Category: Blog

I just wanted to extend a huge thanks on behalf of myself and the Blank Label Comics crew to Jim Demonakos and the folks at ECCC. The convention was top-notch — and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Whenever they’d like to invite me again, I’ll be there in a heartbeat.

Even bigger thanks to all the Sheldon readers who came out to say “Hi”. In addition to all the Seattlites (Satellites? Seattlerons? sp?), we had folks from Oregon, Canada, and even three separate Aussies! You guys made my day.

Also: I forgot to bring my camera…so if you’re a Sheldon reader who took some photos (and many of you did), forward them along, as I’d love to see them. And if you don’t mind them being shared, I’ll post them up for everyone to see. Thanks!

And so it begins! Today is day one in trying to find six days of funny out of a thin, circular piece of plastic!

If you remember, the lads behind Unshelved threw down the gauntlet a few weeks back, challenging me to a one-week duel of comics…where the topic is the mundane, unfunny, thoroughly boring coffee cup lid. And today the battle royale starts!

And you! You will be able to tell your grandchildren you were there, at “The Great Coffee Cup Lid Challenge”! You were among the throngs that watched as two comic strips tried desperately (emphasis on desperately) to find something funny to say about plastic coffee cup lids! You were among those who paraded the victor through the streets, like the ancient Roman Triumphs of old! And you were there as the mob proceeded to sack the home of the losing cartoonist, taking all of their moderately-priced furniture for their own!

So make sure you add Unshelved to your daily reading list…then sit back and enjoy the show.

(Sidenote: I highly suspect that, by day six, we’ll both be dipping into old Vaudeville jokes about seltzer water, desperately looking for anything funny to say about coffee cup lids).

As one sci-fi lover to another, allow me to lean in close to relay this in serious tones:

Firefly is some of the best sci-fi to ever originate from TV. If you haven’t yet seen it, do yourself a favor and get the DVDs.

My wife and I missed the show when it originally aired (as did most people, in all honesty). But when we popped the DVDs in, we were totally enthralled. And a little heartbroken when we got to the last one. It was one of those brilliant shows that was killed long before its time — and for all the wrong reasons.

So if you haven’t seem ’em, rent ’em! Well worth the watch.

Also: my my buddy Kris Straub has a pretty brilliant take on the Future/Cowboy/Mandarin language structure of the show. After you’ve watched the DVD, check out his character Zillionfor a laugh.

Also! Tomorrow! The Star Wars storyline has to go on hold for the big six-day contest between myself and the Unshelved guys! Who can make the most funny out of coffee cup lids? Man, I hope it’s me! If not, don’t hate me!

I’m sorry to say that the last of the three-book Bundle Packs has sold out.

Hoping to get one, but didn’t get to the store in time? There are still Two-Book Bundle Packs available. Getting the bundle pack saves you two smackers off the normal price…and saves on shipping, too!

While moving to the new Sheldon studio in February, my wife discovered a box of “A Well Balanced Meal” books.

“A Well Balanced Meal”, if you remember, was my first collection of comics, and features the first appearance of Sheldon.

We had sold out of these books a good while back…so finding a box o’books kind of took us by surprise. (Ah, the joys of clutter.)

After thinking about what to do with them, I’ve decided to keep three for myself, and offer up the rest as a bundle pack. Sheldon newsletter
readers got first crack at ’em…so now there are only 20 left.

This book will never be printed again, so if you’re interested,
pick up a bundle pack.

In one throw, you’ll own the entire three-book collection: “Pure Ducky Goodness”, “The Good, The Bad and The Pugly”, and “A Well Balanced Meal”. And if you already have one of the books, you can give the gift of Sheldon to a loved one, get on their “Awesome” list, and still pick up something cool for yourself.

These last copies of “A Well Balanced Meal” are ever-so-slightly scuffed on the binding edge, but in such manner as may not even be noticeable. All three books will be signed and dated, wrapped in collector’s plastic, and shipped with love.

Nice!

An interesting note from Sheldon reader Doug regarding “dead as a doornail”:

Want to know what that phrase means? Ask your friendly neighborhood blacksmith.

This information was all imparted to me by our blacksmith one day while I was watching him make nails. Ain’t history cool!

Thanks, Doug — that is pretty neat.

Also, thanks to the 58 people who e-mailed me to let me know that my *snif* long-cherished origin story for “saved by the bell” was *snif* incorrect. It’s NOT connected to the Black Plague.

“Learning! It’s not just for students anymore!”™

Growing up, my folks always encouraged us to learn by looking up any word or phrase we didn’t understand. There was always a nearby dictionary, bible, and encyclopedia at the Kellett house, ready to solve arguments over word usage or phraseology.

As I’ve aged, that’s an impulse that’s served me well. But it’s transmuted into a weird interest in word and phrase origins.

Today’s use of “dead as a doornail” got me wondering how old that phrase is. Turns out, it’s from the 14th Century! If you’re interested, here’s a good description exploring the possible origins of the phrase.

(Want another good one? Look up the origin of the phrase “saved by the bell” from the Black Plague days. That’ll leave you terrified for a while.)

You probably know by now that the original art for each day’s comic can be purchased using the blue “Buy Today’s Original Art” button under the strip.

And I’m sure you already know about the Sheldon Store where you can pick up book collections.

But today I’m trying something I haven’t done before: putting an original piece of art up on eBay…

You can check it out HERE. It’s one of the best drawings I’ve ever had with these three, and that’s no joke. It looked good in the “Pugly” book, on page 100…but the original artwork looks awesome on 12″ paper.

I’m starting the bidding at $0.01, because I’d rather leave it up to you to decide what it’s worth. But if you’re a fan of these three — and a lot of you are — check it out and drop in a bid.

You may want to read this two-week story arc from a year back, where Sheldon and Arthur go to the “Lame Sci-Fi Characters & Sidekicks Convention”.

It’s all the Sleestaks, Ewoks, Tom Bombadil, and original Cylons you could ever ask for…all standing side-by-side.

This is my favorite one from that storyline, I think.

For those attending, here’s a quick map showing the location of the Blank Label Comics booth, #306.

Overall directions to the Qwest Field Event Center can be found here.