What's Cookin'

(In the world of The Nice Guy)

02/14/07 - TIM WATTS VS. CAR DOOR. CAR DOOR? STILL CHAMPION...

Well, don't have a new strip for you this time. But at least we have our most original excuse yet. Nice Guy artist Tim Watts managed to break a finger on his drawing hand. That kind of thing DOES tend to slow artists down... Tim's recovering nicely, but that means it may be a little while before you see some new strips from us. But we we'll be back as soon as Tim's pinky lets us!

In the meantime, we at least offer you some site updates as a Valentine's gift. In The Rant Shack , you can learn all about Tim's finger munch, and hear about our recent A-1 Comics fundraiser for the PayBackGrandma fund. Plus you can check out pics of the event (the fundraiser, not the finger thing...) at the Photos page.

So we may have us a little bit of a sabbatical here, but fret not! Back at you with more Nice Guy goodness asap!

01/16/07 - HAPPY NEW...OK, NOT SO NEW YEAR...

Hey, you remember New Year's from a couple weeks ago? Want to live it all over again? Well now you can!

Okay, so we're a bit late on the New Year's update. Sorry about that. Numerous reasons, but the main one was a sad event in my family right around that time. The details of which you can read about in The Rant Shack this time around, if you please. But we do apologize for leaving you hanging.

But we do have your New Year's strip on deck for you, just in time to remind you of your hangover (no need to think us). Check out "Kneeeel Before Zod" on the Comics! page. And if you're enough of a nerd, you'll get that joke. And if you're not, take this moment to feel good about yourself.

Well, it's '07. Hope it's a good year for all of us. Come back next time for our first over February 1, 2007 update! I warn you...it may be our last...

12/15/06 - WRAP IT UP. I'LL TAKE IT!

SHOP, peasants! SHOP!

Happy holidays one and all. Hope your credit is healthy and your legs are strong, 'cause there ain't much more than a week left. Get on it!

Let our gift to you be a new Christmas-themed strip. Check out "I'll Be 'Pwned' for Christmas", a rather topical one for this year (if you were watching the news at all). If you missed out on the story, live the experience yourself, right here on the Comics! page.

And the holidays aren't over yet, so be back in a couple weeks for our New Year's edition.

12/01/06 - LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW...AND SNOW...AND SNOW...

Warm wishes to our friends in the snowy regions (especially you Seattle folks...hang in there...). Let's see if we can warm you up with a little HOT COMICS ACTION!

In the form of a new strip called "Priorities", on that takes us back to the workplace with Jeff (and possibly to your own, if it sounds familiar). Check it out at the Comics! page.

And next time, be here for our annual Christmas update! Stay frosty!

11/15/06 - I YAM WHAT I YAM

Happy slightly early Thanksgiving! Still a few shopping days left, so get out and buy those Thanksgiving gifts early! Yeah, we do that now. Didn't you get the memo?

And our gift to you is a new strip called "Thanks for the Memories", one that, as is part of our holiday tradition, guest-stars members of Jeff's family. Take a trip back to your holiday play days the Comics! page.

Next time around...'twas the strip before Christmas. Be here!

10/31/06 - GIMME DA "BOO"!

Happy Halloween (or "Happy Harvest Festival" to you church-going types who still want to get dressed up without actually celebrating on the Devil's dime!), one and all. And an even happier one, because we're actually HERE for our annual Halloween update. That's two new strips in a row, dog! YEEEah....

Just the strip for your All Hallows pleasure, one called "Fortress of Dorkitude", looking in on our yearly Halloween visit to the gang. Hope you like it much...and hope we're not sued by D.C.... And you can enjoy it over on the Comics! page.

And we'll see you back here next time (we hope) as the holiday fun continues, Thanksgiving-style!

10/15/06 - NOT DEAD AFTER ALL

Yeah, we been away for a while, but we are definitely back, and...um...backer than ever? After a way-too-long hiatus, the Nice Guy returns, and in a whole new way.

The biggest news is that the Nice Guy will now be appearing monthly in Blurred Edge Magazine. You can check out all the news on that, and a report on the Comic-Con trip, a Nice Guy creator appearance in a documentary, an A-1 Comics signing and more in the latest edition of The Rant Shack.

Speaking of Comic-Con and A-1...want to check out some pics of both events? Dude, you TOTALLY can! Just take a peek at the Photos page.

AND there's a new addition to Tim's Sketchbook. Tim did a lot of art commissions for the van fundraiser we told you about last time, and you can sample some of them in the all-new Other 5 page.

Oh, yeah...and you actually come here for comics, too, don't you? Well, search no further than the Comics! page for an all-new one called "While the Iron's Hot".

Good to be back, and good to have you here again!

06/01/06 - IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!

Doing a little something different this time around. Turns out I need to raise some money, much as I hate to have to. Your wheelchair-riding Nice Guy writer needs a new specialized van, and I'm afraid I can't even come close to affording it. So, going against my nature, I've decided to ask for help, in the form of a web page that gives all the details and has a button for PayPal donations. You never know until you try, right?

And to help out with the cause, Nice Guy co-creator and artist Tim Watts and Nice Guy colorist L. J'amal Walton are taking the title of this comic very seriously and teaming up to offer some custom Tim artwork through an eBay auction. It's good to have friends. Especially friends like these.

You can learn all about that stuff by checking out this latest edition of The Rant Shack. But hurry! This auction's only up for a few days! Don't miss this chance to feel like a Nice Guy writer and tell Tim what to draw!

Oh, and special thanks to Nice Guy pal Summer Hogan for her design on the border logo we're using on this site for the van cause (you know, the one I stole right off her blog?). You're the man, Summer.

But for your totally free entertainment pleasure, we've got a new strip for you on the Comics! page called "Leaving on a Jet Plane". Fly the not-so-friendly skies with us this summer, will you?

See you in a couple...

05/15/06 - SUMMER MOVIES COMMENCE!!!

Oh, YEAH! Keep your barbecues, keep your pool parties, keep your beach houses. Give me summer movies! Big blockbusters with paper-thin plots and deafening explosions and horribly miscast stars! Woo hoo!

But between your trips to the theater, take a little time for some slightly cheaper entertainment and check out the lastest Nice Guy strip. This one's called "Personal Touch", one that delves into the mysteries of department store personal shoppers. Learn all the secrets in the Comics! section, and don't forget your Visa.

See you in June. That's "coming soon", you know. See what I did there?

05/04/06 - MAYDAY!! MAYDAY!!

The Nice Guy update is late! Signal Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea!

Okay, we're USUALLY on time, so cut us a little slack. Sorry for the delay, folks, but the new strip is in the house. This one deals with the duality of man (the Jungian thing, sir...) and the nature of good and evil. Really, it does! Taste the dark side with us in the Comics! section, where you can be tempted by "Devil Inside(?)", the first of May's couple-o-strips. It's eeeeevil. Like the fru-its of the dev-il...

Back atcha in less than 14 (we hope!).

04/15/06 - DEDUCT THIS!!

