For today’s incentive sketch, I tried to draw Tom as Obi-Wan Kenobi and I think it turned out a little more Obi-Wan and a little less like a merge between the two. That’s okay. I think it turned out fabulous.

In case you’re wondering who that strange, red-headed woman is next to Jared in bed, that his wife Patti. Patti has appeared in a few strips before this one, but not since I learned to draw women a little better.

I’ve actually been going through the archives lately attaching keywords to the comics as part of a larger initiative to make the archives more user-friendly (the full purpose of which will be revealed in time!) Going through them, I’m really amazed at how far the art has come.

I don’t mean to sound self-congratulatory. It’s probably better to be humble and not say anything. But the evolution of my style has been just that… an evolution. Looking back, there are very few CONCIOUS decisions I’ve made while refining my character designs. They just kind of happened and I think we’re all the better for it.

I wish I had the time that other artists have to improve their art. Jeph Jacques immediately springs to mind. It seems like every three weeks he pushes his style forward by a large margin. It’s very impressive. Meanwhile, more than three years later I went from this, to what you see today. Imagine where we’ll be three years from now.

Moving along, as today’s comic addresses, Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out on DVD yesterday. Not as much hype for this release as I recall for the first two parts of Lucas’ new trillogy. Maybe he’s saving up the advertising dollars for a big holiday push down the line.

I actually talked to Jared about buying it and he confessed that he was waiting for the inevitable, larger box set that collects all 6 films into one package. I alread bought Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, so I figured I’m just one of the lucky people screwed by their own avarice. Ironically, I never got around to purchasing the original trillogy when it came out on DVD last year. I don’t know what I’m waiting for…

In other news, we have a new sponsor. Everyone be sure to visit Less Than Lonely. It’s a new web comic and they have about 30 strips in the archive. So it’s a good balance of having enough material to give you a sense of things, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed by it. Check it out!

Also be sure to swing by the Boxcar Comics brand new store – The Hobotique! While there are several items for sale that will satiate your every desire, I especially recommend that you scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out the 2006 Boxcar Calendar we have for sale. It features artwork from Beaver and Steve, Bigger Than Cheeses, The Coffee Achievers, Hey Suburbia, HOUSD, Joe and Monkey, The Kenmore, Niego, Nothing Nice To Say, Rob and Elliot, Yirmumah! and yours truly. That’s 12 months of Boxcar awesomeness that you can hang up in your cubicle at work or maybe in your garage while you work on that custom Chevy.

I’m trying to come up with other applications for the calendar, but I’m coming up short…

You should know that all profits from the calendar purchase go toward Boxcar getting a booth at next year’s San Diego Comic Book Convention – the biggest convention of its kind and a huge opportunity for up-and-coming artists such as ourselves. Help alleviate the financial burden by making a purchase today.

That’s about all of my babbling for the moment. Here’s hoping you enjoyed today’s comic. Thanks for your support and May The Force Be With You!