Quick Reminder: Come on out to the Wizard World show, running this Friday through Sunday at the huge LA Convention Center.

I’ll be signin’ and sellin’ and chattin’ and high-fivin’. I’ll be putting free, awesome sketches in books, and parting with Sheldon Original Strip Art for $25 off the normal price! And don’t forget to ask for your 2008 Commemorative Wizard World High-Five: I’m only bringing 98!

I’ll be at table 2820 all three days. Come on out!

(Oh, and if you want a specific original strip, e-mail me to make sure I bring it along. Thanks! See you there!)

Today, Image Comics FedEx’d me a copy of “How To Make Webcomics,” and I’m so, so happy with how it came out. It looks beautiful. And man, talk about hefty! This book weighs in at a pound, and is a half-inch thick! This book could take care of itself in a bar brawl. It’s a solid piece o’ work!

Look at the size of this puppy next to the Sheldon books:

Here’s a list of chapter headings for the book, and a breakdown of the author who steered each:

Introduction (Scott Kurtz)

Chapter 1: Your Webcomic (Dave Kellett)

Chapter 2: Your Characters (Scott Kurtz)

Chapter 3: Formatting (Kris Straub)

Chapter 4: Image Preparation (Brad Guigar)

Chapter 5: Writing (Scott Kurtz)

Chapter 6: Website Design (Kris Straub)

Chapter 7: Branding & Building (Scott Kurtz)

Chapter 8: Interacting with your Audience (Dave Kellett)

Chapter 9: Monetizing your Webcomic (Dave Kellett)

Chapter 10: Books (Brad Guigar)

Chapter 11: Conventions (Brad Guigar)

Chapter 12: Next Steps (Kris Straub)

Chapter 13: A Final Thought (Dave Kellett)

You’ll notice, as soon as you start reading the book, that all four of us are heard from throughout the book — even in chapters we didn’t author — by piping in via sidebars, or voice-bubble “chime-ins” to the topic at hand. It makes for a more interesting read, to see where four artists agree and disagree.

Here are some shots of sample pages:

But here is the bad news: I just found out that the book distributor’s delivery to the Sheldon store won’t be here until Saturday! Three days late, the bums!

Know though, that we’re going to work double-time to get all pre-orders shipped out to you ASAP, as soon as we get ’em! Your support means the world to me, and I am personally going to make sure these ship as fast as humanly possible.

Quick heads up for Sheldon art lovers! After a year or so of having these much-loved pieces next to my drawing desk, I’ve decided to part with two of my favorite Sheldon drawings.

You may remember them from the first pages of “62% More Awesome,” the third Sheldon collection. They feature Flaco, Arthur, Oso and Sheldon…stacked up in all their awesomeness, then shocked in their splashdown. Both drawings are on 11″ x 14″ Bristol Vellum cardstock, drawn with Faber Castell Pitt and Micron Pigma pens. Get both in one throw: They really make for a cool one-two when both of them are framed or displayed next to one another. I really think you’ll dig them.

Here are two closeup shots…

If you’re interested, go ahead and throw your name into the hat. I started the bid at the lowest possible ebay price, which is something like .99 cents.

After the recent posts ranking global cities, I got a few e-mails from people surprised to see Sheldonistas were, in fact, from all over the world. So I thought this might be interesting: Describe where you’re reading this from. No need to get too specific, just the fun generics will do.

I’ll get us started…

I’m reading (…writing?) this in Los Angeles, California, sitting in my cartooning studio. Outside we had a really nice high-sixties (high-teens, in Celsius) day. Felt like Spring has sprung.

Where are you right now?

[Note: Don’t read this until you’ve read the previous blog post and watched the video…]

After watching that YouTube link, my wife looked up and said, “You know what would’ve made that bird *really* awesome? If it looked straight into the camera and did a dead-on David Attenborough impersonation.”

Sheldonista Tom M. sent me this YouTube link, and it absolutely blew me away. You have to listen to this Australian Lyre Bird.

As a mating tool, he mimics the sounds he hears around him. “Not so amazing,” you might be saying. But…around the two-minute point in the video, you’ll see just how amazing that mimickry is.

This bird is stone-cold awesome.

For all of you who pre-ordered the new book, How To Make Webcomics (…and there are a LOT of you! Thank you!), I come bearing good news! Image Comics just informed us that the in-store date for the book is March 12th!

If you pre-ordered your book from the Sheldon Store, that means we should be able to start shipping them out on the 13th!

Huzzah! Huzzah, I say!

The orders with an Artist Edition will ship out 1-to-2 days later — only because it takes time to put an awesome sketch in everyone’s book.

I have very high hopes for this book impacting cartoonists young and old…so I can’t wait for it to get out into the world. If you have an artist in your life who you think might like it, pick up a copy!*

*P.S. We’re going to try to put together a PDF of the first 20 pages or so, to show you what the book is like. Look for that in a few days.

A big heads-up for Sheldonistas living in Southern California: the big LA comics show Wizard World Los Angeles is just around the corner… March 14-16!

I’ll be signing and selling books and t-shirts…and giving out free sketches like a madman. There will even be original Sheldon strips for $25 off — only at the show!*

So drop by! Say hi! Get a free sketch! And make sure you ask for your 2008 Commemorative Wizard World High-Five: I’m only bringing 98!

I’ll be at table 2820 in the special Artist Alley section all three days. Come on out!

*If you want to make sure I bring the specific original that you’ve had your eye on, e-mail me. Thanks! See you there!

To answer a few questions that came up…. the “Portland” in the list of Top 10 U.S. Sheldon cities was Oregon! My apologies to Portland, Maine, for getting your hopes up.

Also, we had a lot of Aussies (Oy! Oy! Oy!) write in asking for their list, so here goes: The Top 10 Australian cities for Sheldon readers…

1.) Sydney

2.) Melbourne

3.) Brisbane

4.) Perth

5.) Adelaide

6.) Canberra

7.) Cranbourne

8.) Hobart

9.) Gold Coast

10.) A small family of koalas who live by that one town with that creek that dries up a few months every year. You know the one. With the guy? Who has that blue truck? That one.

Fun fact for me: I was not aware that there was a city called “Gold Coast” in Australia! I’ve always associated that name with a cruddy Las Vegas casino built in the 1960’s…containing the same carpets that were installed in the original construction. My apologies to the Gold Coastians in Queensland! I’m sure your Gold Coast is far, far nicer!*

Also, follow-up question: Would it be “Gold Coastians”? Is that how you say it? “Gold Coastines”? “Gold Coastinians”…?

For everyone who had asked:

After they had unexpectedly sold out, we now have XL and 2XL ladies “Lucky Duck” t-shirts, once again!