Tag Archives: zoop

The 2026 Eisner Nominations Includes the First Work Featuring AI?

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The nominees for the 2026 Eisner awards were announced today and with it some controversy. We’re not talking the usual frustration with who was chosen and who was omitted. This year’s nominees includes what might be the first inclusion of work featuring AI.

Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology was nominated this year under “Best Anthology.” Managed by Van Jensen, the anthology was backed with an impressive amount of talent and raised over $39,000 from 614 supporters on the Zoop crowdfunding platform.

One of those who contributed was Michael Todasco using his “AI persona,” Alex Irons for an included page. Todasco seemed to have boasted of the inclusion on LinkedIn and you can see his page further below.

My AI persona, Alex Irons, is being published in a new comic book compilation starring the 1940s, public domain superhero, Stardust the Super Wizard. I trained a model on the original Fletcher Hanks artwork and story structure, and the AI generated the published tale. However, don't buy it for that reason. There are 139 pages of insanely talented human creators who fill the rest of the book, including legends like Mike Allred. A couple of days remain to pre-order a copy.

The inclusion of the AI generated story wasn’t disclosed in the original campaign and Todasco nor “Alex Irons” are mentioned on the campaign page but are in the table of content in a story unironically called, “Artificial.”

When it comes to the use of AI in Eisner submissions, we can’t find anything that prohibits it. The FAQ and “call for entries” don’t mention the topic. We’ve reached out to the team for any clarification and will update this article when/if we hear back. The eligibility is rather simple:

Eligibility: Any comic, graphic novel/album, or comics-related periodical/book shipped to retailers or bookstores or first made available online in the U.S. between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 is eligible. Publications must not be more than 50 percent reprint material (except in the graphic album– reprint and archival categories); international material published for the first time in English the United States in 2025 is eligible.

So, congrats to whatever system that was trained on the hard work of Fletcher Hanks and your Eisner nomination!

Below is the page in question.

Stardust AI page

Free For All pits the ultra rich against each other in gladiator battles to the death

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In the future, the World Finance League exists to benefit all, randomly choosing those from among the billionaires and trillionaires of the world and presenting them with a choice: either donate half of their assets to the common good-or defend them in ritual combat. Reigning champion and real estate magnate Ted Brooks has 22 victories under his belt-defending the wealth he schemed and stabbed to get-when he is forced to face his ex-wife, Luella Dominguez, in a fight to the death. Luella has been training, waiting for this moment. But will she have what it takes to defeat the man who would do anything-absolutely anything-to keep his fortune? It’s every shareholder for themselves when death and bankruptcy collide.

Story: Patrick Horvath
Art: Patrick Horvath

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
TFAW
Kindle

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Free For All pits the ultra rich against each other in gladiator battles to the death

Posted on by

In the future, the World Finance League exists to benefit all, randomly choosing those from among the billionaires and trillionaires of the world and presenting them with a choice: either donate half of their assets to the common good-or defend them in ritual combat. Reigning champion and real estate magnate Ted Brooks has 22 victories under his belt-defending the wealth he schemed and stabbed to get-when he is forced to face his ex-wife, Luella Dominguez, in a fight to the death. Luella has been training, waiting for this moment. But will she have what it takes to defeat the man who would do anything-absolutely anything-to keep his fortune? It’s every shareholder for themselves when death and bankruptcy collide.

Story: Patrick Horvath
Art: Patrick Horvath

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

TFAW

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Is Oni Press teasing Patrick Horvath’s Free For All?

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Patrick Horvath is a hot creator with Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees getting praised and receiving award recognition. That series will be getting a follow up through IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW Dark, but today Oni Press has teased something else from Horvath.

Coming March 2025 and with the text “In the future, the only thing left to fight for is yourself,” Oni released the below image. Could this be Horvath’s recently crowdfunded Free For All?

