
One Greyhound bus ride, a ride from my boy Bob Motown of Two Rabbits Studios, and some impound/storage/towing fees later, and I have my van back.
I’m thankful that it still had wheels, and that it only took a jump start from the towing company to start it up – my biggest fear was that I would pay all this money to get it out of impound, only to have to tow it somewhere to even get him home.
The majority of the locks were torn off/dug out – it looks like the passenger’s side lock (the side facing away from the street) was torn out, then they jumped in the car and headed off.

Unfortunately, my optimistic hopes were no match for dudes with the proper tools. Virtually nothing was left inside. A few coffee mugs, my SEIBEI banner, and a few odds and ends – I had left them a wheeled dolly, and everything was boxed up, so the loadout was probably quite quick and easy.

I was tempted to drive around the area where the van had been found (an alley in Watts), but since I had found out about my van being found so late (it was found the same day I reported it stolen, but I didn’t find out about it until I was absentmindedly searching the LAPD impound yards on Wednesday), if my stuff was thrown away, it is no doubt resting in a landfill by now. Also, since my car now starts with a screwdriver, I can’t really leave it anywhere.
The worst part is that I was also carrying a box of shirts for my buddies in DKNG, which I’d offered to deliver to the show. Replacing that has to be my first priority.

The interior of the cab had been stripped of anything that looked remotely valuable – the dome light had even been torn out, presumably to see if I was hiding keys or money or anything up above. Fortunately, my factory AM/FM stereo was still intact – it would’ve made for a boring drive home if that had been stolen too.
The guy at the impound yard was nice enough to give me his screwdriver; I’d offered to buy it off of him after he showed me how to start the car with it (the ignition had been drilled out, so now you just have to wedge something in there and turn).

So, at least I have a van. Still trying to get everything in order and figure out what insurance will cover.
I left some shirts at home to cover outstanding orders – things have been such a mess, I haven’t had time to take care of them, and for that I’m sorry – so I have shut down the entirety of the store, and I’m going to just try to get caught up.
So, once I get all of these outstanding orders handled, I’ll be putting all of my remaining money towards replacing DKNG’s shirts, printing the most recent weekly tees, and just getting everything back in order.
IN THE MEAN TIME, I THINK IT’S TIME FOR A KICKSTARTER.
There are things that no one can steal from me, no matter where I park my van. I’ve got a bunch of new designs, new colorways, some great friends who have offered to contribute guest tees, and you.
Some very kind people have offered me money outright, or suggested taking contributions on my behalf. I’ve turned them down, because I think there’s a better way to do this, through Kickstarter. It’s a crowd funding website where people propose creative projects that end with a finished product, and people can fund it and receive rewards in return. The best part? It’s all managed by Amazon, and if the project doesn’t receive enough funding within the set amount of time (typically 30 days), no money changes hands. If it does receive enough funding, then all the money is charged at the project’s end, and the recipient gets cracking!
Here’s what I’m thinking:
I will put up a load of shirt designs. A few straight reprints of classics. A few new colorways. A bunch of new designs and unreleased products, including some exclusives that will ONLY be available through the Kickstarter – exclusive colorways and designs that will never be sold again, as a special way to thank supporters. All of the money will go towards new tees – I have a day job, and car insurance, and don’t expect you to handle stupid stuff like getting my van back in order, paying rent, and all that stuff – I’ll get that.
You’ll be able to get new shirts on the cheap, and other fun stuff will be available at certain donation levels – buttons, one of a kind sketch cards, and other special stuff (still trying to figure out some good rewards for higher tiers).
If it all works, you’ll get a bunch of tees at low prices, my business will be back on its feet in time with time to spare before New York Comic Con, with a load of new designs.
If it doesn’t work, well, I’ll keep working.
Either way, my project proposal has been approved by Kickstarter, so now I just have to polish the designs, get some guest tees together, and film a nice video to tie it all together.
STAY TUNED! I’ll need your help spreading the word about the Kickstarter in a week or two! Thanks again for all of the love and support. It’s been a tough time, and it really means a lot to me.