I just finished up the cover for the PAX 2008 program. I tried some new stuff with the coloring on this one and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I think we may go ahead and turn this into a poster or print as well. I'll let you know when that happens.

PAX 2008 is just a month away and you only have one day left to pre-register for the show.

For my cohort, there was never really a choice in the matter: each version  of Soul Calibur had exclusive Star Wars content, which made owning it a necessity. The comic strip is only about the "choice" for a moment, though - a single line - and then it is about something else altogether.

Later than usual, but then, I'm more exhausted than usual. I've misplaced over fifty percent of my vocabulary. Every sentence is a Goddamned psychic expedition.

Gabriel would like to apologize for the quality of the photos in the sketch, as necessity required they be taken with his iPhone.  He would like to add, however, that the grainy nature of the photo does serve to reinforce the "found art" aesthetic inherent in the thesis.

San Diego Comic Con is upon us, which means (among other things) that we're writing and drawing Penny Arcade on any surface we can find and then photographing it.  Originally we did it this way because our laptop gave out, but now it's all we want to do whenever we go places.  Also, in order to get napkins to sketch on, I need to order drinks.  The elegance of this pristine mechanism is breathtaking. 

Tomorrow we jump on a plane for San Diego. If you're planning on coming to the show I have some info that you might find useful.

This year we're in booth #1237. It's a good size booth and it's located right on the end of the 1200 isle so it shouldn't be too hard to spot. If you'd like to know what we'll be bringing you can click on this thumbnail of our banner to see a larger version.

So, there are two things.

I didn't post a link to it because I see links to it everywhere, and you've already seen it anyway, because you're a cool person who is perpetually in the know.  Even so, I couldn't take the chance, because the one thing most links to Dr. Horrible don't include is a dire warning about its ephemeral nature. 

You've seen the video referred to by the strip, of course. The craft is one thing, and the articulations especially are noteworthy. What really sets the presentation apart, though, is his frame by frame, physical recreation of each item's animation. That's what elevates it beyond merely a source of lunchbreak entertainment and into the realm of fascination and mystery.

Here, let me save you some time.

I got a lot of mail from people asking if we would be making prints of the Paint the Line series. I guess I only mentioned it once so it shouldn't surprise me that some people don't know that you can purchase a print of almost any comic in the archive. Just look for the "buy a print" button underneath the comic strip.

Warhammer Online saw a few deep cuts in content, designed to ensure a launch that would

The live stream will be starting at 2:30, so in just about 40 minutes. If you can't make the live shows but you still want to see the comic get drawn you can always hit the Ustream site here. I record and upload most of the shows.

Let's talk about PAX baby, let's talk about you and me, let's talk about all the contests we are running to get free hotel rooms and tickets. Every year there is a mystery person who purchases multiple tables at our Child's Play auction and then asks us to give them away. We honestly have no idea who this ridiculously generous person is and I guess that's the way he likes it. This year he's gone a step further and purchased eight hotel rooms in downtown Seattle for the weekend of PAX. These are great locations and each room will come with two 3 day passes for the show. So we need to give these away and we figured that since our 7 word Warcraft contest was so popular we'd try the same idea again. Also we're lazy.

So if you'd like to win one of these hotel rooms and two passes to PAX all you need to do is describe to us your PAX experience in exactly seven words. You can mail your entry to pax_contest@penny-arcade.com. We only have a few rules:

- You must be able to use the prize. If you can't actually come to Seattle and use the passes and the hotel please don't enter. That just isn't cool.

- One entry per person.

- You must submit your entry by Wednesday July 16th at midnight to be eligible.

- It must be exactly seven words long and it must describe your PAX experience.

That's it.

In other PAX related news, we've announced the winners of our PAX 10 competition. You can hit the official site for a list of the 10 winning independent games that will be on display at PAX this year. We had more than 80 submissions and they spanned just about every genre imaginable. We had games with no graphics that just use sound, games that require crazy 3D controllers and even a game that is designed to simulate an orgy and must be played in the dark. Needless to say choosing our top ten was no easy task.

-Gabe out

Neither iPod we own is capable of actually playing Song Summoner, so we had to borrow a peek at someone else's. Like a Monster Rancher, an Audiosurf, or even a Vib Ribbon, Song Summoner can transform your music collection into gameplay. The metaphor here is a tactical game, and the product is (startlingly enough) from Square-Enix, a company with a strong pedigree in the genre. I'm not certain that the clickwheel is a strong contender ergonomically for this kind of experience, but when they dish up the inevitable iPhone and iPod Touch versions I'll have reason to celebrate.