Okay, I’m going to try to avoid getting too sappy or sentimental here.  But I want to give a sincere thank you to all of you who have read OVER over the past fifteen months, whether you’ve been with it since the beginning or just discovered it recently.  Although I’ve been posting comics on the web here and there for several years, OVER was my first successful attempt at building a significant online readership and delivering content on a consistent schedule.  I learned so much from this process, and I consider the completion of this graphic novel an important milestone in my comics career.

But I honestly don’t know if I could have kept at it without the support and encouragement from you guys.  Three pages a week was an ambitious schedule for me, representing a weekly grind of not less than 20 hours a week. Knowing that there were people out there counting on their M-W-F OVER fix kept me going.  In truth, this was a story I HAD to tell, one that I was going to get out of me one way or another.  But I’m certainly glad it was a story others were interested in reading.

So, sincerely, thank you.

I especially want to thank:

• Mom, Katie, and Jenny for listening to the story while it was still only in my head.
• Frank Dipps for being a friend (Golden Girls style), and for breaking the story down with me and helping me turn something rough into something readable.
• All the many strangers at TriggerStreet, whose critical feedback help push the story in a more satisfying direction.  A wonderful community over there…writers, check it out, you’ll be glad you did.
• Editor Steven Forbes for helping dodge a major bullet.
• B.E. for being okay with it.
• RKB for giving OVER it’s very first positive blog review at Pigs of the Industry.
• My many podcasting friends for inviting me on their shows and letting me plug away, or for mentioning the comic.  Thanks to Jamais Jochim (Webcomic Reviews & Interviews), Javier Hernandez (Javiland), Eric Ratcliffe (Why I Love Comics), Chris Flick and Matt Stout (The Lightbox), Kurt Sasson (TGT Webcomics), Chuck Moore (The Related Recap), and Todd Tieuli (Dangerous: Memories.)
• Curtis Lawson for the killer review at Webcomics You Should Be Reading.
• Special thanks to all of you who made up the 400+ comments this comic has received since its inception.  Studies show only about 1% of readers actually take the time to comment.  Well, thank God for you 1%! Thanks to: Andrew J., Doc Nasty, Dave K., Steve Forbes, Rei, B.Nice, Brian V., Vanessa L., Tony P., Uncle Chi Chi, Strass, D. Repps, Becca, Tarlonis, THF, Carl-E, Jules R., Dawn G., Katie S., Ken D., Geoffrey D.W., Anonymous Mouse, Michelle R., Uma, Jamie F., Christie, Jess D., Marie F., Ben P., Max, Wayne A., Ethel, Brian M, Jav, Kurt, Chris F., Mazoku, Thomas, Overlord David, Steven, Starina, Henry B., Ced, Lana, Raoul, Benny, Charles, Simon, Melissa, Ceci, Christopher W., Holly, Fae, Vincent J., Eccentric, WTF, Kori, Jen, Bert S., Samson, Puck, Anon, Ed, Manwich, Otomo, and Jande.
  
• And special thanks to Mistress Dizzy for the most frequent commenter award!
• Also, thanks to all of you frequent ReTweeters who helped spread the word about OVER on Twitter.  @mattzolman, @julesrivera, @mestery, @EccentricOrbits, @dgriff13, @dangermaus, I’m looking at you and plenty of others.
• Special thanks to Kristen V. for not letting OVER or my creating comics habit/addiction/sickness scare you away.
• Everyone who purchased a print copy of the first issue in standard or artist edition, either in person or online, you guys are awesome.
• And the hugest of thanks to everyone who pre-ordered the print version of the graphic novel.  Thanks to you, I’m only one book shy of hitting my pre-order target and I’ve still got 24 hours to go.  I’m going to go ahead and count that as a success.  So again, big thanks to: Dawn, Andrew, Frank Dipps, Strass, MJVN, Kurt, Vanessa and Leo, Chi Chi, BF Meal, Tuner, B.Nice, Robert G., Mark B., Chuck M., Tut, Adam M., Edwin, David H., Jav, James G., Evan W., Rob S., BPH,  Kyle, and Jamie G for helping me order a healthy first printing of the book.
• And finally, thanks to anyone who gave this comic a shot, whether it was your cup of tea or not.  If not, hey, maybe I’ll get you with the next one.

Seriously, I have tremendous gratitude for all of you who have helped make doing what I’m doing feel worth it.

