Vin Diesel is a huge nerd apparently, and evidence abounds for this assertion, if the fact that he and his friends remade Conan in outer space was somehow insufficient. Our recent conventions were dense with mortals suggesting Triple X for our D&D party roster, preferably in a striker role, the prospect of which we were delighted by. The reality, perhaps less so.

I did just get back from a little vacation down to Disneyland with my family. I am a huge fan of the place and now that lil' Gabe is almost five, I figured it was time to take him. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and decided to eat at a place nearby called Goofy's Kitchen. This is a really cool buffet style restaurant where the Disney characters walk around and interact with the gusts during dinner. When Chip came over to the table Kara wanted to get a picture and I expected the chipmunk to maybe throw an arm around her shoulder. I did not expect him to put both arms around her and pull her into what I thought was a romantic embrace. I said "Hey chip that's my wife man!" He responded by making a loud "Thrbbbbt" sound and hugged her even tighter. It was at this point that I noticed the other diners watching me. I guess someone raising their voice at a beloved character like Chip came as a surprise to them. I backed down and took the picture but kept my eye on him the rest of the night. In the end I'd say the food was awesome, being emasculated by a six foot tall chipmunk was not as awesome.

I have since been told that Chip and Dale are almost always played by women. This has added a new layer to the experience.

People keep sending me links to interviews with Vin Diesel where he talks about his love of D&D. I've watched a few of them and he really does seem to have a passion for the game, or at least he did as a young man. I get the impression that he has not tried 4th edition but I could be wrong. I'm not sure how one goes about getting a hold of Vin Diesel but if you see him could you let him know that Acquisitions Incorporated could really use a rogue.


-Gabe out

When Gabriel related to me the bones of this story, a tale fraught with libertine squirrels, I felt certain there was a comic in there somewhere. We have embellished it somewhat, though not as much as I originally suggested. I won't go into the particulars, except to say that I am perhaps more willing to "interpret" events where my own wife is not physically present.

Ever since we saw the first trailers for Free Realms, we've been simultaneously repulsed and fascinated - our rapid travel between these poles has generated tremendous energy. I received a beta slot in an email yesterday while checking my phone, and cried out in triumph - holding the device aloft like some ancestral blade.

So in the space of one week I did two conventions and made a trip to Disneyland. It's been pretty crazy to say the least. I've slowly been trying to catch up on all my email and I've got a lot of people asking if there is a way to buy prints of the recent CTS storyline. I'm beginning to think that the "Buy a Print" button under each comic might need to be a little bigger.

I could go on at length, as I have previously, but my guess is that you are already familiar with the product.

You have social experiences at conventions that defy description, if not depiction. I've prodded my face in the mirror every day since, cataloguing its manifold horrors, conscious of a writhing where, under optimal circumstances, no writhing should occur.

Here, the conclusion. We hope that you have enjoyed The Seventh Spring, which was apparently about fatherhood?  I try to keep it out of here, but it has a way of bleeding in.

The Seventh Spring continues. I like to write, and do so willingly when I believe it will result in a superior comic. If he's going to turn in work of this sort, however, I think it's best to stay out of his way. These pages would not be improved by my frivolous embroidery.

It's been quite awhile since we investigated the Cardboard Tube Samurai, an oversight we chose to rectify this week. With Gabriel down south this week, steeping his heir in The Cult of the Mouse, it seemed like a well-timed return to the old ways. "The Seventh Spring" runs until Friday. We had a lot of fun doing it.

When we got this thing in for playtesting, we were utterly transported.  And Yet It Moves is a platform game, and a puzzle game, where the platforms are the puzzle...  Alright, hang on.  I can do better.  

You have to wonder what toxic gases are seeping up from the foundation of Sony's American headquarters. What mysterious compound, when affixed to a functioning brain, would warp perception to such an extent that this constitutes an invigorating communique? Can anyone tell me - does any man know - the precise trajectory of this platform?

Gabriel hates political cartoons in a way that has no synonym in my own experience. I didn't grow up drawing - there was nothing in the daily paper for me to emulate. When I came to the realization that the content of these comics was fetid, I just stopped reading them. There was no sense of betrayal, no rising urge to destroy.  There was no Oedipal connotation.

We crushed Wanted: Weapons of Fate, which is just as quick as you've heard. The barb of its limited duration was deepened by the fact that - during this time - we found ourselves enjoying it quite a bit. Gabriel in particular enjoyed their cinematic moments, which are somewhere between a rail-shooter, a quicktime event, and a cutscene. For my part, I was surprised to find that the story execution wasn't a wash. They could have a franchise here, if they wanted to - though they might want to run some of their henchmen through some basic barrel recognition.

The podcast for today's strip, "The Law Of Unintended Consequences," is now available.  Of course, those of you who are subscribed to the feed itself might already be listening - in which case, I'll leave you to it.

Do you like things that are new? How about shirts? Why do I ask? No reason.