Pre-orders for “The Good, The Bad & The Pugly” are now open! Head to the Sheldon Store immediately! Combo sale prices are available, as are the limited “Artist’s Editions” of Pugly. Treat yourself and support the strip!

In the past, I’ve worked hard to put a sketch in every single book sold to every single reader. It’s been great to get e-mails from folks saying how cool their sketch was, and how cherished it is in their house. But the number of sold Sheldon books is starting to exceed my abilitiy to keep up with that extra workload of sketches. And I hate the idea that, as this workload increases, some folks would randomly GET a sketch, and some folks randomly WOULDN’T. So going forward, I’m going to handle sketched-in books a different way. Starting with “The Good, The Bad and The Pugly”, I’m going to limit the number of sketched-in books to a very select group of “Artist’s Editions”.

For “The Good, The Bad, & The Pugly”, there will only be 250 of these special editions. They will be stamped, hand-numbered, autographed, and will feature a unique-to-your-book, original sketch. And once they’re sold out, that’s it. You won’t be able to get a sketch in your Pugly book when you buy online.

Sheldon Newsletter Subscribers got first crack at ordering these 250 books, starting late Monday night. But on Thursday night, Artist’s Editions will be opened up for sale to everyone else. I have no idea how fast these 250 copies will go, but I do know this: if you were sent the special link via the Sheldon newsletter…don’t wait. Order your copy today.

And remember: these pre-ordered Artist’s Editions will be the first shipped out when the books arrive Dec. 1st!

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Just in case you have questions, here are a few I’ve tried to anticipate:

1.) Will Artist’s Editions be worth more over time?

That’s the hope. In limiting the amount of books with sketches in them, I hope to increase the value of the Artist’s Edition that you own.

2.) Will Artist’s Editions cost more?

Yes: they’ll cost an additional $10 for the additional time, effort, and value. Also keep in mind: you’re helping to keep the lights on at Sheldon with your support!

3.) If the 250 copies run out before I can get mine, is there really no chance of getting an Artist’s Edition from the Sheldon Store later?

Not from the Sheldon store. You may be able to pick one up from an online auction site down the line, of course.

4.) C’mon…please?? It’s my cousin’s birthday/wedding/Bar Mitzvah/graduation! You really won’t put a sketch in my copy of “The Good, The Bad and The Pugly”?

Nope. You’ll never again have the opportunity to get a sketch in your online order. Your only chance for a sketch, once these are sold out, is to catch me in person at a future appearance, where I’ll put un-numbered sketches in books.

5.) Will you still be *signing* books sold online?

I’ll happily continue to sign every single book sold in the Sheldon store. It’s the least I can do to say thank you for supporting Sheldon! But sketches will only be available online in the limited Artist’s Editions.

6.) Can I pick what will be sketched in my Artist’s Edition? Can you sign it to so-and-so?

Due to the logistics of 250 sketches mailing out to 250 people, I’m afraid not.

7.) With these Artist’s Editions, does this mean you’re no longer putting sketches in copies of Pure Ducky Goodness that are bought online?

Yes. But there will be one more window of opportunity in January for Pure Ducky Goodness buyers. For folks that haven’t yet bought a copy, there’ll be a limited opportunity to get an Artist’s Edition PDG.

To summarize: I really want to make these limited Artist’s Editions something you’ll treasure, and something that’s of increased value. So if you were aching for a sketch in your book, order your signed and sketched “Artist’s Edition” now!

Have more questions? Ask them HERE. Thanks!

Join me in congratulating our Grammarians™:
Michelle Alford, Douglas Lane, Toby Chernoff, and Jennie McStotts!

Remember: everyone who volunteered will get a sketch from me…so make sure you send me your address.

(I originally was shooting for three, but when Jennie sent in her e-mail, I couldn’t say ‘no’ to the former editor for the Journal of International and Comparative Law and the current editor for the International Journal of Heritage Studies.)

Between now and the new year, these folks will be helping me plow through the transcription process. Go, go mighty morphin’ power ninja turtle Grammarians!

On Monday, Dec. 4th, from 7-11 PM, the very cool Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills will be hosting the launch party for “The Good, The Bad & the Pugly”! Drink sponsors Hpnotiq and Vitamin Water will be on hand, giving out free mixed cocktails and drinks in an absolutely awesome indoor/outdoor lounge setting. It really is one of LA’s coolest spots (check out the Flash tour for yourself)! Copies of “The Good, The Bad & The Pugly” will of course be available, and I’ll be putting personalized sketches into books all night long.

Here is your map, which can be modified with your starting point. There is valet parking out front, and free street parking on the surrounding streets.

The featured Hpnotiq cocktails for the night (I’m thinking of calling them “The Pugly” and “The Lucky Duck”) and Vitamin Water are free…and there’ll also be a cash bar and kitchen for anything your tastebuds might crave.

