Allow me to throw my name in the hat as well. This sounds like a fun project!
Other than that, I'd like to say that my personal experience is that people "in these circles" are actually more than willing to pay for content they like. Some of my sequences on Gumroad are pay-what-you-want and I've been pleasantly surprised at how many people actually change that little "0" to something higher. It's been a steady trickle over several months, but I've made more money off "
Beware of Birthday Vodka" by giving it away for free than if I had charged it as a commission.
I'm not living off my art (yet), but my experience so far has definitely been encouraging.