Stretch Goals and Extra Copies of Vote Dog!
almost 6 years ago – Fri, Jun 08, 2018 at 08:49:01 PM

Hi, team! At the moment I'm writing this, we are on the cusp of being 90% funded. So I thought now would be a good time to talk about three things folks have been asking about:

-Our first Stretch Goals!
-Getting extra copies of VOTE DOG as Add-Ons!
-Pet Cameo tiers!

Stretch Goals!

At $17,500, I'll draw a second half to the big crowd piece that I drew for the back cover! Like the first half, I'll be taking all your suggestions for critters to include in the crowd.

And at $18,500, I'll be able to add a deluxe spot-gloss treatment to both versions of our book, which will highlight the logo and characters in a very eye-pleasing fashion. Owners of the original Sam and Fuzzy Omnibus will be familiar with how this looks: super classy.

There are other things I'd love to do too, including making some new bonus comics to include, and some other physical enhancements to the hardcovers. But I'll talk about more about those things as the campaign progresses and we get closer to our goals!

Extra Copies of Vote Dog

A few folks have asked if it could be possible to get additional copies of VOTE DOG as add-on items. So, I have added them to the add-on section! If you were wanting to get some extras to give as gifts, or if you're just a completionist who'd like both versions of the book, now you have the power.

Like all our add-ons, all you have to do is add the total value of the add-on(s) you'd like on top of your existing Kickstarter pledge. After the campaign is over, we'll ask you what add-on(s) that money was for, and send you the extra items along with your tier rewards!

Cameo Tiers

Last but not least, I've decided to reduce the price of the cameo tiers! They are still every bit as extravagant an item as they were before, but are now 40% more affordable. If you back the Pet Cameo tier, your pet (or the pet of a friend or family member) will be featured in a comic in the book, and I'll send you the original art for that page when it's done! (And if you back the Human Cameo tier, you will appear in a speaking role, most likely as a reporter or advisor in a President Dog comic.)

All right, that's a wrap for today. Thanks again to everyone for all your support. That goal is so close. We can do it!

-Sam

Meet the Critters
almost 6 years ago – Wed, Jun 06, 2018 at 09:13:52 PM

I've posted a lot of comics featuring VOTE DOG's two biggest stars, Baker the Corgi and President Dog. So today, I thought I'd share some comics featuring some of the book's other recurring critters!

Candidate Cat is President Dog's greatest political rival. And during one particular phase of the VOTE DOG CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (aka the VDCU), Cat actually successfully defeats Dog and seizes the presidency for himself. As you can see, he has a very unique style of governing. I'm not sure if it counts as hands off or hands on. Cat's rise and fall will be further explored in some brand new comics exclusive to the VOTE DOG book!

Pug Wife is the greatest television sitcom of our time. Unfortunately, it was taken off the air when the creators, unwilling to compromise their artistic vision, refused to subtitle any of the pugs. But don't worry... you can still find a few episodes of it in VOTE DOG!

Buddy is a goldfish with a dream. An ambitious, vengeful, world-destroying dream. He just has difficulty remembering what it is for more than a few seconds at a time. You know how it is. (I know I do.)

And of course, you've already met our eldest star, Butcher the Cat, in some of our previous updates! Butcher first appear in my other comic, Sam and Fuzzy, a solid 16 years ago! He is 100% cat and 0% energy. He makes a number of appearances in VOTE DOG (including a couple of modern day updates of "Classic" era Butcher content that Sam and Fuzzy fans will probably get a special kick out of).

These aren't the only headlining critters in the VOTE DOG cast! There are a few other friends still to introduce, including some brand new ones. But I'll save that for a future update. 'Til next time, team!

-Sam

80% Funded! (And more comic previews)
almost 6 years ago – Mon, Jun 04, 2018 at 10:28:10 AM

Ugh... Mondays, am I right?

In seriousness, though... it's actually a great Monday for Baker, President Dog, and company! Why? Because...

VOTE DOG is now over 80% funded!

Major thanks to all our backers, including all the new folks who signed up over the last few days. (There were quite a few of you!) I'm thrilled that so many of you are as excited as I am to see this book get made. That goal is getting so close!

