CEREBUS ARCHIVE NUMBER 6
A Portfolio of 10 Signed & Numbered Prints with Exclusive Commentary by Dave Sim
Raising Funds For The Restoration & Preservation Of The World's Longest Graphic Novel
HI! DAVE SIM HERE! ANNOUNCING THAT KICKSTARTER CEREBUS ARCHIVE NUMBER 6 (CAN6) HAS LAUNCHED! CLICK HERE TO LINK TO IT! AND PLEASE JOIN ME HERE EVERY DAY AS I DISCUSS, WITH CEREBUS FANS, THE "CEREBUS-ENDING CRISIS" WE'VE BEEN IN SINCE JULY OF THIS YEAR:
CAN WE KEEP GOING? THE TMI ANSWER!
PART EIGHT OF FOURTEEN
In answer to our survey question "Do you have any suggestions for future Kickstarter campaigns?" ErikV of the Netherlands wrote:
No, but as an aside: I contacted you earlier and asked you to ship my portfolio expedited since I still have a credit of CDN $ 60.00
Sincere apologies, Erik, but this is one of the things that we're not going to be able to do with the CEREBUS ARCHIVE Project "going forward". The only way that we can make this project work is to have uniform packages and uniform shipping. Each variation in the package and each variation in the method of shipping slows the whole process down for everyone.
That having been said, I would like to apologize for what has become for you an unconscionable good "year-plus" carry-over in your $60 overpayment and I'd like to offer you, as compensation, to either make your copy of CEREBUS ARCHIVE NUMBER SIX complementary or offering you a complementary copy (#/??? to be determined) in addition to your regular #7.
This dovetails with another decision that we've made:
We're going to try to come closer to "print to order" from now on. We printed 300 of CEREBUS ARCHIVE NUMBER FIVE but we're going to print 250 of CEREBUS ARCHIVE NUMBER SIX, making it the rarest Aardvark-Vanaheim publication (even including the CEREBUS No. 201 ashcan edition) outside of the original Fan Club Newsletters. It's time to build in the rarity that the people who have stuck with us this long are entitled to, I think.
Let me say that I was VERY pleased that the number of Survey answers to the question: "Do you have any suggestions for future Kickstarters?" was about half made up of people who just said "No" or "No. Just keep them coming." Particularly since this was not only our first try at running one of these but also because of the drastic change with dropping the Bonus Prints.
Robert L Austin TX and Stephen L of Vancouver BC also responded to the survey question "Do you have any suggestions for future Kickstarter campaigns?"and asked about Cerebus Figurines:
Have you ever considered figurines or 3D renderings of Cerebus?
George Peter Gatsis is presently working on a Second Draft of a CEREBUS Vinyl Figure that (theoretically, anyway) I should be able to add to with modelling clay to try and make it look more like Cerebus. It's a very elaborate process which we've taken as far as we can from 2-dimensional drawings I did for him (way back when when I could draw) and which now needs to be "finessed" so that every aspect of the character is accurate.
The unknown variables are "how many people are interested in buying one?" "How much are they willing to pay?" and "How much are the 'all-in' costs?" which might make even limited mass production of a figure prohibitive.
In which case, we will probably auction on eBay however-many-prototypes it takes us to get a 100% accurate Cerebus as individual art objects in a photo-box signed and authenticated by me.
Watch AMOC for Updates!
THANKS FOR JOINING US! MY DISCUSSION OF THE "CEREBUS- ENDING CRISIS" CONTINUES TOMORROW ON A MOMENT OF CEREBUS:
CAN WE KEEP GOING? THE TMI ANSWER!
PART NINE
10 comments:
Well, Dave, I usually wait 'til near the end to pledge, but saw that you are reducing the print run, so I pledged just a few minutes ago for my usual two portfolios, numbers 121 and 301. Backer #114 this time around.
What's that you say? Oh, hey, for you? The world. :)
Hi Dave! I just received my copy of the 'Cerebus Cover Art Treasury' in the mail yesterday. It's a beautiful book, you should be very proud of it. It was certainly worth the wait! Unfortunately my copy arrived damaged (looks like it was used as a soccer ball by the post office guys.) Also, pages 339, 340, 341, and 342 have been inserted upside down! I'll be returning this copy to Amazon as soon as possible for a replacement copy.
Speaking of… on the never ending quest for more funding, I would like to make a suggestion. Why not offer the digital editions of the Cerebus Volumes as ebooks on Amazon for their Kindle eBook Reader?
