Crowdfunding Spotlight: Creepy horror in Men of Cloth, SKRAWL returns, and Adventures on Bannerman Road!

There are several UK-based Kickstarter projects running right now that have caught our attention, including the just-launched Adventures on Bannerman Road, a 20th anniversary celebration of the Doctor Who spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and others…

Closing this weekend is Men of the Cloth, a Folk Horror Graphic Novel borne from a film pitch from award-winning creators Paul Kane, which will, if successful, feature art by James Gray, who you’ll recognise as on of the team involved in Time Bomb Comics new Project SWORD title, and much more. Be warned has some disturbing themes, but if you’re fan of The Wicker Man this full colour 60-page graphic novel may be right up your street. The campaign comes from Hellbound Media, an independent creative company, specialising in dark fantasy, horror, science-fiction, and action. Check out the Men of the Cloth Kickstarter here

Also closing soon is the Kickstarter for the third issue of the thoroughly enjoyable SKRAWLLORDZ anthology, the first twio issues proving a smashing mix of comics, interviews, prose, illustration from the UK-based SKRAWLLORDZ team, and some of their very fine chums. A declaration here that I’ve worked previously with Russell Mark Olson, one of the contributors on this, and support his Gateway City project on Patreon; and I’ve pretty much backed most projects from others on the team, including Martin Simpson and Gustaffo Vargas. So, yes, I am biased.

SKRAWL 3 will feature sequential strips from all The SKRAWLLORDZ, who are Mark Hughes, Russell Mark Olson, Nick Prolix, Martin Simpson, Pete Taylor, and Gustaffo Vargas, and additional material from their guests. Lined upon that front are Olivia Sullivan (Oracles), Dominica Claribelle (At Our Peril), Artyom Trakhanov (Sharp Eyes, First Knife), Tom Humberstone (Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis), Matthew Hardy (The War of the Worlds: Thunder Child), Zé Burnay (Andromeda), P hil Breach and Shane Oakley (Albion). Add-ons now include We’ll be printing a limited run of physical SKRAWLLORDZ 48-page sketchbooks, featuring work from all six of those ink slingers, the digital copies listed at £5, while the physical copies cost £8. Check out the Kickstarter here

SKRAWL 3 cover by Russell Mark Olson — Kickstarters to check out – SKRAWL 3, and James Powell’s Self-Editing for Comic Book Writers

For those of you interested in writing comics, not just buying them, comic book writer, editor, and coach James Powell is running a Kickstarter for his new work, Self-Editing for Comic Book Writers– a practical guide for fixing the storytelling problems that keep good scripts from becoming great comics.

“I’ve been reading indie comics since I first walked into a convention, and editing them for the past ten years,” he explains. “I keep seeing the same thing: strong ideas wrecked by fixable mistakes: meandering plots, hollow stakes, pacing thrown off by a panel count nobody paid attention to.

“If you want scripts that get a publisher’s attention or self-published comics your readers can’t stop talking about, Self-Editing for Comic Book Writers will show you exactly what’s standing in the way… and how to fix it.” Check out the Kickstarter here

There’s still plenty of time to check out and perhaps support Odysseus – In Defiance of the Gods: The Collection which we’ve already highlighted on downthetubes – Homer’s Odyssey brought to life as a graphic novel collecting PSYComics In Defiance of the Gods!Books One to Four in one 156 page, collection. Check that project out here – the art by the late Vu Danh is simply incredible!

Finally, away from comics, how about an unofficial, fantastic-looking Doctor Who project from Room 5064 Productions?

Adventures on Bannerman Road, just launched, is a 20th anniversary celebration of The Sarah Jane Adventures: a unique and intimate glimpse behind the scenes, featuring more than 350 never before seen images, and a pair of DVDs showcasing rarely-seen convention panels with the cast and crew.

The images were captured by Sandy Knight, mum of Tommy Knight, who played Luke Smith, and chronicle the production of the first three series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, including the pilot episode Invasion of the Bane and the Comic Relief special.

Room 5064 are a creative collective based in Manchester; the same team that brought you Vworp Vworp fanzine, Cutaway Comics, Roundel Books, and who also produce theatre, audio drama and events as Room 5064 Productions. Check out this Kickstarter here

About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who MagazineandOverkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.