haps halloween contest: jared ather's "spider-choopie!"

okay...

so technically, this is jared's second or third entry--see his first two pieces entered under the nom de plume hob goblin a week or so ago--but i wanted to add this to his gallery and for you all to see it!


spider-choopie! by jared

if you still haven't sent your entry in, there's still time! we've got right up until october 28th--a week from today--and i only have a couple entries left! so get going! you got some scary, perhapanaut-y, halloween-y story or pin-up in ya, don't ya?!
join the fun!

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praise for the perhapanauts halloween spooktacular!

okay, so the praise is actually from our pal, rod hannah, who you all know as a regular member of our little perhapa-family and, some might say, also a member of the "inner circle." (though we're really not that snobby...!)
it's always nice to get letters from readers and nicer still when they've actually liked the book...! but i thought i'd post rod's letter today (with his permission, of course) because i was touched by how well-written it was. in this age of rapidly returned emails and texting at lightspeed, i'm sure we've all wondered at one time or another, what's become of real letter writing, of written correspondence, letter construction, and, yeah, spelling. are we losing those elements of communication as we race to have things go faster and faster...?
not only was i touched that rod took the time to sit down and write a letter, he crafted it. (one of my favorite words!) he opens with a personal and engaging introduction and then walks us through the issue/subject with an easy commentary.
again, it's always nice to hear nice things--but thank you, rod for taking the time in these fast-paced times.
it means a lot.



Hi Todd,

I just wanted to shoot you a quick email and say how much we enjoyed the Halloween Spooktacular! Perhapanauts was the first comic I read after the Baltimore show and I've been meaning to write to you and thank you for my latest Perhapafix. :-) My cryptozoology is really limited, as I've discovered from reading Perhapanauts and this issue has added the growtch, tatzelwurm, and mapinguary to my monster vocabulary. I need to dig out my old books on monsters of the world because you put my knowledge to shame.

The cover by Craig was perfectly in character with Molly trying and failing to be scary behind Arisa -- who looks way more endowed than I remember her, but kudos to Craig's style that gives her an "I've been up late, but I'm still sexy" look. I'm annoyed we didn't pick up the variant covers while we had the opportunity. In fact there was a bunch of stuff at the show that we completely blanked on and forgot to look for and pick up.

I know it must be something of a balancing act having multiple stories in an issue and by different artists, but I kind of like the variety and I thought the format worked really well. Having a story for Choopie and Big respectively, and a team story in the middle I thought was really well rounded. My only complaint is that by the end of the book I wanted more. Seriously, I wonder if you realize how painful it is having to wait! These characters, their world, and the unexpected randomness of their adventures has so far made every single issue fresh and exciting. As an aside from spandex heroes, the Perhapanauts has become my favorite 'indie' book.


Fred Hembeck did a great job on Choopie's Halloween. The chief was particularly amusing with his iconic noseless face and square head. I don't know why I picked up on him in particular in this story, but I am getting really curious about who he is and what's his story. I hope you will be able to reveal a little more about him in the future. Choopie looks hilarious with the human skin tone and his thick eyebrows. The diet Coca Cola trick was a brilliant idea right out of leftfield. :-)

My favorite story was "Nacht Des Tatzelwurm". I thought Rich did a great job with the art and I've already told him so, especially the flashback page. I think the mood helps thanks to the winter snow, it being night, and the creature stalking people in the alps-- it really helped draw me in, so by the time Choopie is literally dropped into the story I was really invested in it. You could have turned this story into full issue length easily and really milked it, but the fact it's compact and quick is also a strength and its very tight. The little moment towards the end between Peter and Arisa was subtle and brief, yet implies a lot about the direction and triangle/quadrangle that the potential romances in the book are heading. You're certainly keeping the story mixed and the options open.

I think you might have given me a trip with the Big story. Did Big really find the Mapinguary, was he hallucinating, was it part of his own spiritual journey as a result of the Ayahuasca?

Francesco's back cover is great by the way. :-)

So, when do I get to tune in to Perhapanauts on Saturday morning television... or late night Adult Swim? Seriously, it's got to be worth a shot pitching this to a studio! :-)


I attached a photo I took of Leanne's three stooges in 'alien' form. I thought you might get a kick out of it like I did. :-)

Best,
~~~Rod

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and while we're talking about rod; i was also touched that, along with the wonderful choopie birthday pin-up by leanne that they gave me, rod and leanne also gifted me with copies of their new comics projects.
rod's exciting new book, sovena red, with art by john amor...






...and leanne's new lava-roid with writer/creator kevin conn!





and though i posted this a little while back, at the show lauren monardo gave me copies of the book she and writer stephen lindsay have just completed, the slightly askew adventures of inspector ham and eggs!




because i am running late and have to go to both the dentist and the dmv today, i'm going to hope that rod, leanne, and lauren will all post the links to where you can get these wonderful comics in the comment section below.

gotta go!
smell ya later!
todd