Still trying to find those receipts, aren't you? Still getting those busy signals at the tax tip line? Wondering once again why you never just take care of this in January? Aw, cheer up! You could still be living with your parents with no job not having to worry about all this stuff... Hmmm. Actually, that doesn't sound that bad these days, does it?

Well, if you need a little diversion between the deductions, why not head over to the Comics! section and check out "Workers Comp, Part Four: All Good Things...", the final chapter in Frank's tale of fraudulent relaxation? It's almost as good as a refund. Well, it's better than an audit, at least...

File! File! File! And if your computer hasn't been seized by the IRS by then, we'll see you back here in May.

04/01/06 - IT'S APRIL, FOO'!

Not wanting to replicate last year's wacky prank, we decided we'd be on time with the update this year...

Frank's journey into laziness continues this time around, as the third part of the unemployment tale rolls on. And this one's especially dedicated to our friends Rich and Joy (and they both know why). We hope this one doesn't...rub you..the wrong way? (Dr. Evil pinky move on deck). Slip on over to the Comics! section and check out "Workers Comp, Part Three: Unhappy Ending".

And don't forget to set those clocks ahead this weekend. You didn't really need that hour of sleep, did you?

03/15/06 - BRING THE SPRING

Okay, ENOUGH. Enough rain, enough hail, enough tornado warnings! I want summer back! Now!

But, while we're all waiting, why not take a moment to enjoy the second installment of the four-part tale we're feeding you to get you through the storms? Drop on by the Comics! section and see what's up with Frank's wacky unemployment adventure in "Workers Comp, Part Two: Meet the Flintstones".

See you in April. When there'll probably be more showers...

03/01/06 - TWO BY TWO...

A LITTLE bit rainy in California, folks. Might want to stay where you're at. We're settling in for 40 days and 40 nights of fun...

A little something new in the Comics! section for you. We're trying a four-part story for you, mostly starring the always-amusing Frank. So check out "Workers Comp, Part One: The Cleveland Endowment". Frank's springtime adventure begins here...

See you dry folk in a couple of weeks...

02/14/06 - A DAY WHICH ALWAYS LIVES IN INFAMY...

Happy Valentine's Day! "Yeah, yeah..." some of you are saying. Okay. I can see that.

So to give you a little taste of what you probably WISH you'd done with your Valentine's Day (why didn't YOU think of that?), we present this year's Valentine's Strip, titled "Tactical Retreat", in the Comics! section.

Hope there was tiny candy with meaningful platitudes in your day. We'll see you back here in less than 2 weeks (stupid short month...could there be MORE stupid things about this month?!).

02/01/06 - OSCAR SEASON STRIKES!

Ah, the Oscar nominations are in. My favorite time of the year, next to Con time. And so, in honor of this, and for all the nominations for Brokeback Mountain, we present you with a different kind of strip this time...

Okay, just kidding.

Actually, this time around, the new strip in the Comics! section is quite manly. In a sad kind of way. Enjoy "I'm Going to Disneyland"...we hope.

And next time around...your annual Nice Guy Valentine's Day update. Come join us, and share your pain...

01/15/06 - DROWNING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

Well, actually, not raining right now here in Sac, so I guess I can't complain (could be in Seattle...as of today, 28 days straight of rain there), but it's been a wet winter. Counting those days until Spring. Which lasts for about 10 days in Sac and then rolls right into Summer.

This time around, we're trying something a little different. Just wanted to see what the Nice Guy would look like in the newspaper (you never know), so Tim decided to do it up in that style this time. Hope you like. The strip is called "Caddysuck", and you don't need to buy your local paper to check it out...just got to the Comics! section. Hope you like the experiment.

See you in February.

01/01/06 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2005? SEE ya! It's now official...I graduated high school 20 years ago. Ouch.

For your celebratory needs, party down with our New Year's strip called "The Gift Horse Wore Heels" in the Comics! section. Just another New Year's party the boys' house, and we hope you enjoy more of their festive misadventures.

Hope you have a safe and fun New Year's, and hope you'll stick with us in the year to come. 3...2...1...!!!

12/15/05 - HO! HO! HO!!!!!!

Know what we do? We wish you a Merry Christmas! A very happy holiday season to you all from you pals at Fool Court Press.

Just a wee Christmas strip for you to unwrap this time around, one called "The Gifts That Keep On Giving". You'll still get it if you haven't bought and read your copy of "The Nice Guy: Pilot", but for those in the know, it'll make more sense. And because they decided to pony up their $2.95, they now get to point and laugh at you. Tsk. But I'm sure they'll be kind and let up on you if you finally order yours and join the cool kids. But, until then, you can check it out this year's yuletide strip in the Comics! section.

Hope your boxes are large and your turkey is, too. We'll see you in two weeks for our New Year's edition! So long, 2005!

11/15/05 - WINTER WONDERLAND

Ah, the calm between two holidays...going to be calm for about 10 minutes. So enjoy it.

Just a strip this time for you, taking a break from the holiday comics. It's a little sucks-to-Jeff (what else is new?) piece called "Brotherly Love", and you can check it out in the Comics! section.

Back in two weeks for Christmas fun, so don't be left out!

11/15/05 - GOBBLE GOBBLE

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're back with a Thanksgiving-themed strip for your dining pleasure. It's called "I'm Thankful For... ", a little holiday look into our main character's heads. We're serving it up WITH dressing in the Comics! section.

And there's a special edition of the Rant Shack to check out with a well-deserved birthday greeting! Don't miss out!

Back in two weeks for our holiday break, and then on to Christmas! In the meantime, get back in there for seconds!

10/31/05 - BOO!!!

A very happy, and spooky, Halloween to you. Hope everyone enjoyed that extra "Fall back" hour over the weekend. I know I did.

Got a Halloween-themed strip for you in honor of the season. It's called "Blame It On the Delta Rays", something for you Star Trek fans. And Stargate fans. Well, and Star Wars fans. And Halloween fans, too. Basically, for people who like to dress up like TV characters. You can check it in the Comics! section.

And if you noticed the new art on the front page, it's a little Tim piece with a Scooby Doo theme to it, also with Halloween in mind. If you like it, you can download it for your desktop as a wallpaper in the Downloads section.

And continuing the holiday theme, be back here with us in a couple of weeks for our Thanksgiving edition.

10/15/05 - ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY LIBRA!

No big Hollywood premieres to talk about this time. But there are a couple of birthdays! Tim's was on the 1st of this month, mine's on the 18th. So happy birthday to us!

Got a new strip for you this time, both written AND drawn by Tim. It's called "Totally Lossed", and it deals with Tim's new understanding of Jeff's chosen career now that he, himself, has joined us in the insurance biz. Welcome to the party, pal! You can check it out in the Comics! section.

And be sure to join us on October 31st for, you guessed it, another spoooky Nice Guy Halloween update! It should be a...scream?

10/01/05 - THE NICE GUY GOES HOLLYWOOD...SORT OF...

We're back...and we're a little late. Sorry about that, folks. Been a little busy with a little traveling...because I went to the world premiere of "Serenity" in Hollywood!

