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December 30, 2007

Templar: Buying the hype.

The Epiphany way!

I might have said this before, but due to the unique way their media evolved (TV and computers never really went their separate ways), in Templar, their internet sucks, it's more of a peripheral to their television. But their TV is awesome. Think deluxe cable, except with a ton more channels, a ton more programming, even more special interest stuff, and built-in Tivo.

Getting a TV show of your own isn't like getting a YouTube account, though. You still have to convince someone to finance it and air it, whether that someone is Daddy or a network executive. (In some cases, he's both.) It's cheaper to make a show, but it's still not cheap. And you certainly can't walk into a studio and demand airtime.

But Templar TV is a tiny bit like YouTube, in the sense that rivalries between the numerous small-time shows can be pretty catty, pretty personal, and pretty unprofessional. It's good for ratings, which are very definite; you always know exactly how many people watch any given show, since they have to be paid for and downloaded. But I'm getting really off-track. Sorry.

Anyway, on to other things.

I've been informed numerous times in the comments that the shirts I'm currently using to print my "Science Will Save Me From Myself" design (on sale now!) might not be free-trade friendly. I'm sorry if that offends you guys; that was genuinely beyond my knowledge at the time, and I simply went with the most frequently recommended brand of shirt. If it's any consolation, I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time. I plan on printing up more designs when I have maybe half of the current run sold, and I do plan on changing brands. But I gotta say, Fair Trade, Pro-Union, and Cost-Effective aren't exactly an easy-to-find combination in blank shirt manufacturers. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I don't want to offend you guys, but I also don't want to try to sell you $30.00 T-shirts.

And in closing: My New Year's Goals.

- My current WACOM rattles when shaken. Solution? Find a way to get one of these. (And write it off. Thank you, capitalist tax code!)

- One-month buffer of updates on Templar. really. I've been shitty about updates, I know I have. That needs to change.

- Get out book two. This will happen, no worries.

- Finish the last of the commissions from book one's pre-orders. ALMOST DONE, I SWEAR.

- Finish Seekrit Projects.

- Teach dog that strangers are his friends.

- Save world.

- Be happy.

- Drop fewer dishes.

- Remember to stop swearing when children are present. FOR REAL, THIS TIME.

Posted by Spike at December 30, 2007 12:00 AM

Comments

Man, I love how those two interact.

I will say this RE: T-shirts—if you found a happy-earth, happy-worker shirt supply that isn't paper ("vintage") thin and has a truly sized 2XL, it'd be a miracle and I'd never buy Chase anything else.

I wanted to get Harvey something for Christmas, but I don't know his size. Or if he's allergic to anything. Two words for you: Dog Legwarmers.

Posted by Brenna at December 30, 2007 12:32 AM
71.236.225.227

Oh...my...god....
I want one!

(the monitor-thingy)

Posted by HellPuppi at December 30, 2007 12:44 AM
24.255.35.173

Sincere congratulations on the new Cintiq, those are -nice-...a friend has one already and she swears by it...and not at it, like her old tablet.

Now, to the good stuff...omg, yes, give Pippie a tv show!! *laughs* She'd be on every screen in town, all the time! Watch out, Nickie, here comes Pippie! She's little, but she's even more vicious than you!

Posted by coyoteweeps at December 30, 2007 02:15 AM
71.195.226.194

Tuesday's getting mainstream attention, or meta-subculture mainstream at the very least. Also: par for the course that someone in Templar would name a kid after a petroleum product.

Posted by mers at December 30, 2007 03:23 AM
207.237.141.156

Who wanna bet it's Ben banging at the door because Zora's new haircut made him freak out ?

Posted by Wood at December 30, 2007 03:47 AM
81.53.136.84

I still haven't mastered hat last one and I've been a father for almost four years now.

The other day Scarlett asked me what "Fingerfuck" meant (Pretty sure she learned that one from her mother, though)

Posted by michaeljpatrick at December 30, 2007 09:05 AM
71.248.247.238

Tee-hee...swearing around children...and that seems neat...the whole tv is like youtube thing.

Posted by Kristin at December 30, 2007 10:21 AM
71.29.77.165

I've said it before and I'll say it again: God, I want to live in Templar.

I will brave the dust storms for that TV.

(Strangely enough that is not the first time in my life I have said that.)

Posted by Magnolia at December 30, 2007 11:22 AM
74.65.195.129

On the updates, aside from taking last week off for the holidays, you've only missed four days since May, when you switched to three times a week. That's pretty good for no buffer. All you have to do is get somebody else to draw three comics for christmas next year, and you won't even need one.

As far as getting a Cintiq, the wacom guys gave out a couple to cartoonists for evaluation, maybe you should ask them? I know Jeph Jacques of Questionable Content got one, but I don't recall who else. Maybe Sam Logan of Sam and Fuzzy, but that could be untrue.

Posted by Wombat at December 30, 2007 11:26 AM
71.231.105.150

Naw, it's not Ben at the door. He'd never bang. He'd knock tentatively. It'd be a little "Toc toc" sound, possibly with a question mark.

It's probably really uncool of me to say this, but I don't much care if my Tshirts are fair trade, either. It's a Tshirt, not a charitable donation.

Anyone looking for a really neat way to effect change might want to check out World Vision. I bought chickens on behalf of my mom for her Xmas present! Boc boc! (Next year I'll get her a cock. Heh.)

But yeah. If the Thsirt has a nifty logo on it, that's all I care about. \nn/

Posted by Kat at December 30, 2007 01:10 PM
70.48.237.77

You going to be doing the commission thing when you do book 2? I missed out on the 1st book and I'd love to get something from you.

And as for Ben at the door, I could definately see "panic-mode Ben" banging. Absolutely.

Posted by Liz at December 30, 2007 01:44 PM
71.242.81.80

Spike,

Start a paypal donation thing for the cintiq.

Really.

- j

Posted by Jason at December 30, 2007 04:58 PM
64.65.87.42

Pippi's starting to grow on me, even if her ideals can be a little... off. The last panel definitely made me giggle more than it should have.

Posted by Bremma at December 30, 2007 05:32 PM
128.173.39.33

I would totally donate to help Spike get one of those ... except that I am totally saving to get one for my best friend. xD

Posted by Kitty at December 30, 2007 07:28 PM
24.85.38.56

but if you stop swearing around childrens, in what are you still the spike we all know and are afraid not to love?

Posted by patric Lewandowski at December 30, 2007 09:42 PM
66.242.95.127

Just had to add, every time I see the line "What the fuck are you wearing" on the comin' up screen, I giggle. I just love it.

Posted by Bremma at December 31, 2007 12:01 AM
71.171.17.51

I don't think Diesel is a person - that's what Templar's brand of no-holds-barred street hockey is called, ain't it? C'mon, Spike is really good at dropping hints like this.

Also, "I'm seventeen. THAT'S retarded." makes me crack up every time.

Posted by sushi jones at January 2, 2008 12:56 AM
64.230.11.162

Thanks Spike, for acknowledging the question about Fruit of the Loom...

Yeah, I'd buy a $30 Tshirt that combined rad image with Fair-Trade manufacture and quality.

I'm aware that this is not affordable for some who are scrabbling for the basics... but I think simply purchasing less overall can enable those people who have discretionary cash to obtain products that don't exploit the workers making them.

Posted by Ms. Sir Real at January 2, 2008 12:02 PM
65.88.88.208

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