Sunday, November 18, 2007

Read This First

Though I actually quite like it when other webcartoonists sell stuff, I feel bad about doing it myself. This may make me a hypocrite. The fact that I am admitting it definitely makes me a lousy salesperson. Oh well.

I wish I could follow Bill Waterson's admirable example and refuse to merchandise my comic. Unfortunately, unlike Mr. Waterson, I am not rich and probably spend more on drafting pens in a year than most people spend on clothing. In an attempt to recoup some of the costs thus incurred (not that I'll stop drawing if I don't make any money; I am perfectly willing to go without socks in order to continue spending hours and hours every week creating a comic for which I do not get paid), I have made this shop.

Take a look at the designs below. If you like some of 'em, feel free to buy something. If not, or if you like some of 'em but are not a T-shirt kind of person, don't. The store exists so that people can use it if they want to do so. Plus it's just really fun to play with the CafePress templates, damn it.

I've put the store on this blog because of a vague feeling that I shouldn't be hawking stuff directly off the Massey server. Perhaps someday I shall have a webspace of my very own, but at the moment, I depend upon the kindness of the alumni association, which is, incidentally, run by me, so never mind. The blog will also serve as a News page if I ever come up with any comic-related news, though so far, I haven't. Snarky comments will continue to appear in red beneath individual strips.

There is eventually going to be a WoB book, though I'm going to wait until I have at least two years' worth of comics before I get going on that project. For now, enjoy the T-shirts and other products.

Store

The T-shirts and other sundry items below are being sold by CafePress, an Internet DIY retailer that sends you all your purchases in great big boxes, no matter how small those purchases are. Unfortunately, my Canadian friends, CafePress is based in the States; fortunately, the American dollar is kind of weak at the moment.

Another thing about CafePress is that its "free" shops are set up in such a way that each one can accommodate only one design per type of product. I have thus had to open six separate shops. Links to all of them are below. You can see all the products together here, but for some bizarre reason, you can't get to any of them from this page.

I have stuck the designs on a number of T-shirts, as well as at least one other item each. The images below are more or less what you'll be getting, though Blogger is playing silly buggers with them, giving some of them arbitrary white backgrounds while outlining others in little glowy white lines. These little glowy white lines should not be visible on the products. I've checked.

Note that though you may choose to change the colours of your shirts, I advise against going for black when I've picked a different shirt colour; these shirts feature characters with black hair and/or clothing.

The designs and products are:

The Basic Logo-Type Thingy

The WoB logo is now on a T-shirt and a hat and stuff. Hurrah.



White T-shirt: $15.99
Women's white T-shirt: $15.99
Black T-shirt: $21.99
Women's black T-shirt: $22.99
Hat: $12.99
Mug: $12.99

Large Mug: $13.99

The Star Wars Tribute Design

Barbara says this line in one of the strips; she gets to think it here. I'm sorry about the teddy bear, but I couldn't resist.


White T-shirt: $15.99
Women's white T-shirt: $15.99
Black T-shirt: $21.99
Women's black T-shirt: $22.99
Teddy bear: $14.99

The Going-to-the-Library Single-Panel Doodad

The comic is self-explanatory...but I mostly made it for the bag. I'm afraid the 'toon on the bag can't be in colour, as if it were, Casey and Marie would have bright yellow eyes and teeth. Yummy.


White T-shirt: $15.99
Women's white T-shirt: $15.99
Red T-shirt: $21.99
Women's red T-shirt: $22.99
Messenger bag: $21.99

The Oz Comic

I have to admit that when someone suggests a toast, my first impulse is almost always to cry, "To Oz!" Most people then look at me as if I have gone mad. Perhaps I have.

If you are the sort of person who "gets" this comic, be warned: you are quite rare. Wearing it on a shirt will earn you a lot of blank stares and obnoxious questions. I know that it is not for everyone, but I have defiantly stuck it on T-shirts and mugs anyway. Bizarreness forever! *Runs away*



White T-shirt: $15.99
Women's white T-shirt: $15.99
Grey T-shirt: $21.99
Women's blue T-shirt: $22.99
Mug: $12.99
Large mug: $13.99
Stein: $15.99

The Thing with Marie and the Internet

I wanted to put this one on a mousepad, just because it was about the Internet and mousepads were also, in a way, about the Internet. Then I noticed that it fit well onto mugs. Then I noticed that I was sticking it on T-shirts. Then I coloured it. Then I stopped.


White T-shirt: $15.99
Women's white T-shirt: $15.99
Mug: $12.99
Large mug: $13.99
Stein: $15.99
Mousepad: $12.99

Don't. Freaking. Plagiarise.

This design has nothing concrete to do with WoB, though the line is one that I can imagine Barbara saying (or screaming). It's actually taken from my essay-writing blog.

I needed one design with which I could succumb to temptation and put it on everything. I don't expect people to buy all this stuff; I just couldn't resist playing with the pretty templates. And while my imagination rebels at the thought of Barbara on a thong, it's okay with an anti-plagiarism message in a spiky red splashy thing on a thong. Personally, I am quite fond of the clock. If I ever have an office, I shall put one of those clocks right behind my desk.


White T-shirt: $15.99
Black T-shirt: $21.99
Light-blue T-shirt: $17.99
Yellow T-shirt: $16.99
Women's white T-shirt: $15.99
Women's black T-shirt: $22.99
Women's V-neck black T-shirt: $22.99
Women's light-blue T-shirt: $16.99
Women's cap-sleeve T-shirt: $17.99
Women's tank top: $16.99
Thong: $9.99
Hat: $14.99
Tote bag: $14.99
Mug: $12.99
Large mug: $13.99
Stein: $15.99
Tile coaster: $6.50
Mousepad: $12.99
Clock: $12.99
Throw pillow: $17.99
Teddy bear: $14.99
2.25" button: $1.99
Rectangular sticker: $3.49
Oval sticker: $3.49

Don't. Freaking. Plagiarize.

Yep...the Americans have requested a "z" in "plagiarise/plagiarize." I guess they can have one. They can't have links to individual products because 1) I balk at the thought of painstakingly creating such links and 2) unless something has gone terribly wrong, the products and prices are identical to those in the previous list. However, clicking on the "Don't. Freaking. Plagiarize." link above will take anyone interested directly to the DFP(US) store.

The Creative Process

A reader has requested that my latest anniversary 'toon become a shirt. Who am I to say no? I can't say no to mugs, mousepads, and throw pillows, either.

The messenger bag has a black-and-white version of the image below.

White T-shirt: $15.99
Women's white T-shirt: $15.99
Black T-shirt: $21.99
Women's black T-shirt: $22.99
Mug: $12.99
Large mug: $13.99
Stein: $15.99
Mousepad: $12.99
Throw pillow: $17.99
Messenger bag: $21.99

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You know where to find me. More or less, at any rate.