Recent Comments

1. 9 days ago on That is Priceless

   I just tried to re-post mabrndt’s comment from the first time Thursday’s painting appeared (6/10/21) but it didn’t work. I don’t know if it’s because it has links in it or what. If someone else wants to try, please do!

2. 10 days ago on That is Priceless

   I considered it, but I discovered that mabrndt didn’t really get up to speed with his full comment style until a few weeks in. On this first day it was just a one-liner. But pretty soon he developed his signature template.

3. 11 days ago on That is Priceless

   I spent some time thinking about how it might be best to memorialize Maynard in this strip. I considered doing a painting that was kind of dark and sad to fit the mood, but then I thought, let’s not just mourn our friend, let’s celebrate him. So instead I’ve gone with what – as far as I can tell from the GoComics records – was the very first Masterpiece to get the mabrndt treatment, way back on November 8th, 2011. I’m sure Maynard’s records have it differently and he would be mortified by my sloppiness, but buddy, without you around, it’s the best I can do.Please join me in raising a glass to our friend gone too soon, Maynard Brandt! (heretofore known as mabrndt)Best,Steve

4. 11 days ago on That is Priceless

   It will feel strange to continue this strip in Maynard’s absence, and his absence will truly be felt. Not only because he was our friend and compatriot, but because he really did help keep the whole thing on its tracks. I apologize in advance for the strips in the future that will appear late or have wrong information, because that will inevitably happen without Maynard having my back. It’s incredibly impressive how thorough Maynard was with his research. I’d only learned from him recently the level of detail in his “Priceless” spreadsheets. For example, he could tell you at a glance that Edmund Blair Leighton holds the record for most appearances in the strip (with 47, but 58 if you include Throwbacks and repeats with new titles), or that there have been a total of 1615 different artists used since the whole thing began back in 2011. I’ve truly been blessed to have him as a partner in this endeavor.An interesting side note to Maynard’s passing is that the officer I spoke to who found him was initially perplexed, and later intrigued, by the way in which we knew each other. She was fascinated by the fact that this man, whose home reflected his background as a man of science, had this “side hustle” that immersed him in the world of art. And she mentioned as an aside that from the looks of his computer screen, he was actually in the midst of researching Wednesday’s strip at the time of his passing. So Maynard was dedicated to the betterment of our comic community until the very end.

5. 11 days ago on That is Priceless

   Hello Priceless fans,It is with a very heavy heart that I must inform you of the passing of one of our own – Maynard Brandt – known to most here as mabrndt. When he suddenly stopped posting on Wednesday, I know many of us were concerned, so I checked with the police department in his hometown of Eagan, MN. It turns out that his sister had requested a welfare check, and the officers found that Maynard had indeed passed away in his home, apparently in the middle of the night on Tuesday.For those who don’t know, for the past 14 years (without a single day off that I can recall), Maynard has been posting links about that day’s painting and artist, so that anyone interested could further educate themselves about either. He was a HUGE part of this strip’s DNA, and the main reason why it could sometimes pass itself off as educational, and not just a bunch of goofy jokes. But what some may not realize was that Maynard and I communicated a lot behind-the-scenes as well, with him helping me fix inaccuracies, or equally importantly, alerting me when a post didn’t go up or someone had posted a comment that needed responding to. Through those interactions, he and I became friends, sharing glimpses into each other’s lives (his was pretty amazing, btw), holiday cards, and the like, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that the news of his death hit me as hard as it would for a family member. After all, Maynard was a key part of our That Is Priceless family – an unwavering constant that you could count on day in and day out to be there with his meticulously conducted research and the occasional snarky comment (especially at the expense of the GoComics powers-that-be, whom he felt were dedicated to finding new ways to make his Priceless “job” harder).

6. 11 days ago on That is Priceless

   Hi all, not sure what the issue is with today’s post not loading. I’ve reached out to GoComics and hopefully it will be resolved soon. Thanks!

7. 15 days ago on That is Priceless

   I wrote to mabrndt last night to check in on him, but have not heard back, so I’m concerned as well.

8. 25 days ago on That is Priceless

   Sorry for the delay, folks! Experiencing the usual FTP hijinks, but I’ve just re-posted the new strip, so it will hopefully appear shortly. Until then, you can preview it on the blog (click on the box below).

9. about 1 month ago on That is Priceless

   Ugh, the FTP system has confounded me again! I had accidentally uploaded this repeat a couple days ago, then (thanks to mabrndt) realized my error and proceeded to upload the correct file (the one that’s on the blog). That usually fixes the problem, but not this time, apparently. I’ve once again uploaded the correct file just now, so the post may change overnight, or it may not. Apologies for the confusion. Fingers crossed the rest of the week posts correctly.

10. about 1 month ago on That is Priceless

    Hi Sol! I’ve started working on the game show “The Floor” again, which has been wreaking havoc on my posting schedule. Apologies! This week, I’m experimenting with posting a few days in advance, so if the FTP site is consistent, they should all go up at roughly the same time. Exactly what time that will be I’m not sure, but it should be earlier rather than later. Thanks!