A few days ago I received an email with this graphic in my DEPARTMENT OF ART faculty email:

Words could not describe my feelings on the matter. So instead of trying, I posted it on my Official Unofficial Twitter! This is where you loving Systemics come in, as long-time Systemic and all-around awesome dude Sleshy stepped up to the plate and knocked one out of the park!

If you get it, you’re in the right place. And thanks again, Systemic Sleshy! If you ever come up with something cool or even remix an old comic, send it my way! If it’s funny (and I’m not too swamped with emails) I’ll post it on the site.

Want to congratulate Sleshy? Ever received “Word art” this bad? Post your thoughts in the comments!

Systemic Tom saw last week’s System in the Wild post, and decided to have a little fun with the mountain lion picture.  Thanks, Tom!  A true Systemic for sure.

I did a bad bad thing.  A while back, I asked everyone for their interpretation of Jimmy the Murderdog.  And while I posted a few, I never really posted the whole set. Gave people credit.  Oh, and for that matter, gave out the rewards.  Because I promised rewards and stuff.

So here we go, I’m making things right.  I’m fixing this. You can find all the entries to the contest here on this page. You can also find the results of the contest there as well. I wound up giving them this hackneyed location so the images would have enough room to be seen properly, but if you want to post about them come back to here.

SEE THE JIMMY THE MURDERDOG FAN ART CONTEST ENTRIES

As for future times I’ll ask for things, I promise you they won’t take me so long the next time. But go and enjoy these, people worked somewhere be tween a little bit and moderately hard on them.

July 8th, 2008.  I write the first ever System comic*.  In the weeks that followed, I began writing two comics a day, all in hopes of having a 30-comic archive by the time I went to Connecticon, in order to proudly have a comic after a year of having no reason to refer to myself as a webcomic artist.

*Don’t get snarky with me, I back dated the first couple posts so I could move things along faster.  As such, I’m calling today the “anniversary”.

We’ve come a long way since then.  Thanks to some humble links from friends made along the way, support of family and friends, and of course the excessive free time of you Systemics, The System has grown into part of both your life and mine.  I’ve done a lot of thanks for all your help throughout the site, but I will do it once more because it couldn’t be a what it is without you coming back.  As my way of saying thank you, we’re having a new contest on the site.

Jimmy the Murderdog Fan Art Contest

Grown out of a hair-brained idea written in a room with high temperatures and no ventilation, Jimmy the Murderdog has become a sort of mascot for The System.  Here’s your chance to show your love for the murderdog that shows only murderous tendencies to others.

1. Draw your interpretation of Jimmy the Murderdog.  It can be a sketch, a refined drawing, or even an all-out comic.  It can be impressionist, a realistic interpretation, or made out of stained glass.  Really, just go nuts with it.
2. Email it in to: systemcomic at gmail, subject: HE’LL GET YOU.  You have until Midnight (the end of) Sunday, August 2nd.
3. The winner (chosen by me based on however I’m feeling) will receive a Jimmy the Murderdog T-Shirt, a Jimmy the Murderdog 13″ x 19″ poster, and a The System pin set! And, of course, all other Systemics will know that you, as winner, reign supreme.

Want some ideas to get your creative juices flowing?  Luckily for you, I’ve received to “star entries” from some fellow internet peeps.

This first one is by Charles Snow of Sordid City Blues.

Our friend Noah over at Skull A Day has gone a little more elaborate outside the box, with this amazing photograph.  Hey, I never said you had to draw it.  Click the image to see it bigger, btw.

Hopefully this opens your brains to some possibilities.  Remember, comic, drawing, or anything else you come up with to interpret Jimmy the Murderdog.  Email me with questions.  So get to work, Systemics!

Systemic Cyclin’ Missy (of her own blog) sent in this  fan comic (click on it or here to see it full size) after being inspired by seeing other recent fan comics on the site.  Thanks for sending it in, Missy!  If this inspires more of you to send in such art, go right ahead and email it to systemcomic@gmail.com!

Systemic Gabe sent me this little fan comic (click on it or here to see it full size).  He mentioned “Thought of this while there”, so I’m wondering what murderdog hangs out in that place.  Maybe they should post signs.  Thanks for sending it in, Gabe!  If this inspires more of you to send in such art, go right ahead and email it to systemcomic@gmail.com!

Much thanks to Systemic Nikola, who brought it upon himself to write and send in this great little comic.  Can’t read it?  I feel ya, so Nikola was nice enough to send in a translation (oh, and click above to see it bigger):

• Is your father a baker…because he made you rather sweet…
• My father is dead.
• Never mind, just give me your phone number.

There will be more on the site about this soon, but the basics is that if you ever want to write one up and send it in, feel free to do so.  Send it over to systemcomic@gmail.com!

For those of you tuning in during Guest Comic Week, you may have noticed the work of Amu’s World.  The creator recently put together this little piece of fan art based on this comic from the archives.

It’s a fun little comic that has recently started up, and is currently 6 comics in, but growing all the time.  The story is just starting to go somewhere, and I like each page better than the last.  Check it.

Btw, we’re always looking for more System in the Wild posts, and fan art never hurts either.  Systemcomic at gmail dot com.