1.) Just a reminder to pug lovers: There’s just one day left to snag this “Pug Hug” original art

2.) I’m going through the captions from our caption contest, and I have to say there’s a lot of really good ones in there! You guys are funny! But, with 1,000+ captions to go through, it’s taking me a while to narrow ’em down to our dozen finalists. I’m hoping to pick them by Halloween. Thanks for your patience!

As you may know, Brad, Scotty, Kris and I have been doing some side work this last year…talking about the nascent art and business of “webcomics”.

In our book, “How To Make Webcomics”, in our podcast, “Webcomics Weekly”, and in the university and convention talks we do, we’ve tried to share what we know about artists putting their work on the web.

The book was our first foot forward… but when you set something to print, it’s fixed in time. And the nature of the web is that fundamental things change every 6-12 months. So, with the podcast — and now, with this site — we’re doing our best to keep that conversation going.

The four of us like sharing the successes (and massive, massive mistakes) we’ve had over the past ten years. This thing we’re doing, as cartoonists, is still very, very new, even after a decade…and works in fundamentally different ways than traditional, mass-distributed art/entertainment. There are no schools for this, nor are there established, fixed ways of making it work. So we’re trying our best to help artists learn from other artists. It has its hiccup moments, of course, but overall it’s been a really rewarding culture of sharing.

Anyway, a few weeks/months back, the URL for webcomics.com came up for sale, and the Penny Arcade guys bought it for a princely sum. And, in a very generous move, they turned right around and gave it to Halfpixel to continue that community of sharing. I find that very classy — especially after the expenditure.

So, to work! The site will be a user-generated one, which means we’re looking for artists’ input! Webcomics.com has an open submission policy: We’re looking for ideas, articles, columns, tips, how-to-guides, production videos, success stories, and personal anecdotes. If it helps us all learn to be better artists or entrepreneurs, we want it on the site for others to benefit from. All artists are welcome to submit — not just webcartoonists! (In fact, some of the most rewarding e-mails we get are from musicians, painters, sculptors, etc, telling us that the learnings do cross over into other artforms. So we’re assuming the opposite is also true!)

From the submissions we get, we’ll post the best gems and conversation-starters on the main blog. But nothing needs to be wasted! Even if we don’t use it on the front page, we welcome you posting your ideas in the forums where the idea can still be shared and discussed.

So! If that sounds like something you, your kids, your students, or your neighbor Jim would be into, send ’em on over: webcomics.com.

Attention pug-lovers! Allow me to share this little treat with you:

It’s the final page from “Pugs: God’s Little Weirdos”, and the original art is now available for someone with an undying love for all things “pug”.

It’s drawn with archival, lightfast inks on acid-free Bristol Vellum cardstock…and just like a pug, this original is guaranteed to make you feel like life is pretty awesome. It features Sheldon and Oso in their big “reunion” shot, after Oso had been lost for days going on his accidental adventures.

Here’s a close-up shot of the two:

I’m starting the bid at one penny, because I like to let folks decide what it’s worth. So head on over and throw your hat in the ring!

[And if you’d like to see a larger, clearer version of the image, click here.

Literature that you read in your youth has a weird way of insinuating itself into your adult consciousness.

Today, I was reading about economic trade between the U.S. and Canada, and in my mind, I started to think of the two as Narnia and it’s northern, friendly neighbor, Archenland.

Good job, brain. Good job.

I love that The Discovery Channel endorsed this Sheldon toon over on their blog.

Because if there’s one thing I have always prided myself on, as a cartoonist, it’s my in-depth, thorough knowledge of deep-sea aquatic life. And to finally, FINALLY get credit for that is just….well, it’s long overdue.

So! Now that we have The Discovery Channel’s seal of approval, it’s a green light to pursue some solid, cutting edge, comic-strip science. First up, Sheldon will explain what went wrong with the Large Hadron Collider’s test run, and will conclusively prove why the machine won’t find the Higgs boson.

Then, two weeks from now, Flaco will talk at length about the 1883 Krakatoa eruption, and show beyond doubt how it related to the fall of the British Empire.

Then, just before Thanksgiving, Dante will be reading from his peer-reviewed paper on genetic evolution of maladaptive traits… showing how that relates to the now-extinct Irish Giant Deer.

Because science is what we do here, people. It’s what we do.

All joking aside: Thanks for the kind shout-out, Discovery!

