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Fantagraphics needs you!

Started by MisterX,

42 posts in this topic

MisterX

MisterX

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Fantagraphics Publishing is running a Kickstarter campaign to make up for lost revenue due to the death of their co-founder, Kim Thompson, from cancer earlier this year.

 

Fantagraphics publishes alot of great material -- the Complete Peanuts, the Carl Barks Library, Gottfredson Mickey Mouse, Foster's Prince Valiant, Herriman's Krazy Kat; as well as books by Crumb, Clowes, Bagge, Woodring, Jason, Burns, Brunetti, Ryan, Los Bros Hernandez and more.

 

Here's the link (and watch the video for a more detailed explanation of their reasons behind the Kickstarter) --

 

 

P.S. I'm in no way associated with Fantagraphics, I'm just a fan of their books!

 

P.P.S. Mods, if this doesn't belong here, please move/delete. Thanks!

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Balham's Finest

Balham's Finest

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I checked the Kickstarter out as a lot of creators that I follow on Twitter were promoting it.

 

Not 100% decided yet whether or not to back it, but it did introduce me to Fantagraphics, who I didn't really know anything about before. Some of their stuff looks pretty cool, and I'll be keeping an eye out in future.

 

If I do back, I'll either go with the History of Hip Hop book or Tales to Thrizzle.

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miraclemet

miraclemet

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No offense, I love Fantagraphics stuff, but they're doing a kickstarter to make up for bad business practices?

 

[the bad business practices being not finding a way to make up for the lost manpower while Kim was battling his cancer]

 

I don't understand companies asking for money.

 

I understand the original model for kickstarter, but these companies that are now using it as a revenue stream (even a temporary one) are not doing Kickstarter the way it was intended.

 

If Fantagraphics wants to use Kickstarter, then they should list the 13 projects that got backburnered due to Kims cancer and passing, and then let people fund the individual projects. If they get the necessary support level, they get published. If not they dont.

 

$150k (the ask) would pay for well more than 6 months salary of an editor (which is what they lost when they lost Kim), so I dont understand why they are asking for more than the cost to pay for an editor to get the projects back on track. I understand they are asking for total revenue lost on those projects, but does that mean if they get produced in the future that those revenues go back to the investors of the kickstarter?

 

Its just a bad ask.

 

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Transplant

Transplant

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meh. I appreciate Fantagraphics for putting out books no one else would. I view them almost as an art studio. They talk about what has happened in the past when they run low on capital. Usually they would do a big book sale as their public piece.

 

What they're offering are, for the most part, things you couldn't get otherwise: signed copies, sketched copies, limited edition stuff, experiences, etc. I could order my Rosa Vol. 1 from Amazon for $27 or I could order it signed by Rosa from Fanta for $50 shipped. I chose the latter. I would seriously have considered a sketched Eightball collection as well if they weren't sold out. That is practically impossible as I don' think Clowes does any/many public appearances. Certainly not where he does a color sketch for people.

 

I do wish they would post pictures of some of the items like the L&R poster or prints.

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jsilverjanet

jsilverjanet

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meh. I appreciate Fantagraphics for putting out books no one else would. I view them almost as an art studio. They talk about what has happened in the past when they run low on capital. Usually they would do a big book sale as their public piece.

 

What they're offering are, for the most part, things you couldn't get otherwise: signed copies, sketched copies, limited edition stuff, experiences, etc. I could order my Rosa Vol. 1 from Amazon for $27 or I could order it signed by Rosa from Fanta for $50 shipped. I chose the latter. I would seriously have considered a sketched Eightball collection as well if they weren't sold out. That is practically impossible as I don' think Clowes does any/many public appearances. Certainly not where he does a color sketch for people.

 

I do wish they would post pictures of some of the items like the L&R poster or prints.

 

I agree. like all things, if it's not for you, then not. I am going to get the Jaime Hernandez print as me obtaining his work at SDCC looks bleek, and original art is sky rockets so this might be my best option and it's going to help more work get done.

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buttock

buttock

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No offense, I love Fantagraphics stuff, but they're doing a kickstarter to make up for bad business practices?

 

[the bad business practices being not finding a way to make up for the lost manpower while Kim was battling his cancer]

 

I don't understand companies asking for money.

 

I understand the original model for kickstarter, but these companies that are now using it as a revenue stream (even a temporary one) are not doing Kickstarter the way it was intended.

 

If Fantagraphics wants to use Kickstarter, then they should list the 13 projects that got backburnered due to Kims cancer and passing, and then let people fund the individual projects. If they get the necessary support level, they get published. If not they dont.

