"You'll witness love of the natural world with every story, and your own love for it will grow with every page. You'll learn stuff, too, and learning stuff it awesome."
—Jim Ottaviani, author of The Imitation Game
“Awesome ‘Possum’s eclectic comic styles mirror the variety of life they portray—from ghost slugs and bad-luck lemurs to parasitic plants and a bird with a shoe for a bill. It’s biology broken down into bite-size stories—ideal for kids and adults alike.”
—Mike Shanahan, author of Gods, Wasps and Stranglers
"I love Awesome 'Possum, and even though I have been writing about this sort of stuff for much of my life, I learn new things on almost every page."
—Richard Conniff, author of The Species Seekers
"After 21 years of teaching entomology, I find Awesome 'Possum to be one of the most educative, graphically accurate, and fun natural history series around. I recommend it up front to my students, whether for term paper ideas or escape reading at bed time!"
—Dr. Evan Sugden, professor of entomology, University of Washington
"An irresistibly vivid anthology of natural history and biology information presented in an appealing range of graphic styles. The delightful drawings and clever storytelling work with subjects from the familiar to the charmingly obscure, to offer an enjoyable learning for everyone."
—Dr. Ben Rowson, discoverer of Selenochlamys ysbryda, the ghost slug
Angela Boyle, a natural science illustrator and cartoonist, has curated and edited the fourth volume of Awesome ‘Possum. The work includes thirty five emerging and established cartoonists and natural science illustrators from across North America, and the world. The stories that bloom on these pages are shockingly diverse in both subject and type, from strictly scientific to pleasingly personal. The stories are appropriate for all ages, with a focus on 9–12 year olds.
Book Stats:
- 229 pages, including bibliography and index
- Black and white
- 8.5 inches wide by 11 tall
- Cover inks by Eisner-nominated Tillie Walden, creator of Spinning (First Second, 2017)
- Introduction by Jon Chad, creator of Leo Geo and Volcanoes: Fire and Life (First Second, 2016)
Flying Opossum: For $5, you can help print the book and still get a little factoid for yourself. Angela will send you a postcard with a print of a drawing by her. She will write a random fact about nature on the back just for you.
Baby Opossum: $15 will get you a PDF of Volume 4, so you can save some money and some shelf space. PDFs will be provided via a coupon to Gumroad.
Opossum: $25 gets you the paperback book and the PDF of Volume 4! The perfect level.
Dangling Mushroom: For $35, get a mushroom pendant hand crafted by Bridget Comeau to go with your book and PDF. These dreamy mini charms are handmade and one of a kind! Because each charm is made by hand, each one has its own little differences. This dreamy mushroom is made with Fimo polymer clay with a cell phone strap.
Zippered Mushroom: For $35, get a zippered pouch with a mushroom illustration by Shing Yin Khor. The light canvas pouch is just big enough to hold a small pile of makeup, art supplies, or whatever other strange objects you've collected on your wayward path. (I personally use mine for small knitting projects.)
Digitized Passel: For $40, you can get the complete Awesome ‘Possum collection in PDF form: volumes 1 through 4.
Nature Cards: For $47, get a set of six nature-themed greeting cards by Kami Koyamatsu to go with your copy of volume 4.
Shorebird Postcards: For $40, get a set of 6 postcards with illustrations of shorebirds by Anita K. Boyle with your book. They include additional information about the birds on the back. These shorebird illustrations were originally published in Volume 3 of Awesome 'Possum.
Chicken by Elise: For $50, get an original ink illustration by Angela Boyle, in addition to the paperback and PDF of Volume 4. The art is 6x8 inches, and you get to pick a breed of chicken, or you can let Elise pick one if you don't have a favorite.
Original Angela: For $70, get an original ink and watercolor illustration by Angela Boyle, in addition to the paperback and PDF of Volume 4. The art is 5x7 inches, and you get to pick an animal, skull, bone, or cabinet of curiosity. This is just the art, not matted or framed.
Passel of Opossums: For $80, get all four paperback volumes of Awesome ‘Possum, plus a PDF of Volume 4.
