David Malki !

Check out: Poets Ranked by Beard Weight

June 29, 2023May 4, 2009

A million billion people have sent me this link today! I am so glad I have fine eyes and ears out there to make me aware of things like this.

It is called ‘Poets Ranked by Beard Weight,’ and it purports to be:

…a classic of Edwardian esoterica, a privately printed leaflet offered by subscription to the informed man of fashion and as a divertissement au courant for reading bins and cocktail tables of parlor cars and libraries and smoking lounges of gentlemen’s clubs. […] First published in England on the eve of The Great War, this quaint publication takes the reader on a fascinating excursion through such topics as False Beards, Merkins, and Capillamenta (chin wigs); Effusions of the Scalp and Face; Celebrated Chaetognaths (chaetognathous = hairy-jawed); and even includes an affectionate mini-essay about the wooly mammoth!

Well worth checking out. As for its Edwardian provenance, I’ll say only this: Many of the specific beard labels that this tract employs are shockingly familiar.

BONUS LINK: That this was a ‘Sponsored Link’ in my Gmail should give you an indication of the type of email I receive.

Rough sketches for ‘Return’ cover

June 29, 2023April 30, 2009

When I sat down to design the cover for Return to Wondermark Manor, I didn’t have a clear picture in my mind of how I wanted it to look. So I sat down with some oversized paper and just started sketching layouts with a ballpoint pen.

This is a great technique for unclogging your thinking. I knew I wanted to fill several sheets of paper; there was no sense in leaving any blank space. I didn’t know what I wanted the thing to look like, so I couldn’t call anything right or wrong. I focused simply on filling up pages with as many different designs as I could come up with.

Around page two or three, I started to get excited. Seeing designs sketched out helped upgrade this from some nebulous “project” in my imagination into an actual, physical book. It was starting to crystallize into something concrete. I visualized the designs that I’d drawn as fully-complete covers, as if I were holding the finished book in my hands, and gauged my reaction accordingly. What did I like and not like? Which designs and what visual elements were I responding to?

After I’d filled several pages in a bit of a frenzy, I began to peter out of ideas. That was okay, though; I had a really good start on some interesting designs. I set the whole stack of paper aside for a while.

When I paged through it again a few days later with fresh eyes, one unusual design stood out to me. I don’t know why, but I was really drawn to the asymmetry of the diagonal-slash composition on this page:

That basic layout became the foundation of the final cover. I didn’t follow the sketch exactly, but it gave me a place to start, a ramp to get my motor running. When I do a design project I usually have to start without knowing exactly where it’s going — trying to plan too much ahead of time can overwhelm me, and I never get anything done. But if I just hunker down and start playing around, usually I’ll figure out what I’m doing after a while and then I’m off to the races.

Here’s the final design (click for bigger):

p.s. I tried to work “the sketches popped my creative clutch” somewhere into that whole description, but it sounded dirty so I nixed it

Ordering wholesale copies of WM books

June 29, 2023April 27, 2009

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?

jes look at that

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!

GoRemy’s hilarious song parodies

June 29, 2023April 27, 2009

Not sure how it took me this long to stumble across Remy’s hilarious songs, but here you go. I grew up eating tabbouleh and hummus, so I’m definitely partial to these songs in particular, but the subject matter of Remy’s catalog encompasses the full gamut of our modern existence, and I highly recommend checking out his site for more.

The Tabbouleh Song

Hummus: The Rap

TurboTax: The Rap

Intern wanted!

June 29, 2023April 21, 2009

the services of an urchin are required

Would you (or do you know someone who would) like to learn all about the high-stakes world of Professional Webcomics™? Do you have far too much free time, and currently fritter it away counting dust-mites or smelling carpet samples? Are you in the Los Angeles area? And are you not a total lunkhead?

I am looking for an intern at my new base of operations, The Assault Factory, in Venice Beach! This is a one-day-a-week position starting very soon and extending tentatively through the San Diego Comic-Con in July. The position is unpaid, but meals will be provided as well as mileage reimbursement for any errands run on my watch. You will probably end up with some merch as well before the whole thing is said and done. I will sign any sort of school paperwork that you like — internship form? Hot-lunch voucher? Tardy slip? No problem. I also write killer letters of recommendation.

The ideal candidate is friendly, intelligent, vaguely familiar with the comic and my merchandise, and computer literate. Helpful (but not required) qualifications include: car ownership, facility with Photoshop, facility with Final Cut Pro, facility with WordPress, facility with nunchucks, and local to the West LA/Venice area — I hate asking people to drive across town. Although, of course, that’s your prerogative.

Please send your resumé (with a brief cover letter if you like) to dave at wondermark dot com, subject: “Internship”. Include any calendar or scheduling factors I should know regarding your availability. I will be conducting interviews as soon as possible, so please be willing to come to Venice for a sit-down.

See you soon! MWA HA HA HA