Leave it to the ol’ boss man to steal the thunder of The Midnight Cartooner! Of course, he didn’t take ALL the good bits of news. I’ve still got a few more tidbits here and there that are certainly worth reporting on. And so, I shall!

• To start with though, I revisit an item that Daku already talked about, but which has piqued my interest for several reasons. Dave Kellett was finally able to take the pop-culture-driven, all-ages fun of Sheldon solo, dropping the support of a major syndicate in lieu of a more personal, self-published and run presentation. While the black and white strip was a perfect fit for a syndicate comfortable with nothing but, the new website and subsequent perks are MORE than worth the shift. Full archives whenever you want? Check. Larger formats for each strip? BIG check. Blog posts offering insight into Kellett’s creative workings? Check.

Kellett has since revealed that he was worried that the syndicate would fail to get the word out about the change in site address and new ownership, but the fans proved to be as loyal and supportive as webcomic enthusiasts can be, starting the word-of-mouth-to-Internet buzz until the site reached record traffic numbers. If you haven’t already, join everybody else on the ‘Net and enjoy the daily joy that is Sheldon.

• Like many other webcomic creators, I entered my work into the Viper Comics contest and waited anxiously as the VC folks came to their delayed decision. And, also like many other webcomic creators, I have seen the kind of crap that gets more attention than it ever should (yeah, I know, it’s a big yard and we can all play in it but you have to have standards). So it was to my great relief when I saw the quality that Viper was able to lock down. Congratulations to all the creators who won and good luck! I know I’ve been reading both Ugly Hill and Brinkerhoff for some time now, but with Bob the Squirrel, Small Wonder, and Muffin Time joining this growing group of elite writers and artists, I shall have to add them to my ever-growing web pull list.

• Remember Chad Diez? Recent news maker and artist of The Pet Professional? Seems he couldn’t stay single-stripped for very long, as he’s already set to debut his latest work, Ball of Hate. Thus far, it features a ball. That ball hates everything and everyone. Diez has said that the strips already posted are ones he came up with months ago and that the current strips will be cleaner and develop the main *ahem* character a bit more. I’m skeptical, but considering the man’s pedigree I think I can check out the first few strips to be certain of my opinion.

• The holiday season is right around the corner (well past, if you’re like me and confined to the hell of retail) and that can only mean one thing: time to dig deep into those pockets and give what you can to Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play charity! Last year’s total reached a hella-impressive $605,000 and Gabe and Tycho are looking to crush that with this year’s drive. Stop by the site, choose a hospital and get to givin’! Who knows? If we all pitch in, we might able to afford one PS3!

• David Wright of Todd and Penguin has a new all ages strip called Girl and Monster up and running now. I find it to be a nice change of pace to read a strip not focused on cramming in as many vulgarities and references only a Net veteran could catch; something you don’t have to think too hard about and which you can show to just about anybody. Agree? Then support the change of pace and check it out!

• Ever wonder when someone was going to get around to putting a bunch of webcomic characters together in a nude calendar to raise money for cancer research? Nope, me neither. Good thing someone decided to do it anyways! It’s Tastefully Done, and you KNOW you want it proudly displayed on your wall all year long.

• The submission deadline for the first-ever Webcomic Idol has come and gone and now the judges are narrowing down the list of 68 hopefuls to 10 finalists! I’ll be following the progress of all creators involved each week so check back here for the inside scoop on who’s in, who’s out, and who is set to become the first-ever Webcomic Idol!