david malki !
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davidmalki.com
david malki !
@davidmalki.com
4.8K followers 220 following 1.7K posts
🎩 hi there! it's malki from wondermark
🖋️cartoonist, designer, game maker
🔗 my various links: linkpop.com/malki
🦋 comics posted at: @wondermark.com
🔩 card game: Bolted! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/bolted?ref=3qh34x
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davidmalki.com
In good news, probably at least, this is the greenest I have ever seen Central California, in January or frankly at any time.
Some rolling green hills that are usually yellow or brown
January 9, 2026 at 8:35 PM
davidmalki.com
I love a man with rock-hard abs and especially a well-defined
A can of old engine additive labeled GUM CUTTER
January 2, 2026 at 10:55 PM
davidmalki.com
Let's see what's in the news
December 26, 2025 at 7:04 PM
davidmalki.com
For the second year in a row, I spent an inordinately long time crafting the perfect gift box for a gallon of windshield washer fluid.

(I couldn't find last year's similar box so I had to make a new one.)
A bottle of Rain-X next to a hexagon/circle template on a piece of paper. The circle is the size of the bottle's base and the hexagon will be the footprint of the package. Midway through crafting the hexagonal prism box. The bottle nestled in the finished box in a bed of crumpled paper. The wrapped gift on Christmas morning. It looks beautiful.
December 25, 2025 at 11:55 PM
davidmalki.com
How it started / how it's going

I just thought this was a neat picture and deserved a better frame. (Became a lovely present for my wife.)
A NASA photo of the space shuttle Discovery on the launch pad. Thin metal frame, dingy glass, Goodwill sticker. Removing the photo from the frame. Floated the photo over a gray-blue mat board. New black frame, clean glass, a lovely refreshed presentation.
December 25, 2025 at 11:47 PM
davidmalki.com
Finally got my Bolted! Wrapped for this year. Man, I did NOT think I used the cestus that much
A graphic headed BOLTED! WRAPPED listing the following achievements: MOST COMMON PART TYPE: ELBOW No surprise here—this versatile part type was 87% of crafters’ most common choice. Try to be more imaginative next year, huh? FAVORITE SINGLE PART: CESTUS You scored a knockout blow with this powerful part! Only 8% of crafters swung the cestus as well as you. Makes sense, since this part kinda sucks! MOST-CLAIMED REWARD: DOUBLE HEADER Was it too easy to put 2 heads on a forked elbow? You seemed to think so! This patron paid you 725 crowns over the course of the entire year! This means legally you are considered his employee. Watch for your W-2 in Jan.! MOST VERSATILE BLANK PART: THIS ONE (a weird tentacle faucet thing) You really put this weird thing through its paces this year, making it into a foot 41% of the time. You reused this part so much that it’s developed an oily patina. Its smell has begun to remind one of the sea at low tide. Wow! YOUR CREATURE-CRAFTER STYLE: Cool & Contemplative Never fazed by a bad hand of parts, you carefully consider all your options while everyone else waits for you to do mental math. Read the room, man! thanks for building unholy abominations in 2025!
December 21, 2025 at 6:39 PM
davidmalki.com
And that's a wrap! Thank you, all 607 of you (and the 432 of you from earlier this year). This game's gonna be great!!

Kickstarter now allows "late pledges" for certain rewards, so if you totally whiffed on this, there's still time, but we are MOVING ON and I'm excited to get this game to ya!!
The campaign-end screenshot, showing 607 backers
December 21, 2025 at 3:10 AM
davidmalki.com
Round numbers, once again. 100 minutes to go! When they start counting in minutes, you know things are getting good.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
The Bolted! kickstarter page showing there's 100 minutes to go
December 21, 2025 at 1:23 AM
davidmalki.com
Idk how truly impactful it is, but I will take a moment to appreciate my game being on the actual root boardgamegeek homepage
the BGG homepage, with Bolted! listed in the 'crowdfunding countdown' list, which is ordered by 'time to campaign end'
December 20, 2025 at 8:26 PM
davidmalki.com
I got up this morning eager to tell everyone how it's the final day for my game Bolted! on Kickstarter. Just so much to say about that, including sharing the long writeup I did about the game's development.

