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Pushing the release date for From Parts Unknown #4 ended up being a smart thing to do. Not only does it allow me a little more time to prepare the whole campaign, something I didn’t do for the topic of today’s post-mortem, but it also allows us to really review the results of From Parts Unknown #3.
Though I wished it had done better, in spite of all the mistakes I made, it served its purpose in teaching me a lot of lessons that should make the final entry a lot more successful next week. (I hope, at least.)
I’m not going to do the usual worklog updates as this entry will be long enough. I didn’t get too much done as I’m still catching up from last weekend's trip to the East Coast, but I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things.
I’m not just reviewing From Parts Unknown #3, but sharing tidbits about future plans and projects where it fits. Read on if you’re interested in what’s next.
But first, I have updates to share including a big milestone announcement..
Project Updates
Real quick, here are the updates:
From Parts Unknown #4 launches on July 2nd. That’s next week! We’ve crossed 100 followers and could use more. Follow the prelaunch page today!
Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 is available on KU from now through August.
40 incredible stories from 40 excellent authors - including yours truly.
The Call for Entries for Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 2 is now open! If you have a short story, under 5000 words, send it my way. You can find out more by clicking the link.
And now, let’s look back on From Parts Unknown #3.
Main Story
ComixLaunch Acknowledgment
Before I start, I always like to give credit to where this post-mortem came from.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of From Parts Unknown #3.
Funding
This was an interesting start to the campaign as the launch was nearly as successful as that of FPU1. I thought we’d hit same trajectory, but it turns out it was mostly returning backers picking up the next issue.
There was a fatal flaw to this entire launch, which I’ll get into later, but given that, it was surprising to see this strong a launch - and less so when it petered out.
As far as how FPU3 did relative to all Pesto Comics campaigns, it remains in the pack with the rest of the series. Even though it shed a handful of backers from Issue 1, it has still maintained a decent pace overall.
Where FPU3 really lagged was in the total funding raised. I had a feeling we might run into problems, given the general lack of enthusiasm for FPU2, so I kept the goal artificially low. It doubled the funding goal very quickly, but was well shy of the heights FPU1 and FPU2 had hit.
Aside from the % of funding goal metric, which is artificially higher as the previous two entries had double the goal, all other metrics were lower. Fewer backers pledging less per backer found us falling to #6 of 8 campaigns we’ve launched. That fatal flaw hit hard (again, sharing that shortly).
The pledge levels followed suit for the 1 and 2 as they do on nearly every Pesto Comics campaign. Digital is always popular, given the price tag, and the main cover usually comes out as a big draw. This time, the third most popular pledge-level wasn’t a bundle, but the Versus variant by long-time Pesto collaborator, Riccardo Faccini. (We’ll be working together on a lot more soon!)
The average pledged per backer was lower than FPU2, but still remained much higher than FPU1. The handful of “all 3 cover” bundle sales likely contributed to this. The variant covers were strong performers this time out.
As always, paying Daniel and JP is majority of the budget. It’s money very well spent, but also illustrates the truth of indie comics: they’re very expensive.
Backers
I can deal with lower funding totals if we’re bringing new eyes into the series and Pesto Comics as a whole. That wasn’t the case here, though.
Even though FPU3 started a lot hotter than FPU2, it lost steam within a couple of days and never picked up again. There were also a couple negative days, which made the climb that much steeper. The campaign was shorter than the others, at just 23 days, but there were no bites with Late Pledges either.
Much like the funding totals, even though FPU3 underperformed, it stays pretty tight with the rest of the series. Naked Kaiju Woman continues to be the outlier.
As always, the USA provides the lion-share of the backers. Backers from my home country of Canada were cut in half this round, making it neck and neck with backers from Ireland (Thanks, JP and friends!) One package each went to the UK, Indonesia and New Zealand.
This campaign was, hand-down, the worst for bringing in new backers. I’ve never had a campaign at single digits for new backers before. There were a number of factors that contributed to this, even outside of the fatal flaw I’ll let you in on later, including it being a penultimate entry. Hopefully backers were simply waiting for the conclusion (launching new week!)
Shockingly, the follower count for FPU3 was the highest of the series. It feels like an even bigger kick in the pants that we weren’t able to convert more followers to backers given this.
As usual, digital copies outstriped physical, but the numbers of copies distributed were the second lowest of all time. Both versions just narrowly edged past the numbers of Unlimited Udo.
The most comforting metric was the amount of returning backers. People really seemed to enjoy Issue 1 enough to return. It’s a really big surprise given the fatal flaw…which I’ll tell you now.
FPU3 was launched before backers ever got to read FPU2.
