It arrived!
almost 3 years ago
– Sat, May 08, 2021 at 10:06:04 PM
After a nail biting wait, the package finally arrived at the warehouse yesterday.
It’ll be opened and checked over and then all the remaining orders will sent out to all the remaining backers ASAP. I’ll update you as that happens.
This is, to put it mildly, a relief.
To illustrate how nightmarish shipping has become let’s remind ourselves that this exact package was originally delivered on February 25th to the wrong place (entirely their fault) and it’s taken this long to pick it up and ship It to the original address given. The last update from UPS said it’d arrive April 7th then it was the 14th and then I ceased to believe the dates given. Then there was this horrible silence till it all got delivered yesterday.
If you want to know what stress feels like put thousands of pounds worth of precious items in a box and then watch anonymous clowns move it mysteriously and silently around the world with no explanation.
This is UPS...not some cowboy operation. Delivering parcels is literally their mission. And yet...you try and get in touch with them and you just get those horrible form responses about unprecedented volume and delays.
Absolute frickin madness.
Up to last year I never had the slightest issue with shipping. The printer would put comics in a box, the parcel company would pick them up, they’d be delivered a week to ten days later anywhere in the wold. Every time. And then...the world ceased to work efficiently.
One thing I’m looking at is getting the comics printed as close to the UK and US warehouse as possible next time. Because the smaller the distance the quicker the delivery, you’d assume. However, that brings other problems. Call me old fashioned, but I’ve always used the best and most reliable printer possible. I didn’t choose them because of where they were based, but on the care and skill with which they make these comics. I had a conversation with a potential new printer last night, based next to the US warehouse, that alarmed the hell out of me (specifically the bit where they said “so, comics are like leaflets with staples in the middle right?”). I mean, what?! Thanks, but no thanks. What the hell’s going on.
Reliable and quick printing. Reliable and quick shipping. Thats what we want. It’s not an impossible dream, is it. I’m sure we’ll get there again, eventually.
Till then, well...it’s not enjoyable.
While this painfully slow parcel drama played out I kept sane by busying myself with commissions (the John Wick attached was particularly fun) and issue 5. I’ve had the ending to this story written for years, so it’s just little tweaks to dialogue and a lot of lavish painting and lettering now. Issue 5 looks better than 4, and the climax to the story itself seems to have more resonance each time the world turns.
But, man, it’s been stressful. The key is to keep calm in these situations. As others lose their heads, we motor on. There’s no doubt that, whatever happens, these comics and rewards will be delivered to you. Issue 5 will then follow, with the printing and shipping adapting to the circumstances to get it to you faster. I’m 100% committed to getting Death Sentence Liberty finished in its entirety this year. Come hell or high water, that’s what’s gonna happen.
I’m expecting more news from the warehouse over the next week. When I’ve got concrete dates, rest assured I’ll update you promptly.
More very soon.
Cheers
Monty
