San Diego Comic-Con just wasn’t the same this year. Oh, it was awesome, don’t get me wrong. IT’S ALWAYS AWESOME. I debuted my third Cool Jerk book, a new t-shirt design and a new hand-made product— the Cool Jerk Canvas Panel. And judging by sales, they were well-received.

But it just wasn’t the same. I have many regulars (and irregulars, truly) who have always made an effort to come by the Cool Jerk table and at least say hi, if not buy some of my stuff. They’re not fans. They’re friends. And a busload — no exaggeration — of local regulars couldn’t/didn’t make it to SDCC this year, for one reason or another (economy, tickets sold out, conflicting plans, sequestered for jury duty, boob job…). So I promised to hold a Cool Jerk Comic-CAN for my peeps.

This Saturday (Sept. 25), I’ll be having a three-hour book signing at M-Theory Music in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. I’ll have dozens of copies of Cool Jerk Vol. 3: Bimboozled, ready to sign off to you in person. Plus, I’ll have Hodabeast (Vol. 1) and Chickadoowa (Vol. 2) just in case you need to complete your library or your holiday shopping three months early! And just like my comic-con special— if you buy all three Cool Jerk books, you’ll get Doc Splatter Ominous Omnibus for FREE! The table space is somewhat limited, so I’m not going to be selling t-shirts, stickers or other items, but I will have the Canvas Panels on hand, too.

I realize a three-hour book signing pales to SDCC. But here are some plusses: NO $30 admission! Short lines! Wear whatever shoes you like! No eye-stabbings! And… how about a taco?

In her quest to make this event even more awesome, Darlene talked with Tabe BBQ — San Diego’s premier mobile cuisine — and they’re going to be parking their taco truck next door at the library for the first half of the signing (5-6:30pm)! So to make this more synergetic, I’m doing this: For every Cool Jerk book bought, I buy you a taco. This is a first-come, first-served offer, open to the first 20 books sold! Buy three books? THREE FREE TACOS! Comics and tacos? Did I just make your Saturday? You KNOW I did!

Here’s the event poster, with all the particulars. In short: Cool Jerk Comic-CAN, M-Theory Music at the top of the Washington Street hill, this Saturday from 5-8pm.

Thanks to M-Theory for hosting this little shingig (please throw some business their way, too!) and Tabe BBQ (their fish tacos are really, really good. I know what I’m having for dinner!).

Wednesday’s Cool Jerk signing at Burbank’s House of Secrets was terrific. Erik and Paul (the owners of HoS) are übermensch and their shop flat-out kicks ass. Patton Oswalt stopped in twice, but alas, no Cool Jerk for him. Was kinda hoping the cast from The Big Bang Theory would wander in (Darlene and I were part of the live-studio audience the night before).

It was grueling, having to hang out IN A COMICS SHOP FOR 9 AND A HALF HOURS! And even though the weather was frightful (torrential flooding, lightning, waterspouts, locusts), I’d estimate close to 300 people stopped in to get their weekly four-color hook-ups. A testament to how awesome House of Secrets is.

Special thanks to all the people that stopped by my display and/or picked up a book or two: Jenn (and for bringing in her cupcakes), Sarah, Jodi, Ed, Todd, Dan, Jared, Drew, Rob, Art, Chris, Daniel and Amy (House of Secrets’ ambassador of good will — see photo)!

Take out your Sharpie and mark your calendars, Los Angelenos!

I’ll be signing at House of Secrets on Wednesday, January 20 from 11 am until the store closes at 8:30 pm. Owners Erik and Paul were gracious enough to give me the green light to stink up their store for a day, allowing me to sell my full library of Cool Jerk and Doc Splatter books IN PERSON. What better way to meet a comic creator than to drop some folding money and get a book (or three) personalized to you with a signature and sketch?

House of Secrets is located at 1930 Olive Ave. in beautiful Burbank (home of Bob Hope and the potato ball). See you there!