To tackle the next book and continue this saga through to completion, I'll need funding. I'm under no pretense that FERAL exists because of its fans, so I strive to give them something fantastic and fresh in the world of furry comics.

What I am asking for in this campaign is the basic funding for the majority of the costs involved with self publishing. This includes printing costs, advertising and programs/ equipment. I've enlisted Taala to help speed up the shading process (as she helped on the first book), but she also needs to live, thus I am paying for her time. On top of that, some of the higher tier perks are being coloured externally by Neko-Maya, the same one who coloured both the current and previous front covers of FERAL.

Since the last comic was a decent success (sold around 30 of the 50 I took to Confuzzled, and orders still coming in), the funding goal has been reduced drastically, compared the last two campaigns. However, because most of my current money is going on moving out fairly soon, I have decided to get the essentials using public funding. Also I am sticking with a fixed funding option so Paypal doesn't rinse it horribly (meaning less of your money is wasted because of Paypal taxing each payment that comes in individually).

Estimated costs of each item are as follows - 

• Manga Studio EX5 (needed for its specific comic creation tools to speed up the creation process) - $110
• A new external Hard Drive (my current one is slow, nearing capacity and very old. This is to ensure that things don't go horribly wrong, incase my computer explodes) - $100+
• Printing costs (self explanatory really. Will be going with the same printers as before, since their service was awesome) - $450-500
• Merchandise creation (all the awesome little collectables like postcards, posters and whatnot, as well as advertising space and stuff) - $250 - 350
• Paid help (my shader, Taala, is still in essence my employee, so I will need to allocate suitable wages for her work. I am also collaborating with other artists to make the top tier perks even better, so think of it as you're also paying THEM for incredible results!) - $400-500
• General costs (postage, travel etc etc) - $100

This time around, I'm going to be creating something more personal that you can touch. All $100 perks will be turned into physical badges, so you can literally wear your badassery. They will still be featured in the book, placed in the crowds and such, making your character a living, breathing part of the FERAL world.

It has to be known that you don't NEED to be a furry to enjoy this. Humans, though rare, are welcome in this world and are seen as no different (since my roots are in manga, I have the skills to draw human characters).

Check the Gallery to see other examples of perk commissions from the last campaign!

When I completed the first book, I felt myself become stronger and smarter. However, this knowledge and experience brought many unseen hurdles into view, thus even with my sudden boost of passion, I tread more warily this time.

Of the many problems that a self employed freelance comic artist encounters, here are the ones that are most dangerous...

• Funding not reaching its goal - The worst case scenario with this is that the comic is severely delayed. Since I opted for fixed funding this time around to maximise backing funds, it also means I could get literally nothing at all. This in turn means that I will need to look for other ways to get the money to do everything, mostly by doing other art, meaning the comic is put on the backburner for a few months (or maybe more...).
• Not finishing by the deadline - Well, I've made a grand promise to complete this by the end of May. I am fully capable of doing this, now I have real help to take load off my shoulders. To help speed things up, I am streamlining the creation process using Manga Studio, which allows me to see a constant PDF view of my comic, meaning I can plan ahead with double page spreads and the such, eliminating guess work and also discarding the need for outsourcing the print PDF creation.
• Unforeseen computer and hardware problems - My computer is pretty old, my Wacom tablet even older. Both have run at a consistently good click since I got them early 2008 - 2009, what with near constant use and abuse. However just because nothing IS wrong doesn't mean something CAN'T go wrong. All of FERAL is created digitally, and as such if one piece of hardware dies, the project is brought to a grinding halt. With the new hard drive, I can ensure that the project itself is spared in the unlikely event of the death of my computer, and my current model of tablet is cheap to replace. I have prepared for the worst, and like above, the worst thing that will happen are severe delays.

Not all of you are capable of putting cash into the campaign and there's nothing wrong with that at all! Sometimes, recognition and exposure trumps funding, so why not give us a like on Facebook, follow on Twitter, bookmark the Main Website and tell all your friends and family!

Also, there is also an option to save on the digital copy of the first book by sharing on social networking. Simply go to the payhip site and click on the sharing button (below the buy button) to get a cool discount!

Also, totally check out the other artists who contribute their time to my project, like Neko-Maya and Taala, since they deserve special mention for being awesome and mega talented in their own right!

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So that's it. Thankyou for taking the time to look over, consider and contribute to one of the most passionate projects I've ever created, one that will continue on to an awesome final conclusion.