A: The best place to find Megaman sprites is Sprites, Inc. If you're looking for non-Megaman sprites, I would suggest The People's Sprites, though if you want to use their custom sprites, you should definitely make sure you have the creator's permissions before you use them in your comic.

Your other option for finding sprites is to find yourself an emulator and a ROM image of the game in question. (Please remember that ROMs are technically illegal, even if you own a copy of the game in question.) Most emulators have a screen capture function, which you can use to "rip" the sprite that you're looking for. It's suggested that, if the emulator has the ability, to turn off all of the non-sprite layers before you take your screen capture, to ease in isolating the sprite. Then open the screen capture file and cut and paste your sprite into a sprite sheet of your own creation for later use.

A: The first thing you need is a graphical editor program, like Microsoft Paint, Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, or the like. I personally used Paint for the majority of the comic-making, though I use Photoshop for the special effects that would otherwise be horrendously difficult in Paint. It is highly recommended that you are well-versed in these program before you attempt to make a sprite comic, because if you don't, it will be very obvious to people reading your comic.

The actual process of putting a sprite comic and some of the finer points of sprite manipulation can be found in the Bob and George Guides. The Guides also include a fair bit of advice from various members of the Bob and George community, most of whom would be considered quite knowledgeable in these things.

A: I have had my share of webhosting woes, so I know all about how difficult it can be to find good hosting. My first recommendation is Myrmid Web Hosting. They have a variety of webhosting solutions, ranging from small personal sites to huge websites like mine. And it's all done with a level of professional and courtesy I personally haven't found anywhere else.

But if $6 a month is too much for you, you could always try Comic Genesis (formerly Keenspace), a free comic-hosting service brought to you by the same guys that run Keenspot. Not only is it free, but they also supply several webcomic essentials, like archival scripts and automatic updating.

Other options include free webhosting services like Tripod, Angelfire, and Geocities, but most people wouldn't recommend them. Another option is Ozone Hosting, where you can get an account for a few bucks a month.. I haven't used it myself, so I can't personally recommend it, but it is an option.

A: Well, I'd prefer you didn't, especially if you plan on having one of my characters be a recurring character. I would much rather you try to come up with your own original characters.

And if you're just starting a new comic and you think a series of cameos of characters from other comics would be a great way to begin, the answer is a definitive no. Cameos are never a good way to start a new comic and it is indicative of a comic that won't last. Find something original and creative to do that is wholly your own. After you've established yourself, then I might consider it.

A: If you think your comic is as good as (or better) than one of the comics already hosted, you are encouraged to submit your comic by emailing at least six consecutive example comics to fancomics@bobandgeorge.com for review. Please follow the Fancomic Submission Rules. Before you submit anything, though, please check with someone you know and trust to give you an honest answer about the quality of your comics.

It may take a month or more to hear back, but you will be informed as to whether your comic was accepted or rejected. If your comic is rejected, you will not likely be given a particular reason or any advice on how to improve your comic. It's nothing personal.

A: There could be any number of reasons your fancomic wasn't accepted. Any submissions that do not follow the Fancomic Submissions Rules are automatically rejected. If you're positive you followed all of the rules, then it might simply have been a matter of quality, in which case you are encouraged to resumbit your comic after you have practiced and improved your comic-making skills.

Bob and George is not a hosting service, free or otherwise. No one is obligated to accept your comic or give you a particular reason for rejection.

A: The simple truth is that I get a number of emails daily and I never get around to answering many of them. Sometimes the answers are already in the FAQ and I don't feel like repeating myself. Sometimes the email doesn't ask a particular question, so I don't feel the email requires an answer. Sometimes the email is so stupid I can't think up a response insulting enough.

I attempt to answer in a timely manner, but it may take me up to a week or longer to respond. So if you sent me an email or a private message and I didn't respond, don't take it personally. Unless it was really stupid.

A: Go right ahead.

A: Send an email to fanlinks@bobandgeorge.com. Your site will be reviewed and eventually added to the FanLinks Page. However, there are some suggestions for potential submissions.

A: First you need a program to chat in IRC, such as mIRC. To find the Bob and George chat room, connect to irc.darkmyst.org and join channel #bobandgeorge.

For a list of the channel's rules, please go to the Chat Page. For additional help, see the mIRC Help Guide.

A: Yes, I'm often in the room in the evening under the handle @Dave.

A: Mostly it's because I don't visit the room to chat. Normally when I'm there I'm working on something else. I'm there in case someone has a question or needs to talk to me about something. That and many of the chatters just plain scare me.

A: The first thing you need to do is register on the forums. You'll need a username and a valid email address. (Please note that you cannot use AOL addresses to register.) If you've already registered, then you need to make sure you're logged in. Your computer must be able to accept cookies.

If you have additional questions about using the forums, check the Forums FAQ. And if you're still having problems, contact the forums administrator.

A: Emailing me is easy. My email address is dave@bobandgeorge.com and you can find it by clicking on the Email button on the front page.

For subcomics or fancomic authors, they can be contacted by sending an email to their name, followed by "@bobandgeorge.com". For example, if you wanted to email Plague, just send an email to "plague@bobandgeorge.com" and your email will be automatically forwarded to the correct address.

Another way to contact just about anyone involved with the site is to go to the forums and look up their name and PM them from there.

Some additional email addresses that are useful are fanlinks@bobandgeorge.com for fanlinks, and fancomics@bobandgeorge.com for fancomic submissions.

A: I honestly don't know. The Cataclysm movies take a long time to put together, so I can really only work on them when I have more than the usual free time. Which isn't often. So I don't know when they'll be released, but I do know a big deal will be made about them when they are.

A: It depends on how the sprites are used. As long as they are used for parody purposes, the use of sprites is generally considered legal under the Fair Use clause of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976.

At the very least, it is a widely-held belief that as long as the sprites are used for the sole purposed of creating free, fan-related activities, the parent companies won't interefere. This means that comics or animations or even small video games using the sprites are okay, as long as you're not doing it for money. Using the sprites for the purpose of selling a product is a clear violation of the copyright laws and would definitely be illegal.