Hope you are doing well as we kick off the month of February.
It’s a relatively quiet time as we’re just moving along steadily with the Voluntaryist remasters. We’re about wrapped on the pencils for the Origins I remaster and are about to begin working on the pencils for Origins II.
The covers for Origins III, IV, and V have been making good progress with approvals having been completed on the layouts and pencils. Check out some of those cover progression sneak peeks here:
I figure now is a good a time as any to give you a heads-up on the other projects we’re working toward this year, especially, since we’ve fully wrapped up the ANTISTATE music video project.
Pho will be recording another anthem-styled song I wrote that’s tangential to the Mask Order and Disobey tracks. The title and subject is still under wraps, but we think you’re going to find the message inspiring and timely! So be sure to look out for when we release that new song, the album art, and its Indiegogo campaign for making our next music video. It’s going to be a project you’ll want to see succeed!
Pho and I also have exciting news to share as we will be some of the featured special guests at the Libertarian Party of Washington’s annual conference! While the details are not all settled yet, we can tell you that we will be at the conference’s activities from Friday, March 24th through Sunday, March 26th. The convention will be taking place at Sammamish Valley Grange in Woodinville, Washington. More details will eventually be released on the LPWA Website at: https://lpwa.org/ and we will also let you know more as everything is finalized in next month’s Voluntaryist update. It would be awesome to see you there, so if you’re close enough for a visit, come on out!
We will also be general attendees at PorcFest XX in New Hampshire. We’ve always wanted to visit this legendary liberty meetup, so we figured what better time to do it than for the big 20th anniversary! Tickets and details for that event can be found at https://porcfest.com/ if you’re thinking about going too.
And lastly, we’d like to thank our sponsor Agorist Nexus for their longtime Voluntaryist support! Agorist Nexus is a great resource for thinking outside the state as they showcase off-grid living tactics, cryptocurrency reviews and suggestions, and host an Agorist business listing directory.
Fun Agorist Nexus fact: We also recorded a funky promotional song for them a few years back. You can give it a listen on YouTube here:
and get a sense of what they’re all about.
Looking forward to updating you next month with more details on the Voluntaryist comic and on our other projects and excursions!
Stay awesome,
J ( :
P.S. If you made it this far, I have a bonus sneak peek for you. I am currently working on my AnCap Comix publishing and publicity site at: https://ancapcomix.com/
It’s going to be a site featuring liberty-oriented creators in the comic, graphic novel, and fictional novel space, as well as the umbrella identity for the Voluntaryist comic universe. (You may have already noticed this brand on the bottom right corners of the Voluntaryist Origins comic books.) In addition, I’m building a mentorship community to help you if you’re trying to create your own work of fiction in the comic book or printed novel genre. This is a soft-launch sneak peek, so be sure to check out all the pages on the Website and subscribe to the newsletter if you’d like to hear more when we formally launch!
I have all good news to share as we have fully completed the colors and lettering for the Origins VI standalone issue and all final advertisement placements have come in.
That said, we are still diligently working on the rest of the project goals, from remastering Origins I and II to the additional art pieces that come with perk packages.
On that note of additional art pieces, one of the artists for those pieces is Aimée McLernon.
Aimée McLernon is an incredibly talented, multi-media artist and graphic designer whose professionalism and unique style places her as one of my favorite artists of all time.
She also happens to be one of the ad sponsors of this issue and, with that, is offering her creative talents for your illustration needs, from comic art to graphic design, to even 2D animation!
So, if you’re looking for someone to help you create a logo, put together a beautiful flier, or conceptualize a character for your own comic project, give her services a look.
She comes personally recommended as I can attest to her skills and professionalism from my own work with her on Voluntaryist.
And see for yourself her beautiful portfolio. Plus, she also has her own comic book series you can scope out called Reality Hackers – a psychological thriller of the cyberpunk genre.
Looking forward to updating you next month on the latest Voluntaryist Origins progress!
In liberty,
-J ( :
P.S.
ANTISTATE MUSIC VIDEO LIVESTREAM
Our ANTISTATE music video campaign ends TONIGHT, Saturday, Oct. 1st! If you’ve ever wanted to see your name in the credits of an AWESOME music video, or be an executive producer to one, make sure to head on over and check out those perks so we can make this music video the best one yet!