Funded through Zoop, that graphic novella’s description:

Welcome to the future. The world is at peace and thriving. Housing, food, education, healthcare… all of the basic requirements for living are now provided for by the World Finance League, and it’s all funded by a lottery. Wealthy citizens of the world are picked at random and given the choice to either donate half of their assets for the greater good of the world, or fight to the death to keep it all. Among these trillionaire gladiators, two former lovers square off in this global arena to settle their differences once and for all.

Regardless of who lives or dies, we all win.

Both mention the “future,” so good chance it’s the same comic… That would make another comic funded through Zoop coming to a major publisher and would also mean the Zoop edition could be extra sought after by collectors.

Patrick Horvath teaser

Disclosure: Brett is a Zoop team member and has equity in the company.

Crowdfunding Corner: “Sway” Presents Swayonce: The Mini Artbook by SWAYART

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.

Swayonce: The Mini Artbook by SWAYART

There may not be a hotter cover artist working in the industry today. For the past year or two, one artist has lit the space on fire, that being Joshua “Sway” Swaby. Having handled variant cover duties several times in short order for each of the Big 2 publishers, Sway is now taking matters into his own hands with Swayonce. The campaign for this project is now crowdfunding on Zoop!

Sway may seem like an overnight sensation, but he’s been working hard for a long time before he broke into doing covers for the Big 2. Now, with this hardcover artbook release, Sway gets to show off his passion for music, fashion, comics and more with a series of images designed to elicit feelings of joy, entertainment, sexuality, love and acceptance. 

Supporter rewards include the hardcover edition of the book which shows process art, digital and traditional art from Sway, signed editions, remarqued copies, and even original art. There may even be some other goodies that are familiar to eagle eyed collectors!

The campaign for Swayonce runs through early July.

Crowdfunding Corner: Jimmy Broxton’s Fully Loaded, his first ever full length creator owned graphic novel

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.

Fully Loaded

Jimmy Broxton, one of the pre-eminent British comic artists of our time, is launching his first crowdfunding campaign today for his first full length creator owned graphic novel, Fully Loaded on the Zoop crowdfunding platform.  The book is a 100-page deluxe softcover, written and drawn by Broxton, available exclusively on Zoop by Broxton’s new publishing line, Verity Comics.

The book is a Neo-noir, Cyberpunk crime thriller in the vein of  Blade Runner and Sin City.  It’s not hyperbole to say that this art is some of the best comic artwork that is on the market today.  Art to die for, a story to kill for, and a shattering finale you wouldn’t see coming in a 100 years.

Would you choose to live forever in a future where everything that’s cruel, criminal and corrupt is the order of the day?

Carson Blake certainly didn’t.

A former special forces operative turned gun for hire is lured out of retirement to save the family of a man who once saved his life. He must face his own demons as well as those around him as he’s drawn into a brutal web of deceit and betrayal, where the worst excesses of human greed and desire extend from the darkest alleys to the glittering palaces of the authoritarian elite.

It’s 2065, Carson Blake is 100 years old, fully loaded, and tired of asking nicely.

Crowdfunding Corner: Zoop launches its own equity crowdfunding campaign

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.

Des Taylor variant cover

Crowdfunding is an ever growing market that has seen consistent year over year growth. For creators of all kinds, crowdfunding has become their primary channel for bringing their work to the world. On the front lines of this growth industry is the crowdfunding platform Zoop, which has launched a different type of crowdfunding campaign.  

As a way to raise capital for the growth and expansion of their company, Zoop is offering comic fans, crowdfunding fans, collectors, investors and all those interested the opportunity to own a piece of the company through an equity crowdfunding campaign.

As opposed to rewards-based crowdfunding, where a backer is supporting the creation of a single project, equity crowdfunding provides working capital to a company, in exchange for a piece of ownership. Backers become investors. And not only do they get to own a piece of Zoop, but there are other perks as well, such as exclusive limited edition comic books with multiple variant covers, and graded copies. The more a backer invests, the more copies they receive and the more rare the books become.

Crowdfunding Corner: Vault and Zoop team for Crowdbuilding. Get Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 for free!

