DEAD DUCK SIGNINGS DATES AND PROMO STUFF!

Lots of neat stuff has been happening since my last update two weeks ago, so let's get down to it!
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TIME'S UP:

If you wanted to order Dead Duck through Previews but just couldn't drag yourself down to your local comic shop, let alone to your nearest telephone, then I'm sorry, but that ship has sailed. September's making way for October, and October's Previews won't include orders for Dead Duck.

HOWEVER, all is not lost! Anyone who still wants to order Dead Duck can do so in a number of other ways (NOTE: Copies ordered anywhere other than Previews will be shipped in December):

*Call your local bookstore--Dead Duck is available to order through ANY bookstore. Just tell em: Dead Duck, graphic novel, by Jay Fosgitt, published by Ape Entertainment. If that doesn't kick 'em in the pants, then give them the ISBN numbers:
ISBN-10: 1934944726
ISBN-13: 978-1934944721
Don't ask me what one means versus the other. All I know is, this is all any bookstore should need to order Dead Duck.

*Order it directly from Ape Entertainment--You can click on THIS LINK to make it happen!

*Order it off Amazon.com--Click on THIS LINK to hook yourself up!

So now you have no excuse! Order Dead Duck like your life depends on it! And given Dead Duck's profession, it just might!
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BOOK SIGNINGS:

---I'd previously mentioned that VAULT OF MIDNIGHT, a comic shop here in Ann Arbor, MI, would house my grand unveiling of Dead Duck. However, the two other signings I've lined up wound up being scheduled just before the Vault signing, making Vault the third stop of my Dead Duck signing jag. Now, that does not diminish the importance of my Vault signing at all. Prior to the actual book signing and exclusive ONLY to the Vault appearance, I'll be giving a Power Point presentation to introduce myself and Dead Duck to those in attendance, followed by a Q&A session. So if you can make the Vault signing, it's gonna be something special and not to be missed!

It all goes down on Dec. 2nd from 5-8 pm. You can view the promo and read my bio on Vault's website HERE (just scroll down until you see the Dead Duck listing. Trust me, it's hard to miss). And you can visit the SIGNINGS AND APPEARANCES section of my blog for directions to Vault by clicking HERE. And for those who just hate clicking, you can view the promo poster for my Vault appearance below.

---Now, though Vault will be quite a spectacle itself, I have another signing that I'm extremely excited for. It's kind of a homecoming for me, and it's a dream come true to be able to bring my recent success back to the place that first put me on its path.

On Nov. 30th, I'll be appearing at my alma mater, Delta College in Bay City, MI, to sign copies of Dead Duck from 11 am-1 pm. And here's why that is so important…

For those who don't know, I attended Delta College from 1994-2001. In my second year, my English professor, Joan Ramm, caught me drawing cartoons in the back of her class one day. Rather than scold me, Joan took note of my art and brought me aboard Delta's school paper, The Delta Collegiate, where she was faculty advisor. I wound up working on the Collegiate for my remaining years at Delta ('95-'01), where I was the resident cartoonist, arts and entertainment editor, and co-editor in chief in my final year. During this time, I made the best friends of my entire life, people whom I'm still close to today. I won awards, had incredible life experiences, and became the person I am today, all because of Delta College, the Delta Collegiate and Joan Ramm. So it's with great pride and appreciation that I'll be talking to Joan Ramm's Mass Media class (one of the three classes I took with Joan) prior to my book signing. Delta was the best home away from home I'd ever experienced, and I cannot wait to return.

In don't know where I'll be located on Delta's campus just yet, but I'll make it known very soon. In the meantime, anyone in the area, particularly any of my old Collegiate crew who can make it, are encouraged to come to my signing. As a point of interest, you'll find several old Collegiate members making appearances in the pages of Dead Duck, further proof of Delta's wonderful and continual influence.

---My third signing is actually going to be my first. But since we're still in the planning stages and there's not much info to give, I figured I'd mention the more concrete dates first. It will be at Coy's Comics in Saginaw, MI, tentatively scheduled for November 27th--Black Friday, to holiday shoppers. Coy's was my childhood comic shop, so it means a lot to me to do a signing there. Once we've locked down the facts, I'll be back with more info.
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PROMOTIONAL STUFF:

I have the best friends in the world, really.

---My friend/lawyer and promotional consultant Nick "Pro Bono" Buonodono helped me craft the awesome Dead Duck press release I showed you a few weeks back. Nick's also helping me put together the Power Point presentation for the Vault showing, and will be attending the Delta appearance with me as well.

---My friend and past CMLife A&E Editor Shaun Manley recently offered to post Dead Duck promotional posters around Saginaw Valley State University where he currently studies (I spent two semesters there in 1993 when I was fresh out of high school). Here's a snap shot my pseudo-sister Emily Schulz (another SVSU attendee) took of one of the posters on campus.

