I answered this question quite a bit at the TKGA show in Portland and at Maker Faire, and I’m not surprised, but I want to, well, thought-noodle on it here today.

We have two issues out, after all, and people wonder which one they should buy. Naturally, I believe people should buy both issues– they are both very good, and I’m proud of them, and they’re not too expensive, after all.

As the writer and publisher, though, I have to think this is like saying “which is better– Cast On’s Spring issue, or their Summer one?” Better for what? Better if you like colorwork? Better if you’re interested in lace? Better if you’re doing the TKGA Master program? Better if you’re a newbie? Better articles?

“Better” is a hard aesthetic to meet.

Issue 2 continues the storyline that was left hanging off a cliff in Issue 1. This storyline continues through Issue 3 and 4. This particular story arc will probably end in Issue 4 (but I won’t promise at this time– I will sacrifice a lot to make the story work, and if it turns out not to fit into 4 issues, then it’ll spill into Issue 5).

It is possible to pick up Issue 2 and read it without having read Issue 1. You miss out on some character development and a better sense of who these characters are if you don’t read Issue 1, but it can be done.

Issue 1 has some of the better mom-son moments. In fact, I personally believe Alex has a really good part of the storyline in Issue 1.

Issue 2 shows Ana’s character development a little more. It also introduces the bad guy.

I personally believe that Issue 2’s artwork is quite good, and I’m very pleased with it. I think the art is better than Issue 1.

I’m not objective enough to say whether the story is better in Issue 1 or Issue 2. Sorry– I wrote it, so you’ll have to decide which one has better writing.

For those who truly can’t decide and can’t buy both, I offer the following suggestion. Issue 1 has the cute POW! Hooded Scarf with pockets. If you like that pattern, or if you are an absolute beginning knitter, get Issue 1. Issue 2 has the cute Net of Justice bag. If you need a quick project (there’s a 1-skein variation of the bag written into the pattern), or if you adore bags, or if you want to learn a couple of new stitches beyond knit and purl, get issue 2.

But if it were me, and I were buying an absolutely new comic book and could get both issues inexpensively, signed by the author right there at the show? I’d buy both and take them home in their little plastic protective bags and look forward to Issue 3.

Shout Outs!

SF Weekly: “Better than watching Star Wars with a robot girlfriend.”

The Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Knit.1 has us in their Books feature, and I finally picked up a copy! Hooray! Thanks a bunch, Knit.1!

I missed this review at Knitting Purls back in April– thanks so much for the review!

Enter to Win a Signed Copy!

H. E. Wintermute (limedragon), the designer for Issue #2’s cute knitted bag, is holding a blog contest giveaway for some of her copies (as a contributor, she received a few copies of the comic book), including some signed copies! Leave a comment on her blog to enter.

I’m in Portland!

I made it to Portland, Oregon yesterday and had a lovely and lively visit at Knit Purl and with Sandy et al from ShiBui yarns. I also visited a local comic book shop, and today, my schedule opened up, so I’m going to do a mini-yarn crawl around town. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone this weekend!

Issue #1 is Now a Back Issue

With the shipping of Issue #2, Issue #1 is now in back issue status. That means you can no longer start a subscription with Issue #1. We don’t sell single copies of our comics online. Why? Because we believe in the greatness of local yarn shops. If you can’t find a LYS near you that carries Handknit Heroes, I strongly encourage you to call around and ask if they do mail order.

However, if you subscribe to Handknit Heroes, you can add a copy of Issue #1 to your order and it will be shipped with Issue #2 (your starting issue). After that, your subscription will run through #5 (I think I just felt a little dizzy!)

You can also now start your subscription with Issue #3. By default, if you subscribe using the form inside Issue #2, your next issue will be #3, because we logically assume if you have Issue #2, you don’t need another one. If you subscribe online or through the shop, your next issue will be #2.

T-Shirts are Now “Backordered”

The t-shirts are not actually out of stock. I took them with me to Oregon, and my shipping guys don’t have any to send out. As a result, you can order them, but they won’t be shipped out till next week. If you want to wait till next week to place your order, that’s cool. We’re releasing a really cool product next week (hint: you can see a picture of it in the ads section of Issue #2) after the show.

Shout Outs

New subscriber Crafty Caffine received her Issue 1 and 2 this week!

Stumbling Over Chaoes gave us a shoutout and mentioned Limedragon’s blog contest!

More Handknit Heroes in the UK!

Well, it’s un-officially official: Marc and I will also be at the British International Comics Show in Birmingham (UK) from October 3 to 4 this year. It’s a week before the show at Alexandra Palace, but this one is a comics-heavy show. So if you’re into comic books and will be in England in early October, come to the show! It should be a lot of fun, and Marc will be in his native element and can play host for me this time.

