[blog] Year 4, Comic 5 - #KupDay

★ Notes on Year 4, Comic 5 - #KupDay ★

☆ ☆ ☆ NOTES(?) ☆ ☆ ☆

✓ College kids burn stuff. It’s what they do. Once a month, there’s usually a huge false alarm, product of a Samwell student party. It is odd though, to have had a false call over the summer, when most of the campus is deserted save for undergrads doing STEM research and a few timid high schoolers. She climbs back up into the driver seat of the engine and turns the key, and notices that one of the Samwell students is jogging across lawn. Or is he a student? He’s big–definitely an athlete–probably an inhibitor of one of these frat houses. And when he reaches the window of the fire truck, she recognizes his face. He’s the one who’s been in the news since June: Zimmermann.

“Hey. You guys want a picture with the Cup?”

✓ sniffs the air Ah. #KupDay! A special day, as it is the only KupDay in history so far. No, I’m not talking about your average hockey player’s Day With The Cup. Don’t even joke. I’m talking about a day that only an alumnus of Samwell College and Samwell men’s hockey can have. WELCOME BACK TO SAMWELL, EVERYONE–Jack Zimmermann has returned with Lord Stanley’s Kup.

To your left, you’ll see several members of the Samwel men’s hockey team wearing iron-on #Kup shirts they made this morning, and to your right: that’s the living room where the couch lives. Ransom and Holster, who took off work on Friday for a 3-Day Epikupster Weekend, put the Kup on the couch and now Bitty is Windexing the trophy and scrubing the base of it with baking soda. If you’re planning on getting a picture with the #Kup, you’ll have to wait until after 5pm, because the hockey team has a carefully scheduled set of photo shoots with the thing. While you wait, please partake in some #Kupday pie–there are 7 flavors.

✓ Okay, instead of making these notes about Bitty’s Inner Mind–here’s something I wrote two years ago, WAY before this comic existed. In fact, it’s an unfinished story from Dex’s POV about the chaos of #KupDay. In this early version of #KupDay, Chowder is off doing semi-pro hockey things and the group chat anticipates the arrival of the Kup:

A few names for tonight’s party started showing up all over Samwell social media and the northeast college blogosphere: “The Big Hockey Party This Weekend”, “Samwell Hockey Bash”, #Epikegster2016, #TheSamwellCup, #Megakegster, #HausParty, #StanleyBall, #KupDay.

Dex frowned when Chowder had first texted him a ☹️ face and solemn message about not being able to make it to #KupDay. Why did it have a K? It turns out that some back and forth on the group chat gave birth to the weird hashtag, and even Jack was using it. And apparently, according to Jack, even Alexei Mashkov was using it.

Jack: tater’s really excited for KupDay
Ransom: hahaha
Ransom: he would be
Jack: he wants a rematch
Jack: against Lardo
Lardo: I’m clearing out my calendar
Lardo: 🏆🍕🐤💨
Holster: Wait is the Kup hand off happening at the Haus? Is the guy with the gloves coming to like, sign it over to Mashkov??
Jack: hah, I’m not sure.
Jack: Tater gets it after me though.
Shitty: jlz, i will have you know that at least half a dozen fucking Law Students want me to introduce you to them tomorrow. only 2 are cool
Ransom: oh man, I want a picture with Tater, the Kup, and the gloves guy 🙏
Lardo: I want a picture of me and the glove guy beating Tater at beer pong
Holster: 😂
Jack: that’s fine
Bitty: I had to find my phone since having Jack transcribe everything I wanted to type into the group chat seemed a bit rude. Hello! I’m so excited to see y'all tomorrow!!! We’ll be leaving Providence early so I can get a head start on some lunch! :)
Ransom: Do you have the Kup?
Jack: Not yet.
Jack: Bittle would have sent you about a 100 selfies if we did
Bitty: True.
Bitty: hello from your couch
Jack: hi Bitty
Shitty: It’s going to be a lot tomorrow? So we have to get our group picture.
Holster: oh that’s first thing’s first. No one is allowed in or around the Haus until we get the picture.
Chowder: I’M
Chowder: SO
Chowder: SAD I’M NOT THERE
Chowder: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holster: 😢
Rans: sucks, bro
Bitty: oh honey
Jack: Sorry, Chowder.
Lardo: I’ll photoshop you in lil’ C.

☆ ☆ ☆ NEWS ☆ ☆ ☆

☆ Check, Please: #Hockey! On 9/18/18, this book will be in bookstores. In less than a month. YEAH I KNOW. So I will be talking about this on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Pillowfort quite a bit. Sorry in advance. But it’s my first gosh-darned. BOOK!!

I also made an events page here, with the conventions I’m attending and the signings I’ll be doing this Fall. Check it out! Maybe I’m swinging past you? Even just the first half of September is quite jammed:

☆ Next update will be up Sept 4th! How’s work going?? I’m drawing the pencils for comic 4.8 and starting on colors for 4.6. Working ahead has been really great for my overall well-being, but making comics is slow-goings. Hopefully I can get 4.7 up before traveling begins in earnest!

☆ FINALLY – missed out on the Kickstarter? You’re in luck–with PledgeManager you’re still able to grab some of the rewards (books!). So if you missed out–this is your chance.

That’s it from me! Thank you guys for your patience!! And thank you, as always, for reading.