Demons, orcs, half-orcs, and a half-elf. Kickstarter offers some of the best fantasy and horror comic book options. This week, I’m counting down three winning comic book Kickstarters.

3) GROND “Oublar’s Revenge” Book Three by Midcity Comics

Ends by Monday, June 26 2017 3:10 PM EDT .

“Grond is now Kallok. Obberoth is dead. Valara’s fate is decided by Ugreth. Oublar is close to getting what he desires, being Mok’Dar.

BOOK THREE : PRESENT DAY

Obberoth is dead! A peaceful gift for a king turns out to be the death of him. Valara has been accused for the death of Obberoth and is outraged and is now fighting for her life.

Oublar demands Taurok, Juug’la of the clan to hold a clan trial for the sentencing of Valara. Oublar’s plan has now been set in motion. Only Mok’dar can grant her freedom.

But the oath of Rom’gara has been broken, and the punishment for that is DEATH. Grond is shocked to see what is about to happen next.”

Egg’s Thoughts:

FUNDED AND WORKING ON STRETCH GOALS.

Full Disclosure: I’m co-writing a comic set in the Grond-verse for Midcity Comics.

Do you have enough orcs in your life? No. No, you don’t. If you break out D&D or Pathfinder or Shadowrun or any tabletop RPG on the weekends, chances are you’re looking for more orcs in your day-to-day. Michael Phillips has you covered with the Grond series! A half-orc fighting his orc family! Orc-errific!

Grond is a half-orc and the son of a prince searching for acceptance among his orc brethren. Since these are orcs, they either accept him or plan to gnaw on his bones. Fortunately for the reader, they opt for bones and we get to enjoy the fights! This is a story of political intrigue, murder, and revenge. I’ve mentioned Grond several times over the course of its campaign. I’m excited about the book! The stories are from the orc point-of-view… No one but Michael Phillips would do that. For his part, Michael embraces the world and the orc culture. It reflects in the brutality of his work.

This Kickstarter offers Grond #3 as well as the option to get Grond 1 to 3 and other Midcity Comics goodies. Michael’s completed ten Kickstarters, so this campaign and the production cycle are a science.

Check out the Kickstarter here – GROND “Oublar’s Revenge” Book Three

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2) NIOBE: She is Life Hardcover & She is Death #1 Comic Book by Stranger Comics

Ends by Sunday, June 25 2017 3:01 AM EDT .

“”With a world divided, who do you turn to?” Niobe by Sebastian Jones, Amandla Stenberg, Ashley Woods, Sheldon Mitchell, & Darrell May.

NIOBE: She is Life and Death Campaign:

Get an oversized special Kickstarter Exclusive edition hardcover collection of NIOBE: SHE IS LIFE with 32 pages of extra material not contained in the retail edition paperback and a Kickstarter Exclusive version of the first issue of the sequel NIOBE: SHE IS DEATH by Jones, Stenberg, May and new artist Sheldon Mitchell. Be the first to read the book well before its in-store release next year.

While first introduced in The Untamed, Niobe’s solo story begins years later with the character as a teenager. A child of prophecy is on the road to fulfilling her destiny… Niobe: She is Life.

With a world divided who do you turn to?

Between two warring nations, in the heart of Western Ujoa, there is a haven to those who have lost their way. Some say you can rebuild your mind and spirit upon the mountains of Ugoma. For a Half-Elven (Sin-Galemren) girl with off-colored eyes, it is a chance to flee a dark past, and rest safely within the secret monatery of her ancestors. But you cannot run from destiny, or hide from the Devil.

Set within the original fantasy world of Asunda, Niobe: She is Life is a coming of age Beauty and the Beast love story threaded with murder and mystery that leads to all out war.

And the upcoming sequel… She is Death.

There is nothing more dangerous and beautiful than a wild woman.

Niobe: She is Death is a tale of hard truths and revelations for a young woman who is tired of running. Niobe has lost her faith – in humanity and the world around her. In the sequel to Niobe: She is Life, we will witness Niobe’s journey from heartbroken teenager to warrior woman, set to take on a world that would see her dead. Narrowly escaping a violent prison death, she learns that girls like her are being abducted. But the hunted becomes the hunter when she allies herself with a savage mentor who teaches her how to take vengeance on those who prey on the helpless – by being a bounty hunter herself.

Niobe will hunt down and capture human traffickers, rescuing the victims for the families who seek her help. But each step takes her further down the path toward a destiny she did not ask for and a burden she does not want.

