I’ll be spending a couple of hours at the MoCCA Arts Fest in NYC, a very cool alternative comics festival, this Sunday, signing/sketching/selling books*, palling around, chin wagging, fist-bumping, moonwalking, kissing babies, and toasting beers (you bring the beers, and we’ll toast!)
As always, check my Bluesky account just in case there are any last minute changes.
Sunday, March 29 11am-2:30pm, Table 68 (National Cartoonists Society Table) MoCCA Arts Fest 125 West 18th Street, NYC
Admission required *Signed/sketched books sold at cover price
Okay, if you’ve ever thought of signing up for Tom the Dancing Bug’s Inner Hive, doing it now would do some extra good.
From now (Tuesday, 3/10/26, 4pm ET) until midnight, the night of 3/27/26 (ET), if you sign up for any annual Inner Hive membership, I’ll donate $33* to theDemocracy Defenders Fund.
“At Democracy Defenders Fund, we take action to ensure we will keep—and strengthen—our republic and democratic institutions. We are leading the fight to defend the rule of law, end corruption, and protect democracy.”
These guys are constantly litigating, successfully, to protect Americans’ Constitutional rights, including the right to vote. They’ve sued the Trump administration 265 times.
More about what they’ve done and what they are doing can be found below. But first:
👉 You can purchase an annual membership on Patreon here (Toggle the “Pay annually” switch, then choose a Tier).
👉 You can purchase an annual membership on Substack here. (Hit the Subscribe button, and choose a paid annual membership).
Members of the Inner Hive get each week’s Tom the Dancing Bug comic emailed to them at least a day before it’s published, plus extra comics, commentary, exclusive info, jokes, puppy pics, process photos, inside scoops, juicy celeb gossip, etc., etc.
So, join the Inner Hive today, and you’ll not only join the team that supports Tom the Dancing Bug’s very existence and get exclusive Tom the Dancing Bug comics and content, but the base rate* of an Inner Hive membership will be donated to fight the Trump Administration’s anti-American, anti-Democracy fascism.
And here is more about what the Democracy Defenders Fund has done and is continuing to do:
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*$33 (comes to $2.79 per month) is the base price of an annual Inner Hive membership on Patreon.
(If you want to avoid automatic recurring payments and third-party corporate subscriptions, you can join the Inner Hive on a two-year non-recurring membership, directly from me. Joining on this type of membership will also trigger the donation.)
I will be attending my second Phil Collins Day this year in Brooklyn, on February 14. Phil Collins is a beloved Tom the Dancing Bug character, and this year, I’ve named myself Grand Marshall of the event, so I’m deeply honored.
You might ask: What is Phil Collins Day? And is Phil Collins himself involved? And the answers are: It’s complicated. And No, not even a little.
If you’re in or near NYC and would like to join me in a celebration of the Chiswick Charmer*, please do. I’ll be wearing a yellow baseball cap; say Hi, and we’ll exchange fist bumps and maybe some Phil Collins anecdotes. I’ll be giving away some little Tom the Dancing Bug souvenirs to any Tom the Dancing Bug readers in attendance.
I plan to attend for most of the event; check @rubenbolling on Bluesky for updates the day of the event.
I’m also donating a sketched/signed Tom the Dancing Bug book to be raffled off at the event, which benefits Education Through Music. I’ll also bring an extra book or two in case anyone wants to buy one (cover price, signed etc.).
By the way, full info is here, but to clarify: Berry Park is not a park, but is an indoor bar/music venue.
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*Yes, The Chiswick Charmer is the new nickname I just made up for Phil Collins, born in Chiswick, London.
I rarely sell original artwork, and haven’t done so for years. But I decided to put last week’s comic up for sale. It’s only been out one week, and it’s already one of the most popular comics I’ve ever done.
It’s a Richard Scarry homage: “A Busy, Busy Immigration Enforcement Action”
Finished piece:
You can bid $3,000 or more by sending an email to tomdbug at gmail dot com, subject: BUSY ORIGINAL, by Monday, 1/26/26.
Purchaser also gets a high-resolution file of the finished comic, for printing. In the case of a tie, or a virtual tie, high bidders will be given a second chance to bid. Purchaser pays $50 p/h. Result will be kept confidential. I will sign per purchaser’s instructions. Purchaser chosen by me in my sole discretion.
Having completed the Daily Countdown on social media in these final days of 2025, I present here, in one virtual space for your reading convenience, the scientifically accurate, objectively unassailable list of THE TOP TEN TOM THE DANCING BUGS OF 2025.
Please do follow along with Tom the Dancing Bug in 2026, in your local newspaper (if you live in one of the few geographic locations that still sees the comic strip in print), on one of its fine online clients, on social media, or, best yet, join the team in the Inner Hive.
1️⃣0️⃣ THE NUMBER TEN TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
“Strike Force Five,” from the week of September 22, when Jimmy Kimmel was suspended
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9️⃣ THE NUMBER NINE TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
“MAGA Goggles,” from the week of July 21
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8️⃣ THE NUMBER EIGHT TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
Elon Musk and His Doge Pals, in “Auto Graft,” from the week of March 10
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7️⃣ THE NUMBER SEVEN TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
SeverVance, from the week of March 31
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6️⃣ THE NUMBER SIX TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
“A Trumpian Christmas,” from the week of 12/15/25
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5️⃣ THE NUMBER FIVE TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
Q-Nuts, in “All Hail the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” from the week of 4/28/25
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4️⃣ THE NUMBER FOUR TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
Hollingsworth Hound, in “The Devil Went Down to HoundCo,” from the week of August 11
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NOTE: The Top Three Tom the Dancing Bugs of 2025 were submitted to the definitive wisdom of the intrepid Inner Hive, and their exclusive vote, one of the many privileges of their membership, determined this final TOP THREE ORDER:
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3️⃣ THE NUMBER THREE TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
“A Busy, Busy Day in Washington, D.C.” from the week of September 29
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2️⃣ THE NUMBER TWO TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
“Know Your ICE Agent,” from the week of June 30
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And
1️⃣ THE NUMBER ONE TOM THE DANCING BUG OF 2025
“The N-Word Is Back!” from the week of March 24
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Thank you for your readership, support and enthusiasm in 2025. You can’t read these comics and fail to realize what a horrible year it was. Sticking together and fighting the oppression, through communication, commiseration, and humor, but also very real protest and democratic mechanisms, is our only hope. Let’s hope for more of that in 2026.
You may purchase the entire 2025 run of Tom the Dancing Bug, top ten and bottom forty, in the form of this handsomely bound pdf, THE 2025 TOM THE DANCING BUG ANNUAL.
Wishing you all a healthy, safe, and prosperous 2026, from all of us (i.e., me) here at Tom the Dancing Bug.