That's right, the movie we've been jabbering on about all this time to you. Turns out a very wonderful Nice Guy fan named Suzi hooked me up with some tickets, and I was fortunate enough to not only attend the gala red carpet Hollywood premiere of "Serenity" at Universal Studios, complete with the director, all the stars, and other celebs as well, but I was also able to get into the after-party following the film...where I met some of my favorite Firefly stars--and my creative hero, writer/director Joss Whedon--and managed to get some Nice Guy cards into the hands of some of them. And one star had even heard of us! How cool is that?

You can read all about my adventure and see some of the pics in this installment of The Rant Shack. Plus, you can see all of the pics of the amazing evening in the latest update of the Photos page.

And yes, we've got a new strip for you. Tim and I went through a lot of different ideas and notions when coming up with The Nice Guy, and this strip, "Abandoned Early Nice Guy Concepts", gives you a glimpse of what might have been. Okay, maybe not... Give it a look in the ever-growin' Comics! section.

Hopefully we'll be back next time on schedule, so we'll see you then!

09/15/05 - I'M THINKING WE ROSE AGAIN!!!!

Firefly fans have hung with it, and they've waited, and the payoff is FINALLY here! The beloved cancelled show that wouldn't die--because Joss Whedon and Browncoats everywhere wouldn't LET it--is hitting the big screen as the blockbuster film "Serenity" on September 30th! And we at the Nice Guy are here to celebrate the event with Serenity Week!

First off, you can catch all the info on the show and the movie (if you're new to the 'Verse) in this latest edition of The Rant Shack.

Second, you can catch Tim's renditions of all the film's main characters in a special edition of Tim's Sketchbook...the all-new Other 4.

And finally, as a follow-up to our hugely popular "Firefly" strip from last summer, we head back into the Whedonverse and bring you an all-new Serenity strip called "#1 Hef in the 'Verse" in the Comics! section. It's one that you kind of have to be familiar with both Firefly and the Nice Guy to fully appreciate, but give it a try anyway if you're uninitiated. We hope you enjoy.

And we hope you're all in theaters on Friday the 30th to catch Serenity! Tell your friends, and don't be left out!

09/01/05 - SO WE'VE GOT TO SAY GOOD-BYE...FOR THE SUMMER...

Back to school. Back to school. To prove to Dad that I'm not a fool...

The Nice Guy Pool Party '05 officially ends with this update, as does, sadly, the summer of '05. You can check out the final poolside strip, "The (not so) Endless Summer", in the Comics! section.

But don't fret! Want something that'll make your fall ROCK? Then you'd best be here next time for a special Nice Guy even for all your Browncoats out there! The Nice Guy celebrates the September 30th release of Joss Whedon's "Serenity" (in case you've never read anything on this site before, that's the major motion picture continuation of the greatest TV show ever cancelled..."Firefly") with the Fool Court event called "Serenity Week"! We've got lots of info on the film (and the show), a special Serenity Sketchbook by Tim, and the high-flying (and possibly lawsuit-worthy) Nice Guy Serenity strip called "#1 Hef in the 'Verse". If you're a Browncoat, you won't want to miss it. If you're not a Browncoat...then you WILL be! Or...you know, you may be. We hope.

So be back here on September 15th for all the excitement! Keep flying!

08/15/05 - SUMMER'S END DRAWS NIGH...

Hate to break it to you, but not too much summer left. So enjoy it! And we're here to help!

The Nice Guy Pool Party '05 is still going, and you can grab some rays with the gang in the new strip called "Vacation (All I Ever Wanted)", over in the Comics! section.

Just a strip this time around, because I'm still wiped out from putting together the Con stuff on the last one! And besides, we're also a little busy working on...The Nice Guy #2! Yes, you heard it here first. There might actually be a second issue! So stay tuned here for details. In the meantime, come on back here next time as we put our official end to summer. See ya here!

08/01/05 - POST-CON BONANZA

Finally getting back into the swing of life again after the amazing trip to Comic-Con International '05 in San Diego, and finally got all the words and pictures about that up here on that site for ya.

First, you can read my Convention journal and check out pics from the event in the latest edition of The Rant Shack. And then for ALL the pics (there are near 200 of them), you can head on over to the Photos page and browse 'til you puke.

Or if you could give a rats ass about all this Convention stuff and just want the new strip, we've got you covered, there, too. The Nice Guy Pool Party '05 rolls on with a new one called "The Big Rub", which you can check out in the Comics! section.

Either way, great to have you here, and hope we'll be seeing you back in two weeks!

07/20/05 - BACK IN SAC

I'm back from Comic-Con International '05 in sunny San Diego, and what a time! Did I mention that's the best week of the year for me? Had a total blast, hung out with old friends, got to experience my old city, cruised the Con and saw lots of neat stuff and celebs, and even ran into some Nice Guy fans!

But the news on that will have to wait until next time. Going to take me a while to get the report written and all the pics together (I took a lot), so I didn't want to hold up the already late deadline for it. So all the news on my summertime dorkfest adventure next time.

But in the meantime, let's get back to the Nice Guy Pool Party '05 with another poolside adventure with the gang. Check out the new strip, "Cannonball!!!", in the Comics! section. And remember to keep coming back all summer for chlorinated fun.

And come on back next time for all the skinny on Comic-Con. See you on the 1st!

07/01/05 - MARCO? POLO!!!!

Summer is in full swing, so to get in the spirit, the Nice Guy goes poolside for the rest of the summer! Welcome to the Nice Guy Pool Party '05!

Until school starts again (booo!!!!), we'll be featuring nothing but strips out by the pool at the boys' house (La Casa del los Chicos Blancos). That's COMIC strips. Perverts. So splash on some lotion and grab a cold one, and jump on in and join us!

We start off with a strip called "The Boys of Summer" in the Comics! section that starts things off, so don't miss out. And keep coming back all summer long for chlorinated fun with your favorite Nice Guy pals.

And to keep the mood going, you may have noticed a special new swimsuit shot of the gang on the Home page, courtesy of the masterful misters Watts and Walton. If you find you like it, you can take it home! It's been added as a new wallpaper on our Downloads page, so head over, choose a screen resolution that suits you, and hook yourself up.

Hey, know where I'll be during the 7/15 update? In San Diego, baby! At Comic-Con International with like 100,000 other dorks. Sadly, we won't be having a Nice Guy table this year, for business and financial reasons, but we should be back big next year. Tim won't be able to roll this time, sad to say, but if you plan to be running around the San Diego Convention Center July 14-17, you may just bump into me. Look for the guy in the wheelchair in the Kings cap rolling around, or look for me at the Serenity panel with Joss Whedon (the one panel I can guarantee I won't miss), or maybe even hanging around Dan Cooney's table (he who shall be there pimping his badass Valentine comic). Make you a deal...if you can find me (you know, like the A-Team), I'll hook you up with your own Nice Guy temporary tattoo. Cool? Hope to see a few of you there.

