Self publishing comics is hard work. There’s lot of money and time that goes into making a comic, and both of those are usually something that people are short on. Thanks to Kickstarter, though, creators get not only get the funding for a comic, but get fans to be a part of the creation.
One of the more consistent and successful Kickstarter campaigners is Fabian Rangel, Jr. Probably best known for his “Doc Unknown” stories, Rangel is going back to Kickstarter to fund “Six”, a collection of horror shorts that he’s created with various artists. Zombies, demons, insanity and more pepper the pages as Rangel teams up with artists like Karim Whalen, Cody Schibi, Jonathan Brandon Sawyer, Ricardo Venancio, Valentin Ramon Menendez, and Jason Copland.
Even though the project has already reached the funding goal of $2500 in its first week, there’s still plenty of great rewards to be claimed, like commissions, original art, and print and digital copies of the book. Read on as we talk with Fabian about stretch goals, making a good campaign, picking a favorite comic, and more. Then go check out the Kickstarter campaign for “Six”.
Six collects six horror shorts that you’ve written and worked with various artists on. What gave you the idea to do what amounts to a mini-Fabian Rangel Jr anthology?
Fabian Rangel, Jr: Well, basically it comes from doing comic conventions. Last year, in order for people to read these comics they would have had to buy two or three separate comics. I’ve found that the more you have on your table, the more people’s eyes just kinda glaze over. I wanted to streamline by con table, and figured by putting all of my various horror shorts in one book it’ll be an easy sell. This will also be a good book for me to hand to editors at cons if I want to show someone samples of my writing.
As I write this, it’s the first day of the campaign and you’re already about halfway funded, so I think stretch goals are a possibility. What sort of stretch goals do you have in mind?
FRJ: Yeah! We’ve gone over 50% so far, I’m pretty happy about that. A part of me was worried this would run too soon after delivering “Doc Unknown” Volume 2, but it’s looking like a lot of people are excited about this collection.
As far as stretch goals, I have a few ideas, nothing too crazy. Mostly small stuff like bookmarks, stickers, and adding script pages to the book. I wouldn’t want to do anything that would push the delivery date back, or add too much weight to the packages, or start throwing in whole other books like I did with the Boss Snake one-shot. That ended up biting me in the ass on that first Kickstarter.Shipping and printing ended up being way more than I thought it would be and I spent about 1,600 out of pocket even though we were 300% funded. On Doc Doc Volume 2, I learned from those mistakes and had enough money left over to have Ryan Cody draw up the cover for Doc Volume 3.
Some of the stories have previously been published at various places, but there is also a never before seen story in there as well. Having old and new work beside each other has to make you see your past mistakes. Was there anything you noticed while putting it all together?
FRJ: Actually, I think I’m one of the very few creators that actually likes their older work. I’m very proud of all the books I’ve put out over the past 4 years. In fact, I think Extinct (my very first comic) still holds up really well. All of these stories still rule pretty hard. I wouldn’t even have put them all together like this if I thought even one of them was weak.
Like you said, this Kickstarter comes not too long after the most recent “Doc Unknown” Kickstarter. Most people would probably be familiar with you because of “Doc Unknown”, which has been pretty successful on Kickstarter and Comixology Submit. What can readers of “Doc Unknown” expect from these various horror stories?
Continued belowFRJ: When I write comics, whether it’s “Doc Unknown”, other comics, or the stories in “Six”, I have two goals in mind: First, they have to be fun to read, and second, there will be something out of the ordinary for the artist to draw. With comics, the sky is the limit, so why not have the artists draw something weird or cool instead of pages and pages of people talking? I want to see monsters. I want to see ghosts. When you can balance the fantastic and supernatural with an emotional backbone, that makes a great story. Those are the kind of comics I like to read, and the kind of comics I strive to make. Also, a character from “Doc Unknown” has a cameo in one of the stories!
Between Doc Unknown and this, you’ve ran a few successful Kickstarter campaigns. What about the platform makes it attractive, besides the whole getting money for projects aspect?
FRJ: The money is a huge part, obviously. Before I started taking projects to Kickstarter I spent 3 years financing most of my comics straight out of my own pocket. If I wanted to keep self-publishing, something had to change. Mostly I look at Kickstarter as a pre-order system, but with a wider reach than doing it on my own. There’s a whole segment of readers who would never see my work if it wasn’t for Kickstarter. Being able to reach as many new readers as possible is paramount in any creators mind, and Kickstarter is a powerful weapon in that battle. The chance for failure also makes it attractive, the whole “beating the odds” thing.
As someone who’s ran successful campaigns, what do you think are some ways to make the campaign successful?
FRJ: I get asked this question a lot. And it’s flattering. It’s pretty awesome that I’ve been able to get to a point with my self-publishing that other people ask me for advice. Basically, it comes down to supply and demand. You gotta give people something they want. They might not even know it’s something they want until they see it. Just make something good. Promotion before the campaign is essential, reaching out to websites, and pros. But at the end of the day, people (especially on Kickstarter) want to feel like they won’t get burned. Reliability is probably the biggest thing I have going for me. In comics, and life, if I say I’m going to do something, I do it.
So, three things pretty much. Good product. Promotion. Reliability. Oh, and exclusivity. People want something from Kickstarter they can’t get anywhere else. Exclusive prints, art, etc. I mean, the book itself can’t be found in stores, so that’s one of the biggest draws.
With any anthology or collection of shorts, keeping a certain tone or not being too jarring is sometimes difficult as the reader transitions from story to story. Obviously, with a single writer that somewhat makes it easier to keep a certain voice to the entirety of the work. How do you think the art fares at keeping a somewhat cohesive tone, while maintaining their separate identities?
FRJ: The artists in “Six” are all extremely talented dudes, and they all have a unique style. Since I wouldn’t have chosen them for these stories if I didn’t dig their styles, I don’t really see any of them as a weak link. There won’t be a story where a reader might feel taken out of the book because of lack of quality. These guys all bring their A game. Each of them brings something to the table only they could, I think the book is a real treat visually. I think the book has a nice flow to it. Really proud of it.
As with the last “Doc Unknown” Kickstarter, you’ll be teaming up with Comixology to deliver the digital rewards for “Six”. It must be pretty cool to have that sort of a relationship with Comixology, while also making your life just a little bit easier, right?
FRJ: ComiXology have been supporting me in a huge way since “Doc Unknown” got started last year, they even invited me to come speak on a panel with them at SXSW in Austin earlier this year. Other then a minor hiccup with “Doc” Volume 2, it’s been a pretty painless experience with them getting my books to readers. I have nothing but respect for them and I really appreciate them having my back.
Finally, I know this is probably like picking your favorite kid or something, but what’s your personal favorite story from “Six”?
Ha! Yeah, I love all my kids the same. No, but seriously, it depends. Off the top of my head I would say it’s “The Souls of Wicked Men” because I wanted to write a “weird western” for a while, and it’s the newest story AND the only one people haven’t had the chance to read yet. As a creator I’ll always be more excited for the newest and next comic. But I will say that “Our Own Wars” might be my best piece of writing to date. I think I nailed what makes a great short story on that, and also made a great example of how the action in a panel can contrast with the inner dialogue, but also make sense? I don’t know. You’ll see what I mean if you read it. It also packs an emotional punch which is something I strive for in nearly everything I write. But as far as scariest, I gotta give that distinction to “When The Evil Came”. I remember creeping myself out when I wrote that one, and it’s definitely the one that makes me feel uneasy when reading it.
