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Keep Staring - A Comic About Disabled Kids

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Who We Are and What We're Trying to Do

My name is Larime Taylor, and I'm a disabled comics creator. I published A VOICE IN THE DARK at Image/Top Cow back in 2012 to critical acclaim, having written, drawn, toned and lettered the entire comic myself by mouth on a monthly schedule without missing deadlines. 

When I first got into comics, I wanted to tell the kinds of stories I always liked. It took me a while to realize that most of those stories had no disabled characters, in large part because the ones I grew up on never did. I want to change that with KEEP STARING. I describe it as a 'kids-on-bikes' story like IT and STRANGER THINGS, if the kids were all disabled and several are POC and LGBT. It's going to be a YA/all ages book in the way that THE GOONIES, THE SANDLOT and LOST BOYS were YA/all ages - the kids cuss, they aren't all sweetness and sunshine, and real problems are faced. But in the end, hope wins.

I'm writing but not doing the art for it - I'm not the right artist, and I'm too close to it. I found a great artist, Jenny Odio from Costa Rica,  and we're developing it together along with my partner Sylv. It's about a teenage girl in high school with my disability & specific deformities. A lot of the story is based on things I went through as a disabled kid. But it's particularly personal to me because I'm embracing openly that I'm non-binary. In some ways, she's a version of me. We're making her Latinx as well, so Jenny can put a bit of herself in there too.

As we finish character designs and pages, we'll post some here and give updates on our progress so you can see the project grow and evolve with your support.

Wait, There's No Rewards? Is It Even Being Published?

Go Fund Me is for causes, not products. This is NOT a crowdfund to make the book, receive a finished copy, and so on. We aren't sure yet if we want to self-publish, get a publisher, put it out online, or some combination. This is to allow Jenny, Sylv and I to stop grinding away at daily, commercial art so we can put all of our time and focus into developing this project. Comics don't pay fast, and rarely pay well, so the goal is to set aside the day-jobs while we work on material and shop it around and look at self-publishing options, but anything we raise helps and lets us make this project happen.

Comics can also be a tough market, and this is not exactly a guaranteed monthly seller. We may find the best way to get the story out is as an OGN through a major book publisher. Or maybe it's best online as a web comic. We want this to be accessible to those who need and want it most, disabled people, so what is standard in the comics industry may not be best for us and this story. We just don't know yet, and that's why this is a GFM and not a KS.

However it's finally produced - and it WILL be - everyone who donated here WILL be given a chance to read at least the first issue/chapter/etc. in digital form online. We'll make sure you get a way to see some of it for free. 

Why It Matters

There's a 10 year-old girl I know named Jaylinn with my same disability, Arthrogryposis or AMC. She is a big part of why I want to do this. She should be able to read a comic book where the main character looks like her - I can't imagine what that would have been like for me growing up. ALL kids should have access to pop culture that reflects their lives, their experiences, and their dreams.

Organizer

Larime Taylor
Organizer
Paradise, NV

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