Last week my family camped at the Ten X National Forest Service Campground outside of Grand Canyon National Park. We love to cook over campfires, and I set to splitting some unusually stubborn wood. Unfortunately I was just as stubborn, and I spent too long chopping away at it. By the next day my right wrist - that’s my drawing hand - was good and sprained.

So I’m calling in a substitute while I heal. This week and next Unshelved will be written by Gene and me as usual, but it will be drawn by our good friend Chris Hallbeck. You already know his work from the many Unshelved Book Club strips he’s drawn for us this year, and of course he also has his own comic strips - The Book of Biff, MaxiMumble, and MiniMumble. We hope you enjoy his drawing style!