This is what I’m going to post on Kickstarter when I launch. Advice on KS campaign pages is to say a lot about yourself and your previous works, so I did.
Comments welcomed.
“Elon Musk and his Sweatshop on Mars” is a brutally caustic graphic novel about Musk’s ill-fated Mars colony. 64 pages of bitter, biting, eye-popping fun.
Elon Musk wants to be Emperor of Mars. He created SpaceX to build rockets so he could conquer the Red Planet.
In 2026 Musk assembled a flotilla of Starships to make the 7-month journey to Mars.
I went along for the ride and to chronicle the Mars Xpedition.
Please help me turn my vision of Musk’s Mars disaster into a real, live graphic novel.
Why am I picking on the World’s Richest Man?
Elon Musk does far more harm than good.
From slandering innocent people to spreading insane Q conspiracy theories to suppressing free speech on Twitter to pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories to union-busting to manipulating cryptocurrencies to spreading fear about brown-skinned immigrants to secretly operating an X burner account in order to lavish praise on himself to spreading transphobic hate to fostering a toxic workplace to censoring Turkish opposition voices on X to please its brutal dictator to injuring his workers to being a narcissistic drama queen to lying about his father’s emerald mine to make it look like he didn’t have a privileged childhood to surrounding himself with sycophants to lying about the range of Tesla cars to backing Russia in their terrorist war on Ukraine to sexually harassing subordinates to sending a tweet that simultaneously spreads vaccination fear-mongering and threatens a public official, Musk is a powerful malignant force.
Elon Musk is ripe for satirical ass-kicking and I’m wearing steel toe boots.
I’m a huge space nut. I write space opera sci-fi. I admire what Musk has achieved with SpaceX. I went to Cape Kennedy to watch SpaceX launch the first all-civilian spaceflight: Inspiration4. It was a thrilling, beautiful launch. Magnificent achievement.
But the thought of Elon Musk leading a Mars settlement is ludicrous and frightening.
He loves to fire people. What happens to workers fired on Mars?
He is erratic and flighty. Not good traits in a leader.
He runs a toxic workplace. Workers would quit.
He’s given to destructive fits of rage. Workers would live in fear.
He’d make a lousy Emperor of Mars.
“Elon Musk and his Sweatshop on Mars” skewers Musk’s illusion that he can plant and lead a colony of actual humans in a remote and deadly environment.
A Mars Workers Union would have Musk by the balls. Where will he get scabs? Workers would control the air supply equipment, the water supply, electricity, food. They’ll have all the leverage. Musk would be helpless.
Please back “Elon Musk and his Sweatshop on Mars”. I’m a 72-year-old graphic novelist with something to say, but I need your help to make my voice heard.
I hope you press the big green “Back this project” button. That would be sweet.
Sweatshop Sample Pages
“Elon Musk and his Sweatshop on Mars” cover.
I was on the first ship to land on Mars, as were Musk and his wife Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Elon Musk hired me to chronicle his Xpedition to colonize Mars.
Musk’s flotilla of 9 Starships headed to Mars.
DeSantis did indeed die, but this isn’t how it happened. Musk’s wife Marjorie Taylor Greene told me I should blame it on her famous imaginary Jewish Space Laser. I thought it was a hoot so I did.
Elon and Marjorie Taylor Greene are a loving couple. LOL.
Sometimes Musk dreams of his bride.
And then Musk fired me! I stopped praising his pimple-plated ass and started writing a bare-knuckle tell-all.
I’m pretty sure this is how DeSantis died.
You’ll have to back me to see the ending. 🙂
The Mars Colony Company Store overcharged mercilessly. They stocked some weird stuff. If you wanted your own vegetable garden you had to buy Dirt at $25 per can. Rationed, recycled drinking water was generously provided by the Dear Leader, but you needed to buy bathing water at $12.50 per can.
Mars Xpedition Logo
Doug Sharp’s Art
“Doug Sharp’s mind is a fascinating machine. Everything it produces is interesting.” – Jim Woodring, Eisner Award winner, creator of “Jim“, “Frank“, and “One Beautiful Spring Day.”