As for the July 15th update, we'll see how it goes, but I may just be doing an update off the laptop like I did last summer, so hopefully I'll have a live report for you from the midst of the festivities. Or if things get too crazy between now and then, it might end up going up early, or maybe a couple days late. Stay tuned and find out. Either way, the update after that, I hope to have up a selection of swell Con pics for you, so you can at least get a vicarious thrill.

Let the Nice Guy second anniversary summer of fun begin! Hot dogs and frosty beverages for all our peeps! See you in 14.

06/15/05 - AND THE SONICS DIDN'T EVEN STEP UP?!!

Just a little goodbye, for us Sacramento Kings fans, to our boys for the season this time around. In the middle of Finals is a good time to be bitter, I think...

So check out the new strip, "The Long Sac Summer", in the Comics! section. Something just for Kings fans (or anyone else whose team has exited early). God bless us, every one. And a little toast to you, Grant...

And we'll see you next time as we begin the summer-long Nice Guy Pool Party! Bring your sunscreen and your water wings and join us!

06/01/05 - EVERY SAGA HAS A BEGINNING...

Ever wonder how the Nice Guy boys--Jeff, Frank and Peg--first met? Or how Peg got the name Peg? The mystery endeth! In honor of the release of Star Wars: Episode III, Fool Court Press proudly presents "The Nice Guy, Episode I: The Fathead Menace". You can check it and the other non-prequel materal in the Comics! section.

And we've got lots of stuff from both the Nice Guy KOVR Channel 13 appearance and the Free Comic Book Day signing at A-1 Comics! You can first check out the full details on both in The Rant Shack, and then delight to all the screen caps of the program and pics from the event in the Photos section. Enjoy!

And we'll see you next time as summer goes full swing, baby! (Not you, Hogan... You're ALWAYS in full swing!).

05/01/05 - AS SEEN ON TV!!!

The big news this time around? Your Nice Guy creators are going to be appearing on KOVR Channel 13 this Friday morning at 6:48 AM! And as if that wasn't enough, we'll then be appearing live on Saturday at the big A-1 Comics Free Comic Book Day celebration! You can check out the news on all this stuff in The Rant Shack.

And in honor of the NBA playoffs, we've got a basketball-themed strip for you in the Comics! section called "Technically Foul".

Next time, news on the TV appearance, and pics from the A-1 appearance. Don't miss out! All the other kids will laugh at you!

04/15/05 - DEDUCT THIS!!!

Taxes, taxes, taxes. Isn't it great to know that checking out the Nice Guy site is still free? Of course, I hear if you BUY a copy of "The Nice Guy: Pilot", there's a new law coming out that will give you a HUGE deduction. That could just be a rumor, but I'd buy one just in case.

This time, a new strip for ya in the Comics! section called "Denied"...yet another lovely Friday night in Jeff's love life.

And next time? Big Nice Guy news! Honest! Stay tuned!

04/05/05 - April Fool's?

Ha! You fell for it! You thought we were dead, didn't you! It was all part of an elaborate prank! Not just, say...us being late...

Sorry, folks. Stuff happens. Delays on many levels. One of them was the need to have the site down for a little while to switch to a new server plan that gets us a lot more space for a lot less money (woo hoo!). But this is the soonest we could get the latest update up, so very sorry for making you wait.

So there's a strip to be had in the Comics! section, one called "Know When to Fold 'Em" (guess what pastime that's about?). "Bet" you'll like it (heh. Heh . Heh?).

And for a little somethin' extra, there's a new page added to Tim's Sketchbook called "Girls 7", so be sure to feast yer eyes on that.

Going to run and get this posted ASAP now, but next time, some pretty big Nice Guy news! Honest! We'll see you then...

03/01/05 - AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...

Oh, come on...let the short film guys finish their speech! That ticks me off. What's up with this new Oscar thing of making the "lesser" category nominees all come up on stage while they read their names off? And THEN cut off their speech? And what's up with Beyonce singing like EVERY nominated song? A LITTLE diversity, folks? Or does she cost so much these days that they couldn't afford anyone else? I was surprised when she didn't take over lead vocals for Adam when Counting Crows went on. Hey, Prince is presenting the best song award right now. Hey, wait...the winner is...Beyonce!

I shouldn't be watching the Oscars while doing this, should I?

New strip in the Comics! section, this one called "And Yet So Far". It's another Jeff and Becki one. I'm sure it'll have a happy ending...

Go Hillary Swank! Well earned. Okay, they actually just said "She's also the first actress to be nominated for playing a boxer." Is that actually trivia? Um...Sean Penn's not very smart.

02/14/05 - BE OUR VALENTINE

Once again, we've come around to the nice guy's FAVORITE day of the year. You know, the one where everyone else but YOU is happy and having a great romantic evening while you're home watching Monster Garage and getting drunk and thinking about your ex getting on with her life without you in it? Yeah, we're here for you. THAT'll make up for all of it...

Got you a new Valentine's strip in the Comics! section called "Valentine Dreams " that, sadly, might make you feel good. If so, you may need to think about seeking some help...

And we've also got a new Valentine wallpaper for you in the Downloads section, a little something for you Jeff and Becki fans out there.

And we'll now give you two weeks to get over this holiday and get back to your normal level of pain and bitterness. Enjoy! And we'll see you in March!

02/01/05 - LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW...

Well, not here in Sacramento, but I know some of you out there are digging out their cars right now. If it makes you feel any better, at least we're having flooding and mudslides here in California. I'd say all of us are about ready for Spring, huh? Keep holding on, it's on the way.

In the meantime, warm your toes in front of a nice cozy new strip in the Comics! section, this one called "The Secret Lives of Dorks". If you're a guy, chances are you'll get this immediately. Maybe a little too well. Hope you enjoy.

And next time, it's time for our 2nd annual Valentine's Day update (fun). So, if you're a real Nice Guy fan, you'll probably have plenty of time to log on and enjoy it, not having a date that night and all. We'll you then!

01/15/05 - WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO MORE WORK HOLIDAYS UNTIL MEMORIAL DAY?!!

All work and no play makes for a short Nice Guy update...

Just a new strip this time around in the Comics! section called "Anatomy of an NBA Game"...a little something for those of you engulfed in the world of roundball this time of year. All-Star Weekend's coming, baby! And what do you mean we traded Doug Christie? Damnit! Now my jersey is a freaking nostalgia jersey!! Time to hang it up on the wall with that Jason Williams #55, I guess...

See you in February!

01/01/05 - HAPPY NICE YEAR!!!

It's your first Nice Guy update of 2005, kids!

There's a New Year's-themed strip in the Comics! section called "Champagne Wishes" for your Rockin' New Year's Eve pleasure.

And there's a new update at The Rant Shack, where Mike talks about New Year's memories and shares some New Year's photos from over the years. And there's also news on the guest speaker engagement at Dan Cooney's sequential art class where your Nice Guy creators addressed hungry young artist types and talked about...The Nice Guy!

2005! The year of the Nice Guy! That's what they'll be calling it, I promise! Stick with us for all of it, gang. And happy New Year!

12/15/04 - WHERE'S MY #$%& ELMO?!!

