Firstly, if you aren’t familiar with The Christmas Bat, get up on these links:
• The Christmas Bat
• The Christmas Bat II
• The Christmas Bat III Parts One and Two
Secondly, how is it possible we’re on our Fourth Annual Christmas Bat Tale!? It’s not. Not possible. I must be losing my mind. And what’s this!? We’ve officially hit 300 strips!? Again, not possible. I fear it’s finally happened: I’ve lost touched with reality. Or at the very least become disconnected from the time stream. Either way, a visit to the local sanitarium might be in the cards this weekend.
Consider this a brief intermission during the current storyline. I seriously thought about skipping any Christmas Bat strips this year, but after three years running, who am I to buck tradition? Hope none of you mind this brief respite from The Last Arcade (and judging from queries I’ve gotten in comments and emails about TCB’s whereabouts, I’m sure there are at least a few of you who won’t). Rest assured, we’ll be jumping right into the DK Battle come Friday! Thanks for indulging me this.
Next year I’m planning on making The Christmas Bat strip something more epic, and maybe have a contest for best evidence of a Christmas Bat visitation. Hopefully, a kind reader will point me to this blog post if I forget.
Happy 300 strips and Happy New Year (almost)!
OH DEAR GOD!! NOOOOOOOO!!! DON’T LET SONITAN GET ME!!!!
is this your first Firsting, Red? i think it is! maybe these Shades of Firsting will help protect you from Sonitan. (no they won’t.) 😎
It is. ^_^ *Equips Shades of Firsting* Now if nothing else I’ll look cool when I’m running for my life. XD
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*gasp*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*snort*HAHAHAHAHA
RUN RED RUUUUNNNN!!!!
Run? I’m already gone, this is just my clone to buy me a few more seconds.
ROAR OF DIABOLIC DOOM*
…
…
Bwuahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
*flaps evil bat wings of doom*
*takes away EVERYTHING*
*diabolical smile of merry doom*
8D
At least I still have my Shades of Firsting. Nobody can take them away from me… until Friday. And I’m glad I looked to make sure I remembered all the letters in Firsting…. thought I left out the ‘r’…..
The Christmas Bat! Yay! I was afraid it wouldn’t make an appearance this year. Congrats on 300 strips! That’s a heck of a milestone. Hope all’s well in your snowless holiday season; I know I’m enjoying the heat wave! It was -5 today! After a week of -30, that was wonderful…
You live in northern Wisconsin too?
Nope, middle of Alaska. In the icy golden heart, lol.
Oh, and Jeff, re: last strip’s comment…you’d adapt in time. I have a couple Army boy friends from North Carolina and California who swore they’d never like Alaska. Now we can’t make them *leave*. The trick? Lots and lots of layers, and heaters everywhere. It’s like California in the summer, except reverse: going from heater to heater instead of air conditioner to air conditioner.
One of these days, I’ll make it to SoCal. I believe that where the rest of my SCA kingdom is…wherever Berkley is.
I think I would like Alaska. I might not sweat anymore. Middle of winter here, 20 below a lot of the times, and I go out in shorts and do chores. ^_^
You’d love it here, then; we were down to -30 around Christmas.
i’m not so sure i’d adapt, Tiana: even SoCal is almost too chilly for me. i seriously have five blankets on my bed at the moment because i’ve been getting so cold during this rainy/cold season.
and be careful: you might melt if you come to L.A.. or spontaneously combust. 😉
TCB nearly didn’t make an appearance this year, Tiana, but i knew i’d regret it if he didn’t. so while he didn’t get the multiple-panel, two-strip love he got last year, i was happy to make another (albeit small) strip for him to lurk in for 2010. 🙂
and thanks for the congrats on 300!
a week of -30!!? i think i got frostbite just reading about it.
It gets worse…I remember when I was younger and it would get to -70 for a week. Fairbanks is deadly cold in the winter.
