The False Promise of AI Comic Art on Kickstarter: What's New in Kickstarter Comics for May 28-29, 2025
First-glance analysis of the Kickstarter comics market, all summarized in one place!
The mission of The Comic$ Crowd is to curate the crowdfunding campaigns in the Kickstarter Comics category in order to identify and spotlight those projects most likely to yield actual comics and to yield the most high quality comics in terms of story, design, and cover/interior artwork.
To visit the Kickstarter page for any of the projects below, simply click on its title.
By the Numbers
Total # Live Comics Projects on Kickstarter: 265
Total # Comics Launches for These Dates: 17
The View from the Gutter
Upon reviewing the Kickstarter Comics launches for Wednesday-Thursday, May 28-29, a couple of discoveries piqued my interest:
There was a nice bounce-back in overall quality of the campaigns and offered comics, with 6 advancing to ‘Comic I Like’ territory. Be sure and check those out below.
One dead-in-the water campaign shows a single, obviously AI-generated, cover image and another, not quite as obviously AI-generated, page of sequential art. The creator of Red Sky: Initiation - Limited Edition Comic Book claims in the AI disclosure at the bottom of the project’s Kickstarter page:
“At current, I am using the help of AI with the artwork, in order to bring this project to life. However, the plan is to move on to a professional artist in order to find RED SKY's true vision. This will only be possible with your backing.”
So, let’s break down this logic and “plan” for making a comic and crowdfunding it on Kickstarter:
Wants to make a comic but has no artistic talent himself
Decides AI is cheaper than a human artist, at least for now
Uses AI to generate a cover image and one page of generic sequential art
Attempts to crowdfund this idea of a comic on Kickstarter without any evidence that he can actually produce a comic to fulfill rewards
Scores 1 backer on Day One
Speculation: this bullshit, empty project fails to fund (Kickstarter backers are no fools)
This is definitely not the first campaign I’ve seen launched with nothing but a couple of AI-generated images to try to convince backers that an epic comic is in the works. Why the Hell does Trust & Safety approve these empty projects for crowdfunding when there’s absolutely zero proof these creators know how to script, procure real art for, color, letter, and complete pre-press formatting for a real comic. These never fund and never get produced, but they do uselessly occupy space in search results, to the detriment of genuine, human-produced comics earnestly seeking legit funding.
As with NSFW comics, a tiny bit of curation by Kickstarter staff will go a long way toward improving the crowdfunding experience for creators and backers. Is this obvious only to me?
Comics I Like
Rid of You: Anime Fantasy Graphic Novel Trilogy. Season 1-3. by
A 460-page tale of love, loss, death and the secrets of the past. Spirited Away x Your Name...but way darker.
The world is collapsing — torn between what was, and what should never have been. Aradia’s descent into darkness grows, threatening not only herself but the very souls she was once destined to protect. And as the veil between realms weakens, Tristan is pulled deeper into a battle that blurs the lines between memory and reality, fate and free will.
Vivid, ethereal cover art & design
Lush interior art, colors & composition
Goal: $3367
End Date: June 18, 2025
Estimated Delivery: August, 2025
No. Pages: 148
Lowest Digital Tier Price: $14
Lowest Print Tier Price: $31
Catch-up rewards tiers available
HEROES BE DAMNED by Vince Sunico & Return of Terry Kavanagh by 247 Comics
The Murders of Heroes & Villains by a Mysterious Figure Seeking Revenge. A Gorefest of Gorefests. Heroes. Villains. Kill or Be Killed!
During the height of the superhero zeitgeist of the 1990s, an elite class of super-powered beings rules the hearts and minds of the people. Then, one day, the unthinkable happens, and the same heroes who are known for fighting valiantly to protect humanity begin dying in violent, sadistic ways.
Epic, limited palette cover art & design
Bold, larger than life, limited palette interior art & composition
Goal: $9666
End Date: June 27, 2025
Estimated Delivery: January, 2026
No. Pages: Not specified
Lowest Digital Tier Price: N/A
Lowest Print Tier Price: $36
REFUGE: Chapter 1 - an all ages action adventure series! by BentBox Comics
As a young child soldier escapes the cruelties of war, he is met by a terrifying presence.
Follow a boy soldier on an adventure of a lifetime. Pavel will visit worlds unknown, fight nightmarish monsters, and hopefully find refuge from the terrors of his everyday life.
Simple, attention-grabbing cover art & design
Stylized, dynamic interior art, colors & composition
Goal: $4000
End Date: June 27, 2025
Estimated Delivery: December, 2025
No. Pages: Not specified
Lowest Digital Tier Price: $4
Lowest Print Tier Price: $8
Planet Of 1000 Moons by michael
Athena, a space faring, food truckin' chef scours the 864 moons of a dead planet for exotic ingredients and endangered alien species.
Follows Athena, a cyborg, an adventurer, an animal lover, and a chef who owns and operates the Cheese Force, a food truck serving up the best (and strangest) grilled cheese delicacies on any of the 864 moons currently orbiting the planet Biosse.
Emotive, enticing cover art & design
Stylized, retro-quirky interior art, colors & composition
Goal: $3000
End Date: June 30, 2025
Estimated Delivery: November, 2025
No. Pages: 52
Lowest Digital Tier Price: $10
Lowest Print Tier Price: $15
WAR OF THE WORLDS: THUNDER CHILD - THE COMPLETE SAGA by Mad Robot Comics
BOOKS ONE, TWO AND THREE. The tragic FINAL stand of the HMS Thunder Child. A tale of Loss, Sacrifice, Death and...Hope?
The crew of the HMS THUNDER CHILD have been through hell - but now they face certain doom against the fearsome might of the Martian War Machines. The cataclysmic conclusion. The final tragic stand. But there is more to this story than just sacrifice.
Epic, large-scale cover art & design
Stylized, expressive interior art, colors & composition
Goal: $13,471
End Date: July 1, 2025
Estimated Delivery: September, 2025
No. Pages: 40
Lowest Digital Tier Price: $6
Lowest Print Tier Price: $17
Ships from the UK
Someone's Died At Adventure Mountain (Issue 2 of 6) by Morgan Hubert
Oz's investigation into Darren's death begins!
This morning- June 5th 2005- Darren Kolchov was found floating dead in a pool at Adventure Mountain. The park didn’t even delay opening. Official park policy is that nothing happened, that everything’s fine, that there isn’t a body lying on a box of frozen waffle fries in the walk-in. Smoke a joint, dry your tears and put on your game face, there’s rides to operate & corndogs to sell.
Simple, fearless cover art & design
Highly stylized, expressive interior art, colors & composition
Goal: $2900
End Date: June 28, 2025
Estimated Delivery: November, 2025
No. Pages: 22
Lowest Digital Tier Price: $3
Lowest Print Tier Price: $5
Catch-up rewards tiers available
I know you don't watch the project videos ... but Red Sky even uses one of those AI generated songs in their video.