Backerkit Survey Errors
about 1 year ago – Thu, Dec 28, 2023 at 05:37:28 PM

Hey folks,

So, apparently there was something wrong with the backerkit surveys. They currently have people who have only digital rewards being asked for their addresses. 

If this happenes just enter "Digital McFakerson, 00 Fakeridge Rd, Faketown, USA, 00000" 

The other issue is that people's shipping cost is coming up as a credit at the end of their orders. This is a mistake.

If you could, please just leave the extra $6 on OR use it as a discount for an add-on item of $20+ of value. I'm happy to extend the discount for your trouble (And also could really use the extra cash). 

Might I suggest:

Other good options are the SWZA Challenge Coins:

Or the complete Major Arcana Tarot Set:

or the signed & numbered Cruxshadows cards:

Thanks so much!

Message me if you have any other trouble. Not sure why this happened because I've run Backerkit after Backerkit and this has never happened before. They must've changed how the system works in-between campaigns.

Cheers!

-Brent

Surveys are OUT! Happy Holidays! New NPCs T-Shirt!
about 1 year ago – Wed, Dec 27, 2023 at 08:06:39 PM

Hey folks! 

Quick update: wanted to pop on here to let you know that the NPCs Surveys are IN YOUR EMAIL as we speak. Please fill them out ASAP, and if you can PLEASE add-on as many merch items as you can. This fiasco with the misprinted SWZA Vol. 1 books has seriously hurt me this holiday season. I was supposed to have fulfilled SWZA and Durruti #2 already but couldn't without the hardcover. Now I *have* the hardcover and fulfillment is almost done, but that means I can't run the kickstarters to I had planned until a month or two later than intended, which justy gums the whole process up.

So, if you want to help out, and would like to get some cool stuff at the same time, here's some suggestions:

NPCs Premium Cotton D20 Tee!

We also have:

Snow White Zombie Apocalypse Vol. 1 Hardcover:

We've already had a huge response to the NPCs Misprint collector's version  particularly the $30 Early Bird version, Which has just ONE discounted book left! 

If you want to get a reconstituted version where you have all the comics and poems that were cut off, you can grab a fixed/reconsituted version with $80 worth of books and comics for just $50!

SWZA Major Arcana Tarot Pack

Finally, if you want something really special, I've added the three signed and numbered Cruxshadows Tarot Cards for a special price:

Thanks folks! Holiday has been special but it's so exciting making comics for you! 

-Brent

NPCs Backerkit Inbount + SWZA VOl. 1 Misprint + FREE Original CrüxshadowsChristmas Album
about 1 year ago – Thu, Dec 21, 2023 at 08:05:18 PM

Hey Folks!

Thank you for your patience. Sorry for the lack of update. I wanted to make sure I had everything Holidays are hectic enough on their own and this one has been a DOOZY (more on that below).  

First thing's first: I have good news. After grappling with Backerkit over some techincal stuff, I have the surveys ready to go, and will be launching them potentially as early as tomorrow. 

HOWEVER, it occurs to me that you guys may prefer to get the surveys AFTER Christmas, rather than right before Christmas eve. So please, sound off in the comments if you'd prefer to wait until the 26th-31st. or even after the first. If I don't hear anything I'll make a judgement call and launch.

So, for those of you who are wondering WHY this tool so long, whelp. right after the campaign, I had a logistical bomb go off. Related to this little guy:

 The Saga of SWZA Vol. 1 Episode III: The Phantom Poem:

For the new people, Snow White Zombie Apocalypse is my flagship series, and I have been working on this book, my very first graphic novel EVER for now, nearly two years. 

Well, I am happy to announce that it's done, and has arrived. HOWEVER, there's a bit of a problem, and it has to do with that sticker in the top right corner:

So, what happened with this, well I was SUPPOSED to get these in the mail back in November, and I DID, and...the book arrived, with a giant misprint on the very first page:

And it wasn't just that but three of the four 2-Pagew Spreads had the same problem:

So, here I was, with a shipment of 200 books, ready to deliver them except...I couldn't. And this wasn't like a misprinted run of comics, If you have any idea just how incredibly expensive  and time-consuming these things are to print (especially in the United States) Well, let's just say that I'm very grateful that everyone involved really came together and between the three of us we managed to find a way to make it happen.

So since then I have been scrambling to get the reprint taken care of and in my hands so I can send them to backers and...yesterday they arrived!

Great right? Yeap! but now I have another problem: What to do with the 200 misprinted books? Well, I got creative, and with your help, Here's what I came up with:

 SWZA Vol. 1 Misprint (Collector's Item):

The book, as it turns out, actually isn't in that bad shape. It's really only 3 2-Page Spreads, and luckily it was cut in such a way that you can still tell what's going on, SOOOOOO:

If you're tapped out, or just want to wait until you get your other stuff, I totally understand. There's 200 of them, so I doubt they're going to sell out anytime soon.

Though I should tell you, I've actually made the first ten of them only $30 as an early bird special.  So if anyone wants to give one of these misprints a good home, and on the cheap, and help me keep my head above water until I get SWZA #5/#6 out early next year, I'd sure appreciate it:

What's that? You'd love to help but if you're gonna drop that much money on a book, you'd Like to get ALL the content?

Say no more:

This signed and numbered copy of the SWZA Vol. 1 misprint comes with SWZA #2, SWZA #4 (2021), and Durruti #2!

