You cleared the Vault Drop over the weekend. Every one of you gets the folder: the rejected cover, the lost pages, and the notes that went with them. It goes out after the campaign closes, free at every pledge level.
And because the ladder keeps going, the next dollar goal is up: at $65,000, every physical pledge gets a campaign-exclusive die-cut title sticker in the box, and a 5x7 print of the Vault Drop art unlocks as an add-on.
The other goal is the one this week is about. Ask Steve Anything unlocks at 500 backers, and as of this morning we're 65 short. That's a live, backers-only stream: you send questions ahead, Steve answers them on camera, and the replay stays up for anyone who can't make it. It's the one goal on the ladder you can't buy your way to. It takes people.
So here's the ask. This week, bring one. One friend who read Nexus back in the day and has no idea this exists. Send them the page, tell them the Reading Library opens the second they back, and let Steve do the rest.
Start dropping your questions for Steve in the comments now. Tristan is collecting them, so when the goal clears the stream is already stacked.
MIRRORED CARD FREE FOR ANYONE WHO FOLLOWED BEFORE THE LAUNCH! (Design is mockup and not finalized)
Hey everyone,
Thirty-one hours. That's how long it took you to fund Nexus: What It Is! Three days in, we're past $53,000 with 410 backers, and Steve is still a little stunned. Thank you.
If you missed Saturday's stream, the replay is up at steverude.com/YouTubeLive. Steve read your "which era of Nexus" replies out loud, and First Comics won in a landslide.
Two goals are on the board right now.
$55,000: The Vault Drop. Every backer gets a free digital folder of Nexus art that never saw print: a rejected cover, lost pages, and the notes that went with them. Library Card holders get the full folder later. Free at every pledge level.
500 backers: Ask Steve Anything, live. At 500, Steve does an unlisted livestream just for backers. You send your questions ahead, he answers them on camera, and the replay stays up for anyone who can't make it. Ninety to go.
Every time one of these clears, the next one gets revealed. There's a ladder, and you're climbing it faster than we planned for.
One honest thing about the book. We have enough material for a volume on every era, and the book is capped at about 400 pages. So the polls in these updates are real: they steer what makes the page. Whatever doesn't fit goes into the archive, and the physical Library Card is the only way in. If you followed before launch, that card ships with your book at any pledge level. If you followed and never back, that door closes October 1.
If you've been following and haven't backed yet, every edition is the same 350+ full-color pages, oversized 9 x 12. The Metallic Edition Hardcover is $99 and it's the one most people pick. The Hardcover + Paperback Set is $149 if you want one to keep and one to lend. And every pledge, every level, gets instant access to the Nexus Reading Library, so you can be reading Nexus from issue #1 today.
New poll at the bottom.
We want to know where you came in. Vote, then tell us in the comments: what issue, what year, where you bought it. Steve reads his favorites on Saturday's stream, and your stories go into the archive.
Easiest way to get us to the vault faster: share the campaign with one Nexus fan who hasn't seen it yet. And if you want to be in the room for everything that happens next, the crew at patreon.com/steverude sees it first.
Quick one today. Two new achievements just went live on the campaign page, and we've got more in the works behind them.
500 backers: Ask Steve Anything, LIVE. When we hit 500 backers, Steve does an unlisted livestream just for you. You send your questions ahead of time, Steve answers them on camera, and the replay stays up for anyone who can't make it. Free for every backer. We're at 373 right now, so that's only 127 to go.
$55,000: The Vault Drop. At $55K we open the vault. Every backer gets a free digital folder of Nexus art that never saw print: a rejected cover, lost pages, and the notes that went with them. Nexus Reading Library Card holders get the full folder in the Crystal Ballroom. Free at every pledge level.
And the $45,000 goal already cleared, so a box of books is headed to ComicBooks For Troops on top of every Book for the Troops you've pledged. Thank you for that.
We're building the next rungs right now. Every time one of these clears, the next one gets revealed, so keep an eye on the achievements section.
One more thing. Steve read every reply in yesterday's "which era of Nexus" discussion, and he was blown away by what you wrote. He's reading some of them out loud on today's livestream, 1:30 PM Arizona at steverude.com/YouTubeLive. If you haven't weighed in yet, the discussion is still open on the campaign page.
Easiest way to get us there faster: share the campaign with one Nexus fan who hasn't seen it yet.
And if you want to be in the room for everything that happens next, the crew at patreon.com/steverude sees it first.
291 of you just took Nexus: What It Is! past $40,000 in 31 hours, and that means one thing: the book goes to press. Ten years of work has a print date now, and you did that.
If you haven't backed yet — this is the part where it gets fun. Everything from here is a stretch goal, and the first one is already on the board: a box of books goes to ComicBooks For Troops for deployed service members, and we'll show you the receipt. After that, we reveal them one at a time as we go.
Every pledge $99 and up still gets a free paperback through Saturday morning, 10 AM Pacific.
Every edition is the same 350+ pages inside — The People's Paperback and The People's Digital start at $50, and every pledge gets instant access to the Nexus Reading Library the moment you back. Painted Edition is Limit 5 and 1 is left. Deluxe Slipcase is limited to 500.
