Glenn Fleishman

Fascinated by how comics pass from an artist’s hand through to the printed page—or a display? I’ve spent years researching, interviewing, and developing *How Comics Were Made: A Visual History from the Drawing Board to the Printed Page*.

If you’d like to a rich history of 130 years of newspaper cartooning told with original art, printing artifacts, and much more, pre-order now for delivery later this year: https://howcomicsweremade.ink/order

Participate :: How Comics Were Made: a Visual History of Printing Cartoons by Glenn Fleishman

Feb 27, 2024 at 5:08pmWeb
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024

If you’re a “Zippy the Pinhead” or “Peanuts” fan (or both), I have two very exciting higher-tier rewards that are absolutely unique.

Bill Griffith has authorized me to produce a 1991 strip about the horrors of digital scanning as a re-creation of flong and a letterpress print. That’s right: ARE WE HAVING FLONG YET? We are, indeed. This is a $500 tier due to the cost of production, licensing, and special nature of the thing.

Read more at the campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/how-comics-were-made/rewards#reward-UmV3YXJkLVVtVjNZWEprTFRrM01EWTBPRFk9

Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024
Flongs (or mats) of comics haven’t been made since probably the 1980s. Working with letterpress printer, artist, and educator Jessica Spring, we’ll be using a lush handmade paper to produce a print that has both the mold re-creation and the letterpress print in a very limited quantity. The image is a preview; the final print will include a metal typeset label and be on a single sheet, suitable for framing. Behold the rich depth!
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024
For Peanuts fans, you can get an absolutely wild thing: a four-piece set of color separations in mat or “flong” format for a Peanuts Sunday comic in the 1970s. I have 25 sets available; I’m not sure any complete sets exist in the world (even single sheets are rare). At that tier, in addition, you get two copies of the print and ebook, two book plates, and you are DRAWN INTO THE BOOK! (or someone you love and obtain a model release from) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/how-comics-were-made/rewards#reward-UmV3YXJkLVVtVjNZWEprTFRrMk9EZ3hNakU9
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024
If you are curious which Peanuts flongs are available, I made a spreadsheet with the date, a brief description, and a link to the (black-only) GoComics archived version for the date: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RzJitzDobVafslL8VY0t6Iy419JjGgmxQoG_BHeQcBc/edit?usp=sharing
Peanuts four-color flongs, full sets - Google Drive

Show threadoisinFeb 27, 2024
@glennf Ah the Flong, inhabitants of the island of San Serriffe
Show threadBoxOfRainFeb 27, 2024
@glennf
Oh my!
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 2, 2024

Excitingly, book project just passed $60,000 of $150,000 required to make it all work—design, licensing, printing, shipping, travel, scanning fees, editing, proofing, indexing! Being 40% of the way there is a good way towards 100%!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/how-comics-were-made?ref=1fga5h

Show threadSean KleefeldMar 2, 2024
@glennf 40% in ... what? Three days? Four? That's fantastic!
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 2, 2024
@SKleefeld launched on Tuesday! Well, campaigns often front and backload so I was a little worried on Wednesday!
Show threadDoug WilsonFeb 27, 2024

@glennf Did you read comics when you were a kid? Did you ever wonder how they got from the artist to the newspaper? I know I did.

Back this project by someone who knows how to make great KS projects!

Show threadSt. ChrisFeb 27, 2024
@glennf yes yes okay backed yes glenn take my money again
Show threadSt. ChrisMar 26, 2024
@glennf YES!
Show threadSecretAntelope 🌈Feb 27, 2024
@glennf
Will definitely back! I've always loved comics, seems like a cool project.
Show threadAslak RaanesFeb 27, 2024

@glennf

> SHIPS TO
> Only certain countries

and Norway isn’t among those while Sweden, Finland and Denmark are.

Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024
@aslakr For reasons of customs and duties, Norway is outside the EU (though I know it's in a cooperation zone that is harmonized). I'm importing books into the EU To ship only within the EU and to the UK (which has a zero-rating – no VAT, no fees – on books).
Show threadAslak RaanesFeb 27, 2024
@glennf But there shouldn't be any customs or VAT on books https://www.toll.no/en/goods/books/ ?
Books - Norwegian Customs

You do not pay customs duty or VAT on books for your own private use.

