Since I have to periodically reprint my first collection, The Annotated Wondermark, anyhow, I decided that this time I would update the design just a bit to make it more closely match Beards of our Forefathers and the books to come. This way they all look nice, sitting together on a convention table! This brand-new edition also features nicer paper and much sharper printing — technology’s come a long way since this book was first released in 2004, I’ll tell you what.
Inside the book are the first 100 Wondermark comics, plus around 20 pages of various bonus material. Also, Ryan North of “Dinosaur Comics” was kind enough to write the introduction! It is a fine book of levity and delight, if you are into such things.
I’m not receiving my shipment from the printer until this Thursday, but you can buy it now in the store and get one shipped hot off the press on Friday. I’ve also got a few nick & dent copies of Beards left, and of course I also urge promptness with Valentine card (or gift) orders, for the best odds of timely delivery.
I’ll be doing another live-stream probably on Friday to draw Artist Edition sketches. More details about that mid-week! SET YOUR CALENDAR FOR VAGUENESS
It’s time to buy Valentine cards! I say this on January 9th so as to make absolutely certain that everyone who would like Valentine cards, whether you live two blocks from my house or in Darkest Kathmandu, can have cards in their hot little hands by February 14th.
Also here is a brand-new Valentine for this year (click for bigger):
This and four other Valentine card designs can be had at the good ol’ Wondermark Goodsery!
A few other things of note at the Goodsery — we’re still selling calendars, by Jove, and as 2009 marches steadily along I can’t recommend heartily enough that you pick up one of these babies before they disappear for good. As of this second, we’ve got only 42 left, and that is it.
We’re also still giving away free gifts with purchases of over $40 and $75 through the end of January. A calendar and some cards will hit that mark easily; or a calendar and a nick-and-dent book, of which we now have several:
(for example)
These books are discounted due to minor damage sustained in shipping and storage. You may not want to give them as a gift, for fear of being labeled a terrible person who gives gifts that are mildly damaged, but (while supplies last) they’re a fine addition to your personal library at significant savings over the brand-new price.
It’s the 2009 Wondermark Calendar! These guys are made of twelve individual monthly cards, each 8.5″ x 5.5″, which sit in a heavy brass easel. Each month is adorned with an image and a bit of dark verse written by me. The calendars are hand-screenprinted by my wife Nikki in our home, and are strictly limited to 150 copies.
We didn’t have a chance to make a new video, but the process is exactly the same as last year, illustrated below (or at this link, for readers on feeds):
…With the sole exception that I am now a full year older than in that video. This year’s calendars are created by hand just like last year, and they are available with the easel (recommended!) or simply as a “refill” of just the cards if you still have an easel from last year. We are printing the 150 copies of the calendar now, and will start shipping them next week. You should order them right this second — our U.S. shipping deadline is nominally this Sunday, but we will continue shipping all packages (sans guarantee) right up ’til Christmas Day, at which point we will collapse from exhaustion. So your chances are reasonable to very good, and you should order now.
“But David,” you may say in a charming accent, “are you insane? Those of us in far-flung foreign countries with postal services that you justifiably distrust could never get these by Christmas!”
A-ha! I’ve got you covered, friend. I will do everything in my power to get these calendars out the door as soon as possible. BUT, should the vagaries of Fate stand between my California hovel and your palatial estate in Dublin or Johannesburg or Auckland or Oslo or Hong Kong, your sweetie for whom you have purchased this thoughtful gift will not be empty-handed come The Day. For you can give them this:
It is a Certificate asserting that you have, indeed, purchased a calendar and that it is on its way. Simply print it out on A4 paper (right-click to download PDF) and keep it as a backup in case your postman disappoints you. Your honeybunch will understand! And then you can have a Second Christmas when it finally arrives. (I think in the majority of cases this will not be necessary, but, you know, just in case.)
As I said, there will only be 150 of these calendars made. This is a bit of a gamble; we sold 100 last year, and I’ve decided to step it up one notch. But savvy pre-ordering customers have already purchased, as of this writing, 51 of the 150 — so only 99 remain! Go to it.
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEWS
Okay, time’s getting short, the holidays approacheth anon, you’ve still got a long list, let’s get to it. Books your clever friends & weird family will love:
The Kris Straub Comedy Compendium (Starslip Crisis Volumes 1-2; Chainsawsuit: The Book), by Kris Straub
Kris is a funny guy and his comics read thrillingly well in serial form. The nuances of his space-opera story really unfold underneath the day-to-day gag strips, and his Chainsawsuit goofball thing is ideal for the can. Perfect for: Anyone who owns Firefly or Doctor Who DVDs, especially if they won’t let you borrow them
Moruskine, by Dirk Schwieger
A book of comics illustrating the adventures of Dirk in Tokyo, chronicling the things that random people dared him to do around Japan. Read as much as you like on the Web and see if you’re not instantly fascinated. Perfect for: Anyone who reads Lonely Planet books for fun (I do! They’re really entertaining)
Pugs: God’s Little Weirdos, by Dave Kellett
Dave has a serious affection for pugs, but he’s certainly aware that they’re lacking something critical in the skull that would make them more intelligent than a bumblebee in a special school. Pugs is a collection of Dave’s charming “Sheldon” comics about the crazy animals. Perfect for: Your mom
I Am White Ninja and You are My Pickle Sidekick, by Scott Bevan & Kent Earle
“White Ninja” comics do indeed feature a white ninja. But no, they are not about anything really ninja-related. What “White Ninja” comics are becomes perfectly clear when I explain that these are schoolchums from Saskatchewan who began drawing comics in like the seventh grade. Perfect for: Anyone who’s ever named something animate after something inanimate, such as a dog named “Toaster” or a baby named “Bagpipe”
Now go to it! And don’t forget to order a calendar!
(psst: here’s a larger version of that poster image for your perusing pleasure)
Domestic orders for either should be placed within the week to ensure delivery by Christmas! If you are not concerned about such things, you may order whenever you like. If you have already ordered, you are my personal hero and I love you.
Soon I will be able to stop talking about merchandise! Just…not quite yet. In the meantime there is this, which gives my wife the major giggles at every single opportunity:
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(Seriously.)