But then my BURRITO INFLATED in the air fryer and sharing this is FAR MORE PRESSING
my burrito has come unwrapped in the air fryer as steam has inflated the tortilla. It looks like a beautiful wheaty pillow
December 20, 2025 at 7:12 PM
davidmalki.com
I love this. The system works, folks. Read about the thing I made, and all the mistakes I made making it, but then solved, I swear: www.patreon.com/posts/146182...
Kickstarter commenter: "Read about this game during the Backerkit campaign, and thought it looked funny and Wondermarky but too simple and based on luck. I briefly saw the extra rules and cards in this kickstarter version but dismissed them as gratuitous fluff. Only when reading the designer diary at wondermark.com just now, I realised that the game had evolved into something much more interesting! So a pledge for me :) Thanks for the peek into the thoughts factory!"
December 19, 2025 at 6:59 PM
davidmalki.com
And holy shit Cranfest has only gotten bigger since then
WARRENS, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) The Warrens Cranberry Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary this year and according to lineup Chairman, Lisa McCormick, more than 150,000 people attended the event, some of them crowding the streets to watch the Cranfest Parade, “Our parade is kind of the culmination, the end of the festival and we’re excited for great weather to get this parade off today.” The parade has been a tradition for as long as the Cranfest. McCormick explains, “50 years ago, in our very first cranberry festival we had, we started with just a small kiddy parade, so it was just our basically the cranberry growers’ children had the parade and it’s just grown from that point on.” Fifty years later, the parade has more floats than ever before. One organization has only been in the parade for two years but says they love it all the same. High-wheel bicyclist, John Bollig, says “I’m in a club called the Wheelman. We ride Empty Bicycles. I’ve got one of those high-wheeled bikes. Many people call them Penny Farthings. And there are going to be a few of us riding today on one antique trike. It’s got big wheels. It’s an adult trike.”
December 19, 2025 at 6:13 PM
davidmalki.com
In retrospect, I cringe a bit at the idea of a "coloring contest" in which I asked people for spec work... But the upshot is, of the people who submitted, I went on to hire at least 75% of them for additional work over the years. For example Kory also illustrated the skeletons for this book cover:
The cover of my book FRIENDS YOU CAN RIDE ON. The cover illustration is a giant hippo-man riding on the shoulders of another, giant hippo-man. However, only in spot gloss so you can only see it when you tilt the book just right, there is a lightning storm and you see an x-ray view of the hippo-folks' skeletons.
December 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
davidmalki.com
It's true!! Both Kory's kind words OF COURSE, but also the fact that Kory colored this comic for my 2009 book.

I think this comic was based around the fact that I had source imagery of the same dude with different facial expressions, which was rare!
[[SALTY BILL finds a ticket marked ""Violation"" on his automobile.]] [[We see that the ticket is, in fact, a picture of himself asleep in bed, taken through a window. Upon the picture is written ""I AM WATCHING.""]] [[SALTY BILL looks up in astonishment.]] [[OFFICER WHEATGRASS peers around the front of his patrol car.]] {{header: watch out at WONDERMARK.COM}} {{alt-text: AGAIN?!}}
December 19, 2025 at 5:58 PM
davidmalki.com
Remember the important mnemonic RNBTG:

Round
Numbers,
Baby,
They're
Good

www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
Kickstarter page for Bolted! showing 499 backers
December 19, 2025 at 7:57 AM
davidmalki.com
This feels like a @bradguigar.com joke. "She's part mermaid and part sea cow."

📖 Gent Yearbook, 1982
#magazinetimemachine
A cartoon drawing of classic marooned guys on an island. One is saying the caption to the other. They are referring to a mermaid on a nearby rock, whose chest features an udder. Get it???
December 17, 2025 at 3:27 AM
davidmalki.com
TODAY! Shortly! I will play Bolted! in SOLO MODE - aided and assisted by Sam Logan! @samandfuzzy.com

Stream starts at 1pm Pacific at twitch.tv/davidmalki

Here is the game we'll be playing!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
December 16, 2025 at 8:35 PM
davidmalki.com
TODAY - 3 more competitors enter the BOLTAGON for a head-to-head BOLT-BOUT:

Zach Weinersmith! @zachweinersmith.bsky.social
Sen! @dresdencodak.com
Kevin McShane! @kevinmcshane.org

Streaming live @ 4:15 Pacific at twitch.tv/davidmalki

Playing this game: www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
December 14, 2025 at 10:51 PM
davidmalki.com
Printed pull strip, 2 distinct generations of envelope (they even feel different)
Priority mail envelope Priority mail envelope
December 14, 2025 at 9:10 PM
davidmalki.com
Oh, for international. Yeah that makes sense!

I assume you already know about Simple Export Rate from Pirate Ship
December 13, 2025 at 8:26 PM
davidmalki.com
Are these the correct ones
December 13, 2025 at 7:00 PM
davidmalki.com
I love me some round numbers!!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
Screenshot of the Bolted! kickstarter page showing 400 backers and a total raised of $19,992
December 13, 2025 at 6:13 PM
davidmalki.com
Today! Competing live in the BOLTODOME at 1:15 Pacific! It's:

Scott C.! @scottlava.bsky.social
Shing Yin Khor! @shing.bsky.social
Cat Farris! @cattifer.bsky.social

Streaming at: twitch.tv/davidmalki
Playing THIS GAME: www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
Scott (or rather his son Cabin Head), Shing, and Cat get ready to play Bolted!
December 12, 2025 at 5:22 PM
davidmalki.com
LATER TODAY, battling in the BOLTRENA:

Dylan Meconis! @dylanmeconis.bsky.social
Kaylee Rowena! @kayleerowena.com
Kendra P! @hagofbolding.bsky.social

Streaming live at 12:15 Pacific at twitch.tv/davidmalki

Playing THIS GAME (in case it was unclear): www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
Dylan, Kaylee, and Kendra's self-portraits
December 11, 2025 at 4:41 PM
davidmalki.com
Jeph's creation begs not to be forsaken by its creator
A hideous composite creature only its creator could love
December 10, 2025 at 11:15 PM