Hey All--

I just wanted to drop everyone a line to let you know that there IS something coming your way in the next couple weeks -- maybe it's not the same something you THINK it is, but it is SOMETHING!

Let's just say it rhymes with "Bell and Fool Looks."

More when I get the final word from ComixPress!

Steve

The wait is over! The new series by Steve Troop is available NOW! Check out the adventures of a little girl who searched for her missing monster hunter parents -- with a little help from real monsters! If you're still on the fence, feel free to read the new character bios as well ast the first five pages of issue one!

And if you like what you see, we have shirts and books available in the store! See you at Comic-Con (booth #1330)!

For the FIRST TIME EVER, Melonpool originals are up for sale!!!

Just think of what you could have for your very own!

Comic Parodies
Processed Cheese Slices
Zinosoft Saga
No-Da
The GRAISE Saga
Quantum Leap
The Cat
The Melonpool half of the Melonpool/It's Walky Crossover
And more!

Prior to this, the last time I sold original art was two years ago, to help out a fellow cartoonist. The piece went for well over $400! (Thanks!)

All original art will be available for perusal and purchase at Comic Con, (Booth #1330). If you cannot make it to the Con and know what you want, simply email me ASAP, referencing the date code of the strip, and I will put it aside for you. The very last day I can do this will be Monday, July 21st.

If you need it, deposit options are available. Balances must be paid in full, 30 days from the day of the HOLD deposit. Artwork will not be shipped until after the balance due is paid.

We're working on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVED basis. If multiple individuals are coveting the same strip, the first email sent asking for it and paying a deposit will take it out of the pool for Comic-Con. If the request falls through, the next person gets their chance and so on.

FAQ:

*What IS available?
Every daily strip and Sunday that was on the web. Also, some great miscellaneous pieces found only in The Ultimate Melonpool I-V.

*What Is NOT?
Some Sundays from Book III will not be at Comic-Con due to the fact that they have not been rescanned. They are still available through the site, though (I'll just rescan them before shipping them out). No comic book or graphic novel pages are available at this time. No guest strips are available.


*How much?! How much?!
DAILIES: $30 - $100 (price based upon the complexity of the art)
SUNDAYS - $150
COMPLETE WEEK (this consists of six dailies and one Sunday) - $600 (You may pick and chose strips to make up your "week.")

*Interested in obtaining a favorite storyline?
Let me know your interest and we'll get down and dirty like a Christie's Auction. Or like a swap meet anyway...

*SHIPPING:
TBD depending upon your order. All shipments will be insured. As we are busy getting ready for Comic Con next week, no orders will be shipped out prior to July 31st. FYI: Multiple orders will save significantly on your cost of shipping.

*PAYMENT:
Paypal to mayberry@melonpool.com. Do not send money until we make sure the original is till available! If needs be we can also accept payments via Money Orders or personal checks (but we will wait until the check clears before sending out the art). You will be sent an address upon request.

COMIC-CON EXCLUSIVES!!!!!

*All Miscellaneous artwork will be available here - "Topless" Jalea, Old Ralphie's Time Travel For Dummies and more.

*There are a few copies left for sale of TUM III, TUM IV and the 2006 Edition of the 24-hour Comic book collection featuring Melonpool.

*Anyone purchasing originals will get a present! Your choice of ONE of the following:
*a Melonpool Tee Shirt
* Melonpool Chronicles #1
*"Wrath of the Con" book
*Surprises! Shhh...don't tell. ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

CONTESTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS!

In addition to offering the freebies as a gesture of heartfelt thanks to everyone for their support of Melonpool, I wanted to offer something in the spirit of Steve. If you know him at all, you'll know Steve is possibly the most kind, generous and thoughtful person that ever there was (guaranteed!). He has always advocated the practice of "Paying It Forward." In result, I'm starting up the Melonpool Pay It Forward Program.

For every twenty people who purchase a Troop original, those purchasers will be placed into a random drawing. When number twenty comes along we'll pull a name and some oh so lucky person will WIN A DAILY STRIP of our choice! (winner pays shipping).

ALL INQUIRIES, ORDERS, HOLDS, PAYMENTS ETC are to be sent to me, Sarah Troop at cryptozooey@gmail.com.

So, the new super-secret project is just two pages from being finished.

This is not to say that you'll see it by the end of the week, it still has to be colored and printed, but at least you know my progress so far.

The first chance to get it will be at Comic-Con 2008. I may also make it available online that week for people unable to make it to San Diego, but it will be removed from the Internet following that week so I can get cracking on the remainder of the series. Once that is ready, a second edition will be available permanently from that point on.

But the REAL reason for this post is that as soon as I finish inking the new project, I will finally finish Melonpool. I will not start posting for a couple of weeks, though -- so I don;t miss any deadlines.

But I thought you'd all like to know what to look forward to. ;)

So, I hope everyone enjoyed my little April Fool's Day prank... or was it?

The truth of the matter is that "Zero Worship" was going to be my next venture into webcomics... until I came up with a better idea. I had spent the better part of July-December working on it, though, and had done a lot of design work and started roughing out some strips, so it was a bit easier joke to pull than you might think. All Sarah and I had to do was whip up a couple of quick pages and finish up a bit of art and there you have it.

When I have a bit more time, I'll post a little more about this discarded project and soon you'll see the end of Melonpool, as it's meant to be done (I try not to leave everyone hanging indefinitely -- there are just so many hours in the day). But for now, I have to get back to the new project, which you should be hearing more about in a couple of months!