On certain days, when I pass by a trash can full of rotten fruit and children's vomit, I get a very strong sense memory of being inside Jambalaya Jim's

#1564; A Cold Stare From a Tall Bookshelf (Part 3)

  — April 7th, 2025

[ Tags: , , ]       Permalink: https://wondermark.com/c/1564/

This storyline started with Part 1.

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Drawing: Ink-wash study

Broke out the dip-pens and watercolors today. It’s been far too long.

I realized as I was sharpening pencils that I haven’t actually sharpened a pencil in several years. I’ve bought pencils (intending to put them to use) far more often than I have actually used them. So I dug through my drawers and found all the pencils I could that needed sharpening, then sharpened them all for good measure.

This piece has an outline inked with crowquill and brush, after which I diluted the ink and went back in with a wash brush. The thin piece of scratch paper that I used wrinkled from the watery ink — I really love how in the scan the wrinkles give the dude a radiant Byzantine-halo effect. ALL HAIL OUR LORD AND MASTER

petar1.jpg

A very special announcement!

What’s this?

It’s my new book! This 96-page hardcover will be hitting bookstore shelves in June, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. It picks up where The Annotated Wondermark left off, and includes 131 comic strips (including many that have never appeared on this site) as well as Treachery!. I’ve also written loads of fun extra material especially for this collection, including a Dispatches from Wondermark Manor prologue chapter.

And the best part is…it’s available on Amazon now for pre-order!

The last few weeks have been a bit of an education in publishing for me. Typically, the way I’ve sold books in the past is: 1. I design the books. 2. I print the books. 3. I sell the books to you. This model has worked well for me so far, but for the new book, I’m having to change tactics.

The revised model goes like this: 1. I design the book (done). 2. You pre-order the book. 3. Dark Horse looks at those pre-order numbers, and decides how many books to print and how much of a promotional effort the book deserves. 4. The book is a resounding success, and Dark Horse and I go on to make more books -OR- the book does poorly and I go back to the previous model of bookselling.

In other words, pre-orders are extremely important. In addition to encouraging individual sales, I’ll be urging as many bookstores and comic stores as I can to order copies for the shelf. You can do the same in your area! The book will be solicited in the June Previews (which comic stores will receive next month), and it’s already in the Dark Horse Summer Catalog, which bookstores should have a copy of. The ISBN is 978-1593079840.

Another new way that you can help support Wondermark is by making general Amazon purchases via my site, by using the search box just over on the right, in the sidebar. Anything you buy on Amazon after clicking through from Wondermark earns me a commission, and it doesn’t cost you an extra penny! I see it sort of as a tip jar. Feel free to use my site as a portal for your general Amazon searching — or, if you think I’m being crass, then don’t! That’s fine too.

Check out: Toupydoops

What if Hollywood was run by the comic industry, instead of by movies? If Marvel and DC were the big guns instead of Fox, Paramount and the like, and if starry-eyed youngsters moved to the city to audition for issues instead of episodes? Such is the world of Kevin McShane’s Toupydoops. It’s a great premise that Kevin pulls off pitch-perfectly, with clean artwork and sharp wit. Check it out!

Self-employment update

It’s February! I am coming up on a full year of non-full-time employment. I haven’t had an actual “job,” like with holidays and health insurance and stuff, for about two years now, but I had a pretty regular freelance gig for most of 2006 and the first few months of 2007. When that ended, I started flying without a net, and it’s been scary, rewarding, frustrating and exhilarating in about equal measure.

Nearly a year on, I’m finding myself turning down work-for-hire gigs more and more often so I can have time to focus on the comic and other personal projects. Like Tuesday’s comic expressed (in a fashion), I don’t want to waste or give away any more of my own personal calendar-squares than I have to. Often that means that I walk away from decent paychecks or even potential career opportunities — but in doing so, I’ve realized with growing clarity how important it is to spend my finite energy in pursuit of my own goals, rather than those of an advertising agency, movie studio, or corporate client.

This transition has only been possible because of your generous support. Thank you so much for reading the comic, for blogging about it and spreading the word, for buying from the store and for offering a kind word at conventions. You are the reason I do this and why I’m thrilled to be working very hard on new, exciting directions for not only Wondermark, but the greater Wondermark Enterprises brand. Thank you all for your continued kindness — I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, do it without you.


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