BOOKS ARE OFF THE BOAT! Last call for address updates (probably (HOPEFULLY))!
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 16, 2022 at 09:05:40 PM

Hey all! THE BOOKS ARE OFF THE BOAT!!! YES! AHHHHHH!!!!! EAT CRAP, BOAT!

Oh boy! The nearly 10,000 pounds of books are ready to be sent to the warehouse where all of the packages will go out. The fun thing is that all the books were packed in those fancy, crush-proof boxes by the printer, so they'll just need a label and then they are off! They are hoping that can all be wrapped within two weeks (I'd guess longer given their track record of estimation).

So! LAST CALL TO UPDATE YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS. ASAP!!!! Please message me through this Kickstarter with your name and new address and I'll update it in Shipstation. These orders have been sitting in my Shipstation account for months--just waiting and dreaming of the one day where I will press "print postage" and spend $15,000 at Stamps.com. COOL!

WE'RE ALMOST THERE, GANG!

Another thing! Some of you noticed that the non-fancy, softcover version was released last week by Image comics. For this, I am very sorry. Sucks and is the LAST thing I wanted to happen. But that book isn't fancy like yours--here's the scoop on that (and trust me, I hate making excuses, but some of you have, uh, been a little annoyed so I want to make sure everyone understands the details). 

I solicited the Image edition for March a very long time ago assuming that the pandemic wouldn't destroy my initial timeline and the books would be in your hands last October. The lowdown from the printer is that they printed the guts of both books all at once, but the paper shortage greatly is effecting the chipboard used for hardcover books. Hardcovers now are as much as 3 times as expensive as when I got the quote for the hardcover. 

So the unbound pages for the hardcover sat for months. They had paper for the softcovers though, so they finished that print run and put it on a boat. MANY months later, it made it to LA, was shipped to Diamond the week before the release date, and immediately sent to stores. It was quite close, and Image did not want to delay the on-sale date. 

The Image edition is a softcover, with no ribbon bookmark. Yours is a fancy hardcover with stitched binding, a bunch of extras packed in, a free PDF of the book which you got in August plus the other fun downloads--not to mention those of you who got special editions which were only available through the kickstarter.

Again, I'm very sorry that the softcovers hit stores already. Hopefully some of you have enjoyed reading the pdf that you got in August, but, man, I know this sucks. The fun news (maybe) is that all of the Kickstarter backer names are also in the Image version--so, hey, you're in an Image comic!

IN OTHER NEWS! Here are a bunch of commissions I've been doing recently that I think are fun! So, yeah, fun!!!!! AND a retailer incentive cover for my new books EIGHT BILLION GENIES that hasn't been shown until now! PREMIER!!!!

I appreciate your patience and financial support as always. This book is awesome and you guys made it happen! UPDATE ADDRESSES AS NEEDED AND GET READY FOR BOOKS!

RYAN!!!

WE BOUGHT A ZOO! I mean, a BOAT! Wait, I mean--THE BOOKS ARE ON A BOAT!
about 2 years ago – Sat, Feb 19, 2022 at 07:37:10 AM

HEY! BOOKS ARE ON A BOAT!

They've actually been on the boat for a little while apparently--which is awesome to think about how many whales and giant squid have definitely swam under your book. Almost certainly your books have traveled over species of deep sea fish that have yet to be named--not to mention all the sunken treasure they have floated over…

So much treasure…

And the good news is that they are supposed to be at the port of L.A. on the 22nd of February! SAY! THAT'S SUPER SOON!

And of course, as per our usual engagement, here's the bad news.

The printer has told me, quote:

• Estimated day to dock (and this is crazy) is 3/20
• After that, the port still takes time to unload the containers off the boat, and then unload the contents out of the containers, and then call us to come get it and take it our warehouse.

So it'll sit. 

On a boat.

In LA. 

For a month.

And I'll add to this that, given every estimate that I have received from the printer in the past, there is no way these dates will be real. BUT! If one were to dream and hope, there always is a chance that the books can be offloaded earlier than March 20th. Yeah?! Yeah.

So that's what I got. The other news is that the Image comics softcover version--again, not fancy like yours, is supposed to be in stores on March 9th. I'm talking to Image right now to see if we can delay the onsale date because that'd be super dumb if that was in stores before you got your book. I'm trying, I'll let you know what I find.

SO! BOAT IS GOOD! OFF BOAT IS BAD! SUNKEN TREASURE IS COOL!

In other news, those that ordered books that don't live in North America should have already gotten their books. The custom boxes worked extremely well to keep the book pristine and I appreciate everyone that sent me photos. So good to see the book in the world!

Two books were damaged--and that came with a disgusting amount of violence applied to the package by DHL. Thankfully I put in claims for those. All in all, these boxes are awesome and worth it.

Okay!

I'll let you know how boats go!

Thanks for your patience and support as always!

