The pallet of over 1000 books arrived at my house on 3/3/11. Immediately I left for Seattle, got home and left again for Chicago. Shipping books is my #1 priority now that C2E2 is over and I don’t have another con for about a month.

All Non-Artist Regular Editions have been shipped. Regular Artist editions are shipping now as I sketch them (usually in bundles of 10 or so). Non-Artist-UFE’s will all be leaving within 1 week of this post. There was a hold up on one of the stickers, but now all the goodies are in and can head out to you. UFE Artist Editions will also be leaving as I sketch them. This may take a little while because I refuse to do the “30 second sketch” you get from a lot of cartoonists. I will take the time to make your sketch special, so please be patient and bear with me. Thanks!

If you order the book (regular or artist edition) now, it will ship based on the rules outlined above.

Check the links below to see some of the Artist Edition Sketches I have already shipped out.

UPDATE 4/7: All Non-Artist Edition UFE’s have shipped.

UPDATE 4/11: All Regular Artist-Editions (save for a few special cases) have shipped.

UPDATE 7/1/11: All Preorders, UFE’s, etc have been shipped!!!

GO HERE NOW!

You can pick up the book in 4 delicious flavors: Regular, Regular Artist Edition, Ultimate Fancy Edition and Ultimate Fancy Artist Edition. Other than conventions this will probably be your only chance to get a personalized and sketched book. You can also add a SUPREME ULTIMATE FANCY BASTARD Donation upgrade to your order if you would REALLY like to support HE and help with the astronomical costs of printing actual full color books on actual paper (we’re talking $8000 – $10,000 here).

This year the Artist Editions are cheeper ($10 instead of $15) and the Ultimate Fancy Editions have more Ultimateness. If you weren’t around last year, the UFE’s are a special limited edition bundle (200 150 orders) that have a $10 donation built in to help with financing the book (see above, re: astronomical). In addition to a signed and numbered book, you will also get a signed and numbered print based on the cover art, 2 stickers, an “Ultimate Fancy Bastard” button, and YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK on the Fancy Bastard Wall of Fancy Fame.

If all goes well the books will ship late February 2011. In case you are giving this as a gift for the 2010 holiday times, I will make a printable “No, I really did get you something” card available for download shortly.

I already know [hopehopehope] this is going to be a huge success and that is due 100% to you guys. So thanks in advance for allowing me continue to have the most amazing job in the world.

~Joel

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

HijiNKS ENSUE Volume 2: My Heart Is A Hate-Filled Pineapple
HijiNKS ENSUE Volume 2: A Hate-Filled Pineapple
[both in reference to The Evil Fox Executive explaining why he is so evil]

HijiNKS ENSUE Volume 2: The Doom Engine
HijiNKS ENSUE Volume 2: The Doom Furnace
[both in reference to The Evil Fox Executive stealing geek tears to fuel FOX’s empire]

HijiNKS ENSUE Volume 2: Triumph Of The Usurper

HijiNKS ENSUE Volume 2: We’ll Fix It In Post

HijiNKS ENSUE Volume 2: Live-Tweeting The Apocalypse

Please cast your vote in the comments (like NOW since I need to be drawing it NOW). I am not currently looking for alternate titles. Thanks!

What I’m trying to say is THE BOOK IS FINALLY DONE! I am sending TransCon the files in a few hours, and it is such a freaking relief.

If all goes to plan (and it won’t), the books will be in my hands just before I leave for Baltimore Comic-Con on October, 8th (so hopefully I will have them at the con). They should start shipping as soon as I get back.

The stress of completing the book, coupled with my recent crippling back pain has made comic updates rather spotty for the past 2 weeks. For that I apologize and want to extend my deepest thanks to all of you for not giving me a hard time about it. This is my first book, and it’s been an incredibly difficult project. Now that it’s done I feel like things in the HEniverse can get back to normal.

There will be a new comic on Wednesday (9.9-09), and the normal M-W-F schedule will resume there after.

I can’t wait for you guys to see this book. I’m extraordinarily proud of it and I think you’re all really going to enjoy it.

~GYFB, Joel

What’s in the book?

• All of the HE comics from 2007-2008 in full color
• 116 Pages of geeky goodness
  
• “Directors Commentary” on each comic
• A forward by Bill Barnes of Unshelved (it’s incredibly mean)
• Early sketches of the HE characters
• Never before seen comics from my Highschool Newspaper days
• AND MORE!

