Four years ago, cartoonist Jeph Jacques signed up for Patreon. The idea behind the then new website was intriguing: a reimagining of what it means to be a “patron” of the arts, for a generation of creators who were struggling to transform online fan bases into reliable income. On Patreon, fans sign up to give small, regular payments to their favorite online visual artists, podcasters, vloggers, comic-book artists and other creators.