Hope you’re having a great start to May as we’re finally getting warmer out there.
The Voluntaryist remaster production continues to go smoothly.
We’re in the final quarter of completion with just needing to finish out the colors and letters on the Issue 2 remaster and the Origins I and II covers.
Here’s a sneak peek from that progress:
Just a friendly reminder as we’re moving into the last leg that if you have moved, or are planning to move to a new address by August, 2023, you should be sure to log in and update your address so that I have the most current information.
A couple of you have already updated, and I appreciate that you took the time to do so so that your package does not get lost. Thank you!
In other good news, my second nonfiction book, A Vision for a Libertarian Future, has been released on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3VoG2R1
It’s a sequel to my first, The Definitive Guide to Libertarian Voluntaryism.
In this book, I bring a unified advocacy of incrementalism toward reducing the size, scope, and power of the state that I think everyone can get behind.
I would be honored if you checked it out and gave it a 5-star review – which I anticipate this book to be worthy of when you see how clear, concise, and cogent this advocacy is.
And if you haven’t read my first nonfiction book, be sure to pick that up on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3LvcT22
(affiliate)
so you’re ready to check out this new title!
I also want to remind you that we have our gun Range event and comedy show with Lou Perez coming up later this year on September 9th. Tickets and further details can be found at:
I also want to mention that I have a sequel title to my first nonfiction book coming out soon, A Vision for a Libertarian Future. It’s a practical policy advocacy of incrementalism for moving away from state control.
If you haven’t read my first book, be sure to pick that up on Amazon here: amzn.to/3RD6pPA
(affiliate)
so you’re ready for the next edition!
Looking forward to updating you on our next developments!
Hope you are doing well as we kick off the month of March.
We are marching right along schedule with the Voluntaryist remaster production!
The colors have just been wrapped on Origins I and we’ve already gotten in a few penciled pages for Origins II.
Here’s a little sneak peek from that progress:
I wanted to take a moment and thank Presearch for being a continued sponsor of Voluntaryist!
Presearch is a voluntaryist-owned search engine company worth checking out.
Not only do they provide a censorship-free search engine service that is privacy-oriented, but they have integrated ways for you to earn cryptocurrency rewards in the process!
They even do users a favor by listing one-click alternative search engine tabs so that, if for any reason you’re not satisfied with their results, you can immediately check the results in several other search engines.
Speaking of great things to check out, I will be headlining the Libertarian Party of Washington conference from March 24th-26th! Both Pho and I will be there as special guests with a special mixer taking place Friday night. It’s rare that we get over to that side of the country, so if you’re close enough to visit, consider coming on by to hang! We’d love to catch up with you.
Location, details, and tickets can be found on Eventbrite over at:
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 some exciting news for you – Christmas just came early!
The digital release of Voluntaryist Origins VI has been sent to the e-mail you used on the Origins VI campaign if you backed it.
The download link will only work for a week’s time, so don’t delay in getting your EARLY digital download of Issue 6!
We’re still diligently working on the remasters and additional art pieces, so stay tuned for further details in the coming year as we finish Origins I and II and print out your comic perks.
And, speaking of Christmas, if you’re looking for a great gift for that liberty-loving friend or family member, Libertarian Country is the place to shop!
Libertarian Country is an ad sponsor of Origins VI and, in thanks to you, the backers, for supporting this comic issue, they are offering you an additional 10 percent off with their discount code:
COMIC
They have t-shirts, hats, hoodies, stickers, canvas prints, posters, and mugs!
Their wide variety of liberty-oriented merch is sure to bring a smile on Christmas!
So go give them a look and see what you can pick up with our special Voluntaryist discount code over at:
We are working diligently on the Voluntaryist remasters and bonus art with everything going according to plan so far.
To show you a more in-depth look at what we’re doing with the remaster, I made a little video covering what we’re changing as we update Origins I and II to have the same art style as the rest of the series.
I think you’ll be impressed at how much better the sequential pages look with the new inks, colors, and lettering!
(A sneak peek of one of the Voluntaryist team art print layouts.)
And, speaking of improving, if you want to improve your portfolio diversification, I highly recommend checking out one of our Voluntaryist Origins VI sponsors, Taggart Trading!**
Taggart Trading deals in bullion, rare coins, and precious metals, which are especially important to consider holding on to in these inflationary times!
Taggart Trading’s owner Marc Tancer is not only a friend, but I can personally recommend his services as I have used them time and again over the years.
What’s unique about Marc is that he’s not just some large corporate chain where you’re dealing with a series of intermediaries. Marc is both the expert and the executive and offers you personalized service whether you’re looking to just break into precious metals for the first time or want to order large quantities.
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!
I have some exciting news! As of today, June 2nd, the first STRETCH GOAL has been UNLOCKED!
Wooohoo!
