On My Way to a Million Dollars... Since having met actor Tuc Watkins on my way to the "Millionaire" audition (still nothing definite on that, stay tuned), it's funny catching him on either I Think I Do or One Life to Live, as I feel I'm part of that world now. (Beggars and Choosers, BTW, was supposed to be out on DVD January 10, 2006, but STILL no sign.) But the question still remains, would YOU use your status to get a foot in the door of a game show?

Vacationing in Damascus This strip started off with me reading an article about how HIV+ folks are treated in other countries, and how misreading it could lead to an amusing (yet possibly dangerous) conclusion. Funny thing, this strip was completed and submitted a week before the Israel-Hezbollah conflict began.

Paintball! I'd been wanting to do a strip with a little more "action" in it, and a conversation with an old friend reminded me how we played paintball at a friend's bachelor party many years ago. Hadn't thought about that much, then recalled the episode of Showtime's Beggars and Choosers when the staff played a rival network's team. And Tuc Watkins looked so good in his fatigues...

Buffy the Former Vampire Slayer I'd been wanting to do a Buffy strip for years but never figured out a good angle. After pushing the idea to the backburner, I got to meet (albeit briefly) Sarah Michelle Gellar at the San Diego Comic Con in 2004. Then the idea... well, the title, at least... popped into my head. What DID Buffy do after the final episode? Special guest appearance in this strip by my Buffy Buddy (and honorary Scooby gang member) Lorne, who first got me hooked on the show.

A Visit with Nick and Jessica OK, maybe too easy of a target, but catch a trend while it's hot, right? And while Nick doesn't take his shirt off (as friends asked when I told them I was drawing the strip), give the credit to my doctor, David Morris, for the "fusion inhibitor" description. I certainly couldn't have said it so well...

The First AIDS Musical Before its release, I was under the assumption the movie Rent would have been a bigger hit than it turned out to be, so I quickly dug out my copy of Zero Patience I had been given years earlier. The movie opened, did mediocre business, so we obviously will be waiting longer for the first AIDS musical hit...

Outsourcing to India Hot topic this year in this election year, but it took me a bit to figure out how to tie it in with HIV and AIDS. (And in case you're wondering, the Hindi lettering on the packages I have NO idea what it says, I yanked it off some web site. It may say "For a good time, call... " for all I know.

The Cheap Cell Phone I truly love those Sprint PCS cell phone ads where the recipient of "another" brand of cell phone doesn't get a message clearly. So you knew I'd have to do one for this strip. Wasn't as easy as I thought it might be, but what I came up with gave me an excuse to draw Mike Piazza in motorcycle leather. Whatta rough life of a cartoonist... Update: Not really as much of an update as a clarification: this strip was done months before the recent "Is Mike gay?" speculation. I was in Manhattan the week the story "broke" and thanked God I chose Piazza for this strip than one of the other New York Mets. Second update: Should I be stunned how many people found this strip on a Google search of "Piazza" and "leather"?

Queer Eye for the HIV+ Guy Sure, the show's fun and a hit, but do they think only straight guys in the metro New York area can use their help? Some of us HIVers wouldn't mind a little help here and there. And maybe Kyan Douglas can show me how to exfoliate. (Yes, I know what it means, but it still sounds dirty...) Update: I got to meet Kyan recently here in Atlanta. He didn't show me how to exfoliate, but did let me chat with him a bit.

Tryouts for the X-Men It's no secret I'm a huge comic book fan. I used to be a huge fan of the X-Men comic book but haven't read it much since around 1990. (I do own the issues that had the debuts of Storm and Wolverine, BTW.) The surprisingly good movies got me wanting to do a X-strip (no, not that kind).

Secret Origins I did this strip a year into its run to bring readers up to date ... the "why" behind it. And as always, a nice subtle dig at Charles Perez, whom an ex-boyfriend knew in college as a "real dick-head" (his words). I later found out the same was true of the boyfriend. Update: This strip was recolored and relettered in 2002 and kicked off the series' appearance in A&U Magazine.

The First AIDS Musical Before its release, I was under the assumption the movie Rent would have been a bigger hit than it turned out to be, so I quickly dug out my copy of Zero Patience I had been given years earlier. The movie opened, did mediocre business, so we obviously will be waiting longer for the first AIDS musical hit...

The HOV Lane First comic I did that was done just for the punchline. Actually two. Mostly done in response to Atlanta's maniacal preparation for the 1996 Olympics.

Green Acres OK, so I watch too much Nick at Nite. Or TV Land. Just wait till I start watching too much Home Shopping Channel. Then you'd never get things like Mr. Haney's latest scheme for medicinal marijuana. "I just adore a penthouse view... "

Cocktail Attire Once you've settled into the regimen of taking all those pills (with or without food) at the exact time, you'll find ways of making it less of a mental challenge.

Christmas Wishes I'm kinda surprised I forgot to put this on the original site. It's unfortunately still appropriate, but it does have a nice in-joke to one of my favorite movies, A Christmas Story (which by the way, I saw in a THEATER!) You may have seen this one reprinted in Unzipped Monthly.

Mushrooms Main reason I included this? Just some interesting facts. About me as well. Well, maybe not as interesting about me. It's just amazing how many people remember about my allergy to mushrooms from this episode.

Rent Some of my thoughts after seeing ... from the front row, and with the original cast ... the musical Rent. Be thankful I wasn't so inspired after seeing Urinetown: The Musical.

Milk Thistle Just some help when you're working your liver a little too well ("Livin' La Liver Loca"). What's odd was the month this strip debuted, it was the buzz in three other columns I saw. Great minds...

Livin' HIV Loca The second song parody I've done for this strip (once I redraw the Pointer Sisters' "Fiber" you'll see that one.) A little different than the standard cartoon in style, and in this one, no one gets hot wax dripped onto their chest. Damn. And in case you're wondering, yes, I do have leather pants, and no, my hips swivel nothing like Ricky Martin's.

Meeting Judd Meeting Judd Winick was more than just me being a Real World groupie. His love and friendship with the late Pedro Zamora was evident on the show, and led to his Pulitzer nominated graphic novel Pedro and Me . And simply put, Judd in person will easily win you over, with his humor, his warmth, his dedication to HIV education, his wit, and a surprisingly profane mouth!

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man If you've been to this site before, you already know I'm a comic book fan. Never had Spider-Man swing into the strip before, despite my sharing the same birthday as Spidey's original artist (and co-creator), Steve Ditko. (By the same token, I should next do strips guest-starring David Schwimmer, kd lang, and Gervace from the original Survivor. ) And no, I didn't do the strip just because of the big blockbuster of 2002, but I think about the old theme song ... "He's got radioactive blood!" ... and wonder how I didn't think of it sooner!

September 11, 2001 It took me a while to even get back to doodling after the Attack. I wasn't even really sure what , if anything, I'd have in my strip, but enough friends and readers kept wondering how I'd approach it. Who would've guessed it would be the first strip to also include Tom Cruise and Maureen "Marcia Brady" in the same comic strip?