Check it out!  The OVER graphic novels are finally here, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the finished product.

There is something surreal about holding two years worth of work in your hands.  But there’s no time for me to get sentimental…I have a TON of artist edition sketches to do for all of the awesome people who pre-ordered and helped make this print run possible.

I’ll be scanning and sharing some of the sketches here on the blog over the next few weeks.  But…if you want an original one of your very own, well, here are the deets on how to get one:

Artist’s Edition Special

The 188 page graphic novel is now available! This print collection contains the entire OVER tale, along with an additional 10 pages of content never shared online!

The OVER Graphic Novel Artist’s Edition Package includes:

• A SIGNED copy of “OVER”
• FREE SHIPPING
• ARTIST’S EDITION Sketch on a blank page inside the book.
• An “I Support Indy Comics!” Button (while supplies last.)

The Artist Edition Package is just $20, and yes, that includes shipping to the US & Canada. (Add $5 for international shipping.)

US/Canada – $20 (includes FREE shipping)

International $20 + $8 shipping!

I’ve been hard at work doing some not so fun stuff…namely, reformatting OVER for various digital distribution venues.  Now that the book is finished, it just makes sense to do my best to get it in front of as many people as possible, in as many formats as people are interested in buying.  So I’m partnering with a number of digital distributors to do just that.

Unfortunately, EVERY distributor seems to have a different file format or upload specs.  As a result…a ton of reformatting.

BUT…one cool result was getting to see what OVER looks like…the entire graphic novel, in just one image.  So I thought I’d share that with you here.

180 pages.  Almost 2 years worth of work.  That’s what it looks like, I guess.

I’m extremely pleased to report that “OVER” has gone to the printers!

The initial print run of books should be delivered to my doorstep no later than November 1.  Once they arrive, I’ll start working on Artist Edition sketches for people who pre-ordered the book.  I’ll be doing them in order, so the sooner you pre-ordered, the sooner you’ll get your books!  (Early birds and worms and all.)  All pre-orders will be shipped withing the first two weeks of November!

If you haven’t had a chance to pre-order the book, and were still hoping to, I’ll be honoring the pre-order special for another couple of weeks.  Here’s the link for all the details.

Hey guys, here’s a peek at the inks on the “OVER” print edition graphic novel cover.

Check back next week for the full color version, with logo dress.

And if you haven’t PRE-ORDERED your copy of OVER yet…well, here are the deets to do so:

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.

Well, that wraps the “OVER”Art Auction! And I’m going to call it a success. 8 of 10 pieces sold, with the range of winning bids going from just a 1 penny to $43. In all, 5 different bidders won the art, some where regular commenters here, while others were new (online faces.) The bidding really heated up in the final hours of the auction. (The last piece went from 1 penny to $43 in the final 7 hours.)

Once again, thanks for participating in the auction.  Funds raised will go toward a larger initial print run of the graphic novel.

Speaking of which, I’m working hard on finishing up the GN for print.  The graphic novel will have all new cover art, which I’m currently working on.  I’ll share some Work-In-Progress stuff here in the blog next week.

If you still haven’t pre-ordered your copy of “OVER” here’s all you need to know:

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 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.

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

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

Hey everybody!  As promised, this week I’ll be auctioning off 10 pieces of original art from the OVER graphic novel.  Each day this week, a two new auction listings will be posted.

FINAL UPDATE! Friday’s Auction

ITEM 9 – The Warrior Gwen and Felix Mural Picture (First appears on page 158)

It’s all romance today!  Now up for bid is the original drawing that comprised the mural picture that Felix put on the Blam! Comics wall in a bid to get Gwen back.  This is the only auction piece that features a grey toned prismacolor wash.

You can view this pieces debut in the comic here:

This piece is done in pencil and ink, with a grey toned prismacolor wash, on 8 x 10 in. cardstock paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #9- Felix & Gwen Mural Picture Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-17-10 05:08:55 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

ITEM 10 – “OVER” Page 160- The Felix and Gwen Make Up Kiss

This is the LAST of ten selections of comic art from “OVER” available for auction!  And some would say I saved the best one for last.   Up for bid is the final splash page featured in “OVER.”  Gwen forgives Felix, and they  have their big romantic moment.  (Yay for happy endings!)  This one will be tough to part with!

You can view the finished colored and letter page you are bidding on here.

This piece is done in pencil and ink on 8.25 x 10.75 in. manga sized bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #10- Make-Up Kiss (Page 160) Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-17-10 05:13:49 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

Thursday’s Auction

ITEM 7 – Warrior Gwen Splash Page (Page 111)

Today’s items, I suspect, are what some of you have been waiting for.  Up first, is the artist’s favorite page in the whole dang book.  This is a splash page single image of Gwen making her move, as she comes over to Felix’s place to help him work on his script dressed as the heroine from his fantasy comic.  Ballsy move, but it paid off for her.  A gorgeous piece of original comic art.