I’ve actually been to Pennsylvania in August, and was out fighting in my full leather armor (that I can fight in at -10). I spent a lot of time walking because it caused a breeze, and hiding under sunshades, but I didn’t melt or combust!
where does the time fly? congrats on 300!
thanks, t_d! yes, the time has flown by far too quickly over the past 300 strips.
Love the way you drew this! 🙂
well thanks, Joenis! i was definitely going for a looser style with this one. glad you liked it. 🙂
This is a gorgeous strip, bot. Simply a work of art. I love the colors, the shading, how that little boy is about to get the shit torn out of him by that Christmas bat.
these TCB strips always end with the kids learning the harshest of lessons, MC – except for the first one: it seems bot and Coolhand got off scott free. 🙂
Nice suspense buildup there Bot 😀
Wow, thats really 300? Gratz man. Although I came in somewhere in the middle of that number, I am here to stay 😀
glad you liked the suspense, man! and even more glad that you’re here to stay!!! 🙂
and yep, 300. hard to believe. now, i could believe i’ve been doing this for two years – that’s what it feel like – but 3+ years!? impossible!
Oh, you better watch out—
You better not cry!
Get ready to flee
(I’m telling you why)
Christmas Bat is nesting in your tree!
He’s harmless when you’re sleeping.
Don’t sneak down there alone!
Don’t wake him with your peeping—
There’ll be no time to atone . . .
Oh, you better watch out—
You better not cry!
Get out of the house
(I’m telling you why)
Christmas bat’s one vengeful flying mouse!
Happy Christmas Bat, Jeff. Or not, as the case may be . . .
Awe. Some.
That is all.
Argh. I guess that’s not all.
That was me. I am on my father-in-law’s computer and forgot to sign in. 😛
Thanks! XD
Nice lyrics, that’s a Xmas song I might be able to listen to.
i love your twisted take on that seasonal song, Sarah W! perfectly in spirit with The Christmas Bat himself! heheh. awesome.
Oh Christmas Bat…how we cherish you. Hurray for making an appearance!
WOW! 300 Strips! Congratulations Jeff! I have to say, you’ve definately kept my intrest. Usually around the 200 mark, many webcomics seem to lose this steam. I find them boring after a while and never go back. Not so with you. I am here for the long haul!
So how was Christmas with the Familia Bot?
I got some pretty cool things and of course I got all the stuff from the hubby bubby early. And it was wonderful! Singing karaoke with a cold was…interesting anyway. But we made the most of the cold and had a fire outside in the firetable then moved in for the whole Karaoke thing.
Annnnnd this morning…yeah ICE on the vehicle! All over the ground too! I swear had it rained last night we would have had snow! So suck on that all those who say it doesn;t get cold in Florida. I will be posting pics of my car and the lawn on my facebook later. This is why I can’t seem to quite shake this cold.
i’m happy you enjoyed The Christmas Bat winging his way into the strip once again, Pixie!
and thanks for the congrats and sticking with JEFbot for so long. the strip will continue to evolve in 2011 so i look forward to seeing your comments and feedback as new characters, events and storylines unfold!
and as far as Christmas goes: although i was working on my apartment for most of it, the time i did spend with family and friends was great. more low key than in years past, but nice.
sounds like yours was cold but awesome! karaoke is always a good time – the Schuetze Family will be doing a lot of that as well as some Rock Band 3 for New Year’s Eve. looking forward to seeing those ice pics! 😀
Who is the kid?
Apart fom newest chewing toy for Chritmas Bat I mean.
the kid’s just the latest victim to satiate The Christmas Bat’s bloodlust, Maryz; we’ve never met him before. but nothing says we shan’t meet him again, provided he survives this encounter… >:)
All I have to say is…..Oh. Crap.
We need to get VexCon out here (Billy the Exterminator, gosh I dislike that guy) to set a trap and get that dang bat away from this happy little family trying to enjoy Christmas! *above said in a twang, an advert for the stupid show*
Vexcom?!!
