KCU Pitchfest Showcase 2025 (Top 50)
Entire 2025 Gallery | List of Judges | 2023 Showcase
Comics creators from around the world have submitted their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents. A panel of judges have selected the top pitches. The projects are archived here so that industry pros may view them and discover new talent.
Pale Of Settlement
Russia. 1881. Rivke dreams of life beyond the Pale of Settlement (remote provinces where Jews were forced to live). She’s a headstrong rabbi’s daughter who bristles against the confines of her community. Even worse, the village matchmaker has started thinking about her future…
So when the rabbi is kidnapped, Rivke finally gets what she wants: an adventure across the empire. She’ll face undead Cossacks, evil spirits and 12-year-old Gregori Rasputin… all to find the legendary Golem and save her dad.
Dealing with themes of Jewish identity and anti-Semitism, it’s a STRANGER THINGS-esque adventure set in the world of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (but without songs); a mix of EDENFROST’s historical fantasy with a resourceful heroine like ENOLA HOLMES.
Age Range:
Young Adult (approx ages 13+)Genre:
Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror/Scary, Mythology/Folklore, Paranormal, RomancePage Count Estimate:
156
My Why:
I grew up with Jewish folktales and family stories of the Old World; beautiful, funny and tragic. I also grew up with the X-Men; heroes fighting injustice. PALE OF SETTLEMENT is a deeply personal mix of those: a heroic adventure in the Old World, written specifically for my daughters.
I teach the Holocaust to 7th graders and believe that stories can foster a sense of belonging and bridge differences. This comic is culturally and historically specific, but also universal and accessible, addressing otherness and understanding in a time of rising anti-Semitism and bigotry. And, it’s a comic for kids like my students or daughters to get excited about history via monsters, magic and romance; the kind of story I wish I had growing up.
Josh Eiserike
Josh is a writer/cartoonist/music nerd living in LA. TV credits include LEGACIES (CW), WARIGAMI (CW/CBC) and G.I. JOE: RENEGADES (The HUB). Published works include THE VERY FINAL LAST GIRLS (Darby Pop), CHARM CITY (Scout Comics) and pieces in MAD Magazine. His first comic, CLASS OF ’99, won an Ignatz Award. Josh developed PALE OF SETTLEMENT in the Jewish Writers Initiative Digital Storytellers Lab. In a previous life, Josh was a journalist, covering everything from Congress to the Warped Tour.
Tina Ritchie
Tina is a born and raised Nashvillian with a deep love for fantasy and science fiction. Since earning her BFA Illustration in 2020, Tina has self-published and collaborated in multiple comic books, shown large-scale oil paintings in galleries, as well as established her brand Tina Isola. The Isola (or “Island”) is a universe in which dreams take form, beasts roam freely, and women are the fiercest beasts of all.