Rat Park: comic about psychology

A$6,050
of $6,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 1st Nov 2012 at 1:00AM.
Why is Australian cartoonist Stuart McMillen inside a box?

Known for his unique comics on science, society and the environment, Australian cartoonist Stuart McMillen is embracing crowdfunding to finance his December 2012 comic ‘Rat Park’.

What will the comic be about?
Broadly speaking, ‘Rat Park’ will be about drug addiction in society. But like all of Stuart McMillen's comics, there are many layers to the onion.

The comic will be both similar to, and different from the current stuartmcmillen.com archive, with Stuart describing it as "War on Drugs meets St Matthew Island meets Supernormal Stimuli".

Supporters will receive tantalising snippets of information about the comic ahead of its release to stuartmcmillen.com in December 2012.

Why $6,000?
This sum of money will cover my living expenses for the two months it will take me to research, write, draw, colour and release the comic.

This sum also covers my budgeted expenses for printing, packing and sending the rewards to my supporters. I have tried hard to make sure there are valuable rewards available to suit supporters of all budgets.

If I don't meet the AUD $6,000 target needed to fund the comic, the project does not succeed. No credit cards get charged, none of the rewards get made, and the comic does not get made.

What kinds of rewards are available to project supporters?
Helping a thought-provoking cartoonist share his ideas with the world is rewarding enough, but supporters will receive much more than that.

The right-hand column of this page lists available combinations of the following rewards:
Printed items
• printed copies of both ‘War on Drugs’ and ‘Rat Park’
• hand-written postcards from the artist mailed to your house (featuring exclusive Stuart McMillen artwork, unreleased to the internet)
• packs of blank greeting cards featuring artwork from 'St Matthew Island' (could be an interesting contrast to Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer cards at Christmas time...)
Clothing
• t-shirts featuring Stuart's artwork entitled 'Lungs of the Earth'
Posters/wall prints
• high quality A1 wall prints of the urban/nature cityscape scene from 'Thin Air'. This futuristic scene is printed on HQ 200gsm photosatin paper and measures 594 × 841 mm.
• high quality A2 wall prints of the cover to the Stuart McMillen comic 'War on Drugs'. Featuring Milton Friedman and Al Capone in a Chicago alleyway, this scene is printed on HQ 200gsm photosatin paper, and measures 420 × 594 mm. This print is signed by the artist, and limited to 50 copies ever!
Custom artwork
• custom artwork drawn for you in Stuart McMillen's distinctive style (supporter to liaise directly with Stuart when the artwork is being created). The supporter will be mailed a professionally printed copy of the artwork (A2 size on photosatin paper), plus digital files, and Stuart will fully sign over copyright of the art to the supporter
• a week's collaboration with Stuart - remotely, or via face-to-face communications. Stuart will work with you to turn your comic art project into reality - a collaboration process similar to the development of 'Metaphors' with Dr Nick Barter (Griffith Business School).
Beyond this, all supporters over AUD $5 will receive high-resolution PDF downloads of the comic when it is released in December 2012.

Why should I support this crowdfunding project?
You are reading this page because you are a supporter of Stuart McMillen. Through the unconventional format of comic art, Stuart cuts a unique path through the issues of our world. The comics are drawn from Stuart's personal insights, yet always respect the reader enough to let them draw their own conclusions.

By investing in the project you are investing in Stuart as an independent cartoonist - an independent voice sharing his perspectives with the world.

Importantly, this project helps fund new work, ensuring the Stuart McMillen back-catalogue keeps growing, and the visual/storytelling style of Stuart's comics keeps evolving.

'Work in progress' look at a page from the Rat Park storyboards:

Rat Park page 3 storyboard

Stuart will buy and eat a carrot for you!<br /><br />All carrots will be purchased from local, seasonal organic farmers - via <a href="http://brisbane.foodconnect.com.au/">Food Connect.</a><br /><br />Limited to 200 subscribers to minimise risk of carotenosis (&#946;-Carotene overdose).

1 chosen / 199 available

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 1: 'The digital edition'</b> Hey, thanks for supporting this fund-raising drive! You will receive:<br /><br/>High quality, DRM-free PDF copies of <i>War on Drugs</i> and <i>Rat Park</i> (download code sent December 2012 upon release of <i>Rat Park</i>).

25 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 2: 'Printed comics'</b><br />Get the satisfaction of touching the comic you helped fund. You will receive:<br /><br />PDF downloads, plus printed copies of <i>War on Drugs</i> and <i>Rat Park</i> (saddle-stitched, full bleed A5 booklets posted December 2012).<br /><br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $1.50</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $6.50</b> (outside Australia).

