Today’s performance reviews didn’t just evaluate employee performance — they completely eliminated the need for Dr. Muskiday’s "inter-office orgy" plan. Turns out, nothing clears the emotional air quite like brutally honest feedback.
Upcoming Events
If you’ve ever thought about stopping by to say hello, these two events are genuinely special opportunities to do that.
Since I’m no longer doing the traditional comic-convention circuit, chances to meet up in person have become pretty rare — which makes days like the Moore College Comics Expo and the NCS Cartoonist Showcase all the more meaningful to me.
Philadelphia
Moore College Comics Expo
Saturday, April 11th
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
https://moore.edu/events/2026-moore-comics-expo/2026-04-11/
Columbus, Ohio
Cartoonist Showcase — Billy Ireland Museum of Comic Art
Saturday, August 8th
1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
https://nationalcartoonists.com/showcase/
I always enjoy putting faces to names, chatting about comics, and hearing what you’ve been reading (or creating). So if you’re anywhere nearby, I’d love to see you there.
And who knows — with travel getting trickier these days, these kinds of appearances may end up being even fewer and farther between… which makes this a pretty great time to take advantage of one.
Transcript
Panel 1:
Cassie Cruz: “The clouds are disappearing! But how?!”
Giant Tess: “Heh.”
Giant Tess: “Since everybody was standing around, I decided to make good use of the time by handing out the annual performance reviews.”
Panel 2:
Giant Tess: “Believe it or not, I actually softened the wording from last year.” In the office, all of the co-workers are furious, (clockwise from upper left: Miss Match, Count Spurlock, Psy-Chick, Lightning Lady, Iron Dragon, Desdemona, Holo-Clone Miss Match, and Catnip).
Detailed Alt Text
Panel 1:
Dr. Muskiday (a small, fly-like scientist with wings and large red eyes) hovers near Cassie Cruz, the branch manager, who is walking briskly into the office. Cassie looks surprised and says, “The clouds are disappearing! But how?!” Standing nearby is Giant Tess, a tall, muscular woman in a green superhero outfit with a cape and a large “G” emblem on her chest. She calmly holds a stack of papers and explains, “Heh… Since everybody was standing around, I decided to make good use of the time by handing out the annual performance reviews.”
Panel 2:
The scene cuts to the open office floor in complete chaos. Employees are reacting violently and emotionally to their performance reviews (clockwise from upper left: Miss Match, Count Spurlock, Psy-Chick, Lightning Lady, Iron Dragon, Desdemona, Holo-Clone Miss Match, and Catnip). MIss Match is surrounded by flames, Psy-Chick is shouting angrily, Lightning Lady is generating crackling energy around her hands, and others are arguing or throwing things. Papers are scattered everywhere, chairs are overturned, and computer monitors are damaged. Despite the destruction, Giant Tess stands calmly in the foreground, still holding her papers, and says, “Believe it or not, I actually softened the wording from last year.” Cassie stands beside her, taking in the mayhem.
Steve Troop, webcomics veteran and professional puppeteer, is proud to announce a new weekly feature scheduled to appear every Friday on Kevin Smith’s new Web site,
Quick Stop Entertainment.
Smith, best known for hits such as “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma,” and “Clerks”, launched the site Monday. It features an impressive line-up which includes Terry Gilliam (“Monty Python’s Flying Circus”), Paul Dini (“Tiny Toons”) and Blank Label Comics founding member Steve Troop.
Troop’s Melonpool puppets will have a new 3-5 minute “quickcast” available every Friday at the new site — an updated version of the “Movie Poop Shoot” site made famous in Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” The new site will feature interviews, entertainment gossip, and other original content.
The first installment is available this Friday, June 23. For a sneak peek, point your browser to
this sample video.
Chad Diez of Today The Comic ( http://www.todaythecomic.com ) edited the first installment. A new Melonpool theme song was created for the podcast by Erik Przytulski of Pretzyl Music ( http://www.pretzyl.com). In addition to Troop, who performs the title character and Przytulski who performs Ralph Zinobop, Roger Przytulski will continue to perform Sam T. Dogg and Chris Gleason will continue to perform Sammy the Hammy – roles they all created for a small
student film in 1994.
The puppets were the inspiration for Troop’s seminal webcomic classic, “Melonpool,â€? ( http://www.melonpool.com ) which centers around the misadventures of several aliens stranded on earth. It has been on the Web since 1996. The puppets have made regular appearances at comic conventions for almost as long. Troop plans to tape more footage for his new feature at Comic Con International in San Diego this July.