Each issue has one of the three misprinted 2-page spreads!  You won't miss any art at all, AND We're even including the Neil Gaiman poem so you miss absolutely nothing.

As you can probably tell, Autonomous Collective is a VERY small operation, but the takeaway is, despite the logistical and financial bomb that was the misprinting fiasco, I'm doing everything I can to get you the books as fast as possible.

In the meantime, if you want to help me out, purchasing the Misprinted Vol. 1 at the $30 Early Bird, $40 Standard, or $50 Reconstituted (above) would be very much appreciated.

And if the book isn't your speed, you can also get: 

If you've been following for any length of time, you know that I make the objectively BEST swag on kickstarter, and these cards are no exception. There are even three SPECIAL cards:

Even with everyone sacrificing to get the books reprinted for you, the misprinting of 200 Snow White Zombie Apocalypse hardcover books was absolutely devastating, both for my finances and my schedule.

I actually had planned to be finishing out the campaign for Durruti #3 and getting ready to Launch SWZA #5 right around now.

However, I didn't want to run either of those until fulfillment was done on both Vol. 1 ...and I can't finish that fulfillment without the HC Graphic Novel...which is now in the mail.

So barring a giant meteor (which at this point, I'm not ruling out) I think we're finally through this creative bottleneck.

Thank you for bearing with me. The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter, and yough I have taken an inordinately long time (even by my standards) those of you who know me, know that I always get you the BEST coolest swag on kickstarter, that you absolutely can't get anywhere else.

For instance: these there Cruxshadows-inspired special Tarot cards signed buy Rogue, the frontman and critical center of gravity for the international chart-topping goth/darwave band (and also my writing partner) and Cruxshadows violinist and model Johanna Moresco:

And SPEAKING of the Cruxshadows:

FREE Cruxshadows Christmas Alubum Including a BRAND NEW Song!

One of the coolest things about having a rockstar for a friend, is that every year, Rogue releases at least ONE free christmas song, that you can DL on his website right now, and this year it's a BANGER:

Go DL it. I did. It's amazing. 

And it's not just one song, there's basically an entire Cruxshadows Christmas album there.

And yes, this is really free. It's a great way to get in the holiday spirit AND listen to something new or a new take on old classics. All that's required is that you consider a suggested donation, to support his work and keep this tradition going:

Thanks so much! Keep an eye on this page and your mailboxes, I will be updating again very soon!

-B

INCREDIBLE! NPCs: Myth, Magic, & Retail is happening!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 09, 2023 at 07:47:26 PM

Hey folks!

So, I don't know if you've been paying attention buuuut: 

WE DID IT!

NPCs: Myth, Magic, and Retail is now a thing!

I am beside myself with both your generocity, and enthusiasm for my work! This story began waaaay back in "the before times" of 2016. At DragonCon I had a short conversation with Felicia Day, which lead to me pitching NPCs as a webseries similar to "The Guild" to release on Geek and Sundry!

Ultimately that woud not come to pass, but because of that we had a world, characters, and story that Zac and I loved so much, we *knew* we had to find NPCs a home. We would wind up searching for that home for *seven years*. Trying everything we could think of and that diligence paid off, as now, thanks to YOU we have one!

I cannot express just what this means to me and everyone else on the project. At the moment we are reeling from the successful campaign, while trying to get the wheels turning on getting this project fulfilled! 

So, on that note you will be receiving surveys from our partner Backerkit:

It is critical that you reply to the surveys as quickly as possible. The faster they get filled out, the faster I can get the book finalized and go to print. In the meantime:

NPCs Spotlight:

There are some great projects that I am supporting and you should too. For instance:

God Summoner:

I've plugged these folks before. Their book looks great and their title is so great I'm legit jealous that I didn't get to it first. They are funded, with 16 hours left, so please head over and show them some love (You'll be glad you did)

 Alicia Carter and Robot

I really love the "retro" feel of this series, and hey, their main character even looks a bit like Rapunzel:

Also, there's a tiger. They're funded with eight days left so be sure to check them out:

 A Scoundrel's Vow:

The guy behind this book is another Scout Comics author. I've worked a con with him  and he's super talented. His book, the team, and the kicstarter all look really professional. His goal is quite high but that's exactly why you should head over there and help the book out!

Seven days left! Sale on Cameos! Save up to $500!
about 1 year ago – Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 05:45:03 PM

Hey folks, just wanted to thank everyone whose pledged to make this campaign a success. I literally couldn't do it without you. We currently have $1750 left to do before we hit goal. As such, I want to incentivize you to up your current pledges, by making some of the coolest stuff available.

So I wanted to let you know that I've made things easier for folks who want to do add-ons, that I had neglected to upload, the first being this $1 NPCs double-sided bookmark!

I have added both indivdual posters and poster sets (I suggest getting the set to avoid getting double charged for shipping).

Also, the cameo with lines (five available) has been dropped from $250 to $150: 

and from $1500 to just $1000 to become a recurring character in the world of NPCS!

You'll want to act quickly on each of them, as once they sell out they're gone. $1000 is literally the least I have ever offered a recurring character cameo for, often these cost $2500+ and are not likely not going to be offered at this price point again--due to the amount of focus from the writer's and artists--these sorts of premiums are super fun but as the series progresses it become harder and harder to add people, so if you've ever wanted to be a comic character, look down the page and go buy it before someone else does!