Leif & Thorn is an original, LGBTQ-centric, fantasy webcomic, about a magic knight trying to have a romance in his second language.
This is the volume that's half "techbro grifters but make it magic spelltech," and half "a teenage version of Thorn from a traditional magical-girl universe gets isekai'd into the main reality."
(I swear I was planning this development before the MCU started putting multiverses in everything.)
Read Leif & Thorn online to get caught up with the backstory, then join us to print the next book!
If you like the Murderbot Diaries, podcasts about scams, Marvel's What If...?, affectionate parodies of traditional magical-girl series, very specific parts of Multiverse of Madness but not the movie as a whole, and/or His Dark Materials...you should check out this book.
The story so far:
Leif has always assumed his country is the best in the world. Sure, the indentured-servitude system means he'll be working off a debt for the rest of his life, tied to strict limits on what he can say and do . . . but that's just how it goes sometimes!
Thorn thinks his boyfriend's situation is unjust, but there's not much he can do without causing an international incident. And hey, it's not like his own country is so perfect. Not with the pyramid schemes, and the spelltech scams, and the way his friend Kale is still recovering from the full-on corporate cult he used to work for.
Then a magical teenage alternate Thorn gets isekai'd into their reality, and nearly brings everything crashing down.Â
Can Thorn take care of his powerful-and-terrified kid self? Can Kale use his own magic to help, after having it locked up for years? And how many of the rules can Leif sidestep without breaking?Â
A sparkly bilingual fantasy dramedy for teens & up.
Leif & Thorn Volume 7: Golden Chains covers the daily strips from all of 2023 through early 2024. Along with info pages, side stories, and other bonuses.
Like Volumes 1-6, it'll be 8.25" X 10.25", full-color, with a wraparound cover and a bunch of exclusive art inside. It'll be 180 pages, unless we hit our first stretch goal, then look forward to 192.
Quick preview of the interior layout:
And here's a sampling of the storylines inside:
SIDE HUSTLED - The reason why all the Volume 7 reward tiers (below) are parodies of Multi-Level Marketing company ranks.
AI OF THE STORM -Â A magical grifter tries to sell Spelltech ChatGPT as hurricane relief! You will be shocked to know it's bad at it.
SPLASH DAMAGE - Magical AU Thorn gets punted into the main universe, and nearly causes a diplomatic crisis when he lands in the wrong pool.
UNCHARTED SEAS - The country's only expert on multiversal physics can suddenly ask for all the grant money they want.
A BRIDGE TOO FAR - For the second time in his life, Kale voluntarily tells someone his tragic backstory. Also, he accidentally stumbles into Leif's.
BONUS EXTRAS -Â Alternate universes, worldbuilding tidbits, one-off jokes, and this time I used all my artistic skills to illustrate a chatbot-written script. (Spoiler alert: they're bad at this, too.)
Don't just take the artist's word for how Leif & Thorn is a delightful comic to read. Take the words of Actual Readers:
"This is such a good character driven story that it’s easy for new plot developments to just sorta sneak up behind you like WHAM bad and suddenly you’re crying about Background Character #43 while scouring the wiki for evidence that her backstory ties into the major storyline." ~i-rate-your-blaze
"Too much trauma, Leif. You’re not supposed to violate genre assumptions like that." ~Eva
"I thought it seemed like a bit of a non sequitur at first [...] but it has in fact embraced all of the characters involved nicely, advances relationships, and gave fresh insights into the characters." ~Giacomo
"I felt this on a deep level." ~Foxy
"It’s the “wow some grown-ass adult has a disastrously stupid plan and we need to unfuck it for them even though we’re friggin’ 14” vibes." ~Lielac
"My favorite Kale thing is that he will tell you to your face what he did as Kudzu, but because of his tone no one believes him. Top tier bit, in a comic already full of amazing bits." ~E.K.
