So, you've been waiting for Paul Pope's Battling Boy in varying states of eagerness and frustration since first hearing about the project in 2006. Perhaps now you've seen actual physical proof that this near-mythical beast exists in the wild, and as such have allowed any despondency to be replaced again by sweet anticipation. Thinking, hey, looks like I'll finally get my hands on this, you go ahead and pre-order it from your regular book pusher.

Well, in the immortal words of Warren Zevon, reconsider that pre-order: It turns out Pope has a special relationship going on with his local bookstore in Brooklyn, Word, and if you order it from them before Oct. 4, you can get an autographed and personalized copy instead, with the books then shipping on the official release date of Oct. 8.

Tempting, isn't it? Just make it "To Mark, better late than never!"

(via Destroy Comics)