Today I had a long conversation with Robert Conte, president of publishing house Studio Chikara, about the status of my forthcoming CAPTAIN ACTION book.

Here's the latest:

Preorders through Diamond Comics and the mass-market were lower than hoped (we all know that Captain Action has a small but loyal niche audience).  But Studio Chikara remains committed to publishing it, and after my discussion with the publisher, I remain loyal to Studio Chikara.

In an attempt to (at least) break even on the project, Studio Chikara will be contracting an overseas printer for the book, in Hong Kong.  Printing prices there are much more affordable than domestically, without sacrificing quality -- in fact, by printing in Hong Kong we're guaranteed more color pages than we could have afforded from a pricier American or Canadian printer.

That's the good news.

The bad news is:

Once the book is printed, it will be shipped to the USA via the proverbial slow boat to (or in this case, from) China, taking 90-100 days (not unlike the wait we've experienced for Playing Mantis's Captain Action products to ship from overseas).

CAPTAIN ACTION is about to go back into production, and Studio Chikara promises it will be available in the States this winter, before Christmas.

That may seem like a long wait, but many of you know that we've been waiting for almost two years for this book.  And it will be worth the wait!

To everyone who's preordered a copy (or more) through me, and for those who have preordered elsewhere: we're almost there!

And if anyone else wants to preorder a copy, please e-mail me privately at euryman@msn.com for information.

Thank you all SO much for your patience.

December will be here before you know it, and there's something magical about the prospect of a Captain Action book waiting for you under a Christmas tree, isn't there?

Best regards,

Michael Eury
author of CAPTAIN ACTION: THE ORIGINAL SUPER-HERO ACTION FIGURE

P.S. To the 50 or so of you who e-mailed Studio Chikara with words of encouragement about the book, THANKS!  The publisher will soon be e-mailing you with a press release about the status of CAPTAIN ACTION.