Templar, book 2. Get yours if you haven’t already.

• This is not the year for Blank Label. First their server farm got hit by a car/explosion back in June, now it appears that 5/6ths of the collective are down. As of this time, it has not been confirmed that it was Hurricane Ike that put paid to their hosting, but it appears to be a reasonable assumption. As of this writing, Shlock Mercenary and Real Life are up, Melonpool, Wapsi Square, Ugly Hill and Shortpacked are down. Alternate locations for the strips include Never mind, they’re back now. All is well, and citizens are urged to go about their normal routines.
• Webcomickers getting ripped off seems to be a recurring theme these days. The jerk(s) that robbed Ursula Vernon took more than a printer, game consoles, and tools, they took Digger from me for a week and so they must be destroyed. And now comes word that Inkdick creator Pranas Naujokaitis had a brand new iMac stolen before he even got it home. A purchase or donation to either would seem to be a useful means to shine up your karma.
• To everybody that complains that David Malki ! isn’t a real cartoonist because he doesn’t draw: he’s got your art hangin’, boy. Now kindly admit you’re wrong and apologize in a meaningful way.
• Jeff Rowland’s adventures with lower extremities continue for your amusement. Here’s hoping you beat the tetanus and/or gangrene, Jeff!
• Newish blog This Week in Webcomics talks to Gordon McAlpin of Multiplex.
• From Box Brown, news of an open-source political cartooning project:
  

  Rules: Use the characters: Democrat (Donkey) and Republican (Elephant). Discuss the 2008 Election or just politics in general. Feel free to use the template. Let the bipartisan skewering begin!

And finally, a personal note. My wife was looking at Facebook “you may know this person” suggestions last night, and half of webcomics showed up there. Considering that I don’t have a Facebook account this was somewhat surprising to me, and there’s only one rational way to respond: Stay the hell away from my wife, Ryan North.