And what’s great about kicking off this new year is that I have received the print copies of Voluntaryist Origins VI!
Boy, do they look BEAUTIFUL!
Many of you have even already received your print copy if your perk was at the game card tier or lower.
Print comic perks at the game card level and below were mailed out on December 19th. If you have not received your print comic yet, please message me at mr.voluntary(at)gmail.com and I will see if your order was lost in the mail and replace it if so. (If you’re an international backer, it may still take another week or 2 with all the holiday busyness.)
As for the rest of the perks at the Art Tier print level and higher, those are still pending as we’re working through the Origins I and II remasters, the I-V cover remasters, and the final art print.
We are doing great schedule-wise as the promised delivery date is December, 2023. (That’s right – in case you forgot – getting the digital copy of Origins VI and the early print shipments are 1 FULL year ahead of promised delivery date. I hope you’re as impressed as I am!)
We are moving as fast as we can to deliver the rest of the perks well-ahead of the promised date, especially so, because we want to be able to launch the next Voluntaryist Arc campaign, SUIT SAGA, in 2023. And we won’t do that until ALL perks on this Origins VI campaign have been shipped.
To give you a sense of where we’re at, at the time of this writing we’ve:
Completed and have in our hands the Origins VI print comics.
Completed and have in our hands all perk accessories except the $75 tier art print.
Shipped out all perks at the Game Card tier and below.
Penciled 39 pages of the Origins I remaster.
Colored 32 pages of the Origins I remaster.
Lettered 32 pages of the Origins I remaster. (that’s me)
Got the Origins III, IV, and V comic remasters in production.
PRETTY impressive considering that we normally only have a single comic issue each year of about 24 pages. By summer 2023, we will have completed in 1 year what amounts to 4 comic book creations in total page counts. A record feat!
Stay tuned for when we do our next batch of perk fulfillments as we increment toward total project completion.
And speaking of completion, we would not have been able to achieve as much as we did if not for our ROCKSTAR executive advertisement sponsor, Victoria King.
Victoria has been an early believer in Voluntaryist and our other projects, and wanted to see the Origins Remaster and trade paperback come to fruition – so she went the extra mile on this campaign.
She wants you to check out her book Dear Younger Me, Victim To Victor: A Memoir, as it’s her life’s memoir about overcoming an abusive relationship. She wrote it to help inspire others and bring them healing.
If you’re looking for something unique to help challenge your thinking on relationships, pick up a copy of her book here:
in special thanks to her for helping this campaign reach goal in record time!
Thank you Victoria, and everyone else here, for your generous support and social media shoutouts! It makes me feel good to see you get your perks in the mail.
And on that note of feeling good–
My and The Pholosopher’s ANTISTATE music video is now live!
This is one of the COOLEST music videos we’ve created, so be sure to check it out, subscribe, and share it around as we continue to shift the culture toward a true respect of Voluntaryist virtues!
Looking forward to sharing another Voluntaryist development with you next month!
In liberty,
-J ( :
P.S. I’ve been trying to up my review count for Voluntaryist on Amazon Kindle. If you have some credits and would be willing to give an official review, I would greatly appreciate it!
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!
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 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.
If you would please, head on over to the campaign page and grab yourself an AMAZING perk in support of the FINAL ISSUE in the Voluntaryist Origins arc.
This campaign is extra special as it’s the 10th Anniversary for Voluntaryist – The Comic Series.
In light of that special occasion, we’re also remastering issues 1 and 2 and brining the entire series into a special trade paperback!
Even if you don’t have change to spare, you can help us get the word out by sharing the campaign link here:
While you may have come to know me for my fictional Voluntaryist comic book story, I finally decided to make my first non-fiction book in line with the Voluntaryist universe.
It’s the culmination of 15 years of activism and study within the libertarian-Voluntaryist spectrum.
It’s NOT a history book.
It’s NOT a summary of other’s works.
It’s not a bunch of pull-quotes from past thinkers.
This is my unifying the fields of property rights and consent ethics theories into a universal philosophy that anyone can readily relate to and defend.
By the nature of the work, it will be challenging in many ways because it introduces a new basis by which to framework WHY one would want to uphold property rights and consent ethics.
You’ll be surprised, intrigued, and provoked to deeper investigation in the process.
But, unlike many other libertarian works, I’ve distilled the concepts into the minimum description needed to get people to understand the basics and their applications.
That makes it accessible for anyone, whether you’re a seasoned Misesian or are new to Voluntaryist thought.
No matter what, I hope you enjoy the ride and that it at least sharpens your thinking in the process.
Cheers to your kind support, from helping me refine my thoughts in conversation, to getting your own edition for the liberty bookshelf!
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.
I had placed my order for Origins V on September 30th:
And was crossing my fingers that all of the government malfeaseance wouldn’t have an impact…
But sadly (and predictably), all of the state tyranny has had a cumulative effect on supply chains and shipments.
That said, I have worked with Ka-Blam for 10 years because they are one of the largest comic printers in the world and are reliable for getting the final product to completion.
So I’m not worried at all about the comic’s eventual printing…just sad that it will take a little longer than expected.
I will keep you updated on when they finally get to my order and let you know when I think the comics will be out to you by.
If will you end up moving by the time of the projected shipment, please do reach out to me through the Indiegogo dashboard and let me know your updated address, or email me at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com with your order information and I will make sure your package goes to your updated address.
