Kickstarter

The last 6 years have been one heck of an adventure. When we decided to collect our full body of work into The Monster Volume, we didn't really know what to expect. Printing a larger scale project overseas was definitely a mystery to us, while adding Kickstarter to the mix cranked the roller coaster ride to 11.

Over the last 10 months we have been absolutely blown away by the support from CreatureBoxers across the world. We had our share of bumps, delays and monumental learning experiences, but you guys stood by us while we pushed these crazy cartoons out into the world. We can’t thank you enough for that.

After slaying the Kickstarter shipping dragons, we are excited to announce The Monster Volume will be available in our shop tomorrow @ Noon EST (Monday, 5-13-13). This will be the last of our stock and we currently don't have plans for a reprint. (We love self publishing, but we need to get our butts back behind the art table.) If you know anyone looking for a copy, this might be their best chance to grab the creatures before they scurry back under the bed.

Thanks again for all of your support throughout the campaign. We couldn't have made it this far without you. Please spread the word so we can find good homes for these little creatures.

We're looking forward to returning to our blog with new images and projects, so keep your eyes peeled for the next monstrous chapter!

--the creatures

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Hey everyone, here’s a quick update for where we are with shipments:

Domestic:

Today, the domestic SUPER VILLAIN PACKAGES ($65 book w/ Slip-Case) were picked up by FedEx from the warehouse! You should be receiving an email notification for your package soon. Please be sure to check the email address you provided in the survey.

International:

We will begin sending out the international orders hopefully by the middle of this week. Our first shipment will be both V1 and V2 of the Villain Packages ($35) and Nemesis Packages ($45).

Our plan is to have the remaining V1 and V2 SUPER VILLAIN PACKAGES ($65 book w/ Slip-Case) sent out this coming Monday, April 8th. We’ll send out an Update with more info on that soon.

IMPORTANT: You will receive an email notification only when your book has been shipped. Please be sure to check the email address you provided in the survey.

VERY IMPORTANT: There are still a handful of our international backers who have not paid for shipping. We have sent emails to you directly through your Kickstarter account. Please check your INBOX and follow the payment instructions. We will not ship your book if the shipping has not been paid.

Also IMPORTANT: If you have ever wondered why shipping things internationally take a long time, please see the picture below. Yup, and that’s not even all of it!

Anyway, THE END IS NEAR! Well, the end of the shipping the books out anyway. HURRAY! 

Hey everybody, we've made lots of delivery progress so let's jump into the details!

Slipcases!
The slipcases have arrived! We were originally slated to receive the shipment on Friday the 15th, but truck mechanical errors pushed the delivery to yesterday. We spent the morning getting started on sorting and stuffing and we'll be working as quick as we can to get some initial slipcase shipments started. Our current schedule has the first slipcase shipment ($65 tiers and above) slated for April 1st and we'll include as many books as we can muster into the pickup.

Domestic Shipments ($35 and $45 tiers)
As of now (outside of a handful of books), we have shipped all the Domestic 35 and 45 tiers. That's over 1400 books in the wild! If you are part of the Domestic 35 or 45 tiers and have not received your tracking information, please message us directly through Kickstarter and we'll look up your info.

International Shipments
We are just about ready to continue shipping the 35 and 45 tier international orders. As you all know, shipping internationally is expensive and takes a ton of organization. We're finalizing a few details but the books should begin their journey soon. When they are picked up, you receive an email with your tracking information. Please keep an eye on your package to help avoid any errors or delays!

Thanks again to all of you for your support and patience over the last several months. We've received several touching comments and emails as the books have been arriving in backer's hands. It's wild to see parents sharing our bizarre cartoons with their kids. You've all made this experience unforgettable.

We're almost there!
--the creatures

Great news folks--shipping has commenced! We know many of you have been wondering about our schedule, so we'll jump right into the specifics. We've listed below several dates to help map out our plans for March. We couldn't be more excited to get the books out to all of you!

We've shipped 6 of these bad boys so far!

Domestic Shipments 

-On February 13th, we shipped our first batch of 200 books! This was an enormous learning experience, helping us refine our shipping process. We now are bulk shipment machines!

-Yesterday we shipped out over 700 books. At this point all domestic $35 tiers have been shipped.

-On Monday, March 11th we are planning to have another 500+ domestic books shipped out. This shipment will fulfill all of the domestic $45 tiers. 

International Shipments 

-The international shipments have begun! There's a ton of paperwork to be done for each of these shipments, but we have been working closely with FedEx to help us organize and expedite the process. 

-Along with our March 11th shipment, we also sent a small handful of international shipments to understand the process. 

-We are currently organizing our spreadsheets for the international $35 and $45 tiers so they can go out as soon as possible. 

Slip-Cases!

-On Friday, March 15th, the slip-cases are scheduled to arrive. If everything looks good, we'll be sorting, stuffing and boxing them up as fast as our little hands can move so they can be shipped out. We will post an update with specific dates once we have them. 

-We are doing everything we can to have all of the remaining books shipped by the end of this month. We will keep you posted on our progress. 

Tracking Numbers 

When your book has shipped, FedEx will send your tracking information to the email address you provided on the Kickstarter survey. 

Thanks for your continued patience!

We certainly understand that delays can be frustrating. Believe us, no one is more frustrated than the two of us. But we are making this happen, and your continued support is the fuel we need to make it to the finish line.

Thanks again,
--the creatures

Hey everybody,

It's that time for another Monster Volume update so let's jump right in...

Slipcase Update

We finally recently received some additional info on our slipcase production. Long story short, our printer grossly miscalculated the production time to create the materials. Since each case is hand crafted, creating over 1000 of them took additional time outside our planned schedule. Simply put, we're pissed. Delays are never good for anyone, and we protested as loud as we could, but this one was completely out of our hands. Fortunately we have confirmation they are completed and in transit and we will let you guys know the second we have more info.

Boxing, Shipping and the Mailman

As you know, we decided to invest in some custom boxes for our deliveries and they fortunately arrived without a hitch. Over the last few weeks we have been working nonstop with our loving wives to prepare and box hundreds of books for shipping. The photos below give a small glimpse of the mountain we're attacking.

We are particularly excited to announce the first 200 books will be picked up by FedEx tomorrow! When your book is shipped, you will receive a FedEx email which will include your tracking number. Once you receive the email, please be on the lookout! For domestic orders, books will be delivered by Smart Post which is a partnership between FedEx and the USPS. While the mailman makes the final delivery, you will have door to door tracking.

We know everyone would like to know exactly when their book is going out, but we won't have that information. But we'll definitely be working with FedEx to get the books out as quickly as we can.

It's tough to believe, but we began working on the Monster Volume collection in February 2012. There hasn't been a single day in the last year that didn't involve the project in some way or another. From layout, to painting, to the campaign, to proofing, to Kickstarter messages, to countless hours in a warehouse, it's tough to put everything into words. We get some of you will be frustrated. We understand. Just know we're here to make a goofy book of monsters the best we can.

More to come--thanks again for everything folks!

--the creatures