Ahoy Reader!

Thanks again for joining our dusty adventure! The Dragon battle is now well underway, but who will emerge triumphant??

Here is a drawing from 2008 depicting a first draft of the dragon fight. This page is from the very first mini-comic issue of DRINK WATER! which told the tale of a dry and dusty Wednesday in Black Rock City. This mini-comic is serving as an outline for the story of Wednesday currently being told in Vol. II.  This page also inspired the artwork for Episode #294 (see if you can spot the differences). I considered just including it in the narrative, but thought the costume change would create some confusion and continuity errors, so chose to redraw the scene instead.

The first issue of DRINK WATER! circa 2008 – Very rare!

The Dragon Battle is a true story from Burning Man 2000. It followed the first ride of Draka the Dragon, who was introduced that year with a grand parade along the Esplanade led by the March Fourth Marching Band (as seen in ep #287). Although, some of the dragons currently depicted in our story were not actually present at the battle in 2000 (such as Heavy Meta, Abraxas, etc), I’m choosing to include them for dramatic effect. In the world of DRINK WATER!, all art installations, mutant vehicles, and characters from throughout Burning Man’s history are present together in the narrative at the same time. All years are the same year, every week is the same week. The city is a place outside of real time.

I’m hoping to wrap up the Dragon Battle and finish Chapter 12 by the end of this year (fingers crossed), and then its off to the THUNDERDOME for Chapter 13! Thanks again for visiting the site and following along with our dusty tale! Thanks also for all your comments and messages, I appreciate the support and suggestions. Till next time….

Stay hydrated out there! Yar!

Neptune

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Thanks to everyone who’s been following along with our dusty playa tale this year, and especially to all of those who have reached out with comments and requests. We’re always looking for suggestions of installation art, mutant vehicles, or other playa tales to include (tall or otherwise). What would you like to see in upcoming episodes? Let us know! Request lines are open…

This week’s episode makes 27 new pages posted so far this year! We’re getting close to the end of Chapter 12 (which was started way back in 2023), and then it’s off to the THUNDERDOME for Chapter 13! And then, way down the road, Chapter 14 will wrap up the story of Wednesday and close out Volume II. 

Stay hydrated out there! The Man burns in 11 days! Yar!

Neptune

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DRINK WATER! The Power of Hydration

DC Wilson
Burning Man ~ Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference
Saturday, April 5th, 2025
Philadelphia, PA

The history of Black Rock City, as seen from the perspective of the Fire Conclave and told through the pages of the webcomic, DRINK WATER! An exploration into the history of a recurring playa art project that has been sustained over the course of 25 years. Examine Burning Man history both in the light of the fugitive nature of immediacy, and the enduring potential of the underlying concepts and creative ideas. Dive into ways to bring the Burn home, and what the experience can teach us about the nature of self-reliance, inclusivity, gifting, and the risks of commodification. For fans of playa art, fire arts, hydrating & dreaming; and for those who attempt the often harrowing task of organizing volunteers in a communal effort to create lasting and unique artworks.

Neptune . . . . . . . .  )’( . . . . . . . .

Thanks again to everyone who supported the Kickstarter Campaign! The books have arrived and shipping has begun. Apologies again for all the delays, everything takes longer than you’d think, but roughly half of the orders have shipped so far and the rest will go out over the next week. I ordered a few extra copies of the book and mini comics, which will become available once all of the rewards have shipped. Limited supply, but there will be some additional copies available soon.

So thanks again for your patience, keep an eye on the mailbox, and stay hydrated out there! Yar!

Neptune

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Thanks again to everyone who supported the print edition of DRINK WATER! Vol. 1! Final Proof has been approved, and books are off to the printer. Should be here within a few weeks.

The proof process went a bit longer than anticipated, my apologies for the delay. The final proof was approved on 3/14, Pi day! (which seems appropriate for a 360 page book about a circular city). During this process, I adjusted some of the pages for gutter loss, added a protective coating to the holo-chrome cover, and printed both 60# and 70# interior pages to compare.

My expectations on the timeline may have been a bit overly optimistic, but we’re getting close now! Looking forward to getting these out into the world, and going back to drawing Vol. 2! Thanks again to everyone for your support and patience throughout this process, and stay hydrated out there!

xo
Neptune
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Ahoy Reader! Happy New Year!

Thanks to everyone who supported the Kickstarter last year! The first proof of DRINK WATER! Vol. 1 has arrived and it looks GREAT! There are a few adjustments to be made, so I will be ordering a second proof before going to print which may delay the delivery date. Still hoping to ship sometime in February, but stay tuned for updates. I’d prefer to get it right then get it fast, but either way they should be out by Spring.

The stickers and other extras are already here, and I’ve made a lot of progress on the custom sketches. So once the books are ready, they can be signed, wrapped, and shipped out the door. I’ll post updates here and on the Kickstarter page as we make progress throughout this process.

On a somewhat unrelated note… my Facebook and Instagram accounts were hacked and suspended back in November by Meta, so I no longer have accounts on those social media platforms. The DRINK WATER! FB & IG pages are still up but I can’t access them. They are currently adrift without an administrator. I have written to Meta multiple times, but have received no response. I suspect the company may be run entirely by bots now. I may eventually start new social media pages, but for now my focus is on the printed book and fulfilling the Kickstarter rewards. So 2024 is back to the real world.

Thanks again for checking in, and for all of your support along the way. There are new episodes coming soon, once the books have shipped and the rewards fulfilled. The drawing board has been busy lately!

Stay tuned, and stay hydrated out there! Yarr!

Neptune

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Hand drawn across ten flip books over two years, this short clip represents about 650 individual frames. Featuring music by CHUM!!!
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Jenna Germany and Aimee Nicole interview DC Wilson as part of a series of online virtual events for cancelled Burning Man in 2020 (check out my pandemic mop top!) We discuss the history of the webcomic, and offer some thoughts about where it could go in the future.

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