International Opossum Pack: For $100, get 4 copies of Awesome 'Possum volume 4 sent to your location outside the United States. This is flat rate international shipping. If you want something more secure or to a country I haven't listed (which is most of them), send me a message! I am more than happy to work with you to do international shipping. So band together with your friends and buy the books together to save on shipping. I can fit up to 10 copies in one package, so let me know if you want to get more than 4.
Not Really an Opossum: For $500, get a fake curiosity cabinet by Angela Boyle as well as the Volume 4 paperback and PDF. You will get to discuss the theme of your cabinet with Angela, as well as if you want the pieces in jars with or without labels.
This example cabinet includes phoenix feathers, paper stars (with no cap or their power would explode the jar), demon needs, ground unicorn horn, baby troll toenails, mouse bones, dried gnome eyes, dryad hair, rain feathers, assorted small ribs, pine needles, and frog parts
Add Ons
If you are missing a volume or want another, here's how much to add to your total. Then send me a message letting me know what add-ons you selected. Feel free to contact me if you have questions; I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I would love to pay the artists more. So our first goal is to do just that. Comics are hard work and I ran these guys through, getting all the edits done and making sure everyone's work shines!
We made it!
I don't know about other artists, but I would just buy erasers. Right? Erasers for everyone!
Angela Boyle, editor, curator, designer, and whatever else comes up for the Awesome 'Possum volumes, is a natural science illustrator, cartoonist, and editor. Her favorite animals are Brazilian tapirs and corgis. She wants a corgi-sized tapir.
Tillie Walden, cover artist, is a cartoonist and illustrator from Austin, Texas. She is the creator of the Eisne nominated webcomic On a Sunbeam as well as the recently published graphic memoir SPiNNiNG.
Jon Chad, who wrote the introduction, was born and raised in Vermont. After a BFA in Sequential Art at Savannah College of Art and Design, he moved back to White River Junction, Vermont, where he now works at the Center for Cartoon Studies teaching screen-printing and bookmaking. He is the creator of Leo Geo and Volcanoes: Fire and Life.
Moss Bastille is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies. His work often focuses on nature and social isolation, a product of growing up in rural New England. He misses the ocean terribly.
Stephen R. Bissette was born in Vermont, 1955. Drawing by four, he made his first comic at eight. He sold ABYSS in 1977, was a pro by 1978. Retired as of 1999, he created Tyrant and has taught at CCS since 2005.
Ross Wood Studlar became a fan of both Spider- Man and Ranger Rick when he was four. Today he still draws comics and is a park ranger at national parks.
Anita K. Boyle winds the environment around in her art, whether as paper, an assemblage, or in a poem.
Nancy Canyon holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific Lutheran University and a certificate in fiction writing from the University of Washington. She has a visual communication degree from NW School of Art.
Melissa Capriglione is a comic artist and a nature hobbyist who loves birds and is passionate about preserving the environment. She learned about the northern bobwhite quail while working at a zoo.
Bridget Comeau. Gnome Queen enthusiastic about mushrooms. Loves all fantasy and Fae-folk. CCS class of 2015.
Bernardo O. Dias. Art and science enthusiast. Also fantasy.
Kit Fraser is an cartoonist living in New York. Her work can be found on The Nib, The Stranger, and in other publications and anthologies.
Rachel Ford lives in the Yukon Territory of Canada and is surrounded by mountains and boreal forest. She and her partner met in the Slim’s Valley two years before the river rerouted. They have two dogs.
Hedj, born and raised in New York, is a recent graduate from The Center for Carton Studies, loves the outdoors, and is very food motivated.
David Humphreys is a cartoonist and a photographer. He is a Center for Cartoon Studies graduate who currently lives in Prague.
Elisa Jarnefelt is Vermont-based illustrator and researcher. Her drawings are inspired both by observations in her family life as well as her research in the area of human cognition and nature.
David Kirkham is a freelance writer and cartoonist whose work has featured in Forbidden Planet, Awesome ‘Possum, and the Desert Island Discs Fanzine. He is the author of the graphic novel Tripped Electric.