1.) For all of you who liked the Dubai storyline from a few weeks ago, I thought I’d share this little news item.

2.) Sheldonista Kirsten C. sent in a neat shot of her Sunday Original Art all framed up. I always love to see ’em in their final state…

2.) At Baltimore Comic-Con, Sheldonista Kit Q. couldn’t make it to the show, so she sent along a friend with a note asking if I’d draw “the Christmas porpoise” in her book. I knew right away what she wanted: It’s one of my favorite bits of weirdness from the archives.

Anyway, Kit followed up by sending me a shot of her Sheldon collection:

…not only does Kit have all the books, she’s even assembled her Ty pug, duck, and lizard plushes like the guys in the strip when they’re playing Rex Chestington. I love it, Kit!

I wanted to thank everyone who sent in their favorite independent bookstores. Because of your help, we were able to add about 220 stores who might welcome “Sheldon” on their shelves. Stores all around the U.S. and Canada, and even some overseas. Your local viewpoint is invaluable in spotting stores that would work — thank you for that!

As promised, I’m going to be sending some new desktops to folks who sent in suggestions. Those should be going out this week.

Yesterday I said I had only four pics from Savannah for you. Thankfully, though, some folks brought cameras to the really big lecture… so I thought I’d share their pics with you.

It was a very classy setup, with Scott and I off to the side in comfy leather chairs, and our big-screen presentation at center stage.

…as you can see from the second pic, our presentation included nothing but 100% serious slides. 100% serious.

(Got more pics? Send ’em along! Ol’ Captain Forgets-to-Use-His-Camera would love to see ’em!)

I can’t sing enough praises about my recent lecture trip with Scotty to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).. The trip really was the highlight of my cartooning year

The faculty, staff and students could not have been kinder; the facilities could not have been cooler; and the in-class mini-lectures and Tuesday-night big-ol’ lecture could not have been more fun.

Special thanks have to go out to Jeremy Mullins, Department Chair David Allan Duncan, Emily Stockdale, Ray Goto, Dove McHargue, Dean John Paul Lowe, and Julie Collins. These professors invited us into their classrooms for one-on-ones, critiques, mini-lectures, sharing of best practices, and lots of Q&A. If the students enjoyed it, they didn’t enjoy it half as much as Scott and I did.

It is rare, impossibly rare, to have a program devoted solely to Comics and Sequential Art. Perhaps even more impossibly rare to have that program be any good. So, for us, the chance to go to SCAD and see their 400-student-strong Sequential Art department not only humming along, but offering classes *Scott and I* wished we could take — well, that was awesome. It’s an amazing program they have there. I have every intention of getting back there and teaching some day. Ray, I’m holding you to your offer.

I was so wrapped up in the excitement of my visit, that I didn’t take a whole lot of pics while I was there. But I did want to show you four:

First up, the immaculately restored three-story Victorian mansion SCAD put us up in: The university’s guest house, Magnolia Hall. Here’s a shot of Scott and I on the front-facing porch. Look at that place!

SCAD put millions into its restoration, and it shows. We had the 13-room mansion to ourselves — and the place was magnificent. My bedroom had 20-foot tall ceilings, a king bed with 10-foot-tall-posts, floor-to-crown-moulding windows, and every conceivable Victorian and modern nicety you could imagine. Magnolia Hall embodies SCAD’s place in Savannah: The school is slowly buying up classic-but-run-down building around town, and restoring them to former greatness. They’re at around 60 buildings, so far.

The second shot I wanted to share with you was of this amazing cake that Sheldonista Amber B. made for our visit. She took the shot of the lecture’s poster, and turned it into an even more beautiful cake. The watercolored-trees, the characters rendered in chocolate…it was all too perfect, and was heart-breaking to cut into and taste. Thank you, Amber!

The fourth pic I wanted to share was a gift from Samantha de G., a SCAD Sequential Art student who gave me an incredible scultpure of Flaco reclining on a rock. Samantha, I stared at it on the plane all the way home with a smile on my face. Thank you!

SCAD, thank you again for the wonderful welcome. It was the highlight of my year.

Tonight I returned home from my week-long trip to Georgia (…more on that later), only to realize that Wednesday’s strip had not yet gone live. A bit of a buzz-kill after a near-flawless visit to the Savannah College of Art and Design…but one that’s easily remedied.

And so, compadres, I’d direct your attention back to Wednesday’s strip for our continuing little sojourn into the world of weddings.