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:

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.

$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.

If you haven't opened it yet, it's in your backer rewards. Issue #1 is waiting.

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.

Steve & Jaynelle Rude (and the Rude Dude Crew)

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!

Hey everyone,

We hit 1,000.

Say it out loud. A thousand people raised a hand for Nexus before there was anything to buy, just to be counted. That’s not a mailing list. That’s a tribe.

Here’s why that number means what it means. Mike Baron and Steve Rude launched Nexus at Capital Comics in 1981 and have kept it alive ever since. This is the 45th-anniversary book, 10+ years in the making. A major publisher set out to make it for the 35th anniversary and never finished a draft. Steve hired a former Dark Horse editor, she wrote it, Steve laid the whole thing out, and as a team we’re bringing it across the line. A thousand of you following is the reason it finally gets made. Nexus has survived this long because people refused to let it disappear. Today there are a thousand of you on the record.

And you unlocked it: the Crystal Ballroom Library Card is UNLOCKED. It’s the physical mirror card that carries the exclusive Nexus archive, the art, history, and pages that didn’t fit in the book. Because you followed before launch, it’s yours free when you back any level during the campaign. You earned that by showing up first.

We’re not done, we’re aimed. The campaign goes live September 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on BackerKit. No Kickstarter this time; it all lives on BackerKit. Between now and then, the same one favor: send this to one person who’d love Nexus, then ask them to send it to one more. Every pre-launch follower who joins still gets that card free when they back, so there’s every reason to keep pulling people in.

GET YOUR CARD; BACK THE PROJECT

Headed to Dragon Con? We’re in Atlanta September 4 through 7 at Booth C5, straight down the main aisle from the main entrance, you can’t miss us. Come by, show us you’re following (a screenshot works, or follow right there at the table), and we’ll hand you the exclusive Dragon Con trading card. Booth only: it’s not shipping, it’s not going online, and it’s not in any pledge tier. We printed 1,000 and will never reprint them, so while supplies last means exactly that.

One heads up: no regular Saturday stream this week. We’ll be going live on the fly from the booth, the floor, and the panels all weekend at Dragon Con, no schedule, no warning. Subscribe at youtube.com/steverudethedude and turn on ALL notifications to catch us. Regular Saturday streams at 1:30 PM Arizona time resume after the con.

A thousand thank-yous. One for each of you.

Steve and Jaynelle (& the Rude Dude Crew)

The stone coaster reservation count just hit 199. Somebody reading this is #200. Five dollars holds yours, it exists only as a reservation, it will never be sold, and reservations close forever the moment we launch. The real sample is in the studio right now and it looks fantastic.  It's thick stone with a cork backing.  You'll be able to order as many as you want post campaign.

And the other scoreboard is moving even faster: 957 of you have followed, which means we are 50 away from 1,000. At 1,000 the Crystal Ballroom Library Card unlocks for every pre launch follower who backs: the physical mirror card carrying the exclusive Nexus archive. You are already in. Your only job this weekend: send this project to one person who would love Nexus. Here is the link to share:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/steve-rude-the-dude/nexus-what-it-is-the-true-story-behind-the-comic?ref=bkup0830

This week it all goes to Atlanta. Dragon Con runs September 4 through 7, and the whole crew will be at Booth C5, straight down the main aisle from the main entrance. Show us you followed and take home the Dragon Con exclusive trading card. 1,000 printed, never reprinted, while supplies last. Catch Steve painting live Friday at 1:00 in Room 203A, with the finished piece going to the Hope Atlanta charity auction, and the 45 Years of Steve Rude's Nexus panel Saturday at 2:30 in Room 203BC.

One heads up for the regulars: no regular 1:30 stream next Saturday. We will be going live on the fly from the booth and the floor all weekend instead. Subscribe at youtube.com/steverudethedude and turn on ALL notifications so you catch us.

One more thing before you go. We attached a poll below: The Migraine Defense. If you know, you know. Nexus never got a choice about his headaches, but you get a vote, and 199 of you are apparently already qualified jurors with a coaster to prove it. Weigh in. We read every result out loud in the studio, usually while Steve shakes his head at all of you.

Who's #200? Vootie!

You followed. That was step one — and you didn’t even know it.

We’re bringing an exclusive Nexus: What It Is! art card to Dragon Con (Sept 4–7, Atlanta). It will never be sold or offered anywhere else. Because you already follow, it’s already yours: find us at the con, show us you follow, done. And there’s a secret on the card — card-holders find out. (Table location the moment Dragon Con assigns it.)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE UPDATES, TAKE ALL THE POLLS AND JOIN THE FREE COMMUNITY!

One ask: send this to ONE person who’d love Nexus and tell them to follow before Sept 10 — it’s free, the 48-page download is instant, and it pushes us toward 1,000. We’re at 827.

Steve also still needs a model for his live charity painting demo at the con — girl-next-door look, no visible tattoos, free Friday afternoon Sept 4, comped with a full-weekend Dragon Con badge. Applications: [email protected].

See you Saturday — live at 1:30 PM Arizona: youtube.com/steverudethedude

— Steve & Jaynelle