Around The Water Cooler
Just a quick chat about everything going on.
So, i have so many things to talk about. I figure I would handle this like a watercooler. Like, what would happen if you and I hung out and had lunch? What would we talk about… So, here is a round-up of nonsense.
Kickstarter’s NSFW Changes — My Thoughts (For Now)
So, a few people have been asking what my thoughts are on Kickstarter’s recent NSFW changes.
I’m going to give a more detailed response in the future, but I wanted to get some initial thoughts out there—because this is one of those moments that affects everyone in indie comics, whether you create NSFW work or not.
And if you’ve followed me long enough, you know this is how I look at everything:
How does it affect the community?
That’s always been my biggest concern as Travis Gibb and as the guy running Orange Cone Productions. I’ve been doing this long enough, I’ve launched enough books, and I’ve dealt with enough behind-the-scenes drama to know that the indie space is fragile. It doesn’t take much for the whole thing to get shaken up.
And whether people like me or not, I’ve always tried to be someone who speaks up when something feels off.
I’m not afraid to say what I think… even when it causes problems.
Any “feuds” I’ve ever been involved in have usually come from one thing:
I’m defending backers and creators alike.
And yeah, most of the time I believe I’m right.
But I’ve also been wrong before.
I’ve said this publicly, but one example is Phillip Rusett. Years ago I felt he came down way too hard on a creator who I thought deserved grace. But that creator still hasn’t shipped the project.
So maybe I was right in the moment, but Phillip ended up being right overall.
That’s why I try to keep perspective now. I’m not always correct. But I’m always paying attention.
Where I stand as a creator
Here’s the truth:
Orange Cone Productions is not a NSFW company.
Now, I’m not pretending I’ve never had scenes in books that could be considered NSFW. I’ve written gritty crime stories. I’ve written horror. I’ve written violence. I’ve written things that aren’t “kid friendly.”
But I don’t use NSFW content as a brand.
I’m not the guy putting out a “sexy variant cover” just to spike funding. That’s never been my move. My work has always been about story first—whether it’s Coins of Judas, Broke Down, Voodoo Nations, or whatever madness I’m working on next.
So I’m looking at this situation from a different angle than some people. Not from a place of panic, but from a place of concern.
1) Censorship is bad. Always.
Let’s get this out of the way:
Censorship is always bad.
I understand restricted access. I’m all for protecting kids. I don’t want a ten-year-old stumbling onto some of the stuff that’s been flooding Kickstarter lately.
But when companies start overcorrecting, they don’t stop at the “bad stuff.” Eventually, it creeps into everything.
And creators are the ones who get crushed in the process.
2) There are TWO types of NSFW on Kickstarter
And this is where I think the conversation gets real.
NSFW on Kickstarter isn’t one category. It’s two completely different worlds.
There are creators who use adult content because it’s part of a story they’re passionate about. They’re not doing it for shock value. They’re not doing it to be edgy. It’s simply part of the narrative. Those projects usually don’t have clickbait porn titles. They’re just comics that happen to include adult themes.
And honestly?
Most of those creators respect the rules. They deliver. They communicate. They have loyal fans because they’ve earned them.
But then there’s the other side…
The side that pushes the boundaries daily. The cover mills. The projects that feel like they were created in five minutes. The campaigns that launch again and again and again.
Six or seven campaigns before they’ve shipped one.
And a lot of those campaigns—again, not all, but a lot—are leaning heavily into AI production to pump them out faster.
That stuff doesn’t just hurt Kickstarter. It hurts all of us.
Because when backers start feeling like the comics section is just a swamp of scams, fetish covers, and spam campaigns, they don’t just stop backing those creators…
They stop backing comics entirely.
And that affects every indie publisher, including Orange Cone.
The elephant in the room: NSFW has taken over the platform
Here’s the part people don’t want to talk about:
NSFW content has grown into a massive percentage of the comics category. I’ve heard numbers as high as 60%.
That’s insane.
And at a certain point, it stops being “indie freedom” and starts being a business liability.
Because Kickstarter doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Kickstarter relies on payment processors.
And Stripe doesn’t like risk.
Stripe doesn’t like adult content without strong age verification. And Kickstarter is not OnlyFans. It doesn’t have the same infrastructure, the same vetting, or the same systems. The dont like the chargebacks that come when a 17-year-old buys a comic on the platform and somones mother saw it.
So Stripe starts looking at Kickstarter and thinking:
“What the hell is happening over there?”
And suddenly the comics category starts looking less like a valid publishing platform and more like Pornhub with shipping fees.
That’s the truth, whether people want to admit it or not.
So whose fault is this?
Is it the creators?
Kind of.
If you push the envelope long enough, something is going to snap. People warned about it. And the response was always:
“You’re just jealous.”