Ryan

Hey, look at that! Shipping has started for people outside of North America!
over 2 years ago – Sat, Jan 22, 2022 at 08:22:44 AM

Quick update on ye olde Omni-Mega-Bus! 

Non-North American backers should keep their eyes out for tracking numbers from DHL originating from Samhwa Printing Co., LTD! You guys will see the final product before I do, so, if it isn't too much of a bother, I'd love to see pictures of how your books and the packaging arrive. Then I'll know if I have to yell at anyone ;) (those custom boxes were $5 a piece so they better work!)

If you feel so inclined, please post pictures online and tag me--or email them to me at [email protected]. Would help a lot to see that things have actually happened right. And of course, if you have any damages or the wrong book, just message me through the Kickstarter and I'll fix it for you.

As I said before, it sure is weird to have a Kickstarter that fulfills international orders first--but since INT shipping rates from Korea are about the same as the US, I might as well have them do it and skip the step and labor of freighting those here and then shipping them back out overseas.

US and Canada? Well, I'll keep you posted. Dear lord I hope they are on a ship already--but I have no confirmation of that yet. I'll keep on 'em.

And they sent me a picture of books being black bagged! Fun stuff! Bags lookin' a little wrinkled on their voyage to Korea--maybe you can iron yours (please don't iron yours)?

Additionally!

Thanks to everyone for being so cool and supportive. You guys are why I make the comics and HOW I can make these comics. There wouldn't be an Omni-Mega-Bus without you!

Okay! MORE SOON!

RYAN

P.S. to those that bother to scroll this far--Did you know that I have already completely finished a new issue of GHA? Wellllll, I have--and had planned to have a kickstarter for it up soon, but, y'know, this one isn't done so it'll be a while. Soooo by the time you get your Omni-Mega-Bus, it will no longer be complete. Omni-Mega-Bus 2 in 2069!?

Books DO exist! I know, I have, uh, one! Just one.
over 2 years ago – Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 07:24:10 PM

Hey all! Here's an update on the book progress. EVERYTHING the printer/distributor has told me in the past has been, uh, VERY inaccurate with timelines so far. If you remember in the last update, I told you they said books would be on the boat as of December 15th and that international orders would be going out before the end of the new year.

Well it's mid-January and nothing has been sent out OR made it onto a boat. As you'd expect, I'm sort of losing my mind over this process and I truly apologize for the delays. I finished this book and sent you all PDFs on August 11th... and, well, here we are.

I guess building the custom boxes, shrink wrapping in your stretch goals, and assembling the black bag editions has taken MUCH longer than they told me it would and that they thought it would. Books had to be freighted to a different factory for the packing and shrinkwrapping apparently. Cool. It's extremely frustrating.

I'm not quite sure what the issue is here. I get covid delays and supply chain and shipping delays--but I ask for plain explanations and conservative estimates from them and they are always very VERY wrong. Trust me, I sleep very poorly knowing there is nothing I can do to get this thing moving faster. All this said, their current update today was that tracking for NON-NORTH AMERICAN orders will go out early next week. That's what they say--not me--and given their track record I'd be shocked if this actually happens. 

So! The good news is that they sent me a book! I got one! It's real and it's awesome. Looks great up against the old Curse Words omni. They also sent me pictures of them building boxes and packing the books--so there are some signs of life here. Sigh!!!!!

I'll let you know if I hear anything new in the coming days, and please, if you get a tracking number, let me know. I'd love to have any true signs of progress here. 

Thank you all for your patience. You will get a book. I don't know when, but you will get a book. I promise. Also, I'm never doing this again. COMICS!

At least you guys are great!

Ryan

EIGHT BILLION GENIES? SURE, WHY NOT?
over 2 years ago – Sat, Dec 11, 2021 at 12:35:16 AM

HEY GANG! I'm currently at C2E2, table P-08! Come say hi!!!!

Unrelated to the GHA Omnibus--here's some fun news! I thought I'd let you know that Charles Soule and I have been cooking up a new series for Image Comics called…

Eight Billion Genies!

Here's Chuck with the details…

"What is this book? Very simple: at exactly the same moment, everyone on Earth gets a genie, and one wish. What happens next? How would that be anything other than total chaos? Why would Ryan and Charles write a story about something so audacious and boundary-breaking?

Because we can, friends. Because we can. COMICS, BABY!

The series will begin in May 2022 from Image Comics, but Ryan and I have created a limited edition version of the first issue we're going to have available at C2E2 in Chicago this weekend. HOWEVER, since you guys are awesome, we're going to give you a crack at it too. It's limited to 500 signed, sketched and numbered copies, and will be available for purchase at the same time as it is at the show - RIGHT NOW through Sunday at 6 PM EST. It includes, in addition to the full-color first issue, a special prose story I wrote that won't be in the standard #1 issue published in May! Amazing!"

Get your copy here! 

Also, brand new copies of Blast Furnace 2, Issue 3 are available on my store and at my C2E2 table!

Okay! Hope to see some of you there and we can talk about how much we hate boats!

Ryan