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This scene was written a little differently than it appears here, as I actually choreographed the entire fight. However, it's difficult to interpret movement and flow in a comic because the images aren't moving - they're still. Sequence and pacing play big parts in a fight scene, especially one like this.

I added some blood to the "wounds" that Sophia is inflicting for effect more so than anything. She's really not supposed to be doing much if any damage here. The script called for no blood, but I guess a lot of people were confused by the previous page's sound effects. I think that the fight that I have planned for him and Sophia and the swordsman in the Bushido story that I was writing will help show this a little better.

So Kidjo is a lumbering bully that really has no passion for the fight, so much as just beating the crap out of people. He likes to inflict pain, and when he can't then he just doesn't see the point.

But while this fight's going on, what's happening with Selphi...? Find out next week!

Have a great 4th of July, by the by!

Alan Evans, one of the coolest guys in web comics and creator of one of my favorite series Rival Angels has posted the latest page with a cameo appearance from your's truly, me. Not only do I get rejected by my long-time comic book crush, Australian bombshell Brooke, but she also makes fun of me. It's every fan boys dream just to see their face in their favorite comic, but I actually got to interact with my favorite character.

Make it hard for me, Brooke. Punish me. It'll only make my winning you over all the sweeter.

Be sure to check out and read Rival Angels, updating every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

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This is my model friend who looks like a blond, white Susie. You may recall that I spoke about her quite some time ago, especially to Fitz (my twin with hair). So now if you ever wanted to know what Waffles and Susie would do during the day, here you go.

Last night was tragic because it marked the passing of a musical genius, the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Say what you will about his personal life, I was excited about the prospect of his comeback tour (and rumors of a new album in the works). The man would've shown the world how a comeback happens, and would've sent Britney Spears crying home to mommy over her failed attempts at doing so.

The Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls would also be included in the list of people that I would call "failures" in the comeback department. Way to have a tour and then flitter out into oblivion again. Thanks for the reminder.

Michael Jackson, I've seen this man perform in Ireland. The crowd was already screaming at the top of their lungs before he took the stage. And then BAM! a puff of smoke and the man's standing there without moving for a full 30 seconds - and the audience gets even louder! Then the guy makes one move and strikes one of his signature poses, and the audience somehow erupts into a frenzy! Then the man puts on one of the greatest performances I have ever seen in my entire life.

Michael Jackson: musician, performer, legend. Rest in peace, Mike.

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Finally doing a call back to an earlier story (the first photo story arc, in fact), but mostly I just wanted to show cute photos of Waffles and myself wrestling.

Plus, there may be some more references from that first story arc around the corner.....

But I digress, right now the cat and I are enduring this Chicago heat wave without any AC - only because I haven't gone out and purchased a unit yet for the window. I come from a state where just about every building has central air, or a built-in unit somewhere. Plus, no one could have predicted these 90+ degree days. Waffles is so hot and uncomfortable right now that she doesn't even want to play. The problem is that I may not have time to get a unit until Friday....in the meantime, she'll just keep shedding and crying whenever I try to pet her. :(

No worries, though, I'll be getting a unit this week. The cat will be comfortable again...!

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When Sophia and Selphi originally started this quest, they never said that there was someone that they knew who were blown up in the cathedral explosion at the beginning of this story. They didn't say, "My mother was in that explosion," or, "My friend's second cousin twice removed." This was less of a personal matter and more of a matter of principle. A bad thing happened and we should bring to justice the people responsible.

Now, though, it's become personal. Now, in their pursuit of justice, one of them has been (potentially mortally) wounded and the gloves are off.

However, there's a time limit here. Her sister isn't going to last long with a wound like that, and if Sophia has any hope of trying to save her life she's going to have to act fast...!

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I toyed with the joke for this comic, and went through like 4 punchlines before finally landing on this one - which I think is most humorous of the bunch.

The original punchline didn't have the woman speak, but then when I started playing with ideas of what she could say (and ultimately, how Trevor would react) the joke came into its own. I had variations of sexual innuendo, like her saying, "I want to have sex with you, Trevor," and Trevor saying, "Is that the steak talking...?"

