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PANEL 1: Two fillipods - the FIRST MINISTER and the BUCK-TOOTHED fillipod - appear in hologram as the ROYAL ASTRONOMER stands in a black top hat and a fancy black jacket. FIRST MINISTER: AHOY-HOY! Royal Astronomer? ROYAL ASTRONOMER: AAHH! First Minister? PANEL 2: The FIRST MINISTER in hologram responds, as the ROYAL ASTRONOMER turns away in shadow. FIRST MINISTER: We’re calling to ask y—WAIT. Why are you wearing black? ROYAL ASTRONOMER: Sadly, grief is the price we pay for love/ And I am gripped tight by grief…for our Emperor is dead. PANEL 3: The BUCK-TOOTHED fillipod responds, surprised, as ROYAL ASTRONOMER turns away from the viewer. BUCK-TOOTHED: Dead? WHAT? No one tells us anything! When did this happen? ROYAL ASTRONOMER: Yesterday. And they’ve already called a grand council for his succession. PANEL 4: The two fillipods in hologram look shocked. FIRST MINISTER: Ohhh. That explains it. THAT’S why we’re calling. BUCK-TOOTHED: Last night, every single Familia member suddenly fled Tesskil, and we got terrified. PANEL 5: Close up on the BUCK-TOOTHED fillipod. BUCK-TOOTHED: We thought La Familia had discovered our fleet, and were planning an Imperial attack. PANEL 6: The ROYAL ASTRONOMER looks at the glow of the hologram, his fancy coat’s pattern shining in the light. ROYAL ASTRONOMER: I see. That explains why’d you’d risk the call on the Cruz network. PANEL 7: The two fillipods in hologram respond. FIRST MINISTER: We though we were about to be super-duper mega-murdered. (…and wanted to get an E.T.A. ON THAT.) BUCK-TOOTHED: So we didn’t start a move we couldn’t finish. —— Want 5,000 more comics like this? Join us at Patreon.com/sheldoncomics for the *FULL* Sheldon archives, art giveaways, fun community, and more! Sheldon Comics copyright Dave Kellett. Colors by Beth Reidmiller
PANEL 1: Two fillipods - the FIRST MINISTER and the BUCK-TOOTHED fillipod - appear in hologram as the ROYAL ASTRONOMER stands in a black top hat and a fancy black jacket. FIRST MINISTER: AHOY-HOY! Royal Astronomer? ROYAL ASTRONOMER: AAHH! First Minister? PANEL 2: The FIRST MINISTER in hologram responds, as the ROYAL ASTRONOMER turns away in shadow. FIRST MINISTER: We’re calling to ask y—WAIT. Why are you wearing black? ROYAL ASTRONOMER: Sadly, grief is the price we pay for love/ And I am gripped tight by grief…for our Emperor is dead. PANEL 3: The BUCK-TOOTHED fillipod responds, surprised, as ROYAL ASTRONOMER turns away from the viewer. BUCK-TOOTHED: Dead? WHAT? No one tells us anything! When did this happen? ROYAL ASTRONOMER: Yesterday. And they’ve already called a grand council for his succession. PANEL 4: The two fillipods in hologram look shocked. FIRST MINISTER: Ohhh. That explains it. THAT’S why we’re calling. BUCK-TOOTHED: Last night, every single Familia member suddenly fled Tesskil, and we got terrified. PANEL 5: Close up on the BUCK-TOOTHED fillipod. BUCK-TOOTHED: We thought La Familia had discovered our fleet, and were planning an Imperial attack. PANEL 6: The ROYAL ASTRONOMER looks at the glow of the hologram, his fancy coat’s pattern shining in the light. ROYAL ASTRONOMER: I see. That explains why’d you’d risk the call on the Cruz network. PANEL 7: The two fillipods in hologram respond. FIRST MINISTER: We though we were about to be super-duper mega-murdered. (…and wanted to get an E.T.A. ON THAT.) BUCK-TOOTHED: So we didn’t start a move we couldn’t finish. —— Want 5,000 more comics like this? Join us at Patreon.com/sheldoncomics for the *FULL* Sheldon archives, art giveaways, fun community, and more! Sheldon Comics copyright Dave Kellett. Colors by Beth Reidmiller
FULL ARCHIVES
Act 5. Pg 103
Act 5. Pg 104
Act 5. Pg 105
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Act 2Act 5
Act 3Act 6
Tales of the Drive
JUMP TO:  Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4 Act 5Act 6 Tales of the Drive
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Act 5. Pg 105
Posted on July 9, 2026 by Beth Reidmiller

Did you know I give away a free piece of original art every week on the Drive Patreon? EVERY WEEK! It's just one of the reasons that Patreon is awesome.
Join us on Patreon and get:

  •   200+ pages of bonus "TALES OF THE DRIVE"!
  •   Weekly art giveaways!
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  •   Pal-times forums!

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


This week’s ComicLab Podcast is live!

Posted on January 9, 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: Why don’t you do MORE?!?

comiclabpodcast.com

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

Spotify: https://buff.ly/OShfHX4

Are Brad and Dave not doing enough? A listener question sparks a candid conversation about creative bandwidth, sustainability, and why “doing more” isn’t always the smart — or sustainable — choice. The episode then dives into one of the hardest challenges in humor writing: How to judge your own work when readers don’t get the joke. How much confusion is normal, when feedback matters, and how to balance ego with humility without losing your voice.

More of Dave Kellett >>>More Dave >>>