Greetings Weaponeers-

It’s been a little quiet at RW HQ lately. Too quiet actually. After the frenetic posting schedule of our first few years, 2011 could be considered sparse, although I think some of our best comics were released this year. But the slow schedule didn’t stop us from being honored by Paste Magazine as one of 2011′s Top Ten Webcomics. Just being mentioned in that list of all those amazing webcomics (Kevin Church and Ming Doyle’s The Loneliest Astronauts being a personal fave of mine) is humbling for our little buddy cop comic over here. And we’re already working hard to make the list in 2012, which brings us to our infodump of HUGE announcements.

First, if the art above wasn’t obvious enough, Dave Lentz and Rob Simmons are back to document the adventures of Frank, FELIX and the whole gang. They took a sabbatical to follow around a bunch of death metal bands that no one has heard about except for Satanists and mathletes. But now they’re back. Refreshed, energized and ready to draw the hell out of some cartoon cop mayhem. Everyone give a nice round of applause to these dudes. We’re happy to be one big family unit again.

Second, if the art above wasn’t obvious enough, Registered Weapon: Career Day is imminent. What the heck is Career Day? It’s another self-contained, 8-page story, similar to Date Night, that sheds some light on what Frank and Felix are doing when they’re not chasing down killers. Dave and Rob sunk their pencil-y teeth into this story with exuberance and alacrity. You guys are going to love it. Just look at the gorgeous cover (NOTE: Felix is not shoved into a locker by Frank in the actual story. Sorry. Unfortunately, we thought of the idea after the pages were drawn.) Still, that’s an awesome cover. Career Day should drop into your hands in mid- to late-January. We’ll be hyping the exact date soon.

Third, if the art above wasn’t obvious enough, due to popular demand, the Police Blotter is coming back! Seriously though, we’re bringing it back just because people fricking love it. The site has more links back to and page traffic for random Police Blotters than any other content. Who knew? Seriously, I had no idea until the pattern emerged. So all of you Police Blotter fans out there…message received.

Fourth, if the art…forget it…fourth, Case 6 is coming soon. We’re so excited to finally return to the familiar rhythm of a police procedural and the giant, over-arching  story that has been building during the previous five cases. I don’t want to give too much away but I do have an intriguing piece of art to share:

Has Registered Weapon been DC Nu-52′d? Have Frank and FELIX been replaced by a new pair of detectives, Law & Order-style? Check out the teaser in Career Day for the first clue. I will say that Case 6 picks up just a few days after Frank’s epiphany at the conclusion of Case 5.

In the meantime, we suggest brushing up on RW continuity by revisiting the old cases again. Just click on the links in the Casefiles menu on the right and burn away that sluggish morning at work in no time.

Also, just a few thanks to make here. Big shoutouts to the guest artists who drew some wonderful RW comics this year. Clayton Johnston drew the hilarious Date Night (if haven’t read it, do it now. NOW!), which features the best TATM moment of the year. Check out his work at Krakadoom. He’s a great FOC (Friend of the Comic) and we look forward to working together again. As for President’s Day, would you believe that was an 8-page script when we gave it to Will Harris? That dude loves to draw people talking and he expanded the boundaries of that story in ways that we are all thankful for now. You can read President’s Day in one complete epic package here. And, finally, we’d like to thank all of the Weaponeers in Weaponland for their support. We’re excited for 2012 and we know you guys will be too once the comics start rolling again.

See ya soon,

Chris

P.S. Awesome Hospital totally belonged on Paste’s best of 2011 list. Sims, Bowers and Diggs killed it this year with the Awesome Hospital Forever storyline.

If FELIXULA there brings back fond memories, it might be because it came from the pen of none other than Rob Simmons, one-half of the classic RW art team. Does this mean that Rob and his robot buddy Dave Lentz are coming back to illustrate all-new adventures of your favorite crimefighting duo? Does this answer your question?

More on that later! Enjoy your candy!

The always accurate and enjoyable Paste Magazine has selected Registered Weapon as one of the publication’s 14 Awesome Webcomics to Distract You from Getting Things Done. In full disclosure, Paste created a list, not a ranking. So we’re number 2…in the list of 13 other amazing webcomics. Click on over to the article and be sure to read all of the other comics listed. And also be sure to read Paste Magazine. They do a fantastic job of covering all things cool in movies, music, video games and, of course, comics and webcomics.

Speaking of webcomics, Action Age Comics dropped the first teaser for their next project. What is it? We have no idea but we do know it will be frickin’ awesome. Hopefully, the next teaser will be filled with mysterious silhouettes, which seem to be all the teaser rage lately.

Go get it!

We know it’s been a while since we brought you that sweet, sweet Registered Weapon goodness you crave, but take heart! Our long national nightmare is almost over. Coming very soon (i.e. as fast as Gardner can letter it) is the first of at least two brand-new RW short stories, PRESIDENT’S DAY. When Obama visits Los Angeles, three crimefighting duos–Frank & FELIX, Kirsten & TATM, and Sounder & Shanklin–find themselves pushed to their limits in ways they never could have imagined. This titanic tale is brought to life by talented artist Will Harris, whose dynamic work can be seen just above. So stay tuned! Frank & FELIX will be back on the beat before you know it!

But never fear! In the meantime, TATM is here to fill FELIX’s shoes and hog the spotlight for herself! If you’ve got a question burning a hole in your brain-pocket, all you’ve gotta do is…

Leave your question in the comments, or shoot an email to registeredweaponATgmailDOTcom, and TATM will solve all your problems!

We’re hoping those sweet suits and dangerous poses entice some new readers to explore the RW universe. The ad is the first in a series of cop-themed homages that will be displayed across the interwebs. But despite how awesome Frank and Felix appear here, they aren’t as convincing as a recommendation from a good friend. So, Weaponeers, let your friends know how much you enjoy Registered Weapon. We’d appreciate it.