This one is a heavy-hitting week in indie comics and pop culture. You won’t want to miss this Crowdfunding Round-Up!
Conrad Van Cottonmouth #3
Creators: Michael Connors (Writer/illustrator)
Goal: $800
End Date: May 8, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $2, the digital collection for $5, the physical copy for $9, or at higher tiers get the physical collection for $25, and much more!
The Epic Saga of an Extraordinary Bunny, Book 3.
What makes Conrad Van Cottonmouth #3 stand out is how unapologetically strange and sincere it is. On paper, “a superintelligent teleporting rabbit” sounds like a joke setup, but the deeper you look into the project, the more you realize Michael Connors is building something genuinely ambitious around that concept. There’s this balance between absurdity, conspiracy fiction, sci-fi spectacle, and quiet character work that wants to give the series its own identity. It’s a one-man passion project in the best way possible, especially with Connors handling the writing, art, colors, and lettering himself. Even the campaign reflects that level of care, from the hand-drawn sketch rewards to the fact that Book 3 is already printed and ready to ship. In a crowdfunding space filled with projects chasing nostalgia or trends, Conrad Van Cottonmouth (believe me, I know) feels committed to carving out its own weird lane, and honestly, comics are better when books like this exist.
Become a backer here.
Runaway to the Stars by Jay Eaton
Creators: Iron Circus Comics (Publisher), Jay Eaton (Writer/Illustrator)
Goal: $10,000
End Date: May 14, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $18, the physical copy for $35, the digital bundle for $99, and much more!
Alien, trans-species foster Talita has enough to deal with on the scrapworld of Dirtball. And the sly, crimey A.I. Bip isn’t helping!
Iron Circus Comic has been in my graphic novel rotation for a while now, so I was thrilled to see what immediately makes Runaway to the Stars stand out is how committed it is to its world and the people living inside of it. A lot of sci-fi comics can build massive universes but forget to make the characters feel human. Jay Eaton does the opposite. Even with alien species, sentient A.I., salvage worlds, and hard science-fiction concepts, the heart of the story comes from communication, isolation, and the awkwardness of trying to connect with other people. Talita’s social anxiety, Gillie navigating communication barriers, and Idrisah balancing language and identity all make the world feel lived in. There’s something about this one that I cant put down, so if you are into sci-fi that can make you feel deeply, make sure to check this project out.
Become a backer here.
STOMPING GROUNDS x KAIJU HEART!
Creators: Humanoids (Publisher)
Goal:
End Date: June 4, 2026
Goodies: Get either digital copy for $15, each physical copy for $35, and the bundle for $60!
A gigantic dual project launch for fans of Bob’s Burgers, Cartoon Network & comics with mega monsters (& mega heart).
What I appreciate about STOMPING GROUNDS x KAIJU HEART! is that it understands giant monsters and mechs are only half the appeal. A lot of projects can sell you on scale, explosions, and cool creature designs, but these books seem way more interested in the people stuck living around all that chaos. Stomping Grounds leans into this almost sitcom-style family dysfunction inside a world wrecked by kaiju, while Kaiju Heart takes a more emotional coming-of-age angle through Hiro and Koï’s relationship. What ties both projects together the fact they don’t treat the “giant monster” concept as the gimmick, but instead they treat it as the backdrop for stories about identity, family, survival, and connection. With a creative roster who know how to balance comedy, timing, and character-driven storytelling from their animation backgrounds, you cant help but feel the whole campaign is less like a nostalgia grab and more like creators genuinely trying to make heartfelt genre comics with a massive sense of scale. Long story short, it’s genuine, and I can’t help but imagine that’s something comics need more of.
Become a backer here.
Starkid666: The Eggs of Hope Vol.1
Creators: David Orellana (Writer/Illustrator)
Goal: $11,748
End Date: May 31, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $18, the physical for $30, The Pray the Peach Peach Momoko variant for $42, or at higher tiers get the hype bundle box for $94, and much more!
The starting point of a landmark saga!
I have a lot to say about Starkid666: The Eggs of Hope Vol. 1 and how confident it feels in its own identity right out of the gate. There’s this very specific blend of manga-inspired energy, heavy symbolism, weird creature design, and almost chaotic visual storytelling that makes the project stand apart immediately. Genuinely like the best parts of a Cartoon Network, well, cartoon, all put into one dense little package. Even scrolling through the campaign page, it feels less like it’s trying to pitch a single book and more like it’s inviting readers into a fully formed universe with its own mythology, iconography, and emotional language already in place (The visuals helped). The Peach Momoko variant cover obviously helps pull eyes toward the project, but honestly, the interiors and character designs do a lot of the heavy lifting themselves. There’s an intensity to the artwork that makes everything feel constantly in motion, almost like the book is daring you to keep up with it. For a first volume especially, that kind of ambition is exciting to see because it feels like Davilorium already knows exactly what kind of saga they want this to become.
Become a backer here.
Dungeon Daddy’s Technos & Titans – Tabletop Roleplaying Game
Creators: Dungeon Daddy (Publisher/creator)
Goal: $366
End Date: May 14, 2026
Goodies: To be updated! (Bear with them they have a lot in store for you!)
A Cyberfantasy TTRPG Quick Start Guide, with an innovative gaming system!
Dungeon Daddy’s Technos & Titans is a project that is less focused on lore dumping and more focused on trying to rethink how a tabletop system actually flows at the table. This was when I knew I needed to dig into this project. The “roll-low” mechanic, shrinking dice system, and the way combat loops between positioning and attacks all feel designed around momentum instead of constantly stopping gameplay to calculate numbers. Even the setting itself has this very chaotic late-90s cyberpunk energy to it, where everything sounds huge, excessive, and just slightly unhinged in a way that honestly fits tabletop roleplaying really well. At the same time, there’s something kind of refreshing about how openly rough and early-stage parts of the campaign are. Trevor Smith straight up admits the launch happened earlier than intended, and weirdly enough, that honesty makes the project feel more genuine. You know, unequivocally, that this isn’t a polished corporate pitch trying to chase trends and it is in fact someonethrowing their entire homebrew universe onto the table and asking people to come experiment with it alongside them. What more can TTRPG fans ask for!
Become a backer here.
For more from The Beat’s Crowdfunding Round-Up, check out our archived posts here!
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