Here are the ACTUAL Top 25 comics crowdfunding campaigns across both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, in terms of dollars raised by backers.
Comic book crowdfunding campaigns have blown up in the past couple of years, accounting for $22 million dollars on Kickstarter in 2020 alone. This despite Kickstarter parting ways with their comic outreach lead in the Spring of 2020.
While there’s been a lot of chatter about Kickstarter’s success with comics projects (boosted by such massive campaigns as Boom! Studios’ BRZRKR), the comic book journalists who cover these sorts of things seem to ignore Indiegogo.
It could be oversight, as the word “Kickstarter” has become synonymous with crowdfunding.
Or it could be a deliberate snub, as the journos who would be interested in the numbers of comics crowdfunders may not like the politics of some of the people who have raised cash for comics on Indiegogo.
Regardless of the reason for exclusion, we thought it would be interesting to see what the actual top crowdfunding campaigns in the comic book category of all-time are as of June 2021.
- SCP Foundation Artbooks | $1,633,858 (Indiegogo)
- BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, & Ron Garney | $1,447,212 (Kickstarter)
- The Order of the Stick Reprint Drive | $1,254,120 (Kickstarter)
- Ethan Van Sciver’s CYBERFROG 2: REKT PLANET | $1,211,304 (Indiegogo)
- How to THINK when you DRAW BOOK 4 +REPRINTING SOLD OUT BOOKS | $1,101,682 when converted to USD (Kickstarter)
- How to THINK when you DRAW BOOK 3 +REPRINTING SOLD OUT BOOKS | $1,092,412 converted to USD (Kickstarter)
- EARTHWORM JIM the Comic Book! | $815,676 (Indiegogo)
- MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS Complete Comic Book Collections | $804,018 (Kickstarter)
- Ctrl+Alt+Del 1.0: The Box Set | $665,725 (Kickstarter)
- How to THINK when you DRAW BOOK 2! PLUS BOOK 1 and ARTBOOKS! $662,315 converted to USD | (Kickstarter)
- Icarus and the Sun | $596,541 (Indiegogo)
- Check, Please!: Year Four | $580,099 (Kickstarter)
- Ethan Van Sciver’s CYBERFROG:BLOODHONEY Comic Book | $538,456 (Indiegogo)
- The Tomorrow Girl: Dresden Codak Volume 1 | $534,994 (Kickstarter)
- Ava’s Demon: Reborn | $530,310 (Kickstarter)
- Penny Arcade Sells Out | $528,144 (Kickstarter)
- CMON Comics – Vol. 1 | $501,632 (Kickstarter)
- Ethan Van Sciver’s CYBERFROG: WARTS AND ALL | $439,141 (Indiegogo)
- Ethan Van Sciver’s REIGNBOW THE BRUTE | $436,657 (Indiegogo)
- Brian Pulido’s Newest: Lady Death: Cataclysmic Majesty #1! | $426,241 (Kickstarter)
- How to THINK when you WRITE BOOK + How to DRAW BOOKS 1 & 2! | $423,828 converted to USD (Kickstarter)
- JAWBREAKERS- LOST SOULS graphic novel | $404,913 (Indiegogo)
- Check, Please!: Year Two | $398,520 (Kickstarter)
- Girl Genius Volume 12 Printing and Reprint Frenzy! | $389,079 (Kickstarter)
- Steve Lichman – Volume 2 | $385,710 (Kickstarter)
An honorable mention goes to Todd McFarlane’s The Original SPAWN Action Figure & Comic Remastered (2020), which has a comic book component but is not categorized as a comic book project. It racked up an impressive $3,447,390.
It should also be noted that a handful of the projects above are more “art book” and less “comic book,” but have been categorized as “comics” on their respective platforms.
It takes a platform to crowdfund.
The biggest takeaway from this list? Would-be crowdfunders need a sizeable platform to crowdfund a six figure campaign. You can’t rely on promotion by Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
That should be a “duh” to anyone who knows anything about marketing, but many people expect crowdfunding platforms to do the marketing for them. In fact, it works in reverse — you send your audience to the platform.
There’s a direct correlation between platform and dollars raised in crowdfunding. Many on the list are campaigns by webcomics creators or YouTubers. Others were established brands like Power Rangers, had celebrity power like BRZRKR, or were by known artists with large followings on other social media platforms.
In that regard, crowdfunding is very much DIY… right down to the marketing.
However, it provides an excellent opportunity to creators who are getting increasingly frustrated with and displaced by the shrinking comic book direct market, or otherwise just want to control their own creative destinies.
Like anything else, your mileage may vary.
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