GPF News Archive

Welcome yet again, gang! Sorry there was no news update yesterday, or the week before. As always, I'm a very busy puppy, so the news item had to slip. But there's a lot going on around here now, so I definitely want to get a news item in this week. So listen up, gang, and pay close attention!

First up, I'd like to thank you once again for the incredible response to the "Name the Baby!" contest-like-thingy. I've received tons of e-mails, and the message board thread has to be the biggest, longest thread on our board. To move things along, we will officially close the contest Monday, October 23rd; I will close the message board thread to prevent further posts and any messages on this topic received after that morning will be ignored. Then, we will begin Phase 2 of the project: We here in the GPF Cabal will review all the names, pick our favorite ten (five girls and five boys), then put it up for you to vote on. The name and gender that you choose will then be the final choice, and everyone will find out the exciting secret when the baby is born next spring!

Now, a few notes about Phase 2. Yes, we are going to review every single suggestion. We'll have to throw a ton of them out, but rest assured that every single one will get careful consideration. Some may be obvious; there have been a lot of foreign ("non-American") names mentioned, and while they all sound interesting and wonderful, some will probably be removed, because the likelihood that Dwayne and Nicole would pick such a name would be small. Some of the more... uh, curious names might be thrown out for similar reasons. But don't worry... we will consider each one, and hopefully there will be some interesting choices on the voting script. :D

Another note: A lot of you have suggested Dwayne and Nicole should have twins. While that wasn't exactly what I had planned, I think it's an absolutely wonderful idea. Here's what's going to happen: Along with your vote for the name and gender, we'll also include a yea/nay vote for twins. If the response is favorable, expect for our favorite married couple to have two bundles of joy instead of one. The top name and gender will definitely be included; the other baby's name and gender will be chosen randomly as either the second highest name of the same gender, or the top name in the other gender. And, of course, we won't announce a thing until the blessed day arrives! ;)

Moving right along....

Halloween tends to be a big deal here in the United States, and it's going to be a big deal here online, too. We have several spooky announcements to make, which is sure to scare any ghost into soiling his bed sheet:

• Hot off the success of Keenspot Bikeeni Summer 2000, Keenspot is launching a month-long scare-fest called Hallowkeen 2000! See what demented gory stuff your favorite Keenspot cartoonists can dredge from the marred, sordid depths of their perverted, twisted minds. Oh, and it's funny too.
• Plan Nine Publishing, our publisher, is having a 24-hour Halloween sale, with free "basic shipping" with every order! In other words, basic shipping fees are waived for all orders; if you wish to expedite your order by paying a little extra, you can, but the basic shipping rate will be deducted from the total price. The sale occurs only on Halloween day (October 31st), so mark your calendars and save your pennies!
• Although we won't be participating again this year (sorry, gang), we'll happily plug Fright Night 2000! Tons of your favorite online cartoonists are joining forces, swapping characters, and otherwise trying to scare your socks off with spooky, zany comics. The Fright Night 2000 site says it actually began yesterday (the 16th), but I didn't see anything there yet. But keep watching that site for more details!

Also, if you didn't already see the big blue letters on the main page, GPF Book #2 is completed and should be off to the printer any day now. That means pre-orders will soon be available, so start saving your pennies, gang! Definitely keep watching this site for more details.

Odds and ends: Check out the Dragon*Con Special Report for news and pictures from our Atlanta excursion (our first convention!). Make sure to sign up for the Plan Nine mailing list to pick up special discounts and exclusive deals on Plan Nine titles (including GPF books and (potentially) other merchandise). And as always, feel free to let me know what you think of the site and the strip either through the GPF Message Boards, or drop be a line.

Catch you next update, gang!