Okay, first off: My readers are awesome. Fact.
You guys didn't just make Templar, Arizona in print possible with your flood of pre-orders, but you're all just incredibly cool, generous people. You go out of your way to be nice about things. Not just the emails, which I read and appreciate so much, but actual gifts. GIFTS. I mean, WOW. They're just so awesome, I really do hafta show 'em off. I hope the senders don't mind.
This is a TAMA CD. From Japan. Airmail. I included a shot of the note that came with it, because even after all these years on the Intarweb, Engrish still cracks me up.
Remember my post not too long ago, where I was asking around about the song in the animation at the top of this page? (I'd link the actual animation, but YouTube deleted it.) well, that song's on this CD. And I still love it. This was sent to me my a reader who lives and works in Japan, out of the kindness of her heart.
Bad. ASS.
This next one will probably seem really weird if you don't know what I consider entertaining. But trust me, this is spot-on.
Pictured: The cover of a book I received as a birthday present from Brenna. (I'll name her, cuz I know she won't mind gettin' called out n' stuff.) It's old, it's illustrated, and the text is... well, it's this.
Oh GOD what a perfect phrase.
"Fistulous Withers." Sounds like a email spammer's name, or an experimental noise band from The Tenderloin in San Francisco. I'd pay five bucks to watch 'em open for The Residents, anyway.
And hey, if that wasn't enough: This was the card that came with the book! Right up my stupid, esoteric alley, this is. And Brenna pre-ordered a Templar book-n-commission, and asked for me to draw her the conjoined twins on the card! It's almost enough to make up for the Hensel Twins refusing to friend me on MySpace.
Sort of. :( OH GOD I JUST WANT TO LOVE YOU.
And the cherry on the sundae of Brenna's gift-giving: An open/closed sign for an imaginary fast food establishment. Perhaps you recognize it. If you don't see me proudly displaying this thing at my con tables from this day forward, feel free to march up and smack me.
Oh hey, did you know Brenna not only has a pretty rad webcomic, but also an Etsy shop where you can get your very own crafts from her direct? And t-shirts? Just sayin'.
And we close with... well, I'll let it speak for itself.
Holy. CRAP.
Okay, do you know what this is? I mean, do you have any idea? Really? No, you don't. You can't possibly. IT IS TOO PERFECT TO BE COMPREHENDED BY THE HUMAN BRAIN.
This book was on my Amazon Wishlist for about two years, possibly longer, and it fell into my lap out of the freaking CLEAR BLUE SKY a couple of days ago, gift-wrapped and everything, from a self-described patron of the arts. This makes me so unreasonably happy. The Burns Archive, in case you didn't know, is probably the finest privately-owned repository of incredibly screwed-up medical, forensic, psychiatric, and memorial photography in North America, and it occasionally puts of themed collections. This one features Civil War amputees, a really unlucky lady parachutist, anencephalitic conjoined twins, and at least one REALLY convincing hermaphrodite. And because The Burns Archive is cool like that, each and every photo is extensively footnoted.
I'd scan some of these great photos for you guys, but there is NO WAY I am stressing the spine of this BEAUTIFUL MIRACLE OF GOD. Get'cher own!
And this isn't even all of it. You guys send me rare MP3s of my favorite band, artwork, books, and a ton of other stuff, just cuz y'want to. I couldn't ask for better readers.
So, this is a THANK YOU. A king-sized one. Because it needs to be done.
Tomorrow: Hopefully a new page of comics, and the state of the now UTTERLY SUCCESSFUL PRE-ORDER PROJECT!
