Elephant Eater Comics Update - Jan '26
New Year, Renewed Focus
Happy New Year, Dear Reader!
Whatever transpired last night, I hope this finds you resting well today and preparing for a great year ahead. Speaking of New Year preparations, mine kinda look like this:
Annual Dispatch Edition of Clamshell Boxes
100 Episodes of the Hello Playdate Podcast
Another Completed Cross-Stitch Project
BONUS: My University Students’ Comic Book Signing
With our outline outlined…
1. ANNUAL DISPATCH EDITION OF CLAMSHELL BOXES
One of the most frequently asked questions I received during the inaugural Elephant Eater Comics Annual Dispatch campaign was,
“How can I store it?”
Now backers now know that it comes packaged in a custom mylar bag and backing board perfectly-sized to fit this oversized publication…
…which should allow it to be stored safely, either on a shelf or in a flat file.
However, I’ve been dreaming up a more prestige method to store the first several issues of the Annual Dispatch. As readers of this new publication know, I’ve been making several clamshell boxes over the past year. So, it wasn’t a big leap to design a clamshell box designed to fit the first few Annual Dispatches.
Here’s my initial mock-up:
With that in mind, I started the methodical process of hand-crafting a prototype.
Eventually, I dry-fit all the pieces together, tested the fitment, and was pleased with the result!
However, you may have noticed the absence of the proposed graphics on the cover and spine that you saw earlier on the mock-up. In order to do this, I’m trying something new…SCREEN-PRINTING on the cover (the same process used to print many t-shirt graphics).
So, I took my prototype to a local printer just last month, where we had discussions, brainstormed ideas, and troubleshot any foreseeable problems.
Above, we tested the strength of the book board against the light adhesive tack we would use in order to make the covers stay in place during printing.
Below, we ran the prototype cover through the dryer (after screen-printing an item, the printed design needs to be heat-set in order to cure the ink) and tested the temperature.
To make a long story short, after putting the prototype through a number of stress tests, my printer and I have high hopes this will work flawlessly.
Once we felt confident about moving forward with this project, I needed to do a LOT more work.
This started by ordering LOTS more book board and cutting it down to the necessary sizes:
Likewise for the book cloth, which arrived in VERY LARGE pieces (3-feet wide by OVER 4-feet long!)…
…which was larger than the center counter in our kitchen!
Eventually, I started marrying the two…
…to create the covers:
After adhering a LOT of additional book cloth pieces, making fiddly cuts…
…and tending to all the persnickety book-binding details…
…I completed all the covers for my very first EDITION of clamshell boxes.
Just before the holidays, I handed this stack of covers to my printer, who will be printing them NEXT WEEK when he arrives back in the office. Fingers crossed it all goes well.
In the meantime, I need to start assembling a LOT of trays. 😅
2. 100 EPISODES OF THE HELLO PLAYDATE PODCAST
This fortnightly foray into handheld gaming isn’t something I mention very much. However, the Hello Playdate Podcast…
…which I co-host and illustrated our artwork…
…recently celebrated it’s 100th episode after three-and-a-half years of consistent releases.
To commemorate this milestone, I minted a VERY limited run of lapel pins (only 25 total).
This was mainly to surprise my co-hosts, Don and Nick, as a way to say congrats and thanks for this wonderful past 3.5 years, but with the couple handfuls of overstock, I’ve opened up…
…on my website that I’m only telling our listeners and my readers about. We’re already down to SINGLE-DIGIT stock, so if you’d like to own one of these rarities, I’d act fast.
For those interested in specs, it’s cast in metal with glossy black nickel plating, rendered in six soft-enamel colors, and backed with two deluxe locking clasps to maintain desired orientation and ensure security…
…and measures 1” wide x 1.5″ in height:
Price is only $12 with applicable shipping. One more time, here’s the link to…
…where you might be able to nab one of the last remaining copies. Good luck!
3. ANOTHER COMPLETED CROSS-STITCH PROJECT
After finishing my 2+ year project of the Mega Man 2 stage select earlier this year…
…I set my sights on another cross-stitching project, one that I would not only stitch…but also design!
This new project originated with conversations I’ve had with our young son, an only child, who receives a lot of nice things in life. However, like many young (and older) folks, savoring what we have and gratitude for those things can be a challenge. In an effort to instill that sense of acknowledgment in him, a phrase I’ve often repeated is to remember, “Thanks, not more.” Over the course of so many times reiterating this phrase, I started joking that I might need to make a motivational cross-stitch about it.
After finishing that giant Mega Man project, I had some open bandwidth to do just that.
It started as some hand-lettered attempts in my sketchbook…
...moving forward with inking...
...scanning and pixel-pushing...
...before finalizing a 1-bit version...
...and eventually colors...
...which were “grid-i-fied” for easier counting:
Then, of course, there was floss-hunting and the time-consuming (for me) process of color selection...
...leading to several months of stitching taking place in multiple time zones (Michigan, Chicago, and California) and countries (a couple trips to Canada).
Eventually, I framed the final piece and presented it to my fine son.
Hopefully it serves as a loving reminder to be thankful for all he has. We all need it occasionally.
BONUS: MY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ COMIC BOOK SIGNING
As my Fall 2025 semester of teaching came to an end last month, my students celebrated by showing off their months of hard work during an in-store signing at Summit Comics in downtown Lansing, MI…
…during which, family, friends, and community members came out in force to support these new artists!
I’m so proud of what they were able to accomplish in my short time with them.
My hope is for their final professional development activity to have assured them that their art has value!
I hope you’ll carry similar sentiments with you into the new year, too!
Thank you for being a part of my artistic journey. I sooo appreciate you being here.
Wishing you an absence of fiddlesticks in 2026!
Ryan Claytor
Owner/Author/Artist
Elephant Eater Comics
Web: www.ElephantEater.com
Email: ryan@elephanteater.com
Patreon: www.patreon.com/ryanclaytor
~and~
Coordinator of the Comic Art and Graphic Novel Minor
Associate Professor
Department of Art, Art History and Design
Michigan State University
MSU Comics Forum – Director
MSU Comic Art and Graphic Novel Podcast - Producer & Host
Great idea for the clamshell boxes!