I’m telling you now: don’t miss this night. The music will be jumpin’, the free drinks will be flowin’, the Pugly sketches will be flyin’, and there may even be a Sheldon Original Art raffle giveaway.

So I’ll see you there on Dec. 4th!

Thanks,

Dave

PS: The attire is probably in the “LA classy/club” range. What does that mean? Lord if I know…I’m a guy, after all. Like every good husband everywhere, my wife will probably end up dressing me. 🙂

For those outside of the U.S., I thought I should post this
link to the weirdest-backslash-saddest idea anyone ever had for a restaurant chain.

Imagine being in that marketing meeting:

“People! When customers think of Kenny Rogers’ dusty grey beard, and semi-creepy ‘old-man-even-when-he-was-a-young-man’ look, what do they think of?”

“Delicious, delicious chicken, Bob. Delicious, delicious chicken.”

I’ll be picking the three Grammarians™ later this weekend.

But here’s the good news: if you were one of the 25 volunteers who offered to be a transcription editor, I’m sending each one of you a character sketch as a “thank you”. Kindness should be rewarded in this world, and each one of you exhibited an awesome enthusiasm and generosity of spirit in your e-mails. So if you volunteered, send me your preferred mailing address…’cause I’ll be sending you a little sum-sum.

Two dozen folks have stepped forward already, volunteering to be one of three “Sheldon Editors” for the transcription system. So, awesome-possum to all of you! And, in a wonderful turn-of-events that doesn’t AT ALL make my decision more difficult…they all seem to have doctorates in editing.

(By the way: instead of “Sheldon Editors”, I’m thinking about giving these folks a superhero crime-fighting name, like “The Grammarians”. Just sounds cooler.)

Also! Save the date for Monday night, Dec. 4th! We’ll be holding the launch party for “The Good, The Bad & The Pugly”. The party will be held at a truly awesome location…to be revealed shortly. But trust me: if you’re anywhere near Los Angeles (Beverly Hills, actually), you won’t want to miss this.

If you look at the little post-it note up on the left, there, you’ll see we have roughly 200 folks signed up and raring to go. But there are far, far more folks who have *started* signing up, but who have neglected to answer the confirmation e-mail. PLEASE DO THAT. Without confirmation, you haven’t completed the process, and aren’t signed up for the e-mail delivery and the Sheldon newsletter.

I just want to make sure no one misses out. Thanks!

First, from today’s strip: Rex Chestington rides again! If there’s one thing that I enjoy drawing, it’s a duck in a cowboy hat. These are some of my favorite storylines, so I’ll hope you’ll indulge me as Rex, Li’l Britches, and Flaco head out on the dusty trail for a while.

But the thing I particularly wanted to talk about today was volunteers. The strip transcriptions are going really well…so much so that I’m realizing I have now become the bottleneck. See, the system allows anyone to transcribe a strip, but right now only I can edit and approve them before they go “live”. And the truth of it is, I can’t keep up with all you folks transcribing!

So here’s what I’m thinking: if you’ve been transcribing strips, and really enjoying it, you should consider becoming one of three select Sheldon Editors. These three primo Sheldon readers would have the power to edit and approve all transcriptions. It’s like having the power of the sun! And to help sweeten the pot even more, these three folks will also get a personalized package of goodies:

– An original, “finished” character sketch of their choosing, drawn on Bristol vellum paper, using archival india inks (perfect for framing)

– Personally inscribed copies of “The Good, The Bad & The Pugly” and “Pure Ducky Goodness”

– A high-five any time I walk by

If you’re interested, and have strong enough editorial chops to pass muster, e-mail me with the subject heading “Sheldon Editor”, and I’ll tell you the next steps on Thursday.

Thanks!
Dave

PS: If you hadn’t yet seen it, here’s the cover for the second Sheldon book, “The Good, The Bad & The Pugly”. Special pre-orders will start on Sunday night…but only for newsletter subscribers! So make sure you sign up!

I woke up this morning to a message from my friend Scott Kurtz, telling me I should check out the old Sheldon page at Comics.com. It seems they are kindly linking readers to the new site, and letting them know the end-date.

A kindness like that should be returned. But rather than link just to Get Fuzzy or Pearls Before Swine — arguably the two best strips to come along in the last decade — I’ll recommend to you one of the best new strips on Comics.com: LITTLE DEE. There is something — and I know I’m going to sound silly when I say this — magical about that strip. It has an almost other-worldly sweetness that few, few strips achieve. And the art style, particularly that of Vachel the vulture, is almost Watterson-esque in it’s simple, expressive line. It is original, it is amazingly creative, and it is funny. If this strip doesn’t make it into papers, then there really is no hope for the future of syndication.

Please check out Little Dee at Comics.com.