On February 11th, we were invited to exhibit at SHM Con. This is a one-day student run event at San Jose State University that is open to the public. SHM is an acronym for the Shrunkenheadman Club Animation/Illustration organization.
As soon as you step onto the campus you can feel the excitement from the students. These are highly skilled, smart, energetic, humble, and hungry individuals who are our future. We’ve been extremely lucky to participate in this yearly event.
If you have ever wondered if young people care about art or books, all you need to do is visit this show to get your answer. Not only was our Franklin Booth book the best seller at the show, but also one of the SHM volunteers had a Booth tattoo on her shoulder! Here’s Vicky at left, with the volunteer in the middle, followed by a student who picked up our Booth book.
We brought 30 boxes of books with us and came back home with five. To give you some perspective, we typically bring about half that amount to a 3-day comic show such as Baltimore Comic-Con. To be fair, we brought roughly 200 mixed titles with bumps and scratches that we gave away for free to students. The four tall stacks of freebies were gone in less than two hours. Also, this is the only show were we offer our books at a big discount to students. I clearly remember what it was like to be young with very little money, so in this way we can play a role in making sure everyone can get something, regardless of their available budget.
We had the chance to see our friends, Bunny Carter and Courtney Granner, and the department director, Dave Chai. These three have been very generous to us.
We were incredibly impressed with the SHM president this year, and how smooth and well organized the day was. And we met a bunch of terrific young people. We have no doubts about the future knowing that more SHM members will be heading out into the world to create more beautiful art.
Rachel and Terry’s art book is available in three editions: An affordable paperback, a deluxe signed hardcover edition, and a very limited signed hardcover with a variant black and white cover. Each book pledge comes with a bonus signed print. Also, we have signed copies of Adventureman #1, the Adventureman vol. 1 collection, and Bomb’s Away sketchbook that you can add-on when checking out on our Kickstarter campaign. Visit here to learn more.
Thanks to you all for helping to make these books possible!
Our Flesk Holiday Sale is Now Live! Ends This Friday
Hi, everyone,
Our Holiday Sale books are discounted Flesk titles that have bumps, or light scratches on the front or back cover, or small dings to the corners. This is a great way to get Flesk books for 50% to 70% off of the cover price. Limited quantities are available. This sale runs until Friday, January 19, 2024.
We normally run this event at the beginning of December, but due to how busy we were packing and shipping the Arthur Adams and Brynn Metheney books, we just managed to find the time to dig out a batch of bumped books to offer at a discount.
Also, be sure to take a look at our updated Warehouse Finds. These are long out of print Flesk books that are available in limited quantities. I found a handful of copies of The Art of Frank Cho, the original printing of Naughty and Nice and The Big Tease by Bruce Timm, the Franklin Booth: Silent Symphony hardcover, The Art of Tyler Jacobson with a sketch, and more!
I’m slowly adding more books to the personal stock page. These books on offer include a variety of non-Flesk books from our personal library. Another 100 books will be added between now and the end of this month.
SHM Con: February 10, 2024 San Jose State University, California SJSU Student Union Ballroom A,B,C from 10am to 4pm
The Art of Rachel and Terry Dodson Kickstarter Campaign!
We are launching a new Flesk Kickstarter campaign on February 6th. We will reveal all of the details about the new Rachel and Terry Dodson art collection on that day. We’re thrilled to bring you this new book soon!
2023 was one of the best years ever for us. As you will see when looking at this top ten list there are a variety of titles that span multiple genres. The common denominator is that these are all exceptional people who make lovely works of art.
Ever since I started this publishing company in 2002 my goal has been to focus on the artist and the relationship. To serve others is what drives me, and I have maintained my passion for making books for all these years. Thanks to you, these artists and I can continue to live this dream.
For this top 10 list I have calculated the total sales by combining our direct Flesk website orders, event sales, Kickstarter pledges, and the sales made through our distributor.
1. The Art of Arthur Adams
The success of this book proved how eager people were for a proper overview of Arthur’s career. Arthur and I were surprised by the massive support during our Kickstarter campaign for this book. We’re still humbled by its popularity. I’ve been a fan of Arthur’s work ever since Longshot #1 came out. This has been a dream project, and Arthur is a joy to work with.
