“Sometimes, books just get away from you,” said Jamie S. Rich, editor in chief of Oni Press. “It’s never one action, but the build-up of many, and what was begun as an endeavor with certain expectations suddenly becomes an endeavor where those expectations are no longer possible.”
“The main thing is, we just started late,” Rich continued. “We had an artist change just before it was time to solicit, and when Jose Garibaldi stepped in, he was knee-deep in MARIA’S WEDDING. While we thought we had enough time to pull off both books, we didn’t really account for the need for Jose to recharge. Similarly, Paul wasn’t able to start as early as he liked, and other commitments got in the way, demanding more of his time than any of us expected. Before we knew it, September was ending and we were nowhere close to where we needed to be. Which is bad on a holiday-themed book.”
At that point, Oni and the creators were faced with a myriad of options, including bringing other artists in to help finish the book. Ultimately, though, it was felt that option wasn’t the best choice for producing quality material, and postponement was decided on instead.
JINGLE BELLE: DASH AWAY ALL retails for $11.95. It has 136 pages of black-and-white story and art, with a new painted cover by Lynne Naylor (SAMURAI JACK and POWERPUFF GIRLS character designer). The ISBN number is 1-929998-61-9. It is the third volume in the JINGLE BELLE graphic novel series.
Retailers should check Diamond Dateline or with their Diamond representative for information on making the adjustment.
In other delay news, Oni would also like to update everyone on the status of TOO MUCH HOPELESS SAVAGES. The third series starring the characters began last June, with a script by Jen Van Meter (CINNAMON) and art by Christine Norrie (BAD GIRLS) and Ross Campbell (SPOOKED). The second issue came out in September, two months behind schedule. #3 was due that same month, with #4 to follow in November.
Due to the severe lateness of the title, Oni will be canceling the original solicitation for #s 3 and 4 and relisting them for March and April of next year.
“There were several contributing factors to this,” Rich said. “We felt that the situation was too out of control, and we needed to pull it in. Chynna Clugston-Major had stepped in and penciled #3 for us, helping Christine catch up, and veteran letterer Tom Orzechowski has agreed to letter the rest of the book, but nearly two months later, we’re still not finished.”
“However,” Rich continued, “for once the reasons for our lateness are happy ones. It’s because our two main creators on the books have been or will be having babies! Jen Van Meter began TOO MUCH HOPELESS SAVAGES while carrying her second child, and suffered some delays as a result. And midway through drawing #2, Christine Norrie became pregnant with her first child. This new experience, coupled with her duties on BAD GIRLS and her illustrations for an upcoming novel by Sarah Grace McCandless, ended up taking more time than expected.”
“So, while this has meant our comic book not shipping on time,” Rich concluded, “we’re pleased for both of these wonderful ladies and their families.”
Check for TOO MUCH HOPELESS SAVAGES #3 in the January edition of Diamond Previews.