Welcome the the official Christmas edition of The Nice Guy! The gifts we have in store for you this time around are:

A 2-page Christmassy new strip in the Comics! section called "This Simple Phrase", a little holiday something for you Jeff and Becki fans out there.

And, for something completely different, turn to The Rant Shack for a Nice Guy holiday tale told in verse. We dare you to try and make it all the way through..."'Twas the Week Before Christmas".

We'll see you back here in two weeks for our New Year's edition, but until then, Merry Christmas, all!

12/01/04 - ONLY 24 DAYS LEFT TO COMMIT RITUAL SUICIDE...

Ah, the shopping, the financial devastation, the plans gone wrong, the conflicting events at the respective in-laws. Can only mean that Christmas is near...

Welcome to the first of our two December updates. This time around we've just got a strip for ya...but it's a two-pager! Drop into the Comics! section to check out "This is a Couples' Skate Only", a little blast into the past of your favorite Nice Guys. Join Jeff, Peg and Frank in an adventure all the way back to 6th grade!

And be here next time for our Christmas spectacular! Big fun to be had for all. Not as much fun as fighting for parking spots at the mall and running across Chicago International on Christmas Eve, but it's all we got. See you then!

11/15/04 - I SWEAR ON MY HONOR...I THOUGHT TURKEYS COULD FLY...

Happy Thanksgiving! Well, not quite there, but it'll be over by the time our next update rolls around, so this will serve as our official Thanksgiving update.

This time, continuing our slew of holiday-themed strips, we've got a new one in the Comics! section called "All The Trimmings". If you don't recognize all of the people at Jeff's Thanksgiving family table...then you didn't buy your copy of "The Nice Guy: Pilot", did you? Actually, you're still doing okay. From the online strips, you've seen Jeff's older sister Connie, his niece Hannah, and his nephew Gill. In the first Nice Guy print comic, you were also introduced to Jeff's younger sister Beth and his Mom. This is the first appearance, however, of Jeff's brother-in-law (and Connie's husband) Louis. So you're around for a Nice Guy first!

In case you have trouble keeping them all straight, here's how it breaks down:

And also this time around, we've got a new wallpaper for you in the Downloads section. Folks have pointed out that they like the Nice Guy Matrix art at the top of the Downloads page, but it's not available as a wallpaper itself. Oh, bitter irony! Well, now it is, and you can grab yourself one in any of three screen res sizes.

We'll be back at you in just a couple of weeks with more, but for now, we and ours wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving, and we're just thankful that so many of you choose to invite us into your homes (and offices) every couple of weeks. Thank you for being there for us. We'll do our best to keep returning the favor.

10/31/04 - HAPPY HALLOWEEN, YOU WEENS!

And you thought you'd be getting an update on 11/01/04 instead, didn't ya? It's our special early scary holiday edition! You might have noticed things look a little spooky in here. Adding to that theme is the new Halloween home page art that Tim did, which, if you like, you can download as a Wallpaper in the Downloads section.

New spooky strip for you in the Comics! section called "Gods and Slayers" with a Halloween theme (it's our first Halloween strip, too).

And if you want the dirt on last weekend's live A-1 Comics appearance, you can read all about it in The Rant Shack (as well as learn how you, too, can become part of the Bit Torrent revolution), and you can see the pics in the Photos area.

Have a great Halloween, Nice fans, and hope all your...nightmares? (did a Dr. Evil eyebrow thing just then)...come true.

10/15/04 - NICE GUYS BACK AT A-1 COMICS!

It's live appearance time again for the Nice Guys...and we're back at A-1 Comics. Our man Brian Peets (owner and lord of A-1) has relocated his Roseville, CA store to a brand spankin' new (and much larger) location, and the official grand opening is happening next weekend. Tim and I have answered the call...it's autographin' time!!

If you're in the neighborhood on Saturday, October 23rd, and are looking for a cheap thrill between 11am and 3pm, drop on by and say hi to us. Or, do like the rest, and ignore us completely in favor of mooning over comic superstar Kurt Busiek...who's "also" appearing. Either way, be not square, but rather be there:

A-1 Comics Roseville
818 Sunrise Boulevard
Roseville, CA 95661
Phone: (916) 783-8005

Brian, can I suggest an ad you could use?

Just a thought...

As for this update, let's check out the new strip! Head over to the Comics! page and check out a li'l sump'in sump'in called "Kids Say the Darndest Things" (your first chance to meet Jeff's niece, Hannah, and Jeff's older sister Connie).

And how 'bout for a change, we have a little less of me talking, more of Tim drawing? No Rant this time around, but instead, let's all enjoy a brand new Tim's Sketchbook edition! Check out Girls 6 at your leisure.

And we'll see you next time, for a special, full-on spooky, Nice Guy Halloween update! Mwu Ha Ha Ha!!! (Cough, cough).

10/01/04 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!

That's right, it's Nice Guy artist Tim Watt's birthday! In honor of that, we have some nice embarrassing pictures of him in The Rant Shack this time around, along with some of yours truly as well, and a rant about our school years.

And yes, a new strip in the Comics! section called "The Lucy Factor", a little ode to the new football season, and an ode to another great comic strip artist Tim is getting just about as old as...

09/15/04 - GIANT REPTILE ATTACKS ST. LOUIS!!

No, that didn't actually happen. But wouldn't it be cool to pick up the paper in the morning and read that headline?

This time around, we've got you a new strip in the Comics! section called "On The House", a little Jeff and Becki action (or lack thereof).

We've also got some new pics added to our Photos page from our appearance at the Sac-Con on Labor Day weekend. Enjoy.

And if you want to hear some details to go with the pictures, I'll be happy to tell you all about it in The Rant Shack if you feel like a little recreational reading. Plus, you can also found out there about Tim's burgeoning NBA career...

See you in October, where, like, half the people I know (including me) have birthdays. Man, am I going to go broke buying all those George Foreman Grills...

09/01/04 - Hot Sac-Con Action!

It's time for another Nice Guy live appearance, baby! We're going to be at Sac-Con at the Scottish Rite Center this Sunday, September 5th. More fans to meet! Sweet! You can get all the details...and hear me ramble on about other stuff...in The Rant Shack.

And we've got a new strip for ya in the Comics! section this time, called "Dream a Little Dream". Special celebrity guests! Check it out!

And, finally, we've got a new page added to Tim's Sketchbook this time around, one called "Other 3". This is a collection of the sketches Tim did this July at Comic-Con International. Too bad we didn't get to hang on to the ones he did for fans, as there were some really good ones there ("I'm a lucky girl!" Don't ask...). But we did get one of those, the one done for Brian Stafford. So check 'em all out. Big fun.

Hope we see some of you out there this weekend!

08/15/04 - HOT AUGUST NIGHTS

Got some stuff for ya. Maybe not as much stuff as you've come to expect during this long summer of hot Nice Guy action, but our conventions and Fandom Months are over for now.

But you do get yourself a new strip in the Comics! section, one called "There's Got to Be a Morning After", a little look into the dating (or post-dating) lives of our main characters.

And I've also got a few things to say in The Rant Shack, if anyone's interested. Learn, therein, some of the exciting--and disturbing--ways some people discover our site.