I know that they are already available online, but putting them on Amazon would reach a vastly larger audience than you'll ever hope of hitting with Cerebus Downloads. I believe it's worth a try. You really have nothing to loose.
In response to the Cerebus Archive situation, I'm not ashamed to admit that while I'm a big fan, and like to support you in any way possible, I simply can't afford them. And maybe this is why you've come to think that there are only around 200 true Cerebus fans left supporting you. It is possible that there are many others just like me that simply can't afford high-end collectable items like this.
I would certainly support the restoration process, if I could do it by spending less. Maybe a Zazzle Store that had a variety of Cerebus emblazoned products (coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc.) anything to help you bring in a few bucks.
3D Printers are all the rage right now, how about a set of Dungeons and Dragons style Cerebus miniatures? A Kickstarter for a project like this would be very successful because it would appeal to not only your fans, but to the ravenous fans of table top games as well.
Anyway just a few suggestions… as for getting a new Cerebus figure made (which is something we all want, we really do. I'm not sure why. We all just want stuff, more, and more suff… (God! what has society done to us!) I have a friend in Regina who got a figure made of his comic character, produced and packaged in China. I could find out where and what it cost him. If you're interested.
Anyway, I've got to get back to working on my own comic book series… somebody's gotta carry this bloody torch when you're gone. :)
Have a great day!
Jeff - Very much appreciated! As if you haven't done enough already!
Gary - Actually, a guy from The Sobriety Centre here in town mentioned the same thing when he showed up at the door trawling for donations (I usually donate. They do good work on a shoestring basis). The weird thing was, it wasn't the USUAL guy -- Jesse -- who comes looking for donations. It was a new guy and while I was making out the cheque he commented on all the pictures on the wall. "Are you the artist?" And then told me that I should post my stuff on Kindle. That he was nobody anyone had ever heard of and he put one of his children's books up on Kindle for $2 and he had made $35 already.
The really WEIRD thing was: he looked like Jeff Smith.
So, I mentioned it to Sandeep and it's now on the "to do" list.
We're also thinking of JUST doing the CEREBUS trade on Kindle. That the 16 volumes might be just too intimidating. So start with CEREBUS and see what that does.
And we're definitely looking at doing "lower ticket" items for people who want to help (and thank you for wanting to help!). The problem with Zazzle is the cut that they take. We want to come up with "lower ticket" items where MOST of the money goes towards restoration in order to avoid splitting CEREBUS fan dollars too many ways.
I'm always happy, as well, to look at new products. But I do want to LOOK at the new product before I decide. Miniatures or anything else. Mail me a sample and I'll tell you what I think.
Looking forward to JACK GRIMM #3!
Jeff Smith huh? Well, every dollar helps these days.
Does anybody know anybody who can do digital 3D rendering of everybody's favourite aardvark? From what I understand that's all you need to do to print a 3D model. Theoretically, once the digital version meets Dave's approval then miniatures could be printed to order.
I have some dungeon adventures that could use the help of an Earth Pig.
Would it be possible to get the collected letters in the kindle store as well?
At least from the 90s pictures of him, Jeff Smith looked like EVERY guy that might solicit donations from the Sobriety Centre, didn't he?
;)
Joking, certainly. I'm sure they do good work and don't all have Jeff's mullet.
Anyway, I'm assuming that if you get surprised and get more than 250 pledges for portfolios, you'll print to order.
We're also thinking of JUST doing the CEREBUS trade on Kindle. That the 16 volumes might be just too intimidating. So start with CEREBUS and see what that does.
The way self-publishing on Kindle works, you'd be much better off breaking the first trade (and the subsequent three) into a bunch of smaller, cheaper bundles of issues or mini-storylines. Less intimidating, and more chance for repeat customers.
Kit - We'll take that under serious consideration.
Gary - What is UP with all of these MANGLED COVERS books? Rhetorical question.
Dave - if you did, it would also be worth having a brief intro in each, and metatext that appeared on the Amazon item pages, noting the roughness of the early work, so that completely new readers aren't put off (not having the ability to flip through 500 pages and see the swift development of your art and storytelling).
Breaking the first volume, especially, into Swords-style parcels could also shift the prevailing wisdom of High Society as a jumping-on point. "Yeah, the early stuff is rough, you can just start with The Palnu Trilogy."
(Or, in four years for Americans: "You think the news is crazy? Check out High Society: The Campaign. There's LOADS more if you like that.")
If you're breaking down CEREBUS, perhaps reconstitute them in the SWORDS forms, complete with the original essays/backmatter? That's how I was introduced to early CEREBUS, and I think it's as "new reader friendly" a format as I've seen the material in.
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