At the beginning of this month, it was announced in the entertainment industry trade publication, Deadline, that Long John was a show in development by Barry Linen, a production company started by actor Chris Pine and producer Ian Gotler.
This has beenin the works a very long time––this whole thing started back just before Volume 2 was released in 2016––and it has been tough to not really be able to talk about it. What I can say is that it all sparked with a single post––me answering a question posted by reader on the internet:
This all started because a reader said that Long John looked like actor, Robert Baker.
A year after that post, Robert Baker reached out and we started talking. The road from there to here has been wild, but I’m incredibly happy with where it ended up and the talent attached to it so far (the people you see named in the article; I don’t have any extra information). All that being said, you can imagine the relief of this news finally being out there in the world and able to share with everybody.
There’s not much I can say about it, mostly because it’s in the hands of the production company and the animation studio at this point and I’m here focusing on making my comics.
We’ve finally arrived at the point where preorders are open for Long John, Volume 5: Parting Gift. This is all internally managed and handled through the Official Long John store and I’m really excited for what is planned for this book. Unlike the Volume 4 preorder where we had progressively priced tiers, this time around there’s a single package, but it comes fully packed with Long John goodies! And it all starts at LongJohnBook.com!
From Monday, December 5, to Friday, December 16, we will be accepting orders for the $20 preorder bundle of Volume 5 which will include the following:
Print edition of Long John, Volume 5: “Parting Gift” (signed).
Download code for the e-book edition of Long John, Volume 5 on Gumroad.
1.5″ steel Long John “branding iron” logo pin.
Two 6″x9″ mini-prints of Long John art.
A long Long John coaster.
Once there, you can find a few add-on options to suit other important needs:
For $50 gets you all of the $20 bonuses plus ALL FIVE BOOKS in print (and signed).
You can add on an Artist’s Edition to ANY order for an additional $10. That option gets you a custom Long John sketch on a comic book backing board.
As with Chapter 4, with the debut of Chapter 5 on the website we also have the return of video versions of each page.
I really enjoy audio and video editing, even if I never breach the amateur ceiling. Like with laying out a page to draw, there’s a puzzle element to putting a video together. I’m restricted (to an extent) by time and by content (I won’t draw anything new for these videos), but those restrictions make the puzzle even more solvable, even if the pieces become more complicated.
What’s different from last time is that I’m not necessarily going to make a video per page. Instead, if it works better for two or three pages to be strung together for a video, I’ll just do that to present a more cohesive experience.
As with last time, I’m also writing music for each installment, which is always fun as well.
If you want to keep up to date with the videos, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel in order to receive notifications as soon as videos get published!
EverychapterofLongJohn has been a momentous personal event. Obviously, there’s the continuing validation of getting something done. Chapter 5, however, represents something just a bit more than another checkmark off the list.
This is the first chapter to be created in a pandemic-strewn world, where life became inverted and every sentence ended in a question mark. Lockdowns, viruses, politics, violence, depression, the economy, internet vitriol––tendrils tearing at every pore as we step our way through the last two years. The fact that things are as “normal” as they seem now is a testament to pure will in a lot of ways; while all I did to get here was continue, I can’t help but feel a little pride to make it this far. I hope we all do, to whatever degree is comfortable.
I count myself luckier than most––and it is luck. I had a job I could do remotely. I had hobbies that kept me from dwelling on the worst of everything all the time. I had my wife with whom I could share the crests and troughs of isolation. Many people weren’t as lucky, and I feel deeply for every one of them. But if you’re still here, reading this, please know that I’m grateful that 1. you are here to do this, and 2. you are looking toward this comic to bring you something in your life, be it joy or distraction. I take no reader for granted.
170 pages of Long John (including covers), from Chapter 1 through Chapter 5, all stacked together.
Of course, I can’t overlook the other reason why this chapter is just a little different than previous releases. Last April, it was announced that Long John had been optioned by Barry Linen Pictures, a new production company created by Chris Pine and his business partners. More than that, it was revealed that Long John was in development as an animated series at the network, FX, with animation headed by Floyd County Productions, the animation studio behind productions like Archer and Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, among many others.
So there may be many eyes on this that are brand new to the comic entirely, in which case I’m happy to have them.
How did all of this affect Chapter 5? Being the first book I actually drew since the pandemic started, I will say that one thing I took advantage of was time. I wasn’t going to rush things and I wasn’t going to beat myself up if I wanted to slow down and draw something slowly or redraw something completely. Due to that, this chapter has the most amount of art patches of any previous chapter. It has some of the best technical art I’ve ever drawn but also some art where I was constantly questioning if it was good enough. While not the best habit to take forward, to have that kind of luxury at all was an interesting exercise. I think I improved as an artist and story because of that added reflection.
But that is where I’ve been the last two years. Sure, next week a story will begin told, but feel free to linger, to ponder, and wonder. In other words, take your time, you’ve earned it. I’m just glad you’re here.
