l i z * b a i l l i e

So as you might know, printing books is expensive. For someone like me, it is rather prohibitively expensive as the cost of printing 1000 copies of a 96-page graphic novel will run me about $2500, which I don’t have. Currently I have the first three chapters of my webcomic, Freewheel, all drawn and ready to go. I will have chapters four and five done by March 2010. I would like to collect the first five chapters into a book at that time, so to raise the money for that I’ve decided to hold a virtual fundraising campout!

Be sure to check out the campout page for full details, but essentially the idea is that you get all kinds of special stuff based on the amount of money you give. With the lower levels you get stuff like signed copies of the book, or a small print, or original art. With the higher levels you can get goodies like original pages from the book, you get to name a character, or even have your own face drawn into the book!

All funders will receive email updates every two weeks!

All funders will be personally thanked in the book!

All funders will receive a personalized certificate by mail indicating their name and level of funding!

Even if you can’t afford to help out financially, you can help spread the word! Let people know about the Freewheel: Volume One Fundraising Campout! Every little bit helps!

Come on, don’t you want to be the Mayor of Hobotown?

So… I was trying to think of something or someone to pimp this morning and I couldn’t think of anything that I either haven’t already talked about or isn’t something everyone already knows about. So instead I am going to blab about the biggest event of the year for nerds such as myself who are obsessed with the Bouncing Souls… HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Home for the Holidays is usually a three night (this year FOUR night) extravaganza held in Asbury Park, NJ in which the Souls play every night with different and amazing opening bands. Last year the Stone Pony (their usual venue) was undergoing construction so the shows were held in the freakin’ HALLWAY of the convention center on the boardwalk! IT WAS FUCKING AMAZING! There are a bunch of shops in that hallways and many of them stayed open throughout the show, which was kind of cool because you could immediately buy a bunch of french fries or a beer from the bar as soon as each night was over. Personally I wish they’d have it there every year, it’s not as hot and cramped as the Pony and it’s just a really neat and unusual venue.

This year they are also doing a special screening of the Bouncing Souls documentary “Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Souls” at a local movie theatre, which I am also (of course) going to (already got my ticket!). I’ve seen the movie uncountable times on DVD (it is the thing I watch on airplanes because I’m afraid of flying) but it will be totally awesome to see it on a big screen for the first time. Afterward, the band is going to be there to do a live Q & A which is also neat.

Here is a trailer for that:

Anyway, I am probably more excited for the Home for the Holidays shows than I am about Christmas! It’s going to be amazing!

Did I mention I am planning on doing a whole big graphic novel about my experiences as a fan of the Bouncing Souls? It’s going to be an expansion of Sing Along Forever, because a whole heck of a lot has happened as a result of that comic that could fill a whole new book (and will). It will probably be a few years until it’s done, and it’s still in the planning stages at the moment, but it will be truly awesome when it’s finished.

Here’s a little video on YouTube about Home for the Holidays last year, it is pretty neat:

ANYWAY, now that you are tired of hearing me talk about the Bouncing Souls, why don’t you check out the latest page of Freewheel, which posted today?

This Saturday December 5th there will be a new comics event type thing happening in Brooklyn called the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. I won’t have a table of any kind as I’m crazy burnt-out from a year full of convention madness (I think I went to nine cons this year), book tours, and other travel. However, I’ll be there just to hang out and see what it’s like being on the other side of the table!

The last time I went to a convention as an attendee (not exhibitor) was MoCCA 2005 I think. Crazy! I’ve only been to two cons as an attendee in my life, I believe, which were SPX 2002 and MoCCA 2005. So it’ll be quite an experience for me!

There’s also some kind of afterparty that night (all the info is on the site) but there is ALSO something called the Bowie Ball which I am tempted to attend as I can’t resist an excuse to dress up like David Bowie. However, most likely I will end up dressing like David Bowie and just going to the comics show. Oh well, at least I’ll class up the joint! It’ll give me an excuse to buy and use pomade!

I definitely plan to be a suit-and-tie Bowie but I’m not sure which one. Any suggestions?

I’m thinking I’ll rock the slicked-back hair either way. It’s just classy.