And yes, since a few of you have asked about stretch goals... I've definitely got some fun ideas for extra comics and other cool bonuses that I could add to our books and other rewards, should we be lucky enough to raise additional funds beyond our goal. I'll talk more about that soon!

But for now... a new week is upon us! So like VOTE DOG's ever-energetic feline star, Butcher the Cat, I'd better lunge into action.

 Talk to you all again soon!

-Sam

Back Cover Art
almost 6 years ago – Sun, Jun 03, 2018 at 08:28:01 AM

Our back cover art is complete! I'm really happy with how it turned out. Here's a look at the colour version, which I juuuuuust finished!

And here, if you're curious, is the actual original black and white art! (I included a little curtain and spotlight in this version, since unlike the actual back cover, there doesn't need to be a space for the back cover text that describes the book.)

Thank you everyone for all your great suggestions for crowd members! I think I was able to include at least one idea from every backer who suggested something. (I also snuck in my own dogs, Mac and Dipper, as well as a few bonus critters you may recognize if you follow certain webcartoonists or other internet folks on twitter.)

All right... back to work! But I'll be back soon with more comic previews and other fun goodies from the book. See you then, team!

-Sam

Meet Baker the Corgi
almost 6 years ago – Sun, Jun 03, 2018 at 08:25:49 AM

Hi, team! I wanted to take a moment to (re)introduce you all one of VOTE DOG's biggest stars. But first...

The Back Cover

Today, I'm drawing a big piece of art to use as part of the back cover of our book!

As you can see, President Dog is waiting for me to draw him an audience, so that's what I'm gonna be doing! And for a little extra fun this afternoon, I'll be adding one extra dog, cat, or other animal to the crowd for every person who backs the Kickstarter.  

I encourage all of those backers, as well as all of our existing ones, to suggest potential audience members ideas... either particular types/breeds of pet, or particular costumes for some of 'em to be wearing. You can do it in the comments section for this update, or just send 'em to me directly. I'll post photos of the art as it grows on twitter. It should be fun!

Meet Baker

Baker the Corgi is VOTE DOG's other big player. I think he's actually in slightly more comics than President Dog! He first appeared in a 2012 Sam and Fuzzy comic, along with another VOTE DOG costar, Butcher the Cat:

Baker is very excited. About what? Whatever! He quickly became one of my favourite characters to draw, and since 2012, I've made a ton of Baker comics that are in dire need of a print collection home. Here's a few examples:

Is It Food is a personal favourite. Like a lot of Baker strips, it was inspired by my own Corgi, Dipper. (Who you may have seen in my Kickstarter video, or on my twitter!) Dipper is a little crankier than Baker, but he is equally food motivated. He has never caught a squirrel, and never will. (He has definitely eaten some bugs, though.)

I'm always amused by those heartfelt "Everything I need to know I learned from my _____" posters. I thought it'd be fun to do one where each piece of advice was progressively worse, and see how long it took for people to notice.

I've drawn a lot of seasonal strips with Baker, too. (VOTE DOG has a whole chapter dedicated to holiday-themed shenanigans!) The love of a corgi is pure, but the danger of treachery is always high when something starts to smell edible. Or bad. Those things are interchangeable.

And for one final example, here's Know Your Corgi Shapes! A print of this sucker is included in every Gilded Pack. For this one, I thought it'd be best to give Baker some friends to costar. After all, no one corgi can cover the full shape spectrum. (The "Sploot" corgi has Dipper's markings, but IRL he is 100% "Noodle".)

There are a ton of other Baker comics, and all of 'em will be included in VOTE DOG. (Including some new ones!) My Baker strips are among the most popular comics I have ever drawn, and are frequently, uh... "borrowed" by image meme websites and various other image sharing social media accounts, where they've circulated pretty widely. I wish I had an easy way of reaching all the folks who have seen them that way! But I'm glad they have brought a lot of folks joy. And it cracks me up when I see people using any of the Corgi Shape terms that I made up. I'd love it if stuff like "The Weirdo" became as ubiquitous as "Sploot".

Anyhow, that's all for now. Thanks again, everyone, for your continued support of this project, and for helping to spread the word to your fellow pet comic enthusiasts. 'Til next time!

-Sam