In other news, on this page we see the return, temporarily, of the crash couches with which I unintentionally tortured Mark back during the space battle sequence over Mars. He finally asked me, in a desparing tone which could be heard even via the medium of email, how to make two characters sitting in chairs interesting. The answer, of course, was a space battle.

Finally, a reader named Rone wrote to ask us where he could donate to MoS. Mark and I write and draw MoS for the sheer joy of writing and drawing, and (as far as I know) the webspace isn't costing an arm and a leg. Our payment is the accolades of our readers, and the fact that Mark and I get to work together on the project. I think I can safely say, though, that Rone's offer to pay is - in a way - the highest compliment we've ever received.

With that said, though: if you're a Hollywood producer with a few tens of millions lying around and a sudden urge to make a science fiction film...well, our rates are cheap and our lines are always open! Except when Law and Order is on. Then you'll get the answering machine.

I'd like to point out that if this comic was actually a British postmodern technogoth space opera, we'd have to use the term "closed timelike curve" somewhere in the explanation of how the gate works. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not, we'd just have to use it, along with a reference to light cones. We would also have to, at some point, mention ullage in a spacecraft's fuel tanks. That word's fun to say, isn't it? Ulllllllllage. Let it roll off your tongue. Now you can write for Interzone! Oh, I kid because I love.

Disclaimer: I'm really tired.