New storyline! And check it out – 600 pages! There’s technically a bit more than 600 at this point, to account for double/triple pages. It’s a lot. Comics is fun!
I’m back from Calgary, and it was lovely meeting some nice people there! Next up is TCAF and only awful people aren’t excited for that.
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#octopus pieThree cheers!
I check the webpage out of habit, but Meredith Gran’s comic work Octopus Pie is over. I feel like this is how sports fans feel when a jersey is retired and lifted to the rafters, forever in its untouchable place, time divided between when it was active and whatever comes after.
That might sound grandiose, but in my mind, nothing tops the ten year run of Octopus Pie. And in the lifespan of what we call Webcomics, 2007-2017 is a granddaddy of a run, worthy of names like “pioneering,” “influential” and “groundbreaking” because in the space of those years, in this new medium, there was room to be those things without any hyperbole. The comics landscape of the past decade needed filling out and Meredith carved her space out with precision, showing a polish and drive and a talent from the beginning that set a high standard.
I’m guessing that I started Hark a Vagrant about six months after Octopus Pie began, but Meredith’s was already a name to be reckoned with, due to the solid reputation of her previous comic Skirting Danger and because she was an honest to god trained animator in a sea of stickmen comics or two-dudes-on-a-couch comics (RIP forever *kisses fingers, holds them to the sky*). I was intimidated by her sheer capability. But inspired too. I did not need to be intimidated, she was one of the first people I met in comics, and easily one of the best.
Meredith and I briefly shared an apartment and a studio, and I can tell you, she can draw circles around everyone you know. I later shared a studio with Mike Holmes, who could also draw circles around everyone, and now the two of them are married in some sort of talent supernova. I am happy for them, even though I feel like I make grade three crayon pictures next to them. But the other thing that being friends with Meredith for a long time has shown is the cutting wit, the care for stories done right, the love for a medium that will take you through highs and lows that come with comics, and lately through her job as a comics professor, the nurturing of upcoming talent. I see all of this in Octopus Pie, a comic where character was paramount, where plots were expertly moved, a fine balance was found between the messiness of people and the fun you can have with stories, where subtle emotional movements where rendered with room to breathe, where I felt like I could reach deep into the hearts and minds of the characters on the page because they had been fleshed out so well over the years that they seemed as real people, people that I loved.
I don’t really like that phrase “comics will break your heart,” commonly attributed to Schultz, or Kirby, it doesn’t really matter. You see it all the time, mostly when people are reckoning with the fact that they work in an unforgiving medium. I don’t even know what it is about the saying that I don’t like. Maybe it’s because we all know that comics are hard work, we all know that you might put your life and blood and heart into something and you might get nothing back. There are no surprises to be found there - it’s not a bad day you had, it’s a life you’re well aware of living, if you do. But we love the perserverers in comics. The people who live the phrase are the ones who inspire us the most.
I’m saying all this, and pardon the segue, because I have seen Octopus Pie, some of the finest story work of my generation, passed for recognition time and again and it confuses the hell out of me, truly. I don’t want to turn a tribute to a work I hold dear into sour grapes, that’s not the intention here, but lord above, if I can’t point this out now, then when can I? We all know that there are no guarantees in this life (comics will break your heart) but I’ll say this once and then leave it: this is a comic of quality that was miles ahead of so many of its peers, and it deserved better, industry wise. To wrap up the earlier point, maybe I don’t like CWBYH because it implies that you should shrug your shoulders and not ask for better every time, that a short end of some kind of stick is expected even. That’s easy when it’s yourself, but speaking as a fan now, I say to heck with shrugging, I want to put Meredith on my shoulders and parade her around and dump her into a Scrooge McDuck thing full of awards.
Actually that sounds pointy and bad and the Ignatz awards are bricks to begin with so maybe forget that analogy but you get the idea.
I hope you read Octopus Pie, I hope you buy the books. I hope the legacy of it is long and full, because it always will be for me. And I think readers will agree, because I know this devoted fan base pretty well. I read the comments, I’ve sat next to Mer at comic shows, I’ve listened to some of the emails that touched her. I know this is a comic that meant a lot, to a lot of us. In this world of work we put our hearts and souls into to begin with, that is a wonderfully worthy thing.
I do not know what Meredith will do next, but whatever it is, I am here for it, seat pulled close to the stage. The retired jersey is in the rafters, the game is still being played by the people who dreamed better because it was there. Aw what can I say, I’m sentimental!
Thanks, Meredith. <3
Much love to my dear friend Kate for this very kind tribute!
Folks, I’m bringing back the Brooklyn Flea Market to sell some more Octopus Pie pages for CHEAP! And this time I’ve added some new storylines at a flat rate.
Go here for super cheap $30 classic pages:
http://octopuspie.myshopify.com/products/octopus-pie-classic-pages-brokelyn-flea-market-edition
Go here for also very cheap but shinier $40 pages:
http://octopuspie.myshopify.com/products/octopus-pie-classic-pages-classy-swap-meet-edition
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This is a very limited offer, seeing as the pages are one-of-a-kind. I make sure to pick nice pages for everyone, but it’s first come, first serve! Just specify in your order notes if you prefer a character or storyline, and I’ll do my best to fill that.
