It all begins (and ends) here! Witness the launch of the XION UNIVERSE in an adventure that spans the indiecomics multiverse!
That’s it. That’s the whole update (until Friday).
Hugs & fist bumps to all! Charlie
PS — prelaunch for GodQuest: Milestone #2 is live! I won’t launch that one until the last packages are ready to go out the door.
https://zoop.gg/c/milestone2
...the last couple of weeks have been BUSY for me! Apologies for not posting updates, but we're in that weird gap between Proof approvals and awaiting final shipments. It happens.
Once I receive notification that the books have shipped, I'll update you all here. Then again when they arrive and are inspected.
The triple-signed bookplates, for Backers in that tier, have been shipped out for signing by artist D.C. Stuelpner and writer/editor Vito Delsante. Once those return to home base, I'll sign them and number them. Numbering will be based on Backer #, so earlier Backers will get the earliest (lowest) numbered bookplates.
All bookplates will be tipped inside the front cover of the book. Adhering the bookplates to the insides of your copies is your decision (some see these as necessary, others see it as damaging the book, still others couldn't care less, LOL).
Pizza box orders will ship folded and stuffed (but not overstuffed), and then wrapped in padding and placed inside another shipping container. For those who ordered multiple pizza boxes, I'll ship the additional box(es) flat and separately.
Even for those not receiving bookplates, I decided I wanted to still make this initial TPB collection special for Kickstarter Backers. You've been supporters and a huge encouragement to me throughout this process, so every backer recieving a physical book will have my "squirrel" hanko stamp on the inside cover/credits page. I will not stamp books with it outside of this Kickstarter campaign.
Well, I have a lot of irons in the fire for Xion Studios. Most of which you've seen here in various incarnations. It's likely that the Rook: Return to Sender one-shot hits next, as that's the most complete book outside of GodQuest: Milestone #2 which I'll be bringing back to Zoop shortly (working on some planning and then I'll partner with the Zoop team to build the pre-launch page). So, get ready for more!
Chat again soon!
PS - speaking of Vito, please follow and consider backing his latest campaign!!
I was hoping to post this YESTERDAY, but it took the USPS longer to move the books in-state than it did moving across five states… 🙄
ANYWAY… they’re here!!!!
I’ll be spending the rest of the weekend reviewing the proofs for accuracy w/ Associate Editor Suzanne McElvy so we can approve no later than Monday morning for full shipment.
LET’S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Charlie
I mean, did you need to read anything else this weekend?
Best,
Charlie
PS - I erroneously stated that digital rewards have gone out, but that's not accurate. I just opened up distribution of them via Backerkit. But, for you to get them you have to 1) complete your survey!, and 2) I have to lock orders. I did the latter, but you have 48hrs to make updates/changes. Digital rewards will go out once those locks close down.
We're sitting at 79% completion on the BackerKit Surveys and I need to get closer to 90% for a confident ordering of the books. However, if we can hit 85% this weekend, I'll order the books Monday and use some simple ratios to guesstimate the cover materials (suede-like/not suede-like) so that I can get your books to you sooner. That way I can expedite the proof review and get the full order placed.
If you lost your survey (or never saw it come through email from BackerKit), you can request a new one here: https://the-complete-spider-squirrel-volume-one-ultimate-editio.backerkit.com
It's sometimes a good idea to double-check your survey even if you are confident you already completed it! 😉
All of the other rewards are either in-stock now, or on the way. Bookplates had a major error, so I placed a re-order with the mfr and now fighting for at least a partial refund. No worries there, though, as that won't slow down your rewards.
My family is on Spring Break this week, which, ironically, means I'm online a little less than usual. If you need anything urgently, please email me: [email protected]
Those who have completed their BackerKit Surveys will have already received most of your digital rewards. The book rewards are expected to go out this weekend (barring any last minute editorial concerns).
My indiecomics bro Chris Thomasma has a new book out featuring TWO special guests from across the Indieverse, and Spider-Squirrel is one of them! Check it out!
Clarity Girl, Ms Makeshift, and Spider-Squirrel's day of fun gets interrupted by a sinister force attending a comic expo for vengeance.
WOOOOO!!!!
Best to you all!
Charlie
PS - Subscribe to my monthly Substack! I started doing indiecomics giveaways (physical books)!