GPF News Archive

Another Quick Update: Seems like the only time I update the news lately is when something's up with Plan Nine. We have a minor emergency going on with our publisher in that its Canadian subsidiary, Plan Nine Canada, has apparantly lost its domain name. Whoever was in charge of the domain registration forgot to renew "plan9.ca" and now it's been snatched up by someone else. Plan Nine USA is in the process of securing another domain (which should eventually be "plan9canada.com"), but our Canadian readers should taken note that you can no longer order GPF books from "plan9.ca"! Note, however, that all the links on this page and on the main Book subsite page point to a slightly different URL, which will still work, and that recent orders will still be honored. Plan Nine USA and Plan Nine Europe are unaffected by this. I'll announce it here when the new domain is working. Sorry for any inconvenience, gang.

Quick Update: Hey, gang. Just a quick update here for a couple things. First of all, our publisher Plan Nine is having an "I Don't Trust That Internet With My Credit Card!" Sale today, Monday June 9th, from 10AM to 9PM EDT (2PM to 1AM GMT). There will be all kinds of special deals, but only if you call Plan Nine with an order (or, if you can't get through, send 'em an e-mail and they'll call you back). Make sure to click the link for details.

Secondly, just thought I'd mention that my wife and I just got back from our anniversary trip, and we had a blast. Friday (June 6th) was our fifth wedding anniversary, and I decided to surprise my wife with trip to New York City. We took an evening harbor cruise tour, went to the top of the Empire State Building, went to some fancy restaurants, and saw "Chicago" on Broadway. We even went to Little Italy, which was somewhere she's always wanted to go. It was lots of fun, and we didn't even get hit once by a speeding taxi cab. (Came close a few times, though.) As a result, though, I'm behind on my e-mail even more than I was, so please be patient if you're expecting a response.

Now, go buy some GPF books! ;)

Hey, gang. Yep, it's been forever and a day since I last updated (again), so I better post something, shouldn't I? Problem is, there isn't much to tell you about the comic, but I'll update anyway.

First off, I should mention a few GPF sightings off-site. Over at fellow Keen comic Greystone Inn, my workspaces are being featured on this week's KeenCribs feature. Hop over there to take a quick peek at my art desk, my office, and the hardware I use to make the strip. I should point out that the current KeenCribs feature is only available from Friday through Thursday, and then it is moved to the archive which is a PREMIUM exclusive. So if you're not a PREMIUM subscriber, you only have until this Thursday (May 29) to see it. Combine this with our PREMIUM-exclusive Behind the Scenes feature and you can get a great idea how the strip is made. (You can also discuss how much of a slob I am on this thread on the message board.)

Secondly, there's an interesting "extended cameo" on a GPF character taking place at one of our favorite comics, Algernon's Dilemma. While the official start of the story is here, the cameo begins here and runs July 8th. Unfortunately, Jim Alexander has decided to end his strip, but he is continuing to post the remainder of his story arc on the days it's supposed to run. However, if you pay attention to where you click, you can actually read ahead and follow the story to its conclusion, all the way through August. Once you figure out who's being cameoed (pay attention to the copyright statements if you can't figure it out), make sure to drop Jim a line and let him know you enjoy the strip.

That said, there's nothing else really to announce about the strip. We still don't have any updates on Book #4 or the Fred plush doll. (However, we're still taking suggestions for the exclusive print for those who order the doll early in this thead on the message board.) My e-mail response time is getting better, but please be patient if I don't respond right away. And while I won't be going to Comic-Con this year, we've already applied to Dragon*Con for guest status and hope to be hearing from them soon. That covers all the outstanding news... which means I don't have much else to add, but lots of space to fill.

So let me tell you about some of my recent new toys. :)

As already announced on the forum, Sunday was my birthday. Darren Bleuel made a big deal about being one billion seconds old recently; well, I'm not that far along yet, but let's just say I'm in the 900 million range. :) Since we're watching our finances more closely since our day jobs went into flux, we didn't go back to our old home town to visit family. Instead, we had a nice quiet day at home, combined with a wonderful dinner at my favorite restaurant (which, I might add, is the partial inspiration of the Sashimi and Teriyaki Steak story). I know my folks have some surprise gifts for me that I haven't seen yet, but I did get one nice surprise from my wife: a Palm Tungsten C. Let me say, this is one nifty device. It's the most powerful PDA Palm has ever put out, and perhaps the most powerful PalmOS device on the market at the moment. With 64MB of memory (not counting the expansion slot) and a processor almost as fast in megahertz as my Linux box(!), it beats the pants of the Palm IIIc she got me a couple years ago. It was really neat using the built-in WiFi access to bring up the GPF site on the Web browser and see Sunday's strip in high resolution and full color. (It was even funnier when I used VNC to control my desktop machines from the Palm!) Let's just say I spent most of my day Sunday drowning in geekiness. :D

Another toy we recently acquired was a new car. I didn't announce this at the time (mostly because I didn't want folks to worry), but I was in an automobile accident in mid-March, and unfortunately I totaled my seven-year-old Plymouth Neon. No one was hurt, thankfully, but this put us in an awkward spot, seeing that I had just started my contract job in Charlotte, NC, and was driving 100 miles to work each day. Fortunately, we received a nice settlement on the old car, and used it as a down-payment on a brand new 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid. This is one interesting vehicle. On the outside, it looks like an ordinary Honda Civic (unlike Honda's other original hybrid offering, the Insight, which has a very distinctive shape); however, under the hood is a hybrid gasoline/electric engine. It has excellent handling and impressive power for a vehicle of its size, and even more impressive gas mileage. (The sticker said to expect 47 MPG city and 48 MPG highway, but we've been averaging around 40 MPG by our calculations.) It's fun to drive, and we can't wait to take it all the way to Atlanta in August... hopefully on a single tank of gas. It may not be the geekiest car on the streets, but I'm sure it gets some sort of bonus geek points somewhere. :)

Well, that's about it, gang. I'm sorry there isn't much of importance, but nothing much is happening behind the scenes at the moment. Hopefully, that will be picking up soon. Until then, here's the usual extras:

• The GPF Tip Jar is now online, by popular demand. If you feel the need to tip the ol' artist, you can now do so through PayPal or Amazon.Com. This service is completely voluntary and without obligation.
• Plan Nine Publishing has started up an announcement-only mailing list for regular customers curious about when their favorite books are coming out. The list is completely private, so no need to worry about spam or talkative posters. There's also the possibility of special sales available only to subscribers of the list. If you're interested, follow this link to find out how to sign up.
• Don't forget that all three of our GPF books are out there, selling like hotcakes, at Plan Nine. Portable funnies without batteries... what better way is there to share GPF with friends and family? Order today! Also don't forget that foreign readers can buy our books through Plan Nine Canada and Plan Nine Europe at a significant savings on shipping and customs!
• Also also don't forget to check out L33T: Comics for Gamers #4, which includes a three-page Fooker & Fred story in which our favorite pair must face the return of the Brotherhood of the Twisted Pair. The comic also sports a full-color GPF-themed cover, and is currently available at a comic shop near you or through Keenspot's online store, Keen$wag.
• As always, feel free to let me know what you think of the site and the strip either through the GPF Message Boards, our IRC channel, the unofficial Majordomo mailing list, or drop me a line.