Two things at the bottom of this update. The first achievement just flipped — $40,000, funded. And there's a new poll: which era of Nexus do you want the most pages on? Vote, then defend it in the comments. Steve reads the results on tomorrow's stream.
Steve's live Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona to say thank you in person: steverude.com/YouTubeLive.
45 years of Nexus survived because people passed it hand to hand. You just did it again.
Day one, and you already got us 85% of the way there.
Twenty-four hours ago the doors opened. Right now Nexus: What It Is! is at $34,272 from 249 backers — $6,000 from funded on day one, and two backers from the first community unlock. Ten years of work, and you got it most of the way to press before the first sunset. Thank you.
A few things worth knowing this morning:
The free paperback ends tomorrow at 10 AM Pacific.
Every pledge $99 and up — Metallic Edition Hardcover, Deluxe Slipcase (limited to 500), VIP: One of Everything, Painted Edition (Limit 5, and they're going) — gets one at no charge until then. If you've been meaning to upgrade, or you know someone who's been on the fence, this is the last morning it's free.
We've put the first community goals on the board.
$40,000 puts the book to press. At $45,000, a box of books goes to ComicBooks For Troops for deployed service members, and we post the receipt. And at 250 backers, every backer gets the Steve Rude Process Pack — one Nexus piece from thumbnail to pencils to inks to finish, every stage scanned — no matter what level you're at. We're at 249 right now. That one's on you, not on dollars. After $45,000 we reveal the next goal each time you knock one down.
Every pledge already has instant access to the Nexus Reading Library.
If you haven't opened it yet, it's in your backer rewards. Issue #1 is waiting.
Two things at the bottom of this update.
The community goals are live, and there's a poll. It's the question the whole comic hangs on, and there's no safe answer. Vote, then defend it in the comments. Steve reads the results out loud on Saturday's stream.
Steve's live tomorrow at 1:30 PM Arizona — the first stream with the campaign running, and the first 48 hours will have just closed. Come watch him read the number out loud: steverude.com/YouTubeLive.
The campaign runs through October 1. We're just getting started, and your support means the world.
You got us to 1,000, and because you followed before launch, the Crystal Ballroom Library Card is yours free when you back. That part is settled.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of the week. The campaign goes public Thursday, September 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, right here on BackerKit. Before that, the doors open early: Sundra patrons tomorrow, Tuesday the 8th. Merk patrons Wednesday the 9th.
If you want in before the public, tonight is the night to join: patreon.com/steverude. Merk is $5 and gets you in Wednesday with the only signed paperback anywhere. Sundra is $25, gets you in tomorrow, and includes the digital edition of the book plus a genuine homemade Nexus-themed cookie celebrating the anniversary.
Not a patron and happy to wait for Thursday? That’s completely fine. The book is the same book, and every pledge level includes the Crystal Ballroom Library Card (Digital) for the Nexus Reading Library. Set an alarm for 10 AM PT and we’ll see you there.
Last day at the booth today, then the whole crew heads home saying thank you, Atlanta. Vootie!
Vote below then ask a specific question in the comments! We will compile for Steve once we hit 500 backers - don't forget to share the campaign so we get there faster!
At 500 backers, Steve goes live for a backers-only Q&A. Send your questions ahead, then join the private stream and ask the follow-ups yourself in chat. Date announced after we unlock it. Also opens the Nexus Archive Wallpaper Pack as an add-on.
You cleared the Vault Drop over the weekend. Every one of you gets the folder: the rejected cover, the lost pages, and the notes that went with them. It goes out after the campaign closes, free at every pledge level.
And because the ladder keeps going, the next dollar goal is up: at $65,000, every physical pledge gets a campaign-exclusive die-cut title sticker in the box, and a 5x7 print of the Vault Drop art unlocks as an add-on.
The other goal is the one this week is about. Ask Steve Anything unlocks at 500 backers, and as of this morning we're 65 short. That's a live, backers-only stream: you send questions ahead, Steve answers them on camera, and the replay stays up for anyone who can't make it. It's the one goal on the ladder you can't buy your way to. It takes people.
So here's the ask. This week, bring one. One friend who read Nexus back in the day and has no idea this exists. Send them the page, tell them the Reading Library opens the second they back, and let Steve do the rest.
Start dropping your questions for Steve in the comments now. Tristan is collecting them, so when the goal clears the stream is already stacked.
Started reading Nexus around 1987 when a very shrewd comic store proprietor suggested it when I was looking for something new to read. I was instantly hooked and managed to get my hands on all the back issues I had missed. I stopped reading it by about 1994 when a variety of life events forced me to abandon collecting comics. Several attempts to continue collecting over the years have failed, but I still have my Nexus collection buried in an inaccessible part of my Man Cave.
I'm wondering what the most cost effective way of going back and reading Nexus would be? I'd like to re-read them in a way that would make sure the creators got my money. Digging out my old comics might cause enough mess to get me divorced, so I sadly can't do that.
The comic was massively influential in shaping my world view and given today's global resurgence in people turning to totalitarianism, even here in the U.S., the comic is probably more pertinent than ever.
