On Monday, publishing veteran Steve Dye launched a crowdfunding campaign for ROK!T, a new physical magazine that focuses on the biggest names and news on the ComicsGate* side of independent comics.

Wait a second…

Yeah, we’re doing a write-up on what is technically a competing platform. We’ll be sure to keep this super objective.** Trust me!

Dye conceived ROK!T as a vehicle (get it?) to promote current and upcoming ComicsGate projects. Unlike The Splintering (which is 100% free *cough!*), Dye expects you to pay money for his 120-pages of news, interviews, and commentary. Of course, ROK!T’s key feature is that it is a collectible physical magazine (that kills trees!) that you can hold – tangibly – in the palm of your hand.

Here’s the official pitch taken from the ROK!T Indiegogo campaign page:

Inspired in part by mainstream comics magazines of days gone by, but moreover by the influx of talent, creativity, and ambition being launched in a new era of crowdfunding, ROK!T’s mission is to add fuel to the fire of current and upcoming independent comics and graphic novels.

Although some would say the time for magazines has passed, I maintain otherwise. While the internet may have replaced the information model periodicals once provided, it has in no way supplanted the satisfaction of a physical product. A full sized magazine features graphic design elements and expanded content forestalled when designing a page intended to be viewed on a phone. Just as we want our comics in physical form, I suspect that others, like me, would prefer their comics magazine designed and physically printed in full glossy gate-fold color to better feature the myriad creators within.

ROK!T is a full-sized magazine currently earmarked at 120 pages. The design and content is complete. Given a strong enough reception, additional project profiles from Comicsgate creators may be added to the page count.

• ORBIT: Feature length interviews with Art Thibert, Jon Malin, Donal Delay, Eric Weathers — and a semi-drunken yet still quite deep conversation with Cecil, hazily transcribed from memory after enduring a long night at nondescript and undisclosed beachside locations.

• COMICSPACE: Writer/artist profiles with sequential art previews and excerpts showcasing current and upcoming campaigns from creators including but not limited to E.J. Morges, Narwhal, Chimera, the Diaz Bros., Vault Kobold, Simon SIM Pothier, and more.

• FLIGHT PLAN: Ground level 101 tutorials with Eric Weathers, Phillip Diaz… and Drawing Dames with Doodlebags? Yes!

• LIFT OFF: Narwhal’s lifestyle advice? Yes!

• SuperFan Art.

And more!

The magazine will go to print immediately after the initial funding period closes and be delivered to all backers as quickly as possible. All high gloss printed products will be shipped in a secure Gemini mailer.

Backers can get their own copy of ROK!T for $20. If you have more money to spend, you can also pick up a ROK!T poster, t-shirt, and badge kit. It is also worth noting that there is an additional shipping charge starting at $10 for those in the United States.

Remember, if you’re looking for the latest, pithiest and punchiest news, reviews and interviews from the indie comics scene, keep reading The Splintering. But if you’re looking for two sources of independent comic book coverage, you can check out the ROK!T Indiegogo campaign page here.

*Note: We define “ComicsGate” as a loosely-knit network of comic book creators and consumers disillusioned with plummeting traditional comic book sales and concerns of political/ideological encroachment into the professional practices of the comics industry.

**Double Note: In all seriousness, we wish Steve Dye the best with the ROK!T campaign and hope that our tongue-in-cheek sarcasm was 100% clear.

Thanks for reading!

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