PANEL 1: From behind NOSH and the CAPTAIN, ORLA pushes her point with her arms stretched out. ORLA: You all haven’t seen the Jinyiwei reports I’ve seen, so let me bring you up to speed: PANEL 2: Close up on ORLA as she counts on her fingers. ORLA: The CEO of Indústriaglobo? DEAD. Head of Banco Imperial? DEAD. Four planetary governors? DEAD. PANEL 3: Orla continues, pointing, while CUDDOW reacts with eyes wide next to her. ORLA: TWENTY THREE high-ranking members of La Familia have been killed since the Emperor took the throne. HE CLEARED THE BOARD OF COMPETITION. CUDDOW: Oof. PANEL 4: ORLA continues talking, moving her hands to the side. ORLA: So, seeing what was coming, a working group of cousins came together to keep ‘Nando safe. He was, after all, his father’s son. So they got him out of Madrid, and into space, and into a ship they knew they could trust. PANEL 5: ORLA continues, CUDDOW and VINNIE look up at her. ORLA: And along the way, a handful of Drive Corps were called in to help as well as a select few of Jinyiwei agents. PANEL 6: NOSH points at ORLA, CUDDOW and VINNIE react with eyes wide and mouth open. NOSH: And is that how you got pulled in? As Jinyiwei? ORLA: No, Nosh… I got pulled in as FAMILIA. —— Want to read the full story? Join us at Patreon.com/drive for the *FULL* Tales of the Drive archives, art giveaways, fun community, and more! DRIVE copyright Dave Kellett. Colors by Beth Reidmiller

Bluesky pals! I have a sci-fi graphic novel called DRIVE, & it's my favorite thing I've ever done! If you need a long, escapist read at the moment the entire thing is free to read, here: drivecomic.com
(THIS PAGE: A Working Group of Cousins )

How To Make AI Good For Humanity YouTube video by Siliconversations

Though this is very funny, it's also serious and important, which is why I'm sharing it everywhere I can. youtu.be/t2NMNf7SSSw via

A little Life in England – Preparing for the Apocalypse Seeds, Stockpiles, and Joan Shelley

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They are. Molly and I intend to put it through its paces this year with some stealth camping. It is a tiny car, but all the seats fold flat, which means you can sleep in it easy peasy.

I love my Hyundai Inster, but I wish I could charge it outside my house!

Bugger.

A little Life in England – Are the NHS and the Royal Mail Broken? No. Because good people are holding them together.

alexhallatt.substack.com/p/a-little-l...

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And no, I didn't use AI to make this wonky animation.

Cartooning in the Age of AI #33: Friends (Not the Facebook Kind) and Fans AI is no substitute for friendship or fandom

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One thing I would like in 2026 is to have more copy editing work coming in! I’m a developmental editor at heart but people don’t freelance that out as much and I’m good at CE as well. If you’re involved in freelance CE hiring for any presses besides S&S (who I already do work for) pls get in touch!

No, surely that’s not true. I bloody hope it is though.

A little Life in England – Merry Christmas! With a literal house-warming

alexhallatt.substack.com/p/a-little-l...

Letter #16: To Douglas Adams from Alex Hallatt "AI [is] the modern equivalent of the Babel Fish."

Kelcey Ervick kindly gave me space to write to the late, great Douglas Adams for her Letters to Dead Authors and Artists. #HitchhikersGuidetotheGalaxy letterstodeadartists.substack.com/p/letter-16-...

We are over half way through Molly’s advent calendar and Christmas is fast approaching. Today’s window is a shout out to the awesome Connectopia (NYtimes Connections puzzle) community.

Check it out: illustratedepistleadventcalendar.tiiny.site

Bondi shooting hero's father says son 'saw the victims and acted' Ahmed al Ahmed has undergone surgery after intervening in the attack which killed 15 people at an event to celebrate Hanukkah.

Let’s not remember the names of the gunmen driven by hate. Let’s remember the name, Ahmed al Ahmed.
#Bondi
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yes!!!! I had forgotten the impact of these crazy short days in England in December. And just when you need to get so much done.

A little Life in England – Settling in to a New Home is Harder than it Should Be This is the first time I've owned a house solo. Molly is no help at all.

Living in England seems a lot more complicated than in New Zealand, but I am encouraged by good omens and fun plans. open.substack.com/pub/alexhall...

I would have loved these workshops as a kid. There was nothing like this growing up in Dorset. Mind you, there isn't much here now...

In the days of typewriters, you would get to know the weight of the keys and its quirks. Occasionally you’d oil the joints and replace the ribbon. But basically you would have it until your dying day. There would be no typewriter updates. I want that for phones.

I’m not keen on iPhone updates, but this is a particularly bad one. The notifications are now harder to read, it’s more difficult to see all your windows in Safari and what the hell have they done to the clock and camera icons? Why do we have to have updates at all?

Molly's Illustrated Epistle Advent Calendar is live! Open a new door every day until Christmas Eve for a fun surprise. Check it out here: illustratedepistleadventcalendar.tiiny.site

I love that. If it’s a transaction, it should be fair. Otherwise, it’s stealing.

Cartooning in the Age of AI #30: I Accidentally Vibe Coded an Advent Calendar We'll see whether it works on December 1st

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A little Life in England – Postcards from London 💂🏼 from a Dog's Perspective 🐶 Being in London with a dog changes everything. In a good way.

alexhallatt.substack.com/p/a-little-l...
London is a lot more dog-friendly than I expected.

alexhallatt.substack.com/p/a-little-l...

Minority representation on TV causes outrage There has been widespread way of life and their strange support for prominent Reform MP customs, but Reform MPs Sarah Pochin after she complained about the over-representation of comprise only 0.7 percent of the minorities on television. House of Commons. Yet Nigel Farage is on Question Time Said one angry viewer, "She's more than Fiona Bruce. right. Every time you turn on "I'm not prejudiced. Some of the telly there's another Reform MP being interviewed by Laura my best friends are swivel-eyed loons, but enough is enough. Kuenssberg." There are too many people with She added, "I respect their angry red faces on television."

Private Eye.

Cartooning in the Age of AI #29: Video Shows I'm Human AI video is amazing. Mine is not. Back to more illustrations next week.

In this illustrated epistle, it's all about video and how not to do it (ie. using AI) open.substack.com/pub/alexhall...

How traditional West Country cider is made There was no serious tradition of cider-making in New Zealand [where the author lived for several years before returning to Dorset]. I pretty much gave up drinking cider there, as it was usually too s...

We coudn't possibly call ourselves West Country Voices without a tale of traditional cider-making! Here's new-to-us author and cartoonist, @alexhallatt.bsky.social explaining how it's done, the rural craft way.
westcountryvoices.co.uk/how-traditio...

We don't just want 9 river walks, we want access to all rivers. 96% of rivers in England and Wales have no rights of access. Landowners have blocked public access to rivers for centuries. Labour's promise is just 9 new river walks. We say that's not enough.

A little Life in England – Cider, Bonfires and Pumpkins 🎃 Reconnecting with autumn in the northern hemisphere

I’ve drunk cider since I was a kid, but I knew more about making wine than traditional West Country cider before this weekend. There wasn’t a shiny, stainless steel vessel anywhere. open.substack.com/pub/alexhall...