THE DUCK IS IN THE SKY...!

I feel like an expectant father who just so happened to birth a dead duck and a zombie chicken. Y'know, that old scenario.

I got a call from my publishers at Ape a couple days ago, and good news abounds. They've packaged up 200 copies of Dead Duck, and they're currently in transit to my humble digs here in Ann Arbor. And as the top paragraph suggests, I'm pacing around like an anxious daddy to be. Twenty years developing Dead Duck, five years developing Zombie Chick, three years working on the graphic novel, and two years working with Ape Entertainment, and it all boils down to five cardboard boxes filled with my creative brainchildren, to be delivered via Fed Ex stork to my doorstep on Tuesday, Nov. 24th.

I'd say it's been a difficult delivery, save that you all provided a hell of a sedative by pre-ordering the crap out of Dead Duck. My publisher tells me orders are almost to 900 copies pre-sold (including 300 ordered by a very big book seller) and have all but covered our printing costs, which means….gasp…I just might turn a profit on Dead Duck! Can you effing believe it?! They're even talking to me now about designing the first Dead Duck t-shirt, which I've been dreaming about since the beginning! So as I pace back and forth in the waiting room so see if it's a boy or a girl (who am I kidding--it's both!), I want to thank you for your assistance in the delivery. I barely felt a thing!

And in related news:
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MY FIRST DEAD DUCK BOOK SIGNING:

NOVEMBER 27TH, 2009 (Black Friday! How appropriate!):
Dead Duck book signing at Coy's Comics
301 S. Hamilton
Saginaw, MI 48602
12-2 pm
Call Coy's at (989) 790-1810 for more info
Click HERE for directions

Coy's is my hometown comic shop, the one where, at age ten, I first experienced the comics that would help shape my cartoon and writing style--Groo the Wanderer, Boris the Bear, 'Mazing Man, Flaming Carrot, Peter Porker, The Amazing Spider-Ham--where my friends and I got busted at age fifteen for riding our bikes on a comic buying pilgrimage (gasp) WITHOUT ASKING OUR FOLKS!! (P.S. My own parents were fine with it), and where I always said I would one day do a signing when I had my own comic book. That day has come, and I hope you can make it to experience it with me!

As I mentioned a few days back, anyone who pre-ordered Dead Duck through Coy's will be able to pick up their copy as of Nov. 27th. And anyone who didn't pre-order through Coy's but comes to my signing anyway will also be able to buy a copy from the stock I'll be bringing with me to sign. So now you have no excuse not to make it!
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PODCASTS:

To date, I've done three podcasts to promote Dead Duck---

The Idiothead .com podcast
Comicgeekspeak.com
And just this past week, Comicrelated.com's The related Recap

Each one has it's own flavor and discusses several aspects of Dead Duck. Plus you get to hear me nervously stammer through some very interesting questions! Click on each link to listen for yourself!
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ONLINE DEAD DUCK:

As foretold over a week ago, the final online Dead Duck comic was posted yesterday--meant to coincide with the release of Dead Duck next week. Of course, as I posted a few days back, Dead Duck's release has been delayed by a couple weeks (it should arrive before Christmas). But it's the final online comic nonetheless. You can click here to read the final sneak peek before the awesomeness of the graphic novel arrives and surpasses everything I've already shown you!
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YOU CAN STILL ORDER DEAD DUCK:

If you can't make any of my signings and you want to make sure Dead Duck gets in your hands, here's the low down of where you can order yourself some dark, cartoony greatness!

APE ENTERTAINMENT: Click here to order it directly through my publisher.

AMAZON.COM: Click here to order it through their site.

YOUR LOCAL COMIC SHOP: Give them the Dead Duck order code: SEPT090577. They should still be able to back order it for you.

YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE: Here is Dead Duck's ISBN number: ISBN-13: 9781934944721 I've checked, and Barnes and Noble and Borders do indeed carry Dead Duck, as should any bookstore you can imagine. They just require you to come in and order it!
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So that's it, my friends! If I don't hear from or see you before next week, happy Thanksgiving! I look forward to bringing Dead Duck to as many of you as I can, first hand, at Coy's and my other coming signings!

