Holiday Ordering Deadlines

Are you trying to nab some Sam and Fuzzy swag by December 25th? Topatoco's holiday shipping deadlines -- which I have re-posted up in the top right corner of the Sam and Fuzzy site -- will help you steer clear of brutal, stuff-obtaining disappointment.

And what stuff! We have three brand new shirt designs, plus a bountiful selection of old favourites. We also have a wide variety of classy art prints and posters. And of course, we have our first book -- Sam and Fuzzy Fix Your Problem -- which comes with free membership in our Book Club and will net you (or your giftee of choice) two packs of bonus desktops and comics if you pick it up before the 15th.



-Sam Logan

PS: Where are the mugs and Christmas cards? The Christmas cards should be going on sale this week, I believe! The "magic" ninja mugs, unfortunately, might not make it in time for the holidays. (We are still perfecting the secret ninja colour-changing technology.) But I will keep you posted!

Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: 8-bit Edition
Got a question you want answered? Just drop me an email with "Q & A" in the subject line!

"Is there no chance of getting the bonus package of desktop wallpapers that came with the last Book Club email? I just started reading the comic and only now saw the ads that told of the deadline back in September." -Froggy

In theory, each of the Book Club bonus pack releases is meant to be a one-time-only deal. But since a lot of nice-sounding folks missed out on the first one, and since generosity is in season at this time of the year... I think I can make an exception this one time!

YOUR NEW REALITY IS THIS: everyone who picks up a book before December 15th will not only receive our brand new second bonus pack, but also the first pack from back in September! This will, however, be your absolute last chance to nab both packs. If you think I'll be feeling this nice again in the middle of February, you have forgotten what February is like!

If you've bought a book, you can look forward to receiving both bonus packs a day or two after the 15th. Thanks for your support!

"How often do you get the inevitable (and annoying) "SOMEONE ELSE HAS DONE THIS BEFORE, GET SOME ORIGINAL IDEAS" e-mails?" -Duncan

Not nearly as often as the "WAS _____ MEANT TO BE A SUBTLE REFERENCE TO _______" emails!

In seriousness, I almost never get grouchy emails of any sort! Compared to many of the other cartoonists I know, my inbox is a haven of civility... especially considering some of the ridiculous crap I have pulled in the strip over the years. (Hey, here's an idea... let's hide the main character for ten months and see what happens!)

Sam and Fuzzy's readers are a very tolerant and supportive bunch, and for that, I am tremendously thankful. It's because of you guys that I get to do what I've always wanted to do, and I'll always do my best to do right by you all.

"OK, I love the new shirt design... but isn't Sonic a 16-bit character? What's the deal?" -Deco

As you can probably guess, I waffled back and forth between 8 and 16 for quite awhile during the design process. The way I saw it, one franchise was predominantly 8-bit (with a handful of 16-bit sequels and spin-offs), and one franchise basically ushered in the 16-bit era (but had a massive number of 8-bit titles produced after the fact). In the end, I decided to go with 8-bit for two main reasons:

- The 8-bit era is what I associate most with old-school Olympics games.

- 8-bit Olympics would generate the most controversy and publicity-gaining gamer blog entries sounded better!

True story!

That's a wrap for this week, team. Come back on Monday for more comics!



-Sam Logan

New shirts now on sale

It's true... we have not one... not two... but three brand new t-shirt designs now on sale! And with plenty of time to pick them up for the holidays. (Although international buyers hoping to use the cheapest shipping option should think about placing their orders today -- Click here to view our various holiday shipping deadlines.)

As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun designing these suckers. Here's a closer look!


Catalooooooupe
This show went way downhill when they introduced Cataloupe. Still, there were a lot of demands for Cataloupe-wear, and he made for a pretty cute design... so who am I to say no?


X vs. Y
I wanted to do a new textless design -- something with the same simple, stark black-and-white art style I use for the comic. The epic ongoing battle between Mr. X and Mr. Y was a perfect fit. Plus, the two of them form this striking zig-zag shape that I like for deep and profoundly arbitrary reasons.


8-bit Olympics
What can I say? This was the Olympics game I really wanted. (And I'm sure I wasn't the only one.) But I don't know how to make games! So I made this shirt instead.

All three designs are available now in the Sam and Fuzzy Topatoco Store. Consume!

-Sam Logan