2. Carbon 5 by Mark Schultz
Considering this is the tenth collection we have published on Mark, it’s exciting to see the enthusiasm for his latest book. The prior collections were Various Drawings Volumes 1-5, followed by Carbon 1-4. We have published more books on Schultz than on any other artist. Mark uses these collections to showcase his latest drawings. Much of the art he produces these days is done for himself. He feels lucky to be able to draw what he likes, while having a forum to share these pieces with others.
3. Gilt by J.A.W. Cooper
Gilt and Carbon 5 are very close in sales. Carbon 5 had the benefit of coming out six months prior to Gilt. This is the latest collection that pulls together the most recent works by J.A.W. Cooper. We worked closely together to make an art object with this book. I feel this is one of the most unique and beautiful books we have published to date. It’s a thrill to work with Cooper and I marvel at their creativity and spirit. They are one of the most unique voices I have ever seen.
4. Barren Lands by Brynn Metheney
I’ve been wanting to work with Brynn for years. I’m thrilled that we had this opportunity to publish Barren Lands. Brynn wrote and illustrated this collection of stories that borders between reality and the bizarre. The whole process of working with Brynn was fun and enjoyable. The chance to work with an artist early in her career is very satisfying.
5. Franklin Booth: Silent Symphony
Released in 2022, this large collection that highlights Booth’s life and art is still going strong. This is the artist who originally inspired me to start publishing. What a thrill to be able to pull out the initial 2002 book, Franklin Booth: Painter with a Pen, and then completely remake it from scratch with the help of Alice Carter. This served as our 20th anniversary book where we could celebrate Booth further.
6. Naughty and Nice: The Good Girl Art of Bruce Timm
The first edition of this collection on Bruce Timm came out in 2012. It was a best seller then and continues to be on our top 10 list over a decade later. People can’t seem to get enough of B.T. and I don’t blame them! Bruce is an absolute legend and wonderful to work with.
7. Al Williamson: Strange World Adventures
Thanks to the Cartoonist Kayfabe YouTube channel highlight, this book got a big boost. The initial sales when the book first came out were strong, then when this book review dropped it was seen by a new audience. This makes me happy, especially since this is one of the books that I am most proud of. Al remains one of my all-time favorite artists and I hope this collection does his career justice.
8. The Art of Brom
We released this book back in 2013 and it is still going strong! I feel like I am repeating myself, but when it gets down to it, all the artists who I work with are great people who are extraordinary. Brom’s accomplishments are remarkable. The sales for this book received a boost thanks to some deluxe edition copies that I found in our warehouse. We are officially sold out of all editions at this point.
9. Xenozoic by Mark Schultz
This book, collecting all of the Xenozoic stories written and illustrated by Mark Schultz, has had a variety of editions in print since 2010. This may be our most consistent and steady seller over our entire publishing history. Mark is also the only artist who has two books on our top ten list for this year. I recently re-read this collection and enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read the comics in the early nineties. The most common question we receive is when new Xenozoic stories will be coming? Whenever this happens, I’ll be the most excited fanboy out there.
10. Alkeme: The Art of Brad Kunkle
I’m pleased to see Brad’s book on the top 10 list again this year. This was published in 2023 and we love how it turned out. I first met Brad back in 2006 and can’t express how exciting it has been to see his career blossom and to cheer along as his success has grown.
This wraps up our top ten list. Thanks for reading and for our support over the years. As we step into 2024, we are entering our 22nd year of publishing! I’m eager to make a series of announcements all throughout the year to reveal what’s coming next.
I wish you all a fruitful, happy, and healthy 2024.
Vicky shared this collage of pictures with me this evening. It made us realize just how many friends we had the opportunity to see throughout 2023.
Top row, from left to right: Myself, Bunny Carter, Vicky, and Courtney Granner at the SHM con at San Jose State University. Gary Gianni and myself in Costa Mesa, CA for a one day show. Myself, Terry and Rachel Dodson in Santa Cruz when they visited. Actually, this picture was taken at the end of 2022, but we still saw Terry in 2023.
Middle row, from left to right: One of my favorite pictures of the year. This is of Ocean and myself goofing off while in Charlotte, North Carolina. Me and Jim Vadeboncoeur in Ohio, a few months before he passed away. I miss him dearly. Ashalie, Vicky, Ocean, William Stout and Frank Cho during one of our visits to Bill’s house. Later we were joined by Daren Bader and Terry Dodson.
