Shout-Outs and Commendations
Two years of comics, conventions, new friends, and lots of support
IN THIS NEWSLETTER: Two Years of Acorn Comics; Reader Poll - Which Comic is Next?; Bye-Bye Paid Tier; A Rising Tide
This week we were able to fulfill all backer rewards for The Olympian #2 - and with that, I took some time to reflect (and to go crunch some numbers). We launched our first issue of Heroes & Zeros on Kickstarter in March 2024, and since then we’ve published two issues each of Heroes & Zeros and The Olympian with the support of 248 unique backers on Kickstarter, sold or distributed over 1,000 total comics (not counting digital comics or readers who found us on Comix.one or GlobalComix), tabled at five different conventions, and made countless new friends along the way. On top of our regular creative teams we’ve been privileged to work with some incredible up-and-coming creators as well as some industry titans: Sam “Kidlet” Deans, Katie Bush, Kara Huset, Constance Katsafanas, A.H.G., Boya, Micah Myers, Alex Liu, Gina Goings, Tanya Lehoux, Sylvana Brys, Walter Geovani, Laura Martin, Matthew Clark, Joyce Chin, Agnes Garbowska, Tom Raney, and Gail Simone. And those are just the ones whose work we’ve published - countless others have offered advice and support along the way.
Putting your art out into the world is scary, and a lot of the time making comics feels like you’re swimming against a riptide. But I truly believe we’re making great comics, and seeing the amount of support we’ve had in a relatively short time makes me think we might be on the right track. Hopefully, those of you reading this agree - because YOUR support has also been invaluable.
The title of this month’s newsletter, obviously, is “Shout-Outs and Commendations.” So now I want to take a moment to recognize the people who have backed either three or four of our Kickstarter campaigns. We love and appreciate all our supporters, but these folks have really been a driving force behind our success.
POLL RESULTS AND NEW QUESTION
Last month we ran a poll asking which story we should make next, after the first arcs of Heroes & Zeros and The Olympian are completed. The winner was the Supernatural Action/Mystery, narrowly edging out the Comedy (Star Wars meets The Tick). So I will focus on those two scripts, and depending on timing and ability to bring an artist on board, one of those will be the next Acorn Comics title.
Now, a simpler question for you. Which current title would you like us to publish Issue 3 of first? Issue 3 of Heroes & Zeros will be 54 pages and will complete the first arc; Issue 3 of The Olympian will be 22 pages and will expand Vasilis’s journey, including new powers and a new villain reveal (the arc will go five issues). Both, of course, are dependent on funding, but The Olympian could be finished sooner since it’s shorter. So, longer wait/finish the arc, or shorter wait/cross the halfway point?
BYE-BYE PAID TIER & A WORD ABOUT FUNDING
At the beginning of the year we launched a paid tier of the newsletter, with art reveals and special discounts on our Kickstarter campaigns. I didn’t know how much interest there would be in that, and it turns out there wasn’t much. C’est la vie. So rather than trying to keep coming up with added value, I decided to cancel the paid tier. Starting with this issue, The Mighty Oak returns to its original fully-free-to-read format!
The dilemma remains, though, how to make more comics and make them faster. We continue to look for ways to do that, but it’s a challenge a lot of independent creators face. All of our comics, prints, and merchandise are now up on acorncomics.com (where 20% of all sales always go to charity). Or if you already have all our stuff and still want to help speed up our timeline for these projects, you can send a donation through our PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle accounts - please put “Acorn Comics” in the note and the donation will go into a dedicated account to pay for production of our next comic. Donations in any amount will guarantee you a digital copy of our next comic plus any digital stretch goals we reach. Links are at the end of the newsletter.
A RISING TIDE
We’re taking this in a slightly different direction this time - our good friends at LumiBug are launching a virtual convention from July 24-26 and you should all go check it out! There will be panels, comics, voice actors, cosplay, and more! And yes, Acorn Comics will have a booth.
GIVEAWAY WINNERS!
Congratulations to this month’s (claimed) prize winner, Danny Rubio! He’ll be getting a free copy of Heroes & Zeros #1. I didn’t hear from the other randomly-selected subscriber before publishing, so I will be converting their prize into a $5 donation to The Hero Initiative (to be added to donations from our website sales).
And if you check your junk mail and see the notification from me, please still reach out. We appreciate everyone’s support and I’m sure we can still send something cool your way.
FOLLOW AND SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
One of the best ways to help us keep putting out great comics is to follow us on social media and share our posts whenever you can. Here’s where you can find us:
* FACEBOOK: @acorn.comics
* THREADS: @acorncomics
* INSTAGRAM: @acorncomics
* YOUTUBE: @AcornComics19
* BLUESKY: @acorncomics.bsky.social
*Each subscriber will be eligible to win up to one giveaway per year. Winners to be chosen by random number generator until two new monthly winners are chosen. You will be able to choose between a physical or digital reward package. If you are chosen as a winner, I will email you up to two times to confirm shipping instructions; if you do not respond, a $5 donation will be made to a charity of my choosing. Shipping will be available only to the continental United States; if you live elsewhere and win, you can choose to pay for shipping or accept the digital package.
HELP US MAKE OUR COMICS FASTER! DONATE TO ACORN COMICS USING ANY OF THE PLATFORMS BELOW
