blog: product announcements

Never fear! I am extending the deadline for signed comic prints. Two reasons for this: Demand has been overwhelming, and the replacement comic-print system is not quite up and running yet. I want the replacement system to be seamless when it launches, so I’m giving it some more time for the bugs to get worked out. With many thanks to those who’ve bought prints already, the new deadline for signed comic prints is August 14.

That’s also now the deadline for:

– Hand-signed books (either strip collections or Dispatches books). In two weeks, I won’t be shipping my own books anymore, so I won’t be able to sign copies by default the way I do now. I’ll probably do batches of signings/Artist Editions twice a year starting in 2010, but until then, if you want your (upcoming Christmas/Chanukah/birthday gift) book(s) to be signed or inscribed by me, please order them by August 14.

– Any of the Dispatches books sold separately (after August 14 they’ll only be sold as a complete set of all three volumes).

But here are two items that are active TODAY:

– Signed bookplates! This is my compromise for those who’ve bought unsigned books from Amazon or a local store, or who buy books after the August 14 deadline. Simply mail me a self-addressed stamped envelope, and I’ll sign a free bookplate (or several) and send ’em to you to stick into your book(s):

Send your SASE to: Wondermark Bookplate, 2554 Lincoln Blvd #214, Venice CA 90291. Include a note with any special instructions (such as inscriptions, or requesting multiple bookplates). Except for the cost of the return stamp, this service is absolutely free!

– “Where is my Elephant” shirts are currently on clearance!

We’re gonna modify the design very slightly when next we reprint the shirt, so for the moment, the current design is discounted by a couple bucks. And of course, you can also save an additional $5 any time you buy three shirts at a time from the TopatoCo store — they don’t even all have to be Wondermark shirts! Plenty of other good stuff on the site.

More big news to come soon! Thanks very much to everyone who came and said hello at Comic-Con, I had a wonderful time. Hope you’re enjoying the books, shirts, and lingering, smoky glances you picked up at the show!

Did you know that you can get any Wondermark comic as a lovely, 12″ x 6″ photo-quality print? And I’ll sign that bad boy for free — even inscribe it for the intended recipient if you like (even if it’s yourself). A great gift for the Marksman or Wonder Woman in your life.

Why do I bring it up now? Because this month will be the last opportunity for signed prints. Comic prints will continue be available later, albeit in a slightly different form — but these next few weeks are the last time they’ll be moving through my hands personally, and thus the last chance I’ll have to sign them.

If that’s important to you, jump on over and order your prints today! (Be sure to specify which particular strip(s) you’d like in the “Special Instructions” box.) Prints are archival and suitable for framing, mail in a rigid stay-flat envelope, and currently (until Comic-Con, anyway) I’m shipping all orders within 3 business days of receipt.

I should also come clean and let you know that I will only be signing books for a limited time too, so if you’ve had your eyes on a Wondermark collection and you’d like it to be signed or inscribed (free!), there’s no time like the present. But I’ll won’t make the “last call” announcement for signed books until a bit later this summer — I’ll be sure to give you plenty of warning!

This is a special post for booksellers, comic shop folks, and anyone who sells things that are made by other people!

Booksellers: You probably know that my two Dark Horse books, Beards of our Forefathers (ISBN 978-1-59307-984-0) and Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death (ISBN 978-1-59582-329-8) are available through Diamond! But did you know I have a previous collection, The Annotated Wondermark, which is not solicited through Diamond?

This book is published by my very own Wondermark Enterprises. If you would like to stock this book in your comic shop, bookstore, bodega or transmission repair shop (really I’m not picky), I am now making wholesale copies available for 50% of cover price, with free shipping. Every copy will also be signed by me!

My Dispatches from Wondermark Manor books are also available on a wholesale basis at 60% of MSRP, and they are not price-marked so you could theoretically charge whatever you like for them.

To order, email dave at wondermark dot com (Subject: “Wholesale Order”) with the following information:

1. Your store name, shipping address and contact person
2. Business tax ID or, if in CA, seller’s permit number
3. Payment preference — I can invoice you for a check or PayPal payment, or call for credit card info.
4. Your order! Minimum purchase of any title is 5 books. Available are:

The Annotated Wondermark – MSRP $11.95 – Discount 50%
Dispatches Vol. I – MSRP $5.00 – Discount 40%
Dispatches Vol. II – MSRP $7.00 – Discount 40%
Dispatches Vol. III – MSRP $8.00 – Discount 40%

Terms are net 30 via check, credit card or PayPal. All books are sold on a non-returnable basis.

I will also list contact information for participating stores on this site, so folks know where they can find the books locally! And readers: feel free to lobby your favorite store on my behalf, if you think they’d benefit from stocking my books.

With my recent Eisner nomination and the release of my latest hardcover coming in quick succession, there’s been some increased buzz around Wondermark collections in many shops. I hope that’s true of yours as well, and that I can help you sell more books!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call: (310) 986-3483. Looking forward to your orders!

Now available for pre-order: Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death, the newest Wondermark collection from Dark Horse Books! In the vein of last year’s Beards of our Forefathers (which has been nominated for an Eisner Award), this beautiful hardbound volume collects over 100 individual Wondermark comics, as well as a long-form graphic-novel-style story and tons of extra material around the edges and stuffed into the corners.

Clever Tricks will officially be released next month, but between now and May 13, you can pre-order a copy (or all three of my collections) and have me create a unique sketch in each book!

Why is this significant, when I’ve been offering Artist Editions for years? Because this will be your only chance. For reasons that will become clear in a few months, I am discontinuing all Artist Editions after May 13.

So! If you would like an Artist Edition copy of the new book (or any of the old ones), please place your order now! And please keep future gift-giving, etc. in mind as well, because Artist Editions will (in all likelihood) not be available for Christmas later this year.

Also available for pre-order: Return to Wondermark Manor, the third and final volume of my parody Victorian novel series! The longest of the three books at 208 pages, Return is available by itself or in a combo pack with the other two volumes. Only a few hundred will be printed — your pre-order will ensure that you get a new, clean, fresh-smelling copy right off the press.

Here’s a bigger picture of Clever Tricks and here’s one of Return to Wondermark Manor. All pre-ordered books will begin shipping on May 13!

Look what came in the mail! It’s an advance copy of my new Dark Horse collection Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death, featuring over 100 comic strips, the coloring contest winners, and loads of methods to delay the inexorable approach of the inevitable. It’s available for pre-order from Amazon now, or order it through your local comic shop or independent bookstore.

If you’d like a signed or sketched-in copy, and/or would like to ensure that I make a few extra bucks from the sale, I’ll be offering a pre-order once I return from the New England Webcomics Weekend — where, by the way, I will be auctioning off this very advance copy to benefit our Webcomics Kiva microlending group.

Stay tuned…