“You’re just a hater.”
“You don’t want people to succeed.”
But this isn’t about jealousy. It’s about the reality of how platforms work.
If you treat the rules like a joke, eventually the rules change.
But if I’m being honest?
The bigger fault lies with Kickstarter.
Because Kickstarter had rules in place. They just didn’t enforce them.
If they enforced the standards from the start, it never would’ve gotten out of control. Stripe wouldn’t be panicking. And now we wouldn’t be dealing with this sudden crackdown.
Yes, I’m assuming some things.
But I’m also not blind.
Now Kickstarter is overcorrecting… and it’s getting messy
Instead of making a clean, consistent system, Kickstarter is now swinging wildly in the opposite direction.
We’re seeing overreach. We’re seeing campaigns flagged for things that shouldn’t be flagged. We’re seeing confusion. We’re seeing creators punished for stuff that was acceptable a month ago.
And that’s not stability. That’s panic.
And panic is dangerous for creators.
Because when you’re building a publishing brand like Orange Cone Productions, you need predictability. You need to know what the rules are so you can plan releases, marketing, covers, ads, and stretch goals.
Right now, nobody knows what the rules are.
What SHOULD have happened
In my opinion, the solution was simple:
No offensive naming on the platform
Clear rules
Clear standards
One rating system
One visual censor bar system
Not this nonsense where one project gets a black bar, another gets “peaches,” another gets “hot peppers,” and another gets the guy from Up.
Consistency is everything.
So where are we now?
Right now, we’re in a free fall.
And I feel for the creators caught in the middle of it. Even the ones making NSFW books. Especially the ones who do it responsibly and treat it like real storytelling.
I hope Kickstarter can clean up the category so it feels less like Pornhub, but still has room for NSFW creators to exist and thrive.
Because whether you like it or not, adult content has always been part of comics. It always will be.
If creators leave Kickstarter… I’m paying attention
If people move on from Kickstarter because of this, let me know. I’ll support you. I’ll share your links. I’ll back your campaign if it’s something I believe in.
If there’s something to sign, I will sign it.
If there’s a petition, I’ll sign it.
If there’s a real alternative platform, I want to hear about it.
Because at the end of the day, I don’t just care about Orange Cone Productions.
I care about indie comics.
I care about backers.
I care about creators being treated fairly.
This is a tough shift, and it’s scary, but comics have survived worse than this.
The world hasn’t killed us yet.
We can still make books.
We just might have to get a little more creative in how we market them.
And trust me…
Orange Cone Productions isn’t going anywhere.
UPCOMING CON APPEARANCES
FAN EXPO Philadelphia — May 29–31, 2026 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Heroes Convention — Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14, 2026 at the Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, NC
Five-Star Comic Con — June 20–21, 2026 at the Dayton Convention Center (based on show schedule posts).
Plastic City Comic Con — August 22, 2026 at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in Leominster, MA.
Who is coming to see me at any of these shows??
LIVE PROJECTS ON KICKSTARTER
The 2026 ORANGE CONE ANNUAL will feature original and exclusive content drawn from some of our most beloved series — plus stories you won’t find anywhere else. Titles and universes featured include:
✔ Upheaval
✔ Expired
✔ Pup Van Winkle
✔ Broke Down and Four Dead Bodies
✔ Voodoo Nations
…and more, all woven into a single, powerful annual
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/orangecone/orange-cone-productions-annual-2026
“Hotshot Runs the Gauntlet” begins here — a ten-issue saga where every villain tests a different part of Hotshot’s humanity. Each issue is a new creative team, a new tone, and a new trial that will push our hero further than ever before.
⚙️ WHAT IS “HOTSHOT RUNS THE GAUNTLET”?
This isn’t just another arc — it’s a creative collision of the indie comics scene.
Each issue from #14–#23 pairs Hotshot with a new writer and villain, crafted by some of the most talented creators in indie comics today.
Different voices. Different styles. One continuous evolution of Freestyle Komics’ core hero.
Written by: Travis Gibb (Cthulhu Invades Oz, Broke Down & Four Dead Bodies) Covers by: Michael "MostEPIC" Watson
Illustrated by: Fletch Griffith & Brian Wolf
Colored by: Veronica Smith
Lettered by: Danny Cooper
Published by: Freestyle Komics
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chatanddraw/hotshot-14
UPCOMING KICKSTARTERS
This VOODOO NATIONS TRADE is coming soon!!! Make sure you sign up for the pre-launch!!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/orangecone/voodoo-nations-trade-paperback
WEBSITE STORE UPDATE
Updated the webstore so if you missed some stuff, now is the time to buy!!
Well said Travis! I’ll see you in Philly!
I’m curious what will happened with all that