LOL
Funny, StepMommy. Hmmm… I don’t necesarily HATE or LIKE the Billy guy. But his brother I certainly CAN NOT stand. Hideous as hell and an idiot to boot. If I was his mother I would have drown him already in posion or something equally lethal and effective >_<
…
…
But then again, I don't really watch reality shows. I just can't understand why anyone would subject themselves to that crap.
…
Still, knowing the Christmas Bat… that's one tough cookie that not even Vexcom could beat.
Bwuahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
“Oh. Crap.” is right, ESQ! i’m sure those have been the last words of many-a-victim of The Christmas Bat. 😉
i’ve never seen Billy the Exterminator, but Sonitan’s right: i doubt TCB could be beaten by VexCon through any traditional means. Gustav von Drom (TCB III) was only able to capture him in last year’s episode via sorcery and dark magics! (and a bow and gift wrap, of course.)
Love the artwork! Christmas bat tree topper… AWESOME!
thanks, man! i might have to merchandise something like that. 😉
Yay! It’s the Christmas Bat!!! My favorite new Christmas tradition. This strip is brilliant. And I agree with MC that it is really a work of art. You constantly amaze me with your skilz!
Congratulations on #300. It is hard to believe you are at 300 already. I plan to be around for the next 300!!! 😀
aWWw, thanks, Shanna! i’ll try and keep making The Christmas Bat a yearly tradition for the foreseeable future!
thanks for the congrats, too! readers like you that have been so active in the BOTcommunity (like the Harem of course, and the regular commenters, not to mention my Twitter peeps, emailers and just good ol’ readers) have made this ride to #300 a ton of fun. it makes me happy to no end that you’ll be around for the next 300! 😀
Can’t sleep…. bat will get me. Can’t sleep….bat will get me. :O :O :O :O
Bwuahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
😀 GREAT!
HA! just leave some milk and cookies out, TCG, and don’t get out of bed until the morning light!!!
That comment was a tweak of a line from The Simpsons. It was when Lisa was born. Homer built a clown bed for Bart that scared the crap out of him. Bart’s line was the same only change bat to clown.
Actually, Bart wanted the Krusty the clown bed but to save money Homer built Bart a bed that scared the poo outta him…and me!
I need TCB with that saying in a shirt!
Congrats on #300 little bro! I’ll be over around high noon, consider this your warning…
you’re coming over!? this scares me more than The Christmas Bat!
Run and hide!!!! Your sister is gonna freak about the size of place and kill you cause you “have too much junk”
where are r stairs?
that’s not mom and dad’s house depicted in this comic.
oh, and i’m just kidding in my response to your previous comment, kinda.
oh dear god. Scary Bat is Scary
And when you hit 150 I got a magnet XD
that magnet means you’re old school, dj! 😉
i really wanted to do something for #300 but my recent move totally blew any plans for that out of the water. i don’t think i’ll be doing more magnets anytime soon (well, maybe), but will definitely be getting a lot more merch out in january and february – including the first JEFbot book if all goes well!
You should make more buttons. I think I’m one of the few people on this site that have every single pin you’ve ever made XD
My son and I do too. The 3 pack and the Earth Day… plus a secret, unreleased one that Jeff sent my son.
I have that one ^^ I the one from the convention? oh YEAH! we rock.
Kid obviously never heard of the christmas bat. You should totally have like a shirt featuring the Christmas Bat with Sara W.’s version of Santa Claus is coming to town.
heheh. yes, the kid’s parents definitely messed up by not educating their kid about The Christmas Bat, Ember West! and if i plan early enough, next year i’ll try and put out some TCB merch around the holidays. hopefully, i’ll be all unpacked by then. 😉
Congrats on 300, and thanks for your moving hiatus to help SubCulture build its buffer against you encroaching on our numbers in the future 😉
thanks for the congrats, Stan! did i mention i’m moving to a MWF schedule in 2011?
i kid, i kid! if i did that i’d probably expire from sleep deprivation.
Whew… you had me goin’ there.