I’m a bestselling computer game developer who writes sci-fi and comics, does graphic art, and makes weird music. I like to work/play in lots of artforms and styles.
Despite being hampered by Central Pain Syndrome (CPS)and cognitive problems due to a high school football brain injury I produce art and love life.
Comics:
Your War: A Child’s Guide to World War III
My 16-page comic about the impending World War III.
“Your War: A Child’s Guide to World War III” is a reward at various backing levels in PDF and physical forms.
A few pages from Your War.
The American Manual of the Dead
The “American Manual of the Dead” is the One True Flowchart for the post-mortality phase of a previously red-blooded American’s existence. Will the corpse pass the 4 Great Tests so it can spend eternity in the Amusement Park for the Dead?
16 pages.
The Manual is a reward at various backing levels in PDF and physical forms.
A few pages from “The American Manual of the Dead”.
Jeff Bezos and the Sweatshop in the Sky
After I publish “Elon Musk and his Sweatshop on Mars”, I’m going to run a Kickstarter for “Jeff Bezos and his Sweatshop in the Sky”. I’ve already published Sweatshop in the Sky as a novella and will turn it into a graphic novel. I hope.
In Outer Space there are no taxes, no labor laws, no Unions.
“Jeff Bezos and the Sweatshop in the Sky” is a merciless satire about Jeff Bezos and his tadger-shaped rocket ship, the New Johnson. It’s also a rip-roaring space adventures.
Follow Jeff’s antics as he tries to be the First Billionaire in Outer Space!
Jeff builds his dream orbiting warehouse: The Amazon von Braun Space Fulfillment Center, a hellhole for workers.
He wants to build a thousand Space Fulfillment Centers to earn enough money to Buy the Universe!
Can the Amazon serfs escaped their slavery?
Find out why Spock would kick Jeffrey Bezos in the balls.
Graphic Novel:
The Flying Squids of Zondor
“The Flying Squids of Zondor” is my first graphic novel, finished at age 71.
It’s the tragic tale of unnatural love between genocidal Battlerocket Commandrix Den Dron and chemically-alluring giant flying squid Zondor the Fertile. Is it really love? Or is it the pink gas?
Set inside the infernal Battlerocket Trigon (which travels between Ultraspace and Normspace by enraging the 4 Great Timecrabs who rip through the 7 interdimensional membranes) where tutus are mandated by fashion.
Will Zondor 2 realize his dream of dying for Zondor’s glory while leading The Imperial Squid Squadron into battle against the tutued troops of the Tandori Empire?
Will Commandrix Den Dron destroy a planet populated by sentient flying squids just to experience a crystalline instant of erotic delirium?
Read Zondor to find out!
(Hint: You bet!)
66 pages of narrative mayhem and stylistic gymnastics.
Available as PDF and paperback add-ons.
See. I told you Zondor is unusual.
A reward at various backing levels in PDF and paperback formats.
Sci-fi Novels:
Channel Zilch
My humorous sci-fi thriller “Channel Zilch“. I didn’t draw the cover but I cranked out the prose. It took me 21 years to finish “Channel Zilch”. Here are some not-at-all-bad reader reviews.
Stealing a space shuttle was the easy part.
Fired by NASA for stunt-flying a space shuttle during re-entry, ex-astronaut Mick Oolfson now spends his unhappy days spraying manure over soybeans from his ailing DC3, dreaming of returning to space. So when testosterone-surfing geek goddess Heloise Chin offers him an astronaut gig on Channel Zilch, a pirate orbiting reality show, Mick jumps at the chance. What Heloise doesn’t mention is that the dream gig involves stealing the space shuttle Enterprise.
Getting back into space is worth a little risk, but Mick never signed on for Russian gangsters and nightmare journeys on reeking Turkish freighters. He also didn’t expect Tobias Ishwald, the relentless head of NASA Security—and the man who got him canned—to try to ruin his dreams a second time. Trusting Hel will probably get him killed, but with a little fancy flying Mick just might see the stars again.
