San Diego Scare, FUBAR celebrity endorsement, "Why does Marvel cancel my favorite unpublished books" and more!

Hey, kids!  It's another edition of "things I feel like posting", starring me, Jeff.  YOU SHOULD BE HONORED, PEOPLE.

- In September, I officially applied to the 2012 Comic-Con International show in San Diego.  I was disheartened to get a thin envelope - the sure sign of doom in any application process - in the mail just last week, but was perplexed when the envelope simply contained my voided check and a brief letter explaining "hey, we're returning your check" and nothing else.

I assumed that this letter meant that I was not accepted to the show, but upon contacting the folks at CCI, it was pointed out that the check was actually from last year.  The fact that they kept my check for over 12 months was fairly surprising, but I'll take it, because it means that Wagon Wheel Comics is still in the running for a table at this summer's big show!

- So John Schneider reading Teddy and the Yeti is officially old news.  Some fellow FUBAR creators caught up with Chandler Riggs, "Carl" from AMC's The Walking Dead and got this picture with him and volume 1 of the graphic novel.  Look how cute this kid is!  It's funny that he's on a TV-MA rated show and here has an R-rated book in his hand...is he allowed to watch/read either?  It's a cool picture regardless...and wow, what a show TWD is turning out to be.

- My trip to Myrtle Beach and Xcon World in October provided me with more than just two nights in the Viking Inn motel (an interesting place); I made it home with all my teeth and some swag from the Swampfox Media booth.  The Swampfox guys and girls are local to the Myrtle Beach area and had some really neat stuff on display.  My favorite was certainly No Rest for the Wicked, a supervillain spoof along the lines of Dr. Horrible.  Check 'em out at  http://swampfoxmedia.com/!

- The mainstream comic industry is going through some changes these days.  DC's "New 52" revamp is getting all of the attention (good and bad) these past few months, but Marvel is making news, too, in its, uh, "streamlining" of its output.  Several titles have even been cancelled before they were even released, and what's most frustrating about that is that SOME OF THEM STARRED THE THING!!

This is nothing short of an outrage.  I'm speaking, of course, about the "Destroyers" limited series, but there's also Victor Von Doom by Nick Spencer and Becky Cloonan.

Both DC and Marvel seem to be saving me money these past few months, with the cancellations of titles I read like Secret Six, Doom Patrol, Spider-Girl, Herc and now X-23 (which I had just started to pick up).  I don't mind saving money, but this all in all makes me a little bit nervous.

- Don't forget (DON'T YOU DARE) that tomorrow (Sunday the 20th, which I guess is today) is New Dimension's Pittsburgh Comics & Collectibles Show at Century III mall from 11:00-5:00.  I will be there, and so will...other people.  The Post-Gazette even put it on the "Weekend Hotlist"!  So you know it'll be great.

- Lastly, and this is the second Dukes of Hazzard reference I'm making in this post, more old Shrinky Dinks were found and made.  Who knew these things were this fun?  Well, I did, of course.  Larry has the whole ordeal posted up on his excellent DukesCollector website, which you can see by clicking here!

Pittsburgh Comic & Collectibles Show - Sunday, Nov. 20th

Remember that time I said that this year's Xcon World would be the last convention (or mini-con, as it were) I'd be attending in 2011?  Well, I'm a liar.  Really, does this surprise anyone?  I lie all the time, and not just about little stuff, either.  Like one time I said I'd take the garbage out BUT THEN I TOTALLY DIDN'T!  I can be a real bastard at times.

Anyway, I recently was invited to New Dimension Comics's 2011 Pittsburgh Comic & Collectibles Show, and since it's right in the neighborhood, I decided that it was worth the exception.  I went last year and had a good time, so I'm hoping that this year works out as well.

This show takes place on Sunday, November 20th from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm.  And the Steelers have their bye this week, so no one's gonna miss the game (thank goodness).  The show will be held, as last year, at Century III mall, near one of New Dimension's store locations.  The official information, from the NDC crew is as follows:

Pittsburgh Comic & Collectibles Show!  

Nov. 20th, 2011 

11am to 5pm 

Inside Pittsburgh's Century III Mall. The 1st 100 attendees get BOTH a FREE NDC Exclusive comic book AND FREE T-SHIRT! All for a $3.00 entry fee! Come early! 

Over 20 guests and many vendors of comics & collectibles will be in attendance! http://ndcomics.com/1110show.html

If you go to the website, you can see pictures from last year, including a few of the Wagon Wheel booth:

These kind of look like security camera pictures.  No stealing from the booth, kids.

Magic Bullet #3!