Because I was too tired to do a lot of reading when I posted the first time, congrats on the 300 bot. ^_^ Think you can get to 400 by the end of the year?
no prob, Red; i was barely coherent at all after posting the strip. 🙂
#400 before the end of this year or 2011? if it’s the former, probably not, if it’s the latter, i think 2012’s more likely.
Wait, isn’t that essentially say “Probably not” to both possibilities?
Once again, Jeff, the details: the fibers of the carpeting, the pictures of family with hairlines identical to the little boy, the sugar sprinkles on the gingerbread man, your always-lovely focus-pulling effects (is that the right term?); and the whole thing is really very sweet, even with the ominous figure in the last panel. Given the perfectly-suitable dimensions of the piece, this would make a wonderful Christmas card!
Despite your concern about not having anything planned to celebrate the 300th strip, I think this was very special indeed! Congratulations!
thanks again for noticing, Kim!
and i’m happy you can see the sweetness behind the terror. actually, you’re right: this would make a wonderful Christmas card! 😀
aww, and i appreciate you finding this strip suitable for celebrating #300 with. maybe for the next milestone i’ll have prizes.
Christmas bat!
No jeffbot chrismas would be completed without the bat.
hooray! hopefully, the story of The Christmas Bat will be something many families can pass on to their children for years to come, Daniel. 🙂
AWESOME! I had completely forgotten about that thing. (Not surprising seeing as how he only comes out once a year) And I can’t think of a better way for you to have done the 300th strip unless you you had been farther in the Last Arcade arc.
thanks, Fijiman! maybe next year i’ll do a better job of reminding people of The Christmas Bat before December comes around. then we’ll have the whole month to celebrate! 🙂
and it was just fortunate we were at a point right before the DK Battle in The Last Arcade storyline. i would’ve been far more reluctant to push pause if we were right in the middle of it.
Yeah. If the 300th strip could have been the EPIC conclusion of this arc, that would have been awesome too. And I think you mean celebrate and fear. Fear and hope that what happened to this dunce will not happen to us. Also, guess who just saw the new Tron movie?! That’s right, I DID! AND IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING! I loved every minute of it! And Daft Punk was in there too, which made it EVEN MORE EPIC! I am VERY hyper right now.
ahhh I forgot about the Christmas bat. I’m curious to know what comes next. That Cel made a clever move. Her type scares me. The kind that u know are in control but ur powerless to do anything about it.I prefer the type that I’m obliviously under control of. Man I’ve been out of it for the last few days finishing deadspace so I can play bioshock 2 for PC. They had a 5 dollar special on Amazon download *cha-ching!* Merry fucking Christmas. I think I haven’t seen the sun in about a week >_<.
does anybody else hear ” THIS IS JEFBOT!!” after reading its the 300th strip? @_@ I reeeallly need to get some sun and fresh air or atleast sleep in my bed tonite. Holing up in the office playing finishing deadspace and starting bioshock 2 is taking its toll on my back and my insanity. mental note “get a comfier couch, send texts to fam that your “busy” so they don’t get suspicious about ur wearabouts.”
Go to bed!
Fear not strong willed women my dear…just don’t piss us off. *wicked lil Pixie grin*
have i mentioned i love the shirt you’re wearing in your avatar pic, Prophet? original TRON FTW!
and yes, cel scares me, too. actually, i’m both fearful of and attracted to her type, which is always an exciting mix. 🙂
let me know how Bioshock 2 is. loved the first one, but was hesitant to get the second when they changed development teams. from what i hear, though, it’s still a solid game.
now listen to Pixie and get some sleep, lest you draw her ire.
YES, Tron FTW!!!!! And I also wish to know how Bioshock2 is because I have not had the chance to play it yet. I’ve played the first one and only have three achievements left. Two are for playing it on the hardest difficulty, while the other one is for finding all of those #%*@ed audio files. I only have one left to find I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE TO FIND IT. It’s annoying as hell.