---Another friend of mine, Kyle Latino, was cool enough to promote Dead Duck on a recent blog of his, which you can check out HERE.

---My old high school pal Beth Gast has a blog as well, and wrote a very cool assessment of Dead Duck in a recent post, which you can view HERE.

---My friends and fellow cartoonists David Petersen (Mouseguard) and Katie Cook (Star Wars trading card artist) have been kind enough to promote Dead Duck on their own websites, and recently drew their own renditions of my characters, which you can view below.


And I'm happy and fortunate to announce that it's not just my friends who are giving favorable appraisals of Dead Duck. I found this short but very nice evaluation of Dead Duck on a recent comic blog, which you can read HERE.

And lastly, I've recently discovered that Dead Duck is gradually being absorbed into the collective consciousness of television stars….

Zombie Chick sported the look first, but I dare you to tell me "Gossip Girl's" Taylor Momsen wasn't somehow channeling the fashion sense of Dead Duck's cute and stitchy sidekick!

More news to come, my friends! Oh so much more…

Tons o' hugs,

--Jay

AND THE PRESS BEGINS TO ROLL IN.....

Just a quick Dead Duck update for the abundantly curious! The past two weeks have found me sending out press releases to all sorts of media outlets, and the first big payoff for my efforts appeared on Monday. My pal Dave Coverly (whose studio I plan to win off him in a cut throat game of rock paper scissors) pointed this out to me, and it was quite a thrill to see. Click HERE to read it.

That whole piece is verbatim what me and my lawyer/PR guy/bud for life Nick "Pro Bono" Buonodono wrote for the press release. I'm actually pleased this website chose to run it "as is" rather than paraphrasing it or editing it down for space, because Nick did a brilliant job putting it all together.

I'm also booking my first Dead Duck signing as we speak. Vault of Midnight comics in Ann Arbor, two stories of pulpy, toy-infested brilliance, will house my grand unveiling on December 2nd, a week after the book comes out. I'm creating a brand new poster for the advertising, and it's looking all kinds of bad ass. More news on this and other signings very soon.

So evidently my cat Goonie has learned that batting her pink plastic ball against my studio door is too subtle a tactic for getting me to come out and play, so she's stepped it up to hurling her small fuzzy body against the door until it opens, just so I get the hint. So I better split, but more news is coming faster than I can type it!

Much love,

--Jay

DEAD DUCK ORDERING TUTORIAL

I've heard from more than a few folks who are unclear as to how to order Dead Duck through Previews. Believe me, I sympathize. I haven't used Previews in about twenty years, so I'm no expert. But I want to make this process as easy as possible for you people who don't regularly buy comics. Just follow the process below and you should be in good shape.

1. Here is the Previews order code for DEAD DUCK: SEPT090577. It's important that you place your order sometime in the month of September if you want to order it through Previews and have it in late November when it's released.

2. If you don't already know where your local comic retailer is located:
(For the non-Internet users) just go to the phonebook and comic book shops should be listed in the yellow pages.
(For Internet users) Go to Google, type in: Comic book shops+your hometown and state. That should give you a good listing of comic shops in your area, with phone numbers, directions and even hours of operation sometimes.

3. Tell your retailer you'd like to order the DEAD DUCK graphic novel by Jay Fosgitt in September's Previews. Then give them the order code. You could tell them that it's published by Ape Entertainment, but the code should be more than enough information.

4. From what I recall, most retailers only make you pay when the book arrives in their store. But if they require you to pay in advance, the book is only $12.95, and you can use your credit card.

5. The book comes out November 25th, the day before Thanksgiving (sorry in advance for making that week more complicated for you). I'd call ahead to your local comic shop just to make sure the book arrived on time. Once they give the okay, go get it. Simple as that!

I hope no one takes offense at this simple tutorial. You should know that I'm a slow learner, and specific directions like this help me a lot. I hope they help you. I'm still here if anyone has any questions in the meantime.

On a final note, I just heard from a fan that they managed to order Dead Duck for themselves and are having it sent to their hometown in South Africa! How neat is that?!

Much love,

--Jay

SEPTEMBER IS OFFICALLY THE MONTH OF THE DUCK!!!

Okay, I know Dead Duck is coming out November 25th, 2009, so November should be the month of the duck--and it WILL be, come November. But this is NOW, and now is September, and September is when I need YOU people to order Dead Duck through Previews as if your lives were at stake!

Y'see, the more Dead Duck orders my publisher, Ape Entertainment, gets through Previews--which is the premiere comic book catalog where so many careers are made and broken--the bigger a hit Dead Duck will be, which besides meaning I'll make a few bucks, also ups the odds for a follow-up Dead Duck book in the years to come. It's all numbers, columns and sales jargon, but just know that BIG sales through Previews in the month of September equals a bright future for me and Dead Duck. As I mentioned last blog, the September issue of Previews just went on sale last Wednesday, so now is the time to get your hands on it and order, order, ORDER!!!

