Kickstarter Weeknds: Sweethearts of the Galaxy, Warhawks, This is Normal

It’s been a short while since our last Kickstarter Weekend. I ended up sacrificing February due to having spent a week in Chicago hanging out with my best friends and a fear of breaking up the flow of my Black Superheroes write-ups. Which, believe me, really sucks because I ended up missing a ton of awesome projects during that time. But we’re back and we have a few new Kickstarter projects and, for the first time ever, an Indiegogo project. I haven’t looked into an Indiegogo project on this blog before, mainly because I spend way, way more time browsing Kickstarter, but today it’s a special project that I feel I absolutely need to share. Who knows: maybe if I keep coming across non-Kickstarter crowd funding projects I’ll have to re-name this segment “Crowd Funding Weekends”. But it’s not as catchy.

Anyway before we check out the new projects we need to look back and see how the previous efforts did.

Nightwing the Series: Funding Successful!

Final Earnings: $34,495 ($20,000 Goal)

Last time we talked crowd funding Ismahawk’s fan film project was still active. I can now report that they managed to succeed…which isn’t surprising, they’d had met the goal well before the deadline. I love Nightwing and I can’t wait to check this film when it’s finished.

TOY by Kawehi: Funding Succesful!

Final Earnings: $9,448 ($3,000 Goal)

Once again Kawehi Wight successfully utilized Kickstarter to its fullest potential. She gave me props for helping her out but I can promise you I wasn’t totally star struck or anything…okay, that’s a lie, I’m pretty sure I made a fool of myself but that’s cool.

On a personal note I’d like to point out that I’ve become obsessed with her previous album VOX and Kawehi in general has greatly inspired me lately to try harder with my own music career. Maybe one day we’ll share a stage (where I anticipate I’d then make a fool of myself…again).

Enter the Bluebird: Funding Successful!

Final Earnings: $3,715 ($3,000 Goal)

A win for Young Adult Novels everywhere it appears that the "Superhero Noir" themed book is now on its way, having gotten the cash it needed. Happily Brendan Halpin thanked me for helping spread the word and now we’re totally following each other on Twitter…I think; I actually still don’t know how Twitter works.

So unlike last time every project went made their goal, which is col as it’s always nice to see people succeed. But it’s time to on to the next round.

Three new projects after the jump.

Sweethearts of the Galaxy Web Series 

I'm reasonably certain they're not actual superheroes

Goal: $35,000

Deadline: 2:32AM, 3/31/13

Traditionally I’ve been pretty indifferent when it comes to cosplay. I wasn’t against it but at the same time I wasn’t into it at all. However I’d say the last year or so I feel like I’ve significantly warmed up to the idea of cosplaying and now I had a pretty strong admiration for a lot of the (good) cosplayers out there who take the time to make such convincing and elaborate costumes. I’m still not likely to do it myself but I may ask for a picture every now and then.

So, with this new mindset, I ended coming across this new web series Sweethearts of the Galaxy, which stars two well-known cosplayers, Kit Quinn and Tallest Silver, as the two main characters. The premise of the show is, unsurprisingly, about two cosplayers on various wacky adventures after one of them injures her head and starts thinking she’s the superhero she’s been dressing as. I admit that the web series isn’t exactly my cup of tea but the timing of a web show about cosplayers coming to my attention around the same time I’ve been getting more into cosplay as an art form doesn’t feel coincidental. I’d like to watch this show and in order for me to do that they need to make the funding goal. It looks silly and a wacky but fun. If you have the extra cash this one could really use the support.

Visit the Sweethearts of the Galaxy Kickstarter page.

Jason Coffee's Warhawks 

No joke here; it's just a cool image

Goal: $21,000

Deadline: 12:50PM, 4/18/13

This one really got to me. Jason Coffee was a writer who made numerous unproduced science fiction screenplays but sadly passed away in 2008. His last wish was that his voice somehow was heard. To this end his friends have made it their mission to grant that wish. They decided to convert one on his screenplays, Warhawks, into a comic book and are now trying to get funding for a first issue. They even managed to get comic artist Billy Tan involved.

Warhawks appears to be a science fiction epic surrounding the struggle between two enemy groups of cyborgs over the fate of the world. I can see why Jason’s friends picked this script to make into a comic book as all the details I’ve seen of it are very superhero-like. The project looks pretty interesting and could have been something I would have been interested if I saw it in a comic book shop. But I have to say that this hits close to home. Jason’s story is a reminder that we’re only here for a limited amount of time. I know that if I were to pass away tomorrow I’d have wanted something left behind (and I could only hope my friends could do for me what Jason’s are doing for him). It really makes me want to work harder on my own dreams and my projects.

Anyway this is a great story about carrying on a friend’s legacy and the material seems pretty good. Give the project a look over and donate if you feel up to it. It has more time than most as it has over a month left so you have time. Hopefully it’ll make its goal.

Visit Warhawks’ Kickstarter page.

Okay, I need to reiterate that this next project IS NOT a Kickstarter project but rather it’s through Indiegogo. Now Indiegogo is a crowd funding site like Kickstarter but it has several noticeable differences, the biggest is that if a project fails to reach its goal the user has the option to keep whatever money was raised (Kickstarter is All or Nothing). As I mentioned I don’t get around on the site too much but I’m familiar with it. Anyway…

This Is Normal 

That's what I say to people when I go to the movies alone

Goal: $30,000 

Deadline: 11:59PM, 3/31/13 

This Is Normal is a short film that is essentially about a deaf woman who gains the ability to hear. The description about the flick from the filmmakers is really intriguing to me as we see, and hear, things through this woman’s point of view which sounds pretty amazing. Also contributions are tax deductible, which I’ve never seen in a crowd funding effort. That’s pretty damn cool. 

But honestly this project is a little more personal because I used to know one of the writers/directors, Ryan Welsh, back in college. We weren’t friends; he was more like a “friend of a friend” (he was buddies with one of my best friends and I believe he was roommates with one of the actors I worked with when I was studying to be a playwright). Still I thought he was cool. I didn’t get along that well with most of the theater department kids I knew back then but I always thought Ryan was a good guy and always wished we’d gotten to know each other better. I ended up randomly finding out about this film through Facebook and I wanted to help him out by spreading the word. 

Thankfully this movie sounds awesome so I don’t have to worry about selling you snake oil. I think if I had to choose one project to endorse this month it’d be this one. If you have the ability and the interest why not contribute. At least check out the page.

Visit This Is Normal’s Indiegogo page.

If you know any cool Kickstarter (or Indiegogo, I guess) projects, or if you have a project that needs support, 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 posts that I am especially against for any reason).