Thursday 4 August 2016

Cerebus In Hell? - Week 6

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)
Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com
CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)
Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com
CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)
Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com
CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)
Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com
CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)
Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com
CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)
Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Without even reading the other new strips, the Aristotle/Plato debate is my new favorite comic strip ever.
ChrisW

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't have thought it was possible, but it even surpasses the infamous "Far Side" strip where Tarzan swings from the vines and his internal monologue goes from "How do you do? My name is Tarzan. And what is your name?" to "I am Tarzan, King of the Jungle, and I believe you are known as Jane?" to "You must be Jane, my name is Tarzan. It's a pleasure to meet you!" before getting to the inevitable "There she is!" and actually having to speak to her.

"Damn."

Tim P said...

Just a thought, but do you think sales will be harmed if all of Cerebus in Hell 0 is serialised on the net prior to sale? For the collector / fan, there's an incentive, but what's the incentive for those who are new? Just a thought. I already have mine on order of course.

Anonymous said...

I think Cerebus could use some ale. Too bad, I've got the only ale around, and I'm not sharing. Yummy ale. Good for the bones. What? Hey, you're kinda cute. New in town? Hey, would you like to share some ale with me?

Anonymous said...

"They're"? For shame.

Jeff Seiler said...

Tim P., Dave has already said on more than one occasion that nothing in Cerebus in Hell? #0 will be a repeat of anything posted here on Funny Fridays. It will be all new.

Unknown said...

Tim P. and Jeff - Yes, definitely. I think it's going to take a while to sink in that these are DAILY online strips and they're really just promotion for the #0 and (God willing) for the mini-series. And a branding exercise. We're not really looking to do anything with the strips past #0 and the mini-series, just keeping our powder dry and building up the inventory. Which has raised a couple of interesting potential questions:

Is it worth going to a mainstream publisher with a collection of the NON-comic book related strips? Ideal size, 170 pages, fits airport bookshop racks, etc. You don't need to know any comic-book stuff or CEREBUS background. The more strips we do, the more we have to pick from. 170 strips that CIVILIANS will find funny. The FAR SIDE audience.

Is it worth pitching it as a Sunday newspaper strip to some syndicates? All you need is 52 and you have a year's worth, right? It would certainly stand out from the 1950s Ben Day dots look of every other Sunday strip. "It's 2016: reproducing Gustave Dore isn't rocket science. Any web offset press can do that in its sleep." BUT! Sunday strips are in COLOUR! What? Is there some UN Human Rights thing that mandates that? All the OTHERS are in colour. THIS one is in black and white. And it's pretty cool, don't you think? Particularly if you don't know "HOW they do that".

But, right now, the emphasis is on getting the strips done. I got seven done today again, so I think we're good through to the US election. 96 days lead time. BONUS!

Kousmichoff said...

Really funny batch of comics this week!

And yes, Starbucks coffee definitely tastes burnt.

Jeff Seiler said...

Dave, I'm sure you guys have already considered this point, but are the Dore etchings public domain? If not, wouldn't it really cut into your profits if you have to pay licensing fees or royalties? Otherwise, I think you may be on to something, especially the airport gift shop book idea. Depending on the amount of work you're willing to do, you could market it to gift shops and bookstores everywhere.

Oh, hey Dave, look! Look at me advising you, yet again, to market your work to bookstores! An idea whose time has come? ;)

Tim P said...

Thanks for the replies Dave and Jeff. Dave, for me, a collection of the online strips would be an instant purchase, as would any collection of your works eg Cerebus Archives (series or Kickstarter), covers, crossovers, etc. I'd very much like to see a collection of your non-Cerebus work as well eg pre and post Cerebus, such as Glamourpuss, Gun Fu. Perhaps these could be kickstarter projects as well?

Unknown said...

Tim P - It's really a matter of limited resources and limited time and WAY TOO MUCH stuff to get done before I die.

Which is why the priority is a) scanning, restoring and preserving the 6,000 page graphic novel first. b) Scanning all of the correspondence is my call because we need the space and the way they're stored -- in large Tupperware tubs -- takes up way too much space c) exhaustive commentaries on my own work 10 pages at a time in the CAN portfolio series.


I don't really use my OWN time on those (except the commentaries which are "pedal to the metal" type type type type for a few days every few months) -- I "oversee" -- because I'm also (theoretically) a "still working" graphic novelist. So the MAJORITY of my time needs to be taken up with writing and researching THE STRANGE DEATH OF ALEX RAYMOND. I interrupt to send faxes, write cheques, make choices, write letters (VERY few these days), return calls, etc. etc. and then right back to SDOAR.

Speaking of which, my RIP KIRBY Commentaries ("The Play's The Thing" April 15, 1950 strip) are calling me with four hours until the Sabbath begins.

Sandeep Atwal said...

Re: "They're"

They are not homeless...they are Obama voters. Correct usage!

Travis Pelkie said...

Not that one, Sandeep, the side comment on the coffee one. It says "they're cappuccino's okay" and should be "their".

I don't think it's a "for shame" thing, myself, especially when the original poster couldn't have been bothered to tell you which strip it was in reference to....

One reason that it might not sink in that these are daily strips are because we're getting them weekly here on AMOC, and I think more of us look here daily than might look over on the Cerebus Downloads site. I like seeing them in a batch like this, though, and some of them, when you scroll up and down at the right speed, the Dore backgrounds create almost a 3D effect. It's funky!

While it'd be nice to get the general public in on these, I think just the premise of Cerebus in Hell? is enough reliant on the comic that I'm just not sure it would sell without the foreknowledge. I'd say try an alternative weekly, but they're probably either shutting down or all too lefty to print anything about anyone going to hell ;)

And actually, I think there are a certain segment of papers that aren't just printing their Sunday comics in color, but their dailies as well. The rest of the papers are either going out of business or doing like the NY Post and eliminating comics. Even though people love comics!

Actually, for a syndicated strip, the fact that "Hell" is in the title is bound to scare away syndicates.

Regardless, I'm enjoying the strips we're seeing here, looking forward to the zero issue, and hoping it's sold enough to warrant the mini and somewhere down the line a collection, which would also include these online ones and any specialty strips. I want it all in print, dang it!

Jeff Seiler said...

Travis is correct: "Their cappucino", not "They're cappucino". I'm pretty sure it's the first typo I've seen in these strips. I caught it, too, on first reading but decided not to say anything after Anon posted.

Jeff Seiler said...

BTW, it makes sense. Cerebus WOULD vote for Trump, if he could. Talk about cut from the same cloth...

Travis Pelkie said...

It took me a bit to have it sink in, but the thing with Trump and the baby earlier this week reminded me of the Cerebus bit!

Unknown said...

Please. By all means, let us know about any typos so we can correct them for IF and/or WHEN we reprint them anywhere.

Jeff Seiler said...

Will do, Dave.