Bottom row, left to right: Arthur Adams, Wendy and Richard Pini in Baltimore, Maryland. Me, Joe Dragunas, Mark Schultz, William Stout and Daniel Warren Johnson (in the back) at Heroes Con. Steve Rude and me during one of our chats at Heroes Con.
There’s even more highlights–far too many to share here–that include visiting with more friends. Also, we can add our quiet little road trips, and hiking along the coast and in the mountains. We’ve been very fortunate.
Looking forward to 2024 we hope to see everyone again. I wish for your 2024 to be a happy one.
GILT by J.A.W. Cooper arrived at our Flesk warehouse a week ago. For those who placed a pre-order we are almost done packing and shipping all of your books and prints. You will receive an email notification along with a tracking number once your copy is in the mail.
As a reminder, we have made a detailed promotional page on our Flesk website that shows a video, along with interior book spread samples, and details about the editions available. Please visit here to learn more and to place your order. Thanks to everyone who supported this title. We look forward to your packages arriving safely in your hands.
Brynn Metheney’s illustrated book, Barren Lands, is a collection of personal stories and artworks that strives to document the natural phenomena of the American southwest. This title has over 80 drawings and paintings, and is 9 x 12″ with 112 pages. Metheney’s words and pictures will spark the imagination with secret revelations that blur the lines between fantasy and reality and are sure to entertain anyone with a curious mind.
This book is completely done and will ship in December 2023.
Brynn is an artist inspired by tall tales and the natural world. Her work focuses on the nuances of evolution and story-telling and where nature and humans fall in-between. Please visit our Kickstarter campaign page to learn more.
The Art of Arthur Adams is in transit from the printer to our Flesk warehouse. The shipper notified us that the books will arrive with us on or around October 25th. We will keep you updated and begin mailing immediately once we receive the pallets. We can’t wait to get these books into your hands!
Once we have shipped all of the orders for these three titles, we will announce the pre-order date for The Art of Rachel and Terry Dodson! This will be our first book coming out in 2024. We look forward to sharing more details about this exciting new collection later this year.
Our Barren Lands by Brynn Metheney Kickstarter Campaign Launches on October 10th!
We are incredibly excited to bring you Barren Lands by Brynn Metheney! This book is completely done and we are thrilled to welcome Brynn to the Flesk family. There will be a paperback and a signed hardcover available. The full details will be revealed on the 10th.
Barren Lands is a collection of personal stories and artworks that strives to document the natural phenomena of the American southwest. Brynn is an artist inspired by tall tales and the natural world. Her work focuses on the nuances of evolution and story-telling and where nature and humans fall in-between. She also loves a good monster story.
I look forward to sharing all of the details on October 10th!
Gilt by J.A.W. Cooper is now available for pre-order on our Flesk website!
This book has already been printed and is currently en-route to the Flesk warehouse. There are book tiers ranging from $49.95 to $395.00 to suit all budgets. The books will ship on October 10th.
We’ve made a detailed promotional page on our Flesk website that shows a video and lots of interior book spreads and details about the editions available. Please visit here to learn more.
We have posted new Mark Schultz original art for sale!
We have added a fresh batch of Mark Schultz original art on our Flesk website. Everything that is currently available is posted and 100% of the funds go directly to Mark.
There are published brush and ink pieces, personal carbon art, and works from Storms at Sea. These originals are gorgeous in person!
Vicky and I enjoyed chatting with everyone who visited our Flesk booth and those we bumped into in and around the convention center. We have a ton of lasting memories from the show.
Seeing Arthur Adams is always a pleasure. A lot of people shared with us that they are looking forward to his new art collection in October.
Being set up next to Richard and Wendy Pini for three days made for one of the most enjoyable shows we have ever had. We started to tease about the upcoming Elfquest book that we will be publishing next spring.
I was thrilled to reunite with Steve Rude and to have a few extended conversations with him. Steve is awesome and I truly enjoyed the chance to catch up with him.
Hang time with my buddy Frank Cho is also always a pleasure. Frank is a generous and helpful guy who I appreciate greatly.
Again, it was wonderful to see you all! We look forward to Baltimore 2024.
Photo, top, left to right: Arthur Adams, Wendy Pini, Richard Pini, John Fleskes.
bottom, left to right: John Fleskes, Richard Pini, Vicky Lien, Wendy Pini, David Mizejewski.