Written by Sebastian A. Jones (The Untamed, Dusu) & Amandla Stenberg (Everything, Everything, Hunger Games)

Layouts and Concepts by Darrell May (The Untamed, Dusu)

She is Life: Illustrated by Ashley A. Woods (Lady Castle, Millennia War)

She is Death: Illustrated by Sheldon Mitchell (Cable, The Darkness, Vampire Hunter D)”

Egg’s Thoughts:

FUNDED AND DESTROYING STRETCH GOALS.

Niobe: She is Life is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel. Not enough good can be said about this project. The production values are second to none at Stranger Comics. Their books aren’t just comics, they’re art books.

The art. Ashley A. Woods: She [well, her art] is Life. What first pulled me into Niobe is Ashley’s visuals. Her designs captivate the reader even as they capture the spirit of the scripts she works from. The work she does as she weaves the world of Niobe into a visual cornucopia is staggering – it’s bright, beautiful, alien, familiar, and wonderful. For Niobe, Ashley’s work set the stage and made this a comic worth hunting down. But, don’t take my word for it, at the end of this article, I have several pages from Niobe featuring Ashley’s work.

The praise for the art is no slight to the work of Sebastian A. Jones, Amandla Stenberg, Darrell May, or Sheldon Mitchell. All of them bring their AAA games to the table. I cannot wait to have this book in my hands to take in all of the design elements poured into each page.

The campaign has several other graphic novels from the same universe available.For the RPG side of my life, it also has the Niobe Pathfinder book as an add-on. “Want to play in Niobe’s world? Pathfinder is making a 32 page supplement book for Niobe, allowing fans their first opportunity to game in Asunda.” Comics and RPGs? Perfect for lil’ Egg Embry!

Check out the Kickstarter here – NIOBE: She is Life Hardcover & She is Death #1 Comic Book

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1) Untold #1 and #2 by Daniel Farrand

Ends by Friday, June 23 2017 5:00 AM EDT .

“Untold is a horror comic series that combines psychological unrest, with striking visual gore, to create a truly terrifying experience.

Through a series of dark and twisted visions shown to her by a disfigured demon. Alice must attempt to separate fact from fiction, and unravel the truth behind her Grandpa’s decade long stay in the UK’s most notorious insane asylum.

After a short lived reunion with her beloved grandpa, Alice finds herself confronted by the grotesque demon, Daisy, and is soon plummeted into a dark, and twisted vision.

Issue #2 will introduce The Dark Figure, who we briefly saw in issue #1, as we delve deeper into his world, and discover exactly what he is capable of.

Untold #1 (28 page) was successfully funded in 2016, thanks to the amazing support from 146 backers. We are offering anybody who may have missed out first time round, an opportunity to grab a copy of issue #1 within this Kickstarter.

Untold #2 (22 page) is the latest installment within the Untold series.”

Egg’s Thoughts:

FUNDED AND WORKING ON STRETCH GOALS.

Cut off your nose to spite your face? With a demon, would that be for spite or for Clive Barker reasons? Untold’s monster is a demon child without a nose named Daisy. Two issues – one in the can, one to be created using funds from this Kickstarter – of demons and asylums are available from this campaign.While a comic book project, this series has the feel that horror RPGs strive for. Creator Daniel Farrand presents a horror world of dark visuals and scares. Backing this campaign offers the option to get both issues for a deeper inspection of the world he’s crafting.

Check out the Kickstarter here – Untold #1 and #2

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Because I love tabletop RPG games and Kickstarters let me add a bonus to the list:

The S’rulyan Vault II by Kort’thalis Publishing

Ends on Thursday, June 22 2017 10:46 AM EDT.

“This project is a file/PDF for a high-resolution, printable map in both old school module blue and white, as well as, parchment color.”

Check out the Kickstarter here – The S’rulyan Vault II.

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Examples of Ashley A Wood’s Niobe: She is Life art:

Check out the Kickstarter here – NIOBE: She is Life Hardcover & She is Death #1 Comic Book

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Egg Embry, Wanna-lancer™

Interested in being a wanna-lancer? Start with the official Wanna-lancer Checklist t-shirt or wall clock or ice tea glass!

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Egg Embry wrote comic book short stories, edited comic book series, wrote and drew a webcomic, and contributed to comic book journalism across the 2000s. Now, he buys the opportunity to write for a variety of tabletop role-playing games in the tradition of vanity press. His purchases have been published by:

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