Happy Halloween! I will celebrate by not going outside and not dressing up in a costume as coronavirus cases are spiking for the first time since March in my city. (To be fair, I probably wouldn’t go outside or dress up anyway.)
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Hej Sverige! 🇸🇪
A couple months ago I was featured in print in the Swedish version of the (originally Norwegian) “Pondus” magazine. While this happened a while back at this point I only just recently got sent my free copy. So I don’t think the issue is still available in Swedish stores, and I didn’t even really know if I made the cut until a while after the fact, haha.
Anyway, it turned out really great, and it’s definitely pretty cool to see my comics in print in yet another language. So yeah, have some pics. (There’s even one of me!)
In solidarity and support of the Black Lives Matter movement, I’ve decided to pause the comic updates and my social media for the remainder of the week in order for (way) more important voices to be heard.
As a (very) white person I haven’t for a second felt in danger when encountering police, and I have most definitely been advantageous in any such encounters just because of my white privilege, probably many times without me even taking note of it. But for many others that is extremely far from their reality. That’s why I feel it is more important than ever to keep fighting, and keep speaking up. To still remain silent speak louder than words.
I feel it’s difficult for me to be truly articulate about this matter, as usually I would rather communicate my thoughts through a comic, but I just want to show my support and that I’m standing by every person of color in this matter.
I’ve donated $50 to help fight racism and police brutality and I encourage you to do the same, or however much you can.
Some helpful links: blacklivesmatter.carrd.co
Donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ab_mn
Oh, and there is a cool hashtag on Twitter that amplifies black artists. Check it out #drawingwhileblack
PS: A current favorite of mine is the excellent comic Crabgrass by Tauhid Bondia. Read it on Instagram!
Yesterday was #ThankYouPatrons Day! – and I wanted to put together something cool as a special benefit for my awesome Patreon supporters.
A Christmas card (featuring Cthulhu!) addressed to you (yes, in the mail!) with a personalized drawing! Here is a teaser image of how it will look with an example drawing.
How it works: All patrons who have joined, upgraded or is an active member of the Optipess $5 tier as of Nov 30 (the end of this offer) will get a Christmas card shipped to their address. I will be in touch to ask if you want anything in particular drawn on your card, and the cards will be shipped out in the first few days of December, perfectly in time for the festive Cthulmas!
Oh, and at the $5 level you’ll also get access to tons of making-of videos showing how I make my comics.
Regardless if you join the offer or not I wanted to say thank you so much to all my patrons! Your support truly means the world to me!
My book has been out in Norway for a few weeks now, and while I still haven’t really dared to ask my publisher how sales have been going across Norway, my PERSONAL stash of “free” books sold out pretty quickly! Turns out several of my friends and co-workers wanted copies for themselves, and also additional copies as Christmas gifts for their friends and relatives. I definitely approve!
So now I’ve replenished my inventory of books by buying another batch directly from my publisher, which I was planning to eventually put up for resale through a web store of some kind here on my site. Until then, you can just grab a copy directly from me, which I of course will sign and draw in! It will cost only kr 250,- for the book+shipping within Norway. Just email me or leave a comment here if you’re interested! Oh by the way, if you support Optipess on Patreon, you get FREE shipping within Norway. Go to this Patreon post for details!
Dare I say this book is the perfect Christmas gift to any geek and/or regular person in your life? Yes, I dare saying it!
(Also, for you Norwegians: Jeg tar selvsagt Vipps!)
You can get a drawing of whatever you like (within reason, please no unicorns riding bicycles) in your personalized book. Above are some examples! (I’ve grown quite fond of that ridiculous Glasses Guy/Cthulhu hybrid myself…)
Oh, and if anyone outside of Norway wants to order a copy, get in touch and we’ll work something out! (Quick estimate: The book+shipping will be about $31 for European orders, or $36 for international orders. I take PayPal, of course.)
PS: Just to be clear, the book is in Norwegian, but can of course be enjoyed in any language as a lot of my comics are wordless anyway.
The proverbial cat is out the bag! An OPTIPESS BOOK will appear in bookstores here in Norway this autumn. (In Norwegian. An English version might follow down the line!) It will be released through renowned publisher Gyldendal, and I couldn’t be more excited! Here is a teaser image. (Not the final cover, mostly because I’ve already made another one.)
Woo! And yeah, this is why I’ve occasionally been busy elsewhere lately. I hope you can forgive me being overly coy about it, but I really didn’t want to jinx it. (I’ve probably somehow jinxed it NOW, though.) New Optipess comics will appear next week, hopefully following the regular schedule from then on.