Hope you are having a great start to your week with August kicking off!
I wanted to update you on the progress of the comic and let you know that everything is going smoothly!
We’ve already finished the pencils on Origins VI, in part, because I had been working on them even before the campaign started and, in other part, because our primary penciller has prioritized working on Voluntaryist, helping us get more pages completed sooner than expected.
The pencils for Origins VI are already off to the inker/colorist and are being worked on right now with an expected completion by or before the end of September.
Once those inks and colors wrap, they will then come back to me so I can lay down the lettering.
To celebrate this milestone, I am sharing with you a sneak peek from the Origins VI pencils and one from the art prints!
Voluntaryist Origins VI Pencils Sneak Peek 1Lumbertarian Character Sheet Sneak Peek 1
Pretty cool, huh?
A quick reminder to our advertisement sponsors – please be sure to submit your ads for review by or before Wednesday, August 24th, so we can have a chance to check over them and make sure they’re good-to-go for both specs and fit.
You can send that proof to mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com.
And on that note of our ad sponsors, I will be thanking each sponsor as we go through our updates!
Up first, I would like to thank Kirk of CJRoasting.com for his generous support on both this campaign and on our I DID NOT CONSENT music video. Kirk owns a coffee bean company at https://cjroasting.com/selling organic and fair-trade coffee.
Custom Joe Roasting
So if you’re looking to try something new while supporting those who care about individual liberty, give CJ Roasting a try!
He has a variety of blends, from light roast to dark roast.
And thank you everyone here for helping us continue to succeed.
We’ve seen a bump in Voluntaryist comic interest on the heels of Eric July’s RIPPAVERSE comic universe launch, so these are some exciting times for the alternative comic book world!
Looking forward to updating you soon on our next developments.
In celebration of Eric July’s success, I have made this fan art of Isom from the Rippaverse with Voluntaryist of AnCap Comix. It’s incredible to see how far Eric has come with his work and how much he is paving the way for an exit from the SJW statist paradigm for both comic fans and comic creators.
Isom greets Voluntaryist
I am looking forward to seeing more fan art submissions for the Rippaverse campaign 400K stretch goal.
Be sure to support the Rippaverse Isom No. 1 campaign before close at https://rippaverse.com There are tons of great ways to get involved with the campaign, from comics, to posters, to hats and shirts.
Eric July’s new comic book universe titled, “Rippaverse,” will be launching on Monday, June 11th at https://rippaverse.com/. I am personally excited to check out and support his launch because I believe this series is going to inspire people to exit the mainstream comic paradigm in leaps and bounds beyond what has already been accomplished via Ethan van Sciver and ComicsGate. Eric is truly paving the way for what I think will be the house of cards coming down for Marvel/D.C., and I expect many to benefit from his bold approach both as consumers and as indie comic creators.
I urge the Voluntaryist fanbase here to share his site and to pick up something from his launch so that, through his success, we can all see the much-needed change materialize in stark contrast from the hackneyed repackaging done with beloved characters like Superman and Spiderman.
Plus, the fact that Eric has a solid team on this issue with former D.C. artists Cliff Richards and Gabe Eltaeb is sure to make this series come alive with sharp visuals and stunning colors.
I will be covering the launch on a ZeroState livestream tomorrow night and will also be reviewing whatever perks I can snag with The Pholosopher once those get shipped to us.
Thank you so much, everyone, for joining me in supporting Eric July as we watch a new era in comics unfold before our eyes.
The 10th Anniversary Voluntaryist campaign is a complete success with both hitting goal and unlocking 3 stretch goals!
This means that all physical perk backers will be getting a bonus sticker for hitting goal and those at the print comic tier and above will also be getting the bonus character sheet, bonus game card, and Voluntaryist team art print on top.
To thank you for going above and beyond for this issue, I am going to go ahead and unlock the 4th stretch goal bonus and add that to your perk packages as my way of saying, “Thank you!” for giving me this opportunity to take the Origins story and put it into a start-to-finish remastered read. So that will add on another Voluntaryist art print and a die cut sticker to your perk packages at the print comic tier and higher.
I could not have made it this far if it was not for your generous support and trust in building out the Voluntaryist universe.