Lol thanks for the compliments on the shirt got it at threadless.com for 10 bones when it was on special. Its supposed to glow in the dark but its rather crappy in that department. I also have the Hurley Tron edition and it glows fantastic. 1st time I buy a designer brand shirt and it hurt throwing down 35 bones for it when I’m used to spending that much on an entire wardrobe at a thrift store.
As for Bioshock 2 its a well made game. The under city Rapture is still a leaky mess with splicers running about. You get the sense of familiarity, but its not the place you visited earlier. The story is fleshed out rather well. This time focusing on total communism rather then capitalism. This time around the game centers on defensive weaponry seeing as the playing mechanic this time around is to find a big daddy kill him, take his little sister make her harvest adam while you defend her,then take her to a designated area and let her go repeating the processes a few times only to encounter the new “big sister” which is a more agile and skinnier big daddy with more powers. I would have a gist with this if you had to do it all the time because the process is tedious and builds on the notion that you waste all our resources even before you meet the big sister. So the scare factor is in ” will I have enough to survive” which personally to me is no big deal cause you revive in a vita chamber. I guess what I’m getting to is that the scare factor seems like an non existent feature. Where in the 1st one your a frail human trying to get out now your a former big daddy with a drill.I’m not saying its a cake walk because the splicers are harder then before and smarter in some aspects, but the feeling of frailty is gone so there really is no more sense of that fear. It could be that since i got off from playing Deadspace which had me at the edge of my seat all game that Rapture seems tame compared to it. Also Big daddies don’t have that threat of life looming over them. You can very well go through the game without having to take any of them on ( except in certain parts of the game where its pivotal to the plot). I let them be and managed to get through without oodles of ADAM. As always the right combination of gene tonics and ADAM powers u do acquire can break the game and make u almost un stoppable,but still its a fun romp. The gameplay mechanics are solid, Rapture is still an underwater messy wonder,and the story grabs you. The only fault I found with it is that while before BS seemed like an unknown beast that can tear you apart BS2 has the sentiment of a good haunted house you’ve been to a few time so while still good its not as chilling or scary as it once was.
who needs sleep? well you never gonna get it. who needs sleep? tell me what’s that for. who needs sleep?well you never gonna get there’s been a guy still awake since 2nd world war ^_^. Sorry Pixie I don’t negotiate with terrorist. In other words I don’t submit to demands. Next time ask nicely =P. Instead I went to a bar with a few friends and crashed at someone else couch lol.
OooooooOoOooOOOh! As a relatively new reader, I wasn’t aware of the Christmas Bat tradition. Fun!
Welcome to our little slice of the interwebs. Have some cocoa!
that i’ve exposed someone new to The Christmas Bat tradition makes me doubly happy that i didn’t forego a TCB strip this year, Alana! awesome.
and yes, try some of Pixie’s cocoa. i hear it’s quite good. 🙂
Sneaky Frickin Bat! That poor kid won’t even know what hit him.
very true, Eptha – most likely it’ll be quick and clean… unless The Bat decides to play with his prey, that is. 😉
I’m certainly hoping for blood (all the time…no surprise there, right? *evil snicker of doom* ), so I’m very pleased with this year’s Christmas Bat comic (like last year, which I enjoyed sooooooooooo sooooooooo much *utter love* )
Bwuahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
*flies out the window flapping the bat wings of doom*
ha! yes, not surprised at your thirst for blood, Sonitan, nor by your enjoyment of last year’s Christmas Bat installment, which had a somewhat gothic slant to it.
now fly, Sonitan, FLY! i’ll be listening for your *wings of doom* next Christmas. 😉
One of those strips that actually makes you laugh out loud heh…the kid’s all like ‘HOLY CRAP WTF IS THAT????’ ‘aah safe, gonna openz me presentz….’ background: ‘DUM DUM DUM!!!!!!!!!!’ sweet
glad you dug it, o0Edit0o! that was exactly how the beats were meant to play out. i’d love to animate this one, actually – i think some ominous music, sound effects and pacing would be pretty cool.
