This has got to be the ultimate Good News / Bad News. As many of you have noticed, the Phables Web site hasn't updated since September. Unfortunately, there have been too many things going on behind the scenes that have made it impossible for me to discuss this with you. But, the time is finally right for me to speak openly: I've ended Phables.

Phables has always been a favorite project of mine, and let's face it, it earned me a freaking Eisner Award nomination. So, believe me when I say that I've thought this one completely through. But I simply cannot proceed with Phables despite how badly I'd like to.

But there's a silver lining. I'm announcing pre-orders for the Phables book that I've been promising for the past year! You can order the book now for $15 or you can get a limited-edition artist edition book (I do an original sketch inside the book) for only $15 more.

Pre-order now!

Important: I will be waiting to place the order with the printer until I have enough money from the pre-orders to cover the expense. Preorders will close mid-February. Therefore, the books will not be shipped out until around late February / early March. In the event that there isn't enough money to cover the run, your money will be refunded.

Eric in Silver Springs, Md., wrote a very kind letter to the editor of the Philadelphia Daily News. It appeared in the Sat., June 21, edition (unfortunately, though, it wasn't mirrored in the paper's Web site).

It appears in all its inky glory to the right.

Thanks, Eric! You're the best!

Debby from Port Richmond was waiting for a bus in a bad neighborhood when she noticed a thug hiding in the shadows, eyeing her purse. She was close to panicking when along came her knight in shining armor.

So, were you ever the recipient of help from an unlikely source?

The Philadelphia Daily News is moving Phables to a bi-monthly schedule for the summer. Look for it every other week until further notice.

This was my first celebrity Phable. Big Daddy Graham is a popular radio personality in Philadelphia who broadcasts on WIP (610-AM). He's also known for his musical releases (available on his Web site). For sure, he's a natural-born storyteller.

...you're always close to home."

I always remember my mom saying that as we stood in line for a Cedar Point roller coaster and ran smack into a family from down the street.

Philly is really a conglomerate of small towns, so it's very possible to have this experience when you live here.

And it always seems surreal because, let's face it, outsiders don't expect us to know other Philadelphians. We're supposed to be anonymous and unseeing.

But we're not. :)

I'm one of those guys who gets so engrossed in the mascot that I lose track of entire innings at a baseball game. So it was a real thrill to speak with the legendary Phillie Phanatic's best "phriend" Tom Burgoyne. Tom's an awesome guy with a real joy for what he does.

In a way, the guy's like a performance cartoonist.

Anyway, if today's installment has you gripped with mascot fever, here's one from the archives to help out.