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The Dollars And Sense Of ‘Womanthology’

Womanthology is a forthcoming 300-page hardcover anthology featuring comics created exclusively by female writers, artists and editors. Organized by artist Renae De Liz (IDW’s The Last Unicorn, Anne Rice’s Servant of Bones), the book’s purpose is to “show support for female creators in comics and media” and showcase “what women in comics have accomplished, and what [they] are capable of.” To that end, the book places side-by-side popular women creators like Gail Simone, Camilla d’Errico and Fiona Stapleswith newcomers and unknowns, some amateur and some professional, all of whom contribute and in many cases collaborate on original, creator-owned comics.

Womanthology will be distributed by IDW Publishing but its production and printing is funded entirely by donations made via Kickstarter, the popular fundraising website often used to facilitate comic book projects including Tony Harris’ Roundeye for Love. The project exceeded its goals by more than $75,000 — taking in an astonishing $109,000 in all — which galvanized proponents of creator-owned comics and female creators. The impressive fundraising total also inspired some consternation around the Web about fiscal propriety: where is the excess fundraising money going? How will be accounted for? Are Womanthologycreators being paid for their contributions, and if not, why?

In this comprehensive piece, ComicsAlliance spoke with the extremely forthcoming Renae De Liz, among others including critics, about the dollars and sense of Womanthology, charity, the value of “exposure,” and the theme of women in comics.

Read much more at ComicsAlliance.

Seems to me like everything’s been more or less cleared up. I’ve avoided commenting simply because I try to keep things as positive as possible when dealing with individuals (especially hard-working artists like Renae De Liz), and tempers were running so high over this issue I didn’t feel like I’d really be able to say anything with sufficient knowledge while also not stepping on anyone’s toes.  Suffice to say, having spent an afternoon chatting with Renae about the project in its very early stages, I could only think the best of her intentions, and I’m glad that ComicsAlliance has diligently researched this issue and has given her the chance to clear the air.  I hope everyone reads this article in full (it is some damn fine journalism to boot!  Give that man a Pulitzer!)

I am going to disagree that this “clears the air”. I think that what this points out is that the financial aspects of this anthology are still very much “up in the air”.

• Why won’t DeLiz create a 501c3, when offered free legal help to do so, when it would save over $20k?
• Why is her printing estimate so high?
• Were some contributors actually told to stop complaining online about not getting paid?
• What’s the big deal about paying them?
• What are DeLiz’s plans for a separate imprint using this money? WIll she offer a refund to anyone who did not donate so that she could start her own publishing business?
• What is IDW doing? Are they doing anything aside from putting the book in the Diamond catalogue? 

Look - this money was raised to do a specific project. It has all gotten fuzzy, and the answers are still not there. The reason that I am asking all these questions is a very selfish one, I admit - I don’t want anyone to get so turned off by the super sketchy nature of the finances on this project that they won’t contribute to a Kickstarter project again. (Disclosure - I totally have used Kickstarter and plan to use it again to raise money.)

I have heard over and over from several people that DeLiz is a great person & a very hard worker. Swell! Awesome! Not saying that she is not these things! I am saying that there a still a great many unanswered questions. This is not an attack on her personally.

(PS, great job Khouri)

(via ladiesmakingcomics)