Hi! If this is your first visit to Lil’ Gardner, thanks for stopping by. We here at LG HQ hope you enjoy the experience. If you like what you see, the complete archive is available on the sidebar to the right; we recommend you start at the beginning, though other good starting points include the 2008 relaunch and the first episode of the current storyline, “Robot Jesus RIP.” You can also check out the FAQ and Cast pages for even more info. If you REALLY like what you see, we’re running a contest where you can do tedious work in exchange for some barely desirable prizes. Everybody wins, especially me. If you REALLY REALLY like what you see, you can follow Lil’ Gardner on Twitter or be his friend on MySpace. And if you’re a kickball player, you may enjoy the full-color Kick in Review strips linked to on the sidebar.

As we approach the four-month anniversary of the new & improved Lil’ Gardner (yes, yes, I know, very impressive), we thought it’d be nice to give something back to you, the loyal reader. Of course, since we in the LG administration are deeply, deeply lazy, we want you to work for this reward. So, the details:

THE PRIZE: The original hand-drawn art for Lil’ Gardner 2002’s bourbon-fueled fever dream, as seen above (if it’s still July 17), signed and personalized to you, plus some special bonus surprises.

WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO: Transcribe the most comics before next Wednesday, July 23. If you look at any strip’s individual archive page (for instance) you’ll see a “TRANSCRIBE THIS COMIC!” button underneath the comic. Click that button, and you’ll be able to transcribe that strip. This makes all the adventures searchable, and also powers the randomizer feature. (If you don’t see the TRANSCRIBE button, that means the comic has already been transcribed.) The transcription page includes instructions for quality transcripts. Be sure to fill in your name and email so I know who to give credit to!

THE DEADLINE: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at midnight PST (i.e. when Thursday begins)

Just a reminder: my second episode of Black Gold premieres tonight at 10:00 on TruTV. Soon my name will be on all the screens in your home.

Sorry for the lax posting last week. Birthday fun + crazy busy work week = not a lot of the free time. But rest assured we’re back on schedule, so I’ll see you back here Thursday morning for another adventure. Also, be sure to check out Episodes 9 and 10 of the Kick in Review epic–only one more left!

We’re experiencing some technical difficulties here at Lil’ Gardner HQ, so there won’t be a new adventure today. If we can work out all the bugs, look for updates on Wednesday and Friday. In the meantime, there are eight chapters of the kickball epic available over on the sidebar.