That said, there are some important details for you to be aware of so that everything goes smoothly as I work toward creating the comics and fulfilling the perks.
I will be working incrementally on the comic sequentials, starting with issue VI. I have already completed over a dozen pencil pages for issue VI, but we still need to finish the rest of the issue and then lay the inks, colors, and letters.
As I am working incrementally, issue VI will be finished first before the Origins I and II remasters.
I plan on shipping out the issue VI perks as soon as that issue and the associated perks are ready.
This means that those who got the trade paperback or the I-VI single issue set will get their perks later when the remasters and new covers are complete.
I estimate that the issue VI perks could be finished by the end of 2022 to early 2023.
The trade paperback will likely take until closer to the estimated delivery date in late 2023 because it involves both remastering issues 1 and 2 and adding more pages to give extra lettering space.
I will be making updates at least once per month through the Indiegogo page and in parallel on the http://volcomic.com Website.
So, if you are ever wondering what’s going on with the development, please be sure to check with either site so you can get the latest progression update.
I will also give everyone a heads-up update message whenever I plan to do shipment.
Please be sure to update your address if you have moved or plan to move by the time shipping is to take place.
You can log into the Indiegogo dashboard for this campaign and update your address there for us. You can also e-mail me at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com if you have any trouble logging in with the email you used for your perk purchase.
You can read the Indiegogo FAQ for more helpful information:
If you are an advertiser, please get in touch with me at least a week before the end of August, 2022, so that we can go over your ad to make sure it’s fit for print. I sent all advertisers an e-mail detailing the format with the comic book template attached for respective single and double-page ads. If you did not get this, check your spam box. If it’s not there, please message me at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com so that I can make sure you have the needed sizing specs and template for your ad.
For those who chose the “donation” option on Indiegogo (which really should be labelled “gift” because we’re not a charitable organization), you will not be getting a perk. You can tell that this was selected if you did not get a prompt for putting in your shipping information when you checked out (minus the digital early release which has no shipping). If you did this in error, but would like to get a perk, please let me know what tier you supported with by emailing me at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com and I will invoice you for the shipping to get your shipment address.
This is going to be a wild ride getting this project done, but I have never been more thankful and excited because this finished compendium is going to make Voluntaryist a serious competitor in the alt comics world with having the Origins story in a completed format I can readily showcase for convention tabling.
Cheers to us in helping be the change we want to see, especially with the direction mainstream comics have taken these past few years.
I am happy to announce that the second stretch goal is officially UNLOCKED!
WOOOOOO!
Everyone at the print comic book tier and higher will now be receiving a new game card prototype in addition to the bonus character sheet from passing stretch goal No. 1 along with the bonus sticker for reaching goal.
So again, if you are currently supporting at a tier lower than the print comic, you’re definitely going to want to upgrade now to reap the bonus perks as you’ll be getting not one, not two, BUT THREE bonus items!
And, on top of that, we’re going to be making variant covers for Origins IV and V for a mainstream appeal.
As we still have about a week to go, there’s plenty of time to unlock stretch goal number 3 to add another bonus item to your perk packages.
Getting there is as simple as everyone sharing the comic campaign here:
to their social media and letting others know what we’re doing. The more awareness, the more of a chance we have to gain support and reach a record-breaking accomplishment that will set the Voluntaryist series up as a serious competitor in the alternative comic book space.
We’re also doing our part to get the word out and have been promoting Voluntaryist on a number of shows and will be doing even more this upcoming week.
If you want to listen to some of our recent interviews, you can here:
Thank you again, everyone, for your generous support.
This 10th anniversary is groundbreaking for the series, and I genuinely believe this trade paperback compendium is going to put Voluntaryist on the map, especially in the ComicsGate community.
On that note, we will soon be announcing an official time for our campaign end livestream next week, but it will likely be Thursday, June 30th, around 9 p.m. Eastern on The Pholosopher YouTube channel.
So be sure to join in with us then as we celebrate with you and close in on that 3rd stretch goal!
I hope you are having an AMAZING start to your weekend.
We just finished up all 24 penciled pages for Voluntaryist Origins V and have now moved onto the inking and coloring process.
Everything is going well so far and is on-track for success.
