Telling Secrets & Other Uses for Sharpies
The making of Geesh
Today, a peek at my very own book-in-progress. In my 30 year professional image-making career, I never thought telling secrets with stick figures would connect with people on such a base level. Could this Geesh graphic novel become a multi-volume sensation? Step aside Grant Snider, there’s room for two of us. (Although I’m the PG-13 version.) Pour yourself a cascara tea and let’s get into it.
We’re all familiar with the J.K. Rowling story about the 12 publishers that passed on her Harry Potter book. This email isn’t a submission to get published, it’s putting out feelers to see who’s gonna pass. But, if you happen to be that one publisher who can see a diamond in the rough, this email is for you!
The inspiration to create this world came from a single line I heard on the podcast Working It Out with Mike Birbiglia. The guest on the episode was Pete Holmes. After a long, deep, existential dissection of what comedy is they both agreed that when you boil down stand up comedy to its essence it’s nothing more than being vulnerable, speaking the truth, and ‘telling people a secret.’
I took this literally and made it my north star as I developed Geesh. I could hardly wait to take it ‘on the road’ where I did my version of open mics. Each story is 20 panels and equal to a one minute set. Instead of going from comedy club to comedy club to try out my new material I went from sub to sub on Reddit. Much like how comedians do the club circuit for a year or more, cherry pick all the bangers then bundle it into a Netflix special, I’m doing the same but without the streaming part.
Reddit audience vs IG audience
My social platform of choice is Reddit. Don’t look at my IG, it’s a ghost town. Reddit has so much more utility. These audiences love to read and are brutally opinionated, but the raw feedback helps shape and sharpen my material.
I’m loving the open mic part where I curate my hits & bombs. My audiences are a mirror of truth with a very sensitive bullshit detector. I’ve discovered the stories can run wild with fiction but they must have a truthful backbone. Sometimes I’ll write/draw a story that I think is going to be great and it ends up being a complete dud. See the golf ball love story above. While other stories are surprisingly relatable like when 9 year old me got caught self-pleasuring. (never called it that til just now)
The stories are ripped straight from my everyday life, or childhood life, often silly but sometimes have serious underpinnings (cancer, anxiety, finance). The first story I did was called My Sharpie Life about dropping the iconic marker on the tile floor and dulling the tip. It became my ‘Bluntie’ and I found other practical uses for it like hiding the silver fox streaks in my hair. Turns out there’s a lot of Sharpie lovers out there who also use them for very different things (don’t look it up). Another story was when I tipped over in my kayak in one of Florida’s shark infested waters. Only to end up talking to the shark about why it didn’t eat me.
Spin Offs
I spun off an experimental educational season called Geesh Edu where I added a character called Knowledge Dog who helps unpack psychology concepts for college students. She’s known to create hypothetical studies like this one with rats and bagels that helps explain what ’statistical significance’ is. Scroll down a bit to see the praise from college students.
I also wrote a script for Geesh: the animated series (I’ve spent decades working for animation studios) where the main character ‘Stickmin’ is able to bring to life other silhouetted characters from everyday signage. He assembles a team of misfits to try to save the DOT from a potential mass casualty event, masterminded by the neighborhood watch guy.
The best way to experience these graphic novel-ish stories is to pretend you’re at a comedy club, flip through the carousel one panel at a time, and read the comments. Start with the self-pleasure story. Some of the audience provides bonus entertainment with their own first time stories. And of course the hecklers. There’s always hecklers.
The curated Geesh list:
+My Sharpie Life: Bluntie (slightly NSFW)
+Cancer Chronicles: 71 Virgins (conclusion here)
+Failing 4th Grade: Getting Closure
+A Surprise for Brian: Middle School Textbook (slightly NSFW)
+A Shark Story: Unsinkable
+The One & Only Time: Self-Pleasure Party (1 mil + views)
+Welcome to the Jungle: An Animation Horror Story
+For the Love of Golf: A Ballin’ Affair
+Fear, Uncertainty & Death: Drop in for a Visit
Geesh Edu: (scroll down to the slides to see all)
+Piaget vs Vygotsky
+Pygmalion in the Classroom
+The London Taxi Cab Experiment
+Theories & Hypothesis
+Statistical Significance
+Tame Your Thoughts: Metacognition
The thing I hope I can get publishers most excited about with Geesh is that I seem to have an endless well of stories to tell. For every one I do, I get two new ideas. And to be honest, it’s therapeutic as hell, and people are asking for more. Just the cancer stories alone make me feel like I now have some control over a disease that dominated my life for 3 years back in 2014. (I’ve been cancer-free since.)
Sorry for the sensational subject line but I really do believe the publisher who pulls the trigger on this will make the ROI of the year. If you’re a publisher and you have a warm interest in this, let me know and I’ll share the proper submission. Let’s leave a legacy.
Until next time,
TL
Clients: Disney / Cartoon Network / RTFKT (Nike) / Locksmith animation studio/ Illumination / Hasbro / DNEG / Universal Studios
Publishing: SCHOLASTIC / HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT / LARK /WALL STREET JOURNAL / ENSLOW / IDW / JONAS PUBLISHING / WORTHWHILE BOOKS / DISNEY / PEARSON / WILEY / SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL / ZONDERVAN / REDDIT