I hope the offering of a t-shirt makes up from this slightly departure from the usual comic presentation.  I’ve just been receiving so many requests for clues, this seemed to be the best way to handle it.  I am surprised by the difficulty that people are having as my friends and I were making and solving codes like this in grade school.

(see what I did there?  I goaded you all on to success by implying that little children were able to do what you were not.  I should be giving away that t-shirt within an hour!)