The Waiting Game

 The splash page from the new Inquiring Minds short story.

As a small business, it's important to give updates and announcements... to talk about what's going on, in the hopes of creating buzz, and just to let people know what you're up to.  Of course, you want your posts to be meaningful, not full of fluff, but what do you do when weeks go by and you're not in a position to share?

Well, I guess you blog about it.  The funny thing is, I have a lot going on, but I'm in a kind of limbo, where I'm waiting to hear from several companies and people about things that will shape my company and where I'm going with it.  Yeah, that sounds vague, but that's the problem!  A lot of you have been involved in The Ghost Pirate Skeletons of Three Craters Lake, and have a right to know what's happening; however, I don't have enough information right now to give you the whole story.

Another scene from the Inquiring Minds short.

The comic book is done, I can tell you that. I had some really big announcements to make, but some things have changed, and thus the future of HappyGlyphs Comics is changing.  And with that change comes a lot of Plan B's, which require extra time and attention.

So... please stay tooned. As soon as I can see the big picture, I'll share it with you.  Since my last post here,  I've written and drawn a brand new Inquiring Minds short story which will be appearing in the 2013 SPACE anthology this April.  I'll also be hosting my first panel at the SPACE show, which is quite exciting.

And I will tell you much more about these stories as we get closer to SPACE.  Meanwhile, I'm waiting and waiting for a few people to find the time to get back to me, so I can decide the future of the comic book, and the company itself.

Very frustrating, but that's business these days...    JOHN :0)

The completed story, laid out for review.

Promotional Poster

Here is the artwork for the promotional poster for The Ghost Pirate Skeletons of Three Craters Lake!

The nice thing about a big project is that your art always improves from not only drawing every day, but challenging yourself to do bigger and better.  This was designed from the beginning to look like a movie poster... and who knows?  Maybe one day it WILL be a movie poster. :0)

Happy New Year!

And please, consider helping me to fund this comic book through my Indiegogo Campaign (link below).  You'll help me, and get some cool stuff in return!

JOHN :0)

http://igg.me/p/298958/x/1927642

Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

I've got a new comic book comic out, and it is a make or break deal for my company.  I'm looking to get national distribution into comic stores, and I need your help.

Yes, I've tried this already with Kickstarter, which was an incredible waste of my time.  I have no idea what happened there, but we failed to build up the momentum needed to get the campaign rolling, and failing that, received no support by Kickstarter itself.  I'm pretty sure that if we reached their 'popular' page, we would have actually been seen by enough people to carry us through.

I am that positive that this is a great book, and will do extremely well if seen by the right audience.  In support of that statement, the only people besides me to read this book were the very fine judges of the Comic-con International Small Press Committee.  These excellent judges chose me and my book as being 'above very strong competition' and awarded me with the honor and opportunity of a Small Press table at next year's Comic-con International in San Diego!  This is an opportunity that I shall take full advantage of. :0)

I say this becuase if they thought the book was good, then you should as well.  And here's where YOU come in.  I've got quotes from many printers, and there is one conclusion:  printing full color comics is very expensive.  Once the distributor and comic shop takes there cut of the earnings, the printer gets the rest.... and more.  In other words, at this rate, I'll actually be paying people to read my comic!  As Rick says on Pawn Stars.... "not gonna happen".  As much as I love cartooning, I need my business to actually make money and grow.  That's the whole point of getting national distribution after all.

So... I am running a campaign on IndieGoGo.com to raise enough money to offset some of those printing costs, at least enough so that I can make enough money from the books to pay for shipping them. (Yes, as a business model, this sucks... but I'm working on that.)  I am hoping with my previous experience that we can get the ball rolling here early enough, and the great thing about Indygogo is that I get to keep whatever funds we raise, so one way or another you'll be helping me offset those costs a bit, and at the same time get some cool stuff in return... including the book!

There's also the opportunity to pick up some one-of-a-kind original art... some of my favorites, in fact/  So check it out and join the fun!

Here's the link:    http://igg.me/p/298958/x/1927642

Thanks for your support,    JOHN :0)

PS I have a brand new promotional poster for the comic book which shall debut at the Indiegogo campaign.  It is way cool!