That means the 55 returning backers here did it sight-unseen. That’s a lot of faith to put in an indie creator, and frankly, a lot of me to ask. I’ll get into this more later, but these 55 returnees warmed my heart more than anything upon reflection.
This is one of my favourite charts. Seeing that we were able to keep 22 backers on 3 campaigns means the series is doing its job. It also means more backers likely jumped on at Issue 2 - or have been backing for a lot longer. Either way, this is a huge motivation to keep going forward.
Marketing
Aside from the fatal flaw of launching FPU3 before anyone read FPU2, the other big misstep was sleeping on marketing entirely. I was so focused on the rapid release that I didn’t do nearly enough to get the word out about this campaign. Here are the numbers to prove it.
Kickstarter did most of the work for this campaign, letting previous backers know it’s time to back the new one. It’s not a surprise that an overwhelming amount of backers were returnees.
BlueSky continues to grow its influence. I’ve decided to put more time into Instagram and BlueSky alone - rather than trying to be everywhere at once. I’m hoping this renewed focus will draw even more backers in for FPU4 and beyond.
Backerkit Launch continues to be worth it. By its own metrics (which contradict the previous slide) it claims to have brought in about a third of backers. Would those backers have found the campaign otherwise - perhaps from the KS email that’s sent upon launch? Maybe, but right now it looks like BackerKit Launch still pulls its weight.
Reflecting on the Campaign
How do you feel now that the Kickstarter campaign is over?
Overall - I’m disappointed. The comic turned out pretty great and it’s the best entry yet (until the finale). I’m disappointed in myself for being more focused on the deadline I set for launching rather than waiting for it to be ready. I got caught up in the idea of rapid release and that hurt the campaign overall.
What was the high point of this campaign?
Day 1 was the only real high point of this campaign. It started really strong and felt like it might surpass the numbers of both Issues 1 & 2.
What was the low point of this campaign?
Day 23, or the last day, was very disappointing. Given the series-high follower count, I was expecting the conversions to save this campaign after all. Instead, the day was mostly silent. That continued beyond Day 23 as we got zero late pledges.
How are you different now that the campaign is over?
Though we funded, I can’t help but feel like this campaign was a bit of a failure. It’s the 6th best campaign of 8. As the 8th campaign, I’d hope to be in the top 2-3 but we got nowhere near it. That caused me to recalculate and really put more thought into how to launch From Parts Unknown #4, plus it influenced the decision to end the series on a double-issue versus a #5.
What surprised you the most about this campaign?
The utter lack of new backers. I really thought the higher follower count would be a good sign of new backers finding their way to it in the last 48 hours. Instead, those hours were quiet and disappointing like never before.
What’s your biggest concern now that the campaign is over?
That I have damaged the brand in some way. I’ve taken steps to recover, including delaying FPU4 and ensuring copies of FPU2 and FPU3 were in readers hands before launching. I just hope that was enough.
What worked really well during this campaign?
Kickstarter’s ability to reach former backers. Without much fanfare, FPU2 readers knew FPU3 was coming.
What might you do better next time?
Prepare. FPU4 will be a very different campaign. I have update strategies, social media strategies, reward strategies and more. I’m going to be on top of this campaign like I haven’t been since FPU1.
What did backers resonate with?
The variant covers! Riccardo Faccini always knocks it out of the park. He’s too good. He threatened to walk away from art at one point - and I’m so glad he hasn’t. I can’t wait to work with him again very soon.
Nate Walkington has an amazing style that worked so well, bringing a whole level of seriousness to Bruno and Pietro that never existed before. (Our next project is already in the works!)
What completely bombed?
The campaign. Plain and simple, although we funded, it could have gone so much better than it did.
What will you never do again?
Rapid release Kickstarters for the same series.
If all goes according to plan for the latter half of 2025, I won’t be slowing down the campaigns at all. I’m counting at least 5 more to come (3 comics, 2 novels).
The difference is, these aren’t all the same series. Backers will get a chance to enjoy the current installment before being expected to back the next one. It seems simple and like common sense, but that was in short supply in the face of my self-imposed deadline.
I’ll do better with FPU4 and onward.
Until next time…
What have you been reading?
Do you have anything you enjoy?
Anything you looking forward to reading this summer?
Where do you like to read?
Let me know in the comments.
Upcoming and More
Coming Up on the Substack
Wednesday July 2
Pesto Comics (Free)
The End: From Parts Unknown #4
Wrapping Up From Parts Unknown with a double-sized conclusion!
Saturday July 5
Pesto Comics (Paid)
The Canadian Comics Scene
Happy (belated) Canada Day!
Wednesday July 9
Pesto Comics (Free)
Artists I've Worked With
And a Guide on How to Find Work as an Artist
Upcoming Appearances
Release Calendar
Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast
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