An Epic Supernatural Smut Story, Two Mystery Projects, the Eagerly Anticipated Sequels to REAL HERO SHIT and TK Are Coming to Kickstarter in 2025
(January 27, 2025) Innovative, fiercely independent, eclectic, and often erotic, there’s no publishing slate as bold and brash than that of Iron Circus Comics. Founded by Spike Trotman in 2007, Iron Circus has been turning heads for over a decade, with its pioneering use of crowdfunding and a dynamic list of award-winning titles that includes singular storytelling from cartoonists like Tracey Butler and Kendra Wells and acclaimed anthologies including Smut Peddler and Cautionary Fables & Fairytales. Now Spike Trotman, editor Kel McDonald and Iron Circus Comics are back with a dynamic slate for 2025, beginning with THE UNSINKABLE SHIP OF FOOLS, a raunchy supernatural graphic novel by breakout artist Jonas Goonface, co-creator and artist of the brilliantly imaginative Godshaper.
“Oops, guess we’re trailblazin’ again!” said Iron Circus Founder Spike Trotman. “But yeah, why not? Let’s try something new. Our buddies at Kickstarter have decided to let us weird out a little, and we’re taking full advantage. Our primary focus has always been doing right by our creators, and maybe a longer runway will help!”
Pre-launch pages for the Iron Circus 2025 publishing slate are now live, including:
THE UNSINKABLE SHIP OF FOOLS by Jonas Goonface, featuring 250 pages of full color supernatural erotica, with explicit sex scenes, feral fantasies, and truly unique characters featuring a plethora of body types, genders, orientations and ethnicities rarely featured in erotic works.
RIGSBY WI: BURN IT DOWN, the second volume of S.E. Case’s acclaimed webcomic RIGSBY WI about the lives of a group of average teenagers in a small city in Northern Wisconsin.
REAL HERO SHIT: HARDER THAN IT LOOKS, the second volume of Kendra Wells’ uproarious, queer fantasy adventure REAL HERO SHIT about a mismatched group of adventurers: a demonic playboy prince, a stoic elf, a short-fused mage, and a compassionate cleric who are sworn to protect the innocent, fight injustice, and show off how cool they look. The campaign will launch in June, during Pride Month.
“Now that we’ve had a successful return to Kickstarter, Iron Circus can kick things into high gear,” said Iron Circus Editor Kel McDonald. “The 2025 line up really highlights Iron Circus’ dedication to showing off the strange and amazing.”
For updates, follow Iron Circus Comics on X, Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram.
About the publisher
C. Spike Trotman (she/her) – C. Spike Trotman was born in DC, raised in MD, and lives in IL. An artist and writer, she founded Iron Circus Comics in 2007, which has since grown to become the region’s largest comics publisher. Her notable work includes the webcomic “Templar, Arizona,” the Smut Peddler series of erotic comic anthologies, and Poorcraft, a graphic novel guide to frugal living. A Kickstarter early adopter, she pioneered the widely-adopted bonus model that’s since completely reshaped the pay system of the small press, jump-starting the current renaissance of alt-comics anthologies. Iron Circus is also the first comics publisher of note to fully incorporate crowdfunding into its business model, inventing one of the single most effective uses of new media in comics publishing today.
About the creators
S.E. Case is an illustrator, writer, and designer living in Southeastern Minnesota with her husband, daughter, and dog. She is best known for her webcomics, Cheap Thrills and Rigsby WI. She enjoys creating comics about average people, with a particular focus on realistic characters, facial expression, body language, character interaction, and rich environmental design. Rigsby WI is inspired in part by the people she has met and places she has lived in the upper midwest, including the Wisconsin Northwoods and Mississippi Driftless area.
Jonas Goonface (he/him): Fire to the prisons, phuck the police, draw porn and bang on the system till these hands fall off.
Kendra Wells is an illustrator, comic artist, colorist, and designer living in Brooklyn. Their previous work includes Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City and Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas and has appeared in places such as Critical Role, Collegehumor, MTV Networks, The Nib, Geek & Sundry, and Abrams Kids.