DRINK WATER! featured in the latest edition of the Jack Rabbit Speaks! Burning Man Project’s official blog/newsletter. Thanks, Mr Rabbit!
Thanks also to everyone who has contributed to the Vol. 1 Kickstarter Campaign so far this month! Stretch goals have been achieved, and books will be available through Monday, No 27th. Check it out, if you like that sort of thing!
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Ahoy Reader! The DRINK WATER! Vol. 1 Kickstarter is LIVE! This is a campaign to print a softcover first edition of DRINK WATER! Vol 1, collecting and adapting the first 140 episodes of the webcomic as a 360 page graphic novel. Books will be signed and numbered as the orders are received, so the first backer gets #1! The quantity of the print run will be determined by the number of books sold by November 28th.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/drinkwatercomic/drink-water-vol-1-de-legenda-black-rock-city
Thanks for tuning in, and stay tuned for more updates coming soon!
CHARACTER PROFILE: Munkus Amungus
This week’s episode features El Diabla by Iron Monkey Arts in Seattle, WA.
Ahoy Reader!
New year! New chapter! This week’s episode is the title page for Chapter 12, and so here are a few thoughts about the title, to go along with the title page…
The original title of this comic was MagmaVOX, which was the name of the Seattle-based fire troupe that inspired many of these stories. MagmaVOX performed in the Great Circle for the Burn in 1999, 200, and 2001. The troupe retired from BRC in 2002 and was reborn as Garnish, or the Official Black Rock City Garnish; a fabulous fire collective out of Portland, OR who are still active to this day, more than 20 years later.
Eventually the title of the story was changed to DRINK WATER!, which has several meanings and inspirations. The phrase is often heard in Black Rock City being barked out of megaphones on especially hot days, a neighborly reminder for everyone to stay hydrated. But it can also carry negative connotations, similar to saying ‘you look tired’, ‘bless your heart’, or ‘meet me at the trash fence at 3am for a daft punk set.’
The phrase is also partially a response to the Black Rock City newspaper, PISS CLEAR. Specifically a megaphone call-and-response chant from Center Camp in the 90’s that went, “When I say drink water, you say piss clear! Drink Water! Piss Clear! Drink Water! Piss Clear!”
DRINK WATER! became an official campaign slogan when Neptune ran for Mayor of Black Rock City in 2004 & 2008. A public service announcement from an aspiring political representative, running on a platform of radical hydration. It started out with stickers and buttons, and eventually led to four years of Center Camp murals. A PSA, personal mantra, and daily reminder, that eventually turned into a rallying cry for the thirsty masses.
And finally, the title is a nod to the phrase Don’t Panic, written on the cover of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Addams. He describes the term as the one thing you need to remember when you find yourself lost in the galaxy, and so the phrase DRINK WATER! is the one thing you need to remember when you find yourself lost in Black Rock City.
New episodes are on the way for 2023. Chapter 12 will bring more fire and action, as the sun sets on a dusty Wednesday evening in Black Rock City, and we head into the climactic finale of Book 2.
Stay hydrated out there! More to come. Yar!
Neptune
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DRINK WATER! featured in the latest issue of the BRC Weekly!
Available at a dusty playa newsstand near you!
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Ahoy Reader!
Summer is almost here and new episodes of DRINK WATER! are on the way! We’ll start with this brand new drawing of Ganesh to welcome us back from our loooong winter slumber. This drawing is part of the new artwork created for the print edition of Issue #8 (Coming Soon!). What fresh adventures will 2022 bring? A new generation of Black Rock City for the post-pandemic era. May we all find our lucidity within these waking dreams!
Stay tuned for new episodes of the webcomic this summer, as well as info about upcoming print editions. Issues 8, 9, & 10 are all on the way, as well as the collected paperback edition for issues 1-7. In the meantime, enjoy these last days of Spring, and may the fire continue to burn bright in your eyes, hearts, and minds!
xo
Neptune
Ahoy Reader! Big thanks to everyone who ordered mini comics last month! All individual comics and sets have now shipped, so if you haven’t received yours yet, then you will very soon. Stay hydrated out there, folks! Yar har!
Comics are here! LET’S GOOOOOO!!! Issues #1-7 are now available through the DRINK WATER! Comic Shop.
I’ve printed up a small batch of mini comics for this year’s (cancelled) burning man, and they’re available for sale while supplies last. Comics are priced at cost, with shipping included, as my playa gift to you.
Issue #1 is 36 pages and collects the webcomic episodes 1-21, posted online from January – April 2013. All comics measure 8.5” x 6.5” and ship via USPS media mail.
Ahoy Readers!
Things are moving below the surface here at DRINK WATER! headquarters. Spring is here, and with it comes new growth. I’ve spent the past few months drawing the final pages for the print edition of the book. Title pages, cover art, end pages, apppendix, credits, etc. All are in the process of getting finished now.
Meanwhile, our characters remain stuck in a massive dust storm. Rain, hale, and high winds. The gate road is closed for now, but clear skies are coming. Currently, we’re near the end of Chapter 11, which has been dominated by this storm, but once the sun sets and the storm passes the action will kick into high gear. Wednesday night will be seriously crazy, and the action all starts in Chapter 12. I uploaded episode 240 yesterday, a buffering view from Camp Envy in a dust storm, and updated episode 239 with a higher quality image (a high-resolution scan rather than a photo). There are many more episodes on the way, which we will be moving onto once the artwork for the print edition is complete. Stay tuned!
xoxox,
Neptune
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Embroidery by Jo Marie, Philadelphia, PA