STORY

I've done a lot of silly things. As an independent cartoonist and comics publisher, I am drawn (literally) to real life stories that reveal something special about the world around us, as seen through the singularly unique lens of an individual person.

Autobiographical stories can be deeply personal, they can speak to universal truths about the human experience, and they open up a window into another person's mind through their stories.

Sometimes, those stories are about throwing up.

Or, about escaping the vaguely menacing siren song of a skeleton-masked karaoke host.

Truth is truly stranger than fiction.

WHY BACK THIS PROJECT?

In 2013 and 2018, respectively, I created two comics: Oh, The Things You Won't Know! and The Phantom of Eternia!

These books have been mainstays in my comics repertoire, and my inventory has just about run dry. In order to keep these books alive and in circulation, I'm looking for your help to keep them in print!

These books have two special features when it comes to printing:

• They are LONG. To really stretch the concept of what can or should be considered a "mini comic", each book is 48 pages long.
• The quality of the books is VERY NICE. Each comic features full-bleed printing all the way through. AND Oh, The Things You Won't Know! is also 100% full-color and features a batch-printed vellum-textured cover.  

That means these books are a bit pricy to print. I am fortunate enough to be able to pay for the printing of these books out of pocket; however, in order to keep them affordable and accessible, supporting this campaign will offset many of my upfront printing costs and keep the price points low, right where they belong.

...AND WHAT DO YOU GET?

When you back this project, you will have a choice of receiving one or BOTH of the comics that will be re-printed, along with the option to purchase other comics or goodies made by me (more on that below!).

Also, every backer receiving a physical reward will also get a free set of dinosaur pun stickers as my thanks to you!

THE COMICS

Oh, The Things You Won't Know!

A Seussical ode to a drunk girl's night out; the details of which she'll know nothing about.

Inspired by the perennial favorite from Dr. Seuss, which is typically meant to inspire greatness in recent graduates, this parody comic provides a cautionary tale for those who may be entering college or any other questionable phase of their life.

The Phantom of Eternia!

A true story about Karaoke, Skeletor, and the Music of the Night.

The great city of Philadelphia is home to many unique oddities, including the Karaoke Gong Show hosted by the Overlord of Evil himself, Skeletor (Master of the Universe). Displease your host, and you'll be gonged before your song is through! Upon my own emergence onto this dastardly stage, I found myself in the clutches of Skeletor's unshifting musical gaze, and in much the same predicament that befell the heroine of Phantom of the Opera -- enclosed is the tale of my fate.

FUNDING GOAL

My funding goal has a very narrow purpose: help me cover the cost of re-printing both of these comics. The costs include:

• Printing flat comics pages at a deeply discounted rate (the comics are then folded and stapled by hand - DIY style)
• Purchasing vellum-textured paper and ink for the Oh, The Things...! covers (these are printed on a fancy large-format inkjet printer)
• Pain and suffering 

All of the funds I receive through this campaign will offset the upfront costs I am committing to re-printing these books, which will result in keeping the price of each mini-comic nice and affordable. 

If any funds are received over and above the funding goal, you better believe that's going towards printing even more comics! (And in fact, campaign backers will be the first to learn of my newest projects.)

REWARDS (+ MORE COMICS!)

If you're looking for a little something extra when you back this campaign, I've got you! You have the option of purchasing illustrated prints, enamel pins (limited stock), and even more comics.

WANT MORE COMICS?

Choose to add one or more of my other comics to add to your pledge!

• Weird Me: Once upon a time, I was the moderately successful teenage webmaster of a "Weird Al" Yankovic website. This is my story of growing up online at the turn of the century. (See preview pages here)
• The Catalogue: I grew up in a crazy cat lady household. Each volume contains a collection of short stories about the many, many cats that were part of my childhood. (See preview pages here)

You can also choose to add a copy of Dirty Diamonds to your pledge. Dirty Diamonds is an all-girl comic anthology edited and published by Claire Folkman and myself! Each volume features semi-autobiographical comics from women and femme comics creators from around the world, all based on a unique theme.

• Dirty Diamonds Omnibus: Issues #1-4 (Alcohol, Jobs, Travel, Break-Ups) - 152 pages (See preview pages here)
• Dirty Diamonds #5: Comics - 112 pages (See preview pages here)
• Dirty Diamonds #6: Beauty - 208 pages (See preview pages here)
• Dirty Diamonds #7: Imagination - 234 pages (See preview pages here)
• Dirty Diamonds #8: Sex - 208 pages (See preview pages here)
• Dirty Diamonds #9: Being - 224 pages (See preview pages here)
• Dirty Diamonds #10: Death - 244 pages (See preview pages here)

WANT A PRINT?

If some wall art is more your style, you can also choose from a variety of prints:

• Tea-Rex print - 8.5" x 11" on vellum cardstock (featuring the same artwork as the stickers that all backers purchasing a physical reward will receive)
• Ladies of Sci-Fi print - 5.5" x 4" on vellum cardstock
  • Choose from one of 14 available designs!

WANT SOME SWAG?

If you would like to get your hands on some wearable art, you can also choose from pins and a keychain that are leftover from past crowdfunding campaigns!

• Aloha Flower glitter enamel pin (1.25", rubber clasp)
• Dare to be Stupid glitter enamel pin (1.5", butterfly clasp)
• Memento Mori enamel pin with gemstone (1.5", rubber clasp)
• Dirty Diamonds enamel keychain (1.5", keyring & chain included)
• Death Quote patch (3", "People living deeply have no fear of death" --Anaïs Nin)

RISKS

Let's be bold here: There are just about zero risks.

The books will be re-printed no matter what, so the main risk is that the for-sale cost of the comics will need to be a bit higher to offset printing costs without these funds. Otherwise, I am a veteran of crowdfunding (via another platform that I can't quite recall the name of), having run and fulfilled 7 highly successful campaigns. I know what I'm doing, so I hope that your only concern is how quickly you can get your hands on a copy of these comics!

ABOUT ME

Kelly Phillips is a cartoonist from Philadelphia, and the creator of the comic series "Weird Me" about her teenage years as the moderately successful webmaster of a "Weird Al" Yankovic fan site. She is also the co-editor and publisher of the award-winning all-girl comic anthology Dirty Diamonds. She likes cats and outer space, and continues to channel her embarrassing personal history into comics as a cheap form of therapy.

Her work will be appearing in the upcoming book The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic from Z2 comics. She has also appeared in several award-winning comics anthologies and other comics collections, including: Drawing Power, Sweaty Palms Vol. 2, Planet Comics, Secret Prison.

See more of her work at kellyphillips.net.