And we'll see yooooou...in Septeeeeeemmbeeerrr... I've been waiting all summer to sing that!

08/01/04 - THE FOOLS RETURN!

We're back in Sac, folks, after an amazing week in San Diego hanging out at Comic-Con International. And you can finish reading all about it The Rant Shack, where my Con report continues, filling you in on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But if all those big words scare you, don't strain your brain! Head on over, instead, to the Photos page and check out over 100 pics of the event!

And while Fandom Month is over (even though it brought us over 100,000 hits for the month!!!), we've still got a new strip for ya in the Comics! section. Check out "Evolution" and learn a very basic truth about how men "grow up". Enjoy.

And we'll be back for you with new stuff on the 15th. Don't be there...be HERE!

07/23/04 - LIVE FROM SAN DIEGO!!!

We're in San Diego, gang...live at Comic-Con International! Very little time to get this update going, as I'm rushing this on my laptop, so let me get to the point:

New strip in the Comics! section as we celebrate the end of Fandom Month with our celebration of Firefly. The strip's called "Serenity Now!". Also, we've got a NG Firefly wallpaper for ya in the Downloads section.

And if you want to hear all about what's happening with us at the Con and see a couple of preview photos, check out The Rant Shack and get my live journal from the Con! Enjoy, y'all!

07/15/04 - Week 3 of Fandom Month - and one week to Comic-Con International!

Welcome back (again) to the month-long celebration of The Nice Guy's 1-year anniversary, and the release of "The Nice Guy: Pilot", the first Nice Guy print comic.

We're doing Star Trek this week for Fandom Month, which means, of course, there's a new strip, one called "To Boldly Go...", in the Comics! section. And we've also got a Trek-themed Nice Guy wallpaper for ya in the Downloads section, so feel free to gussy up your desktop with one of three fine screen resolutions.

Beyond that, there's just a new addition in The Rant Shack where I'm telling you more stuff about the big upcoming Comic-Con International appearance of your trust Nice Guy Creators...also known as Fool Court Press. We're hitting the highway for San Diego this coming Tuesday, and we'll be there all week, including all four days of the Con. If you're going to be in the area, drop on by table M6 at the Small Press Pavilion and say hi!

And next week--if there are no majoy screwups--the new Nice Guy weekly update will be coming atcha live from Comic-Con. So stay tuned!

07/08/04 - Week 2 of Fandom Month!

Welcome back to the month-long celebration of The Nice Guy's 1-year anniversary, and the release of "The Nice Guy: Pilot", the first Nice Guy print comic.

We're still weekly on the updates, which means, first of all, a new strip in the Comics! section called "The Lost Yard", which pays tribute to this week's fandom theme, Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. This one both written AND drawn by Nice Guy artist Tim Watts!

Following with the Lost World theme, we've got a new Nice Guy wallpaper in the Downloads page, and Tim has added a new page to Tim's Sketchbook featuring his renderings of the main characters of the show. You can see the sketches at "Other 2".

The big news this time is the skinny on our live appearance at A-1 Comics in Roseville on Free Comic Book Day. You can read about it in this edition of The Rant Shack, and you can see the photos, added to our brand new Photos page. Check it out!

And stay tuned for more news on the WAY too close Comic-Con International in San Diego July 22-25th, where Fool Court Press's table will be making the scene for the first time. Oh, it's ON! And a new update is coming in just 7 days!

07/01/04 - So Freakin' Much Going On!

We're back after a month away, and we're back with a vengeance! It's the one-year anniversary of the Nice Guy! It's Fandom Month at the Nice Guy! The Nice Guy print comic is out and available to buy right on this site! And your trusty Nice Guy creators will be appearing at both A-1 Comics in Roseville and Comic-Con International in San Diego this month! All this and more! It's crazy!!!

To find out all the details on this exciting stuff, best you check out The Rant Shack for the skinny. All the 411 on all the above is spelled out there.

Most excitingly, we've now added the Buy Stuff page to the Nice Guy web site, where you can buy your own copy of the first ever Nice Guy print comic, "The Nice Guy: Pilot". You can check out a couple of sample pages from the book there, too. Grab a copy for you and yours!

We've also added a Photos page to the site, where you'll be able to check out all the pics of the live Nice Guy appearances from this summer and beyond. Check it out.

We've got a new Nice Guy strip on the Comics! page to kick off Fandom Month, a little ode to Star Wars called "Rise of the Sith". Our apologies in advance to our more sensitive readers if we went a little too American Pie for you. And to go with this, we've got a Star Wars Nice Guy Wallpaper for ya on the Downloads page.

We've got an update to the Nice Guy Mail Page, where I'll be answering fan mail from all the many Van Halen fans who made June the biggest Nice Guy traffic month ever.

And it's Fandom Month, which means to celebrate all this exciting news, we're goin' weekly all month long! Keep checkin' back every week for more exciting news and new strips!

05/13/04 - Movin'? (Yeah!). Groovin'? (Yeah!)

It's an early and a short update, as your trusty Nice Guy writer and webmaster (me) is moving across the state in 2 days, and is currently surrounded by boxes and trying to wrap up his entire 6.5 years of San Diego life in a very short time. It's Thursday now, and by Saturday night I'll be back in Sacramento (otherwise known as the home of Nice Guy artist Tim Watts, don't ya know?). So I'm just getting this up fast before I have to unplug my computer.

So we've got a new strip in the Comics! section, one called "In Halen, Ex Halen" that weighs in on the whole Van Halen lead singer debate (and is in honor of the news that the band's finally back together and touring!).

But the big news this time is the first Nice Guy creators interview! Over at the site MightyMiniCon.com, a certain Miss Sarah Haslett (also known as the #1 Nice Guy fan) has recently gotten a column (go Sarah!), and she decided to use the second installment of Under The Radar to do an interview with Tim and I about the Nice Guy. So why not just head over and check it all out here and see what we had to say. A big thanks again, Sarah, for giving us a little more exposure (and some much needed interview experience, since we'll have SO many to do in the future, of course!).

Got to haul (as in "U"). See you all in Sacramento!

05/01/04 - Yer Mom!!!

Happy early Mother's Day. Figured we'd hit the topic a little early in case you went and forgot YOUR mom, so this is your official reminder that you've got a week to shop, foo'!

And in honor of this cherished holiday, we present you with a new strip that captures a cherished tradition amongst dudes...the "Mom joke". Hope you enjoy "'M' is for the Many Things You Gave Me" in the Comics! section. I bet your Mom did! AHHH ha ha ha! Wait, that wasn't funny...

Short one again this time, gang. I've recovered from surgery (mostly) but now I'm getting ready to freakin' MOVE! The move to Sac-Town is official. Just the final job offer today, got the apartment all lined up, the works. Now Tim's flying down here the weekend of May 15th and 16th and helping me load up my crap, and we're doing that big So-Cal to Nor-Cal drive. So expect another short (strip only) update next time, and expect it a little early (since uploading when your computer's packed up in a truck is a wee bit of a bitch...).

