No Joke: Graphic Sales Stories Completes a Year of Serious Fun in Sales
Join Us for Another Year of Hilarious, Shocking Sales Stories!
Boston, MA—April 1, 2025: Graphic Sales Stories, hailed as the best graphic novel about sales ever created by two individuals from Massachusetts, launches into a second year. “Something we’re quite sure people are asking for without telling anyone,” said Tom Stearns, Co-Founder.
After bursting onto the LinkedIn scene way back in early 2024 with comic book-style versions of themselves telling outrageous—but true—sales stories, Tom Stearns and Peter Cleary have captivated audiences across the corporate world.
Bucking the AI trend, they tapped a real human, Eli 5 Stone—legendary comic book artist and writer of the cult classic The Tick—to painstakingly draw every episode. “And boy did he deliver,” said Peter Cleary, Co-Founder. “Eli's artistic vision elevates our storytelling, capturing the essence of our message better than we ever imagined,” said Tom.
With each story comes a timeless lesson for corporate leaders and sales representatives wrapped in captivating comic imagery. Additionally, each story has an accompanying podcast to expand on the learning — and laughing.
In 2025 readers can expect more unreasonable quotas from the likes of VP Sales, Brooks and poor ethics from Sales Manager, Blake. “And watch for several new characters to be revealed including that HR Manager that somehow doesn’t get why you’re quitting despite the years of humiliating beat downs and 0.0 cost-of-living salary increases,” said Tom.
In All Seriousness
“I've always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and experience with leaders and reps. I wanted to find new ways to educate on key areas for which I consult, train and coach,” said Tom. "When Peter brought the idea of using comics to tell these stories, it just seemed perfect. Growing up on MAD Magazine probably had something to do with it.”
“Working in sales can be insane and I have the stories to prove it,“ said Peter. “Knowing Tom’s pretty good at organizing stuff, I thought, ‘hey, I’ll get him to do all the work.’ And off we went writing,” added Peter. “When we found Eli we struck gold. His brilliant artistry takes every story beyond where we hoped it would go.”
The stories are real though some details are obfuscated to not hurt anyone’s feelings.
Readers are encouraged to share these stories so they don’t suffer the same fate as the characters they’re laughing at.
Each episode includes a podcast where the authors share lessons and behind-the-scenes details.
The authors encourage readers to look for what MAD Magazine’s Will Elder called “Chicken Fat” or the background gags and extra visual jokes.
Feedback from Fans
“Graphic Sales Stories takes all the awkward, cringey moments of sales and turns them into something you actually want to talk and … laugh about. It’s like therapy for sales people, but with comics and fewer tears.” — David Kreiger, President, SalesRoads
“Forget your typical corporate bro. Graphics Sales Stories is a refreshing take on the sales world, proving that humor and creativity can close more deals than a thousand LinkedIn posts.”— Chris Boemerman, Senior SMB Sales Manager, Lenovo
“Tom Stearns has found a unique and effective medium to share deeply insightful and valuable sales stories; all good sales execs know you never stop learning. Great work Tom and Peter!” — Terence Lee, VP of Risk, NA, Protecht
About Graphic Sales Stories:
Longtime friends, Tom Stearns and Peter Cleary realized they had quite a lifetime of sales and corporate life-related stories they’d like to share to both make people laugh and to teach them something. “Actually, it’s Tom that wants to teach people stuff. He’s a consultant so it’s important to him. I just want to laugh,” said Peter.
They found Eli 5 Stone — renowned illustrator, writer and creative talent whose freelance career gained global attention when he took over duties as the sole writer, penciler, and inker for The Tick comic book, in succession from The Tick’s creator — and off they went.
Tom Stearns is a consultant that has helped struggling go-to-market teams for over 10 years.
Peter Clear is Senior Manager at Akamai Technologies.
Eli 5 Stone is the author of the upcoming book Brick Mannigan: Public Dick. He is also a renowned illustrator, writer and creative talent whose freelance career gained global attention when he took over duties as the sole writer, penciler, and inker for The Tick comic book, in succession from The Tick’s creator. He has composed images for the autobiographies of both Tommy Lee and Eminem, and worked extensively for film company Artisan Entertainment. He’s written for the screen, collateral advertising pamphlets and radio spots, and has led/supported numerous advertising campaigns.
For more information on Graphic Sales Stories, visit www.graphicsalesstories.com
For more information about Tom Stearns, visit www.stearns.io
For more information about Eli 5 Stone, visit www.eli5stone.com, www.brickmannigan.com
For more information about Peter Cleary, visit www.linkedin.com/in/peterecleary/
Media Contact:
Ted Stearns
Marketing Specialist
+1 508 282 1863
tmstearns00@gmail.com
www.graphicsalesstories.com