Kevin Kite and Michelle McCauley create the science and culture comic Hurry Up Please It’s Time. They live in the green hills of Vermont with two kids, two cats, some skunks, and several thousand bees.
Hatty Koerner focuses her artistic energy on drawing the natural world for children, and for the child inside each adult. Her artistic inspirations revolve around deviation; moss on roofs, mildew, spiky object, and scat.
Shing Yin Khor is an installation artist and cartoonist. She enjoys gently poking slugs.
Kami Koyamatsu is a natural science illustrator and hopes to use her art to motivate conservation efforts by piquing people’s interests in nature.
Laura Martin is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies. Much like the caribou, the wolf has made her strong.
Shashwat Mishra is an artist currently working freelance. He’s trying to figure life out in India. He lives with two cats.
Lauren Norby is an artist and storyteller making comics, videos and music. He lives in Missoula, Montana, USA.
Caitlin Hoffmeister is a writer and filmmaker who makes videos and podcasts for the internet. She lives and works in Missoula, Montana.
Tom O’Brien is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator living in upstate New York. He is currently working on a nonfiction graphic novel about the history of the world’s most popular liquors.
Kelly M. Ricker is of a nerdy persuasion with a deep love for Star Wars and all things animated. She is an artist for mobile games and often babysits her sister’s three dogs.
Salakjit was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and raised in Queens, New York. She is a cartoonist, illustrator, and printmaker. When she’s not making art, she enjoys reading, sleeping, and eating spicy food.
Ally Shwed is a cartoonist from New Jersey. Her work appears regularly in the Boston Globe and on The Nib, and she coruns Little Red Bird Press.
Elise Smorczewski grew up on a farm that fostered a lifelong fascination with animals of all kinds. Nonfiction comics are a way to share that love.
Spratty is a cartoonist living near Philadelphia with their various human companions, two snakes, and two cats. They think reptiles are pretty great.
Alyssa Suzumura is an entomologist and illustrator currently in graduate school at the University of Hokkaido in Japan. After identifying insects for the University of Washington for six years, she is now studying coastal beetle systematics. She spends a lot of time drawing beetle penises for identification purposes.
Kelly L. Swann has a keen interest for telling people’s (and animal’s) stories, and she’s found comics to be her favorite medium.
Lisa Wolinsky is a writer of science, horror, romance, and corporate documentation. She keeps a dozen different hobbies for when one of them gets boring.
Melissa McGee is an artist with an insatiable love for learning, and an irrepressible need to create, be it art, comics, costumes, or a nice cup of tea.
If the international shipping seems expensive, that is because international shipping is expensive. I have done my best, picking the least expensive option. Hopefully it will make it through custom's safely, but I will keep the custom's sheet for you in case you need it as a reference. Feel free to contact me if there is a specific way you would like your book shipped and we can work something out.
Calculating the amount for a Kickstarter is hard, partly because of changing prices, but also fees and unexpected costs. But here is the breakdown if how I calculated the Kickstarter goal.
Volume three won 2017 PubWest design award for Graphic Album - New Material, as well as the 2017 New York Book Show Award for Best Self-Published Cover, Adult Nonfiction. So I have big shoes to fill with volume 4.
“Armadillo tongues, the social lives of rattlesnakes, the subtle trickery of side-blotched lizards—Awesome ‘Possum is full of every-day wonders.”
—Kim Todd, author of Chrysalis
“Awesome ‘Possum is AWESOME!! From vampire bats to microscopic water bears to vultures to St. Anthony’s fire to (of course) possums, these original, entertaining pages are a fabulous way to learn natural history. Talk about a book you don’t want to put down!”
—Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, The Good Good Pig, and Spell of the Tiger
Risks and challenges
This is my fifth Kickstarter, so I am confident that I will get everything done. I gave myself plenty of time to get the books here and shipped. The files are ready to go, so as soon as I get the funds from Kickstarter, I can start getting proofs printed!
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Funding period
- (30 days)