A near-future, hard-science thriller with heart and purpose, “Channel Zilch” is a smart, fast-moving adventure you won’t soon forget.
Paperback available as an add-on.
Hel’s Bet
“Hel’s Bet” is the sequel to “Channel Zilch”. I collaborated on the cover. Some swell reader reviews.
After surviving the launch of space shuttle Enterprise in a hail of Tommy gun bullets, ex-astronaut Mick Oolfson never dreamed that Tobias Ishwald, the relentless head of NASA Security—and the man who got him canned—would ride a shuttle into space to hunt him down.
Geek goddess Heloise Chin reveals that the Channel Zilch reality show was a sham to get her Pop to pay for the mission. Her real motivation is to broadcast a Declaration of War on Death to rally the world’s geeks to work on open source Singularity projects. To hijack geek brains, Hel uses all her weapons: her smarts, her beauty, her guts, and her vision.
A near-future, hard-science thriller with heart and purpose, “Hel’s Bet” is a smart, funny, fast-moving adventure you won’t soon forget and the second volume in the Hel’s Bet Series. Ride along on a mad, shoe-string shuttle mission to kickstart the Singularity!
Paperback available as an add-on.
Graphic Art
“Doug Sharp’s work makes my brain quiver.”– Jim Woodring
“Doug’s art makes you go, “Huh?!”–Alex Matthews
Solo Art Show
I had my first solo art show when I was 69. What a blast! Gave me confidence in my graphic art.
Bestselling Computer Games:
I wrote a couple of bestselling games in the 80s: ChipWits and The King of Chicago.
ChipWits
My classic bestselling computer game ChipWits.
ChipWits is a game for all ages about coding friendly robots with an icon-based language. It features competition, puzzles, engaging stories, and tinkering for fun.
I’m rebooting ChipWits for modern gamers. Wishlist ChipWits on Steam, please!
The King of Chicago
My interactive narrative gangster game “The King of Chicago“.
“Music”:
Covers of a few of my albums.
Portrait
I’d love to draw your portrait. Send me your favorite closeup. You’ll get digital and print copies. I’ll only do 20 portraits.
What am I going to do with your donations?
In order of priority:
- Print the paperbacks for reward donors.
- Print additional copies to distribute to comic stores.
- I hope to pay myself for the 6 months it will take me to finish the remaining 50% of the book.
- Personal stretch goal: If the campaign hits $500,000 I will buy myself an extremely red 1961 Jaguar XK-E. jk
Stretch Goals:
If our pledges exceed $8,000 every physical reward will also include can labels from the Muskovy Company Store: Cheese Tea from SpaceX, Meat from Neuralink, Food from Tesla, Water from Xuth, Dirt from the Boring Company. Printed on adhesive paper.
If Elon Musk tweets about Sweatshop before July 31, all physical shipments will include a sticker saying, “I ANNOYED ELON MUSK”
Coda:
As a rookie graphic novelist I gotta say I love creating Sweatshop. I spend blissful hours drawing. I think about Sweatshop constantly. I love coming up with new angles, plot elements, and graphic visions. I giggle at my silly ideas.
I had a wonderful career in the computer game industry. Becoming a graphic novelist this late in life is an unexpected adventure.
If this campaign succeeds, my next campaign will be for “Jeff Bezos and his Sweatshop in the Sky”, which I have already written as a novella. I also plan to publish my peculiar graphic novel “The Flying Squids of Zondor”, which is finished but not printed.
I hope you dig these samples of Sweatshop and want to see more.
Fingers crossed,
Doug “Droog” Sharp
Risks and challenges
Sweatshop is over halfway written and drawn. It’s completely plotted. If my campaign is backed fully I will have the time to finish the last half by the beginning of September. I’m good at shipping art projects. I’ve shipped computer games, comics, novels, and graphic software. I finish things.
Things that would make the rewards late:
-Not finishing the book by Oct.
-Delays in printing.
I can see no risk to finishing Sweatshop and shipping the rewards other than me keeling over. 🙂