We’ll also be doing a shop visit and signing at I Knit London while we’re in town.

Knitters to Knitters!

Knitters Magazine comes out at the end of this week at Stitches West. In it, you’ll find Knitters to Knitters, a regular feature in the show, where the staff of Knitters Magazine review and introduce new and cool products– including Handknit Heroes! That’s right– the Spring 2009 issue has us in it, so check it out starting Friday!

Speaking of Stitches West

I mentioned in a previous announcement that I’ll be at Stitches West as an attendee. This is true– I’m making one-of-a-kind Handknit Heroes t-shirts, which I’ll be wearing all weekend long. I’m in classes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but you can catch me wandering the marketplace Thursday evening, and during the weekend after classes let out. I’m also going to the Fashion Show and Banquet on Friday. If you see me, please stop and say hi– I’d love to meet you, and I have a limited number of free postcards if you randomly stop me to say hi and tell me you really like Sue’s sweater. Or if you hate Sue’s sweater you can tell me you hate it and still have a free postcard. Until I run out of postcards, of course.

More to the point, though, if you’re going to Stitches and you want to get your hands on a copy and haven’t subscribed to the comic book yet: local yarn shop The Yarn Place will have copies of Handknit Heroes available for sale in Booth 97! The shop owner and I will be setting up an impromptu signing, which will be posted in her booth next to the comic book display. It’s a little last-minute, so it’s not in the show book, but if you come by her booth and get a copy of the comic, you can find out when the signing will be. And, of course, if you see me at the show and have your copy with you, I’ll be happy to sign it on the spot.

Note that there are two Yarn Place’s locally, and therefore two booths. The one selling Handknit Heroes is in Booth 97, which is along the wall if you turn right immediately after you enter the marketplace room.

Summer 2009: Call for Designs Still Open!

We’re still looking for the perfect design for our Summer issue. If you have a design you’ve been working on and you think it would be a good fit, check out our guidelines and send us a note describing it.

IMPORTANT: Unsubscribing from the Email Notices

I was notified by someone on the email notice list that they had tried several times to unsubscribe but were unsuccessful. I’ve confirmed this– the unsubscribe script has not been working for almost as long as it’s been live. I know it worked before I added 200+ people to it, but I also know it hasn’t worked recently. I’m updating the script and testing it, but in the meantime, if you tried to unsubscribe from the email list, and you just received this email, please send me a direct email (you can reply to this one) asking to unsubscribe and I will take you off the list. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. I’m working on fixing it, but you can always send me a direct email if you need to unsubscribe, or if you have any customer service issues at all.

Edited: I’ve fixed the subscribe/unsubscribe script, so it should work (fingers crossed). Again, please email me directly if you ever need help subscribing or unsubscribing to our announcements.

I also apologize for the rapidity of the posts last week– the post announcing our Keep the Fleece participation was not supposed to go out so soon. My error in clicking the wrong button too soon!

Shout Outs

This cake is unrelated to HKH, but very, very cool.

This is a very educational way to use a lot of yarn.

I Knit London, which carries Handknit Heroes, announced it on their blog and in their newsletter this week. When I’m out for the shows this Fall, I’ll be coming by the shop for a signing and to knit with you all!

We were in the Knit Spirit Podcast on February 6! She mentions comic books starting around 12:25, and Handknit Heroes at 12:43 to 14:35!

Another unrelated but cool knitting comic from Wondermark.

In case you don’t know, Keep the Fleece is part of the International Year of Natural Fibres to promote natural fiber use and raise money for Heifer International.

Handknit Heroes is about knitting superheroes who save the world.

You see where I’m going with this, right?

We’re making Keep the Fleece the focus of our charitable efforts this year. As a result, proceeds from our Mask Design Contest will go to benefit the Heifer Project as a team donation for the World’s Longest Scarf. We’re also sponsoring one of the KTF contest categories, and we’re participating in the Worlds Longest Scarf project. We’re inviting you to join our super-heroic team of scarf-creators! Check out the charity page for details and information on how to join our team!

Summer Submissions Still Open

Here’s another way to get in the Handknit Heroes team! We’re still looking for a great pattern for our Summer issue. The deadline for a design proposal is Friday, February 27th, with a final submitted pattern deadline of March 20. Check our guidelines for more details and information.

A Little Bonus: Exclusive on FreePatterns.com

Marc and I spent an intense week or so working on a 1-page promotional ad which is currently running exclusively on FreePatterns.com. It’s a cute little piece to introduce Handknit Heroes to a wider audience– it’s at the end of every PDF download of a knitting pattern for the next couple of months.

