KICKSTARTER DAY 10! Artist interview with Julie Pugmire

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)?

My comic is about a high school student named Nova, who is a survivor of a recent fatal car accident where she was the designated driver. Her friend Bailey, a popular student, is killed in the wreck and Nova is left emotionally damaged and ridden with guilt as she believes it is all her fault that Bailey is dead, all while sporting a graphic eye injury from the accident and haunted by the rumors of her peers. We follow Nova as she struggles with PTSD and the occasional bullying from fellow classmates and eventually see her begin to heal, starting with the gradual entrance of a new friend, Andy. This of course ties into the theme of the NO REFUNDS anthology because death is permanent. Nova is never going to be able to bring Bailey back, and she may never fully recover from her death. But just like her injured eye, she is on a slow bumpy road. Healing takes time but at the end, she can see clearly out of both eyes and mind.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

I myself struggle with PTSD and mental illness.There have been many moments when I felt that I was never going to heal, that I was never going to continue living normally when horrible memories were flooding my head at all hours of the day. Eventually I realized that I wasn’t allowing myself to heal, or reaching out to find ways to recover. While I still have moments or days when I just want to completely give up, asking for help was a step forward and I can only keep going forward from here, just like Nova reaches out by accepting Andy’s friendship and eventually agreeing to start therapy. Mental illness is no picnic, but I want to use Nova’s story to show the audience that show that death is the end. There are no stops past it. It may seem like the answer, but you can’t ever go back for the chance of recovery.

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

While I am passionate about character design and narrative, settings and environments are still fairly new to me. It’s all about mapping out and measuring and drowning in thumbnails. I also tend to get too excited and make my characters talk way too much so having to cut down a lot of dialogue to have room for illustrations was challenging but in a good way! Also time management. Face the facts, thinking you can get all your sketching or inking done in one day is you forfeiting your sanity.

Can we expect more comics beyond this point? Where can we find more of your work?

Absolutely. Comics are challenging but when the passion is there it’s completely worth it to see it all finished in the end. I love telling stories but I found that just writing them out wasn’t enough. I hope to eventually build entire worlds with comics. You can see more of my work at my informal art Instagram @spiralnightshade !

KICKSTARTER DAY 9! Krissy Little, No Refunds artist interview

We broke $5k last night and have been 66% funded and we've got less than a week to finish up! This is terrifying, and exhilarating, and also terrifying. We're so close that we only need a little more support to get the rest of the way. 

To give a little more backstory, a solid 3/4 of the work was finished before our Kickstarter even began. We've been working on these stories (writing, revising, pencils, inks, tones, more revising) since January. It's been a long run, and we're still wrapping up some of the final art and page designs for our book, but we're in final stages.

That means that when we get funded (🤞) we'll be able to send it off to be printed immediately!!

Here, learn more about our artist Krissy Little:

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (You can never go back)?

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being in a situation where you felt that you were in the right, only to look back on it and realise you were completely in the wrong? That’s what my comic is about, when you realise you were wrong you can never go back.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

While I was in the dreamy and vague ideation process for coming up with a story I wrote down a big list of things I like. I then take those words and look at various combinations of each word until something catches my attention. When the words “space” and “witch” came together I instantly wanted to make that character. In order to tie it into the theme I wrote down the phrase “You can never go back…” many times then tried to finish the sentence. So mine became “You can never go back when you realise you are wrong”

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

Honestly my stupid pen nib kept dropping big globs of ink onto my page, ruining whatever I was working on. I’m much more careful with the amount of ink on my nib now.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

Yes! While working on this project I have other ideas and concepts dreamed up, lightly sketched and noted that I’d like to work on in the future. You can find my work at www.ghostglitter.com

KICKSTARTER DAY 8! Skylar Kardon artist interview

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)?

My comic is about a 38 year gay old man who's father is being given an award for LGBT allyship that he maybe doesn't deserve. It speaks to the anxiety and permanence of decision-making, particularly in regards to truth, trauma, and family.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

Both my experiences as a gay transgender man and the experiences of my friends and peers. It's a very specific story, but I think the key themes are pretty relatable to a lot of LGBT+ people.

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

It's a hard subject, and I often found it nerve-wracking even just to start work on it. It can be hard for me to write strong, hurtful language into dialogue, but it was necessary for this piece, and I'm really happy with how it reads. So I think overall I learned that I have to really go for things, and make work that's challenging for me on multiple levels.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

I plan to primarily do graphic novel work in my fresh off the block career, in addition to book illustration and visual development. So, hopefully! I'll going to be in another upcoming anthology "Being True," which being run by the Boston Comics Roundtable and is made entirely by LGBT+ comics creators. I also regularly update my portfolio site, rimonade.com, as well as my various social media. If you follow indie comics, you'll definitely see me again someday!

KICKSTARTER DAY 7! Artist interview with Savanna Judd

We’re approximalty at the halfway mark (if you include our little head start) and we’re still trying to get to $5k! 8 days left, let’s keep it going!!

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)?

