HijiNKS ENSUE is 5 Days A Week Now!

If you were around this nook of the internet last week you have have noticed an unusually high volume of HijiNKS ENSUE Comics. Long time readers know that due to the topical nature of the comic I am unable to have a buffer of finished comics. This has always lead to a sporadic update schedule. One of my main goals for 2011 is to rectify that situation by forcing myself to output more content, and to output some kind of content every day of the week.

Starting now (actually last week) there will be 4 regular HE comic’s a week (usually Mon-Thurs) and a Lo-FiJINKS comic on Friday. There may occasionally be more Lo-FiJiNKS comics over the weekend. I felt it better to “show” before “telling” since my last announcement of “I’m doing 4 comics a week” was poorly timed around my convention schedule and never came to fruition.

I promise you that I WILL screw up and miss updates. I know myself too well to say otherwise. But I also promise you that I will make the best comics I possibly can as often as I can and continue to give them away for free.

If you like the idea of more comics, then how about setting up a donation subscription so I can maybe have less constant crippling anxiety about financial issues? Doing so will get you access to the Vault where I post all kinds of secret, behind the scenes art, photos, bonus podcasts, desktops and mobile wallpapers.

I should note that the decision to make this change has been rolling around in my brain-head for 6 months or so, but the final nudge over the edge came when I saw my friend Alina was doing the same thing. Seeing her step up and put her comics where her mouth is (???what???) really gave me the courage to do the same. Read her comic, Weregeek, and enjoy the LOLS.

Thanks for letting me continue to have the best job in the world. I am extraordinarily grateful.

“Godspeed, You Fancy Bastards”

~joel

2 Year Experiment-versary, New Olmos Shirt and BIG NEWS!

That’s right, you Fancy Bastards. As of last week I have been professionally unemployed as a webcartoonist for 2 years! WTF, right? Absolutely no part of that makes any sense. I wrote more about it in THIS BLOG POST [under the comic]. Again, I just want to say thanks for making this incredibly unlikely anniversary possible.

If you are fairly new to HE and The Experiment and would like to show your support, please consider getting a book or shirt in the store or making a donation.

Battlestar Galactica/UN "So Say We All" T-Shirt

As part of the next phase of The Experiment, I am now producing HijiNKS ENSUE 4 times a week. I know it’s going to be rocky at first upping my output like this but I really think it is imperative to the survival of the comic that I get as close to one comic a day as possible.

UPDATE: I spoke too soon. While it is still my goal to produce HE at least 4 times a week, so far it has proven impossible due to travel, cons and other obligations. WAY TO FAIL!

I am also happy to announce that I was asked by Olmos Productions, Inc. to design a new shirt for them based on the meeting that took place last year between the cast of Battlestar Galactica and delegates of the United Nations. Please check it out HERE and send the link to any scifi/BSG blogs or forums that you frequent.

New T-Shirts + 1 Year Experimentversary

Holy effin’ crap, guys! It’s been 1 year to the day since I started The Experiment (read the original announcement here)! For new readers or old school Fancy Bastard who may have forgotten, The Experiment is my attempt to make a living from my webcomic. Originally I gave myself 4-6 months to try this out after I lost my day job. Since it’s been 12 months, you might think The Experiment has been a success. Success is a relative term. This is certainly the most rewarding job I have ever had, and I wouldn’t trade these last 12 months for anything, but as of today HijiNKS Ensue only provides a little less than half the income my family needs to meet our basic responsibilities. This income comes from your DONATIONS and store purchases. A tiny tiny tiny tiny sliver comes from advertising (almost enough to pay the car note!), and the rest comes from my personal savings. The savings well has dried up several times in the last year, but has been occasionally replenished by tax refunds and other such unexpected allocations of cash.

So now it’s “do or die” time. Phase 1 of The Experiment was all about “make the best comic you can and see what happens money-wise.Phase 2 (this is Phase 2) is all about “The comic is pretty good, let’s get serious about the money part!

A big part of the new money seriousness is that the fine folks at Topatoco will now be selling HijiNKS Ensue Shirts along with the shirts they already offer from all of your other favorite webcomics.

Check them out HERE!

2009-03-31-hijinks-ensue-topatoco-rss-20090329

This is a pretty big deal for me and it’s great news for you. Topatoco is a top notch operation and all they do is sell webcomics merchandise. The shirts are cheaper than they were before, the are professionally screenprinted and you can save on shipping when you buy multiple shirts from me or any other artist. I’m extremely excited. I really want the Topatoco guys to see they made the right choice in adding HijiNKS Ensue to their roster and a great way to show them would be to pick up one (or all) of the new shirts (hint cough hint).

What about the old store? It’s still there… for now. It’s run through Yahoo Stores and I have ALWAYS hated their back end and every other aspect of using them, so I will be shutting this store down in the next couple of weeks. You can still purchase any of the shirts or prints available in the old store as long as it’s still there. I will be moving to a different store front service (same URL for your convenience) shortly. You will still be able to buy prints there and eventually it will have the first HE book. Seriously. I’m watching my wife lay it out right now. It’s happening. I will probably still offer some of the non-Topatoco shirts in the store but not many. If there’s one you want I would suggest getting it now.

What about the Donation Drive? Your monthly donations currently total a little over $700. I am so freaking grateful for this, I can barely express it. The original idea was to reach a goal of $1500 in monthly donation subscriptions. Then the economy went to shit and the donations dried up. Anyone who has donated any amount, especially those of you that have stuck it out and continued your subscriptions have my heartfelt thanks. I’m not going to be shooting for a specific goal any more with the donations. Instead I’m just going to post the monthly totals in the sidebar of the site. I don’t want you guys to feel like “we are never going to get there” in terms of donations. What you are doing now is already more generous than I could have ever imagined.

What about The Vault? The Vault is the “premium content” site that all donators and subscribers get access to. I have big plans for it in this phase of The Experiment, but you can already get Post Shows for the HE Podcast, Destop Wallpapers, iPhone Wallpapers, unfinished art, behind the scenes/making of type stuff, and much more when you donate or subscrbe.

So that’s the current “State of The Experiment.” Treading water but hopeful. The new shirts, the book, and a few other things I have planned for this year are really going to decide the fate of HijiNKS Ensue. If you want to help (with money) you can buy a shirt, buy a print or subscribe to The Vault. If you want to help (without money) you can tell a friend about the site, post a comic on your blog, or send me an encouraging email. Every little bit helps.

Thank you all so much for making the last 12 months so geektastically amazing.

-Joel

New Desktop Wallpaper and Experiment Update

Today we reached $600 in monthly donation subscriptions. Thank you all so much. We are nearly halfway to the $1500 monthly goal. I am so grateful for you generosity.

As of last month I am looking for part time work or freelance/contract work in order to keep the Experiment and HE alive.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

If you know of anyone (your company perhaps) that might require my services (illustration, graphic design, writing, etc) please drop me a line. I am also available for personal contracts like logo design or freelance illustration.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in SPONSORING HijiNKS Ensue, I am working on the details of a sponsorship advertising program now. Please let me know. You know what kind of audience HE attracts, so you probably know if HE is a good fit for your company or organization.

Here’s a new desktop wallpaper for anyone that that donates or subscribes to the Vault:

Thanks, guys!

-Joel