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PANEL 1: Cousin JOSE stands at the podium clanging a bell with a “TONG TON”. JOSE: Familia! The council is now called back into session. PANEL 2: A spotlight shines on CAYETANO CRUZ as he climbs the stairs to the stage, JOSE at the podium holding his arm out to him. JOSE: As is tradition, we invite up our esteemed ELDEST candidate first. Please join me in welcoming admiral Cayetano Cruz, Commander of Tierra’s third fleet. PANEL 3: From behind CAYETANO’s shoulder while he stands at the podium. The crowd politely claps. CAYETANO: Cousins, I’ll be brief. PANEL 4: Close up on CAYETANO as he continues. CAYETANO: You know me. You know my service to the Empire. And you know I ain’t one for speechifying. PANEL 5: Intense close up on CAYETANO. CAYETANO: I love this family, and I’m PROUD of what we’ve done to bring humanity to the stars. But every grand council, we find ourselves asking the same question: PANEL 6: He holds his arms out at the podium as he makes his point. CAYETANO: “We don’t have ONE genius among us with a moral compass and a steel spine?” “Out of 15,000 Familia members, THESE THREE are the best we can do?” PANEL 7: Closer in as he looks skeptical. CAYETANO: So listen. I’m not even gonna waste my breath on the boy. He’s sixteen for God’s sake. PANEL 8: Closer in as he leans in. CAYETANO: And me? I’m flawed as hell. But I’ll work like hell. And i’ll fight like hell. PANEL 9: Intense closeup as he yells, shadows dramatic. CAYETANO: And Emiliana? Cousins, THAT’S WHERE I DRAW THE LINE. We might as well give up if we make her Empress. Because she’s already given up on us. PANEL 10: CAYETANO in silhouette and he points to the audience. CAYETANO: 48 Million pesetas embezzled from Banco Imperial. Two cousins killed by her security detail — just in the last year. And worst of all full plans for a Cruz drive in her personal files. WHAT IN GOD’S NAME WOULD A COUSIN NEED THE FULL PLANS FOR? And yes: Everything I just said is backed up by data. PANEL 11: He continues his point at the podium. CAYETANO: The moment I walk off stage, I’m sending you two terabytes of it. Vote how you will. PANEL 12: He pauses, not sure what else to say. (no text) PANEL 13: He walks off stage, throwing his hand dismissively. (no text) —— Want to read the full story? Join us at Patreon.com/drive for the *FULL* Tales of the Drive archives, art giveaways, fun community, and more! DRIVE copyright Dave Kellett. Colors by Beth Reidmiller
PANEL 1: Cousin JOSE stands at the podium clanging a bell with a “TONG TON”. JOSE: Familia! The council is now called back into session. PANEL 2: A spotlight shines on CAYETANO CRUZ as he climbs the stairs to the stage, JOSE at the podium holding his arm out to him. JOSE: As is tradition, we invite up our esteemed ELDEST candidate first. Please join me in welcoming admiral Cayetano Cruz, Commander of Tierra’s third fleet. PANEL 3: From behind CAYETANO’s shoulder while he stands at the podium. The crowd politely claps. CAYETANO: Cousins, I’ll be brief. PANEL 4: Close up on CAYETANO as he continues. CAYETANO: You know me. You know my service to the Empire. And you know I ain’t one for speechifying. PANEL 5: Intense close up on CAYETANO. CAYETANO: I love this family, and I’m PROUD of what we’ve done to bring humanity to the stars. But every grand council, we find ourselves asking the same question: PANEL 6: He holds his arms out at the podium as he makes his point. CAYETANO: “We don’t have ONE genius among us with a moral compass and a steel spine?” “Out of 15,000 Familia members, THESE THREE are the best we can do?” PANEL 7: Closer in as he looks skeptical. CAYETANO: So listen. I’m not even gonna waste my breath on the boy. He’s sixteen for God’s sake. PANEL 8: Closer in as he leans in. CAYETANO: And me? I’m flawed as hell. But I’ll work like hell. And i’ll fight like hell. PANEL 9: Intense closeup as he yells, shadows dramatic. CAYETANO: And Emiliana? Cousins, THAT’S WHERE I DRAW THE LINE. We might as well give up if we make her Empress. Because she’s already given up on us. PANEL 10: CAYETANO in silhouette and he points to the audience. CAYETANO: 48 Million pesetas embezzled from Banco Imperial. Two cousins killed by her security detail — just in the last year. And worst of all full plans for a Cruz drive in her personal files. WHAT IN GOD’S NAME WOULD A COUSIN NEED THE FULL PLANS FOR? And yes: Everything I just said is backed up by data. PANEL 11: He continues his point at the podium. CAYETANO: The moment I walk off stage, I’m sending you two terabytes of it. Vote how you will. PANEL 12: He pauses, not sure what else to say. (no text) PANEL 13: He walks off stage, throwing his hand dismissively. (no text) —— Want to read the full story? Join us at Patreon.com/drive for the *FULL* Tales of the Drive archives, art giveaways, fun community, and more! DRIVE copyright Dave Kellett. Colors by Beth Reidmiller
FULL ARCHIVES
Act 5. Pg 118
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Act 5. Pg 120
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JUMP TO:  Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4 Act 5Act 6 Tales of the Drive
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Act 5. Pg 120
Posted on October 22, 2026 by Beth Reidmiller

This Weekend: 17 Years of Drive!

