Crowdfunding Corner: G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero gets a Compendium and HAUNTED: Mary Shelley and the Creation of Frankenstein
Welcome to our revamped “Crowdfunding Corner” rounding up some of the latest crowdfunding news. We’re going beyond just announcement projects, we’ll be tracking to make sure these projects get delivered as well as what we think the “risk” of backing them are.
We’ll be updating the format as we get a better handle of the needs of this sort of coverage, so stay tuned and check out the first round of projects!
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Sets 1 + 2
Publisher: Skybound
Creative Team: (w) Larry Hama (a) Andy Kubert, Chris Mooneyham
Launch Date: Currently funding – ends Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 12 p.m. PT.
Risk: Low – Skybound has run and delivered multiple crowdfunding campaigns before and delivered with few issues.
Skybound and Hasbro have launched a new campaign for Kickstarter-exclusive G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Sets 1+2. Expertly designed and presented in reading order, the premium, faux leather hardcover editions that won’t be available anywhere else.
These new compendium sets, including a total of eight volumes, feature new key art by the legendary Andy Kubert (X-Men) and collect over 300 issues from both Marvel and IDW eras of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero spanning from 1994-2022, expanding on the previous Kickstarter that shattered crowdfunding records and dominated headlines worldwide.
Featuring the iconic series writer Larry Hama (Wolverine) and an all-star lineup of series artists, the new G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Sets 1+2 present the incredible heroes of G.I. JOE, the terrifying villains of Cobra, and the unforgettable stories that set them on a collision course.
Now collecting over 300 issues of A Real American Hero, these new hardcover compendiums collect the most iconic moments in G.I. JOE history, from Cobra Commander’s seemingly successful world domination to the unforgettable introduction of Dawn Moreno, the all-new Snake-Eyes.
Fans who backed the first G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Set campaign can select a tier to purchase the new set of hardcovers, collecting issues #155 ½ to #300, along with all the annuals, specials, and more. Like that first campaign, you must choose a side – will you stand with G.I. Joe or rule the world with Cobra? Either way, these deluxe hardcovers will look perfect alongside the original compendium set, presenting the iconic G.I. JOE series in the highest quality collections of all time.
Collectors won’t want to miss backing the campaign to secure all the limited-edition tiers and exclusive rewards: Kickstarter-exclusive Larry Hama signed bookplates, faux leather hardcovers, spot gloss, foil finish and gilded edges on all books, satin ribbons, patches, pins, stickers, individual issue reprints, two source books featuring art from previous trading cards, vehicles, and more.
HAUNTED: Mary Shelley and the Creation of Frankenstein
Publisher: Humanoids
Creative Team: (w/a) Koren Shadmi
Launch Date: Soon – March 25
Risk: Medium/High – While they have run and delivered previous campaigns, there are currently two that have been funded and yet to be fulfilled and will not for many months. This can be a warning sign.
Humanoids has announced a forthcoming Kickstarter for Haunted: a brand new bio-comic on Mary Shelley, the visionary young woman who penned Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus at eighteen and changed the world.
After critically-acclaimed releases such as The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television, Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula, and All Tomorrow’s Parties: The Velvet Underground Story, Humanoids and writer-artist Koren Shadmi wanted to focus on a critical female figure in the pop culture zeitgeist.
Timed to Women’s History Month, this project sheds light on Shelley’s upbringing and does not shy away from her strained marriage to Percy Shelley which was colored by tragedy, multiple miscarriages and poverty. That said, it focuses predominantly on her creative conception of the seminal work, even featuring the monster himself as a recurring character in the graphic novel as seen in the below preview pages.
Years in the making, the campaign is set to go live on Kickstarter on March 25, as a quieter, yet triumphant finale to this past year’s mania catalyzed by Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride.