I’ve also been working on the perk designs and have even finished and printed the latest Voluntaryist game card. The new card for Bastiat is quite the beaut! ( ;
In celebration of this, here’s a little sneak peek from the penciled pages:
I am looking forward to updating you when I have the next major development.
Also, Pho and I will be at Tom Woods 2000th Podcast event in Orlando. Tickets to the main event are free, and this will be one of the BIGGEST gatherings for liberty this year.
The Voluntaryist Origins V comic book campaign is a 100%-funded success!
And we managed to not just unlock 1, but 2 STRETCH GOAL PERKS!
Everyone who supported at the print comic perk tier or higher will also be receiving an Agora character print and a NEW Voluntaryist team art print.
So thank YOU for your help in getting us to an AMAZING finish.
What’s next now that the campaign is officially closed?
The pencils for Origins V need to be wrapped first. I had been working on the pencils for a while, so we’re almost finished with all 24 pages and should be done with those in the next few weeks.
After penciling completes, the pages then go to the inker and colorist. That process should take 30-60 days depending on how booked those artists are.
When the colors and inks finish, they then will come back to me for lettering. I will probably be able to finish letters within a week of colors receipt.
Once the letters are done, it’s off to printing at Ka-Blam. Depending on how booked Ka-Blam is with conventions, the print and return process can take 40-80 days.
Once I get the print comics, I will then pack them in your perk mailers with your ordered extras/bonuses and ship them off to you!
I will be updating on the comic’s progress on Indiegogo and at http://volcomic.com, so you can keep up with the latest developments and see what stage the comic is at as we work on it.
If you end up needing to change your address because you will be moving in the next 3-4 months, you can always reach out through the Indiegogo dashboard or with an email to mr.voluntary (at) gmail (dot) com and I can update your order’s address to ensure your package gets to you.
I want to make sure that everyone gets what they ordered.
And, on that note of orders, there is an occasional accident where someone picks “Donation” instead of “Perk” on the campaign. You can tell if you did this because you did not enter in your address information.
If you accidentally selected “donation” instead of a perk, please reach out so I can notate what tier you qualify for and get your shipping remainder. I want to make sure you get your all of your goodies so you don’t miss out when the print comics arrive!
Thank you again, everyone, for your generous support of this latest Voluntaryist issue.
I am especially thrilled to be where we’re at with this series because the next issue (Origins VI) will be the last issue in the Origins arc!
It feels special to be so close to completing an entire Voluntaryist arc for the first time.
You’re forever a part of that history now.
Looking forward to updating you soon on the next stage.
Hello, Voluntaryist fans!Production on the comic is moving along smoothly and within schedule.
I am finishing up the last page’s pencils, then I have a batch of pages going in for inks and colors, to be followed by my lettering. I believe the comic should be wrapped within 2 months max, and then it will go to print.
I have all the additional special perks already produced and readied for shipment.
With that in mind – a quick reminder to advertisers again – please make sure you have your finished advertisement pages to me by the end of February.
On that note – here is a another sneak peek of the comic:
I can wiggle a little more time if absolutely needed past that, but I would like to get the comic wrapped and out by the end of Spring at the latest so that we can move on to planning for the next issue. On that note – here is a another sneak peek of the comic:
ALSO! Pho and I have released a new product line, starting with some COOL AR and AK patches and a No Step On Snek Chibi keychain.
The campaign ends this weekend, so if you’d like to get some extra AWESOME merch, hop on in here: https://igg.me/at/phomarket
Thank you so much again for your generous support!
Looking forward to updating you soon on the next Voluntaryist comic development.
And get yourself a copy of the latest Voluntaryist issue pre-order.
There are plenty of great perks this time around, from a new game card to a patch, so be sure to take a look at what cool collectibles you’d like to get this time.
Thank you so much again for your past support. I hope you’re as excited as I am to continue the Origins story.
I am ecstatic to announce that the digital version of Voluntaryist Origins III is finally complete! Woohoo!
First page sneak peek preview:
Please be sure to check the e-mail you used for this campaign for a message from me with the digital download link inside. I think you’re really going to be impressed!
With the digital of Origins III complete, I ordered the print copy of the comics which are being shipped to me to combine with all the other perk goodies and bonus items you’re getting. I’m thrilled to be able to put your perk packages together and am looking forward to shipping each one of your perks out.