My comic begins at the crux of a decision—whether to wait on a doorstep or walk away. It’s about how making a choice can be dangerous and involve dire consequences, but is often the only way to move forward. It’s also about being afraid of horror games.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

A lot of first person shooters, and how they alter your perception of who you are, what you’re looking at, and what’s dangerous. Most of the rest is real life experience minus some names and details.

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

It’s hard for me to find an ending that’s neat. I think my comic is messy from beginning to end, and maybe the takeaway was that’s what’s most true to life. That’s why I chose to end with a “continue,” rather than a punctuation.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

Yes! I make lots of comics, most about messy queers and monsters. You can find my illustration and some comic excerpts at heartslob.com.

Savanna’s comic has been developing so well: it’s so heartbreakingly beautiful and also badass and covered in zombies, so like, what more could you want?

Please lend your support here on our Kickstarter!  

KICKSTARTER DAY 6! Artist interview with Sarah Hickey

Happy Wednesday, friends! We’re still trying to push past 50%, but we’re so thankful for all of you who have supported our Kickstarter so far, shared it, and offered words of encouragement! 💜

Today we’re heading into the fairy realm, for some not-so-high fantasy and a story about not quite fitting in like you expect by No Refunds artist Sarah Hickey.

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)?

My story is about a girl who, having previously been taken away by fairies as a child, comes home to the real world to find that everything has change. She has trouble adjusting. The premise of it is kind of a bummer, realizing that all the things you set out for are not actually the things you want, but really it’s a hopeful story.

It’s about how even if your choices bring you somewhere you didn’t want to be, there’s still a possibility for progress forward, and a hope that if you’re not there yet, you might be there soon.

Also it’s just like, completely full of sex jokes. 

What was the inspiration behind your story?

I’m really inspired by mythology and folklore as metaphor for modern life, so this is a derivative of Irish changeling mythology, about babies who are replaced with fake fairy versions, who misbehave, act strange, and don’t fit in. There are a lot of societal reasons for this lore, but the main takeaway is that it’s a metaphor for alienation and how feelings of unfamiliarity can breed resentment and misunderstandings.

I was a weird kid growing up and I only got weirder as an adult, but now I’m chill with that. I wanted to play with acceptance of your weird circumstances, and just own the fact that you’re a bizarre fairy child.

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

I’m very new to comics at all, so a 10 page comic was really exciting and also hard to fathom. I come at this from an animation background, which involves a lot of the same visual techniques, but a very different approach to audience interaction. I had a rough time with scene transitions.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

I think I’ll never not be making comics at this point. I’m so excited to make more. They’re awesome and I love them. You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Vimeo @wxrringtxn

You can read the whole story, in No Refunds!  

Some of Sarah’s original inked pages are available as reward tiers, so give those a look! Here’s to 💯! 

KICKSTARTER DAY 5! No Refunds artist Wade Gould

Our first weekend down, Monday is over, and we’re still going strong! Let’s learn a little more about our artists, shall we? Come with me into the bloggosphere...

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)? 

My comic is about someone who learns someone he cared about is dying and he has to rush to the hospital to see if he can see her alive one final time. It is based on my emotions of my Aunt passing away while I was in another state and didn't get a chance to come down to say goodbye. It speaks to the theme of not knowing when a day will be the last with someone you care about.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

About half a year ago my Aunt passed away. We knew it would happen soon but everyone in my family thought she had more time here. I wasn't able to get back home to see her when she passed nor was I able to go to her memorial so I decided to work out my emotions of that event through a comic.

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

I really enjoy designing clothing and trying to play around with clothing design while creating a world that it also fit in was my biggest challenge since I didn't want to remove something I personally enjoyed from my work into the comic.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

I have two projects I'm working on that at least one will be online around July. I post updates on my Instagram @artist_bearded  

Thanks for reading! We’ll have another interview up tomorrow! & don’t forget to share our Kickstarter to help support us! 💜

KICKSTARTER DAY 4! Artist interview with Anke Gladnick

It’s day 4 of our Kickstarter campaign, and we are almost at 50% with 11 days to go! 🎉

Luckily we’ve got plenty more stories to share, and incredible artists to feature, so y’all won’t get bored waiting for your books.

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Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)?

The basic premise of my comic is that it’s about a young woman who’s completing a bucket list. In relation to the anthology’s theme, it’s about how life is always moving forward even after difficult situations, and that we have the choice to make the best of it.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

It’s cheesy, but finishing up senior year, I’m at point where I’m looking back at my life so far and doing my fair share of self-reflection. I find myself thinking more and more about my and personal relationships with friends and family and how that much they really mean to me, especially after spending the past couple years devoting myself to art. I kinda wanted this story to be a testament to those relationships and how they made me the person who I am, in both small and big ways.

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

The biggest challenge for this project was trying to figure out how fit everything in 10 pages. It’s an interesting number, especially with my interest in making the characters and their dynamics feel fleshed out; it’s short enough that you can’t really spend too much time going into their history, but long enough that you can add little moments of “space” to let the characters interact in a way that shows who they are. I learned a lot in trying to create those moments.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

I sure hope so! I really love making comics, so I don’t see why not. To see more of my work you can visit ankegladnick.com.
 