Here’s my favorite frame from the bonus page:

Where do I get a Copy?

We’ve been getting this question a lot this week, and although it’s answered in the FAQ, I thought I’d also answer it here.

You can buy a copy of Handknit Heroes at local yarn shops. You can find a shop through our store locator. If your local shop isn’t in the locator, please let them know about the comic so they can think about carrying it.

You can also subscribe to Handknit Heroes through our website.

You can also buy single issues directly from us at events, like the TKGA show in May (Portland), Maker Faire (San Francisco), and Alexandra Palace (London).

We don’t sell single copies from our site, but if you can’t find a store near you, try calling the nearest shop to see if they’ll sell you one by mail-order. A lot of local yarn shops are happy to do this, and most people don’t realize that they don’t have to be a walk-in customer to support local stores.

Alexandra Palace in October!

We’ve also been hard at work planning our attendance and participation at a large show in the UK! We’re going to have a nice little booth at the Knitting & Stitching show at Alexandra Palace on October 8-11. It’s a big event with a huge marketplace, and we hope you’ll come meet Marc and me and buy a few comics. We will both be there and signing copies on-site, so you’re welcome to bring your copies to be signed. The show is just a few weeks before the winter issue (Issue #4) ship out to subscribers and shops, so we’ll have some preview pages for you to see at the show– a great reason to come by the booth!
Shout Outs

We had a great shout-out over on PassionKnitly last week, who also blogged about going to the New York Comic Con this week. Sadly, we missed Comic Con in NY, and if Marc or I go to San Diego this summer, it’ll probably be as attendees, so I have much envy that you were able to go.

Dyeabolical Yarns posted a quick review of the comic book. She’s an indie hand-dyer with an etsy shop who dyed colorways like “Dark Knight” and “Devil Jonah.” My favorite? “Mutant Purple.” I should bug her to dye up some aran-weight Handknit Heroes colorways!

And last but definitely not least, I did an interview at the Mystery House of Yarn about creating Handknit Heroes, what’s coming next, and the whole process of writing a comic and putting it out there for the world.

Don’t forget– you can send your shout-outs to me by email, or post a comment over on the updates blog.

It’s official! We’ll be in Booth #60 at the Knit and Crochet Show May 14-16 in Portland, Oregon. Lots of knitting and crochet, classes and education, knitting, vendors, crochet, and comic books! We’ll have Issues 1 and 2 available, kits for sale, and of course, you can subscribe on the spot. Events are the only time you can buy single issues directly from us without being a subscriber (subscribers will be able to purchase back issues).

I’ll also be attending Stitches West as an attendee, but I’ll be wearing ComicKnits/Handknit Heroes T-shirts all weekend, so if you see me, stop and say hi!

New Shops!

I want to welcome a couple of our new shops, in Canada and the UK! Wabi-Sabi in Ottawa is the place to go if you’re looking for a knitting comic book. And I Knit London will be carrying it on their shelves very soon!

Remember, you can find a shop carrying Handknit Heroes at the Shop Locator page.

Shout Outs

The Knitting Contest Blog posted about our Mask Design Contest.

Two Knives Katie took her RV to San Antonio last week (RV shoutout!), where she found Handknit Heroes at local yarn shop Yarnivore!

Knit One, Poet Two gave us a great shout-out/link love! Thanks!

Another forum shoutout, this time over at Creative Living.

Yea I Knit curled up with Handknit Heroes and some dishcloth knitting last week.

Fran Ortmeyer at the Clover Blog met us at the TNNA show (not CHA, sorry– we know they blend together when they’re so close!)

And somehow, I missed Rebecca’s Knit Blog’s shoutout in late January. She also shows off her lovely knitted coffee cosy.

Knit on My Cat (love the name) posted a long, thorough review of Handknit Heroes, chock full of useful, loving critique, and linking to a review from her husband, the non-knitting comic-lover. Thanks for the great reviews, both of you– it’s wonderful to get a good look at the comic from different perspectives.

Thanks for all the shout-outs and linky love, folks!

Mask Design Contest!

As you may have noticed, Ana Miller needs a mask! For our Fall issue, we’ve decided to host a Mask Design Contest. Check out the guidelines and come back in a couple of weeks for the entry form. The deadline is June 15, 2009, and the winning design will be selected based on knitability, wearability, and drawability. Judges include myself, Marc, and Jill Sanders, a talented and versatile fiber artist from the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.

Press Coverage

We’ve had quite a bit of press coverage lately, but it was very gratifying to read the 10-page interview Marc did with RKYV Online. The interview starts on page 9 and includes tons of artwork from Marc’s other comics and from Handknit Heroes. If you’re looking for a great internal look at the art of Handknit Heroes, go check this out! The last page of the interview, page 19 has some minor story spoilers.

