Chapter 17 | Page 13d: Performance Reviews

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.

Hey Comics — Kids! S03E01 Pokemon 20th anniversary

Hey Comics Kids podcast logoBe sure to visit our Patreon page! (patreon.com/heycomicskids ) It’s the THIRD season of Hey Comics — Kids! Today, Max talks about his favorite topic — Pokemon. It’s the Pokemon 20th anniversary, and they’re celebrating two decades of catching-em-all, and this newly minted 10-year-old couldn’t be happier!

About Pokemon 20th anniversary

So there’s a lot of stuff going on for the Pokemon 20th anniversary that you should be aware of. For starters, every month, GameStop will be giving out free download cards that enable you to get Pokemon that you might not have been able to snag yet. Max tells me that this is a Very Big Deal. Also, Pokemon is re-releasing its first three games — Pokemon Red, Yellow and Blue — for the 3DS. Those games were available previously only for Gameboy units… or desktop emulators. We’ve already downloaded Red and Yellow. There will be reports forthcoming, rest assured. And we’re certain that’s not all that’s in store for us this year. It’s amazing to me how excited my ten-year-old can get over a 20-year-old 8-bit side-scroller, but I’m telling you… this thing has him enthralled. Pokemon 20th anniversaryPokemon 20th anniversarySupport us on Patreon — the money will be given to the boys to encourage their creative efforts. Subscribe to us on iTunes — and please take some time to rate the show and leave a friendly comment! That’s gonna help us climb the iTunes charts! Remember what Max says, though — “This is a friendly place, people!”  Follow us on Evil Inc. Don’t like iTunes? No problem-o. Just follow this feed and you’ll get every update as it happens. Follow us on Blubrry — another iTunes alternative with great programming for you to enjoy. Discover it today! Follow us on Stitcher — yet another way to get the podcast. As always, thanks to the U.S. Army Blues Band for our theme music!