Thanks to Rafer Roberts and, well, the United States Postal Service, I got some copies of DC Conspiracy's The Magic Bullet #3 yesterday, and it looks great.  I'm always happy when some of my work gets printed, but it's more of a treat to read the other entries and see what else people are creating.  The page limit is a real challenge and it's something others find more creative ways to deal with that I do.  Even so, I think "The League of Obscure Historical Figures", with art by Jeff McComsey, turned out very well.

As with any publication featuring multiple contributors, I found that this issue contained stories that I liked alongside others I didn't enjoy as much, but there was more good than bad.  I especially enjoyed entries by Bill Ellis, Dominic Vivona, Matt Sheean and Michael May & Jason Copland.

To find a copy of is issue, you can check out this Google Map for locations around the country.  The map is as of yet incomplete, as I haven't added my stack to the list.  If you're in the Pittsburgh area, I'll be dropping copies off at the Century III New Dimension Comics, Impossible Dreams, Pittsburgh Comics and Evil Genius Comics.  I'll also take a few copies with me to next week's Xcon World and maybe even Fanboy Comics in Wilmington, NC.

THE PARTY NEVER STOPS!

The Teddy and the Yeti 2010 tour (check out that alliteration!) makes one final stop before exploding and perhaps maiming all involved.  I'll be appearing at the Pittsburgh Comic & Collectibles Show one week from today (November 14th) at the Century III mall New Dimension Comics store.  Also attending are "guys you might have actually heard of" like Jim Shooter and Ron Frenz, Teddy and the Yeti cover artists Tom Scioli and Pat Olliffe (come get a copy of issue #3 signed!), and a bunch of other jerks outstanding citizens.

I'm not entirely sure of the hours for the show.  This is something that I should know.  I'll find that out soon.  In any case, I'm sure it'll be over early enough to get home and watch the Steeler game at 8:20.  So...stop by.  Here's the website!  http://www.ndcomics.com/1110show.html

And here's the same bio that I've used the entire year!  Perhaps I should change it up for the next show...supposedly in 2011.

Weekend signings

As part of Teddy and the Yeti #2's release, I was able to take the book around to a few Pittsburgh area stores, stopping to sign some copies at Evil Genius Comics in California and New Dimension Comics in the Century III mall.  The turnout was light at times, but the overall flow was good - I managed to not only sell some books (including a copy of the hefty Josh Howard Presents: Sasquatch and a few copies of the NDC exclusive #1), but I got to have some good conversations with fans who ventured up to the table at both locations as well.  It was even more satisfying to hear from people who read issue #1 and were back for more.  Hooray, the book has followers!

My thanks go out to the proprietors of the two shops, who continue to be more than generous in giving me the space to show off Teddy and the Yeti.  Evil Genius and New Dimension Comics - all five locations, at least as soon as copies are split up - have plenty of copies on their shelves right now, so if you weren't able to make it to the stores this weekend (all six and a half billion of you, roughly), there's still time!

Another signing at New Dimension Comics!

Teddy and the Yeti #2 is right around the corner (UPS's information tells me that it's been in New Stanton since 8:51 this morning.  What is the hold up?  Don't they know I will drive there to pick them up?  Come on!) - and I've just set up a new signing at the Century III New Dimension Comics.  NDC has a great presence in Pittsburgh, and the Century III store is pretty big - and it's got the curious distinction of being located in a mall, so there are plenty of passers by who have never read a comic book in their lives and thus give you the strangest looks as you try to sell them your comic...but perhaps that's just me.

In any case, some of the smaller details still need to be worked out, but it looks like I'll be there on Saturday the 20th (two days away!) at 3:00 to...question mark.  Don't you know that all the best parties end at question mark?  Perhaps you should stop on by and see.

Teddy and the Yeti changes distributors; world does not explode

I'm sure there are plenty of quotes out there from others infinitely more famous than I am dealing with the subject of adversity and perseverance and persistence, so I'd like you, the reader, to take the time and find one, read it, reflect on it, and then come back to this posting.  It doesn't have to be from some stodgy reference manual like Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (though that is a good source, and I've got the 17th edition sitting on my bookshelf right now) - Google works just fine.  Anyway, let's take a few minutes, find a good, uplifting/conciliatory quote, and meet back here in a few minutes, okay?  Okay.

...

Are you finishe-oop, sorry, I'll wait a bit longer.

...

Ready?  Okay, good.

As the title suggests, Teddy and the Yeti has switched distributors from Diamond to Haven.  This is because Diamond has decided not to carry the title; the preorders were not to their liking and thus they went ahead and cancelled all orders placed, modest as they were.

