SPECTATORS - Part 51
Plus, your chance to get (almost) anything signed by BKV!
How’s the weather by you?
Brian here, writing from somewhere in California’s surreal San Fernando Valley, which looked like this over the weekend (those few moments it wasn’t pouring):
My writerly emotional state followed a similarly unpredictable trajectory, but I’m relieved to arrive at this unexpected double rainbow, faint as it may be.
Anyway, hope all is safe and happy in your neck of the woods, and let’s get straight to this week’s new installment of Spectators from artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks, as our spectral protagonists Val and Sam continue to deal with a decidedly unfriendly ghost…
To be continued.
But for now, the moment at least a few thousand of you have been waiting for, as we finally give out an original page of hand-painted Spectators art by Niko Henrichon and an ultra-rare copy of Saga #1 to both a new AND an “O.G.” subscriber to Exploding Giraffe.
First up, we’ll start with one of you old-school Tower members, and the Random Subscriber Generator selects:
“Kwiz”
And welcoming a newer member to the Tower in style, the R.S.G. has chosen:
John J. Moreno
Congrats to you both! Our intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe will be reaching out for your mailing addresses, and checking to see if you’d like me to sign that Saga retailer variant (which we’ll be sure to ship to you insured).
If you didn’t win this time, never fear, we have new contests for you generous paid subscribers every week. And if you’re hoping to get your hands on some Spectators art, excellent news: Niko will soon be offering original pages from our book for sale through Essential Sequential, and you Tower members can get a special discount, so stay tuned for more details.
Exploding Giraffe officially became a “Substack Bestseller” over the weekend, so thanks to all of you, especially you paid subscribers who help to underwrite what amounts to a full-time job for my brilliant and hard-working partner Niko. Very excited for you to see where our story is headed next…
In last week’s private chat thread, the Tower was discussing whether or not we have any tattoos (many do, ranging from 0 to 83!), and Genesis selected these five brave commenters to each receive a signed copy of Saga Chapter 62.
James A.:
My kids like to write on each other (and me) with markers. I currently have something on my arm that looks like Captain Underpants on meth.
Lindsay:
I’ve got 14 tattoos (my favorite is a quote from Macbeth, “to the last syllable of recorded time” as a memorial for my grandfather). I was at a pace of about one or two a year from the age of 18 and then stopped after my last one in 2011 because I inadvertently got inked by a nazi. Learned this later from a friendly bartender in Cornelius, North Carolina.
Thinking I’m going to be getting back on the wagon here soon, hoping for better luck in Pennsylvania...
Burtzor:
I’m very late to this but I feel like some of the people here may have actually seen this tattoo of mine before. If you Google “Burton Olivier tattoo” you'll see my back tattoo that was written by Neil Gaiman and designed by David Mack! Probably the coolest thing that will ever happen to me, and all because I thought to ask Neil to write a comic for a back tattoo using the contact form on his website, and he actually responded to me. It’s led to a lot of cool things like my back being in one of David’s art books and they even sold prints and stuff to raise money for the CBLDF.
Oh and I can’t believe I didn't think of this tattoo first but I have the straitjacket from the last page of Y The Last Man on my hand. I’ve been waiting for a signing or something so I could show it to you, BKV.
Katrina:
You know, I went to this cool “roll the dice and test your fate” tattoo place, convinced I would roll the 1 of 100 Max as Powerline. I was so excited because who doesn’t love that scene? I rolled three times and got Pain from Hercules. It is what it is. The fates were not with me that day…
Eric G.:
No permanent ink, but who knows? I've dabbled with henna, more forgiving on the body and not permanent.
Query: doesn’t it make more sense to put tattoos that you want to see...on other people? I mean, I once saw this totally bad ass beautiful ginormous Godzilla on this guy’s back--awesome artwork, but I thought, poor guy, he never gets to see it. His wife, his kids, people at the beach get to enjoy Gojira, but he can only use mirrors or sumpin.
It’s unlikely that I find a lady who would sacrifice her back skin so that I can indulge in my Kaiju fantasies, but if i did, I would marry that warrior!
You weirdos are the best. Signed funny books headed your way!
But what if you didn’t win that contest either, or you have some other comic I’ve written that you’d like me to scribble on?
Unfortunately, a fun new gig will prevent me from traveling to any conventions or making any appearances this year, but as thanks for continuing to make Spectators possible, I’ll be offering an exclusive signing opportunity to you generous paid subscribers in The Tower, one that’s happening RIGHT NOW!
Details after the jump, but for everyone else, I’ll see you back here next Monday for more free Spectators…