This one is a heavy-hitting week in indie comics and pop culture. You won’t want to miss this Crowdfunding Round-Up!
Roadside Encounters: Travel Cards for Tabletop RPGs
Creators: Dice Dungeons
Goal: $3,000
End Date: May 21, 2026
Goodies: Get one deck for $16, three digital decks for $20, two physical decks for $32, and much more!
Decks of random travel events for any TTRPG, built to make every journey more memorable.
A GM finding a way to continue their story on the fly has been one of the most sought-after answers in TTRPGS. Then here comes roadside encounters with a fun and quick way to set story settings and give players random encounters that they will remember. The fact that it’s multiple decks you can invest in is already fantastic news, but with varying encounters all scaling to levels and a myriad of imaginations, Dice Dungeons may have created an everyday item for the overworked GM, in other words, every GM. Make sure to check it out before it’s too late!
Become a backer here.
The Shaolin Nun – The Complete First Series
Creators: JC Carter (Writer), Gregory Maldonado (Illustrator), Tiah Ankum (Illustration), Laurie Foster (Inks), Tahilla Ankum (Inks), Lala Narita (Colors), Andrew Malin (Letters)
End Date: May 20, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital copy for $5, the physical copy for $14, the variant cover for $18, and much more!
Six issues. One complete story. A kung-fu crime saga priced to hit hard.
The Shaolin Nun is a surprise hit for me. Originally, it was a project I might have scrolled past, albeit with some interest, but with a growing number of backers and momentum behind it, how could I not check it out? To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The project follows Mei Yin, a warrior nun dedicated to defending and training women in the art of Kung Fu. It is such a wonderfully ridiculous premise that I immediately had to learn more. Then I saw the full-page spread of Mei extending her hand out to a woman she had just saved, thugs sprawled across the floor around them, all rendered in an art style reminiscent of the early ’90s comic boom. From that moment, I was locked in. In short, I liked what I saw, and for good reason. With experienced creators behind the comic, along with Milestone Initiative alumni attached to the project, The Shaolin Nun has far more to offer than its wild premise alone. We would be remiss not to bring it into this week’s roundup.
Become a backer here.
LAAB ZERO RMX: A Comics Magazine Hacking Pop Culture
Creators: Wild Signal
Goal:
End Date: June 9, 2026
Goodies: Get the physical copy for $20, the “Print Capsule” tier for $50, or at higher tiers get the “Expanded Capsule” tier for $95, and much more!
The long-out-of-print first issue of Ronald Wimberly’s LAAB Magazine returns — remixed and expanded
LAAB ZERO RMX makes its big return to Kickstarter with cartoonist Ronald Wimberly, to continue the grapple with hidden forces that work through the myriad of pop culture aesthetics. Taking all the political, social, and historical truths and presenting them in a way that helps readers to better understand, and “hack” them. In short, it’s a collection of essays, original comics, and art wrapped up into an indie magazine. However, what this magazine provides is an in-depth and unique look into the world of comics.
While it can be interpreted in many ways, one truth remains: LAAB aims to change comics. If the image of people toiling the large idol of Mickey into the abyss was not enough to tell you that, well, make sure to check out the project to find out even more.
Become a backer here.
The Darkness Complete Collection Volume 4 Hardcover
Creators: Top Cow Productions (Publisher)
Goal: $30,000
End Date: June 11, 2026
Goodies: Get the digital bundle for $30, the physical for $50, the deluxe bundle for $80, or at higher tiers get the collected standard bundle for $200, and much more!
The Darkness saga continues with a deluxe recollection of the legendary series!
There is so much to say about this project, for longtime fans of The Darkness, this campaign is shaping up to be one of the definitive ways to experience the franchise. The Darkness Complete Collection Volume 4 Hardcover not only continues Jackie Estacado’s supernatural saga, but also collects a major era of the series in an oversized, premium format packed with more than 600 pages of material. Between the involvement of creators like Marc Silvestri, Phil Hester, and Stjepan Šejić, the campaign is shaping up to be a celebration of the title’s history and a collector-focused event.
On top of all that, The sheer amount of exclusive material in this Kickstarter is enough to get any fan excited. Whether it’s signed bookplates, Kickstarter-exclusive dust jackets, enamel pins, remarque sketches, and archival-quality prints, there is so much to dive into beyond the comics themselves.
For newer readers, the collected bundles also provide an accessible way to experience one of Top Cow’s most iconic series from the beginning. Whether you are nostalgic for the darker edge of ’90s and early 2000s comics or simply curious about one of Image Comics’ most enduring supernatural titles, this campaign has plenty worth checking out.
Become a backer here.
Maru Kiru Destroy the Moon – The Chosen Ones #2
Creators: Brendan Albestki (Creator/Artist/Writer)
Goal: $500
End Date: May 28, 2026
Goodies: get the digital copy for $6, the digital catch-up for $10, the physical copy for $12, or at higher tiers get the exclusive cover for $15, and much more!
The next thrilling chapter of Brendan Albetski’s sword and sorcery epic!
Creator Brendan Albetski delivers a sword-and-sorcery world fueled by rage, violence, and rebellion, all centered around a heroine determined to wage war against a moon-controlled empire. Maru Kiru is every bit of insane, strange, beautifully drawn, as the project page shows you, even better? It has depth and a story that leaves you wanting more. Seriously, you can get lost in the art alone, and to top it off, the project embraces the spirit of classic pulp fantasy while injecting it with modern indie-comic intensity.
Explosive colors, oversized action, brutal monsters, giant robots, and relentless momentum make the series feel chaotic in the best possible way. It is a phenomenal project to have appeared on Kickstarter and is worth every bit of the attention it has earned. I cant help but give it our highest recommendation. Make sure to check it out before it’s too late.
Become a backer here.
For more from The Beat’s Crowdfunding Round-Up, check out our archived posts here!
Like this:
Loading…
