Let's have a party. I think we'll have a party now.

About only two people will get the icon reference, but that's fine, I suppose.

Break a leg, everyone at Comedy of Errors tonight! You put on a damn fine show last year, now put your former selves to shame! Shame them like dogs they were! WOO!

( My Haul This Year, OR: I-I-I Love Material Goods, They Make Me Feel So... uh... erm... GOOD! )

But the crown jewel of today? The one thing I got today that tops even all those?

( I don't care if this huge picture stretches out my whole LJ page, I'm just gonna sit here and drool at it all day. )

Bub and Johnny Go by Batton Lash

Some of you may be familiar with indie comic writer/artist Batton Lash. He's the creative force behind the monster-lawyer series "Supernatural Law." He also writes the underrated "Radioactive Man" comics for The Simpsons' comics company, Bongo Comics. He's also the brilliant man who brought us one of my all-time favorites, "Archie Meets the Punisher." Yes, that Archie. Yes, *that* Punisher.

We'd become friends through the Small Press Expo, the big convention for indie artists that comes through Bethesda every year. He's always known me as "that precocious young thespian." Anyway, at last Fall's SPX, I told him about Bub and Johnny and asked if he would be good enough to contribute. This was before I had settled on the current design, so I let it be up to him to interpret the character. He said he would happily do a drawing for me. Well, the months passed and I got nothing. Of course I didn't complain, hell, I'm not gonna push it, I was lucky enough to be getting anything. And for free, no less.

Then I got this in the mail. Today of all days (he doesn't know today's my birthday)! And man oh man, as much as I love the comics and DVDs and Moose Munch... this was just the perfect present.

( Bub and Johnny Go as interpreted by Batton Lash )

I am getting quite the collection here. A few more, along with the pages Stacy's working on, and I'll have some great stuff to show George A. Romero when I (fingers crossed) meet him in May!