The comic book anthology project The Gathering: An Ongoing Comic Book Anthology is looking for donations through Kickstarter.  The project sees various creators contributing on varied topics and styles.  From the Kickstarter page:

Wired.com: “….The fourteen black-and-white stories in this collection are very short, only two pages long. They’re loosely centered on the idea of hope…The styles of the stories vary widely and so do the concepts, from very realistic settings to superheroes but the compliment each other despite such diverse work…Emboldened by the success of their first volume, they’re already putting together more and are open to submissions for those, in case you have any ambitions similar to the impulse that created this comic in the first place.

Aint it Cool News: “…Though the only tying theme of this anthology book is a love for the comics medium, this book does have a lot going for it…It’s a safe bet you’ll find something that strikes a chord with you on some emotional or intellectual level. There’s a strong independent voice coming from this one. Here’s hoping there’s enough support for more issues of THE GATHERING.”

Gail Simone (Writer of Secret Six and Birds of Prey): “First, there’s no trash in the book. So no worries. And there are LOTS of gems. There’s real potential throughout the book and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of these people end up doing a lot more comics. I hope they do.
…LOTS of these pieces would not be out of line in a pro book amongst veteran creators.

The Gathering is an ongoing anthology dedicated to giving newly established and up and coming writers and artists an opportunity to have their work published. Our first issue (with a main theme of Hope) received great reviews and we nearly sold out of our small initial print run. The second issue (Despair) is set to come out in November and we also have the next three issues slated for 2011 (Heroes, Horror and Romance).

So far over 50 different creators have contributed or are in the process of contributing stories for The Gathering and we’re hoping to continue publishing (and offer more opportunites) well beyond 2011. The successful financing of the first three installments will allow us to experiment with different formats in the future including continuing story arcs and self contained issues as well as offering up and coming creators an opportunity to have their work featured in future editions

If we reach our goal, the money received will go to help offset printing costs, the creation of promotional materials as well as covering fees for attending trade shows and comic conventions.

Thank you for taking a look at our project. Feel free to check out the blog link to learn more about The Gathering.

The donations will help to pay for printing, promotional materials and promotion at shows.  As far as bang for you buck this one is pretty good and has a modest goal of $1,000.  Here’s what your donation will get you:

• $10 – This pledge gets you a copy of both Gathering Vol 1 and 2 signed by some of the creators
• $25 – This pledge gets you copies of the first two issues, and a special thank you in a future issue. Your name in print!
• $50 – This pledge gets you the same signed book reward, special ‘thank you’, and a character sketch of your choice from one of our artists!
• $75 – Not only will you get the signed books, see your name in print with a thank you in a future book, and an original sketch of your choice but you or the person of your choice (with their permission) can be written and drawn into a cameo appearance in a future volume

$75 to get a cameo in a book is a steal and you better believe we’re taking advantage.