Soon, there will be a little more Philip K. Dick in the world, thanks to a short film adaptation of "The Crystal Crypt," Dick's tale of a brewing war between Earth and Mars. That's just one of many exciting projects looking for a crowdfunding boost this week, alongside a card battle game in which creativity is key, a speculative fiction anthology about the people at the margins of history, and print editions of kung-fu and transhumanist webcomics.


Top image from The Tomorrow Girl: Dresden Codak Volume 1.

The Tomorrow Girl: Dresden Codak Volume 1: Aaron Diaz's Dresden Codak is perhaps the greatest celebration of transhumanism in webcomics. His first print edition collects the early stories of cyborg scientist Kim Ross, including "Hob," "Advanced Dungeons & Discourse," and the haunting "Lantern Season," as well as stand-alone comics like "Caveman Science Fiction." For a $10 pledge, you'll receive a PDF of The Tomorrow Girl, but if you're a fan of Diaz's art, it's worth checking out the print awards he has at the higher pledge levels.


Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction From the Margins of History: This anthology of speculative fiction stories will focus on characters who exist at the margins of history:

People with less power, money, or status-enslaved people, indigenous people, people of color, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, the very young and very old, and religious minorities, among others-are relegated to the margins. Today, mainstream history continues to perpetuate one-sided versions of the past while mistelling or erasing the stories of the rest of the world

Long Hidden will collect science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories set from the 1400s through the early 1900s, putting a stranger spin on history and the types of characters often ignored in historical fiction. Writers like Ken Liu, Alaya Dawn Johnson, and Amal El-Mohtar are already on board to submit stories, and the anthology will be open to general submissions once the Kickstarter campaign ends—and it pays. For a $10 pledge, you'll receive an ebook of the completed anthology.

The Crystal Crypt: Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick: Shahab and Shahram Zargari are looking to bring Philip K. Dick's "The Crystal Cave" (which is in the public domain in the US) to life as a short film. The story takes place on a spaceship traveling from Mars to Earth while the two planets are on the verge of war. The short will star Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt, who are best known for their voice-acting work. (Lowenthal voices Ben Tennyson in the Ben 10 cartoons.) There's some pretty intriguing production art for this project, and the sets have already gotten a test run in the Judith Hill video on the left. For a $25 pledge, you'll receive a digital download of the film and an ebook of the storyboards.


STORY WAR: The Storytelling Party Game: If you've ever played a card battle game and wished your creativity mattered more than your statistics, then Story War is for you. This card game lets you take control of a host of fantasy creatures, but you have to narrate the action of the battle. If you can come up with especially creative or humorous ways to defeat your opponent, you win the round. For a $25 pledge, you'll receive a physical copy of the game.

Pang, The Wandering Shaolin Monk Vol. 2: Ben Costa's long-running webcomic, Shi Long Pang, The Wandering Shaolin Monk explores a legendary version of 17th-century China. Pang is a monk from a destroyed Shaolin temple, wandering through China in search of his brothers. Costa explores the political upheaval of the era with clarity, humor, and plenty of kung fu. For a $25 pledge, you'll receive a hardcover copy of Volume Two. For a $45 pledge, you'll receive hardcovers of both Volume One and Two.