You may have noticed that the online daily comics are now in color. I color the Sundays myself, but the new dailies are colored by someone else (I'm not sure who). As a control freak when it comes to my comics, I'm hyperventilating a little bit.
So the question is, do these first comics seem a little psychedelic, or am I just overreacting? I feel like there is a LOT of yellow. Thoughts?
Hey guys, don't forget I'm teaching a drawing class today at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, AZ from 2-4 pm. It will be fun and informal, and is only $25, so I'll see you there!
The next movie I'm looking forward to: Watchmen
It's based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. It's the only graphic novel to make Time magazines list of the 100 best English-language novels.
The trailer is pretty cool, and it looks like they are staying true to the book. Plus I like the Smashing Pumpkins song.
There's plenty of time to read the book before the movie comes out. It's a great story.
First I accused a lady at the bank of having an accent. She seemed irritated by this, but then admitted her father was from Romania. Get over it, lady. You picked up an accent.
While driving down the freeway, someone threw a cigarette out of their car and it hit my windshield. I immediately pressed the button on the shift stick. It doesn't actually do anything, but in my mind it fires a rocket at the car in front of me.
I was noticing the nerdiness of some nerds at the coffee shop. Then as I was leaving, they complimented my shirt, forcing me to acknowledge my own severe nerdiness.
Finally, my soda told me "You are not a winner." It seems that only Coca-cola has the guts to level with me. I threw it away.
No, there is no 9/11 theme in today's comic. There is a firefighter, but he's kind of a background figure.
For future reference, if you ever find yourself wondering, "Is Tony implying (whatever) with this comic?"-- The answer is... No. No I'm not.
Hey everyone, come out to my portrait drawing class on Saturday, September 27th from 2-4 p.m. at Changing Hands Bookstore. 
Learn the basics of drawing lifelike portraits with charcoal or pencil, and get an overview of artistic anatomy and various drawing methods. 
The cost is $25 for the class. Bring whatever drawing materials you feel comfortable with. It should be a good time, and I promise not to single out your drawings and ridicule them, like some teachers I had in the past.
Today the Calgary Herald published a letter to the editor that refers to F Minus, and it suggests something that interested me very much.
"I realize that, compared with the weighty matters that cause many to write to you, the comics page is not that significant. However, I did want to make a few comments about the Aug. 30 edition. First of all, we had the final chapter of Lynn Johnston's consistently delightful For Better or For Worse. I know that I am among many who will miss the ongoing reports of the family, and Johnston's unique ability to weave poignant and funny moments together. She is a Canadian treasure.
At the other end of the spectrum (and page) we have F Minus. I cannot understand why you publish this dreadful strip. Its title truly is its grade. Today's strip (with a child pouring gasoline over his tricycle) was mystifying. What is supposed to be either amusing or creative about a child wasting a precious and expensive resource while harming the environment?" -Philip E. Carr
Several things delighted me about this letter, but I'm going to focus on one specific idea: The Comic Spectrum. According to the author, on one side of the spectrum is the "consistently delightful" For Better or For Worse. At the other end... the "dreadful" F Minus. I'm going to assume Mr. Carr would be okay if I changed it to "consistently dreadful" for uniformity.
I decided to work up a helpful chart of the comic spectrum for your convenience. I've included some comics that readers have suggested should replace F Minus (and are therefore delightful). 
Please let me know where you think other comics might land on the spectrum!
The other day I mentioned that no one has complained about a human being dying in my comic. Well, that streak has ended. First thing this morning I get an email from a disappointed reader...
"Your efforts were in very poor taste as to the subject matter. Anything that implies involvement in suicide, regardless of intent is callous and inappropriate."
Sigh. In my opinion, there is no subject that can never be joked about. It's all about how it is done. But more importantly in this case, the comic makes no mention of suicide. There may be a lake below the cliff, sufficiently deep for jumping. There might even be the world's biggest pillow. It's all up to you, the reader, to make it what you want.
So technically... I've still never had a complaint about death in my comic, since this comic does not refer to death.
Of course if there is a giant blender at the bottom of the cliff, it's a different story.
Hey buddy, how ya doin? Is your day going okay? Worried about paying the bills or getting that promotion? Relationship troubles? Maybe you feel a cold coming on, or you've been having trouble sleeping?
Hey, look on the bright side. At least this hasn't happened yet:
Today's comic features tiny killer turtles. It did not occur to me when I wrote it that a killer turtle appeared in another comic we discussed earlier. Remember? I predicted the future. So I expect you all to be searching the news today for stories of dead sharks with tiny turtle bites.
By the way, I've never received any hate mail about comics featuring dead human beings. I know, I need to let it go. I'm just sayin'.
