Hi all!

Wow, it's been a while! Sorry I haven't been able to drop by much the last year or two. A lot of things have been happening. Got married in 2007 and I'm expecting a baby in the next few weeks. I've also been working on my family business and a new comic (www.privateiris.com) So a lot of exciting things. But it's cool to be back here. I'm surprised to see a lot of the old gang is still here. I do hear from Scott at the Toy Buzz from time to time.

I hope you guys don't mind, but I'd like to ask for a favor. My old comic, Cast, has been nominated for a Komikon Award here in the Philippines. It's an online vote open to everyone sponsored by an artist group here. I've actually been nominated for three categories:

Best Series

Best Scene (2 noms)

Best Cover (2 noms)

To try to drum up votes, I've posted my entire 10th issue online (which has won most of the nominations). I've sent a couple of you though copies of Cast (and the response by the amazing Ian Watson remains one of my and my wife's favorite letters about Cast. I printed his letter in our 11th issue). So I'm hoping that you can take a minute or two out of your day to vote for Cast. It's free and all you need to do is get a login at the Komikon Wordpress site.

For those who haven't read the issue, or who want to read the behind-the-scenes commentary I've written per page (constantly updating), check out the issue at:

http://jamiebautista.wordpress.com/category/cast-10/

For the instructions for voting, please visit my main blog page at:

http://jamiebautista.wordpress.com/

Voting ends on Sept. 20 here (or Sept. 19 in the U.S.)

The award I'd really love to win is for Best Comic Scene for "Ces' Poem from Will". Of the two nominations I have there, it has the most significance for me because the poem there is one I wrote nine years ago that made my wife change her mind about me (she wanted to just be friends then) and fall for me (according to her). I think it would just be cool if that scene won because it's something that actually happened. So please vote for that scene if you can.

Thanks again in advance and I promise to drop by more often (most likely during sleepless nights after my son arrives).

Cheers all! Pray I don't make the baby monitor explode! Love ya all!

Enty