What this means is that ALL print comic tier and higher backers will now receive a BONUS character sheet art print in addition to all their other perk goodies and the bonus sticker for hitting goal.
On top of that, I will be creating a variant cover for Origins V.
Those who got the 1-6 perk set will receive an Origins V issue with the new cover!
If you are still sitting on the fence with a lower perk tier, now’s the time to upgrade to the print copy because you are guaranteed BOTH the bonus sticker AND the bonus character art sheet!
There’s still plenty of time for us to move on up too and unlock the other listed stretch goals, so be sure to share the campaign to your social media so that more goodies can be released as we go further in the campaign.
On a separate note, both Pho and I will be going on more interviews and hosting more streams to promote the comic series coming up.
One of the interviews on the #comicsgate track will be with the Critical Blast Podcast on Wednesday, June 8th, at 8 p.m. Eastern.
The Origins V comic came in a bit earlier than expected with the delays over at the printer, as you can see here:
They are out, in my hands, and looking AMAZING!
I will be working on fulfillment over the next month.
I am still waiting on one final stretch goal art piece to be finished so I can add it to your perk packages, but once that is in, they should be out to you shortly.
If all goes well, Christmas should come early for Voluntaryist Origins V backers!
If you are moving from your listed address by December, please do update your address with me through the Indiegogo dashboard or by contacting me with your perk information from Indiegogo at mr.voluntary(at)gmail.com
I want to make sure everyone gets what they ordered!
Thank you again as always for your generous support.
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 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!
I am excited to announce that Voluntaryist Origins III has reached 100% of funding!
Woohoo! We did it!
Because we reached the main goal, we now how have time to reach for STRETCH GOALS!
The first three stretch goals are as follows:
$5,500: A NEW special Voluntaryist art print to all backers at the physical comic level or above.
$6,000: A NEW voluntaryist game card to all backers at the physical comic level or above.
$6,500: A NEW voluntaryist character design pinup sheet to all backers at the physical comic level or above.
So, if you didn’t get a physical comic perk yet, now is the time to join in and upgrade to get us to the new stretch goals for print comic backers!
Don’t worry though if you don’t have any more pocket change to spare – you can still help us unlock the new stretch goals by sharing the campaign to your social media, getting the word out to those who have not yet seen the campaign!
Pho and I will be doing one last live stream Tuesday night (March 28th) as the campaign comes to a close, so join us as we wrap up the final hours and talk about the next steps with the comic! (Time of stream to be announced that day.)
Thank you so much again, everyone, for your generous help and support in bringing the Voluntaryist Origins III comic to life! I am excited to know that this comic was a success and am looking forward to making this issue the best of all time!
In liberty,
-J ( :
Campaign link to share: https://igg.me/at/origins3
I wanted to share some photos with you from my most recent tabling at the Florida LP convention. I had a great time getting to meet up with liberty-lovers of all kinds including die-hard Voluntaryist fans and new people who hadn’t heard about the series before!
It was encouraging to see so many who are not only passionate about principled liberty, but who also care enough to support creative projects carrying the torch forward.
I am looking forward to seeing what other tabling opportunities I can participate in to grow the Voluntaryist comic fandom!
Thank you again, everyone, for supporting Voluntaryist Origins III. Your support has enabled me to continue expanding Voluntaryist world to new venues!
Today is the wonderful day I get to tell you that your comics have gone out for shipment! Virtually all perks have now been mailed, so please keep your eyes out for them in the coming weeks. Most of you will likely see your comic come to you within the next week or two. International orders, within the next 3-4 weeks max.
I am grateful to you, the Voluntaryist fans, for being a part of this MONUMENTAL achievement in producing the first full-length Voluntaryist comic issue with 24 pages. It’s humbling that, after 6 years of hard work in prototyping, we now have a canon Voluntaryist line that is being continued chronologically here on out.
I appreciate every person here who supported with perks and shares of the campaign, and I look forward to bringing you a whole new level of quality and experience with this next upcoming comic campaign in Indiegogo.
In preparation for improving the process so the expectations are reasonable, I have adjusted the time framing for the next campaign delivery to ensure that we have enough time to deal with unforeseen delays from third parties. I also am working with a new art group which is going to bring a new level of artistic quality to the comic, and I think you’ll be impressed when you see the new cover in full with the Origins III campaign.
Please do come visit on March 30th and April 1st for the launch. You’ll be able to see the campaign link on the main Webiste at http://www.volcomic.com and at the Voluntaryist Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/volcomics
If you want, please feel free to share unboxing pictures on social media with the hashtags #voluntaryist and #volcomic as I’d love to see you get your awesome comics and bonus goodies.
Thank you again for bringing true liberty to the comic world!
Origins II Comics Have Arrived! First wave of shipment.
Hello, Voluntaryist fans!
WOOHOO! The rest of the Origins II comics have arrived!