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.

Barbaric "Join The Horde" Crowdbuilding Campaign

Vault and Zoop have partnered for a transformative new approach to fan engagement to celebrate the release of Barbaric: Born In Blood #1, the newest arc of Vault’s smash hit Barbaric series. What Vault is calling its first ever Crowdbuilding Campaign™ is live.

Throughout the Barbaric “Join The Horde” Crowdbuilding Campaign™, fans will be able to get FREE early digital access to the full issue of Barbaric: Born In Blood #1, which introduces a twisted new villain and gives readers a glimpse into the secrets of Owen’s past.

As more fans join the Barbaric Horde, new treasures will be unlocked for everyone, including more digital comics, more exclusive behind-the-scenes art, and more goodies direct from creators Michael Moreci and Nathan Gooden. Not to mention, the first fans to join the Barbaric Horde get their pick of rewards from the Vault library and access to a limited number of special early-bird gifts (see the “Horde Rewards” section for more details). Further, fans will be able to preorder other special exclusive covers, exclusive merchandise, and more. Last, to those barbarians with the most refined tastes, Vault will offer limited exclusive covers, exclusive merchandise, and more, available first through the Crowdbuilding Campaign™ on Zoop. These rewards will never be produced again; once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

Unlike a traditional crowdfunding campaign, a Crowdbuilding Campaign™ isn’t about  funding, it’s about fandom. The goal of a Crowdbuilding Campaign™ is to bring together a league of both existing superfans and new fans, to give them unimpeded access to both free and premium rewards, and to create a path for greater fan excitement to unlock greater fan rewards.

The completion and distribution of Barbaric: Born In Blood #1 is not tied to the success of the Barbaric “Join The Horde” Crowdbuilding Campaign™; the book is already complete and ready to share with readers. There is no funding goal. It’s this simple: as more fans show up, more exciting rewards will be unlocked.

Crowdfunding Corner: The Art of Chad Hardin Vol. 4 is now live on Zoop

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team

The Art Of Chad Hardin, Volume 4

One of comics most popular artists Chad Hardin is making his Zoop debut with The Art Of Chad Hardin, Volume 4. The first 3 volumes were huge crowdfunding successes, and Hardin has made the jump to Zoop for the launch of the 4th installment.

The Art of Chad Hardin Volume 4 showcases some of the best published and unpublished art from the celebrated Marvel cover artist and DC Comics talent. This new art book installment continues the visual journey through his career containing some of your favorite art from publishers like Marvel, DC, Coffin Comics, Counterpoint Comics, Paperfilms, and many more.

Explore the depths of his creative mind through exclusive glimpses into his creator-owned projects: The Hunters, and Death Watch. This volume offers an insider’s look at behind-the-scenes magic, showcasing private commissions, and unveiling the meticulous process from concept to completion. Witness first hand the evolution of Hardin’s masterful craftsmanship in this must-have collection for comic art aficionados and aspiring artists alike. There are early bird specials, freebies, and opportunities for original art by Hardin himself.

Crowdfunding Corner: Inkwell Award Winning artist Nir Levie launches his first crowdfunding campaign

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.

Age of Canaab

Award Winning Artist Nir Levie, considered by followers of his a prodigy, is launching his first crowdfunding campaign today for his full length creator owned graphic novel, Age of Canaan on the Zoop crowdfunding platform.  The book is a 160-page softcover, written and drawn by Levie, available exclusively on Zoop.

Embark on a thrilling adventure with the Ancient gods of Canaan in a dynamic fantasy graphic novel interweaving five tales from the 13th century BC Ugaritic chronicles. From epic battles mirroring the seasons to tragic vengeance and divine conflicts, each story unfolds in a captivating tapestry of action. The collection concludes with a mesmerizing love song, using the oldest surviving written melody to poignantly capture the beauty of nature and love through vivid, action-packed imagery. Join us on this mythical journey by supporting the project – where gods clash, heroes rise, and epic tales await.

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