This is the order code for Dead Duck in Previews: sept090577. Write this down, head directly to your local comic shop, and give them this number. It's your golden ticket to the dark and dreamy candy land that is Dead Duck. When November 25th rolls around, you'll be able to return to your comic retailer and finally hold my life's work in your hands. Groovy, no?

Now I'm gonna get a bit political with you guys for a minute. Folks, I am enlisting you all to help me spread the word about Dead Duck. Word of mouth is fine, but what will really help is if you post my new DEAD DUCK DIGITAL READER on your blog, website, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or any other place you can stick it where it'll be seen. Now wait, you say. What's the Dead Duck Digital Reader? Glad you asked, says I. The Dead Duck Digital Reader is essentially a digital comic book, comprised of all the Dead Duck comics I've run online thus far. You'll get to see the graphic novel's cover, the previously unseen credits page art, a handful of Dead Duck adventures, and most importantly, on the last page there is a coupon with the Previews order code on it. You print it out, fill in your info, and turn it into your local comic retailer, simple as that. But it's imperative that you do it THIS MONTH! I have the codes for posting in basic HTML, BLOGGER, OKURT, MYSPACE, WORDPRESS, JOOMLA, TYPEPAD and LIVE JOURNAL, so if anyone wants to post the Dead Duck Digital Reader on their sites, please contact me at fourpanelhero@hotmail.com and I'll send you the code to do so. In the meantime, here it is on my own blog:

Open publication - Free publishing - More jay fosgitt

If you do post the Dead Duck Digital Reader anywhere (and know my gratitude shall be vast and boundless), please let me know that you're running the Dead Duck Digital Reader so I can let others know where they can see it. We're talking a potential Dead Duck revolution here, people, and you can just call me Jay Guevara. Don't cry for me, Argentina, just order the holy hell out of Dead Duck, and spread the word like crabs through a brothel!

Now, I'd be remiss not to mention that there WILL be other places to order Dead Duck after September. But it will be a few months after September, and you'll miss the chance to contribute to the opening gate sales explosion that I hope September will provide. That said, in late December, Dead Duck will be available to order through Amazon.com and directly off the Ape website. More info about that when it's available. But for now, just concentrate on buying in September.

And just so you know, Dead Duck is already off to a very good start. To begin:

--Adam Talley, creator of the comic book "Pleasant Hymns", interviewed me last week on his Idiothead.com podcast. We talked extensively about Dead Duck and what's to come upon his release. You can listen to it by clicking on THIS LINK. Scroll down to Episode 9: Interview Jay Fosgitt and click "Listen". It's free, and if you want, you can download it to your ipod. Neat, eh?

--I was recently interviewed on ComicMonsters.com, the premiere website for horror comics. They asked me some very cool questions about Dead Duck, and you can read the full interview HERE. They also did a behind the scenes bit with me where I show the creative process in producing a Dead Duck story, which you can read HERE.

--And lastly and coolestly (Yeah, bad grammar. What of it!?), Previews itself recently made mention of Dead Duck in the "Certified Cool" section of its website. Basically, Previews picks just a handful of upcoming comics that they think are really cool and interesting, a they highlight them in this section. Needless to say, I'm totally honored to have Dead Duck mentioned there. You can check that out HERE.

--And just a wee most lastly than the last lastly, not sure if I've ever mentioned this before or not, but I'm a proud, card-carrying member of The National Cartoonists Society, the top brotherhood of professional cartoonists in the U.S. . I joined up a year ago last September, and it's been a very special feather in my cap as a professional cartoonist. Anyway, the NCS website recently updated its member list, and I'm finally featured in it! You can view my bio by clicking HERE. And yes, I realize there's a typo in my last name in the members' list. It's being corrected as we speak. More importantly, it's all spelled correctly in the bio itself. My NCS membership is pertinent to Dead Duck's success because Dead Duck marks my becoming a full-time, professional cartoonist, one of the key requirements for membership. Next year I intend to enter Dead Duck into the NCS awards' comic book category, and who knows? My life's work has brought me this far...

So that's that for now, kids. September is going to be busy as bee shit for me. I have to call retailers and beg them to buy Dead Duck, called media folks and beg them to favorably review Dead Duck, and try not to go broke from my ungodly phone bill when all's said and done. So if you can please do your part by spreading the word, ordering Dead Duck and posting my Dead Duck Digital Reader anywhere and everywhere you have access to, you'll have my love and affection (which you've all got already, but you'll have even MORE).

Guaranteed I'll be back with more news within the week. It's all happening faster than I can report it.

Watch the skies!

--Jay