You can view the beautiful finished colored and letter page you are bidding on here.

This piece is done in pencil and ink on 8.25 x 10.75 in. manga sized bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #7 – Warrior Gwen Splash Page Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-16-10 04:19:41 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid On this item

ITEM 8 – Felix & Gwen Get It On! (Page 116)

Today’s second piece of sequential art is a page that is a key turning point in the book.  This is the (ahem) climax of one of the fan favorite scenes of the graphic novel, where Felix finally mans up and kisses Gwen for the first time.  This quickly leads to costumes falling off, and into the bedroom they go.

You can view the steamy finished colored and letter page you are bidding on here.

This piece is done in pencil and ink on 8.25 x 10.75 in. manga sized bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #8 – Felix & Gwen Get It On (p116) Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-16-10 04:26:54 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

Wednesday’s Auction

ITEM 5 – “OVER” Happy Holidays Piece

Up for bid is on THE ONLY piece of art containing the full cast of OVER adults!  This piece of original art was drawn as the cover for the 2009 Tyler James Comics Holiday Card.  It features Felix and Gwen under the mistletoe, Tony in a hideous Christmas sweater two sizes too small, Stan Lee with reindeer antlers, Skate at the drawing table, Jinx enjoying some holiday hooch, and Faith and Blake out in the cold.  It’s a festive piece and was a lot of fun to draw.

View the full color version of the piece here:

This piece is done in pencil and ink on 8.25 x 10.75 in. manga sized bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #5 – “OVER” Happy Holidays Art Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-15-10 03:51:25 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

ITEM 6- The Boys, Skate, and Jinx Concept Art

Also now available are  THE FIRST EVER concept art drawings of the Boys (Matt, Troy, and Sootch), Skate, and everyone’s favorite dirty old bum, Jinx!  These THREE pieces are done in pencil and ink on 9 x 12 in. bristol board paper.  Each piece is signed by the creator.  They will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #6 – Boys, Skate & Jinx Concept Art Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-15-10 04:00:10 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

Tuesday’s Auction

ITEM 3 – “OVER” Page 50 Strip Club Scene Original Art

Tuesday’s auction starts with a page that was a whole lot of fun to draw (shocker.) This page of original comic art featuring Felix drowning his sorrows in the local strip club.  Insulting the stripper gets him booted out the door.

You can view the hilarious finished colored and letter pages you are bidding on here.

This piece is done in pencil and ink on 8.25 x 10.75 in. manga sized bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #3 – Strip Club Scene Original Art Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-14-10 03:33:18 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

ITEM 4 – “OVER” Concept Art: The First Ever Drawings of Felix and Gwen

Also up for auction are THE FIRST EVER concept art drawings of Felix Hughes and Gwen Digby, done in the pre-planning stages of “OVER”.  You’ll notice Gwen’s overall design changed very little, whereas Felix’s hairstyle changed slightly from initial concept.

Click HERE for a larger preview of these two pieces.

These TWO pieces are done in pencil and ink on 9 x 12 in. bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #4 – Felix & Gwen Concept Art Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-14-10 03:43:09 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

Monday’s Auction

ITEM 1 – “OVER” Page 1 Original Art

First things first…Page 1!  Yup, up for bid is the VERY FIRST page of the graphic novel, the first of 162 comic pages drawn.  This page features Faith delivering the break-up speech to a sullen Felix, who doesn’t take it very well.

View the full colored and lettered version here.

This piece is done in pencil and ink on 8.25 x 10.75 in. manga sized bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the author. It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

UPDATE: This Item now qualifies for a complementary signed copy of OVER #1 included!

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction Item #1 – Page 1 Original Art Current price: $10.01 End time: Sep-12-10 21:46:31 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

ITEM 2- “OVER” Page 30-31 The Boys vs. Brutus Scene

The next selection is a personal favorite of mine and one that will be tough to part with.  This piece is actually TWO pages of original comic art that make up the “Boys vs. Brutus” scene from Chapter 1.  After losing their football into the neighbors yard, Sootch comes up with the short end of the stick and is tasked with recovering the ball.  But to do so, he’ll have to avoid the fearsome Brutus.

You can view the hilarious finished colored and letter pages you are bidding on here.

These pieces are done in pencil and ink on 8.25 x 10.75 in. manga sized bristol board paper.  The piece is signed by the creator.  It will be shipped in a plastic sleeve and a cardboard protective mailer.

Bidding starts at just a penny!

“OVER” Auction #2 – The Boys vs. Brutus Original Art Current price: $0.01 End time: Sep-12-10 21:59:42 PDT Add to watch list | See similar items

Bid on this item

A special note to all of you who bid…

All Fire Sale Auction items come with a few bonus extras and goodies selected by author.

All Fire Sale Auction items that sell for $10 or more will ship with a signed copy of the print version of the first chapter of  “OVER” absolutely free.

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 Sasso (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, Jamie G, Dan R., and PJ 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.