Kickstarters: ‘Periwinkle Perspective’ Author Crowdfunds Comic Book

U.K. steampunk author Paul Eccentric is taking his Periwinkle Perspective series into the visual realm, and he’s turned to Kickstarter to help make it happen. Meanwhile, editor/publisher Danielle Ackley-McPhail is crowdfunding a new steampunk story collection and a developer in Australia is seeking funds for a steampunk RPG.

Periwinkle Perspective Comic Book

Eccentric launched a campaign for The Periwinkle Perspective: The Poisoned Chalice, an extension of the series in the form of a 32-page comic book.

Fans have remarked “on how visual the series is,” the author said in a video to promote the campaign. “So we are bringing The Periwinkle Perspective to life.”

The series, set in the late 19th century, relates the adventures of Space Captain Gordon Periwinkle, the first man to travel to the Moon. “This, though, is merely the beginning of the six-part story,” Eccentric explained.

So far, he’s produced three novels, with a fourth, For All We Know, currently in the pipeline.

He described the series as “a tale of adventurers, assassins, secret agents and sherpas; of inventors, aliens and dodgy politicians, featuring an ensemble cast of the weird and the wonderful set against the backdrop of fogbound Victorian London and all the wonders of the true age of innovation.”

The story is “told with tongue set firmly in cheek,” he added.

The comic book will feature a new story that links the third and fourth volumes. But we’re told it works as a standalone tale and will bring readers up to speed on the first three books.

Eccentric has recruited artists Paul McCaffrey and Paul B. Rainey to create the visuals for the book. McCaffrey, whose credits include Adler and Anno Dracula for Titan Comics, will illustrate the main story. Rainey, creator of Thunder Brother: Soap Division and There’s No Time Like the Present, will illustrate two backup strips.

The book covers have featured character models Dean Turner as Gordon Periwinkle, Lynda Easton as Professor Hamble Blaise, and Nikki Bloomer as Queen Victoria. Depictions in the comic book will be consistent with the covers, he said, and he’s also seeking models for other characters.

Pledges to obtain the comic book begin at £20 (US$25). Rewards also include the previous books, signed by Eccentric and the cover models, plus a pre-release version of the fourth book.

A pledge of £200 or more will get you all four books plus a tea blend inspired by the series and an audiobook version of the first novel, The Giant Step. The audiobook, released in April, is narrated by Terry Molloy, best known for portraying Davros in Doctor Who. It will be autographed by Eccentric and Molloy.

Backers at all levels will be listed in the comic book as executive producers.

The comic book and other rewards are slated for delivery in October. They can be shipped internationally.

The campaign launched on May 19 and seeks £5000 (US$6213) by July 3. Learn more on the Kickstarter page and Periwinkle Perspective Facebook page.

New Story Collection

Danielle Ackley-McPhail is likely best known in steampunk circles as the editor and publisher behind eSpec Books. But she’s also an author, and now she’s on Kickstarter with The Town of Ground-Down Gears, a collection of her own short steampunk fiction.

Some she’s accumulated over the years, she explained, plus she intends to finish one or two that have never been published. The title, she added, is tentative.

Pledges begin at US$10 for digital edition and $35 for a print copy. Higher pledge tiers include some of her previously published anthologies. Print editions will ship only in the U.S. She estimates delivery in May 2024.

The campaign launched May 22 and has already surpassed its modest US$300 goal. It runs through June 21. Learn more on the Kickstarter page and eSpec Books website.

Steampunk RPG

Nerdcastle, a game developer in Sydney, Australia, is on Kickstarter with The World of Kedor, a D&D 5E roleplaying game with elements of steampunk, high magic, and the Wild West. The creators describe it as “a world of tribal Orc, wild west cities, and wacky gnome inventions like submarines and sky ships.”

They plan to offer three books that will be available as PDFs: the Kedor World Book, Thran Campaign Book, and NPCs of Kedor. You can get any of the three with a pledge of AU$10 (US$7) or more. Estimated delivery is July 2023. Higher tiers include physical items such as a dice tower and printed books that will ship later. They also expect to release additional books and campaigns in the future.

The campaign launched May 22 and seeks AU$2850 (US$1881) by June 21. See the Kickstarter page for more info.