The comics should be shipping to you by March 2020. I will be making an announcement a few weeks before shipping, reminding everyone to update their mailing address if anything has changed since you placed your perk order. If you know that you’ll have a new address, please feel free to go ahead and update it right away if you know what it will be.
ALSO! I want to make ANOTHER exciting announcement:
Voluntaryist – The Comic Series will now be on SubscribeStar!
SubscribeStar is a platform like Patreon that allows for ongoing support of creators with special behind-the-scenes access and perks for support.
What this means is that, for future comic production, I will be continuing the Voluntaryist story on a rolling basis with new pages coming out each month instead of just doing a campaign once per year.
I will still be using Indiegogo to do special comic fulfillment fundraisers/events, but the ongoing support will come through SubscribeStar and you will be able to see the comic production as pencils, inks, letters, and colors come through.
What I hope to see is that, with your support, the Voluntaryist comic adventure can be something you get to look forward to each month and, eventually, each week.
I am excited to announce that the Voluntaryist Origins III Indiegogo Campaign has ended on unprecedented heights!
Thanks to you, we had 124 backers raising a total of $6,324!
This means that Voluntarist Origins III has officially beaten all past records in support!
To thank you for this, I am going to give all physical comic backers the third stretch goal in addition to the two we unlocked! So now you have not one, not two, butTHREE BONUS ITEMS!
It’s my small way of saying, “Thank you!” for being so generous with your time, link shares, and contributions.
In addition to that extra perk, I can also announce that we will be able to produce a FULL-LENGTH ISSUE with a solid 24 standard pages! You can pat yourselves on the back for going above-and-beyond to help make this comic the best yet!
With the campaign officially closed, I will now be taking the next steps to get production underway.
Once the funds release to me, I will be immediately working with our new creative team at Cornerstone Creative Studios, handing over the script and character descriptors so that they can get to work on the initial pencils and inks.
I will also begin working on non-comic perk orders. Those who ordered a perk that does not involve a print comic will get your goodies a little sooner than the projected delivery date.
Those who ordered the physical comic will receive their perks together with the other extras that come with the order.
My expected delivery date is March 2020. I hope to get it to you sooner, but I want to make sure that I leave enough time in case of any unexpected delays from third parties in the production process.
I will be updating you when I send out the non-comic perks and will be sharing teasers here on Indiegogo, Facebook, Minds, and the main Website as production comes along.
As always, if you have any thoughts or questions, you can reach me at mr.voluntary[at]gmail[dot]com.
I will be reaching out a few weeks before shipment through the campaign dashboard to make sure that everyone has provided their most up-to-date address. I want to ensure everyone gets what they ordered.
I’m humbled by how much care and engagement you’ve given Origins III and I cannot wait to bring a smile to your face with a perk package you’ll be proud to show off!
Thank you for believing in me and this comic.
I’m looking forward to another successful production process as we continue to design the canon origins story for Voluntaryist!
It is with great excitement that I can announce the comic design process has been completed!
So with that, I present to you the Voluntaryist Origins II comic in digital form. The download link should have been sent to your e-mail. If you did not receive it and were supposed to, please contact me right away at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com. I want to make sure you get it. ( :
Thank you so much, everyone, for your extraordinary patience and kind support as I know it was frustrating to have to wait longer than expected for our estimated delivery.
Now that the digital process has come to a close, I have ordered the physical copies of the comic and game cards. The turnaround time for that depends on how fast Ka-Blam can get the comics to me, which is usually contingent on convention traffic. Fortunately, this isn’t convention season, so I expect a little faster processing time, though they gave me a “by-or-before March 1st.”
Once I do get the printed comics, I will update everyone and ask that anyone who has changed addresses to let me know of your new address so I can be sure to get your perks to you.
I’m looking forward to personally compiling and signing off on each of your perk packages, and cannot wait for you to show off the cool extras I’m throwing in.
Because this took extra time, I am going to wait to launch my next campaign until I have shipped out these perks. I want everyone to be confident in the work and the successful completion first before asking for your trust again on the next comic issue.