This morning I shipped out what I could from what I had been given in the first box from Ka-Blam. Now that I have the rest, I will be fulfilling the remainder of the orders.
Most everyone should receive their comic perks within 2 weeks, many within the next week.
Please be on the lookout and feel free to share your perk package opening with us on social media!
It’s been a LONG journey but lots of fun with goods things to come.
I have also just received the cover for Origins III and have been working diligently to ensure that everything will be smooth on this next upcoming campaign.
I will be waiting to launch the campaign until these perks are shipped to ensure that everyone is happy and confident in our work. The campaign is tentatively scheduled for March 30th, so please stop by www.volcomic.com and www.facebook.com/volcomics to see what is taking place at that time.
I also have been working on some new perks that will hopefully excite you, including a new Voluntaryist tee. You can take a look at the work-in-progress:
Thank you again for your kindness, support, and understanding.
I hope that when you open the perk packages it gives you a HUGE SMILE when you see the extras I added in to thank you for your patience. ( :
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 wanted to share with you some good news and some critical news as relates to the comic development.
I have received the letters for my approval and they all look pretty good with some small adjustments to be made.
So I am happy to see that the comic is truly nearing completion overall.
However, I must tell you that I have not been happy with the delay from the publishing group, Short Fuse Media, LLC. They are late on contract, and I have reached a critical point where I have told them that the comic must be delivered to me, in full, by January 26th or I will have another team finish it.
I am sad that it has reached this point, but I am thankful that I have at least received artwork as paid for, so there is no overall problem in completing the comic, just in whether Short Fuse will deliver on-time by my final delivery acceptance offer.
So, with that in mind, I do hope that Short Fuse delivers this month and you are able to receive the digital copy so you can know the comic production is complete and will wrap up with your perks sent to you soon.
I take full responsibility for allowing their lateness to continue this far, and I do appreciate that you have been patient in waiting with me.
To that end, if anyone has ANY questions about the comic production process, I am happy to talk with you face-to-face online and show you what has been done and discuss any details.
Your trust and confidence in me is critical, and I want to do everything I can within reason to maintain it because I VALUE your support.
So please feel free to take the opportunity if you wish to have a one-on-one with me to discuss anything. I am here and I am open for you.
That said, I do have in-hand most all completed inks, colors, and letters – so it is just a matter of finalizing the last edits that, hopefully, will be concluded by Short Fuse in about a week.
Thank you again for your support. I PROMISE that when you receive your perks, you will open them and be happily surprised at the bonuses I have added as an apology for the unforeseen lateness. I hope that it brings you a smile and new confidence in me for the next comic issue as I plan to keep working on Voluntaryist and producing it until I die. It’s a lifetime endeavor.
I’m looking forward to hopefully getting you the digital copy of the comic this month, and then proceeding to get you the physical perks thereafter.
Thank you so much again for your patience in the adjusted delivery timeline for Voluntaryist Origins II!
I don’t have anything new yet on my end as I am still waiting on final edit delivery from Short Fuse Media (the production team), but I wanted to keep you up-to-date that everything otherwise appears to be moving along.
Here is another sneak peek to hold you over until I receive my next update from Short Fuse:
Also, I wanted to share with you a music video I produced with The Pholosopher called “AnCap Grind.” Voluntaryist character “Voluncap” makes a guest appearance in cosplay, so I think you will enjoy that visual treat. Video here:
Thank you so much again for your support! I am excited and eager to get your perks to you and begin the process for the next comic issue!
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!
Thank you again for your patience in the adjusted delivery timeline for Voluntaryist Origins II! I am excited to share with you this next sneak peek with detailed colors!
Looking forward to sharing a lettered preview with you next!
Thank you again for your patience in the adjusted delivery timeline for Voluntaryist Origins II! I am excited to share with you this next sneak peek with flatting colors!
I have been told by Short Fuse that they are nearing completion with colors and I should be getting them in full later this week.
Looking forward to sharing a detailed colored cell with you next!
I am excited to share with you sneak peek No. 3 for Voluntaryist Origins II!
Everything is looking good so far with quality control on the comic production.
However, we do have a comic production push-back due to our primary artist getting sick for several weeks, so our estimated delivery date is going to likely be after October as we are still working on page completion.
There is nothing to worry about though! Our publishing group, Short Fuse Media Group, LLC, has a strong reputation they stand by: “WE ALWAYS DELIVER!” We are confident in their ability to deliver the final art as they have in the past and, as always, we will be sure that all perks are delivered directly to you.
I am also preparing the final touches on the costume for Voluncap so that The Pholosopher can do her cosplay shoot. She’s especially excited as it also going to be her Halloween costume this year.
Please stay tuned here and at http://www.volcomic.com as I will continue to post teasers and updates as the colors and letters come through so you can see the production progress.
Looking forward to getting this issue into your hands as soon as possible!
Voluntaryist - The Comic Series 