"I love how MThorn’s magical outburst turns out be him just being hangry." ~Nerdling365
"We’re finally getting the full story of what Leif’s parents did, and how their child ended up in this situation. And it’s so, so sad. If anyone needs me, I’ll be preparing myself for more heartbreak for the next few strips." ~Nova
"These two strips are going to look GREAT next to each other in the book." ~Sydney
The first 15 backers who pledge at least $50 get a Leif & Thorn bonus sketch.
These will be printed in the book, wherever I need to fill a patch of empty space in the layout. They're also never published online -- you'll need a copy of the book to get an exclusive look at the whole set.
Almost any characters, any scenario, canon or AU. The only restrictions are (a) the content has to be safe-for-work, and (b) it has to involve characters who appear in Leif & Thorn Volume 7.
Pledge Levels (Digital)
Pledge Levels (Paperback)
Add-Ons
Want an extra book? Got a friend, family member, and/or local library who would appreciate a copy? Or maybe you want more merch than I offered in any of the regular tiers.
Click "Back It" on the main tier you want, then pick more prints, books, pins, and more from the "Add additional items to your pledge" menu!
If you miss your chance to buy something during the course of the campaign...wait for the backer survey, you'll get another shot.
Look, if OpenAI can raise a billion dollars to maybe someday possibly produce something functional maybe, then I can raise a few thousand dollars to print the 7th book in a series.
Crowdfunding campaigns have been a smashing success for funding all 6 volumes so far. They're a hit with readers, too, which is why so many of you keep coming back. Let's keep that ball rolling.
At first I did these things on Kickstarter, but for several years now, I've used BackerKit to manage post-campaign surveys and rewards. Last year I brought it all together, doing the campaign itself directly on BackerKit's platform. It worked out so well, we're doing it again.
Where exactly is the money going?Â
Mostly to printing Volume 7! Paper costs keep going up.
(For this year, I kept the individual reward prices the same as last year's. They'll probably get a bump when we do Volume 8.)
Other costs: custom mini-prints; BackerKit and Stripe fees; emergency "something went wrong" cushion; celebratory "we got funded" pie.
Postage costs aren't included in my tier. When do you charge those?
US backers: Your shipping costs are built into the basic tier price. Keeps things simple.
Everyone outside the US: Your shipping is calculated after the campaign, and you will get a separate charge from BackerKit when they're ready. Please keep that in mind when budgeting!
Estimated costs (based on current USPS rates, all prices are in USD):
For a single book:
Canada: $20
European Union: $25
Rest of world: $35
For the whole 7-book backlist:
Canada: $60
European Union: $75
Rest of world: $85
(Same rate as last year, because all the books fit in a Medium Flat Rate Box. For now.)
When will my rewards get delivered?
Based on the first 6 Leif & Thorn campaigns, here's our estimated timeline:
Digital rewards: December 2024-January 2025
Print books (US): April-May 2025
Print books (international): May-June 2025
Everything on my end is ready! The comics are 100% drawn; the print file is already laid out. It's just a matter of final clean-up, adding the Early Bird bonus sketches, and getting the money to pay the printer.
After the campaign, I'll post regular updates about the production process -- so even if there are unexpected delays, I'll keep you in the loop.
Making the book is just the first step. Here's some bonuses we could add to it.
Didn't meet these before the deadline? Backers might get another chance when the post-campaign surveys go out. Stay tuned.
$3,837: More Book
If this book out-earns the previous Leif & Thorn campaign, the page count will rise up from 180 to 192. Filled with more sketches, more bonus material, and - of course! - more comics.
???: New Pin
The critter pins are adorable, but there's a different Leif & Thorn pin design I've been sitting on for a while. Get us here, and I'll make it!
???: Make It A Boxset
A cool custom slipcase for the first 5 Leif & Thorn books. (Based on my experience with the BICP box sets, this might be expensive enough that I should just launch a campaign just to fund the slipcases. We'll see.)
And that's the campaign for Leif & Thorn Volume 7: Golden Chains.
Keep up with Erin Ptah's other work on Tumblr, on Deviantart, or on Patreon. (Come for the public announcements, subscribe for the patron-locked bonus art.)
