Instead of Giving Money to a Crusty Panhandling on the Corner, Give Money to a Kickstarter Campaign to Fund a Comic Book About Crusties Panhandling on the Corner (and other fun stuff!)

Otto Splotch, the maestro of whimsical comic sleaze behind such local gems as Quarter Vomit and Melted Shelter, whose work appears regularly in such prestigious publications as Antigravity magazine, has undertaken an ambitious effort to self-publish what will certainly become a contemporary classic: Stink Helmet. But he needs your help.

Splotch, a New Orleans native and graduate of NOCCA and Loyola University New Orleans who splits his time between Chicago and his hometown, is attempting to raise money to put out the work. As he explains in his Kickstarter video, your generous donations will help Splotch overcome a monumental gulf of time and energy (and, of course, money). Splotch aims to publish 1,000 copies of the 100-page book in time to premier it at this year’s Chicago Alternative Comic Expo (CAKE).

“If I publish the old way—hand screenprint, go to Kinko’s with a zero-dollar budget—I could probably make, like, 200 copies and have it done in about a year,” Splotch says. “But if I can raise $5,666, it can be printed and ready in June for CAKE and distributed around the country this summer.”

The comic will cover many of the pressing issues of the day, such as the future, people exercising, fart jokes, oogles, and sea punk. “Everything will be told by mutants and their girlfriends in a slimy, drippy package,” Splotch says.

Read a (fairly underwhelming) interview with Splotch published by the Oxford American. Visit the Kickstarter page for Stink Helmet.