We are drawing CLOSE to completion of the Voluntaryist Origins V design process.
The first draft of letters is complete and the review + wrap on page arrangement is approaching shortly.
Here’s another sneak peek for you from the process:
That said, if you have moved or are planning to move soon, please UPDATE your address before we close update opportunities to prepare for printing and later shipment.
You can do so through the Indiegogo dashboard.
Once the comic wraps for print submission, the digital copy will be sent out to backers.
You’ll be seeing something in your e-mail VERY SOON. ( ;
That all said, Pho and I have a CRITICAL project we are working on that could really use your support.
Our latest song, DISOBEY, is currently funding for the music video production part on Indiegogo here:
This is a sequel song to MASK ORDER which has nearly 100,000 views on YouTube alone.
See:
We want to make this music video BIGGER, and BETTER than Mask Order and, to do that, we need the resources to be able to get more props, hire actors, and afford set help.
We’ve been pretty successful so far as you can see:
But that present success doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
With your additional support, we can increase our production quality and accomplish more hard-hitting shots that are guaranteed to make people think about how much the government has ruined our lives these past 2 years.
So, if you have not already, please consider heading over to the campaign here:
Which will allow us to make another provocative art piece to send to backers at the art print tier or higher. It’s an art piece that is sure to turn heads and will be used for online promotion to rally the culture against the lockdowns, shutdowns, and mandates.
So THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the comic AND the music video’s creation and promotion.
You’re stepping up to turn the culture against the totalitarian police state.
Looking forward to the next update which will be the one letting you know that the comic has been sent out digitally to backers and to the printer’s.
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.
I am excited to announce that all perks have been shipped!
Voluntaryist Origins IV
International backers should see theirs within 3 weeks and U.S. backers should see theirs within a week.
If you do not receive your perk within those respective time frames, please contact us through the Indiegogo dashboard so we can check your tracking number to see if you package was lost and replace it if it was.
We really appreciate seeing when backers get their perks, so feel free to post a picture of your perks to your social media when they arrive, whether on Facebook, Minds, MeWe, Twitter, Flote, Steemit, YouTube, or otherwise, and TAG/@ US, so we can celebrate with you! ( :
Now that the campaign is fully wrapped, you may be wondering when the Origins V campaign will launch.
The good news is that it will launch sooner this year, as we’re planning for a campaign launch this May, 2021! So please be sure to check back on the Voluntaryist website at http://volcomic.com to find out when the campaign has officially opened for support!
In the meantime, if you have not already, please be sure to check out Pho’s latest patches over at http://treesofliberty.org and our in-person event coming up soon this April 3rd, with details and tickets over at http://phoevents.com
We’re looking forward to seeing you and staying in touch as we host more in-person events throughout the year – so come on out and say “Hi!”
Thank you again for helping bring the principles of liberty to the comic book world.
Let’s do it again in 2021 with Voluntaryist Origins V soon!
Hope you are doing well as we approach the new year!
I just shipped out the stickers-only perks today, so those who only got a sticker perk should see their perk within the next week (maybe a little more with Christmas traffic).
I also have a sneak peek for you of the comic WIP. Check it out below:
Looking forward to updating you with another sneak peek in the near future as the comic progresses!
The Voluntaryist Origins IV comic campaign closed at an AMAZING $5,755! We unlocked the first stretch goal, so all backers at the print comic level and higher will be receiving an extra special Voluntaryist team art print.
ALSO! To thank you for going above-and-beyond, I will be adding 4 more pages to the promised page count, making the issue a full-length 24 pages. It will be awesome!
As for next steps, Indiegogo should release the funds to me within two weeks, if not sooner. I will then begin working on fulfilling perks as elements come to completion.
I had already been working on the comic, so I should get the comic out to you much sooner than anticipated, hopefully Spring 2021.
Which is a reminder to those who purchased advertisements – please have your completed advertisement content to me by or before February 1st, 2021. I will be contacting you to follow up on the advertisement layouts and helping you with any questions you may have.
Everyone otherwise please be sure to check and make sure you entered your information properly.Sometimes, people accidentally select “donation” instead of “perk.” If you did this, please let me know and I will note that you wanted the perk for the tier you supported at. If you did intentionally support without selecting a perk, that’s great and I appreciate the kind gesture!
If you end up moving or know you will move by March, 2021, please be sure to update your mailing information in the campaign dashboard. I will also send out an update reminder before mailing out the final perks to remind people to update their address if needed.
If you have any other questions, comments, or concerns, please message me through the Indiegogo dashboard and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you so much again, everyone, for making Voluntaryist Origins IV a reality and helping to bring to life one of the coolest liberty-themed comic series in print!
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 wanted to update you that the Origins III pencils, inks, and letters are complete and they look AMAZING!
I really think this is going to be the best Voluntaryist comic issue yet!
With that good news, I also want to keep you apprised of the fact that we are running SLIGHTLY behind schedule on finishing colors.
Jesse Hansen of Cornerstone Creative Studios takes ownership of this delay and is appreciative of our generous time extension so he can wrap up colors per our agreement.
SO, with that in mind, I don’t think this will lead to a delay in the delivery window. Things should still wrap up close to on-time if not still as expected.
And to thank you for your trust and support, here is another teaser of the comic:
Looking forward to getting you the digital copy of the comic this month! (And then on to print for 2020!)
Looking forward to finishing up colors and letters soon!
Voluntaryist - The Comic Series 