USA vs. UK

Taking a break from our "Frank and Hip Get Steampunked" storyline for a little something more in keeping with the holiday.

































Happy Independence Day, everybody!

Catch the next episode on the next Wildcat Wednesday!

"The Big Sneeze" is Available!

So, there is a noticeable absence of comic strip fun in my webcomic of late. I'm afraid sickness has taken its toll on me. Right now, I'm feeling rather drained from a nasal infection and the medicine I'm taking to combat it. The nasal infection chose an ironic time to strike as my short story "The Big Sneeze" went on sell this week as an ebook. The story features some of my favorite dragons from the Wildcat's Lair. The main characters are Special Agents Windsor and Kensington who make for a fun romp through London as they hunt down the infamous Dug who has illegally horded all of the allergy medicine in the United Kingdom.

With my short story coming out, I really needed to focus what little energy I had there, so I'm gonna have to sacrifice working on the webcomic this week. I swear to finish my epic steampunk adventure with Frank and Hip, though. I suspect that once I finish that, I'll need to take a summer break from new episodes. Big things are brewing in my writing life, so I've got to strike while I can. I hope to have more to say about all that in the new future.

Frank's Flashbacks: Lost in London, Episode VII

Due to a class I'm teaching this week, I'm posting a classic episode today and Friday, but my "Frank & Hip Get Steampunked" storyline will resume next week. For today, here's the episode that introduced the dragons from my forthcoming short story, "The Big Sneeze," Special Agents Windsor and Kensington.



"Lost in London, Episode VII"

Originally Posted: 30 April 2010




















Catch the next episode on Frank Friday!

Bracket Battle 2012: And the Winner is...

So, 2012's Bracket Battle has ended, and the bragging rights are going to Frank (God help us all). It would seem this year's wallpaper graphic with Frank's name painted on there was prophetic.

Kentucky's big win in the NCAA Tournament paid off for the cats in the Lair, including myself. I finished in second place, followed by Uncle Kerouac, who's bizarre bracket strategy had left him lingering in the bottom three for most of the tourney.

Rounding out the top half of the Bracket Battle was Special Agent Windsor and Sam the Bear. Windsor spent the first day of the tournament in first place, but never made it back into the top spot after that. He sneaked past Sam since he had at least picked Kentucky to make it into the championship game. If he'd picked Kentucky to win it all, Windsor would have actually finished out the Bracket Battle in second place.

Sam the Bear had enjoyed first place for most of the tournament. It wasn't until North Carolina was eliminated in its Elite Eight match-up against Kansas that he fell from atop the Bracket Battle. Not bad for a bear who made his picks while drunk on wine and in the throws of a cupcake-induced sugar high.

That's a wrap for this year's Bracket Battle (although, we'll see this Thursday how Frank celebrates his victory). Already looking forward to next year's Bracket Battle, assuming the Mayan prophecy doesn't get us all killed before then.

Bracket Battle 2012: The Brackets

The first day of the Bracket Battle is in the books, and already we have one major casualty. My wife, that ever loveable and sexy Dragon Queen, decided to pick Davidson for her Tournament Champion. In her defense, it's the alma mater for one of our best friends and their mascot is the Wildcat.

That British special agent from the IBDA (International Bureau of Draconic Affairs) is leading the pack, but it's a narrow lead with his pick for Wisconsin to win it all. Three of us (myself, Frank and Uncle Kerouac) are going with Kentucky. North Carolina also received three picks from our group (Hip, my dog Page and Sam the Bear). My kids are rolling the dice on our local team, the VCU Rams. That most resourceful of stuffed animals Ted E. Bear has picked Missouri. Just click on the pictures below to look at the complete brackets and see what you think of each player's picks.

Some of you might have already noticed the scoreboard for our Bracket Battle posted on the left side panel of the Lair. I'll post updated scores as frequently as possible throughout the tournament.

Ask Uncle Kerouac, Episode 15

Feel free to share each week's episode of "Ask Uncle Kerouac" by embedding it in your own blogs, Facebook profiles, what have you.

And don't forget you can get Uncle Kerouac's advice by sending your questions to him at AskUncleK@gmail.com.

And come back tomorrow for the latest picture in our weekly You Write the Caption contest.

The Big Day

Catch the next episode on Wildcat Wednesday!

Also, don't forget to check out this week's, "You Write the Caption" and tune into "Ask Uncle Kerouac" on Monday to find out if you have the winning caption.

And if you have a question you want Uncle Kerouac to answer, just send your question in an e-mail to "AskUncleK@gmail.com."

A Second Opinion

Special thanks to Jeff Sypeck who sent this gift of a "Becombed Dragon," part of the "Gargoyle Collection" from the Washington National Cathedral, to me and my wife this past week.

Catch the next episode on Frank Friday!

Also, don't forget to submit your caption for this week's, "You Write the Caption."