Indie Squid Kid

Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Concern is the cyber-arm of Dave Eggers’ hipster publishing empire. If you need one reason to pay this site a visit, that reason would be Notes on “Sweet Child O’ Mine” as delivered to Axl Rose by his editor. If you need a second reason, I reckon that would be this shirt here.

“Squid T-shirt” features the two largest living invertebrates: Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (aka the Colossal Squid) and Architeuthis dux (aka the Giant Squid). While it is true that the Colossal Squid edges out the Giant Squid in both mass and length, “Mr. McSweeney” has perhaps misrepresented this size difference just a tad.

This American Apparel shirt is $22.00 and comes in men’s and women’s sizes. Be warned, however, these sizes run small. I have a men’s large, and, despite losing about 30 lbs in the past year, it still doesn’t quite look flattering on me (which is why I didn’t post a photo of myself wearing the shirt). That being said, you should still…

Buy it now from The McSweeney’s Store!

“Give me your tentacled, your beaked
Your writhing masses yearning to break free,
The eldrich recluse at your teeming shore,
Send these, of head-foot, sucker-hook to me
I lift my lamp, you lift your photophore!”
(with apologies to Emma Lazarus)

This poem is dedicated to Gama-Go, the Official Clothier of the Coming Cepalopocalypse.

“Squid Liberty” is $28, and it is available in Navy and Army. (But not Coast Guard, for some reason…)

Buy it now from Gama-Go

$30 from Anonymous Venice

Available in Royal Blue and Black and “fits true to size,” whatever that means.

Fans of other ironically unlikely animal battles might also want to check out Shark VS Bear, Lion VS Gator, or Ape VS Elk.

Via Cephalolove

design by Brandon Ancone

I have been eager to feature this particular Threadless design since I restarted ISK last year, but I was holding off on the hope that they would eventually reprint it…and now they have! Most squid v. whale scenes usually leave little doubt that the whale is going to end up with a stomach full of delicious ika sashimi, but I have a definite feeling that whale sushi is on the menu tonight!

“The Squid vs. The Whale” is $18 (on White American Apparel tee) and is, at the time of this writing, still available in all men’s and women’s sizes.

Buy it now from Threadless!

Incidentally, I first heard about this shirt on the old Squid.us blog. All cephalopod aficionados everywhere were waving their tentacles with joy on January 12 when it rose again from the murky depths. Welcome back Squid.us!

Proving that not all squid attacks happen on the West Coast, here’s a brand new tentacular Tee from our friends at Gama-Go! Where’s Spider-Man when you need him?

$28 available in Olive and Black. Buy it now from Gama-Go

I have to admit that Tumblr fascinates and confounds me. I am fascinated because I love the idea of random, single-topic websites. (A big surprise, I know!) I am confounded because it seems to function just differently enough from the types of blogging platforms to which I am accustomed, that I am never quite certain where I am or what I am supposed to do when I visit a Tumblr site.

Both of these shirts came to my attention via your daily octopus, but, as seems to be the local custom, these were being reposted from other Tumblr sites. Sometimes one can follow the thread back to an original source, but sometimes, as with the first shirt below, it remains a mystery.

I am told this shirt was originally posted on Cephalolove (the newest addition to the ISK Squid Roll!→), but I’ve paged back a bit and haven’t found it yet. If I ever figure out the origin of this shirt, I will, of course, post an update.

This shirt is by Italian clothing company VNGRD.

€25 at the Unotre Store.

Also available in black and gray (and purple and white, apparently) and as a hoodie.

Here is another piece of inspired madness from TopatoCo. By the creators of the webcomic goats.com, “Squid vs. Wienermobile” is available in the goats galactron cortex store (where, as it turns out, you can also find the classic “Republicans for Voldemort” t-shirt and bumper stickers).

This shirt costs $18.50 and is available in men’s and women’s sizes.

Buy it now from TopatoCo.com

Today is Cephalopodmas, but there’s too much to do for that other Capital C holiday that’s just around the corner to post much this week.

The Santa Squid was designed by Adam “Apelad” Koford and the shirt is offered by greyaenigma. It is available in a variety of colors and styles starting at $12.95. Buy it now from Zazzle.com.

Have a squelchy Squidmas and a tentacular New Year!

While this shirt isn’t Christmas-themed per se, to many people the impending holidays instills a feeling not unlike the sensation of being charged by a Giant Squid and a Grizzly Bear on a bicycle.

Raptor Bandit Industries is the merchandise arm of The Adventures of Dr McNinja webcomic, and is part of the TopatoCo family of independent creators.

The shirt is $18.50 and is available in men’s and women’s sizes.

Buy it now from TopatoCo.com

I really should have included this in last week’s Holiday Shopping Guide, so consider this an addendum. This three-button polo features the by-now-familiar Gama-Go Giant Squid and is available in Black, Navy, and Khaki. It originally retailed for $32, but it is currently on sale for a mere $12 USD!!! My guess is that this sale will probably last until they are sold out…so what are you waiting for?? Buy from Gama-Go.com.