 

$150k (the ask) would pay for well more than 6 months salary of an editor (which is what they lost when they lost Kim), so I dont understand why they are asking for more than the cost to pay for an editor to get the projects back on track. I understand they are asking for total revenue lost on those projects, but does that mean if they get produced in the future that those revenues go back to the investors of the kickstarter?

 

Its just a bad ask.

 

Or they could respond to the emails I've sent them offering to buy stuff.

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Transplant

Transplant

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Has anyone who ordered through the Kickstarter received anything? I'm reading comments on the Kickstarter page and people are pissed. Signed books are being with signed cards inserted in a copy of the book. Emails are going unanswered. People waiting for books for months. My understanding is that the collected Rosa I got is delayed until October vs. the July estimate. But no word from Fantagraphics.

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kav

kav

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Gary Groth was a smart to me when I sent in some submissions in the 80's so-no.

Also, I've heard many kickstarter campaigns never actually mail out the promised perks once they got your money-and there's nothing you can do about it. Kickstarter doesn't have any way to enforce this.

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dupont2005

dupont2005

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Has anyone who ordered through the Kickstarter received anything? I'm reading comments on the Kickstarter page and people are pissed. Signed books are being with signed cards inserted in a copy of the book. Emails are going unanswered. People waiting for books for months. My understanding is that the collected Rosa I got is delayed until October vs. the July estimate. But no word from Fantagraphics.
I ordered some stuff during a huge sale once, like 80% off. I ordered quite a bit of stuff. They sold more product than they had and for a lot of it I had to wait for the next run. I think it came in three packages total, spread out over about three months.
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shadroch

shadroch

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Has anyone who ordered through the Kickstarter received anything? I'm reading comments on the Kickstarter page and people are pissed. Signed books are being with signed cards inserted in a copy of the book. Emails are going unanswered. People waiting for books for months. My understanding is that the collected Rosa I got is delayed until October vs. the July estimate. But no word from Fantagraphics.
I ordered some stuff during a huge sale once, like 80% off. I ordered quite a bit of stuff. They sold more product than they had and for a lot of it I had to wait for the next run. I think it came in three packages total, spread out over about three months.

 

I had a similar experience with them. It was well worth the wait.

I'm not sure what the problem with getting a signed card along with the book, as opposed to getting a book with a signature on a page. That how all my Eisner S&N books are.

During Joe Simon's last NY Comic Con, that's what his people were doing. You'd pick out a book and they would attach a signed plate to it.

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Buzzetta

Buzzetta

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Has anyone who ordered through the Kickstarter received anything? I'm reading comments on the Kickstarter page and people are pissed. Signed books are being with signed cards inserted in a copy of the book. Emails are going unanswered. People waiting for books for months. My understanding is that the collected Rosa I got is delayed until October vs. the July estimate. But no word from Fantagraphics.
I ordered some stuff during a huge sale once, like 80% off. I ordered quite a bit of stuff. They sold more product than they had and for a lot of it I had to wait for the next run. I think it came in three packages total, spread out over about three months.

 

I had a similar experience with them. It was well worth the wait.

I'm not sure what the problem with getting a signed card along with the book, as opposed to getting a book with a signature on a page. That how all my Eisner S&N books are.

During Joe Simon's last NY Comic Con, that's what his people were doing. You'd pick out a book and they would attach a signed plate to it.

 

I think that the perception is that the signature is too easily transferred to another piece. I was passing through Huntington last week and saw the lines wrapped around the block for Hillary Clinton as she was there at that bookstore on New York Ave. No matter anyone's politics, there have only been 46 Official First Ladies (I know you like Historical Trivia) so to get a 1st printing of her book signed by a First Lady / Secretary of State / Senator would be kind of cool. I do not believe that a card with her signature would have cut it. I signed first print would be more desirable than a signed second print correct? (No I did not stop by as I had too much to do)

 

If she was signing cards and inserting them into books, who is to say that someone didn't take the card from a subsequent signing and insert the card into a first print of the book? I think when it comes to signatures, people like knowing the provenance of the signature and that the item with the signature is the actual item signed.

 

I don't know if you collect sports memorabilia. I am pretty sure I caught that you were a Yankee fan. I would rather have a Mickey Mantle game model bat that he actually signed rather than a Mantle game model bat with a card signed by Mantle. I could take that card and attach it to anything from a Jersey to a photo.

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dupont2005

dupont2005

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Easy fix would be to make the card different for subsequent printings. But I agree, if it's advertised as a signed book then the book should be signed.

 

Also, I've gotten signed books from Fantagraphics, without paying for it, and without even knowing it would be coming signed. Just showed up with an autograph. Thought that was pretty cool.

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