Once upon a time I was just minding my own damned business when some 'friend' sent me a cartoon and a link. Bastard. I laughed at the cartoon, hit the link and...  

Two weeks LATER, having gotten precisely no work done (and I was under deadline, damnit) I found myself hitting my mouse button like a rat hooked on cocaine, trying to get another comic to come up. But I had to wait A WHOLE DAY!  

This was my introduction to the wacky, crazy, sad, happy, pathos-ridden, ecstatic, convoluted and yet brutally simple world of Sluggy Freelance. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.  

Since the inventor of that madcap world was going to be at DragonCon that year, I actually went. Thus Pete Abrams, and by extension the person who sent me the comic (who has since been taken care of, thank you) is responsible for me being a regular guest at DragonCon. There are many people who would like to dig up that person's grave and kill them again. But I digress. I gave Pete a book and probably came across as some sort of ridiculous fanboy. Fortunately, through the years we've gotten over that moment. Something about including Sluggy references in about seven books so far. (Okay, so some of them were extremely subtle. But the giant tank named Bun-Bun was not.)  

My only problem with Sluggy is the one that any creator gets very tired of hearing. But just this once I must say it. My very bones shake at the thought that for once I'm going to throw this at someone else. I apologize in advance but...  

Pete. Write faster! :)  

John Ringo