If You Like 'Pearls Before Swine,' THIS Video Is for You:

When it comes to promotion, "Pearls Before Swine" creator STEPHAN PASTIS truly takes matters into his own hands. So much so that Pastis will endure bloodied noses, projectile plush toys and bleep-happy, expletive-laced rants in order to peddle his paperback collections.

As seen in this video (below), Pastis travels to Kansas City and goes to "rival" syndicate Universal Press Syndicate to see whether his publishing foe -- rather than his own syndicate -- will promote his 12th book, "Pearls Sells Out" (due in stores in August). (Real-world spoiler: Pastis's books are published by Missouri-based Andrews McMeel Universal, the parent company of Universal Press Syndicate).

So how did Pastis hit upon the idea for this video?

"I had to be in Kansas City, so they said: 'Do you want to do a promotional video while you're here?' " the cartoonist tells Comic Riffs. "When I got there, I had 22 short little scenes -- I think they [re: Online Marketing Manager Susan Patton] were shocked."

Pastis's co-star in the video is Universal comics honcho John Glynn, who, Pastis says, "just stole the show" with his deadpan delivery.

And if you're into geeked-out trivia, imdb.com-style, then you might actually be interested to know:

1. The video was edited in Santa Rosa, Calif., by Charles Schulz's grandson, Bryan.

2. Some exteriors were shot not in K.C., but rather in Santa Rosa -- at the Schulz Museum near the Ice Arena. (If you look closely in the window reflection, you can see a statue of Charlie Brown, the cartoonist says.)

3. The person who opens the door to smack Pastis in the nose is "Foxtrot" cartoonist Bill Amend.

4. And the gent walking out of the "office building" (right before Pastis sneaks in) is Bryan Schulz himself.

Now without further adieu, the cheeky video itself:

RELATED READS:

THE 'RIFFS INTERVIEW: Stephan Pastis on Rat, Pig -- and why Larry the Croc may be the real movie star.

STEPHAN PASTIS reacts to his Reubens nominations.

JOHN GLYNN and STEPHAN PASTIS on whether many newspaper comics polls are a sham.