We went gaga for the short fantasy buddy film The Reward, and now the creators are looking to turn it into a full series, with a little crowdfunding help. You can also help fund a soccer ball generator that's helping bring light to people in resource-poor regions, and a fantasy adventure comic about adventurers searching a never-ending dungeon.
The Reward - Tales of Alethrion: The Reward (embedded above) was a wonderful surprise; a gorgeous, exuberant tale of two men who become hardened adventurers—and great friends in the process. Tales of Alethrion promises to pick up where The Reward left off, with our heroes, Vito and Wilhelm, as mighty heroes. The idea is to maintain the road trip feel of the original rather than create an overarching tale of good vs. evil. For a $17 pledge, you'll receive some of the early designs and animation tests as well as a download of the first episode.
SOCCKET: The Energy-Harnessing Soccer Ball: This clever device combines an energy generator with the world's most popular sport. SOCCKET is a durable soccer ball that uses a pendulum-like mechanism to harness kinetic energy during play. After 30 minutes of play, SOCCKET can power a lamp for three hours. The SOCCKET team has developed prototypes and given them to people in resource-poor regions, and they are now looking to manufacture the tiny generators on a larger scale. For a $99 pledge, you'll receive a SOCCKET and a plug-in lamp. [via Inhabitat]
Penultimate Quest by Lars Brown - Book 1: Lars Brown charmed us with his webcomic North World, which blended modern sensibilities and styles with a fantasy universe. Now he's turning his wonderfully offbeat eye to a new fantasy adventure. Brown has started posting Penultimate Quest, his comic about a group of adventurers trapped on an island with a never-ending dungeon, online, and is looking to bring the larger story to print. For a $15 pledge, you receive a copy of Penultimate Quest, volume one.