the scifi comic strip

Q: What is DRIVE?

A:  DRIVE is a humorous sci-fi comic set in humanity's galactic age. A second Spanish Empire has conquered Earth, and a good chunk of the galaxy. But they did it with tech stolen from a crashed alien ship. And now those aliens want their technology back -- and attack with an almost religious fervor.
>> Here's i09's really nice write-up of the strip: Check it out!

Q: Why Patreon?
A: I started DRIVE as a purely personal project. I wanted to tell the story for ME, and it didn't matter if it ever found an audience or an income. The plan was to create it when I had free time, and that would be that. But as the story grew, thousands of folks got super passionate for the strip! And they didn't want to wait until I had "free time" -- they wanted regular updates now!

Which is amazing! I'm in love with this story, so that kind of reaction means the world to me. But as a side passion-project that only brought in 2-5% of my income, it had to take a back seat to projects that pay the bills ( SHELDON and STRIPPED).

But here's the game-changer: With Patreon, the people who love the strip can help guarantee new updates. If I love creating it, and there's an income for it, you can bet I will carve out time to make it. THERE ARE NO LOSERS IN THAT WORLD.

Q: How does Patreon work? What am I pledging?
A: The DRIVE Patreon works like this: For every new comic update, you're pledging to donate a small amount. And to make it convenient, you'll only be charged once at the end of each month. DRIVE updates once a week, so if you pledge 50 cents per update, you'll have a monthly charge of $2. (And you can edit, cap the amount, or cancel your pledge any time before you're charged! Learn more at Patreon's FAQ)

Q: The DRIVE pledges are set up per comic update, and not, say...weekly or monthly?
A: Yes! This is a super important thing to make clear: The pledges are setup on a per-comic-update schedule. With the goal being to encourage more DRIVE pages. So double-check that you're on a pledge level that matches your budget.

Q: What about the guest stories told by other comic pros, "Tales of the Drive"?
A: Backers’ pledges will be applied when these comics run, and the artists will all be paid. That feels like the right way to do it, and I hope you'll agree! But you're 100% welcome to withhold your pledge for those strips, and just back the ones I create. I can understand that, too! I want this to always always be an opt-in situation.

Q: If I don't support DRIVE on Patreon, will the strip...disappear?
A: Have no fear: DRIVE will never "go away". The strip and archives will always be free to read, and will continue to be produced whenever my schedule allows. I love, love, love this story -- so there's no chance it will end. Even if there were no Patreon support, it would continue to come out: Just more slowly, when my schedule allows for it.

(CREDITS: Video by my buddies Fred Schroeder and Ben Waters. Music: Numydia-Arria elmensi, by Numydia. Bionic Cop, by Grégoire Lourme. Mars: The Bringer of War, by Holst, performed by the Air Force Band)