They just didn't work as well as this one, though. This is what I get for having an idea in my head and not scripting it in advance....

I'm going back to Ann Arbor this weekend to help a friend move into a new apartment, and hopefully taking a boat-load of pictures for a funny story arc. I don't want to spoil anything in case it doesn't happen, but if it does happen it'll be good. You'll laugh.

Have a great weekend!

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Before the move, my friend Anna came to visit and took a slew of photos of my cat Waffles doing various cat-like things around the apartment. Here are a few of those shots.

The laser pointer (which creates the dot) is one of Waffles favorite toys, but she gets tired too easily while playing with it. It's hilarious to hear her panting after a good run around the apartment. I think I need to get her a kitty treadmill or something. ;)

I'm going back to Ann Arbor for the weekend to help a friend move, and am attempting to set up some special photo shoots. Here's hoping that they fall into place and everything goes according to plan.

I went to the Vic with Rob and Carrie (and later my brother and Sarah showed) for the Brew and View. "What is the Brew and View?" you may be asking, because I know I was when Rob and Carrie invited me (through Josh Elder, who is their roommate). Brew and View is a double feature presentation, this time around it was "Adventureland" and "I Love You, Man," where you get to sit in a lounge-like atmosphere and drink booze while watching the flicks. They are sticklers to keep outside food and beverages out (even searching purses), but it's a great atmosphere and a fun time.



Adventureland I had heard great things about, but found disappointing. It was American Pie set in 1987 and at a theme park, but with weed and drinking on top of a guy trying to get laid. Oh, and his best friend always hits him in the nuts. No, seriously. Other than that, it was 40+ minutes of this kid making out with girls or dirnking or smoking weed. There wasn't really any kind of plot going on here, and the "conflict" was so lame that I always walked out - but I had to wait for "I Love You, Man".

Maybe it's because my 80s experience involved GI Joe and He-Man, but I couldn't relate to this movie at all. Of course, I was like 6 years old in 1987....

There was a saving grace for this flick, and that was Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who were the hilarious couple that owned the place. Hader is quickly becoming one of my favorite supporting comedic actors, and he steals the show in this flick for me.

Seriously, you can avoid Adventureland - even if it's on in the room. If there's a beautiful person in the room with you, I recommend making out with them for 40+ minutes and let other people watch. It'll be a better show, with less crappy and predictable drama, and if you charge them a ticket then you might make a quick buck.

###

"I Love You, Man" was a much better comedy, but also a more straight-forward one. I remember Paul Rudd back in Wet Hot American Summer (one of my favorite comedies of all time), and now he's really started to stretch out his acting chops a bit. The plot is a little exaggerated - guy is in love and proposes to a girl, but realizes that he has no guy friends to be his best man. Why his gay brother couldn't be his best man is beyond me, but I guess then there wouldn't be a movie. So he starts "dating" men to see if they would be good best friends, and be his best man at his wedding.

Enter Jason Segel, bachelor and all around every man that's so laid back and loves to party that he actually starts to shake the foundation of what Rudd's character believes to be important - in some ways positively affecting his life, but also hurting his relationship with his fiancee. Here in lies the solution that Rudd has been looking for, as well as a new set of problems that didn't exist previously. I won't ruin the flick for you, but it's a fun ride with a predictable ending - which doesn't ruin the experience at all.

I guess the next flicks at the Brew and View are Wolverine and Monsters vs Aliens (which I have yet to see), so I'm excited to do this again in a few weeks!

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Did anyone see it coming? The Man with Beady Eyes is a creepy freakin' character in my mind, to be able to stab a girl in the ribs with a smile on his face.

Oh, in the event that you're not counting, Temple turns 200 today! We're a little bit beyond half way in this second prequel story, and I think the stories trucking along pretty well. Your thoughts?

So I'm trying to figure out if I want to continue with the prequels a little longer before diving into the Holy War sequel storyline, or put the remaining prequel stories into the Holy War storyline in flashbacks or something. Any preferences? I know that the prequels help fill in the some blanks and explain some back story on the world and the characters, so I don't want to avoid doing them completely.