The Christmas Bat Returns! Run for your lives, RUN!
JB got 300 spartans… strips, great work and happy new year!
there is no running or hiding from The Christmas Bat, ContableEnorme! once his red-eyed gaze falls on you, your only hope is for a quick death. 😉
thanks for the kudos, and a Happy New Year to you, too!
and it looks like you, Prophet and i are sharing some “300” spartan brainwaves – if i had more time i would’ve done some JEFbot artwork in the 300 style.
You mean TCB Would have air brushed abs and a dorky looking beard?! NOOOOOOO!
P.S. I’m going to say it! I can’t watching 300. I’ve tried about 14 times. And I fall asleep EVERY time. I don’t get it. Maybe the Mancubs can explain what the facination is?
Oh and P.S. agaon, Next year….gonna try and make a Chrismas Bat of my very own! Oh I wonder if I can find a pattern for a stuffed bat! That would ROCK! Whoa…need to slow down on the Bustello!
Jefbot, I’m sorry, but I think the Christmas Bat won’t be making it next year. I manage a resort out in the midwest and received an email from one of our guests the day after Christmas:
“Good morning!
The whole family had a great time! What a pretty spot to celebrate Christmas! Now we’re thinking of a summer outing to take advantage of all of the outside activities!
Hope you found everything in order. We did have one uninvited guest–a bat joined us on Saturday! He flew into a broom & was mortally wounded! Good thing we’re always open to new holiday experiences!!
Jen”
dagnabbit! i told that Bat to stay away from brooms and vacation resorts. now what am i gonna do for next Christmas, studiomilam!? “The Christmas Hamster” just doesn’t have the same ring to it… 😉
i take it that’s a real email you received from a guest? if so, that’s hilarious! you should totally send Jen one of The Christmas Bat strips, and tell her the visit’s going to cost her extra. heheh. let’s hope it wasn’t really The Christmas Bat – i guess we’ll find out next year!
Yup! totally a real email… but we try to keep the fact that bats get in the guest houses on the down low
Someone has got to notice the bat is on a SECOND TREE right next to the first tree!?! no one has mentioned this, who has two trees almost side by side!?!
oh and happy 300th! (Sparta!)
oh silly me, I just now noticed it’s a tiny table tree.
yep, apparently tree size doesn’t matter to The Christmas Bat, Bruudwin. and being by the cookies and milk made it all the better.
thanks for the congrats, and for SPARTAAAAAA!!!
YEAH!!! It’s the bat. My Christmas was not complete until this JB! THANKS BROSEPH!
BTW, when are the Christmas Bat Plushies coming out! 😛
i take it i can put you down for a preorder for next year?
ha! you’re most welcome, dude. you can now take down the tree and Christmas lights. 😉
I’ve only been following your comic for a few weeks, but congrats on reaching 300 strips.
thanks, Toil3T! hope you continue coming by. 🙂
Keep up the good work and it’s a deal 🙂
Welcome to our little corner of the interwebs. Have some cocoa!
Thanks, but it’s really hot where I live.
yay new comic!
yay christmas demon!
yay! and now the “Christmas Demon” has gone back to his cave in the north pole, John, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief. at least until next year.
Which is eleven miles south of where I live.
True story! North Pole, Alaska, is eleven miles south of Fairbanks. Let’s just say the candy cane theme gets overused…I may introduce the Christmas Bat at the fire station where I trained, just for fun.
The Christmas Bat strikes again. MWUAHAHAHA!!!
well as a kid we used to have snipe hunts with a little sack that said snipe supposidly it was very elusive and possibly dangerous.(a snipe doesnt exist)it was fun we endid up catching a few things wich shocked our leader of the expedition.maby the secret tools are snipe bags maby the reason no one has ever caught one is becase we call it something else? DISPATCH THE SNIPEHUNTERS! well get him yet
I’m in 2011.
Greetings from the future.
Hope the coming year treats you all well.
xXx