I've long been an admirer of Penny-Arcade. Tycho's writing is deft and Gabriel's art has a fluidity that blends the fantastic with the every day in a way all gamers instantly recognize. Last month's "Cardboard and Steel" story in particular is a masterpiece, proving how much range Krahulik and Hollkins have. I can't remember when I've seen richer grayscale images outside of classic film - they fairly glow off the page.

We love Penny-Arcade because they tell our stories - they laugh at us, certainly, as they laugh at their own expense, but their love of games and sympathy for gamers is always evident. We admire them for doing it all themselves, from the ground up. All along they've maintained a deep commitment to their sometimes rabidly loyal fans. They have integrity. And they've consistently been an important source of news, commentary, and critique of games and the game industry.

Having had a crush on the boys behind the strip for quite a while (one of those crushes sustained without ever actually, you know, meeting them), I finally mustered up the guts to ask Gabriel to design a mascot for GameGirlAdvance.

And he did.

This weekend I'll be redesigning to fit the new mascot in, but Justin and I are going to Nebraska, so we probably won't be able to implement until Monday night or Tuesday morning.