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Dave Kellett

17 years ago this weekend, I put the first DRIVE page up on SHELDON (archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20120308182707/http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/090815.html ).

Check out this screenshot of the blog post that day! DRIVE didn’t have a website, didn’t have a name…but we started it all the same.

Thanks for 17 years of reading, friends! And thanks even more for your support on Patreon <– that has made these last 17 years possible!



Dave Kellett (free!) signing this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio!

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Beth Reidmiller

Pals! If you live in or near central Ohio, DO I HAVE A DEAL FOR YOU! I’m doing a free(!) cartoonists signing in Columbus, Ohio!

WHO: Myself and 80 other of America’s best cartoonists 

WHAT: Will be doing a free public signing-and-sketching event! 

WHEN: This Saturday, Aug 8th, 1:00-6:00PM

WHERE: At Ohio State’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum! (1813 N High St, Columbus, OH 43210)

WHY: Because it’s super fun! Also appearing and giving talks: Dav Pilkey (Dog Man), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Cathy Guisewite (Cathy), and 70 more cartoonists!

MORE DETAILS and REGISTRATION: https://nationalcartoonists.com/ncs-cartoonist-showcase-meet-cartoonists-in-columbus-august-8/

Today: I’m doing a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” with the folks at r/fantasy! Come by!

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Dave Kellett

Drive Pals! Today (Thurs 5/28) I’m doing an “ASK ME ANYTHING” over on the r/fantasy subreddit.

Come on by! Ask anything you’d like about DRIVE, the characters, the world, the creation of it, or any of my other projects.

Here’s the link! See you there! https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1tq8688/im_dave_kellett_hugonominated_cartoonist_of_drive/

The Hugo Awards!

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Dave Kellett

Growing up, the well-read copy of DUNE on my shelf was more than just a book; it was a totem. I spent hours (hours!) staring at that cover. And as a result, the “Hugo Award Winner” blurb became seared into my brain. Through sheer conditioning, I grew up knowing that a Hugo was the ultimate sign that a sci-fi story was worth reading. 

To hear today that DRIVE has been nominated for a Hugo Award (under “Best Professional Artist”) …well, that news would absolutely floor younger me. 

With DRIVE, I wanted to take the serious, galaxy-wide novels I grew up loving…but populate it with the goofy, joy-filled characters that I loved from newspaper comics. A mix of high stakes and hijinks.

To see DRIVE recognized with a Hugo nomination feels like a full-circle completion of that childhood dream. It’s a fun reminder that, if you follow your own weird path long enough, it leads exactly where you were always meant to go.

Thanks for reading, pals! New DRIVE is up Thursday!

– Dave

PS: …and don’t forget to tell sci-fi loving friends to try it! The entire story is free to read at DriveComic.com


==================
[EDITED TO ADD: All members of the World Science Fiction Convention are able to vote on the Hugo Awards, including those who have memberships in the virtual portion of the convention. Information about registration is available at lacon.org/register.]


This week’s ComicLab Podcast is live!

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Beth Reidmiller

Pals! Every week my cartooning pal Brad Guigar and I fire up the mics to talk about comics. It’s half shop talk, half how-to, and half friendship. That’s right: WE SQUEEZED IN THREE HALVES. It’s tips and tricks and all the joys of cartooning as a pro!

———

TITLE: How to Start a Webring

comiclabpodcast.com

Apple Podcasts: https://buff.ly/pmzb68x

Spotify: https://buff.ly/OShfHX4

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett tackle a surprisingly practical question: How do you start a web ring for comics creators? With social media platforms becoming less reliable for discovery, the classic web ring is making a comeback as a way for creators to promote each other directly.

Dave’s Livestreaming Today, 1-2PM PT / 4-5PM ET!

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Beth Reidmiller

Sheldon pals! If you’re free this afternoon, swing by! I’ll be livestreaming today from 1-2PM PT / 4-5PM ET, taking questions with my pal Brad Guigar about Sheldon, Drive, ComicLab, and cartooning in general!

It’s part of our new tradition where we livestream the last hour of our Kickstarter campaigns, to celebrate and goof around. Join us with questions, here: https://riverside.com/studio/comiclabs-studio?t=3bd3569dd305a30483da

And here’s the link for the Kickstarter, if you haven’t yet jumped in! Just a few hours left! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smallfish/double-dog-dare?ref=8z4y6m

🏆THE HUGO NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN!

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Dave Kellett

Pals! The nominations for sci-fi’s biggest award — the HUGOS — are officially OPEN! If you’re a past/present member of WorldCon, you got an email today [from “LA V Virtual Convention Team” / [email protected]] asking you to activate your WorldCon account and make your nominations. And gang, it would mean the world to me if you considered these two lil’ sweethearts among your nominations:

  • FOR BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC:
    DRIVE (    DriveComic.com) | Artist: Dave Kellett | Publisher: Small Fish Studios
  • FOR BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST:
    DAVE KELLETT  |  Example of their Work:     DriveComic.com

(NOTE: The “Drive Act 4” book had a copyright of 2024, so that book doesn’t qualify. But the two above do qualify!)

Drive has never been nominated for a Hugo — and I think it would be tremendous fun! Especially since I’LL BE THERE for the first time in a decade! That’s right: With WorldCon being in Anaheim this year — I’ll be at the show, handing out high-fives LIKE THEY’RE GOING OUT OF STYLE!

But honestly, there’s no shortage of amazing sci-fi stories in 2025 — so be generous with your nominations!

Thanks, pals!
– Dave


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