Fund Me, KC: ‘Black Spartans’ returns with supernatural new chapter, summer crowdfunding push
June 28, 2022 | Startland News Staff
Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for business owners and innovators — like Brandon Calloway’s third installment of the “Black Spartans” series — to share their crowdfunding stories and potentially gain backing from new supporters.
Who are you?
My name is Brandon Calloway and I am the founder and lead writer at Darkmoon Comics. We are a publisher of independent comics, based in Kansas City. In just under two years, we have managed to fund and publish three books, build a team of writers and artists, and begin production on six more titles.
Click here to purchase copies of available, already-published Darkmoon Comics or to learn more about the publication.
What does your campaign hope to accomplish?
We are gearing up for the release of the third installment of our flagship title, “Black Spartans.” It is a story about a world filled with monsters, demons, mythical creatures, and the “Hunters” that get paid to travel and slay them for a living. It is an adventure-based story that touches heavily on the themes of friendship and resilience.
What’s your ‘why’?
The team at Darkmoon Comics are avid fans of comics, anime, and manga. They put their heart and soul into mixing compelling stories with in-depth world-building and action. You can guarantee that “Black Spartans” is a series that continues to have the highest quality in all three areas.
Click here to learn more about “Black Spartans” and its effort to normalize Blackness in mainstream comics.
How much do you hope to raise with the crowdfunding campaign?
The campaign launches July 29, with a goal to raise $1,200 to get the comic printed and shipped.
Darkmoon Comics first launched back in October 2020 and has now reached a point where we are able to publish multiple titles with a team of artists and writers. All the previous books were successfully funded through prior crowdfunding campaigns.
Click here to follow Darkmoon Comics on Facebook or here to follow on Instagram.
Anything else our readers should know about Darkmoon Comics or this effort?
For the third-issue Kickstarter, readers will have the choice of various rewards, including prior issues of “Black Spartans,” a variant cover for the third issue, Darkmoon Comics merchandise, and a chance to be drawn as a character in the book.
Click here to be notified when Darkmoon Comics’ crowdfunding campaign for “Black Spartans Chapter Three” officially launches.
View this post on Instagram
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business

2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Smart city leader: Can technology predict deadly shooters before it’s too late?
A smart city is a safe city, Herb Sih said. And technology can help. “If you don’t have safety, you don’t have anything,” said Sih, managing partner at Think Big Partners, one of the key collaborators in Kansas City’s $15.7 million public-private Smart City initiative. Having grown up in St. Louis, Sih said he has…
T-shirt printer GOEX hopes to clad workers in dignity
A Kansas City T-shirt screen printer has a lofty mission: Turn local purchases into global impact. “Your dollar has value in how it’s treating others across the world,” said Ryan Hudnall, engagement director at the Global Orphan Project. Tucked away near Wyandotte and 31st streets, GOEX serves as an offshoot of the Global Orphan Project,…
Looping back? Missouri partners with Hyperloop to study 23-minute KC-St Louis route
Missouri’s prospects for landing a Hyperloop route apparently aren’t off the rails after all. Despite the company revealing four U.S. finalist routes in September — which did not include a proposed route through the Show Me State – Hyperloop One announced Tuesday it has entered into a public-private partnership with the State of Missouri to conduct…
Techstars Spotlight: GRIT Virtual builds 3-D tech into 2-D construction mindset
3-D should stay 3-D, said Chris Callen, CEO of GRIT Virtual. And with the rise of virtual reality and augmented reality technology, that philosophy can be applied to the construction of 3-D buildings, Callen said. Wichita-based GRIT Virtual is a software-as-a-service platform for large contractors. It uses VR software to streamline the workflow for construction…