You can also write in “MER I TRUST YOU” at the $40 level and I’ll send you something I really like, whether it’s a page from the listed stories, something unlisted, or a rarer one-shot comic.
Happy thrifting, and thanks for your support!
Is Octopus Pie a fun, exciting, feeling-inducing part of your week? Do you think the jump to color has greatly enhanced your reading experience? If so, please consider pledging a small amount of money each month to keep it updating smoothly!
Octopus Pie is a reader-supported series. The funding to draw and write the comic full-time, and to pay a colorist and flatter, comes from YOU! That means if you support the comic on Patreon, you are contributing directly to its production.
I don’t campaign for Patreon very often. I’m not concerned with generating an incrementally larger amount of money from Octopus Pie – I just want enough to get it made. But since funds have dwindled over the course of a year, and the cost of living has certainly not fallen, I’m asking that you help get things back to where they were. I’d like to reach a goal of $2300 - it’ll be easy with your help.
Even a small amount goes a long way. And if you’ve never pledged before, a $5+ pledge gets you access to an exclusive OP minicomic, “On the Strait and Narrows”, as well as 3 out-of-print eBooks from OP’s original book run. You’ll also get access to an archive of sketches and pencil drawings for any pledge amount over $1.
Click Here to pledge. Thanks for reading and supporting the comic!
Guys! I’m pleased to announce that the newest Octopus Pie book collection, DEAD FOREVER, is now available for Pre-order! Shipping in May.
Octopus Pie books are self-published, and the pre-order is a necessary part of funding the book. So everyone who pre-orders will get a free signature in their book. You’ll also have the option to get a Special Edition book with your favorite character sketched inside, for $7 more. This is the only window to order a signed book - from now until April 15th.
More details about the contents of the book and ordering are here on the store page. (p.s. Toronto peeps: I will try my best to have a stack of books at TCAF! It’s looking likely. Unfortunately, I can’t deliver any online orders to the show.)
Thanks to those who’ve pledged so far to the Patreon campaign to make OCTOPUS PIE IN COLOR! If you haven’t, here is the info:
I’m forming plans to do Octopus Pie in FULL COLOR in the near future! The comic has been in black & white for 7 years, and I think it’s time to try something new that will really enrich the comic.
To be sure, I’ll need your help for this. I would be employing a colorist, so I’ve made this a priority as the next goal of my Patreon Campaign. If we hit $2400 in pledges a month, it’ll be enough to keep me eating and happy, AND working with a great colorist to produce 10 full color pages. If you love the comic but haven’t pledged, this is a great opportunity to do something that directly affects the art. It doesn’t need to be much - even a buck or two per month will help towards the goal! Pledges over $2 will also give you access to the sketches and vintage OP art I post to Patreon.
If the promise of color hasn’t sweetened the deal enough, colorist Sloane Leong has done three sample pages of recent strips! You can look at them here. Also be sure to check out Sloane’s excellent cartooning and illustration work. YEAH!
Merry Christmas! Hope you’re having a lovely day, wherever you are.
I try to cobble together a little Christmas comic or animation every year or so, and it doesn’t always happen. So here’s a few Octopus Pie Christmas specials from previous years:
It’s a Christmas Miserable - A short story from 2011 where Eve is dressed as a Santa for work.
Octopus Pie Christmas Special 2009 - Reach back into another decade with this animated artifact of time. This ruined the song for me, mostly, but that’s ok.
Octopus Pie Christmas Special 2013 - A little animation from last year. Eve is depressed! Wow!
Welcome to a new storyline! I feel it’ll be a good one. A shorter one!
Did you know Octopus Pie Volume 3 from Image is out today? For you book aficionados, this is a reprint of Octopus Pie: Dead Forever. Highlights of this volume include eerie duck dreams, Jane’s first appearance, and Eve’s untimely death.
You should be able to find it at your local comic shop immediately, or from larger retailers (like B&N or Amazon) on May 3rd.
super-trash-bros asked:
It’s true that Octopus Pie is ending. There are 2 chapters left (after the current one, which is almost over). They will both be fairly dense, as there is a large cast to cover, some ends to tie up. I’m not sure exactly the length, but my rough estimate from today is about 6 months.
It’s a webcomic, so who can say I won’t get a wild hair and stretch things out. But OP’s 10th anniversary is May 14th, 2017; I’ve promised myself it will run no longer than that.
Thanks for asking - I’ve been wanting an opportunity to clarify! I’ve seen a lot of people eulogizing already, but I’ve got lots planned, and it’s going to be fun. You’ll love it.
And after that: QUESTION MARKS!
Octopus Pie is posted here but there’s a website too. You can read the whole comic at Octopus Pie Dot Com!
http://www.octopuspie.com/2014-04-07/655-guess-you-dont-know-me/
We’ve passed the halfway mark on pre-orders for the new book, Octopus Pie: Dead Forever! Thanks to everyone who’s ordered so far.
If you haven’t, please help fund the next book by ordering it before April 15th! Octopus Pie books are entirely funded by pre-order sales. I will sign your book for free, and you can get a special sketched-in edition as well! Store page is here.
