December 7th, 2019
Happy weekend, family and friends — longtime and brand new! I hope this letter finds you with a perfectly piping cup of cocoa, tremendously thick socks wrapped around your toes and a purring pet passed out by your feet. Wherever you are, I hope you’re well and having a peaceful season.
I love the holidays. Not a particular day or tradition; just this time of year, when people tend to reflect on themselves and try to be better humans to one another. I see it every day, and it’s the kind of cheesy warmth that coats my heart. I know the holidays are not everybody’s favorite, but I hope you can find the positive light of the season in your life.
Now I want to say: thank you. This was my first full year as a comic creator, and “full” is the perfect word to describe it; it was so full, and all because of you. I just added the people I met at GalaxyCon in November to the mailing list, and the list is over 500 people long now from this last year alone. Each person on that list I met in real life — one by one, they’re people that I got to know, got to adore, got to connect to, and get to remain lifelong friends and acquaintances with. People like you. And these were just the folks who filled out a giveaway guess; I literally met thousands of people at conventions and gatherings throughout Minnesota in 2019 (and the last half of 2018). Thank you for talking to me, for listening to me, for giving me the fuel I needed to get off the ground and to just get up in the morning some days. You’re the secret ingredient to how I get things done.
If you did attend GalaxyCon and are wondering: “How many stars were on the bowl?!” The answer? 404. The closest guess was Piper with 406, and her free copy of The Flying Squirrel is in the mail and will be there before Christmas. We give over here at Sleeping KItty Productions; at least one winner per con, for giveaways in the double digits! And there will be no slowing down next year.
Speaking of: next year! What’s the plan? Well, some of you know I’m neck-deep in coloring every issue of The Weirdos to be collected and released as a single book — a Collector’s Edition Graphic Novel in 2020. It’s going to be filled with behind-the-scenes and bonus material, and it’s the ultimate cut of The Weirdos’ first story. The definitive origin of these four characters who are so close to my heart it both hurts and heals.
Also: guess what launched today?! MY OFFICIAL WEBSITE! Not a new account on an existing platform; no, dennisvogen.com is a real thing and it is glorious. It’s Dennis+. And it isn’t lacking in content; I chose and carefully curated 75 of my favorite blog posts from across social media over the past few years for you to enjoy. And a link to the shop, and a lake in which to drop me a line. So please do!
2019 was an absolutely amazing year. Thank you again. SO. MUCH. I hope you’ll stay aboard in 2020, because as far as I’m concerned, it’s full speed ahead and we’re sailing through the stars.
Love you all, Squirrels.
Den
The Den 