Howard Tayler's blog
Travis Walton: Still Coloring Schlock, Now Showing Off
Submitted by Howard Tayler on December 7, 2009 - 14:38
Today’s installment was colored by the same guy who’s been coloring all the recent installments: Travis Walton. He’s doing fantastic work, and I’m doing everything I can to keep him… including introducing him to the mercenary motif of “getting paid more than once for the same work.â€
In that spirit, donations for desktop wallpapers featuring his colors will be split with him. If you like the burana-bot concert, please don’t hesitate to say so via the button directly beneath the strip.
Kickstarting Tu Publishing
Submitted by Howard Tayler on December 4, 2009 - 14:40
A good friend of ours Stacy Whitman is getting ready to launch a small press. Tu Publishing will focus on multicultural science fiction and fantasy. Tu’s mission statement expresses a desire to include people of all cultures in the imaginative possibilities opened by the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Holiday Shipping Bulletin
Submitted by Howard Tayler on December 4, 2009 - 14:22
To those intending to buy merchandise from our store, the following dates may be useful:
Africa & South America: Today is the last day you can order an expect packages to arrive before Christmas.
International: Order by Monday Dec 7 to receive your package by Christmas.
Canada/Mexico: Order by Friday Dec 11 to insure pre-Christmas delivery.
United States: Order by Tuesday Dec 15 to insure pre-Christmas delivery.
A Note About the Family Support and Treatment Center
Submitted by Howard Tayler on December 4, 2009 - 10:23
A good friend of mine who happens to be a fairly hardcore Schlock fan emailed me to thank us for contributing to the Utah County Family Support and Treatment Center. I had no idea he and his large family (he’s an adoptive parent several times over) had used their services, so I was happy to hear that we were helping folks who have helped friends of mine.
My kids have spent a lot of time at the Family Support and Treatment Center. We’ve used the nursery for emergency respite care and everyone in the family except me has been to counseling there.
…
Family Support and Treatment center has been a GODSEND! When we ran out of insurance visits, they wrote grants. When those ran out, they got Crime Victim Reparations money. …  They have been our advocates through some of the hardest times we’ve faced as parents.
Name a Schlock Character for Charity!
Submitted by Howard Tayler on December 1, 2009 - 17:20
The upcoming “Mallcop Command” chapter will feature several human side-characters, all of whom need names. In the spirit of giving, we’ve decided to auction off the rights to put your name (or a friend’s name) on one of those characters. The proceeds of these auctions will benefit the Utah County Family Support and Treatment Center which helps families in crisis and works to prevent abuse. The winner of each auction will supply the name, and Howard will decide how to apply it. This is a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for Schlock fan in your life.
An Egregious Oversight
Submitted by Howard Tayler on November 29, 2009 - 04:41
There is a footnote for Sunday’s comic, but when I wrote it I only uploaded it to the queue for the iPhone app.
I suppose if the app were in the Apple Store already I could have used this “mistake†as an opportunity to drive sales. But the app is NOT in the store yet, and the beta has ended, so the only people able to read the footnote right now are me and the developer.
The footnote will go live on the web with Monday’s update. So… just as soon as today’s comic is yesterday’s comic you can read today’s footnote. As a bonus, I’ll throw in a footnote for yesterday’s comic, too.
Your Thanksgiving Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It
Submitted by Howard Tayler on November 26, 2009 - 15:24
I’ll make this short, since we’re on our way out the door. Your Thanksgiving Mission, should you choose to accept it: do something for somebody else, so that they’re thankful for YOU.
Nothing says “gratitude†better than sharing your bounty with others. Even if all you can share is a kind word and a smile for that stranger at the checkout stand.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
Holiday Sale at the Schlock Store
Submitted by Howard Tayler on November 23, 2009 - 11:23
We’re running a holiday sale at the Schlock Mercenary store. You can get 10% off of your entire order by entering the coupon code Schlocksale09. But what might you acquire with this additional purchasing power?
Original Art for auction
Submitted by Howard Tayler on November 16, 2009 - 12:29
Howard has once again collaborated with his daughter Keliana to product a piece of original artwork. This piece was done as margin art for the upcoming book Resident Mad Scientist. However Keliana needs Christmas money, so we’re selling off the original now. As usual, half of the proceeds of the sale will go directly to Keliana. You can place your bids here.
Schlock minis are back in stock
Submitted by Howard Tayler on November 12, 2009 - 17:10
The good folks at Garden Ninja Painting Studio have received their shipment of Schlock miniatures. This means that those of you who missed out on the first round can now order the mini you wanted.