See you way too soon. Call your mom!

04/15/04 - Your Post-Op Nice Guy Update

Sorry, short one this time, as yours truly just got out of surgery yesterday. Managed to get the strip done and lettered early so all I have to worry about today is uploading. And then back into bed.

But please do check out the Comics! section and the new strip, "I Love This Game", which is a little ode to the NBA Playoffs starting this weekend. Hope you enjoy, and we'll have more stuff and more info for you next time.

And you have until midnight! Get to the Post Office! Uncle Sam wants YOU...and your cash!

04/01/04 - It's April, Fools!

And that must mean it's time for Nice Guy fun!

First, in the Comics! section, there's a new strip that may look a LITTLE off to you. That's because, thanks to the now-annual Nice Guy tradition of putting a spin on the Nice Guy characters every April 1st update, it's now called "The Nice Girl". This update only, though. The boy parts will be back next time. Check out the Rant Shack for details on that, and what's up with the South Park thing on the Home page, and other Nice Guy/movie/TV/music related news.

03/15/04 - And the March Marches On

Time for your second March Nice Guy update. Let's take a look at what's in the box, shall we?

First up, I hope everyone noticed the little detour you got from the main index page that took you to the nifty Flash animation of our gateway art. That work was done by none other than Nice Guy Pimp #1 Sarah Haslett. Sarah worked that up for us. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to figure out how to download her page and the Flash animation and properly integrate it into our site. So I just pointed our gateway to that page she made, which in turn brings you here. Thanks, Sarah!

Also, if you'll take a look in the upper left corner of this page, you'll notice a SLIGHT change to our logo. That's because where we used to be known as Full Court Press? Well, we're now Fool Court Press, and for the reasons why, you can read my March rant in The Rant Shack, where you can also learn about the excitin' news about the Nice Guy print comic. Woo hoo!

New comic in the Comics! section, called "All About the Washingtons".

We've also got a new page in Tim's Sketchbook, so be sure to check out Guys 5.

Finally, there's a change in the Links page. I've put in a new section called "Friends of the Nice Guy", listing sites that have put our Nice Guy link on their own links pages, helping to bring all kinds of new folks to TNG. Thanks to all of you, friends indeed, and I hope everyone takes a moment to check out these swell pages.

03/01/04 - But I thought it was 03/02/04...what do you mean there was a February 29th?!

First of the two March updates happens now.

First, a new comic in the Comics! section called "Rules of the Game".

Next, I'm answering some more fan mail this time at The Mail Page. Figured it was about time.

And that's about all this time, folks. Most of our efforts have been toward the print comic (which I'm still rushing to finish lettering as we speak), no nothing too new and fancy added to the site this time. But keep a look out. More stuff is coming, including our big May Sweeps month which we'll tell you all about. Stick around!

02/14/04 - Shot Through The Heart...And You're To Blame...

Happy Valentine's Day, and to the special one-day-early Nice Guy update, just for the holiday (happy now, Mr. Hallmark? Right HERE, buddy!). New stuff includes...

A new comic in the Comics! section, showing what our main Nice Guy characters are doing this Valentine's Day. It's called "ValenTimes".

Also, for those of you guys that DON'T have a date tonight...you can always stay home and stare at a new page in Tim's Sketchbook, the numerically correct "Girls 5". And none of them will turn you down.

Aside from that, just a rant from me in The Rant Shack, about Valentine's Day and basketball. Blah, blah, blah...

And that's all for this time. Meant to get a new Mail Page update in, but ran out of time, so stay tuned for that. As for the Nice Guy...we continue to break traffic records (for our site. We're not, like, outdoing porn or anything) and get new readers...a number of them Journey fans, thanks to my wise posting of the link to last time's strip on the official Journey message boards. Rock on, J-Fans! Welcome! And to all the new folks who've joined The Nice Club. Stick around. It's going to get exciting around here.

And speaking of Journey fans, a last thought for those of you sitting home alone tonight? Remember the timeless words of Steve Perry. One day, love WILL find you. Break those, chains that bind you. The Perry is wise. Can we all lift our lighters for a moment in tribute and contemplation?

We'll see you in March!

02/01/04 - Nice Guy Creators Sing National Anthem at Super-Bowl

Okay, not this year, but it could happen...

Welcome to the first of your two February Nice Guy updates!

Straight up...new comic in the Comics! section, as ever. This one's a little 80s tribute called "One Night Will Remind You".

Next, we've got a brand new section where you can get FREE STUFF! Yes, Free! As in Bird! We've just opened the Downloads page, where we start off by giving you the Nice Guy Wallpapers, series 1. Stay tuned for more downloads in the future, but for now, slap the Nice gang on your desktop.

Another new addition, if you're looking closely at the borders, is your chance to join The Nice Club. This entitles you to receive the twice-monthy Nice Guy e-mail newsletter that's already amazing and delighting fans by the DOZENS. Aside from giving you Nice Guy news, this newsletter, more importantly, lets you know when there's new stuff up on the site, like new comics, sketchbook pages, downloads, whatEVuh. And it'll let you know what's happening with the upcoming Nice Guy print comic, too. And as the Nice Guy keeps growing, you'll be the first to find out what's up, and maybe even get some FREE STUFF (I love saying that) down the road. So click over there and sign up if you're not already getting the newsletter. All that's required is your e-mail address, but if you feel like giving us your name and address, too, you may just get some stuff in the mail. Special thanks here to Mr. Greg Johnson for all the CGI help to make this Club page possible...as he's much smarter and better looking than me. Yeah, but I have a Luke Skywalker Return of the Jedi lightsabre and you don't, so...there. Yeah, my life is attractive...

And finally, I do another rant in the Rant Shack, talking about the Oscars and about a great Cinderella story in the comics biz involving an old friend of mine.

Now, stop reading this and go watch the Super-Bowl! Remember, it doesn't matter who wins or loses today. It just matters that we get to see Britney in a chain mail bikini...

01/15/04 - First Kings/Lakers Game of the Season Tomorrow!

Oh, wait. Nice Guy. Nice Guy. Must focus...

Welcome back (and just plain welcome to all you new readers!). Time for that mid-month update. Here's what's new.

New comic in the Comics! section (seemed like a good place to put it) called "Don't Forget to Tip Your Waitresses". Parental discretion is advised. And I've never been in one of these places. Honest. I...just had Tim describe them to me. Yeah.

New page in Tim's Sketchbook, too. Check out "Guys 4". More girls to come, don't worry. Horny buggers.

As the Nice Guy spreads out to take over the web, we've made a big step in that direction by getting listed on Onlinecomics.net. We're a sponsor comic, which means we're always shown at the top of the page in the "Humor" section (you can see us in "Humor" and "Romance", but we're cheap so we only paid for sponsorship in "Humor" for now...), and you'll often see us showing up on the main page, too, as sponsors randomly show up there. Try it. If you don't see us, hit refresh two or three times. THERE we are... Check out the site. There are comics for all tastes there. I've found a couple of really funny ones.