Toll.no
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024
@aslakr Oh, that is interesting! I just looked up my expect shipping prices from the Irish fulfillment company I plan to use, and Norway is just the same as neighbors. I'll add Norway as a special case in just a minute! With the same UK/EU price.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024
@aslakr Now updated! Thank you for giving me the research!
Show threadmikeboasFeb 27, 2024
@glennf Happy to get in on the early bird deal! I was just showing some friends the Shift Happens set over the weekend.
Show threadCraig GrannellFeb 27, 2024
@glennf looks fab. And I do hope that British VAT thing is read carefully by folks who order here. I recall someone I knew years back getting stung from a mixed shipment that was basically a pile of books and a CD. Customs was merciless. 20% on the lot, including the shipping.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024

@craiggrannell The USPS is getting snippy about it, too. If you try to drop off “Media Mail” (which is books, CDs, audiotapes, and DVDs, so broad) they now practically read you the riot act, as Media Mail is 25% to 50% of the cost of the standard package rate.

I’ve had incredibly good luck with UK 0% book VAT, though! Shift Happens made its way through to people as well with literally a statement on the box citing UK law and noting the 0% VAT!

Show threadCraig GrannellFeb 27, 2024
@glennf Yeah, you and customers should be fine with just books. I bought a terrifyingly expensive and large box from InStockTrades during covid and that sailed through. But had there been anything VAT-rated in the box… (Honesty, given the Tories, I’m surprised books are still zero-rated, but rather glad they are.)
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 27, 2024
@craiggrannell One of the few countries that does that. The US has no import duties on printed books and similar stuff; Norway, apparently! But most of Europe has severe rates—15% to 30%! I’m talking with an Irish fulfillment company: will freight from Canada to them, pay import tax as an importer (getting an EU out-of-region VAT), then they can ship to UK (0%) and rest of EU + Norway without prepaying any additional VAT owed in excess of Republic of Ireland rates.
Show threadLawrenceFeb 29, 2024
@glennf Just backed! But don't you ship to Japan?
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 29, 2024
@lawrencelry I do not, sorry. The cost is unfortunately both incredibly high and unpredictable. Shippers won’t offer a fixed price but rather charge based on a base price plus factors they don’t disclose fully enough to know what the final total will be.
Show threadLawrenceFeb 29, 2024
@glennf I see. But somehow Shift Happens did ship to Japan? (It's okay, I can have HCWM shipped to the US. Just curious.)
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 1, 2024
@lawrencelry The cost was…unfortunately both incredibly high and unpredictable! Marcin can give you more detail as I don’t want to reveal budgetary stuff without his permission. cc @mwichary But let’s say that FedEx doesn’t offer a true flat rate: they add surcharges for a lot of reasons. So some packages to some places were about what was expected; others, quite a lot more with no way to be told that in advance.
Show threadLawrenceMar 1, 2024
@glennf @mwichary Thanks! No need to reveal anything. Have you tried Yamato America though? I'm asking because the trans-shipment company I use ships stuff (almost always books) to me (from the US) with Yamato every time. Just for future reference.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 1, 2024
@lawrencelry I have not! Looking at their rates, it's still very expensive. It might fit in size and weight into Size 60 for TA-Q-BIN, but that's $58 "plus fuel and other surcharges." That's what bit us with Shift Happens (fuel surcharges are typically 15–20% right now; "other" is a very large and expensive category). The Eco service is cheaper ($21 and includes fuel surcharges) but requires UPS delivery to Yamato USA Branch.
Show threadJoachimFeb 29, 2024
@glennf looks interesting! Is it centered solely on north-American comics, or does the book talks about the French-Belgian bandes dessinées and Japanese manga? (beyond occasional passing mentions)
Show threadGlenn FleishmanFeb 29, 2024
@joachim Newspaper comics from North America primarily—although that’s a function of materials and exposure, not interest. I have been unable to find almost any source material or contemporary writing about non-NA newspaper comics. And comic books (of all sorts) are a whole other world: they were largely and remain largely centrally managed by a few large firms (in the US at least), and the printing materials don't seem to have survived. Then, there are rights issues!
Show threadJoachimMar 1, 2024
@glennf ah yes of course, I hadn’t thought about all that, thank you!
Show threadMatt BlazeFeb 29, 2024
@glennf That looks great!
Show threadMichael VilainMar 5, 2024
@glennf You musta loved the closing credits of THE POST. I don't know where they resurrected those Linotype machines, but they look like larger versions of what we had in my High School Print Shop.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 5, 2024
@mvilain I still haven't seen it, improbably! I have heard about the scene. There are 100s of Linotypes still in working order, but very few in the same place!
Show threadwerrettMar 15, 2024

@glennf Backed! Looks like a beautiful passion project. Out of interest do you touch on Lee Falk / The Phantom comics?