Anyway, I'm recovering from sun burn from the weekend (bald head + no sunblock = ouch), so I'll see you all next week.

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NOTE: Due to the high critical feedback from the previous strip about online dating, I am pushing the online dating story arc ahead of schedule. But I need your help. Please e-mail me or make comments about your hilarious, frightening, sweet, or horrific dating experiences. The more I have, the better. Thanks!

You may have noticed that this comic is #100. Well, that number is pretty pointless, actually, since there have been several series that we didn't count at all (41 pages of Laura's birthday, anyone?). We're actually much much closer to #200, which we will hit this month. What does this mean for the comic? Well, for starters, I'm going to stop counting the damn pages. Confuses the hell out of people reviewing the comic or interviewing me.... ;)

Ah the return of Anthony Douchebag. He's one of my favorite characters to write, and we're going to be seeing more of him in the future. I have plans for Anthony....

I watched this very strange and somewhat hilarious movie last week called "The Pirates of Salt Water," and in it one of the characters drinks water that has gone bad. His line is, "Tastes like salsa!" and I couldn't help but use that here. The delivery was absolutely hilarious, and I was laughing for like 5 minutes. Hopefully that hilarity translates here.

I'm not a real big fan of coffee and have never understood the need (or even the culture) around the consumption of caffeine. My friends in high school drank Mt. Dew all the time, and it was okay - but I didn't need to drink it daily. In college people started consuming coffee like it was water, and I still don't even like the taste. Or even the smell, sometimes. Depends on the blend.

However, Laura (the fictional girlfriend of the fictional bald man in this comic) loves coffee. Susie landing this job is probably the closest thing to heaven for her. Unless, of course, Anthony is making the beverage....

Anyone here an avid consumer of coffee? Help me understand the appeal....

Had a great first movie night in Chicago with Rob, Carrie, Adam and Morgan. We watched The Lost Boys (which I've already reviewed somewhere on this website), because only Rob and I had seen it before. Great flick. Whenever someone asks me about Joel Schumacher, I don't think of Batman and Robin...I think of The Lost Boys and Flatliners!

I understand that M-TV recently produced a sequel to this much beloved 80s vampire flick, but I have no interest in seeing it. Honestly, nothing can top Kiefer Sutherland with a mullet. This was the beginning of his bad ass-ness that he displays weekly on that TV series 24. Seriously, dude has screen presence.

I may or may not keep track of my Chicago movie nights (which will be less regular than the Ann Arbor ones), but I'll be sure to review any cool and new movies that we watch.

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NOTE: Due to the high critical feedback from the previous strip about online dating, I am pushing the online dating story arc ahead of schedule. But I need your help. Please e-mail me or make comments about your hilarious, frightening, sweet, or horrific dating experiences. The more I have, the better. Thanks!

Finally had a chance to sit down and actually do some illustration. While I do enjoy the photo comics, they're a bit of a trick to do. I mean, you need a cast of "actors" in order to have reoccurring characters, and you need a photographer to take pictures of you while you do silly things.

Plus, I had a plan for what I wanted to do with Susie getting a job, but my own personal pursuit of income delayed that. Now that I'm starting to slip into more of a routine here, I'm hoping that we can have a more balanced mix.

I still have aspirations to tell the Nude Beach story, and I want to get working on the next birthday storyline as well. Plus, I'm going to be publishing a book collecting the first 100 or so strips of this comic. Would anyone be interested in something like that?

Also, how sweet could a t-shirt with "Put Crappa in your Frappa" be?

I'm also working on a slew of pitches right now, some of which have promise to be published. It's an exciting time, and I'm hoping that the rest of 2009 shapes up to be just as awesome as I expect it could be.

Here's hoping your 2009 is kicking as much ass as mine is so far, and continues in that vein. And if 2009 is not treating you well, then I hope it turns around for you.

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So Milikin has misinterpreted the legend of Abraham. Instead of seeing that Abraham had to kill Artimis to protect the vote, instead of seeing that Abraham banished the gods because he was an angry child, Milikin has decided to keep up this ignorant and childish way and commit genocide to an entire race of people because of this religious misinterpretation.

What a bastard.

