GPF News Archive

Hey, gang. Got a number of things to go over this time, so I'll try to be quick. There's some important stuff in here, so I hope you'll take the time to read over it.

First of all, I'd like to announce that I'll be taking a vacation this week. (Finally!) So how does that affect you? It shouldn't. The comic will continue to update while I'm gone, so you won't be missing the new story we're starting this week. However, I will not have Internet access while I'm gone, so I won't be able to respond to e-mails or forum posts until I get back. As such, I ask that you please be patient if you need a response to something. Similarly, I won't be filling any orders in the GPF Store this week. (Of course, you can still place orders, but they won't be filled until I return.) If another typo creeps into the comic like one did this weekend, please post a thread on the forum instead of sending me an e-mail, as the e-mails could easily get lost in the volume of spam I'll have to wade through when I get back. If a serious problem occurs with the site, please contact Darren "Gav" Bleuel over at Nukees while I'm gone. I should be returning Friday evening.

Secondly, the Dragon*Con 2004 con report is now online. I still need to edit the ConCam footage for our PREMIUM folks, but the report itself and all the pictures are now online. Obviously, I won't be able to work on the ConCam video this week, and I've got a few non-GPF video projects I'm working on as well, so I'll try and get that up as soon as I can. Of course, I'd like to thank everyone who came out to see us in Atlanta: you guys are the reason I go to cons, and I hope you enjoy seeing me as much as I enjoy seeing you.

Next, original art auctions. I'm sure you guys are getting sick and tired of waiting, but I promise it won't be much longer. I intend to start the original art auctions next week, after I return from my vacation. I'm sorry it hasn't gone up sooner, but I've had a lot of irons in the fire with Dragon*Con and several real life priorities interfering. However, there shouldn't be an excuse for not starting the auction next week, so I'll make sure it happens. First up will be the original line art for the June 18, 2004 strip (the one where Fooker and Sharon are finally reunited). I'll also post the order of the strips and approximately when we'll start the auctions.

Finally, I'd like to make a few comments on the new story we're starting this week. As you've already noticed, we're finally going to see Nick meet Ki's parents, and as you can probably guess, this one's going to be a long one. (In fact, this is the final story of the GPF "year," which ends in October, so it's a good eight weeks.) I'll go ahead and say I've tried to do as much research as possible to make this as authentic as possible, and I hope those of you out there with more knowledge than me of Japanese and Chinese culture will appreciate the extra effort. Of course, I won't promise there won't be any mistakes, and if any do creep in, I hope you'll be polite in helping me correct them. (Sadly, I've had some very rude e-mails in the past in response to such mistakes. I always appreciate constructive criticism, but I'll point out that flames go directly to the trash without a response.) I think, though, that the extra research has really paid off, and I'm proud of how this story has turned out. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

I'll also make one other comment: As many of you have guessed, last year's "Season's Meetings" (where Ki met Nick's parents) had a lot of basis in real life. Nick's parents were based heavily on my own parents, and I felt comfortable that they would enjoy the gentle ribbing they'd get being translated into cartoon characters. However, I'd like to point out that there is no such correlation between Ki's parents and my wife's parents; Ki's parents are completely fictionalized, and Nick's experiences with them have no mirror on my relationship with my in-laws. (Of course, knowing my luck, nobody was going to draw that conclusion anyway, but I thought I'd throw that out there, just in case... especially since I know Bob and VJ are reading. ;)

I'll close by reminding everyone that the GPF sculpted figurines are still available from 'N'Toonz. These are officially licensed figures made to your custom specifications and each comes with a letter of authenticity signed by me and the artist. These sculptures have the official Jeff Seal of Approval (although I can't be held responsible if that seal smells a bit like fish). I've seen the awesome results in person, and I can't be more proud of them. These figurines make awesome gifts for your favorite Faulties.