Category Archives: Comic Blog

Cyanide & Happiness & Joel

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cyandide-and-happiness-and-joel

Guess what, Internet? I have been hired by my good friends at Explosm to write for The Cyanide & Happiness show! 

I’ve been collaborating with Rob and Dave and Kris, et al on various comics, character ideas, animation concepts and songs over the last year or so, but now that their UNFATHOMABLY SUCCESSFUL Kickstarter is over and they’ve moved into full on production mode we’ve decided to make it official and I couldn’t be more excited.

The short version of the story is Explosm had been shopping the Cyanide & Happiness Show around to nearly every major network and cable outlet and after turning down offer after offer that required them to relinquish creative control of their show, they decided to forego the TV route entirely and produce the show on their own for the Internet.

The show will consist of  a series of animated shorts strung together into 12 minute episodes. The writing has been going FANTASTICALLY. It’s really some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever been a part of and the early animations are just outstanding. This show is going to DESTROY the Internet (as it was foretold in scripture) with laugh-make-times. I can not wait for you to see, and hear what we’ve got in store for you. Oh, what’s that? Yes, HEAR, because I will also be a voice actor on the show. I’m just checking boxes off my “Magical Wish Unicorn Dream List” left and right.

So, there you go. Big news. I’m super happy about it.

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HijiNKS ENSUE At Calgary Expo 2013!!!

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Calgary Expo is this weekend! I’ll be at booth 925-1025 with Blind Ferret. 

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I’ll have books, prints, shirts, Lil’ Wil Plushies and sketches! Last year was my first Calgary Expo and in terms of sales it was my best convention ever. In terms of meeting super nice readers and being treated very well by the staff and volunteers, it was also right up there at the top. The thought that this year could potentially top last year in either of those categories is somewhat impossible to imagine, but I BELIEVE IN YOU CALGARY!

I believe in your ability to come to my booth and say nice things and shower me in your silly, pastel, plastic money! We can do this, Calgary! We’re a team! Did you somehow forget how much I enjoy tiny bottles of booze and baked goods? I STILL ENJOY THOSE THINGS! Bring those things too! This is going to be a good time for you and me, Calgary.

UPDATE: There’s an Alberta Browcoats shindig Saturday night after the con. Details are here. There’s going to be beer and live music and door prizes. Sounds like good times.

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hijinksensue· 112 weeks ago

Thank you for this clarification. Based on your explanation, Calgary is actually Houston, not Dallas.
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hijinksensue· 112 weeks ago

It always is, and despite my enjoyment of Chicago, Calgary is a MUCH better show. Both in terms of sales and how it’s run. C2E2 is put on my Reed Pop which means it is in constant opposition to the exhibiting cartoonists. Not sure what it is about those guys but they only cater to big media companies and treat everyone else like garbage.

Also, and this is the super depressing part, sales in Chicago were abismal the last two years I went there. Almost everyone I talked to was very polite and enthusiastic, then explained they wouldnt be buying anything because they’d just lost their job. It was really upsetting. At least 100 people told me that exact same story. In Calgary they are just throwing silly plastic money at the table and running away.

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Matt Stevens · 112 weeks ago

I can attest to the money-throwing behavior as witnessed at last year’s show. I shall stop by if I can or at least see you at the shindig, perhaps.
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Karcitis · 112 weeks ago

The $50 bill is pinky-red, yup.

$20 is green, $10 is bruise coloured, and $5 is blue. Oh and $100 is gold, natch.

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hijinksensue· 112 weeks ago

And it’s waterproof, tear proof, has transparent color changing holograms, one has a hockey guy on it, the rest has either Hellen Mirren or Judi Dench… seriously, it puts our money to shame.
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hijinksensue· 111 weeks ago

I promise you we dont.
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KingMeIV · 111 weeks ago

It’s not completely tear-proof. This myth was busted at the Loading Ready Run booth at the expo last year.

As a side note, did you see the video of the message your good buddy Wil left for my niece at the end of his panel? Absolutely brilliant!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_BtmV4JRSc

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KingMeIV · 111 weeks ago

Also, word has it that it melts in the dryer.
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hijinksensue· 111 weeks ago

That was you!? What a great gift for a future nerd.
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KingMeIV · 111 weeks ago

I WISH it was me. It was Violet’s parents that asked Wil to leave her the message. I was at that panel though to witness the awesome in person.

5 Year Experimentiversary

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Today is the 5 year anniversary of The Experiment. That means HijiNKS ENSUE has been my full time job for the last 5 years. That also means it’s the longest job I’ve ever held. What I’d like to say is, “Thanks for sticking with me and making it possible for me to do what I love for a living. Without your support I would still be in some soul-sucking, creatively bankrupt job, but instead I get to do exactly what I want to for a living. It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done and I’m humbled and honored that I get to share it with you.” And while those statements are EXACTLY true, they are not the whole truth.

I started The Experiment with the goal of  being extremely transparent about the successes and failures of trying to turn my passion into my job in the hopes that someone else would read about my experiences, be inspired to do their own thing and hopefully not have to make all of the same mistakes I’ve made. Over the last 5 years I’ve heard from at least a dozen people that started “experimenting” for themselves after following along with my adventure in self employment/ dream fulfillment. Other than being a father, I think that is probably the most important thing I will ever do. If even one person allows themselves to lead a full life of risk and passion and reward and danger and all of the things that are the antithesis of punching the clock, being miserable and constantly waiting for things to get better because of something I wrote or said or did, then I’ve left the world a little bit better than I found it.

If you are a fan of The Experiment and would like to see it continue, please consider making a donation, buying something from the HE Store or Sharksplode or checking out my Amazon Wishlist. I am quite literally 100% dependent on the kindness of strangers. It’s a weird job, I know.

If you want a ZERO DOLLAR way to support HijiNKS ENSUE, please post a few of your favorite HE comics to your site, blog or social media outlet of choice with a few words as to why you think your friends might enjoy reading HE as well.

Hearing from other “experimenters” is certainly one of the most positive outcomes of this whole ordeal. But transparency isn’t just about sharing the positivity. It’s also about sharing the hardships, and the uncertainty. Continue reading→

HijiNKS ENSUE At Emerald City Comicon 2013!!!

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Emerald City Comicon is THIS WEEKEND in Seattle! It is my favorite show of the year and I will be at the Blind Ferret Booth (#1106) all weekend.

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I’ll have books, prints, shirts, Lil’ Wil Plushies and sketches! Check out the new mini-banner/ price sheet I made for ECCC on my Tumblr. It mentions a negotiable fee for AWKWARD STARES, but bring me some Starbucks Doubleshots and tiny bottles of booze and I’ll totally waive that fee.

Tesla Uncoiled Prints And More Prints And More!

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GAH! My store (and everything else hosted on Blind Ferret’s servers) got massively hacked! Every day the store is down means money (that I depend on to meet my monthly obligations) out of my pocket. Since I have no ETA on when the main HE store will be back up, I am offering the a new “TESLA UNCOILED” print (signed by me) for sale here in my makeshift Print Shop.

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It’ll be on presale for about a week, and ship before I leave for JoCo Cruise Crazy 3 on Feb 9th.

You can also grab some of my most popular large prints for only $15 while you’re at it!