I turned another year older yesterday, but as in past years, the birthday sting was lessened by a flood of good vibes from friends, family, and other fun people throughout the day.

I spent the first half of the day doing some work, then relaxing and catching up on some comics (including a quick re-read of Abnett & Lanning’s Guardians of the Galaxy), which is a pretty great way to spend the day. Jessica surprised me later with tickets to the friendly match between Real Madrid and AC Milan at Yankee Stadium, so I got to finish off the night with some great soccer at a fantastic venue.

One of the other highlights of my birthday included a bunch of sketches and photoshopped responses to a message I posted on Twitter (and Facebook), joking that I’d accept pictures of myself with The Doctor in lieu of actual gifts. As they have in the past, some awesome people answered the call.

Here’s some photoshoppery from Brooke:

And here’s a sketch from my pal Christine, who loves “Doctor Who” almost as much as I do:

And here’s something from Matt, my hometown buddy:

And here’s some photoshoppery from Joe, who hates “Doctor Who” but is still a good guy:

And finally, here’s a semi-creepy illustration by my friend (and newly published novelist) Kat:

Thanks for making the first day of year 35 a great one, folks. You guys (and girls) rock.