Stripped: The Final Push

Because some of you might be tired of hearing about the Schlock Mercenary Challenge Coin Kickstarter, and because I feel a distinct need to pay forward some of the love you've shown me, there's another project I'd like to call your attention to.

Stripped is a documentary from Fred Schroeder and Dave Kellett. It covers comic strips, and very thoroughly explores the state of the industry today, a state which is at least in part defined by the disruption of the world of print by the increased consumption of online media. It's full of great interviews (including one with me) and I've just learned that the legendary-and-legendarily-reclusive Bill Watterson even recorded a voice-only interview.

Dave and Fred ran a Kickstarter a couple of years ago to finish production, but they recently ran into a snag. Some of the footage necessary to tell the story properly has to be licensed, and some of the license-holders want big, fat, four-figure checks. If you check out the project page you can see exactly what they're going to be spending this round of funding on. 

Look at the page, play the video samples there, and decide for yourselves. I've pledged $100 to the project, not because I desperately want the ebooks or the poster (I will happily accept both!) but because I want the project to succeed. I believe "Stripped" is the single most important piece of reporting, writing, or documenting my industry has ever seen, or will ever see. If anything "better" is ever made, it will be made about the industry mine evolves into, and it will be completely different.