Hello there,How could we fund comics featuring more obscure characters?While my comic schedule is already fully booked for the year, I enjoy planning several years ahead. Lately, I've been thinking about how I could occasionally include comics featuring more niche characters in my future schedule.And before anyone says it: yes, I already have plenty of projects. That's beside the point. I enjoy planning years ahead, and I simply enjoy working in general.
My post asking which projects people would be willing to pledge for confirmed something incredibly obvious: popular characters are... well, popular, while obscure ones... not as much.
There are many lesser-known characters I'd love to make comics about, including Dinah, Sierra, Belladonna, Sylvia Marpole, Fabienne Growley, Lop, Ippan Josei, the Wild Assault cast, Worgens, Roodaka, Miyu, Katt Monroe, Ninetales, Selendis, Fatima Eaglefeather (the character featured in this post's illustration, from the mobile game Sdorica), and likely Sybil too.
Even characters like Alopex, Jewel, Salazzle, Jenna, or Kitty Softpaws still feel risky despite reaching the maximum number of pledges. Those pledges demonstrate interest, but they don't guarantee actual financial support once production begins.
Still, I don't want to make comics exclusively about the most popular characters. I'd genuinely love to tell stories featuring more obscure ones as well. Besides, if I burn through every popular character too quickly, I might eventually run short on strong, popular projects.
This is especially relevant because I work with a reliable artist who's genuinely excited about drawing obscure characters once he finishes his current comic.
You might ask, "Why not have him draw someone popular instead?"
Simply because he prefers the obscure ones, and I'd much rather have an artist work on something he's passionate about than treat it as just another job.
Ideally, I'd love to let you vote on which obscure character you'd like this artist to make a comic about. The problem is figuring out how to fund the winning project afterward.
Why the existing Patreon income isn't enough
While this Patreon does generate income, almost all of it naturally goes toward funding our existing projects. Very little remains available to launch new ones, which is exactly why the €25.50 pledge tiers exist.
However, I'm not confident those same tiers would work for obscure characters. People's budgets are limited, and I completely understand why most would rather support a comic featuring a popular character they already know and love.
Some people absolutely adore obscure characters, but they remain a minority. Otherwise, those characters wouldn't be obscure in the first place.
Under the current model, the more popular a project is, the more pledges it receives and the more money it generates. That naturally puts obscure characters at a disadvantage.
The solutions I've considered
Creating a Dedicated Higher-Priced Tier
One possibility would be to create an optional tier designed to fund two comics at once: one featuring an obscure character selected through a poll, and one of our ongoing comics featuring a popular character, chosen by each supporter.
It would probably cost around €40, with €15 going toward the popular comic and €25 toward the obscure one. It would be managed exclusively through Discord, since Patreon doesn't allow the kind of interaction this system would require.
My concern is that the obscure comic might not add enough value to justify the higher price. Even with a popular comic included, I'm not sure enough people would be willing to pay more for the package.
Supporters might also be open to funding an obscure character in principle, but not the particular character selected by the poll. That ultimately leaves us with the same problem.
Reallocating The Bad Girl's funding once it ends
Another possibility would be to wait until The Bad Girl is complete, then use the money currently funding it to produce comics featuring obscure characters instead.
This'd be perfectly feasible and may well be what happens eventually. However, relying solely on this solution would mean waiting until The Bad Girl is finished before producing any of these comics.
I'm afraid that will still take some time. We're getting closer to the end, but we're not there yet.
Funding them myself
I could occasionally fund an obscure comic myself, but I'm not sure how sustainable that would be. I don't keep much of the Patreon income for myself, as I usually reinvest it into the pre-production of future projects, including illustrations and one-shot comics. Those also help tremendously when advertising projects during their funding campaigns.
The artist would still be paid, of course, but under the current model, a successful comic can earn them more as additional supporters join. If I funded the entire project myself for a fixed amount, that additional earning potential would largely disappear.
Using an external crowdfunding platform
Crowdfunding could be another option, but most platforms don't seem particularly friendly toward NSFW content.
Increasing the price of existing tiers
It has also been suggested that I raise the price of some existing tiers and use the additional income to fund these projects.
However, I refuse to raise the price of an existing tier.
Making Shorter Comics
It has also been suggested that I make shorter comics specifically for these characters to reduce production costs.
Unfortunately, I can't always choose to make a comic shorter. I already try to keep every story as concise as possible. While a short format can work perfectly well for some characters, others require too much context for an intimate story to feel believable. Cutting those stories down any further simply wouldn't feel feasible.
This isn't about asking you for more money
I want to make it clear that asking you for more money isn't the purpose of this post. I know your budgets are already limited and spread thin enough as it is, and I'm grateful for all the support you already give us, whether big or small.
The point is to find a model that would allow projects featuring obscure characters to remain financially viable despite attracting a smaller audience. My existing comics already cannibalize one another enough as it is, so I understand perfectly well it can be an issue.
I don't want the only solution to be constantly asking you to pay more. I want to find something healthy, reasonable and respectful for everyone.
Do you have any suggestions?
None of the solutions I've considered feels ideal, so I'd genuinely like to hear your ideas.
How could we make comics featuring obscure characters financially viable without asking you to spend unreasonable amounts or taking support away from projects already in production?