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Be sure to pick up your copy of No Refunds via our Kickstarter to get your hands on this comic, because let me tell you, it's amazing. Prepare yourself. <3

KICKSTARTER DAY 3! Justice Geers, artist interview

 IT’S DAY THREE! Yesterday we got an amazing boost with our Full Refund tier for a 2 page custom comic on our theme of NO REFUNDS to be included in the back of the book! We made past the 1/4 mark, but we’ve still got a long way to go! 💜

To offer you a little more insight, artist Justice Geers has their experience of working on this book! 

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)?

My comic is about about tattooing and the journey to better yourself. Tattoos are permanent, which was the basis of my inspiration for this story, but they also allow the opportunity to grow and change. Don’t like your tattoo? Cover it up with something else, add more, go to different artists, change it! You can always change but you can never go back.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

At first, I based it partially off my own experience with tattooing, but as the story changed and developed I realized that it was actually about one of the first characters I ever created. The realization kind of snuck up on me about 2 weeks into the project, I looked at my character designs and suddenly noticed I had drawn a character I already had. I hadn’t even thought about her for this project even though I had created her with tattooing in mind back in 2010. It’s been really fun to see how she’s grown and changed over the years and to finally give her her own comic!

         

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

Time management. When I started this project I felt like I had all the time in the world. I thought “16 weeks? Psh, I have plenty of time to draw 10 pages!”... and then 8 weeks went by and I realized that I was already so far behind. Comics have a harsh learning curve, but it’s something that I love doing and I actually really enjoy the problem solving that comes with it.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

Most definitely! The dream is to go into publishing, but we’ll see how that plays out after graduation… for now, check out my work on instagram and twitter @akaseigi

You can experience the full terror and exhilaration of a first tattoo without any regrets by picking up a copy of No Refunds on our KICKSTARTER. Thanks for reading & supporting! 

KICKSTARTER DAY 2! Grayson Bear, No Refunds artist

It’s day 2 of our Kickstarter campaign!

Yesterday I waxed poetical about the theme of the book and how many different ways there are to approach it from an artists point of view. Now you’ll get to hear about how each Unversed artist does it!

Today: Grayson Bear! 

Can you tell us a little about your comic? How does it speak to the theme of the anthology (point of no return)?

My comic is a cautionary tale about a sad clown and his narcoleptic dog. Through pursuing his dream of becoming a great juggler, the clown discovers that disappointment can be found in strangest of places.       

What was the inspiration behind your story?

For me the story is about being an artist, but more broadly it’s about sacrificing what you love in pursuit of a dream. When you get tunnel vision on the way you think things should be, it can be easy to neglect what’s really important in your life or what really brings you happiness.     

What challenges arose during the course of this project? Takeaways?

When making comics, there’s a lot of time to doubt yourself. At some point I’ve read the jokes so many times that they stop being funny. Once I’ve finished the dang thing I can look at it with fresh eyes and actually get excited about it again.

Can we expect more comics beyond this project? Where can we find more of your work?

Yes. I’m working on my first graphic novel called SUPERFUN. It’s about a theme park that has grown into a sprawling dystopian city. There will be more clowns. You can follow its development and check out more of my work at graysonbear.com as well as my instagram @grayson_bear.

You’ll get to read all about this sad clown’s unfortunate adventures in No Refunds. Pick up a copy at the KICKSTARTER! 

13 days to go! 

KICKSTARTER LAUNCH! Day 1: The reckoning

Today is the day! WE'VE LAUNCHED! It happened. Actually it happened a couple days earlier, so we're already almost at 10% of our $7,700 goal!

This has been a long time coming, and we're super excited to share it! I hope you're excited to read. We've got 9 new emerging artists and 5 returning artists from last year's Unversed comic coming together to create NO REFUNDS. 

cover design by Anke Gladnick

*crowd goes wild*

This has been a super exciting project for us all to work on, and the team has been amazing in critiques, support, and pure narrative genius. 

The concept of "you can't go back" is a interesting subject to navigate from a storyteller's perspective. There's a lot of possibilities: mistakes we've made, things we should have said but didn't (things we really should have kept to ourselves), choices made in the moment that in retrospect, like, oops. 

It important as an artist to understand that the path forward is the only direction to go, but that's a lot of pressure to succeed from the start. Just because you're moving forward doesn't mean you're moving in a straight line. Paths can shift, and change, and they might even take you in a loop that feels endless.

You're still going, and you're still succeeding. 

Our comics do a lot here. Some are about letting go of the doubts and pushing forward to do the right thing anyway. Some are about confronting fears that keep you still. Some are about that "oh no" moment, when you did the thing and then regretted it immediately. 

There's no one right way to live your life, and there sure seems like an infinity of wrong ways, but we hope the message is clear: take the step with clear eyes, and keep moving forward, because there's no turning back.

Here's to 2 weeks and no regrets! Check out the Kickstarter itself!

<3 the No Refunds team

panel from Changeling, by Sarah Hickey