedule from a successful Kickstart to publishing. Production-wise, the book is already outlined and ready for scripting. The $6,000 I'm asking for would go towards paying Diana a fair price for her work, and publishing costs.
I've self-published three books prior to Poorcraft; collected editions of my comic, Templar, Arizona. You can find the three volumes currently in print for sale here. I encourage you to buy 'em and check out how well they're made. :D
That's about it. Thanks again, guys. Hope you decide to contribute!
International backers, please add:
- $3 to your pledge of $10 and up
- $10 to your pledge of $30 and up
- $15 to your pledge of $100 and up
to cover shipping!

Project location: Chicago, IL
The minimum contribution grants you access to behind-the-scenes blog posts about the book's development.
The previous reward, plus a cover-to-cover PDF of the finished book.
The previous rewards, plus a hard copy of Poorcraft signed by myself and the artist, Diana Nock.
The previous rewards, plus three MORE hard copies of Poorcraft! Give 'em away to your favorite school, library, or wannabe poorcrafter!
The previous rewards, plus a thank you in the book's acknowledgments. Your name! Your mom's name! Your cat's name! Doesn't matter to me. Spell it out, and in it goes.
The previous rewards, plus a page of original art from the comic! First come, first served.
The previous rewards, plus an appearance on an interior page of Poorcraft! Maybe in a crowd scene, maybe playin' guitar in a garage band, maybe riding the Matterhorn at Disneyland... You'll be in there somewhere.
The previous rewards, plus an appearance on the cover of Poorcraft! We have a lovely picnic scene planned, and I'll save you a spot at the table.
Chicago, IL
I'm Spike. I was born in DC, grew up in MD, and live in IL. I draw all day.
Likes: Squid-based snacks, video games, buskers, jump blues, hairless dogs, balls-to-the-wall indie anything, and NPR.
Dislikes: Marzipan, particle board, and licensed property LEGO sets.
My primary project is a comic called "Templar, Arizona." It's an alternate history slice-of-life story. I bet you'd like it.