Much love,

--Jay

IF YOU'VE PRE-ORDERED DEAD DUCK, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO READ THIS…

It wouldn't be Dead Duck without some kind of mishap. The graphic novel is loaded with episodes where Zombie Chick messes things up, Dead Duck messes things up, or something goes haywire with their pick-up. But their situation is never irreparable and always works out in the end. And so will this…

There was a problem with Dead Duck at the printers. The simplified version is that the artwork was getting cut off, so they had to re-size the entire book on the fly. The good news is that the problem was solved, and everyone who has ordered a copy (or copies) of Dead Duck will still be getting their books.

The bad news is that most people will not be getting those copies until two or three weeks after Dead Duck's original release dates. This means that if you ordered your copies through a comic shop, rather than getting them on Nov. 25th as originally said, you'll get yours somewhere around Dec. 10th or 17th. But if you ordered through Amazon, who gave an original release date of Dec. 9th, you will either get your copies just before or just after Christmas.

Now, there is an exception to all this. Anyone who pre-ordered Dead Duck through any of the three shops I'm currently signing at--Coy's Comics in Saginaw on Nov. 27th, Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor on Dec. 2nd and Comic City in Canton on Dec. 5th--WILL have their books in stock on the day of each signing. My publisher is sending me a case of Dead Duck books that I will be bringing to these shops to cover any of their pre-orders. So all my signings, including my Delta College signing on Nov. 30th (which I'll provide copies of Dead Duck for), are still ON. You can click here if you need more information on them.

While I'm pleased that I can satisfy those who ordered their copies at the three shops I'm signing at, that does not forgive the delay the rest of you will experience. Some of you may have ordered Dead Duck as Christmas presents, and it's only a thin possibility that it will reach all of you in time. I cannot apologize enough for that. The love, support and personal effort you've all afforded me is what carried Dead Duck to print in the first place. And now for this to happen, well, that's just inexcusable. That is no way to repay your faith in me and my work. And I am so very, very sorry that it happened this way.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that Dead Duck is still coming out. I'm reminding myself of that as much as I'm reminding you. I'm still promoting it to the hilt--I'm doing another podcast tonight (The Related Recap, on Comicrelated.com), I've done three interviews in the past two weeks and am anticipating a fourth--so I'm not done fighting to make this dream a reality. I hope you can still get behind me despite all the craziness of the past couple months, and enjoy Dead Duck when it finally does reach you. For all I've had to go through to make it happen, it's just gotta be worth it in the end.

Much love, and many apologies,

--Jay

NEW SIGNING DATES, END OF ONLINE, AND SALES ARE SOARING!

Let's get straight to the news, folks…!
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SALES:

I received this e-mail from my publisher on Halloween, and got a very nice treat indeed:

Jay--
Checked the Diamond orders today...(Sales) more than doubled in the last week…what the hell did you do, Jay? Are those orders from your signings or something? It’s cool, whatever it is.
--David

Basically, my publisher is saying that my putting out the word to all you guys to order Dead Duck like mad and to spread the word across the land is doing its job, far more successfully than he or I had anticipated. I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it, you guys have made this all possible, and owe you all my love and appreciation.
If there are still those of you out there who want to pre-order Dead Duck, it is not too late at all. Here are the outlets available for you to do so:

APE ENTERTAINMENT: Click here to order it directly through my publisher.

AMAZON.COM: Click here to order it through their site.

YOUR LOCAL COMIC SHOP: Give them the Dead Duck order code: SEPT090577. Check my signings and appearances list to see if I'm coming to your local shop--if I am, they may still be able to order you a copy and have it in stock in time for me to sign it for you!

YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE: Here is Dead Duck's ISBN number: ISBN-13: 9781934944721 I've checked, and Barnes and Noble and Borders do indeed carry Dead Duck, as should any bookstore you can imagine. They just require you to come in and order it!

