Hi, everyone— buckle in for some quick Cool Jerk news!

• Have you checked out the latest Cool Jerk? In the longest single Cool Jerk story arc, I wrapped up a 10-year dangling plot thread and put a bow on it, bringing closure to the whole “shabu shabu to go” story line from 2008 (!). This leads me to the next blurb.

•Due to the National Emergency that’s going on, I’m taking a bit of a hiatus from weekly Cool Jerk strips. Just doesn’t seem right to cartoon while, you know, we’re in the middle of a National Emergency. On the flip side, this will give me time to complete TWO all-new Cool Jerk books that will be back from the printers before I exhibit at the Denver Pop Culture Con (May 31-June 2). I’ll likely return to Cool Jerk later in the year (so long as the National Emergency ends, of course); I have some changes in mind that might make it necessary to call it “Cool Jerk 2.0.” Stay ‘tooned to my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for updates, random nonsense and such.

• At San Diego Comic-Con last summer, I unveiled the never-before-seen remastered college strips — Like, For Shore! The Complete Works. (Read more about the LFS! collections here.) The first printing is limited to 75 copies, and some are now available at the Cool Jerk store!

• Cool Jerk will be at Southern California Comics (Kearny Mesa, San Diego) on May 4 for Free Comic Book Day. In the spirit of the day, I will legit have about 25 Cool Jerk books available for FREE. And I’ll have other items for sale, too (such as Like, For Shore! numbered collections, enamel pins, canvas panels, t-shirts and other stuff)! Selling merch means I can fund the next book. And speaking of…

• Work is well underway on the new Cool Jerk collection. These things take time but I intend to have it off to the printers in late 2019 or early 2020. Its name: Cool Jerk Vol. 5: WUAAARGH.

Thanks for reading, stick around and I hope to see you online (and/or at FCBD, Denver and/or San Diego Comic-Con)!

San Diego Comic-Con 2018 has come and gone, like a peyote-fueled fever dream, leaving in its wake tens of thousands of sweat-covered popular arts fans/aficionados who either spent a lot of money or made a lot of money. Individual results may vary, but it was a fine year for Cool Jerk. Fine, I tell you. I had a secret product: the three-volume collection of my long-rumored “Like, For Shore!” college strips. These were limited to 75 editions and I literally had them under wraps and off the table because they were made especially for Cool Jerk patrons who have all the books. So a bunch of you SDCC attendees had first crack at these college strips that begat Cool Jerk, and now I’m happy to announce they’re available for the general public via my Cool Jerk store, here!

It was terrific to see so many of you, year after year. Some I’ve known for decades, some in just the last year or two. And I met a fair chunk of new readers who I’m sure to see in the years ahead. Thank you so much for coming by my little island in the middle of the convention center. Now, it’s time for the photo recap!

Let’s start with Kolchak the night stalker. Obscure if you’re younger than 60, a mandatory Google search if you’re younger than 45.

Another obscure cosplay, Artemus Gordon and James West, from Salma Hayek’s best movie.

Here’s Matt and Jess, from their Netflix shows.

Also courtesy Netflix, here’s Luke Cage.

Delightful StormPixxieCosplay (her Instagram handle) cosplaying Teen Titan Raven.

Just not a comic convention without a slave Leia, but hey! Props to the mail-order inflatable Jabba costume!

And if you’re going to cosplay Storm of the X-Men, you’ve just gotta use white contact lenses. Just gotta.

Speaking of Storm, there’s another one in the background there, behind the Grandmaster and Topaz (both as seen in “Thor: Ragnarok”).

Here I am with fellow Reno alum Mary Crawley, who remembers my comics from the days of UNR Sagebrush and the Reno Gazette-Journal. We discovered that we had a mutual friend in Bob Adams, and sadly I had to tell her of Bob’s suicide in 2013.

Here’s my new buddy @KariLikeSafari wearing a t-shirt that says “Impeach Trump”… in Gallifreyan.

Victorian sexy time with Mina Murray and Vlad Dracula.

Catwoman and Zatanna picked up a couple Cool Jerk books, and the next thing I knew they were casing a dude’s hand-made jewelry and artworks two tables down.

Mrs. Waterford read one of my Cool Jerk collections last night. Oops. #spoilers

Damn. Here’s “Sherman” Tank (his name, really) as John Coffey from “The Green Mile.” Complete with mouse.

Not certain what their official cosplay names are, but that’s a Wasp/Jolibee mashup with Grimace/Thanos. With the Infinity Oven Mitt. Of course.

While Darlene was wandering around the floor, she spotted the Mystery Science Theater 3000 family…

…a Dora Milaje (“Black Panther”) and Michonne (“The Walking Dead”)…

…Erik Killmonger and Shuri (both from “Black Panther”)…

…and a female Magneto, plus Mystique in mid-morph.

From Hulu’s original series “GLOW,” here’s Zoya the Destroya!

If not the first Snake Plissken I’ve seen… certainly the best Snake Plissken I’ve seen.

In the parking garage, X-Men Psylocke and Colossus (apparently his nickname even out of costume, if you catch what I’m sayin’).

One of the best costumes of the show. Bravo to you, King of the Pink Panther tribe.

Here’s Gambit and Phoenix, the latter possessed by symbiote Venom. I wish the photo would do her justice, but VenomPhoenix had super-sharp shark teeth.

Long-time pal, journalistic colleague and breakfast buddy Lisa O’Malley somehow got past security to visit. CALL SECURITY!

Think I’ll wrap this up with a couple adorbz cosplayers. The first is She-Hulk, with what her mom says is “her favorite fighting pose”…

…and lil’ clown Pennywise (I’ll remind you of last year’s Georgie Denbrough). Horror clearly has no age limit.