
* Special Final 24 Hours Addition: Limited-Edition Guy Fawkes T-Shirt *
We thought it would be cool to add a special, limited edition shirt because we so fell in love with Guy Denning's gorgeous illustration of Guy Fawkes-masked protesters and to commemorate V For Vendetta creators Alan Moore & David Lloyd both joining this project after having such an impact on the protests. Also, it enables us to get you a piece of Occupy Comics in the coming weeks while we work on the comics coming next year.
* Final 24 Hours: 5 New Items added at $150 pledge level *
Several of you have reached out asking that we add more items to the sold-out $150 pledge level. We just worked it out to add 5 more!
(The $150 reward level includes a piece of Original Art from Occupy Comics and has been sold out for a while now.)
What is OCCUPY COMICS and what makes it so special?
Unless you're living under a rock, you've heard about the Occupy Wall Street movement that has spread across the country and around the world. We believe this is an incredibly unique movement that transcends the usual partisan gridlock and could have a profound affect on all our futures. Even if it dissolves completely, it has changed the conversation in the country and around the world in a way that deserves to be remembered.
Ok, but what's this book?
This book is intended to be a time capsule of the passions and emotions driving the movement. We are comic book & graphic novel artists and writers who've been inspired by the movement and hope to tell the stories of the people who are out there putting themselves at risk for an idea. What is that idea? Most of the media will tell you the idea is a vague and befuddled mess, but movements don't coalesce around vague, befuddled messes. We hope that through the medium of comics we can share some of the ideas and experiences driving this movement.
Does it actually support the protest movement?
YES! This isn't *just* about art and time capsules, it's also about direct action.
All of the writers, artists, business executives, and the publisher are being paid to produce this book... and they ALL are donating 100% of their revenue (not profits, but ALL monies they receive) to the occupiers. They want to support the movement through the winter by providing warm clothes, heaters and bathrooms if possible, and other amenities. For a more detailed breakdown on how the money will flow from pledges to production of the book to the protesters, visit www.occupycomics.com and check out the blueprint.
Who is participating?
The starting lineup (in alphabetical order) is:
Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead)
Marc Andreyko (Manhunter)
Susie Cagle (Notes on Conflict, arrested at Occupy Oakland)
Kevin Colden (I Rule the Night, Grimm's Fairy Tales)
Molly Crabapple (Dr. Sketchy's)
Tyler Crook (Petrograd, B.P.R.D.)
J.M. DeMatteis (Justice League, Spider-Man, Imaginalis)
Joshua Dysart (Swamp Thing, The Unknown Soldier)
Zoetica Ebb (Biorequiem)
Joshua Hale Fialkov (I Vampire, Tumor)
Brea Grant (We Will Bury You, Suicide Girls)
Zane Grant (We Will Bury You, Suicide Girls)
Joe Keatinge (Hell Yeah, Glory, Brutal)
Ales Kot (upcoming projects w/ Image Comics & DC Ent)
George Krstic (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Megas XLR)
Joseph Michael Linsner (Dawn)
Patrick Meaney (Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods)
Mark L. Miller (Luna, Nanny & Hank)
Caleb Monroe (Batman: Fearless, Hunter's Fortune)
B. Clay Moore (Hawaiian Dick, Superman Confidential)
Jerem Morrow (Drive-In Horrorshow, Kingdom Suicide)
Amancay Nahuelpan-Bustamante (Hijos de P)
Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Batman: Gotham County Line)
Laurie Penny (Penny Red)
Matt Pizzolo (Godkiller)
Steve Rolston (Ghost Projekt, Queen & Country)
Riley Rossmo (Proof, Cowboy Ninja Viking)
Douglas Rushkoff (Testament, media theorist)
Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Witchblade)
Simon Spurrier (2000 AD, X-Men: Curse of the Mutants)
Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Fell)
Ronald Wimberly (MF GRIMM: Sentences)
*Additional contributors added as Week 1 Finale (11/16)
Mike Cavallaro (Parade (with fireworks), Life & Times of Savior 28)
Vito Delsante (Superman, FCHS)
Troy Dye (Shrek, Puss in Boots, The Goblin Chronicles)
Jenny "Devildoll" Gonzalez-Blitz (Coffin Factory art collective)
Joe Harris (Ghost Projekt, Spontaneous)
Tom Kelesides (Shrek, Puss in Boots, The Goblin Chronicles)
Jonathan Swifty Lang (Feeding Ground)
Mark Sable (Two Face: Year One, Rift Raiders, Unthinkable)
Salgood Sam (Dream Life, RevolveR One, Revolution on the Planet of the Apes)
Anna Wieszczyk (Godkiller, Lucid)
*Additional contributors added as Week 1.1 Mega Finale! (11/17)
Dan Goldman (Shooting War, 08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail)
Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls)
Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan, The Boys)
*Additional contributors added in Mid-Campaign Climax! (11/29)
Mike Allred (Madman)
Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man)
Eric Drooker (Flood!)
Ryan Ottley (Invincible)
Dean Haspiel (American Splendor)
painter Guy Denning
David Lloyd (V For Vendetta, designer of the now iconic Guy Fawkes mask)
*Additional contributor added in Final Week! (12/6)
Alan Moore (V For Vendetta, Watchmen, Batman: The Killing Joke, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell)
So what's the plan exactly?
By funding this project on Kickstarter, we can pay all the creators and executives upfront. They're pros so if they get paid, they deliver... but it will take a long time--months, at least.
However, the creators and executives will immediately be donating their payments to the protests... so even though the book won't be done until mid to late 2012, the creators and executives will be able to donate to the protesters during Fall 2011--when the movement needs the $$ most.
Deliveries will start flowing in from the creators throughout 2012, so as they come in we'll compile them into ongoing digital comics and limited edition print comics. Backers receive these as part of their pledges, but they will also be sold and all revenue from those sales will also flow to the protesters.
When all the art and stories are delivered, we will collect the entire opus into a limited edition anthology. Again, many of these anthologies will go direct to backers of the project and any revenue from sale of the anthology will flow to the protesters.
What if the Occupy Movement dissolves before all the money is spent?
Since the money is all being paid to the creators and executives and they are all agreeing to donate their payments to the Occupy protesters, they will have to make their own decisions of what to do with the money in the event the Occupy Movement dissolves before they can donate. Hopefully everyone will allocate their shares in a way that retains the spirit of the project, but we can't guarantee that.
Why should I pledge for this project?
There are many reasons to pledge for this project. It's the first project of its kind to bring together artists and writers inspired to create change by creating art together and utilizing that art to financially support a social protest movement. But maybe you don't care about that... it'll still be an awesome comic anthology by some of your favorite artists and writers. And even if you don't care, maybe the Occupy movement will make history and you can take credit for supporting it decades from now. Who knows?
[about the video: music by Atari Teenage Riot ("Black Flags" instr.), protester portrait by Molly Crabapple, "We Are All In This Together" by Molly Crabapple & John Leavitt, "Occupy Comics" by Anna Wieszczyk featuring Soledad from Godkiller, video edited by Matt Pizzolo.]
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