And, you can believe this: I have worked extra hard to ensure that, going forward, there will be even smoother, higher-quality output. You’ll get to see it especially when the next teasers come out for the continuing Origins story campaign.
As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns, I’m here for you and will make myself available to speak with you concerning anything on the comic process and delivery. You can reach me at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com.
I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I did in bringing it to life.
Thank you so much again for your patience in the adjusted delivery timeline for Voluntaryist Origins II! I appreciate your kindness and consideration as we have been working through the final stages of production.
I wanted to give you the latest update from our publishing group, Short Fuse Media, on the status of the comic. I have been told that the letters will be completed this week and that the art director will make any adjustments to the final letters as he goes through the other edits that were needed.
If things go as planned, the digital comic should be out to you by January 2019, and I will be promptly printing and shipping perks thereafter.
To celebrate this update, I am also including two sneak peeks – a colored panel and a colored card element.
I hope you and yours have a lovely holiday and a happy new year!
Let’s make 2019 the year of growth for liberty culture together!
I just wanted to take a moment to update you on the production process. I just got word that inked pages have started to get colors and lettering worked on, so the artwork is underway toward completion.
I also have a special teaser announcement: an action figure line is being developed for mass scale, so there will be an opportunity to get a posable Voluntaryist figure with unmatched quality – coming soon!
You can look at the AMAZING work our producer, Short Fuse Media Group, has put into the figure design in this mock-up preview below:
Also, if looking for something unique to create for Halloween, check out the character page on Volcomic.com for some Voluntaryist hero cosplay inspiration: https://volcomic.com/supporting-character-list/
You can also get Voluntaryist-inspired gear to wear this Halloween at our RageOn! and Zazzle storefronts:
Thank you for your patience as we have been working through the storyboard and artwork. I am happy to announce the first sneak peek for the Origins comic. Enjoy!
WOW! That’s what I have to say to what has become the second-highest supported Voluntaryist comic of all time! Shielding Assange: The Voluntaryists versus the NSA 2 is now set to become the longest issue to date, beating the record 14 pages from last issue. We managed to raise $2,833- an INCREDIBLE FEAT! I’m the most excited for this issue out of any because the page space will allow for major developments on all fronts: character, narrative, action, and liberty!
The funds will be disbursed to me in the next 2 weeks. Afterward, I will be working to make sure the story is set just right to the budget raised. The script will then go to our primary artist for review. He will then work with me on the storyboarding and hash out the inked pages. After inking, the pages go to the colorists and letterers and then back to me for final approval. If all goes as planned, we should be getting out the digital comic just into the fall months and the physical comic just before winter, if not sooner.
Those who ordered non-comic perks will begin to see those sent out within the next month in June.
If you ordered the latest issue bundled with a perk, you will receive your comic and your perks together. Check the estimated delivery date on the Indiegogo.com campaign to see when it will be complete as well as our updates here.
If you will be moving in the coming months, please make sure to update your address for any perks. I will be posting updates through Indiegogo.com to remind you, but can always let us know via e-mail at mr.voluntary[at}gmail.com
If you have any questions or comments, please always feel free to reach out on the Website at http://volcomic.com on the Facebook page at http://facebook.com/volcomics or again directly via e-mail at mr.voluntary{at}gmail.com.
While working on this issue, I will be also preparing plans to make the full origins graphic novel. The origins story of Voluntaryist has been about 4 years in the making, but I never built a campaign around it because I felt that the fandom wasn’t large enough to rally support. After seeing Captain America: Civil War’s success and the 3,000+ fans now on the Voluntaryist facebook page, I think the time has finally come to create the foundation masterpiece.
Thank you again for believing in this comic series. It’s great to finally have something of substance in the entertainment world that truly embraces free markets, free minds, and voluntary living.
This issue is the sequel to our last, Saving Snowden: the Voluntaryists versus the NSA.
This time, Snowden and Assange will be teaming up to take on the NSA, but not before the government makes an attempt at taking them out.
If you would, please share our campaign link on your social media accounts whether Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube or otherwise, and check out our great perk lineup! We have action figures, super-suits, and comic appearances available.
I’m looking forward to another successful publishing to promote voluntaryist values in the comic medium.
Looking forward to finishing up colors and letters soon!
Hello friends!
Voluntaryist - The Comic Series 