I’ve been completely swamped with projects (some fun, some not-so-fun) for the past several weeks, and was under a self-imposed ban on taking any new jobs until I made headway on the ones I’ve already committed to. But, when fellow cartoonist Tony Piro asked me to do a guest strip for his hilarious comic strip, Calamities of Nature, there was no way I could pass it up. Add in the fact that Tony just welcomed a new, baby boy into his family and needed a bit of a break, and I had all the excuses I needed to put some of my other projects on the back burner, and start brainstorming ideas about what to do with Tony’s zany cast of characters.

This is what I came up with: Assembly Required. Fans of Calamities will recognize the events Ferd is talking about from a previous strip: The Big Little Problem Part 3. I suggest you familiarize yourself with it before reading mine. There’s also a bit of an homage to Voltron, if you dig that kind of thing.

So check it out! If you’re not already a fan of Tony’s strip, head over to calamitiesofnature.com and go through the archive. The strip tackles subjects as varied as politics, Mensa, religion and toxic kitchen sink monsters with hilarious results. And while you’re there, congratulate Tony and his wife on their new bundle of joy!