One of the things crowdfunding has given Humanoids is the freedom to experiment with wild ideas, pursue works unsuitable for the masses, and to launch projects whose final form isn't fully settled yet. With Ode to Sex, it all started with a presentation video that set the tone.
Inspired by the way Varenne worked (he drew his images and pages with pen and brush on PVC / acetate), we imagined books with covers we would never dare to put on bookstore shelves, veiled by semi-transparent dust jackets made of... PVC.
That was the initial idea. After numerous attempts and print tests (the latest, on 150 gsm, arrived two days ago from one of our European printing partners; see picture below), we are more convinced than ever that this is the way to go.
The latest test shows we are heading in the right direction, but we need to make sure the result will last: one of the three colors seems more fragile than the other two. It shouldn't be.
Ode to Sex has been a much longer and steeper ascent than expected. It started with the nature of the books... not for every printer on the planet. We understand. No hard feelings.
Other surprises slowed us down along the way, and here we are, late, and still refining books we hope you will enjoy for both their content and their presentation.
After the first technical setback, we could have given up, taken a more comfortable, conventional road, and found the right words to explain why. Not us. You would probably have the books in your hands by now, but hey, the bumpy road of exploration leads to more interesting objects. Not a sure bet, of course, but that's what we're hoping for.
We haven't communicated often or clearly enough about this technical path and its occasional detours, and we are sorry. You deserved better, after being kind enough to support our campaign.
We expect this long R&D process to end by mid-November, but printing itself won't start until a few weeks later. As mentioned above, the books will be printed in Europe, then shipped to the US for our backers in the US and Canada. Probably not in time for Santa (the one who kisses Mommy). We will be able to tell you when the books will be ready for fulfillment once the print date is firmly scheduled.
To determine the final print runs and where orders will be fulfilled, we will open the survey in mid-November.
To backers who added a Metal Hurlant subscription to their Ode to Sex pledge and haven't received Issue 5 yet because the survey hasn't opened: you will receive Issues 5 and 6 together. And since we agree this isn't fair, your subscription will start with Issue 6, and Issue 5 is on us. Please complete your survey as soon as it opens. Thanks in advance.
Thank you all again for your patience and support.
The Humanoids Team
Print test on 150 gsm PVC, three colors, October 2026.