So keep up the good work--if you haven't ordered your copy of Dead Duck, please do! And if you know others who haven't, please encourage them to do so!
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SIGNING DATES:

I've just booked another Dead Duck signing! I will be at Comic City in Canton, MI on Saturday Dec. 5th from 12-3pm. It's barely a half hour north east of Ann Arbor, but it should work out for anyone who misses my signing at Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor, MI on Wednesday Dec. 2nd. Comic City is one of my favorite shops in the area, and I'm very excited about appearing there!

I also want to remind folks that I'll be doing a brief power point presentation at my Vault of Midnight signing on Dec. 2nd. This will be exclusive to that signing and won't happen at any of the others, so if it's something you'd be interested in, that's the place to be and the time to be there!

And lastly, I WILL be selling copies of Dead Duck at ALL my signings, including Delta College on Nov. 30th. So if you've already got your copies, bring 'em and I'll sign 'em. And if you don't, I've got you covered!

You can view my entire list of signings and appearances by clicking HERE. Bookmark it and check it frequently in the coming months, since there's more of these types of events in the works which I haven't event mentioned yet!
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DEAD DUCK ONLINE COMIC:

Hopefully you've been keeping up with my online Dead Duck comic over the past however many months since I began it. And if so, I hope you've enjoyed it. I say "enjoyed" in the past tense because I'm indefinitely retiring the online comic.

It was always intended to be a limited engagement, a brief sampling of what the graphic novel will have to offer. And as such, I've shown all that I'm willing to show outside of the book itself. With just over two weeks until Dead Duck is released world wide, I've timed it as best I could that the online comic will run its final page on Friday, Nov. 20th, five days prior to the release.

For those keeping track, I've run precisely seven stories online, leaving eleven stories that are exclusively for the eyes of those who purchase Dead Duck. And believe me, those remaining eleven are where the magic are.

Don't get me wrong--the stories I've posted online are some of my favorites. But I purposely left out any that dealt with Dead Duck's origin, big epic tales, and those that I consider the pinnacle of my artistic and writing capabilities. You can't feel that energy through a computer monitor. You need to hold that mass of glossy paper in your hands and experience it with your face inches from the page, as any good comic is meant to be enjoyed. And brother, you better believe this is a comic meant to be enjoyed. I can't wait for you all to see what I've kept from you all this time!

I may come back and post new material on the online Dead Duck comic eventually. But for now, please visit the site HERE and enjoy yesterday's post, and the final two that will be coming in the next two weeks.
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That's it for now, folks. More news to come, and I look forward to sharing it with you!

Much love,

--Jay

THANKS FOR GIVING DEAD DUCK WINGS TO FLY...

I want to thank all of you, my friends, family, fans and followers, for coming to my aid when I most needed it. After my last blog posting, asking for people to order Dead Duck like crazy, that's exactly what you did, and more. Those of you who spread the word about Dead Duck on your websites and blogs have provided just as significant an impact.

And my publisher has taken notice. Of course, Dead Duck isn't completely out of the woods yet, and I'm hoping pre-orders won't seize up anytime soon. But you guys have made a difference and continue to do so. Those who sent me addresses can count on Dead Duck sketches in their mail in the coming weeks. And I hope to repay the rest of you by releasing Dead Duck on November 25th, the most significant and beloved undertaking I've ever embarked upon since my marriage. If you've enjoyed the stories, gags and artwork in the handful of sneak peeks I've given you in the past year, let me tell you friends, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

And not to completely bore you with all this schmaltzy emotional stuff, I also come bearing some very cool news!

