Man, it's been a long time since I did a comic ... well ... this long!

The irony of the situation is that I was really pushing my luck doing this. The 21st here in the U.S. landed in the middle of the week, on a Wensday to be precise--RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF COLLEGE CLASSES.

And I'm taking things like accounting and business law! AUGHGARBLES

Still, I did have more overall time, relatively speaking, than when I do with regular RWs--the problem was making time for homework and the like.

Yet somehow I managed to get this done. I kinda wish I didn't have to cut corners, but I think it looks okay for an anniversary comic regardless ...

If I had waited to finish the comic by the time I got home from class, well ... no, it just wouldn't've worked--accounting so thoroughly beats the life out of me that I wind up sleeping till 5:00 AM. And then I have to do Business Law afterwards.

Anyway. ENOUGH ABOUT THAT.

That is actually a rather cool pose for the Man Who Wouldd Call Himself The Monkey King. D:
That's actually one thing I didn't quite understand about the Clearwater family. You got Dareon Clearwater, Thaddeus Clearwater ... then SUN WUKONG CLEARWATER.
WHO CAN SHOOT MINDRAYS FROM HIS EYES AND DRILL INTO YOUR BRAIN.
I don't think it's necessary to know where this panel came from to get the joke (quite clearly 'black helicopter conspiracy theory onoes the men in black are out to get me'), buuut ... that's thetitle image from Deus Ex 1. Which is an awesome, awesome game. If you haven't played it, SHAME ON YOU.
No, the goblin and his leafcopter aren't in the original image. :D
Aaaand lookie! Nth's baking antics return!
I finally got rid of that grody old version of the cake that seems to pop up in every birthday-related comic, but ... the perspective is still kind of off. Or, Nth just likes making dips in the lower part of the cake. Who knows.

AND OF COURSE, MARK VAN EXEL HAS TO CRASH THE PARTY IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE.
SURPRISE :D~

I got the idea for that from his title on the forums, "Birthday Wizard." It all clicked, especially since his birthday IS tommorow--September 22nd. There's no way I'd have the energy to do one comic right after the other in the middle of brutal classes, so I combined two occasions into one!

Aren't I slick?
OHHHH I AM SO SELF-
CONGRATULATION
IZING MYSELF
*explodes :( *

Oh, and Lenz's eyes burning are a reference to a remark he made about Corigan's appearance in the RO Maxims--"As for my eyes, I am going to burn them."