Month: February 2009

Sunday’s strip won’t be posting until later Sunday night, I’m sorry to report. The finished strip is sitting on a computer in California rather than its comfy server in New York…a situation I can’t correct until I return from Katsucon. My apologies for being temporarily lame. 🙂

EDITED TO ADD: The Sunday strip is up! Fwaaa-zam!

It’s a double-tall strip, only because I wanted to try for that mid-century, socialist-realist style for the final panel…just because I thought it’d add to the ridiculousness. (As if the blimp, hang-glider, and biplane weren’t enough ridiculousness.)

I’ll be at the Katsucon booth all day Fri/Sat, and until the afternoon on Sunday…but as I hop on the plane for Virginia, I’m realizing I don’t have the booth number to give you.

I’ll edit this post later to add it, but I do know the hall isn’t massive: So, you can just look for the big, red-and-white banner that says “HALFPIXEL”. I’ll be the one givin’ out high-fives (and the occassional low-five, if circumstances warrant).

Awwwww, snap:

I just noticed that there is ONE last Artist Edition of Nerds on Parade. Which is neat, because I can guarantee you’ll get #300 out of 300, with the extended, one-hour(!) sketch found only in that last book.

First one over to the store gets it! 🙂

[EDIT: ‘Twas gone in 60 seconds, just like the movie. But! There are still regular copies of Nerds on Parade in the store!}

Here’s a fun fact that you may not be aware of: “Sheldon” appears in no paying newspapers. None. Zip. Zero.

Here’s why I bring that up: In the last few months, I’ve gotten more than a few e-mails from concerned Sheldonistas asking “…how was the strip holding up?” with all the newspaper bankruptcies. And they’re always a little surprised when I e-mail back and tell them what I just told you: The strip only appears here…and completely free to all online readers.

And I’m realizing that perhaps I’ve taken it for granted that people know that. Because these e-mails have kept rolling in over the last few months, and always with that same concerned sentiment. So it’s definitely something that needs clearing up. If you’ll allow, then, let me assure you of three things:

1.) The daily Sheldon strip is now and always will be 100% free to read.

2.) The (growing) Sheldon archives of 2,500 strips will always be 100% free to read.

3.) The death of newspapers won’t impact that. The global recession won’t impact that. If anything, the confluence of those two events means people will need a daily laugh more than ever.

So let’s shake hands on it: The strip stays free to read. Deal?

Friends! Romans! Sheldonistas! Lend me your ear!

This weekend, Feb 13-15, I’ll be appearing as a special guest at Katsucon
along with my Halfpixel stablemates Brad Guigar and Kris Straub.

The show runs at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA. Here’s one of those cool Google map thing-a-ma-jigs:

View Larger Map

If you’re planning on picking up a Sheldon Original Art at the discounted con price of $25 off, make sure you e-mail me so I bring the exact one you were hoping for. But other than that, I’ll be giving out free, personalized sketches…and will of course have all five Sheldon collections, the “Pug” and “How To Make Webcomics” books, shirts and more.

Hope to see you there!

Sheldonista Jennifer E. sent in *this* little news tidbit.

My favorite part? The smart alec journalist who said the robber “transported” himself out the store on foot.

My second favorite part? That both clerks knew it was a bat’leth.

This is awesome.

Sheldon reader and comedy song-smith Tom Smith sent in the best thing ever, today: A song
(Link: MP3 file) riffing off of today’s strip, called “Could It Be Shplove?”

I love this so much, Tom — thank you thank you!

If you liked Tom’s song as much as I did, be sure to drop him an e-mail.

Here are Tom’s lyrics:

COULD IT BE SHPLOVE

Words and Music (C) 2009 by Tom Smith

Everyone sings romantic songs,

You know what I’m speakin’ of,

They all sound the same, because besides the girl’s name,

The lines have to rhyme with “love”.

That doesn’t leave too many options

Half a dozen words tops, and they’re gone,

So it thoroughly rocks that there’s lint from your socks

But not the socks you’ve got on

Could it be “Shplove”?

(Yes it could, it’s all right, it’s all good)

Wonderful “shplove”,

(Filling my heart, between my toes, good place to start)

I can write a song without mentioning the perfect skies above,

Because now, at last, I know… it could be “shplove”.

There’s “dove”, which is pretty romantic,

“Like a hand in a glove”, which is sweet,

There’s “shove”, only good for break-up songs,

And “foxglove”, kind of a cheat.

More songs have been written about love

Than all other songs that there be,

After all this time, shouldn’t more words rhyme,

Well, I guess that it’s up to me.

Could it be “gruhve”,

(The Grandpa noise made while picking up Grandson’s toys)

Beautiful “thpruve”,

(The grand display, your spit-take after tasting Ocean Spray)

So many possibilities to take advantage of,

It doesn’t have to end here, it could be “shplove”.

“Zuv”, the single hair that grows back, messing up your tan,

“Cruhve”, the dead corn muffin mix that’s baked into the pan,

“Bluhve”, what’s left of truck tires that have shredded in the street.

Come on, songwriters, get to work, the world is at your feet.

Could it be “k’shkuhve”,

(The sweet perfume of your new Klingon costume)

Beautiful “fthuhve”,

(When you kill the boss on Level 12 with awesome sauce)

I’ve so many ways to sing to you how much we are in love…

Because now, at last, I know…

It could be “grduhve” (the macho smile you fake so no one knows you’re hurt)

It could be “shmuhve” (the drop of chili that just ruined your new shirt)

It could be “kwuhve” (the guy in front of you standing up the whole concert)

It could be… shplove.

Lots of folks have discovered Sheldon recently, so let me point out my favorite feature for new readers: The Audio Tour of the Sheldon site! (It’s like those audio tours you get in museums or art galleries…only with a sense of humor.)

Along with our New Readers page, the audio tour will tell you everything you need to know about the site! Give it a whirl!