I bought a house this morning. Though I spent much of this week quietly spazzing out, I have discovered that most of my nervousness has, at this point, dissipated. Despite the fact that today is Friday the 13th, which some may feel is not the most auspicious time for such a momentous endeavor.

But the deal is done, for good or ill, and while it may not have completely broken me down into incomprehensibility, I’m still not quite feeling up to a full review. So instead, a quick rundown of all manner of random zaniness that caught my attention today!

ON THIEVES: The Dave Kelly / Todd Goldman incident seems to be wrapping up. Todd has offered an apology and some as-of-yet-unknown amount of payment, while claiming the entire situation was an accident. (We aren’t quite sure how that meshes with his Dave Kelly slander previously.) This outcome is probably the best we could hope for, despite being unsatisfying on several levels. I suspect we would all love to see this guy really pay for what he’s done – but while the money may be a drop in the bucket to him, I’m sure it will be a great thing for Kelly, along with all the publicity from the event.

ON NINJAS: Sam and Fuzzy is possibly my favorite comic. This has been a subtle realization, but has come about primarily due to the fact that it is rock solid in updates, a masterful blend of humor and plot, and one of the only comics I know that I have never been disappointed in. Other strips tend to be a roller-coaster ride for me, as some storylines blow me away while others just leave me shrugging – Sam and Fuzzy, however, has never failed to disappoint. And the bar has only gone up with the latest chapter, wherein Gertrude was introduced as Sam’s ultimate nemesis; yet by the end of the chapter, she may be all that stands between him and certain death.

ON ZOMBIES: As I mentioned on the last Friday the 13th, horror seems to be the least active genre in webcomics. Zombies have seen something of a comeback, but almost invariably as a device for humor. I unfortunately haven’t had the chance to really explore the field of genuine horror webcomics, but today is still a good occasion for recognizing at least one that I think fits the bill: Intershadows.

While more of a psychological thriller, this is a comic that features a lot of crazy people. No, not funny, wacky crazy – but people who have something fundamentally wrong with them. For some, this drives them to murder. For others, it merely makes the world a walking nightmare. This is a story with some moments of genuine fear. It is filled with many other moments, too – it captures life well – but it lately has been dominated by an undercurrent that is wild, and scary, and dark.

And that’s why I’m giving the Second Friday the 13th Webcomic Horror Award to Intershadows.

ON DOPPELGANGERS: Surviving Mars has been the most recent comic to make the jump from ‘comics loosely followed’ to ‘comics I read early and often.’ It has also featured a recent storyline wherein two of the main crew have been acting decidely unlike their usual selves – starting with simple oddities, and more recently moving up to sabotage, seduction and attempted murder. I’d been getting the evil twin vibe for a while, but it was still good to see it come through.

Suburban Tribe, on the other hand, completely blew me away with today’s reveal. Now that’s a hell of a cliff-hanger – curse you, John Lee!

ON FRIENDS: CRFH has also been decidely dark of late. I was expecting a scar instead of a trim, but the outcome is about the same. For the first time, I realized this story might not have a happy ending.

I’m sure many readers could have said that long ago. It just never occured to me, and even as CRFH has transitioned into a very different comic than it once was, I had a hard time fully letting go of the pure comedy it started out as. I want it to end happy. I want redemption for April. I want the characters to be able to laugh and be friends again.

But for the first time, I finally realize that just might never happen.

ON OH MY GOD THIS COMIC IS AWESOME: Koala Wallop added a new strip to their roster today – Rice Boy. This comic is so good. So. Good. I cannot emphasize that enough – I started reading, and within a handful of pages it had grabbed me by the throat and was dragging me along with the power of a million suns. No force on earth could have stopped me from finishing the archives! It fits in perfectly with the other genuises at Koala Wallop; it is filled with amazing art, concepts, story in this incredible childen’s book / fairy tale / epic fantasy story; it has this… gorgeous, eminently-Miyazaki feel to it…

Man, I wish I had time to do it justice, but right now I just wanted to spread the word that this comic was out there.

Just go read it. Now. Now, damn it!