About
Wow, we met our $5,000 goal in less than 48 hours and unlocked all of our stretch goals! Thank you everyone for your support and for sharing the project.
The Spanish translation will be done by Joamette Gil and the Spanish editor will be Desiree Rodriguez. All backers who pledged more than $5 will receive both the English and Spanish digital comic. All backers who selected a reward that contains the print comic will have the option of receiving either the English or Spanish version print comic. ¡Wepa!
The extra money made from the campaign will go towards writer and artist profits as well as printing more comics and merch, conventions, future comics projects and more.
Wash Day is a slice-of-life comic that pays tribute to the beauty and endurance of Black women and their hair.
Wash Day follows Kimana, a 26-year-old woman living in the Bronx, as she cares for her long, thick hair. As Kim goes through her Sunday morning rituals, we see the highs and lows of her day—fresh coffee, rising rent, girl talk and catcalls.
Note: Wash Day contains some nudity, profanity and marijuana use. Consider this if purchasing for minors, or be sure to receive a parent or guardian’s permission to purchase if you’re under 17.
Wash Day's main characters are Kim, and her best friend and roommate, Cookie!
My name is Jamila Rowser and I'm the writer of Wash Day. The story was inspired by my own wash day rituals and my deep desire to read more comics by and for women of color (#FUBU). So I decided to follow the words of the great Toni Morrison, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
I’m a Black and Latina writer, and also the co-founder of the international meetup group Geek Girl Brunch, creator of the hip hop x geek culture project Straight Outta Gotham and creator of the former blog Girl Gone Geek. I grew up around the world as a military brat, but I rep the Bronx and live in South Florida. Most of my free time is spent detangling my hair and watching anime. Twitter, Instagram.
The talented artist Robyn Smith brought Wash Day to life in the most beautiful and sensitive way. Robyn decided to pursue comics so she could tell stories that highlight the personal and societal aspects of Black womanhood. It is those very facets that she saw in Wash Day and drew her to the project, “There’s something radical about a story of a Black woman taking time for herself and taking care of herself in ways extremely specific to Blackness.”
Robyn is a Jamaican cartoonist, currently based in rural Vermont. She has a MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies and has worked on comics for NECIR (New England Center for Investigative Reporting), the Seven Days newspaper and College Humor. Robyn’s also been featured on The Comics Journal list of The Best Short Form Comics of 2016 by Rob Clough and also Pen America by Whit Taylor, for her mini comic The Saddest Angriest Black Girl in Town. She’s currently working on more weird, sad autobio stuff and holding on to dreams of returning home, to the ocean. Twitter, Instagram.
The Wash Day story and script were refined and edited by the ever wise J.A. Micheline or JAM. JAM's own hair is a huge portion of her own self-identity and self-love. So, Wash Day was a joy for her to work on because the project, "conveyed the physical effort of this self-identity and self-love and taking it hand in hand with the quiet parts of many Black women's lives."
J.A. Micheline a writer, critic and editor newly-based in Chicago. JAM writes cultural criticism, prose, comics and the occasional angry tweet before bedtime. Her still-in-progress novel, Super Charismatic Nucleus, was shortlisted for Cambridge University's Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2016 and her critical work has been featured in The Guardian, VICE.com, The A.V. Club, and elsewhere. Twitter.
Joamette Gil is an Afro-Cuban creator and editor based in Portland, Oregon. If we unlock our stretch goal, Joamette will translate Wash Day into Spanish. In 2016, she founded P&M Press and published the award-winning, all-WOC project POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology. When she's not producing fantasy, she's making non-fiction comics for places like The Nib and Everyday Feminism. Website. Twitter.
We’re using Kickstarter to raise money to fund the printing of the Wash Day comic, sticker sheet, art print, packaging and worldwide shipping. The art for the sticker sheet and art print are already complete, and the comic illustrations are almost done and expected to finish by June 2018.
With your help, we’ll be able to raise money to pay for at least 300 copies of the physical Wash Day comic book, 300 8 x 8 inch art prints, 300 5 x 7 inch sticker sheets, worldwide shipping and packaging.
Below is an estimated timeline for the project.
