Kickstarter can be hit and miss for lovers of all things comics, and the margin of quality products are even smaller. There have been successes like Mae and Smut Peddlers which have exceeded expectations and have their audiences clamoring for more content. Then there are those, who I rather not mention, whose end products, fails in its execution and can, to the backer, feel like a bad date. As a Kickstarter backer, you are truly a “stakeholder” in the comic, so in a minimal way, you are definitely a publisher, so quality becomes paramount, especially when you believe in the project in the first place.

Then there are those situations, where personal circumstances control the destiny of the project, sometimes before it ends, but mostly from my experience, long after it ends. Some of the Kickstarter creators, tend to just to stop the project altogether, and refund the backers. Some of the creators, become overwhelmed, and stop the projects, after realizing so, and then there are others who become overextended, and never fulfill or return the funds, and this is where the backers feel cheated. Seth Kushner’s Schmuck was a project that could have gone any of the ways mentioned above, as Kusnher passed away earlier this year after a year of battling Leukemia, but to the quality of his character and his family, they posthumously published this seminal work and I can honestly say as a backer, it is worth every penny.

Kushner’s Shmuck is a godsend in many ways and I wish I had found out about the web comic prior to reading the collected graphic novel, as has got to be the best Meta comic I have ever read about living in NYC. His writing paired the twenty two artists involved in this comic, makes for some side-splitting adventures throughout the city. Some of my favorite stories include “A Hairy Situation”, where he takes a date to watch American Splendor, which for those who have read and watched it, will tell you is super meta. My favorite story out of the whole collection is, “The Ex Factor”, where he tells in comical fashion, his running into an ex-girlfriend.

Overall, a solid collection of stories, and for those who don’t know, all of them are autobiographical, and everyone is worth a read. The writing by Seth Kushner, is so strong, one could only wonder, how he would have followed up this book. The art by the different artists is nice compliment to his writing, as they serve as a nice contrast to the different narratives. In conclusion, one could only wish to create an opus this good, in their lifetime.

Story: Seth Kushner Art: Too many to name
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Hang Dai provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review