I’m currently aiming to get Multiplex: Book 2 (not the final title, of course) ready for Summer 2012. That may or may not change, of course.
I’m not currently planning on including a long, exclusive story like the Prequel in Book 1, but there will be at least 25 pages of new material interspersed between the five chapters (6 through 10) included in the collection, some of which might be exclusive to the print collection.
Since Multiplex takes place in real time and generally update twice a week, I occasionally have to paint the story in relatively broad strokes. And, unfortunately, sometimes a story thread gets lost in the shuffle. It happens.
For Book 1, I used much of the new material to flesh out Devi and Gretchen, strengthening the narrative in the process, although it still lacks an overriding thrust over the course of the book. But adding a few finer brush strokes to the book, I think, adds a bit more dimension to the characters than you get from just the archives.
Book 2, on the other hand, has a stronger narrative in that it’s centered around Jason and Becky for chapters 6–8 and, in some ways, Jason’s absence in chapters 9 and 10 (although the book ends happily, with Jason returning to the theater).
So, like I did in Book 1, I’ll be using the bonus comics to expand on things between the characters — in chapters 6–8, between Jay and Becky, as well as Jason and Devi’s break-up. And in 9 & 10, I’ll be expanding on things in and out of the Multiplex 10 during the period where Jason had quit working at the theater.
To that end, if there’s a story thread from this period that you’d like a little more neatly tied up, or a movie you’d like me to touch on — basically, a deleted scene you’d like see added into the extended edition — feel free to make a suggestion! I, of course, reserve the right to disagree with you, since it’s my comic. ;)
(Please keep the suggestions to the range of strips included in Book 2: numbers 103 through 216 (November 2006 – March 2008). If you’d like to look up what movies came out in that time frame, ComingSoon.net’s release calendar is always a valuable tool; you just need to manually edit the URLs to find older dates.)
Awesome.
Can I pre-order now?
Reading through that batch of strips now. Aside from a couple jokes I’d like to see expanded on, the one missing plot point I’d really love to see followed up on is “What did Becky do when she heard Jason quit?” Jason quits in #163, and we never even see Becky again until #182. Us Teen Drama fans need our closure.
Thanks! Yeah, that’s one thing that occurred to me, too. Becky is going to get a lot more screen time throughout the book.
What are some of the jokes you’d like to see expanded upon?
Ok, after a quick zip through the relevant archives again, as well as looking at the list of what came out when, my “list” of things I’d like to see, since you asked.
#104 – Any comeuppance for the pervert Santa?
#106 – Any more alternate endings?
#119 – Not sure what else needs to be said, but I just hope for a follow up.
#121 – Any follow up jokes about Amy?
#129 – Considering “Machete” did get made into a movie, maybe a follow up on the trailer here?
#170 – There’s gotta be some follow up jokes about this. It’s just too rich to pass up.
#172 – As an aside, I -just- noticed what Sunny is doing with her hand in panel 4.
And as far as movies that were released but not touched upon in the strips…
Any “Stranger Than Fiction” jokes? Sunny or Brian in the Will Ferrel role?
Any “Ghost Rider” jokes?
Any “Bridge To Terabithia” jokes?
Any “Hot Fuzz” jokes?
Any “Superbad” jokes? I would think it would be a gold mine for jokes about Jason and Kurt’s friendship.
Any “Across the Universe” musical strips?
Any “Cloverfield” jokes? Maybe one where the “camera” is always off center of the panel, making the comic jump around as you read it?
Any chance the Flickhead crew came down to see “Be Kind Rewind”?
I’ll keep those under advisement. I do have a short expansion for #106 already done, but you’ll have to wait until the Chapter 6 eBook comes out to read it. :)
And please, consider the despair of french fans, whow for some reason have to pay as much for shipping as for the book T_T I wish I could order the first one :)
How much does it cost to ship the book to you?
Alas, there is probably not much I can do about that. The Post Office charges what it charges — I don’t even add handling (packaging) costs to international orders, so the cost you pay is what the USPS tells me it’ll costs… and it’s often low, resulting in me having to eat a buck or two in shipping costs for international orders.
If you know of any comics shops or bookstores in your area who might be interested in buying them wholesale — either from me, or my distributor — that could be a solution. My exclusive distribution agreement with IPG covers the US and Canada only, but I’m sure they’d sell to a French shop, too, but honestly, most shops in the US or Canada won’t even do that, unless they already have an account with IPG.
If Diamond picks up the book, you shouldn’t have too much trouble asking your local comics shop to order one for you, though. I’ll keep everybody posted about that, of course. I should hear one way or another soon.
i seem to remember you mentioning somewhere that they would show up on amazon? That would be a solution, don’t worry, I’M not loosing hope :) Can’t wait to read more!
They are at Amazon — just the US store, though, and they’re not discounted for some reason. Their shipping rates are probably not much better than mine, but it’s worth checking?
http://www.amazon.com/Multiplex-Enjoy-Your-Show-Book/dp/0984322205
Hope I didn’t miss something (it does happen :o) but will you be needing Kickstarter-type support for book 2? If so, count me in. I was SOOOOOOO chuffed with my book 1 – every visitor to my house has been shown my original artwork dedication on the front page!
I don’t plan to do a Kickstarter sort of thing for Book 2, so if you or anyone else wants to help speed up the process and ensure that the book gets made, the best thing to do is buy book 1 (done!) and tell all your friends about the strip and the book (which it also looks like you’re doing!). Thanks for your support!