Yet more Hoo●Hoo●HAs & Hoka●Hoka●HEYs!

Great correspondence coming in from all over the place: via gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and of course right here on the blog.

As always...italics are me--roman font is you guys!
(I'll be jumping into the letters and commenting as we move along!)

Damin Toell wrote:

Hi Larry,

Excuse my being dull if I'm missing it, but is there a way to order the recent Dark Horse BEANWORLD publications autographed by you? I tried going through your blog a little while back, as well as the links to retailers you have, but I didn't seem to turn anything up. Perhaps there's a way to order directly from you?

Please accept my apologies if this isn't something you're inclined to provide, but it seems like such a celebratory time for us Beanworld fans (between the books and your online presence) that it has awakened a geeky/youthful optimism in me.

I greatly appreciate that awakening, Damin.
As far as inquiring about autographed books via the mail, it's certainly nothing to apologize for, but the answer is regrettably this isn't something I'm set up to do.
Nowadays anyway.

The reason I go to conventions and make the occasionally store appearances is to sign as many things as a fan puts in front of me. I really enjoy meeting, greeting, and otherwise intermingling face-to-face with Beanworld fans but in the meantime it is in every one's best interest for me to devote all my time and energy to making more Beanworld stories.

Anonymous wrote:

I've read Here There a couple of times already and plan on many more re-reads, knowing I'll find new things each time.

I'm still not 100% clear on one thing though - In the previous volume, Heyoka changes the bean template by entering it, and in this volume, when she leaves it, it reverts back to normal. At least that's my reading of the situation.


That's correct.

My question, though, I guess boils down to, what was the point of that episode? I don't really get a sense that her alteration of the template really did anything, other than remove her from the playing field for awhile. Does the template affect the beans or the whole Beanworld?

If it affects the beans themselves, could it have affected the Cuties even if the alteration happened after they had already emerged from their Pod'l Pool? They have displayed unusual growth patterns re: their limb growth after all, though I don't see how that matches up with Heyoka's alteration to the template. I'm a bit flummoxed on this one. Anyone else have any thoughts on just what did or didn't result from Heyoka's time in the template?

I'm glad you made these observations and asked these questions, Anon.
Beanworld wanted its readers to start wondering about these very things.

The" Beanworld Influence" at the Goofy Service Station, or as the Goofy Service Jerks call them the "Factories," are the source of "Blessing Stuff" that the Jerks call "Reproductive Propellant."
Reproductive Propellant allows Gran'Ma'Pa to make new Pod'l'pools.
And out of the Pod'l'pools come Baby Beans.

Once the Reproductive Propellant leaves the Service Station it is no longer attached to it it in any direct way.
So any affect/effect Heyoka, may or may not have on future Reproductive Propellant is up in the air at the moment.

What went on and (will go on) between Heyoka and the Beanworld Influence is looming large in the creative process right now.
There will be more about this in Book Four, "Something More!"
I know this because I spent the better part of yesterday drawing a sequence that takes a look at this very subject.
I guess that can suffice as a small Tuesday teaser!




Jesse wrote:

I've been a fan of your work for the better part
of my life at this point. A kind uncle of mine turned my father and I
towards the Beanworld back when issue 5 of the comics had just come
out, and we avidly collected and read and hypothesized from that point
forward. We pored over the letter pages as much as the panels looking
for clues, and chided ourselves for not noticing the single left
handed Hoi Polloi before you'd called it out yourself.

(I don't think you are alone on that account. And for those of you that are newer to the Beanworld--check out "Wahoolazuma!" pg 67)

My dad and I had some wonderful, amazing times both with your books
and inspired by your books. Trips to the local comic shop were
exciting times for a 12 year old me, and no matter what else I was
reading at the time if there was a new Beanworld out whatever else had
my attention was put down so that it could come home with us.

That same kind uncle even took me out to the San Diego Comicon one
year (I'd guess in the mid-to-late 80's) and I got to actually meet
you and shake your hand and thank you in person for what you'd done.

You were kind and gracious to me, even when i gawked and pestered you
like a nerd.

(Jesse, no matter how cool anyone might seem sitting on the other side of the table, in the comics game, we are all nerds!)

And! You gave us action figures! We held onto those
little dried beans so long that one of them actually sprouted.

(As I've said before, that is my favorite phenomenon! When FREE Beanworld Action figures...well...do some action!)

A few days ago my fiance's eyes flashed across the sharpie-drawn
artwork she'd seen a hundred times before on the back of my old bass
guitar, but this time she called out "Hey! That's Beanish!"

She's been reading the old issues with interest and fascination, and
encouraging me to email you just to say "Hi!" since the magic of the
Internet has made you so easy to drop a note to these days. When she
recognized Beanish and called him out by name it gave me the push I
needed to send this to you.

(Thank you, Jesse's fiance!)

I've attached a phone cam picture of the back of the headstock so that
you could see the faded remains of the lovingly-scribbled bean and
miscellaneous mixed realities that i had scrawled on it when i was 18
or so. I'm hoping it at least gives you a grin, because your work has
made me smile (and ponder) since I was a child.

(I love seeing ancient Beanworldish artifacts!)

I can't thank you enough for picking this all back up again. We have
missed you dearly, and now I'm back to eagerly anticipating and
pondering with childlike glee.

I'm glad simply that you're out there, being Larry Marder. Thank you
so so much for sharing yourself with us.

Thank YOU, Jesse. I had too many truly amazing adventures in other dimensions to regret the time I was away from Beanworld, but enough was enough, and I'm back to stay!
I truly believe the best is yet to come.

Keep those cards and letter coming folks!