Before we head into the weekend, it's worth sendin' out a reminder: get FREE U.S. shipping on Sheldon book three-packs...but only until Sunday!

The free shipping is offered on both the three-pack of awesomeness, and the extra-special three-pack with an Artist Edition!

For new readers lookin' to dive into the collections -- or for folks hopin' to give a book or two as a gift -- this is a great way to save money. So head on over to the Sheldon Store, click the "free shipping" option, and get 'em while the gettin's good! The free shippin' ends Sunday night!

News from the Head Office! Fellow Blank Label Comics cartoonist Howard Tayler is proud to announce the new book for "Schlock Mercenary", Tub of Happiness. At long last, the first five-hundred and seven days of Schlock Mercenary are coming to a dead-tree near you.

Pre-orders for Schlock Mercenary: The Tub of Happiness are now open. This 240-page volume features every strip and footnote from June 12th of 2000 through November 11th of 2001, and includes a never-before-published "prequel" bonus story covering Schlock's last twenty-four hours before enlisting with Tagon's Toughs.

For a limited time, you can order your Tub of Happiness as a Customer-Choice Numbered Sketch Edition. That's right, for just $10 more, your book is not just signed on the front, but drawn in, and you get to pick which character Howard draws.

All customers will recieve immediate access to a page full of desktop backgrounds based on the cover art, and all pre-orders are automatically discounted $5.00 off the cover-price of $25.00.

If you want to have a look inside, here is a 17-page screen-resolution PDF preview (6MB download), which includes the front and back covers, inside and out, the first page of the bonus, the end of the "Big Haunted Battleship" storyline, and an unsketched sketch page.

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As you can probably tell from this strip, I have a lot of friends who are graphic designers. And no matter how old or young, rich or poor...all graphic designers seem to share one attribute: they all own a USB Flash Drive that looks like it escaped a nuclear winter.

The cap is gone, the outer casing has slowly been yanked off with use...and now, all that's left is the USB port connected to a barely-hangin-on circuit board. They're storing all their work on a device purchased from Sanford & Son.

But that's the nature of the beast, I suppose. These things are put together as cheaply as possible, using butterfly wings, scraps of paper, and the dreams of a child. Even casual use makes them fall apart.

On a related note...Sheldonista Jose C. has alredy e-mailed me suggesting this little baby, and I have to say it looks pretty neat.