Help support Kilgore’s fall release of four great comics!
Hello there! We’re Kilgore Books & Comics, we started out as a bricks and mortar shop in Denver in 2008, and began putting out Noah Van Sciver’s Blammo series the following year.
In 2015, we officially spun the publishing venture off from the shop (which is still going strong) which has helped us ramp up our publishing.
Our mission is bridge the gap between self-publishing and the bigger publishing houses. We want to find talented cartoonists with unique voices and help them when they need it most by ensuring they have professional looking books and plenty of stock. We’re also able to pay royalties up front, and help take some of the logistics off artists which lets them focus on their work.
We typically focus on pamphlet comics, which allows us to help newer artists develop their talent while giving more established artists a place to put out shorter works.
We’ve developed a plan to publish 4-6 books each spring, and another 4-6 each fall. In the spring of 2016, we put out Powerman by Box Brown, Cosmic Be-ing #2 by Alex Graham, The Fifth Window by Amara Leipzig, and A Horse, A Crow, and A Hippo Walk Into a Bar by Lauren Barnett. Four excellent comics.
This fall, we’re set to put out our next four comics:
Blammo #9 by Noah Van Sciver: 44 pages, b/w, saddle stitched. Blammo is a lot like Clowes’ Eightball. It’s a one-person anthology from an artist who works comfortably in autobio, fiction, horror, humor, and history. Noah has published numerous graphic novels with Fantagraphics, including The Hypo, St. Cole, Fante Bukowski, and Disquiet.
The Plunge by Emi Gennis: 48 pages, b/w, saddle stitched. Emi has been self publishing for a number of years, and generally focuses on true-crime and history comics. She teaches comics at Pittsburgh State University in rural Kansas. The Plunge tells the story of Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and live.
What Happened by Simon Moreton: 40 pages, b/w, saddle stitched. Simon is a British cartoonist who is well known for his poetic storytelling and his sparse line. In this comic, Simon tells a story of youth and change and finding one’s way in the world.
The Complete Scorched Earth & Other Stories by Tom Van Deusen: 84 pages, b/w, perfect bound. Tom Van Deusen, the cartoonist, is a super nice guy. Tom Van Deusen, the comic character, is a train wreck of a human being. He bashes through life, leaving destruction and mayhem behind. Tom (the cartoonist) is one of the funniest cartoonists working today.
We hope you’ll back us! Our goal is to help support artists right when they need it, and to help them find a wider audience. We work with people who are clearly committed to comics, and who have a unique vision or voice.
From our Spring line:
The Fifth Window by Amara Leipzig: The story of a monk living in a tower in a lake in a city. The monk tells the story of humanity through the design of the stained glass windows in the tower.
Powerman by Box Brown: A riff on Donald Trump that we, honestly, didn’t think would be relevant. Tells the story of a Trumpian character who realizes his faults and turns to art for comfort. A great, scary, funny read.
A Horse, A Crow, and a Hippo Walk into a Bar by Lauren Barnett: A collection of three hilarious stories of narcissistic animals from one of the best humor cartoonists working today.
Cosmic Be-Ing #2 by Alex Graham: We always describe this comic as having the philosophical bent and surreal quality of the best undergrounds from the 60’s and 70’s, but without the misogynistic focus on giant phalli. Alex asks the big questions and generally comes away with more questions.
In terms of costs breakdowns, it pretty simple:
Printing costs: $3700, Shipping: $300, royalties: $1000, Kickstarter fees: $500. Total: $5500.
We hope you’ll help out!
There is little risk involved. Seriously, all the books are finished, the artwork is in, the printer’s lined up, and we’re set to go with everything. We’ve worked with this printer, we know these artists, and we’ve been working on this for six months. This is the home stretch. Help bring it home!