I was recently interviewed on the Comic Geek Speak podcast, which is one of the premiere comics discussion spots online. These guys are used to interviewing the likes of Stan Lee (co-creator of the entire silver age Marvel Universe) and David Petersen (creator of Mouseguard, which if you're a comics fan and aren't already reading it, then you're like the dorky, out of touch kid on the playground in 1989 without a Batman t-shirt). But thanks to a couple e-mails I sent and a very kind endorsement from my friend and fellow cartoonist Katie Cook (those Comic Geek Speak fellas ADORE her!), I was interviewed last Monday and that episode was put online just yesterday! I've done one other audio interview in my life, and it goes without saying that CGS surpassed it. You can listen to the episode in its entirety by clicking HERE (my segment is at the end of the episode). Thanks to Peter and Jamie for having me on their show and for being such fun, thorough and gracious hosts. And thanks to Katie for her continued support of my work. Us cartoony comic creators gotta stick together!

The online Dead Duck comic is still rolling along. I would like to keep it going right up 'til the day the book comes out, and there should be enough material to post without having to show the slew of stories I've kept ear marked exclusively for the graphic novel. You can see it HERE for now, and hopefully it'll whet your appetite for the graphic novel to come.

And lastly, I've started a Facebook group for friends and fans of Dead Duck, which you can view HERE. As far as I know, you need to be a Facebook member to participate, but honestly, anything I post on that page will most likely get posted here as well. I want Dead Duck news and updates available to everyone, and I'll always make sure there's such an outlet available to you guys.

Thank you again, friends. I'm genuinely touched that you've all been there for me. After college passes, you forget what it's like to have a community of friends at your disposal, to rely up and to be there for as well. But you've all proven to me the strength of such relationships doesn't have to disappear, and if anything, can be made stronger than ever. I promise to be there for you as you have for me, and to help you reach the dreams you've all held so dearly. One good turn deserves another…

Endless affection,

--Jay

I NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE DEAD DUCK FLY!

This is a call for help, folks. I need to get sales up on pre-orders for Dead Duck, and fast.

I know many of you have already ordered Dead Duck for yourselves through your area comic shops. And I know many of you plan to buy Dead Duck at the signings I've been mentioning. That's still great, and I can ask no more of you.

But there are many, many more of you who are waiting for the day that Dead Duck is intended for release to buy your copies. Here's the problem with that: Dead Duck is an independently published comic book. Unlike Spider-Man or Batman--mainstream, audience-proven comics which bookstores keep in stock because of their guaranteed salability--Dead Duck does not have an assured audience, since it's relatively unknown to the public. That means that most book stores will NOT immediately stock Dead Duck unless YOU contact them in advance and pre-order your copy.

Now here's the figures: I need to pull in at least 400 more pre-orders to make this all work out. So here's what I'm asking….

I need people to start ordering Dead Duck from either your local bookstore, on Amazon.com or directly from Ape Entertainment. Each order will increase my sales, and will assure Dead Duck's success come November 25th. If you order now from the above-mentioned venues, and encourage anyone you can think of to order one as well, here's what I'm prepared to offer:

For each new order I get as of this blog posting, I will send a personalized Dead Duck or Zombie Chick sketch on a postcard to every person who notifies me of their purchase. You can e-mail me at: fourpanelhero@hotmail.com with notification of your order (if I don't know your personally, please include some proof of purchase), as well as a mailing address for you. In the meantime, here's how you can order Dead Duck:

TO ORDER DEAD DUCK THROUGH A BOOKSTORE:

This is Dead Duck's ISBN number: ISBN-13: 9781934944721
Any bookstore (Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Etc…) should be able to order Dead Duck for you with this number. If they need additional information, just tell them Dead Duck is by Jay P. Fosgitt and published by Ape Entertainment. That should do it.

TO ORDER DEAD DUCK THROUGH AMAZON.COM

Just click HERE.

TO ORDER DEAD DUCK DIRECTLY FROM APE ENTERTAINMENT

Just click HERE.

No pun intended, but I'm dead serious here, people. I've spent my entire life trying to get to this point in my cartooning career, and your help can push me to the top of the summit. So please, if you can, order now, encourage others to order now, and I'll do my damnedest to show my appreciation to each and every one of you. I hope to hear from you soon with news of your purchases.

Much love and appreciation, friends.

--Jay