To clue in the majority of our fans who aren't in the know, Dewey gave Tamara what has become known as a "Jayne Hat". In an episode of the short-lived Joss Whedon sci-fi show Firefly the rough-and-tough mercenary Jayne (a man) receives a very silly hat from his mother. At Comic-Con last month we saw a lot of Jayne hats worn by "browncoats" which is what Firefly fans call themselves. This week's sequence is our take on what that whole experience was like for our store manager Jana, who had no idea what was going on.

Sometimes I call our comic strip "The Hungry Beast." Every day it eats a comic. I've drawn almost two thousand strips, and it's eaten them all. I often walk around the house muttering "the beast is hungry. Gotta feed the beast."

So the fact that I've caught up on strips is ephemeral. My family is going on a four-day camping trip near Mt. Rainier, so as of tomorrow I'm behind again. I don't know when I'll be caught up again. Damn you, beast!