The Darkest of Mice

Dark Mouse is an original, gritty, crime comic book about a mouse with a chip on his shoulder. Join this Crowdfundr campaign to follow our titular rodent on his murder investigation. Is this a straightforward case or will he find much more than he bargained for? He's hot on the tail of whodunnit and - hey, what's that mysterious black liquid?

INK is a limited run comic book that features a black on black cover and a first page designed for original art. EACH physical edition will be unique, complete with an original drawing, signature, and print number. This is an individualized treat for any comic collector and especially for the lovely Dark Mouse collectors.

Dark Mouse: INK
Books pictured above are not to scale.

What You Need to Know

This writing and art for this comic book are FINISHED.

It's ready to go to the printer NOW and they're waiting for the green light.

All that's needed is for people to pre-order their copies through this campaign.

Money raised this campaign will go towards production, printing, and shipping the book .

EVERY contributor at the physical level will receive a HIGH QUALITY COMIC with ORIGINAL ART all in one book.

What does "Limited Run" mean?

Most comic book crowdfunding campaigns are an attempt to print as many copies of a book as possible. That's what I've done in the past and it makes sense when the goal is to get as many people to read the book as possible.

This campaign ONLY features limited quantity tiers. There will ONLY be 200 comics printed. The goal of this campaign is to create something for people who love both comics AND original art. Everyone who supports at the physical book level gets a comic AND original art in that book - PERIOD. 

This is a campaign to help make a very special VERSION of this book. Just like when your favorite artist releases a limited run of fancy prints. Same thing here - it's comics instead.

Dark Details

Size: This book is 5.5" x 8.5". This is a standard and reliable digest size of a comic or zine that you're familiar with.

Black & White: The interior art will remain in its original black and white format but with some errors and smudges cleaned up for a better reading experience.

30+ Pages of Dark Mouse: This is a story I created by drawing 1 page every day during the month of October 2018. I followed that year's Inktober prompts and I'm excited to see this story printed.

Rewards (the GOOD stuff)

BONUS REWARDS!
If you order in the first 48 hours of the launch, you get a brand-new, exclusive sticker pack with 3 new Dark Mouse designs!

$10 - Digital Copy of Dark Mouse: INK
Get a digital copy of this book to read on your favorite smart device whenever you want. Don't worry about bookshelf space for this one!

$20 - EARLY BIRD SPECIAL! Physical Copy of Dark Mouse: INK - 5 available
This is the regular physical copy of the comic (see the next tier below) but with a discount for the first 5 people to snatch it up!

$25 - Physical Copy of Dark Mouse: INK - 140 available
THIS is the goal. You get the comic AND the original drawing that becomes part of the comic. No fuss. No muss. Black and white, violent mice comics, and original art drawn in the book. If you want a great-looking, one-of-a-kind book at an incredible value, this tier is for you. I print it. I draw in it. I ship it to you. You enjoy. Over and over. Done.

$50 - Retailer Tier (5 copies of the book) - 5 available
Comic book retailers! I've got you covered here with 5 copies of the book, each with the original art I keep talking about. Don't miss out on this chance to give your patrons something truly unique!

$75 - Original Drawing Commission - 20 available
Want MORE original art? Not satisfied with just the book? Great - you're my people. I'm going to make a SEPARATE drawing of ANY fictional character you want and ship that to you with this book. Your wall is gonna look great.

$150 - Original Art Page from the book - 10 available
Comic book art page collectors, you found your tier. Snatch up an original page from the book at this level. This is for everyone who wants to see the original pages hanging in their home. These drawings were made with ink in 2018 and would look great on your wall today. Page availability based on first come, first served basis.

Stretch Goals

Original art on the interior and final cover art are subject to change

$1,500 - Campaign Goal
In my head, THIS is the best possible version of the book. An all black, slick, wraparound cover, with black ink. Original art on the inside protected by a dark, ominous, subtle cover. Sure, I want to draw on your book. We both want it to look great and be special. But we also want that original art to be PROTECTED. THIS is the intention and how I want the book to look. AND again, that extra cover will protect the original art drawn in/on the comic.

But waitaminnit - can this unique little book get any cooler?

YES - yes, it can.

$1,750 - AKA $250 over the Goal (ad infinitum)
You're here for comics - bottom line. That's why you're investing in a comic. So, anytime this campaign goes over the campaign goal by $250, I'm adding 4 more pages to this book. This will be a mix of other smaller comics and back matter and essays and musings and all kinds of fun stuff that will make this edition interesting and even more special and unique. 

How the Money is Spent

I sincerely appreciate any support for this small book because I just want to make an entertaining book and you're giving me that chance. In the past, some people have chipped in extra just to help the campaign. With this project, supporters will have the option to cover platform fees as well. No obligations there though, of course. I'm budgeting to cover all platform/3rd party fees:

Estimated budget pie chart for the project

Let's Print this Comic So You Can Hold it in Your Hands

If you help me print this comic, I promise you new comics. I promise you a classic, comic book shop version of this book that you'll love too but we'll start off here with the unique edition for collectors. AND, I will make more comics. Even if you DON'T support this comic. Even if this limited run DOESN'T get funded, I promise I will still make comics. I don't know how to not make comics. If you back this project, you're supporting more books, more entertainment, more art, and more Dark Mouse. Thank You.

Risks and Challenges

There are always risks and challenges with any business venture but I'll communicate any issues that arise. I want to get this book printed and delivered as fast as possible. I'm anticipating mailing books in April 2023 to have a lot of lead time because there are supply chain issues in the printing business that cause delays. Again, I'm planning for that. You can look forward to regular updates and good comics.