The Phantom had a huge following right up to the present day in Australia.

Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 15, 2024
@werrett I don’t believe I will. A lot of what will be in the book will rely on the combination of what materials survived, what I have access to, and what's in the public domain/orphaned or I can negotiate with an estate, corporation, or living artist! I've done quite a bit of that work so far; a lot more to go.
Show threadgedaweiMar 19, 2024
@glennf As a kid in the 1960’s, I saw my mom do the lettering for a syndicated newspaper comic strip called David Crane, by Craig Flessel. Craig lived in the same town (Huntington NY) and he’d regularly come to our home to pick up the completed strips that my mom lettered in her bedroom. I remember the strips were pretty large, maybe a foot high and a few feet long. If I recall correctly, the strips were just sketched in by Craig, the words pencilled in, and then got lettered by my mom.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 19, 2024
@gedawei that is so cool! Do you know how she would have wound up doing that?
Show threadgedaweiMar 19, 2024
@glennf @gedawei Well, kind of. After she graduated from the School of Art & Design in Manhattan (Tony Bennett was a classmate!), where she studied calligraphy, she got a job at DC Comics (around 1945), doing lettering for their comic books. She quit that full-time job, with a long commute, when she started a family. Once we were a little older, mom found this part-time job through her contacts at DC Comics. It was fortunate that Craig lived close by.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 19, 2024
@gedawei really interesting! Do you have photos of her at work? I’m trying to expose hidden labor, particularly women and manual labor (like in printing and engraving plants) because it’s little remembered! I’d love to include her in the book!
Show threadgedaweiMar 19, 2024
@glennf @gedawei I don’t think we do have a picture, but I can look. She set up an easel in the bedroom, where should would lay out the big strips (they were made of a strong, but somewhat flexible paper material - similar to poster paper.) Her work at DC Comics and for Flessel definitely fits the description of “hidden labor.” I’ve tried to find some kind of documentation for her work, but nothing yet. Thanks so much for the offer to include her. She passed about 12 years ago. Unsung hero!
Show threadChris HoadleyMar 23, 2024
@glennf I just backed How Comics Were Made: a Visual History of Printing Cartoons on #Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/how-comics-were-made?ref=thanks-toot
Show threadThadMar 26, 2024

@glennf Pledged for the physical edition. Looks interesting.

Looks like you're picking up steam in the home stretch. Best of luck.

Show threadEyesMar 26, 2024
@glennf have you looped Fantagraphics in on this? It seems like the kind of thing they would like to see made.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 26, 2024
@Eyes Yes, I had an early informal meeting with a great person there who was absolutely encouraging, introduced me to cartoonists and others, and let me interview him at length for his specialized knowledge! (It didn't fit their publishing needs, but he really hoped the book would happen, which was lovely of him.)
Show threadMichael B. JohnsonMar 26, 2024
@glennf Saw you just passed $150K - congrats!
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 26, 2024
@Drwave Thank you so much! A real community effort—it's been wonderful to connect with people interested in what I'll be able to share!
Show threadBoxOfRainMar 27, 2024
@glennf
Excellent!!!
Show threadBill RickerMar 27, 2024
@glennf
update Edits are useful,
but i can't re-Boost the edited post.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 27, 2024
@n1vux You have to un-boost to re-boost? That works on my Mastodon client at least!
Show threadBill RickerMar 27, 2024

@glennf @n1vux

that works.
devious but it works.
(I vaguely recall having that thought before. Feels kinda backwards / subversive tho. )

Show threadGlenn FleishmanMar 27, 2024
@BRicker The only rules are the ones we make!
Show threadBill RickerMar 27, 2024

@glennf

all sing (to the tune of Monty Python's Spam)

Flong Flong Flong Flong;
Flong Flong Flong Flong!
Wonderful Flong!!