UPDATE: The Presale has begun!
I have been drawing this cover for 2 days straight. I haven’t left the house and I have only offered my wife and daughter the occasional “Mungh!” through my closed office door. Thanks to everyone that voted on the book name. I went with the majority, so congrats on picking something super confusing that will continue the tradition of HijiNKS ENSUE book names that cause people to make faces and ask questions.
I will make a formal announcement for the presale on Monday and give links to purchase the various flavors of the book. There will of course be regular editions, artist editions (perhaps your ONLY chance to get a book sketch other than at a convention), and I will again be offering ULTIMATE FANCY EDITIONS. Just like last time, these super special editions will have a limited edition print, some stickers, and some other goodies. The price will also contain a built-in donation for those of you that want to help with the initial printing cost of the books (somewhere between $7000 and $9000). This time there will be 200 150 Ultimate Fancies and each UFE purchaser will get their name in the book on the the Fancy Bastard Wall of Fancy Fame. There will also be a few offerings of Ultimate Ridiculous Fancy Editions that will have a few extra goodies but primarily be for those that REALLY want to help with the printing costs.
So now I level with you: I just went back and read my impassioned plea from the first HE Book presale. I mentioned that I was dead broke and the book was either going to be the end of The Experiment or the beginning of the next chapter. Luckily, and thanks 100% to YOU, it was the latter. I’m in a similar situation now where upon YOU get to decide if this book actually gets made or not. If the UFE’s don’t sell out I probably won’t be able to afford the print run at all. If the presale goes poorly there just won’t be a book 2 until a wealthy financier steps in and starts paying me to read to him in my underwear (the boxers stay on, old man!). If you care about HE and it’s continued existence, even if you have already donated, or purchased something from the store, I STRONGLY encourage you to preorder the book as soon as it’s available.
I am doing everything within my power to make the best book I possibly can, and all I ask is that you drop a few bucks on it a couple of months before it exists in the physical realm. So let’s talk about the book. It is going to contain all of the HE comics from 2009 with all new commentary from me on each comic. It has a foreword by Leverage writer Eureka writer/executive producer AMY FREAKIN’ BERG! How’s that for geek-cred? It will again have even more embarrassing, never-before-seen artwork from my middle school and highschool days, and maybe a few surprises (probably not… probably just the stuff I already mentioned).
If the presale goes well the books will be off to the printer in January and will begin shipping in late February. I’m sure there are some of you that will want to give the book as a gift THIS year, so I will make a nice card that you can print out and give to the recipient in the fashion of your choosing.
Please, please, please help me make this a success. Thanks!
~Joel
I already budgeted money towards this pre-order… months ago (including the extra money I promised myself I would donate if I could get the same book number as I got last time, #13). I've got my pre-order-clicking-finger ready.
it's not going to be a problem.
I also love references to the EFE, so this makes me super happy. I may have to get another EFE sketch in my UFE.
OMG, 'Silverhawks'!!!
Partly metal, partly real!
Will there be an option again for you to draw inside the front of the book, thus ruining it? I would totally pay extra $$ for that again.
-jh
thats what the artist editions are.
Joel, I am gonna be honest with you: I will order the book as soon as possible, although I think that from 2009 and on, there has been some decrease in brilliance. Maybe you are not getting enough geek input, but the good news is that 2011 -12 seems filled with geek movies, TV series and books.
Keep up the good work!
"some decrease in brilliance"
What am I supposed to do with feedback like that? Feel free to skip the book if you feel that way. Im not going to force my subpar comics on you.
They are far from "subpar" and I am sorry if I made you feel awful about it. I meant that if your pre-2009 work was "11", 2009-2010 work is "10". Now I will have to order two books to make it up to you. Sincerely 🙁
I'll likely be ordering a copy of the book but what I really want to know is if I can get a full size print of that picture. Love the Silverhawks, love that you made the reference.
The prints of the cover will be included in Ultimate Fancy Editions. They will be signed and numbered.
oh man I loved Silverhawks as a kid. I will be preordering the book and I just might have to get a print of the cover if you have them available.
the cover prints will be in the UFE's.
LOVE THE COVER!
I have to get a copy of it in my grubby, Cheeto-stained fingers.
Is there going to be any other way to help with printing costs besides pre-ordering the book? Like a straight-up donation, or buying sketches, or a kickstarter project?
You can certainly make a donation and specify that its for the book printing. Kickstarter isnt necessary for me really and they take far too large a fee.
Silverhawks! FUCK YEAH!
Is this the one that's going to have .. uh… that thing in it?
If you are refering to a certain photo, then YES! HAHAHAHAHAH!
Excellent, I am so buying an ultimate fancy edition!
Holy shit. Silverhawks reference = awesome.
Your reference to Weeds pleases me immensely.
Dunno from Silverhawks, but I *love* your armored hair swoosh! Gotta protect dah swoosh!
*waiting to choose my pre-sale wisely*
Joel, I plan on getting mine right now of the Fancy Super edition. Link? 🙂
check out that image up there in the comic area. Presale starts Monday.
Joel, I met you at this year's C2E2 (I was the lady with the Bela Lugosi tattoo) and I purchased your first book. I fell head-over-heels in love first glance at your awesomeness and with our shared worshiping of Joss Whedon. I can't wait to purchase your next book. Your fan for life…
I'm going to see if I can scrape some cash together for the Presale. I hope to pick it up at C2E2 if not at the presale.
Monday is a good day for me, as I don't have work at 5am on Monday. I guess I will stay up all night again for this. I wonder if I can beat my last book number… I doubt it though. Hard to beat 3/150, even harder if you think this year to hold #1 for auctioning later.
Silverhawks are radical. Currently enjoying voltron and the defenders of the universe, and inspector gadget, which is not as awesome as Silverhawks, but which is still way cooler than thundercats or autobots.
Silverhawks! The short lived spin off of Thundercats! That's even more obscure then M.A.S.K., I love it!
…waaaiit… now it looks familiar, after looking too long at Josh's pixie-ish-creature…
I am avoiding googling it.. I don't have time to get lost in *that* abyss.
hmm.. I think it was one of the shows my ex-hubby used to get lost in, after work.
Thundercats, He-Man, and this.