Update, Wed. May 12: Sorry everyone I’m feelin like crap today so I’m gonna have to miss this week’s update. ): See you back here next week…

DEFENESTRATED

Not only the best word ever, but also the best superhero power ever.

Hey, it’s Ma and Theo. What?

Fwiw, I’d written Ma into the story months ago, and it’s just a coincidence that she’s landing just in time for Mother’s Day. I think that makes up for the fact that I was still doing Christmas-themed comics in January.

Lastly, remember:

Buy the new print!

Now available at TopatoCo!

More info at this blog post. Thanks!

Yup! The story ends with a pun.

By the way, there’s 6 different versions of this episode, each featuring a different winner of the Be in aLp contest in that last panel. If you reload, you’ll probably (5-in-6 chance!) get a new one. It’s like those TV Guide collectible covers that no one used to collect!

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos for the contest. Here’s all the awesome winners together for your pleasurable convenience.

Did you know that since 2003, sodomy is no longer illegal in any U.S. state? Umm… you’re welcome? And… whew?

Also, I wanna let you know that I’ll be a Comics Guest at I-Con – the northeast’s largest sci-fi convention – this April 3-5 on Long Island. Come let’s party together! Did I mention that sodomy is no longer illegal? Ha ha, just kidding.

Lastly, I’m extending the deadline for the Be in aLp contest ’til this Sunday, Feb 1. I’ve got a bunch of winners already, but the more the merrier. Get creative! Did I mention that sodomy is no longer illegal?

Hey, NEW CONTEST: Be in aLp

Zach of the irrepressibly hilarious SMBC is finally selling official SMBC t-shirts. It’s about time. Go check ‘em out!

And I just noticed good buddy Bryan wasted no time in whipping up a little sketch tribute to today’s episode. Bryan’s got a new weekly comic called Hello with Cheese. And you thought MY jokes were random and juvenile!

I’ve been wanting to do an Improv Everywhere joke for a while; they just did their 8th annual No Pants Subway Ride on Saturday so the timing was right. FYI, my favorite piece of theirs is this one, where they turned a random little league baseball game into an incredible day in those kids’ lives.

Hey, Ryan is plugging me, like he does so generously every time I come back to aLp. Please, you must go read Dinosaur Comics now to help me pay him back.

1) VOTE for aLp at Top Web Comics to see a preview of what’s coming down the pipe…

2) Anyone can post comments now (you don’t have to register or log in)!

3) Start paying attention to the blog space below here…

Yesterday was my wife’s first Mother’s Day as a mom and to celebrate, our little 10-month-old Rachel decided to walk across the room holding onto her toy lawn mower, and Adrian (also 10 months old) managed to crawl across the room without plopping down, rolling over and staring at the ceiling. Exclusive videos here!

It would be hyperbole to say Elaine’s literally the best mom in the history of the universe, but with complete objectivity I can declare that she is definitely in the Top 5. I don’t know how she does what she does everyday, all I know is it’s special to watch. It may be a cliche, but I get tired just thinking about the job she does. My kids are the luckiest kids in the world because of her. So, Happy Mother’s Day to Elaine, and my mom, and your mom, and Britney Spears too.

Not in the Top 5 but just missing the cut is Mother Teresa… who, incidentally, didn’t have any children – YO HOW DOES THAT WORK

As a kid I wished I had the ability to turn invisible so I could fight crime. I wouldn’t have any other super powers though, because of course that would be unrealistic – and of course only my body could turn invisible, so if I wanted to be completely unseen I had to shed all my clothes. Of course. So here I was a little naked kid running around at night stomping on muggers’ feet in the name of justice; thwarting bank robberies with deftly unexpected shin kicks. But all superheroes have an Achilles’ heel, and mine was the obsessive paranoia of losing my invisibility power all of a sudden in the middle of a fight and being left all naked in my nakedness. What if any of my classmates happened to be there and see me?

Today I still wish I could turn invisible, but instead of common crooks I’d use my power to fight terrorists. You know, sneaking into their caves which I’d have no problem finding, and messing with them while they’re filming their stupid hostage videos. Turning suddenly visible is still a concern, but in addition to having outgrown the fear of being seen naked, I’ve realized I could just explain that I’m an escaped Abu Ghraib torture victim, so that’s why I’m naked, and also that’s why I’ve forgotten the language.

I had a blackout yesterday, which sucked not only cuz I had more work to do on the comic, but we also had to deal with putting the babies to sleep, one of whom is sick, while shuttling 50 candles around from room to room and calling the power company and figuring out how we were going to play the usual nighttime white noise CD in the nursery, and our fridge was fighting a losing battle trying to keep my iced tea cold. We’d had another blackout last summer when the kids were 3 weeks old and I felt the same way then, but it bears repeating – you never know how much you miss electricity until it’s gone.

The same is true about money, as I shamelessly segue. Today I’m kicking back up the Donation Drive – if you enjoy the free nonsense I churn out every week, why not show your support by donating to the fund to help feed my kids! Okay, no, they’re not gonna starve if you don’t, but we’re finding that having twins is SERIOUSLY EXPENSIVE and we need all the help we can get. Anyway, shameless or not, it’s a good excuse to show off new videos of my little critters. I’ll put together a little donation section in a bit, but for now you can bank on getting seriously cool thank-you gifts for your contributions – a neat fridge magnet if you donate $10, a print for $20, and a t-shirt and re-naming rights to one of my kids for $50+. If you’ve donated in the past I’ll set you up! As I’ve said before, I love doing aLp and it’ll ALWAYS BE FREE. I just won’t stop you if you’d like to donate some dough to help me keep making the funny pictures. More details later, thanks!

Yo! 6:48 in the morning already!