My favorite quote from the interview:

RJP: What do you think of the term “starving artist”?

Marc: I think it’s insulting to people who are actually starving.

Website Updates: FAQ and Issue #1 Profile Page

We’ve had a few requests for interior art for Issue #1, so we’ve added artwork to the home page. No spoilers here, but you’ll find some of the artwork and links to all our blog posts including the shout outs.

We also added an FAQ page for the more common questions we receive about the comic (including the red text boxes!) If you have questions, feel free to drop us a note using the contact page– we’d love to hear from you!

Shout Outs!

LimeDragon posted a great review of the comic (and the red text boxes).

Pieceful Ewe gave us a great shout out, including some killer one-liners!

Many welcomes to those of you who’ve found Handknit Heroes via the Mason-Dixon Knitting blog! Thanks for the shout-out!

Knitting Without Needles gave us a shout-out– did you know her alter ego is the Knitting Ninja?

Aly Knits and Knits had a “wow– I’ve seen it all” moment when she saw our comic. But then, I guess the pull was too strong. Our powers of persuasion were too much, and she subscribed.

We have a bunch of shout-outs that came in from the blogs and podcasts over the weekend!

First, Lime n Violet reviewed us in their nice long podcast last week! We’re in Episode #79, and the review is around 1 hour 22 minutes into the show. What an honor! What fun! Now you both have to read it– you’ll love it, I’m sure! Everyone else should check out the podcast, too– there’s a lot of fun in the show, and if you put a knitting project in your hands while you listen, you can imagine yourself at a stitch n’ bitch, listening to some of the funnier, sassier members of the knitting group relating their stories.

A Mano Yarn Center did a lovely write-up with more photos from the event I did last week!

One of our Sneak Peek participants, Lustrous Owl, gave us a nice review in her blog!

Ooo Shiny put a review up on the blog. The critiques: too short (I agree), and the pattern is easy. Well, that’s valid, too– the pattern is for beginning knitters. While I love knitting fiendishly difficult projects (I knit lace without a lifeline), I also think of new-to-knitting friends who want to knit, but need something between the Garter Stitch Scarf and intricate mosaic colorwork to really get them excited.

My friend Lynn gave me a shout out on her LiveJournal. Thanks, Lynn!

Another shoutout, from Knitting Passion. Hey, Barbara– there’s a shop in Fairbanks that carries the comic. Check it out if you ever get into town!

And the buzz made it into discussion forums! A rare sighting over at the City of Heroes forum, and a mention in the Yarn in Tights group on Ravelry (members-only site).

Thanks everyone!

And remember, if you post to your blog or find a mention, feel free to send it in, or post a comment here!

Also, if you start knitting the POW! Hooded Scarf, let me know. I’d LOVE to see pictures of your project! One of my friends, a new knitter, did her swatch yesterday during the Superbowl, and is ready to cast on for the whole scarf. She’s knitting it in a lovely single-ply wool with shades of blue and brown– it’s gorgeous and the first time I’ll have seen this scarf in a variegated yarn.

We’ve been busy all weekend at the TNNA trade show, getting Handknit Heroes into the hands of retailers, designers, teachers, and the press. The response has been overwhelmingly positive– everyone loves the pattern, the story, and most of all, the concept behind it. After all, it’s one we’re all familiar with: knitters save the world!

More wonderfully, we have had some terrific ideas floating around our booth all weekend long, so look for some very exciting developments starting with Issue #2!

Subscriptions and retail orders are shipping this week, starting on Tuesday. We ship orders and subscriptions every day, so if you subscribe on Thursday, your copy will be in the mail by Friday.

Our Shop Listing page will go live tomorrow, so you’ll know where to find Issue #1 locally.

I’ll be in Los Angeles next week, and a couple of the shops have invited me to come by for some mini launch parties. Stay tuned– we’ll post details on Wednesday.

Also, we have some fun, awesome sightings of Handknit Heroes in the wild this weekend:

Danido’s blog For the Bright at Heart did a great videoblog on Youtube on Saturday, where they talked about their shop’s sneak peek copy of Handknit Heroes! Thanks for the great review! I tend to agree on the “more knitting, please” critique, but I think you’ll all be very pleased with the opening panels of Issue #2.

Erssie gave us a shout out this week– thanks again, Erssie!

Also, completely unrelated to Handknit Heroes, but completely awesome, is Mark Newport’s comic book fiber arts on installation at Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle.

Have you spotted Handknit Heroes in the wild, at your local yarn shop, or on a blog, magazine, or podcast? Send us a link for a shout-out!