Everyone loves comic strips. And that’s probably a good thing because they permeate much of our popular culture. Whether you read them in the daily newspaper, as a web comic, or see them shared on Facebook, comic strips are hard to avoid.

I love comics and have since an early age. I remember laughing hysterically at collections of Garfield comics in elementary school. This fascination with comic strips and cartooning has stayed with me my entire life. When a film documentary on the subject hit Kickstarter, I jumped at the chance to become involved. I plunked down 20 bucks and waited.

Fast forward exactly a year and the Stripped movie was placed into my hands. Well, placed in my digital inbox to be exact.
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I enjoy Kickstarter. I take pride in helping subsidize others’ creative goals. It’s even more satisfying when the project closely aligns with my interests and I get a little something in return for my contribution. I’m not rich, mind you—far from it. We’re talking less than $75 with an average of around $10 per project.

I joined the crowd-sourcing website back in early 2010. The first project I backed was Dear Mr. Watterson, a promised “cinematic exploration of Calvin & Hobbes.” I’ve been a huge fan of Bill Watterson’s comic, and newspaper comics in general, for as long as I can remember. The film seemed a worthy first choice to support.

Kickstarter was relatively new when I joined so I didn’t know the negatives inherent to the site. When I contributed to Dear Mr. Watterson, I had no idea I would have to wait nearly three and a half years to see the end product. I pledged my money on Jan. 11, 2010 and finally received a Blu-ray copy of the film in the mail on June 15, 2013. Kickstarter certainly isn’t for people expecting instant gratification.
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For a big portion of my life I’ve called myself an “aspiring cartoonist.” Since I was very young I’ve had a fascination with comic strips and comic books. I’ve drawn cartoons for my family and friends over the years. I was even a cartoonist for my tiny college newspaper. Motivation and a plan of action are the only things that have kept the word “aspiring” in my self-appointed title.

The Kickstarter-funded documentary Stripped looks to have the game plan I’ve been searching for. Cartoonist and filmmaker Dave Kellett is directing this self-proclaimed “love letter to comic strips.” It steps inside the business of drawing pictures for an audience. The 8-bit infused trailer grabbed me hook, line, and sinker. Needless to say I contributed to this project as it enters its final push toward completion.
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