2000AD for Kids

[JOE SOAP]

Although I'm not against Kickstarter funding projects with commercial companies, can you imagine the out-cry from unhappy fans if they don't like the end-product from such a thing ? Or demanding royalties, which is not such a bad idea either, everyone wins.

[Steve Green]

I like this idea.

You could try Captain Klep, Luke Kirby if they could ever sort the rights out, etc.

To be honest I'd like to see a 2000AD for kids (from Rebellion), possibly starting out digitally to cut costs? Use Kickstarter to get the initial funds!

Ah, Kickstarter. The a la mode answer to everything.

It's one thing for individuals to use Kickstarter to fund interesting, offbeat and/or minority interest projects that might otherwise never see the light of day. It's quite another, surely, to suggest that a priavely-owned, profit-making and commercially-driven company do likewise.

Hmmm.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/tim-schafer-raises-over-1-million-in-under-24-hours-on-kickstarter/

[Emperor]

I like this idea.

You could try Captain Klep, Luke Kirby if they could ever sort the rights out, etc.

To be honest I'd like to see a 2000AD for kids (from Rebellion), possibly starting out digitally to cut costs? Use Kickstarter to get the initial funds!

Ah, Kickstarter. The a la mode answer to everything.

It's one thing for individuals to use Kickstarter to fund interesting, offbeat and/or minority interest projects that might otherwise never see the light of day. It's quite another, surely, to suggest that a priavely-owned, profit-making and commercially-driven company do likewise.

This kind of thing has already been done, first by France's largest comics publisher:

Media Participations is the biggest comic book publishers in France. The third biggest publisher of any material. And the parent company of Dargaud, Le Lombard and Depuis.

Well, Media Participations is as vulnerable to the changing market as anyone. One bright spark there has noted how smaller French publisher Sandawe has had some success with a Kickstarter-style crowdfunded publishing strategy.

And has decided to give it a go themselves, starting in October.

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/23/the-biggest-french-comics-publisher-goes-kickstarter/

Then Boom Studios gave it a spin:

Last month, Bleeding Cool told you how France's biggest comics publisher was turning to a social networking fundraising system like Kickstarter to fund projects it might have considered uncommercial otherwise.

This was considered quite shocking by some publishers who viewed this as an admission of incompetence, or lack of publishing will, that publishers should put their money where their mouth is, or what's the point of even being a publisher?

While books like Womanthology are coming through IDW, and Kickstarter projects are being pursued through Image, it's not the publisher itself that are instigating the fundraising efforts.

That changes today.

Boom! Studios have announced that they are pursuing a Kickstarter approach with Camilla d'Errico to fund the publication of hardcover collections of her Tanpopo comic.

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/10/03/boom-drops-the-kickstarter-shoe-to-fund-tanpopo-collection/

I think the big success of Womanthology and the crazy success of Order of the Stick (currently on $600k with 11 days to go) is only going to make more publishers consider this route.

[TordelBack]

I know where Gordon is coming from here, it does sound unprofessional and rather worrying for a profit-making company to go down this route.  However, I suspect that with the increased connection between companies and their loyal customers, the crowd-funding approach is going to gain respectability.  It's an excellent way for a company to supply niche products at a relatively high price with minimal risk, as well as strengthening consumer identification with a brand through 'participation' in bringing a desired product to market.   

[IndigoPrime]

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/tim-schafer-raises-over-1-million-in-under-24-hours-on-kickstarter/

Bit of a difference. That'd be closer to an ex-Tharg using Kickstarter, not Rebellion. Mind you, with Kickstarter being for US-only companies/residents, that screws Rebellion using it anyway.

[Steve Green]

But they're still a company, that was the point I was making...

Double Fine have been around since 2000 so it's not like something set up especially for Kickstarter.

I'm not sure about the whole thing - I wonder what the success rate is of Kickstarter projects, I would have thought companies with a bit of a track record would be a safer bet than an individual who has a good idea, but not necessarily or the will to cope with the boring shit needed to put it into practice.

[bigjobs67]

'Walter the Wobot'. Top sophisticated kids stuff. I think they would deff get the pathos.

[Bat King]

'Walter the Wobot'. Top sophisticated kids stuff. I think they would deff get the pathos.

But 2000AD doesn't have the rights for the Three Musketeers!

(sorry, couldn't resist...)

[bigjobs67]

Walters got it in spades man. I'm tellin ya.

[Bat King]

New Walter stuff would hardly be difficult to do too...

[Heath C Ackley]

Or even Ro - Jaws...

[bigjobs67]

What about 'Nemesis' familiar.With a 'Monster Fun' type vibe?

[Judo]

yes I would very much like to see dredd for the kiddies!! Even if its not profitable short term, get them young and have them forever I love the kickstarter idea that's a great website. Ideally I'd like to see dredd team up with the financially struggling beano/dandy to create a sort of bumper keep the kids quiet mag. Would simultaneously give the beano an 'edge' while taking the 'edge' off of dredd x

[Trentbridge Troll]

watered down Dredd ????? NO THANKS lets go the other way lets see some Harley Farley Dredd

[Adrian Bamforth]

It's a nice idea... though aside from the fact I buy the Megazine mostly for the floppy reprints, the problem with tailored reprints for kids is that even early on half the strips and characters have backstory from other strips, are set the world of other strips or take a long time before they get good. Take those off the list and a lot of the rest are either not very good or painfully dated: 2000ad exists because it was brilliantly pitched for it's day, offering something entirely different from The Eagle. Personally, I didn't read The Beano as a kid because it looked so old-fashioned (though now it's the only one left; what do I know?).

2000ad has an advantage of course as it's mostly set in the future, though sci-fi has always been more about the present. The fun of readi comics as a kid though is the sense of ownership and participation... and besides, we want kids to read new comics, not least so we can draw and write them! I suggest we keep a keen eye of the fortunes of The Phoenix (www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk not to usurp their good work but to see if there's ground that can be further nurtured.