Now about next week…

As I mentioned in Wednesday’s post, I’ve got something cool cooking for next week.  Starting on Monday, and going all week long (well, technically two weeks) will be…

The Great “OVER” Fire Sale Art Auction

Now, we all know Felix put his graphic novel behind him by way of hobo fire.  Me, I’m not going to be quite so dramatic.  However, what I will be doing is selecting just 10 pieces of original art from the OVER graphic novel, and putting them on sale auction style on EBAY, starting at whatever the lowest allowable starting price is over there. (Been a while since I rocked the EBAY.)  So, it’ll be a chance for you to own a piece of this webcomic, and hopefully help me raise some extra funds for the print run.   Win/Win!

Two new pages will go up for auction each day of the week, and each auction will run 7 days. While I have some of the pieces I’ll be auctioning already picked out, I’d LOVE your input.  If there’s a particular page or piece of original art you’ve seen posted here over the past year and a half that you think would make a solid auction piece, please let me know!

All right, see you next week for the start of the FIRESALE!

Best,

Tyler James

And there you have it.

******************************************

Everybody, please return on Friday for a special thank you post…and a big announcement about the fun that will be taking place at OverComic.com NEXT WEEK!

(Come on!  The comic might be over, but you didn’t seriously think I was done with the cliffhangers, did you?)

This page wasn’t in the script…But call me sentimental, I had to get Tony in there one more time.

Believe it or not, boys and girls, but Wednesday’s page is the FINAL PAGE!

It’s also worth mentioning that this is the FINAL WEEK to pre-order “OVER” and receive the automatic “Artist’s Edition Upgrade,”  “I Support Indy Comics” pin, and FREE SHIPPING.  So, if you’ve enjoyed this story, and want a print copy as souvenir of the experience, now’s the time to grab one!

The 180 page graphic novel is now available for Pre-Order! Containing the entire OVER tale, along with an additional 10 pages of content never shared online!

Everyone who pre-orders OVER before August 31, 2010 will receive:

• A SIGNED copy of “OVER”
• FREE SHIPPING
• ARTIST’S EDITION Upgrade- That’s right, all pre-ordered copies will include a one-of-a-kind sketch on a blank page inside the book.
• An “I Support Indy Comics!” Button

The cost for pre-ordering is just $20, and yes, that includes shipping.

OVER is expected to go to print in early September, with Pre-Ordered books expected to ship in early October.

Why is Pre-Order So Important to Indy Creators?

Pre-order is a way for small-press and indy creators to judge demand for our products before putting in our print orders. It is also a way to raise capital to help cover the substantial cost of printing our books. Pre-ordering products from indy creators is one of the most powerful ways you, the reader, can support you favorite creators.

Attaboy, Felix.

Attagirl, Gwen.

***

It’s finally here!  If you’re reading this update Friday, I’m already on the road to the Baltimore Comic Con. I’ll be exhibiting in the Tyler James Comics / EPIC booth (Booth 1905) on the main showroom floor. I’ll have plenty of great stuff on hand, and would love to see you come out.  Anyone who purchases a copy of OVER #1 at the show will receive a $2 off coupon for the graphic novel.

Next:  Splishy-splash!

By the way, I hope to see all the OVER readers living in the Baltimore, MD area come out and see me at the Baltimore Comic Con this weekend.  I’ll be exhibiting in the Tyler James Comics / EPIC booth (Booth 1905) on the main showroom floor.  I’ll have plenty of great stuff on hand, and would love to see you come out.

So, that’s what Felix was painting on the mural.  A big old public display…which, to the casual observer, might just look like another “Pendragon” promotion…But which will (fingers crossed) have more meaning to Gwen…

Next:  Can Felix sell it?  And is Gwen buying?

Remember, Jinx actually does quite well from himself.  He can spare a buck.

NEXT:  What’s on the mural?

I think it’s a solid interview.  We touch on my comics creating “origin story” and bring it up to present day, with the things I’m working on now and have coming up.  We talk a bit about OVER and how I came to tackle this project, and I share some of my plans for EPIC at Baltimore Comic Con next week.

Give it a listen here and let me know what you think!

Felix, Jinx and Skate, getting their mural painting on.

Everybody thinks they can write a good Jinx sign, but like a lot of writers, Jinx is territorial about his schtick.  Who knew?

(Over readers took a stab at Jinx signs earlier in the year…revisit those here and and hey, if you’ve got a new one, feel free to share.  Jinx might mind, but I don’t.)

And yup, Felix finally took Tony’s advice fromPage 14.