Pieces of Turtles 8 #2: IT BEGINS...

Hi, Everybody!

So, as regular readers of Oliver's Sunday "Around the World & Web" column know, Josh Even has commissioned a @#%&-ton of Cerebus with Barbarian Turtles pieces. Like these:

Well, I sent Dave a file of all the ones I had that Oliver had shown. And yesterday I got this fax for me and Josh:

So I sent this to Josh, and he sent it out to the artists he's worked with.

And there were some questions, I tried to answer them, but quickly hit the "That's a question for Dave" wall and faxed him:

Dave,

I sent the Josh Even fax to Josh, and he’s contacted a number of the artists.

They have questions.

Example:
Hey Matt,

I got this letter from Josh. I wanted to thank you for including me in the list of potential artists for this. So, I wanted to clarify? We would do a few pages and then pay for our own print run? Is that the gist of the idea?

And I responded with:
Hi!

As I understand it, yes.

Dave's doing a remastered reprint of Turtles #8 in January. The problem Dave ran into, is he had completely forgotten that TMNT 8 is 45 PAGES LONG. Which poses a problem for whoever ends up doing the Kickstarter. How much extra material can you get into a book that's already a MINIMUM 45 pages long? So, Dave did a 18 page fanzine called PIECES OF TURTLES 8 that was the planning stages for that. "Here's what I would include."

The first one was a hit, and he's doing a second one.

Where you come in, is a version of that second one (which is still being assembled, when I can get a PDF from Dave's team, I'll send it along.) where you include your commission for Josh as the cover, and drop out as many pages of Dave's content as you want, and add (how'd Dave put it?): "'What TURTLES 8 Means to Me' as well as their cover? Or Cerebus & Turtles sketches." As much or as little as you want. We're not dictating anything.

When Dave's Pieces of Turtles 8 #2 (Or whatever he ends up calling it), goes to Studio Comix Press in Kitchener, Ontario for printing, they'd print off as many copies as you'd like, and Dave will sign as many of them as you'd like (depending on Print Run. He says in his letter he'll sign 10%, but that's if you want 100 or more. I ASSUME that if you want under fifty, Dave'd be willing to sign the whole print run.)

TO put it in perspective, Dave did an exclusive Canadian price version of POT8 that was only available for a week through "his" website that ended up getting a print run of 125 copies. Then he did the American priced version on Kickstarter, that ended up with a print run of 325 copies of Pieces Of Turtles 8 No. 1 for 158 backers. So, the numbers aren't THAT large.

The OTHER option, if you don't wanna wait on Dave and international shipping, is to print through your favorite more local printer, and Dave will sign as many copies as you want to send him (which now that I type it, is just the printing through Dave's guy backwards...). But, you can start selling UNsigned by Dave copies as soon as your guy gets them to you. (I ask that you sign three copies and send them to Dave for his archive.)

The other thing to keep in mind is that Studio Comix Press can do metallic ink printing. Here's the cover to POT8 #1:

So if you wanted that as an option, it's possible.

The OTHER idea that was bandied about, but I think Dave forgot about, was doing oversized trading cards of the commission on the front and a short bio/your thoughts on the back. The proposed size was just a little under comic book dimensions. I don't know if that idea is off the table or not, but it's there too.

There's a LOT of "up in the air" to this project, so if looking at this gives you an idea that you wanna try, pitch it, and I'll get it to Dave for his feedback.

I'm also including the Ironwood font Dave used on the cover, to save you the trouble of tracking it down if you want it and don't have it.

I hope this only answers any questions you had and doesn't just give you twelve more.

But if anything comes up, ask away. If I don't know the answer, I know a guy who probably does.

Manly Matt Dow
Interim Editor
A Moment of Cerebus

So, just to clarify:
1. Did I get anything wrong?
2. The artists pay for their copies wherever they get them printed, right?
3. If Alfonso prints them, you’ll sign 10% if the print run is over 100, but if it’s fifty or less, you’ll sign more, or all?
4. If they get the books printed elsewhere and send them to you for signing, is there a limit on how many you’ll sign?
5. Are the giant size trading cards still on the table?
6. any idea what the price point is for the comics?
7. Or the trading cards (if’n they’re still on the table)?
8. Any idea on how long POT8 #2 is?

I ONLY mention the trading cards for the “Bill Ritter Factor” printing 14 versions of the same book with variant covers and two or three pages of alternate interiors is more Spawn #10 than I think some fans will support. But taking the cover and turning it into a 6 and a half inch by 10 inch trading card with a short bio/thoughts on Cerebus/turtles 8 on the back along with:

DON’T MISS THE REMASTERED TMNT #8 COMING IN JANUARY 2023! VISIT A MOMENT OF CEREBUS.COM FOR UPDATES

on the bottom. I see Alfonso lists trading cards as an option on Studio Comix Press’s website. Would you be willing to sign the cards? And at what quanities?
Just spitballin’
Manly Matt Dow

And Dave faxed back:

That last paragraph is why I like working with Dave...

So, I like the trading card idea. I think all you fans out there might like it too. Here's my mock-up of one:

This is one of Dave's "top two" picks. And it's just a crude mock-up I did. Birdsong or Hobbs would make it pretty...

This is my VERY crude mock-up of what the back of the oversized card would look like. Obviously, it'd get SUPER prettied up before it went to print...

But, this post is mostly for the supremely talented artistic partners Josh has approached.

The finer points are:

1. You would do a few pages and then pay for your own print run.
2. It's $975 Canadian for 250 copies which at today's exchange rate is $775.53 US. 
3. Dave sold his copies for $25 US, if you sell yours for $20, and you sell out that's $5000. 
4. Now, if any of you guys want in, but are having sticker shock, you guys could team-up to pool money to buy the books and split them amongst yourselves.
5. The goal is K.I.S.S., Keep It Simple Stupid. Nobody (me) needs to reinvent the wheel here.
6. And if you got a better idea, pitch it. Dave'll listen and decide where he's at with it.

Okay, I'll leave it here.

Any questions, feel free to ask here, or email momentofcerebus@gmail.com.

Next Time: Hobbs and his Pieces of Cerebus in Hell? pitch...