Obviously, this creates a few issues, few of them good.  Diamond does not explain why titles are cancelled from their distribution list; retail shops simply get a letter or e-mail with a notice that the book will not ship.  When dealing with a brand new book from a brand new publishing company, such as Teddy and the Yeti, the invariable assumption is that the book was not completed or was egregiously different from the solicitation information.  Neither is true regarding Teddy and the Yeti #1, but in that regard, the damage has been done.

Additionally, those individual customers who did place orders will most likely just assume that the book was never completed, which discourages them from trying out not just Teddy and the Yeti but small press books in general, and that's a shame.  You've certainly got to be picky with books from small publishers, because the quality varies tremendously, but there are some great books out there to be read if you look for them.

Make no mistake, these are discouraging signals from Diamond, but it in no way means that you can't still get a copy of Teddy and the Yeti #1 (and subsequent issues, for that matter) if you want it - you may just have to search a little harder for it, and I hope that you, the comic book reader, will do that.

First, a few hours after being dropped by Diamond, I was contacted by the fine folks at Haven Distributors.  Haven, frankly, does not have the market share that Diamond does, but they are a solid #2 and a lot of successful companies have their books shipped by Haven, such as Top Shelf, Bongo (they publish the Simpsons and Futurama comics) and Viper (publisher of Teddy and the Yeti's first appearance in Josh Howard Presents: Sasquatch).  If your comic shop orders from Haven - and there's no reason it can't - you can get Teddy and the Yeti shipped to your pull folder just as you had before.  The order code is TEDYWAG001, and it should be listed on their online catalogue as I type this.

Second, I've done my best to create an actual online store where you can order the book directly from me...the guy who currently has nearly all of the books stored in his spare bedroom (let me tell you - that comic book ink smell, I'm convinced, will kill you if you stay in that room too long.  It's overwhelming).

I just ran a rudimentary test and everything is working fine, so you can order directly and save yourself some hassle.  I've lowered the price to $2.99, though shipping comes into play.  I tried to be as fair as possible when it comes to shipping, and I decided on $1.50 for up to five books, which is a total that probably won't be reached until there's at least the second issue up and ready to purchase.  It's still cheaper for you to buy the book from your local comic shop, but if there's no other way for you to get the comic, you can find it on the official website.

Third, I'll be contacting comic book stores directly, and I will be leaving copies of the book personally at whatever stores I can.  This increases the chance that I'll be doing more signings like the one I'm doing at the Century III New Dimension Comics in West Mifflin, PA, which in turn increases YOUR chance at meeting and, perhaps, assaulting me at your hometown comic shop.  Stores with big online shipping sections like Mile High Comics and Lone Star Comics are also on my hit list, so to speak, which should make things easier for everyone involved.

Fourth and lastly, I will be stepping up my convention schedule.  Originally I had planned on reserving a booth at 2010's New York Comic-Con to show off the book.  Now I'm trying to add Pittsburgh and the big show in San Diego to that list.  None of these shows are confirmed yet, but I'm going to give it the ol' McClelland try and see what happens.

I'd like to apologize to anyone who preordered Teddy and the Yeti #1 from Diamond.  I can sympathize with your frustration, to be sure.  I hope that you can see that I'm doing everything I can to make sure that the book is available to as wide an audience as possible, and if it comes down to it, dammit, send me and e-mail and I'll do what I can do mail you the book myself.  The book is complete, printed, and sitting in my house right now.  I will do my best to make sure it gets in stores so you can plunk down some cash for 32 pages of comic book goodness.

We'll see how that works out.

Black Friday at New Dimension Comics: Teddy and the Yeti #1

I recently spoke to the good folks at New Dimension Comics, which is a chain of stores around the Pittsburgh area, and they've asked me to launch Teddy and the Yeti at their Century III store the Friday after Thanksgiving - or, as we like to call it, Black Friday.  As it's easily the busiest shopping day of the year, I naturally agreed and we're working on the smaller details right now.  It's a great opportunity to get the book in front of people who otherwise wouldn't know of it, and I'm always looking to scare random strangers, so it seemed like a natural fit.

I'll post some of the finer details at a later point (like when I'll be there), but for now I'm just happy to have this set up.  If you're in the Pittsburgh area and would like to get a copy of Teddy and the Yeti #1 before it goes on sale anywhere else, stop by and say hello.  Well, I mean, you have to buy a copy if you want it, but say hello regardless, because that's just good manners.

The address:

New Dimension Comics

Century III Mall

3075 Clairton Rd. #940

West Mifflin, PA 15213

http://www.ndcomics.com