Oh, and I didn't mean to go off on a rant...but that's what The Rant Shack is for. I talk about Nice Guy stuff, and other stuff as well. Bring a sandwhich. I had a few things to say.

And don't freak out of you notice the buttons on the right are in a different order. I just placed them in a more logical order. I hope...

See you in February. Hey, the Kings play the Lakers in February, too, don't they?

01/01/04 - Happy Nice Year!

Hey, it's 2004! Where's my #$&% flying car?! The first year of the Nice Guy is now behind us, and we hope this year will be even bigger and better.

Thought we'd start the new year with something "new" (I love flowing with a theme). We've finally gotten around to starting The Nice Guy Mail Page to answer those server-crashing piles of fan mail that come at us from around the world (most of them are advertising penis enlargement pills, but still...). Fans talk, and we talk back! It's what the kids these days call "interactive". And don't forget to scroll down and find out who won the first (hopefully of many!) Nice Guy Pimp Award.

Notice the site looks a LOT better? That's because our new Godsend of a colorist, L. J'amal Walton, has recolored all the site art and replaced all my horrible Photoshop attempts. I can just write! Yeah! Well, and letter. And webmaster. And write "Nice Guy Kicks Ass" on the walls of restroom stalls wherever I go... Now might be a good time for you to revisit all the old pages and check the new colors out. As the updates roll along, we also hope to get all the strips recolored, too.

And, what do you know? We have a new strip in the Comics section. "Chuck Jager". A little New Year's strip for a New Year's update. How about that neat New Year's art by Tim for the gate and home pages this time around, huh?

Hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve. And thanks, everyone, who supported us during our first year cranking out the Nice Guy. Stick with us. The best is yet to come.

12/15/03 - Have Yourself a "Nice" Little Christmas!

I promised you last time you'd see some new changes in this installment, and seeing as how you've all been so good this year (festive humor!), we're proud to announce that we've acquired the services of award-winning artist/colorist/web designer L. J'amal Walton to color the Nice material. As the completely untalented soul who's been coloring this stuff all along (I'm a writer for God's sake!), I'm the happiest of all...first, that I don't have to do it anymore, and second, we've scored a major talent to bring new life to Tim's art (which is pretty lively to start with...). We love J'amal's stuff, and we're sure you will, too. We'll be giving you more info on him next time around.

You can see J'amal's colors on the latest Nice Guy strip, "Oops...I...Bet On The Bucs..." in the Comics section. Let me point out right here to the world's biggest Tampa Bay fan, our pal and phenom artist Aaron "A.T." Divine Thompson, that this strip is NOT a rag on your boys! They're world champs, chump! Frank just needed a favorite team, and in tribute to you, A.T., we decided it would be the Bucs. Just didn't work out for Frank this time around... Bet he made some coin on the Superbowl, though. Probably blew it all on strippers, too...

You can also see the beginnings of J'amal's recolors on the strips "Olsen Twin Powers...Activate!" and "Head of the Class" (experience them again...for the first time!). And he's also colored up Tim's wonderful Christmas art for the Index and Home pages. You'll be seeing more of his stuff next time around, so stay tuned!

Speaking of the Comics section, please note that the strips have been re-ordered. The newest strip is now always on top, and it rolls on down to the first one. Thanks to our pal and fellow Firefly freak Tony Graham for pointing out that it's really annoying to have to scroll all the way down to get the newest strip. We aim to please! You aim, too, please...

Finally, we've got a new addition to Tim's Sketchbook..."Girls 4". Girls, girls, girls...makes you feel all Motley, don't it?

That's it for December, but we'll be back for the first Nice Guy Online update of 2004 next time, so we'll see you then! Merry Christmas to you and yours, Nice Guy fans, and God bless you in this year and the new one to come.

P.S. We got Saddam. AH ha ha ha!!!

12/01/03 - It's a word! It's a plan! It's Letter Man!

In the first of the new "We're actually starting to figure out how to do this" steps to the site, you'll find that all the existing Nice Guy strips have now been relettered. Yes, I'm finally starting to figure out Illustrator, so these comics are going to start looking a little more like...well, like comics.

And there's another new bit of remastering in the future, but maybe we'll be talking about that next time...

This update, there's (surprise), a new strip in the Comics! section. It's titled "Olsen Twin Powers...Activate!"

And for those of you who can't get enough of that Tim art, check out the Tim's Sketchbook section for the latest new page...Guys 3". Timmy, do you like movies about...gladiators?

Until next time...keep kicking it Nice Style!

11/15/03 - Our Governor Can Beat Up Your Governor

Just a friendly reminder. In case your state was thinking of starting something. A'ight?

This time in Comics!, there's a strip called "Boob Raider". Which is only funny if you play computer games. And even then, I make no promises...

In the Rant Shack, Tim Watts speaks...and talks a little about his appearance at A-1 Comics last month.

And it's about time for a new page in Tim's Sketchbook. Head over there and check out Girls 3.

Since we'll see you next when all the turkey sandwhiches are already gone, a very happy Thanksgiving to you. And yours. And theirs. Possibly ours. Definitely not his, though...

11/01/03 - Tim Watts Dead

No, Tim's not dead. Just seemed a funny follow-up title to the last one. Okay, maybe not... Mrs. Watts, if you're reading this, your son is fine, I swear.

So the big Sacramento event went down--Tim's appearance at A-1 Comics. Sadly, I wasn't there, but from what I hear, it went down great. Tim did some drawing, met some (gasp!) actual Nice Guy fans (it hadn't really occurred to me that there WERE any yet, to be honest. Sweet!), signed some autographs, actually had to turn down offers to buy Nice Guy original art, hung out with Valentine's Daniel Cooney (and hopefully remembered to tell him that my roommate, Aaron, said "hi"), and got to judge both the costume and art contests that were going on that day. And most of all...he pimped the Nice Guy hard, baby! He had a laptop set up with our site (yeah, this one) running for folks to check out, and, of course, impressed people silly with our 18" Nice Guy foam board stand-up (we'll sell that on E-bay for like MILLIONS when we hit it big. You just watch).

There are some photos of the event, apparently, but I haven't gotten them from Brian (owner and ruler of A-1 Comics) yet, so we'll probably have those for you at the next update (11/15...oh, crap, that's my stepfather's birthday. I need to start shopping. He's a major challenge to buy for...). And along with those pics, I'll probably have Tim say a few words about the event, since he was actually, you know, there.

But in the meantime, I'll let you check out a couple of flyers. The first one is the Nice Guy flyer that my roommate Aaron and I made (thanks for the Illustrator tutorial, dude!) for Tim to hand out at his table at A-1. On it, you'll note a never-before-seen Nice Guy strip, done up in 3-panel newspaper style. See, we could make it in the papers! The second one is the A-1 Comics flyer that advertised the event and hung on the store windows. To check out the big versions of either, just click on the appropriate thumbnail below:

And, hey, if you want your very own Nice Guy flyer (the one on the left), just drop us an e-mail at theniceguy@theniceguycomic.com and we'll be happy to e-mail you your very own .PDF file of it that you can print yourself. And, you know, copy off and hand out at yo