2. Totally Messed Up (Goal: $8,900/Pledged: $16,599)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantomzero/totally-messed-up-the-graphic-novel-and-art-toys This project looks great! Seriously! Aside from a couple of very minor issues, the whole package seems extremely professional. You might be wondering how this could possibly be #2 on this list, unless you've disappeared
down the rabbit hole of the 3,000+ comments. It seems the project ran afoul of shipping delays and is now over a couple of years late in delivering on its promises. And while that's certainly bad, it's all too common a problem. But when creator Haru Ruben failed and failed to deliver and backer Brett Trout took to questioning his statements (but politely), Ruben got hostile. And then more hostile: challenging Trout's sanity because of a picture of Trout dressed as Arthur Dent for Halloween and, knowing that Trout was a lawyer, filing a complaint about him to the American Bar Association. Free advice: don't pick a legal battle with a lawyer if you're not one. When John Campbell went nuclear, at least he only harmed himself and his merchandise, and at least he finally delivered it with Temkin's help. Ruben was attacking a man's reputation and career merely for wanting the merchandise he'd paid for. It went about as well as you'd expect, as Trout reported after the fact:
Fred is correct. I sued Heru. We settled the case. Heru wrote me checks and agreed to not make any further statements about me. I paid him nothing and am under no obligation regarding making further statements about him. I have the transcript of a very lengthy deposition I took of Heru that I believe would be of substantial value in any subsequent case against him in this matter. In the event anyone does file a lawsuit against Heru, I would be happy to provide your attorney with a copy of the transcript free of charge.
Ruben's failure to deliver on promises or be honest about his difficulties
also cost another Kickstarter its 3D covers. And
that is... wait for it... "Totally Messed Up."