This happens all the time in our own world, unfortunately. I won't go into details because I'm far from an expert on religion and religious misinterpretation, but believing that any one person or race of people (or even a class of people) is above another is absolutely silly to me. However, it is prevalent around the world and everywhere you look. I've even experienced it a little myself for being "non-religious." Or having an opposing viewpoint. Or for being bald.

Anyone else here experienced discrimination?

Now Sophia rushes to the Bamboo forest to rescue her sister from the evil Kidjo in her flashy new wheels. Technically Tojin technology, cars, but we'll get into more of that in another story. The point is that there are vehicles other than just your feet - which the original Temple story never showed, mostly because I was a lazy writer 8 years ago. ;)

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Seriously, biggest waste of my time. Yet like a heroine addict, I just keep coming back for more - even though I know that it's bad for me.

For men, internet dating is a numbers game. You send out as many e-mails as possible to women and hope that they e-mail you back. For women, it's a process of elimination. They have all the power, because e-mail is always a one-sided conversation. My charms come off in person, not through text, so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage.

I just have this image in my head of women only looking for guys with popped collars and side burns - basically, the guys that look like Johnny Jerkface and Anthony Douche Bag from high school. The problem here is, they "claim" in their profiles that they're looking for a nice guy - someone honest, caring, romantic, fun, whatever. Well, I'm sure Johnny and Anthony are fun, but they're still the same people that hurt you in high school and college. Why? Because they haven't NEEDED to change their ways. Women keep coming back for more. So they keep cheating or doing whatever they please.

Meanwhile, guys like me - average to below average looking with nerdy and niche interests - get ignored, even though we meet the criteria that these women claim to be looking for.

Hence, the new profile. I had a lot of fun writing it, even if it is a bit over-the-top and exaggerated. I'm sure there are other nice guys out there on the internet, and I hope that they're stealing the women from me instead of Johnny and Anthony. Because honestly, Johnny and Anthony need to go die in a hole somewhere quietly and stop diluting women and making them skeptical about taking a chance on us nice guys.

Seriously, but waste of my time. Yet here I am, thinking about joining yet another site. Are my chances going to go up any? Probably not. But I guess you have to put yourself out there to get any results.

The thing that really irks me about internet dating, though: when they stop e-mailing you for no reason. Seriously, not knowing is awful. If you ever want to punish your worst enemy, do something and never let them know what it is....the not knowing will drive them mad!

So to you married people I say "Congratulations." You've found that elusive thing that I've been searching for. To those of you on the search, like me, I say good luck.

And to Johnny Jerkface and Anthony Douche Bag I say, "Choke on each other's cocks and die." :P

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The first appearance of my brother (and a shot of me in the new jeans!), and what're we doing? Playing video games, of course. I think it's important that younger siblings are able to teach their older siblings lessons every now and then. Like this instance: jeans don't make you a better video game player.

Now, I suck at fighting games in real life, but my brother kicks all kinds of ass at them. Mostly, he memorizes moves. Me, I can never pull off moves....I just mash buttons.

Anyway, a little brotherly love / sibling rivalry to level out your Hump Day (Wednesday is the middle of the week, hence "the top of the hump").

NOTE: These pictures were taken by my good friend Russell Lissau, when he invited my brother and I over for Memorial Day BBQ (during which it rained, so we played Backyward Baseball on his Wii with him and his daughter).

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The big reveal...well, one of them anyway. So, we already knew that the gods were mortal during the time of Abraham and that the reason that Abraham had to play bodyguard to Artimis in the first place was because she feared assassination from her brother, Veno. Because mortals can be killed, right? Well, mortals can do more than just be killed. They can also make babies. And clearly, some of the gods were doing just that. Now there's an entire secret race of people running around the planet descended from the gods themselves.

I call them the Hikari.

However, this information isn't really news to Sophia - just news to you, the reader. She wanted a name, and she got it: Milikin. The lone Cardinal that is now in charge of the entire Holy Order of Abraham (and apparently retains that power for almost twenty years, because he still has it in the original Temple series). And what's his first order of business? You guessed it: war on the Hikari!

But why? Find out next week for motivations from our narrator, and what Sophia is going to do next!