A stick-figure Shakespeare comic by Mya Lixian Gosling
Grab your mink robe of state, kick back in your Mojo Dojo Castle House with a brewski small beer, and sing along to this:
In case you are somehow not familiar with Ryan “No Known Relation But I’m Not Ruling It Out” Gosling’s epic performance of this song from last year’s Barbie movie, please check it out immediately.
I am thrilled to report that my epic guide to Hamlet is finally finished and available for purchase!
This is the definitive (and possibly only) stick-figure guide to Shakespeare’s greatest longest play, Hamlet!
More than double the length of my previous publications, this mammoth tome is 110 pages of solid Hamlet content, featuring my complete scene-by-scene adaptation of Hamlet plus 45 pages of additional content, including extensive commentary, numerous random fun facts, previously Patreon-exclusive outtakes, and so much more.
I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the greatest thing I have created so far. I am immensely proud of this book (which is perfect bound, not stapled, because it was so freaking long) and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
“To be or not to be,” plus an entire page of incredibly illuminating and hilarious analysis and commentary!
On a personal note, I started working on my version of Hamlet back in the fall of 2019, when my father was undergoing treatment for cancer. I finished compiling this book in the fall of 2023, just as we learned his cancer had recurred. He died a month later. He was my best friend in the whole world, unfailingly supportive of me and my work, and I will miss him forever.
My dad was very proud of me for finishing Hamlet after an extremely difficult year of moderate injury, ongoing chronic pain issues, frustrating mental and creative struggles, and increased parental care responsibilities. Despite me now having an immensely complicated and slightly toxic relationship with this relentlessly morbid play about dead dads, I am very proud of this book. I hope that it makes Hamlet — and the world — just a little bit more fun.
Today is the 10th anniversary of Good Tickle Brain! I can't believe it's been 10 whole years since I decided to start sharing nerdy Shakespeare comics online in the hope that other people might find them mildly amusing.
Ironically, my 10th year running Good Tickle Brain has also been far and away my roughest. I've posted barely anything this year, due to a particularly challenging combination of injury, chronic pain, increased family care responsibilities, and mental road blocks. But I'm still here, and I'm still committed to making Shakespeare fun and making fun of Shakespeare through the power of stick figures. (Also the chronic pain has mostly cleared up, so that's helped a lot.)
Assuming I can get my brain to cooperate and life doesn't throw me any more curve balls this year, I'm hoping to have my long-awaited comic book compilation of Hamlet out in time for the holiday season. I'm so proud of the work that has gone into it and I can't wait to get it into your hands.
As Good Tickle Brain moves into its 11th year (it goes to 11!) I hope to figure out a sustainable schedule that allows me to post new comics regularly again without short-circuiting my very tenuous work-life balance. Thank you all so much for continuing to read and share my work. I hope to continue to create more of it for you to enjoy over the next 10 years!
Look at where we are...
Look at where we started...
The fact that we're online is a miracle.
Hey there! I know I haven’t been posting anything lately, but I’m still here and I’m still desperately juggling life responsibilities with Shakespeare comics. I’m currently slowly but surely working on putting together a printed version of my Hamlet, but more on that later… The important thing to know is that THIS WEEKEND I will have a table at the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival’s artist alley!
To celebrate my return to A2CAF, I got a ridiculously big banner to put behind my table, so you can’t miss me. I will be selling my full range of comic books and my flowchart poster. If you’re in the SE Michigan region, stop by and say hello! I will happily sign anything that can be legally displayed in a public library.
WHO: Me! In person!
WHEN: This Saturday & Sunday, June 10 & 11, 11am-6pm
WHY: Because it’s been so very long and I miss all of you!
Hope to see some of you there!
Hey! I’m back! Sort of. I've been way too stressed and burnt out lately to write new comics, due to a series of not-major-but-also-not-that-minor life disasters, but that's OK because I've found a new author to help me out!
Check the date! Love you! Bye!!!!
The festive season is upon us, and that can mean only one thing: the return of Shakespearean Christmas Carols and the inevitable onslaught of crass commercialism!
OK, that was two things… Let’s start with the carols. All together now!
And now for the crass commercialism! The Good Tickle Shoppe has seen a lot of updating today. Let’s do it in bullet points:
Shakespearean Holiday Songbook available for pre-order! I am printing my first collection of Shakespearean holiday songs, complete with extra verses and, for the instrumentally inclined among us, ukulele chords! I should have these in stock by December 6, if everything goes according to schedule. Order yours today and I’ll ship it as soon as I have the books in hand.
“Which Shakespeare Play Should You See?” flowchart poster back in stock! It’s been a hot minute, but I finally got my act together and reprinted my flowchart poster! This is the perfect gift for any Shakespeare fan. I know for a fact it hangs in the halls of various theatres around the world, in the homes of renowned Shakespeareans of all kinds, and, perhaps most importantly, in my friend’s bathroom. She always likes to make sure people have something sensational to look at when otherwise occupied.
T-Shirt Clearance Sale! I’m trying desperately to get rid of the remaining t-shirts currently cluttering up my closet, so they are all over 50% off. I can’t deal with the inventory management involved in t-shirt sales anymore and will not be printing any more, so once they’re gone, they’re gone. However, I do hope to set up a print-on-demand shop in the near/mid-range/far future, which will remove the inventory headache from me and also allow me to offer a lot more designs. Stay tuned!
Don’t forget the comic books! My classic books, The Complete Works of Shakespeare in Three Panels Each, A Stick-Figure Macbeth, A Stick-Figure Romeo and Juliet, and A Stick-Figure Midsummer Night’s Dream are all in stock and ready to stuff any stockings you might have hanging around!
Yo ho ho! Merry Christmas!
I’ve been spending a lot of time recently angsting about how my tech usage is eroding my attention, creativity, and general quality of life. Fortunately, that led me into imagining how various Shakespeare characters would use the internet and all the wonders and terrors it provides.
There will be more of these. The wilderness of the internet is infinite.
I’m back! Sort of. Maybe? Kind of. Possibly. Anyways. Look! A comic!
Unlike Cap, I cannot do this all day, but I’m going to try and get back into a sustainable comic-producing rhythm this month. Thanks for your patience! It’s good to be back.
