Jared throws a mean uppercut. Ask someone who knows.

Okay, this time I swear I’m done with all the stuff about the Oscars. More on that later.

You know what I think is most ironic about today’s strip? Shortly after finishing it, I got an e-mail from the author of Weekly Webcomic Reviews that I was voted on of "The Cool Dudes of Web Comics" under the nomination heading "Nicest Guy in Web Comics." Yes, I have achieved this despite the fact that my characters pummel each other on a fairly consistent basis.

You should check out the article. A couple of my friends – Joe Dunn, Mitch Clem and Sam Logan – were also awarded under less subjective criteria. Still, it’s nice to be recognized.

I don’t know how to bring this up without sounding like a totally pompous idiot, but I’ve heard about my reputation for being a nice guy in other corners of the scene. I know a few people that would disagree with that, so it’s curious to me how I’ve subconciously cultivated this outward perception. It’s not like I’m giving backrubs to people who read the comic. But I totally would. I’m one of those "huggy guys." It’s what happens when your parents leave you in a crib from the age of 4 months to 2 years. You end up overcompensating later in life.

Just kidding, Mom and Dad! I love ya!

I probably need to mention that I won’t be posting any updates for the next two weeks. I have a couple of events going on right now that are going to draw my attention away from the comic. But don’t worry. I got a couple of really great babysitters that are going to take care of you.

The first event that I’m attending is kind of a long story. I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes version here.

Have you guys heard of The World Series of Pop Culture? It’s a game show that’s going to be on VH1 later this summer. I know that you haven’t heard about it yet because it hasn’t been filmed! How do I know that? Because I’m auditioning for the show in Chicago this weekend!

Like I said, it’s kind of a long story. But essentially, a friend of Cami and I sent me an e-mail about the show and said "Tom, this is PERFECT for you!" I said "Why not?" and signed us up. We filled out an application and the casting people liked what they saw. After that, they sent us an essay to fill out and we sent that on. After that, we were told we have an audition!

This isn’t like American Idol or some nonsense like that. It’s not a cattle call. Not just anyone can go. They’re only doing this for two days and you have to have an invitation. So we’re pretty psyched about it.

Basically, the producers are doing auditions in 5 cities and will eventually cast 16 teams of 3 to compete in New York in late April. The audition on Saturday consists of a timed written test. If we pass, they sit down the three team members and interview us individually. If they like what they see in the interviews, they’ll call us Saturday night and have us come back to the hotel where we’re auditioning to do a dry run of the game on Sunday. They’re calling back 8 teams. The team that wins AUTOMATICALLY gets to go on the show. The remaining 7 teams will have their names thrown into a hat and 4 will be drawn at random to compete.

Anyway, there’s a little more to the story you can read about in the THorum here if you’re interested. It’s been an interesting journey so far. I’ll be sure to let everyone know how things turn out after this weekend. Posting pictures and whatnot.

Anyway, since there’s a possibility that we might be competing on Sunday and they may need us there until 5:00, it’s possible I won’t be home in time to do a strip for Monday. It’s a 6 hour drive from Chicago to Des Moines, so it looks like a strip from me is off the schedule.

Additionally, I will be going on vacation next Thursday the 16th through Tuesday the 21st. So instead of having a guest strip on Monday, a strip from me on Wednesday and three more guest strips after that – I decided to give myself a well earned vacation and just take the next two weeks off. After all, it’s a lot easier to relax when you aren’t worried about posting new comics.

But as I said, I have a bunch of great stuff lined up for you guys. If you need an indication of quality, chew on this – All of the guest strips are coming from artists from Boxcar Comics. Oh, yeah!

So, this is the last comic you’ll see from me until March 27th, but I’ll still be poking around and saying "Hi." Hopefully by the time I get back I’ll have some concrete news about the Theater Hopper: Year One book. Until then, have a great weekend!