April
- Kickstarter campaign begins on April 3rd
May
- Kickstarter campaign ends May 4th at 11:59pm EST
- All of the Kickstarter funds will be received by the end of the month
June
- Comic illustrations completed
- Sticker sheets ordered
- Art prints ordered
- Packaging supplies ordered
- Spanish translation and editing begins (if applicable)
July
- Print comic proof ordered, received and QA'ed
- Spanish translation completed (if applicable)
- Spanish print comic proof ordered, received and QA'ed (if applicable)
August
- Print comics ordered
- Digital rewards fulfilled
- Physical reward fulfillment begins
- Spanish print comics ordered (if applicable)
September - October
- Physical reward fulfillment continues
I plan to handle the packing and shipping with the help of my supportive friends and family. But if the project is super successful (woohoo!) and receives over 1,000 backers, I will likely use the fulfillment/shipping company Blackbox to get everyone their rewards more efficiently.
Either way, I’ll be working as quickly as possible to get the rewards to everyone and I will keep all backers updated on project news and any timeline updates.
Please note that some of the images below are mockups and the final products may differ.
Digital Comic
A digital, DRM-free PDF of the Wash Day comic. It will contain 36 black and white interior pages, with 27 of those pages being the actual Wash Day story.
Print Comic
A physical copy of the comic book, Wash Day. It will be an A5 (5.8 x 8.3 inches), saddle stitch book with a square back. The cover will be in color and have a soft touch matte laminate using 120# cover stock. The interior pages will use white 100# uncoated paper. It will contain 36 black and white interior pages, with 27 of those pages being the actual Wash Day story.
The print comic will be available at retail price and in a wholesale bundle for retailers and libraries.
Sticker Sheet
A Wash Day sticker sheet featuring art by Robyn Smith. The sticker sheet will be 5 x 7 inches large, printed in color and contain 7 peel-off stickers.
Art Print
A Wash Day color art print by Robyn Smith featuring the main characters, Kim and Cookie. It will be 8 x 8 inches large and printed on white, uncoated 120# cover paper.
Black and White Art Commission
Robyn Smith is offering 5 x 6 inch, black and white art commissions of the bust of a person or character. It is an original piece of art made at the backers request in collaboration with the artist. The backer will receive a physical and digital copy of their commission. The physical art will be illustrated using ink on 100# white card stock.
Color Art Commission
Robyn Smith is offering 5 x 6 inch, bust and full body color art commissions of a person or character. It is an original piece of art made at the backers request in collaboration with the artist. The backer will receive a physical and digital copy. The physical art will will be illustrated using ink and digital colors on 100# white card stock.
Original Comic Art Page
A 11 x 14 inch original art page from the comic Wash Day chosen by the creators.
Below are previews of inked pages from the comic. These pages are not finished and will have grey toning added, like the previews above.
Thank you to Flamingo Gardens for the beautiful video setting, my talented brother Myles Rowser for making the video and EyeLoveBrandon for the lovely music, Love & Luxuria (Opening Theme).
'Wash Day' Is the Comic Book That Celebrates Black Women and Their Natural Hair | Essence
‘Wash Day’ Celebrates Black Hair & Representation in Comics | Ebony
'Wash Day' Is The Natural Hair Comic Book We All Need | 21ninety
Kickstarter Jumpoff with Jamila Rowser | Black Comics Chat
‘Wash Day’ — A Comic Paying Tribute to Black Hair Now Live on Kickstarter | Black Nerd Problems
Jamila Rowser’s ‘Wash Day’ Kickstarter Aims To Pay Tribute To Black Women + Their Hair | Okayplayer
This Comic Pays Tribute To The Beauty Of Black Women And Their Hair | Her Agenda
Crowdfunding Watch: The Slice of Life Edition | Comics Beat
Wash Day Kickstarter: Fresh coffee, rising rent, girl talk and catcalls | Jordandené
Only Nice Things: 6th April 2018 | Comics MNT
Support the “Wash Day” Comic by Jamila Rowser on Kickstarter! | Do You Even Comic Book!?
WCW: Jamila Rowser- Writer | One Creates Oneself
See how Jamila Rowser Pays Tribute to Naturalistas | Flourish Africa
'Wash Day' Is A New Comic That Celebrates Black Hair | Super.Selected
Behind the Ink: Jamila Rowser, Robyn Smith and Wash Day | Nerds of Prey
A chat with Jamila Rowser, writer of Wash Day comic now on Kickstarter | Geek Girl Pen Pals
Risks and challenges
Wash Day’s biggest risks are unexpected printing delays, shipping delays and other events that would cause the comic to not finish on time.
The art for the print and sticker sheet art are already complete. The comic is almost complete and on schedule to finish on time. The printers for all of the merchandise and supply companies are sourced and ready to receive the orders.
I’ll be sure to keep backers updated on the project's progress and any expected delays.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterQuestions about this project? Check out the FAQ
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