42 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 3: 'Wish you were here (in the cartoon studio)'</b><br />For those who miss the days of handwritten postcards. Also for philatelists interested in Australian postage stamps! You will receive:<br /><br />All of the above rewards, plus a handwritten postcard from the artist featuring exclusive Stuart McMillen artwork.<br /><br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $2.00</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $6.50</b> (outside Australia).

12 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 4: 'Greetings from St Matthew Island'</b><br />Christmas is just around the corner. Stand out from the crowd of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' cards, with this '<a href="http://www.stuartmcmillen.com/comics_en/st-matthew-island/">St Matthew Island</a> cover' design! You will receive:<br /><br />All of the above rewards, plus a pack of 9 blank 'St Matthew Island reindeer' greeting cards.<br /><br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $4.00</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $9.00</b> (outside Australia).

13 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 5: 'Super supporter the signature edition'</b><br />For those with a black sense of humour, this pack includes a second batch of St Matthew Island reindeer cards...with artwork featuring a reindeer skull. Naughty! You will receive:<br /><br/>All of the above rewards + signatures from Stuart + a second batch of greeting cards (different artwork to the first batch) + signed card.<br /><br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $4.50</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $17.00</b> (outside Australia).

2 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 6: 'Fashion victim or fashion slave?'</b> This is your chance to own a limited Stuart McMillen-designed t-shirt called 'Lungs of the Earth'. You will receive: All of the above rewards plus a t-shirt and certificate of authenticity from <a href="http://www.madeinthenow.com/">Made in the Now</a>. Stuart will contact you to determine size info. Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $14.00</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $31.50</b> (outside Australia).

6 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 7: 'OK, I get it! You really love my cartoons!'</b><br />These super-generous fans of Stuart McMillen's comics will get hand-inked cartoons. You will receive:<br /><br />All of the above rewards, except I'll draw cartoons in your greeting card in addition to writing you a letter!<br /><br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $14.00</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $31.50</b> (outside Australia).

2 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 8: 'Something to hang on the wall'</b><br />Got a blank space on your wall? Here is some gorgeous comic artwork to fill it. You will receive:<br /><br />All of the above rewards, plus a poster print of the 'urban/nature' panorama from <i>Thin Air</i>: Stuart McMillen's futuristic eucalyptus forest/city skyline mashup. Printed on high quality 200gsm photosatin paper at A1 size (594 × 841 mm).<br /><br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $22.50</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $47.50</b> (outside Australia).

1 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 9: 'Fanatical supporter (or art collector)'</b><br />A huge injection of funds to support the <i>Rat Park</i> comic! You will receive:<br /><br />All of the above rewards, plus a signed + numbered limited <i>War on Drugs</i> wall print on high quality A2 200gsm photosatin paper (420 × 594 mm). This print of Milton Friedman and Al Capone in a Chicago alleyway is <b>limited to 50 copies ever</b>.<br /> <br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $22.50</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $47.50</b> (outside Australia).

1 chosen / 49 available

Est. delivery is Dec 12

<b>Pack 10: 'Custom artwork: the McMillen treatment'</b><br />The 'angel fans' of my comics deserve custom artwork! You will receive:<br /><br />Same as Pack 9, plus custom digital artwork created for you by Stuart McMillen.<br /><br />My pen will draw your cartoon ideas. (Level of detail similar to, say, the 'War on Drugs' cover...about 15 hours work). Digital files emailed + HQ A2 print posted to supporter.<br /><br />Please add extra for postage: <b>AUD $22.50</b> (within Australia) or <b>AUD $47.50</b> (outside Australia).

0 chosen / 5 available

Est. delivery is Jan 13

<b>Pack 11: 'Collaborator for a week'</b><br />For a very special person, business or community group with a big idea they want to get the 'Stuart McMillen treatment'.<br /><br />Same as Pack 9, plus 1 week of extensive artwork collaboration: Stuart will dedicate 5 x 8 hour days to the supporter.<br /><br />Let's create unique comic art together! A collaboration similar to <i><a href="http://www.stuartmcmillen.com/comics_en/metaphors/">Metaphors</a></i> with Dr Nick Barter (Griffith Uni).<br /><br />Limited to 1 supporter.

0 chosen / 1 available

Est. delivery is Feb 13

<b>Pack 12: 'Collaborator for a week...in your office'</b><br /><br />Same as Pack 12, except Stuart will travel to meet and work with you for a week!<br /><br />Face-to-face collaboration with Stuart will create ultra-original comic art. (Extra work needed for Pack 11 or 12 projects beyond the 5 days will be quoted once full scope known).<br /><br />Limited to 1 supporter.<br /><br />Includes Stuart's travelling/lodging expenses within Australia (international backers: contact Stuart to discuss logistics if you are interested).

0 chosen / 1 available

Est. delivery is Feb 13