7/16 – Berkeley, CA
Octopus Pie Book Signing w/Meredith Gran
@Comic Relief – 6:00pm – 8:00 pm
2026 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA
Facebook event page

I will also be joined by my travel buddy R. Stevens of Diesel Sweeties at this event! Come get him to draw a robot for you.

This is the last stop on my US tour - I can't believe it's almost over! - then it's off to San Diego Comic Con. I'll do a post about that next.

On Thursday I'll be doing a signing event at Secret Headquarters with my webcomic pals Jorge Cham, Dave Kellett, David Malki!, R. Stevens, and Zach Weiner. I've never been to LA before, so I'm really excited about this one! Hope to see you there.

7/15 – Los Angeles, CA
The Return of Webcomics @ Secret Headquarters
@ Secret Headquarters – 7:00pm – 9:00 pm
3817 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Facebook event page

On Friday, July 16th I'll be doing a signing event at Comic Relief in Berkeley, CA. Hours are tentatively 6-8 PM. Save the date and watch this space for more info!

I admit that as fun and rewarding as this road trip has been, I can't wait to get home and work on comics again. I appreciate that you folks are waiting patiently for updates during this series of events. It's of great importance to me, and the enthusiasm and support I've received for it is humbling as could be. Lots more comics, very soon!

6/30 – Columbus, OH
Octopacked/Shortpie Book Signing
@ Laughing Ogre – 5:00pm – 8:00 pm
4258 North High Street, Columbus, OH
Facebook event page

6/23 - Portland, OR
Stars of the World Double-Header Book Release Jam Party & Artist Open House
@ Dunning Kruger Solutions, Ltd - 7:00pm - 10:00pm
1515 SE 46th Ave, Portland, OR
Featuring Aaron Diaz (Dresden Codak), Erika Moen (DAR), and guest appearances by David Malki! (Wondermark) + Kris Straub (Chainsawsuit, Starslip) with a special live performance of Tweet Me Harder!
RSVP on the Facebook event page

7/2 - Toronto, ON
Octopus Pie Book Launch Party w/ Meredith Gran
@ The Beguiling - 5:00pm - 11:30pm
601 Markham Street, Toronto, ON
RSVP on the Facebook event page

7/11 - Austin, TX
Indy Comic Expo
@ Dragon's Lair Austin - 1:00pm - 6:00pm
6111 Burnet Road, Austin, TX
Featuring KC Green (Gunshow), Josh Lesnick (Girly), David McGuire (Gastrophobia), R. Stevens (Diesel Sweeties), and more!
RSVP on the Facebook event page

Portland is, of course, the town in which I currently reside. Toronto is one of my favorite cities in North America. And Austin is a place I've never seen in my life! So each one of these stops will be thrilling for different reasons. I hope to see you there!

But first and foremost, there's going to be an official book release party on June 22nd in Seattle, WA at Comics Dungeon.

I'll be joined by Erika Moen of DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary, who will also be doing meet & greet and signing!

Octopus Pie Tour Kick-Off Signing with Meredith Gran & Erika Moen
6/22 @ Comics Dungeon - 7:00-9:00 PM
250 NE 45th St, Seattle, Washington
RSVP on the Facebook event page

And if you don't live in Seattle - but in some backwater town, like Portland, Chicago, Columbus, Toronto, Boston, New York, Austin, Los Angeles, or San Francisco - have no fear. Because I'm coming there too! More dates will be posted in the coming days.

What's new with the next update, you ask? I'm almost done with one project, the one that isn't a comic. And the comic one is underway. So, there'll be at least one neat thing for you in the next few weeks, if not two!

And hey, I've been in some media lately about the new book! Check out this interview I did with Gothamist. And Publisher's Weekly did a write-up about me as well. My heart, it swells!

More...

There is a new 15-page story for you to read called "Frontwards". Click the image above to begin!

Folks, I've been blown away by the outpouring of enthusiasm and support over the new book. I'm so glad readers are as excited as I am about this thing. Truthfully, at first I was pretty anxious about OP's jump into the big time publishing industry. This little webcomic means a lot to me, and exposing it to a general audience is something I can't say I ever expected to do. But I know going in that the readership and my peers are on my side. I expect the book's release this summer to be completely awesome.

I'm happy to say there's now another way to support not only the comic, but your local comic shop as well. Octopus Pie: There Are No Stars in Brooklyn is featured in Diamond's PREVIEWS for the month of April!

Just tell your friendly comic shop owner that you'd enjoy -- nay, LOVE -- if they placed an order for Diamond code APR101114 on your behalf. They will know the deal.

And please feel free to let me know in the comments which shop you're ordering from! I'm in the tentative stages of fleshing out a book tour, and this information would be very useful to me. Thanks guys!

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How close to being done is the next storyline, you ask? So close you can smell it! I'm starting on the inking stage tomorrow, which means things will move speedily from here. ETA in my next post!

What's in it?

This book contain the first 2 years of OP strips, from 2007 to the end of 2008 - a combination of all 3 self-published volumes in ONE. Which makes it a stellar deal. There's also a completely new 5-page story, entitled "Kids", that's never been seen before.

Where should I buy it?

I'm offering the book for sale on this site. If you want your book signed or personalized, this is the only place to get it. All pre-ordered books are signed by me for FREE! You'll also get 2 super exclusive 1" mystery buttons with every order. Buying it from me directly ensures a portion of the sale goes to me.

You can also order it from any of these retailers:

Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Borders
Powells
IndieBound
Random House

Many online retailers are offering pre-sale discounts, which may be a good option if you're strapped for cash or a member at these stores.

Can I be straight with you for a moment?

This is a crucial time in the success of Octopus Pie. The sales of this book will do a lot to determine whether or not future books can be made. If you love the comic, but have never ordered OP merch before, this is a fantastic way to show your support. Plus you'll be getting an awesome signed book out of it!

Thanks always for your support! If you have any questions about the book, feel free to reply to this post and I'll try to answer them.

I had such a blast in Seattle last year, and now all the fun is but a short drive away. So please come by Booth 203 to see me! I will have shot glasses, books, minis, prints, and some original pages!

Which reminds me - the original pages for the Couch Sitter storyline are now for sale! Each one is lovingly assembled into a 20x16" black matte with an acetate overlay of the tones. Ready and willing for framing. Check them out!

I can't say too much about the next story yet, but it's going to be fairly long, and it might be a little bit sad. Might! More updates soon.