shelbyxhughes:

i suppose we all end up where we belong. eventually.

Eventually

hiveworks:

Our statement on Kickstarter’s recent announcement

Hiveworks is an independent, artist-run studio and publisher of webcomics and graphic novels, providing service to almost 200 creators for over a decade. Crowdfunding has been an important part in allowing diverse voices to flourish and maintaining creators’ independence.

Since 2012, Hiveworks has been a long-time, returning client of Kickstarter, having hosted 17 successful projects and assisted with dozens more. Over time, we earned the trust of our backers and built strong, wonderful relationships with Kickstarter staff, which is why the platform remained the #1 choice for our company.

Unfortunately, we are disappointed to learn that Kickstarter intends to pivot into blockchain. As a company, we are strongly against blockchain, including its use as a facilitating token for crowdfunding artistic projects, most prominently in the form of NFTs. It’s hard to view Kickstarter’s pivot to blockchain as something that will truly help Kickstarter in its main mission– helping projects come to life.

If Kickstarter decides to move forward with blockchain we’ll be shifting to an in-house pre-order system as per creator preferences, which will be rolled out paired with the next planned Kickstarters we have already scheduled.

Signed,
The Hiveworks Team

This is relevant to the future of the print publication of Alexander Comic.

I’m highly disappointed by the news yesterday regarding Kickstarter’s hype-based pivot to cryptocurrency. (You may read about it in the blog post written by their founder on the KS site)

From its birth I knew Alexander was never meant for mainstream traditional publishing (at this time): it’s too risky, too artsy, too adult and big and expensive. The market right now is all about middle-grade graphic novels. So what else could Alexander be, but a webcomic and a crowdfunded series of thick, gorgeously printed books?

So much of Alexander’s Books 1, 2, 3 and 4 were hinged on Kickstarter, which is the sole primary crowdfunding platform of my publisher Hiveworks. But with the news now, I am very, very lost as to how to publish Alexander.

Given the particular type of creator that I am, nurtured by the old internet that was for libraries and global open scholarship (the world at our fingertips, the world’s encyclopedia, the information superhighway, etc), developed and built by volunteers, growing up in spaces surrounded by artists on free platforms who created art for community and mutual support, where my practice has always come from the passionate and the generous… Not to mention my personal and creative disdain for speculation, scarcity and ego in the art market. And my jadedness from 8+ years of witnessing the rise and fall of unicorn tech startups, online wellness scams, the increasing corporatisation of the internet, the harmful impact of N-F Tokens in my circles…

I can’t support KS in their decision to introduce NF-Ts and encourage the NF-T market into their space… (even though their blog doesn’t say it, this is the kind of people they will inevitably attract). If you’ve followed the discourse since April like I have, you’d know it’s like putting fishsauce into a cake batter. The prognosis isn’t good. (Here’s a very good explainer by someone in tech - my feelings about the chain, the tokens, etc are informed by this piece)

If they go through with it, I’ll have to figure out other ways to establish preorders. For now, me and Alexander are in a limbo. We’ll see how KS responds to the backlash.

If you are also against Kickstarter’s pivot, you may submit a statement through this Airtable form.
I’m in direct contact with a KS staff member, and all statements will be sent directly to the top. I’d advise non-comics creators to contact their outreach leads, but the form is open for them too.

EDIT: I accidentally put the wrong link for the airtable lol

snout:

she wears short skirts i have feelers she’s cheer captain and i am a creature

i am here to say one more thing, and one more thing only…

CLARKE GRIFFIN’S “GREATEST LOVE” WAS THE LOVE SHE HAD FOR HER DAUGHTER MADI AND THAT’S THAT ON THAT.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

First the UTI and now I fucked up my back??!? 

THANKS LIFE

withdrew from my program today guys. how’s it going for you?