Sheldon reader Ben M. has been fighting the good fight against cancer for a while, now. And he just let me know he’s moving to Houston for further, specialized cancer treatments. As part of that move, he asked if I’d be comfortable mentioning the eBay sale of his prized original art from this Sheldon strip.

This is a strip that a *lot* of you have asked about over the years, so I know one of you will be overjoyed to snap it up. More importantly, I’m happy to help Ben out in this moment — as he’s been one of the kindest, nicest people a cartoonist could ever hope to meet. I first met Ben at Emerald City Comic-Con, what, three years ago? Four? And he’s always, always, always been quick with a kind word or a helping hand. So this is the least I can do for a genuinely good guy.

Ben’s framed up the strip in a really cool way, as well: Go have a look!

Just a heads up for those following our Saturday-only scifi feature: There won’t be an installment of Drive this weekend, with apologies.

But it’ll be back, rarin’ to go, next weekend! All tanned and rested and in fightin’ shape.

If you are on the internet, and have a working mouse and keyboard, then THIS MESSAGE IS FOR YOU:

You have until Friday to save $15 on the Sheldon 3-pack of books!

The 3-pack combines books 1, 2, and 3 — three books that would otherwise cost you $45 –but until Friday it’s just $30 for all of ’em! Plus there’s a cheap, bundled shippin’ fee for gettin’ them all at once, so you’re saving there, too. Wa-BAM! Savings!

Sheldonista Kathy M. just e-mailed me with a reminder: Since it’s Fall, that means it’s the Sheldon anniversary: 12 years of the strip online!

Neat!

Attention, Pasadena! This Friday night I’m a guest at the big ol’ Pasadena Art Night, which takes place in all the big cultural building around the city.

The young David Malki and I will both be signin’, sketchin’, sellin’, and sayin’ “hi” to readers…from 6-10PM in the cool 1920’s room in the Central Library. Come on out! Bring the kids! Bring the cat!*

*Provided the cat likes cultural events, and gettin’ cool, free sketches from cartoonists.

Hot buttered ham! All this week, save $15 on the Sheldon 3-pack of books!

The 3-pack combines books 1, 2, and 3 — three books that would otherwise cost you $45 –and this week it’s just $30 for all of ’em. Plus there’s even a cheap, bundled shippin’ fee for gettin’ them all at once, so you’re saving there, too.

Another way of looking at it: That’s 408 pages of Sheldony goodness for just 30 smackers!

Along with today’s installment of DRIVE, I thought I’d give you an update on the new website for the comic.

The site’s design is all done, as are all the assets…and now it’s just a matter of applying all the coding (for archive navigation, etc., etc.) and configuring all the backend stuff. This part of the process is always sorta Murphy’s Law, but we’re gettin’ super close. No guarantees, but I think it’s just a few weeks away. 

…I’m excited for you guys to start usin’ it: Thanks for your patience in the meantime!

I just found this pic on my hard drive from a year or so ago, and laughed at it again. Forgive me for not remembering the (pictured) Sheldon reader who submitted it, but it’s probably the best use of this Sheldon shirt I’ve ever seen.

As a side note: We should have a contest at some point for the funniest/best use of a Sheldon shirt in a photo. You guys would probably be awesome in a contest like that. The intensity is what cracks me up: Totally sells the moment.

After reading Friday’s strip about “English Fops on the Moon”, Sheldonista James C. sent in news of this awesomely ridiculous movie from 1964: First Men on the Moon, about a moon mission from Queen Victoria’s England.

I love it.

Nebraska, know that today’s strip is done with love. And I don’t just say that to avoid the inevitable deluge of pro-husking e-mails. I say it because it’s true.

All of us, no matter the background, no matter the region, have a *cough* less-than-stellar *cough* team name in our life.

My High School mascot, for example? The “Dons”.

C’mon.

How weak-sauce is that? Basically, we were named for wealthy Spanish landowners of significance. Kind of a tough name to get pumped about: “Go, pseudo-royal-blooded-landowners, go!”

So let’s hear it: Who’s had the worst team name out there? (And University of California Santa Barbara Banana Slugs…you don’t count: You choose that name willingly.)

EDITED TO NOTE: Thanks to the kind, gentle, timid e-mails of 10,000 UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz alums, I am kindly, gently, timidly reminded that it is UCSC, not UCSB, with the “Banana Slugs” mascot.

You would think that I, having graduated from UCSD, would know that…. but alas, I am at long last revealed to be a moron. 🙂