If the Preorder goes well, the books should ship in mid to late September. The first books is always the hardest, so please bear with me on the preorder and shipping times.

It is available in several tastey flavors:

ULTIMATE SPECIAL FANCY EDITION (limited to 150): $50

• The book, signed and numbered
• A special limited print of the cover image, also signed and numbered
• A “Godspeed, You Fancy Bastard” sticker
• Upgrade to “Artist Edition” for just $10 more and I will sketch in the book, essentially ruining it
  

This edition of the book is for you Super Fancy Bastards that want to help with the printing costs of the book. The price includes a $10-$15ish donation. No other books or prints will ever be numbered so these are one of a kind editions. If I can sell all 150 of these I can pay for ALL of the books I am printing (and sleep at night).

Artist Edition: $35

• I will sign, personalize and sketch in your book

Regular Awesome Edition: $20

• A book, with all that other stuff, minus the fancy stuff

Any long time FB’s who are familiar with The Experiment know how important this book preorder is to the continuation of HijiNKS Ensue. You can read more of the dire details of the situation HERE. The bottom line is (and yes, this is basically me begging) if you enjoy HE and want it to continue PLEASE PREORDER THE BOOK. The next month or so is going to determine the future of HijiNKS Ensue.

Godspeed, You Fancy Bastards

-Joel

UPDATE: YOU CAN TOTALLY PREORDER THE BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!

I’ve been working on this book cover for a week straight, so it’s the most I can muster today as far as comics go.

Here’s the deal: Starting Monday, July 27th you will be able to preorder the first HijiNKS Ensue Collection, Volume 1: Godspeed, You Fancy Bastard. I am super excited and crazy terrified about this news. I am also a little dizzy, slightly nauseous and I might be suffering from Braxton Hicks contractions and spontaneous ear wigs.

What’s in the book?

• All of the HE comics from 2007-2008 in full color
• “Directors Commentary” on each comic
• A forward by Bill Barnes of Unshelved (it’s incredibly mean)
• Early sketches of the HE characters
• Never before seen comics from my Highschool Newspaper days
• AND MORE!

If the Preorder goes well, the books should ship in mid to late September. The first books is always the hardest, so please bear with me on the preorder and shipping times.

Many of  you have emailed and twitters to ask me how The Experiment is going. I’m glad I can finally answer with a resounding “Not So Good!”

I’m going to level with you. I am pretty much out of funds to keep doing HE as my full time job. It only brings in about half the income my family needs to make it each month and the freelance gigs and such just aren’t coming fast enough. This book is either going to be the end of The Experiment or the beginning of the next phase. I’m all about beginnings, so that’s what I’m shooting for.

How can you help keep HE alive?
Simple. PLEASE PREORDER THE BOOK IN THE FIRST WEEK!

It’s going to cost me $6000-7000 to have the initial run of the books printed (HELLOOOO VISA!), but those books represent enough potential income to buy me a few months to figure out the next phase of The Experiment.

I’m offering the book in a few flavors for your purchasing enjoyment:

ULTIMATE SPECIAL FANCY EDITION (limited to 150): $50

• The book, signed and numbered
• A special limited print of the cover image, also signed and numbered
• A “Godspeed, You Fancy Bastard” bumper sticker
• Upgrade to “Artist Edition” for just $10 more and I will sketch in the book, essentially ruining it
  

This edition of the book is for you Super Fancy Bastards that want to help with the printing costs of the book. The price includes a $10-$15ish donation. No other Vol. 1 books or prints will ever be numbered so these are one of a kind editions. If I can sell all 150 of these I can pay for ALL of the books I am printing (and sleep at night).

Artist Edition: $35

• I will sign, personalize and sketch in your book. You can specify which character you would like sketched (but don’t get crazy)

Regular Awesome Edition: $20

• A book, with all that other stuff, minus the fancy stuff

So, there you go. I don’t want to sound desperate, but this is either the end of the most amazing, rewarding job I’ve ever had or the beginning of something even more amazing. If you enjoy HE and want to see it continue, PLEASE preorder the book, make a donation or pick up shirt or print. I love making these comics for you and I don’t want to stop. Now that I’ve done it for 2+ years, I really don’t know how I could go back to a regular 9-5. This is my calling.

Godspeed You Fancy Bastards,

-Joel