Kickstarter Weekends: KMS CD Compilation, Leaving Megalopolis, Through the Fire

It’s time again for more plugs and karma gathering as I list off my favorite current Kickstarter projects. [EDIT: Yes, I know it's literally the end of the weekend but I needed to hep my girlfriend move the last few days, thus this is late. YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT!!!] We’ll again be looking at three projects and if you like what you see feel free to pledge to the cause (they will reward you with cool things, of course) or even just do what I’m doing and help spread the word around as best you can. Now before we check out the new additions let’s look at what became of the projects from last month, all of which have wrapped.

MALICE the Web Series: Funding Successful!

Final Earnings: $10,170 ($8,000 Goal)

This one was obviously the one dear to my heart. I was worried for a while but it managed to surpass its goal. I even got a “thank you” from series creator Phillip Cook for helping put out the word and later a thank you tweet from series star Brittany Martz…that she sent out to pretty much everyone who donated meaning I’m not all that special after all. Sigh.

Star Command: Funding Successful!

Final Earnings: $151,807 ($100,000 Goal)

No surprises here; there was pretty much no way it wasn’t going to be successful. I almost wish it had done even better just because that would just make the game ultimately better. Still it’s nothing to sneeze at.

Clandestine - Follow the Path: Funding Successful!

Final Earnings: $95,685 ($75,000 Goal)

Thousand Pounds’ new web series, if anything like their shorts, will be a treat for anyone who is a fan of highly choreographed martial art epics. It’s currently in pre-production and the final product is still a ways off. Perhaps I’ll try my hand at reviewing web shows when it comes out.

Three new KS Projects after the jump.

Kalamazoo's Music Scene CD Compilation and Festival 

I'm reasonably certain that at least a few of these aren't Kzoo bands

Goal: $6,500

Deadline: 10:00pm EDT, 10/3/12

As you may well know I’m a writer for Kzoo Music Scene, a website that covers local (Kalamazoo, MI) music. My boss Chris Falk is trying to organize a cool project: a compilation CD of various acts in town and a festival to celebrate it. This CD, be which in theory would be promoted by all the bands involved, could help bring much needed attention to our scene, which is not doing super well these days. The problem is that the Kickstarter project that it hasn’t gotten the numbers it needs. Its goal is actually pretty reasonable by Kickstarter standards but so far it’s need pretty damn slow to start. I understand why; there are a few things that would make the casual KS goer pass it without looking it over thoroughly. But success for project would greatly help the scene as a whole. The compilation CD alone could greatly help increase of notoriety of several Kzoo bands. The festival should also be fun.

The fact is though is at the rate this project is going it won’t get funding without help. You might be asking yourself “Hey, why should bother giving money to a local oriented project when I don’t live in that area?” well first of all there’s the satisfaction of helping others achieve their dreams, which is the best part of crowd funding I thought. But in any case you can totally get a copy of the CD and you’ll be able to hear for yourself why Kzoo is made of. Plus...why not come to Kalamazoo for the festival? Most people don’t even think this place exists but it totally does! Bottom line it needs your help. Even if you don’t want to drop the cash at least tell your friends. But if you’re a music love you’ll like what you eventually hear.

Visit KMS Compilation CD's Kickstarter page.

Through the Fire - Life After Star Trek 

Goal: $750,000

Deadline; 8:10pm EDT, 10/5/12

By now you should be pretty well acquainted with my interest in Star Trek. Well now former Star Trek: The Next Generation star Michael Dorn is trying to capitalize on that. He’s decided to direct a non-science fiction romantic comedy that features other former Star Trek actors. It’s not related to Star Trek at all aside from that, but Dorn hopes that the ST fanbase will still come out in droves to support it. It in theory will also help display his (and his friends from Star Trek) acting talents in something not sci-fi related, which you don’t see him much in.

Star Trek actors could probably organize world enslaving armies if they chose

Through the Fire’s plot involves a Broadway actress and the reviewer who panned her after being set up on “the worst blind date ever” with each other. I like Michael Dorn (“I AM WEASEL”) and I want to see him succeed in his new projects. His asking price is definitely really high; the forty grand he’s made in a month would fund most of the projects I’ve come across but I trust that he’ll be able to do something with the money. So if you’re a Star Trek fan that appreciate the actors more so than the characters they played this would be a good opportunity to support them and tell Hollywood “Yes, I would like to see these people in new things aside from that TV show they used to be on.”

View Through the Fire's Kickstarter Page

Leaving Megalopolis 

"Welp, we're boned."

Goal: $34,000

Deadline: 12:00pm EDT, 9/14/12

One of the main tragedies of the Great DC Reboot of 2011 was that it resulted in the cancellation of Secret Six, a comic book pretty much universally regarded as one of the best, if not the best, titles every month. While that book is gone writer Gail Simone and artist Jim Calafiore have decided to re-team to self-publish a new, non-DC Comic related graphic novel. Called “Leaving Megalopolis” it’s apparently a survival horror themed comic where all the superheroes of the title city all suddenly turn into blood thirsty psychopaths. We follow ordinary folk who are trying to get out of town alive.

Gail Simone is my favorite comic book writer (yes I did stop reading Batgirl, but it had nothing to do with Simone's legitimately great writing) so I really want to support this work. However unlike the other projects this one has already reached its goal and is now just collecting gravy. Hell, it was funded in a matter of days. Leaving Megalopolis probably needs money the least of all these projects but I want you to check it out for two reasons: 1) the more ridiculously successful this comic is the bigger a statement I think it will make to DC and indeed the comic book industry in general. 2) This sounds like a pretty cool book but as I understand it will only be sold through this Kickstarter Project, so if you want a copy at a reasonable price you’d probably want to act now.

Since Leaving Megalopolis has already reached its goal I’ll quickly throw in a bonus comic project that hasn’t reached its goal yet: Molly Danger. 

View Leaving Megalopolis' Kickstarter Page.

Bonus Project: Molly Danger 

(Molly) DANGER ON THE TRACK!

Goal: $45,000 

Deadline: 8:18am EDT, 8/31/12 

Created by comic artist Jamal Igle Molly Danger is a superhero title about a ten year female superhero. It’s supposed to be an avenue for young female readers to have a character they can relate to (there aren’t many younger heroes these days, sadly) as well as providing a new All Ages superhero book, of which there are criminally few. 

The catch is that, as of this writing, the project is about ten grand short of its goal and it’s deadline is this coming Friday morning leaving only just days to raise the cash. If you're interested in helping you'll have to act very fast.

View Molly Danger's Kickstarter page.

If you know any cool Kickstarter pages feel free to post a link in the comment section (though take in mind as moderator of the comment section I have the right to not allow any KS posts that I am especially against for any reason).