Want to Win a Custom Sketch?

Then click here to enter the cooking contest! (Button at the top of the right navigation section, as well.)

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not sure what I was thinking when I did this. Doesn't hurt to try something different, I suppose.

(1) FIRST PLACE PRIZE: Custom Pencil Sketch of any one of the cast in costume from the Legend... of the Ruby Crystals story arc - your choice!

(1) SECOND and (1) THIRD PLACE PRIZE: One copy each of Suburban Tribe #2 and #3 will go to two runners-up.

Today will be the last Stupidity rerun comic for a while. Thanks to everyone for being so patient while I get my house put back in order after surviving two diseased weeks in a row.

Sick-Boy Update

Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes. Today was the first day in 2 weeks where upon waking up, I didn't want to stick my head in an oven.

Over the weekend of the 12 -14, I caught a run-of -the-mill upper respiratory infection that knocked me for a loop. I finally shook it off on the 19th, only to wake up on the 20th with another sore throat. I thought it was weird, but was hopeful I would shake it off quickly. No way.

My throat worsened by the hour, and when I caught a fever that wouldn't go away, I knew that it must be strep. When I went to the doctor early Monday, she actually took two steps back when she saw my throat. "You are very contagious" she said. "Do not go into work for 2 days. You could spread this around very easily. Also, don't let your family eat or drink after you, and you should handle your own dirty dishes."

So of course, my wife woke up with her own case of strep this morning.

The good news is we have some kick-ass antibiotics that have turned me partially back into a human being and maybe this weekend I can have a Saturday night that's a little more lively than shivering in a cold sweat on the couch while I watch The Office on DVD.

The bad news is that I am behind on everything. Everything! Client work, Suburban Tribe content, New Years' resolutions, everything. Such a mess.

So please hang in there with me while I cobble together comics for the next few days until I can bring the storyline back.

In bed with John

Hi--John's wife here. He's pretty sick with the flu (we guess), so he's running way behind. He says he'll probably have the next strip up Wednesday, along with details on his long-awaited, yes-there-will-be-prizes 2007 cooking contest.

Thanks for your patience guys!

Ick.

If the weather has been so warm the last few months, how is it that I caught a cold over the weekend?

The cooking contest will begin later this week. Right now, I'm taking my scratchy, sore throat, congested nose and watery eyes to bed.

I'm Back, and Suburban Tribe #3 is On Sale Now!

If you were one of the readers who got all hot-n-bothered about last Halloween's Dungeons & Dragons story, here's your chance to own it in print. Click here to go to the online store and order.

I've also made a few changes around here during my week off. The first thing you'll notice is that the strip now runs horizontally. This cuts down on extra production time for the print editions, plus it just looks a little more professional.

I also took advantage of ComiCraft's annual New Year's Day sale to snag a snazzy new dialog font. I think it gives the art a little more breathing room as well as giving the strip a long overdue nose-powdering.

All the other changes you see are cosmetic, mostly to accommodate the new strip format. If only I were adept at ASP, PHP, SQL, DDT, S&M or whatever the hell those wacky database programmers use, I could add some new functionality to the site, but I guess we'll all just have to wait until I get rich n' famous and I can hire some guy in India to do it.

Stand-alone strips for the next week or two, while I try to write myself out of the corner I wrote myself into over Christmas. If anyone has questions for "Ask a Suburban Tribe Cast Member", now would be a good time to send them in!

Plus, coming soon: Round 1 of the Suburban Tribe Cooking Contest. I am dead serious.