Crowdfund all of the things

Okay, I know this is going to be, like... super crowdfunding project day, it's just a coincidence that I've come across a bunch of really cool opportunities to support not only media creators, but also kindred comic-loving spirits, and since this is C2E2 weekend I'm feeling a lot of visual storytelling love. Disclaimer, these are not horror related projects, so consider this me being temporarily off-topic.

House of the Blood Sisters Kickstarter

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you may have picked up on the fact that I'm big on supporting independent artistic projects. It takes a lot of passion and hard work to get your vision made outside traditional models, and I respect anyone that embarks on that journey. I can't always afford to support them financially (there are too many!!) but I like to do what I can to help spread the word.

My So-Called Secret Identity

This is a little outside the realm of the Library of the Dead, but I think the creators of this comic are doing something really important here. Critiquing mainstream comics for the way they portray women only gets you so far: the people behind independent comic My So-Called Secret Identity are trying to show the comics industry how it should be done.

Film review: Absentia

I find that horror fans are a much more diverse group of people than those not actively involved in the scene might otherwise guess. It says something about the wide range of sub-genres within horror that there is such a variety of tastes, preferences, expectations, and experience. But a big part of that is our own individual fears. I, for example, don't find clowns scary. I am 0% scared by clowns. I've seen IT, I've watched all sorts of horror with clowns in them, they remain fun and silly even at their most evil. But clown fear is very common, I've known people who have it. I, on the other hand, am terrified of spiders. One of the scariest movies I've ever seen is ARACHNOPHOBIA. I feel a chill run up my spine just thinking about it.

I say this before I delve into ABSENTIA because I was surprised that an award-winning film that was this good hadn't been rated higher on sites like IMDB.com or Rotten Tomatoes.

Women in Horror Comics: Rachel Deering

This feature is part of my Women in Horror Comics series in honor of Women in Horror Month. For more info on WiHM visit www.womeninhorrormonth.com

I'm excited to kick off this series with writer, letterer and editor Rachel Deering. Rachel contributed to WOMANTHOLOGY, a comic anthology series brought to life by Renae De Liz to showcase the work of women in comics. Rachel also created and Kickstarted her own series, ANATHEMA, in which huntress Mercy Barlowe and her lover, Sarah, are discovered and doomed to be tried as witches. Mercy escapes, but returns in time to witness Sarah's soul being taken by monstrous ravens as she is burned at the stake. In her immense grief and guilt, Mercy seeks help and takes on her own dark powers in order to rescue the soul of her beloved from being used by a dark cult to resurrect a much more dangerous evil.

Kickstart My Bloody, Dripping Heart

Thanks to internet magic-- Twitter and Neil Gaiman, in this case-- I came across this Kickstarter for an anthology of original horror fiction from Ellen Datlow, a highly experienced, award-winning editor in the horror/fantasy genres. If, like me, you appreciate short horror fiction and support the contributing writers having a chance to write and set free stories that maybe didn't fit in elsewhere, please back it! More amazing short and shivery tales let loose in the world = Yes, Please!

There are three days to go and they need just under $5,000 to be funded! Spread the word!

Fearful Symmetries: An Anthology of Horror