Sluggy Freelance

I'm finally, finally, FINALLY making headway on Pawnz and Bookmarks! Below are all the Pawnz and Bookmarks I have so far for this year.



REMINDER ON PAWNZ AND BOOKMARKS: If you become a Defender by July 15th, at level 2 or higher, you'll get the digital a Pawn and Bookmark of July's Demon Kiki! At level 3 or higher you'll also get a print-version mailed mailed to you free! You'll also get each monthly release thereafter.*

*I say this with the caveat that I haven't sent out any physical rewards in over a year. Half the issue involved a... discussion with the printer, and that discussion took many months to resolve. The rest is me slowing down. But I am determined to get everyone everything I owe, and most of you are long time readers enough that I often fall behind on things but always catch-up, eventually.

In my hands I have everything needed to send all defenders what I owe them through October 2021. I just have to organize and force my loved ones to stuff envelopes! Then I have to get November 2021 to August 2022 printed, and then get that sent out. Doable!

As far as the digital versions go, I've released everything up to November 2021. You should see the rest released in the next week.

I hate that everything is taking so long, but I love that it's finally getting done! Thanks again for all you defenders and your years of support. I keep saying it, and I keep meaning it. You Defenders are awesome.

So I missed some parts of continuity in the last strip or three. It happens, especially Immortal King: Roomies & Roomies 2, that covers… all of my 20+ years of archives…, and it gets under my skin when it does. So I have a personal need to do a fair bit of retconning (retroactive continuity) in the last few strips, even though it has no bearing on the main thrust of the story.

This will effectively be a couple of rows attached to existing strips as well as some alterations. No additional strips. I’ll let you all know when they’re live. My schedule is strangle-tight so to do this I’m going to postpone the original art auctions by two weeks, as well as taking longer to catch up with Pawnz and Bookmarks.

I’m determined to keep the story moving forward now that we’re finally out of the ‘Farahn & Bug Show’ so my priority is to have no slowdown in new comic output.

Onward and Sideways!

UPDATE 3/22/22: Retconning DONE! Adjustments and extra content for comics of February 16th, February 23rd, March 2nd, and March 4th. Not required reading but represents missed connection points between the current story and comics of the past!

What did I do in February? Why I almost got on top of the pile!!!

AUCTIONS (Updated 3/8): The big "catch-up" original art auction will start March 25th with an Anima Set, followed by an Immortal King set March 31st. Then we should be back to normal auctions, a couple a year.

PAWNZ POSTCARD AND BOOKMARKS: Worked out things with the printer and now have all needed printed Pawnz and Bookmarks in my possession! I hope to start shipping them out soon, but don't have a date yet. I hope to have new Pawnz and Bookmarks announced by the end of next week!

IMMORTAL KING: "Roomies Part 2" should wrap next week, followed by one more slight detour before we get back to the gang and everything coming together.

MEGATOME 02 REPRINT: Ready to go! It has the same content of the old Megatome 02, but with a matching spine to the other books and has been reformatted to be handled by my book printer Ka-Blam Printing. I hope to contact them soon to see about a turn-around time.

SLUGGY FREELANCE BOOK 22 (R&D WARS): Mostly laid out! All comics and sketch art is in! The real difficulties lie in the bonus story (and sometimes the cover) so its still a while before it can go to press, but overcoming the initial layout is a big win for me.

All in all, taking February to book-focus (and other things too) has worked out really well. Thanks to you guys for your patience!

-Pete

Hey all! Most of you long time readers have probably noticed two (or more) themes with me.
    1) I'm always falling behind on everything besides the comic (and sometimes the comic itself)...
    2) I always assume a story is going to move faster than it does.
In both cases I "get there" eventually. So what do these two factors have to do with February 2022?

1) Behind on things:
AUCTIONS: The big "catch-up" original art auction I planed for early January has been bumped to mid February. That's easy enough. the second one is harder.
PAWNZ POSTCARD AND BOOKMARKS: The printer I've used from the beginning for all the printed Pawnz Postcards and bookmarks have failed to complete the big order I placed in November. Uncharacteristically they are pretending it didn't happen. I have hope I can get them to finish the job because they've been aces up until this point. I may need to find a new printer. In any case this situation is costing me time and putting me further behind. Nevertheless but I will mail out every one of these postcards and bookmarks out no matter how many of them stack up. BTW the Pawnz for January is Farahn himself, and February will be the Wizard Yffi. At least I have the art for Farahn ready to show!

2) "The Immortal King" story is not moving fast enough for me:
I've mentioned it before, but I feel like I've been spending too much time with Farahn. I thought it'd be easy to move the 'Roomies Part Two' story quickly by now, focusing on the few intersection points with Gwynn and the gang. The good news (at least for me) is I just need a few strips more. But that's still going to take most of February, because of the February Book-Focus!

February Book-Focus!
See the previous news story for details but basically February I'm only going to run one comic a week so I can spend the rest of the time getting the next Sluggy Freelance book under control, and getting the reprint of Megatome 02 ready! Also hopefully the big original art auction I mentioned.

The Future: Once 'Roomies Part Two' wraps (in February I hope!) I have one more little side flashback story to tell, and then it's on with the gang and the main event. What form that will take I can't even suggest, because this is a big story, maybe the biggest, and I've gotta "check my notes" big-time at every step!

As always I appreciate you all sticking with me even when I fall behind and/or the narrative slows down. As always I'll do my best! Here's to Book 22 getting back underway!

-Pete

2021: Well this year was definitely better than the last for my household. I am still having a lot of trouble keeping on top of my tasks. I’ve felt like I’ve been getting less work done with more effort. But you know what? I keep trying different things and I’m silly enough to believe I can crack the code and get back to 12 comics a month (not including February, reason listed below) while managing monthly Pawnz and bookmarks and keeping new books coming. Anywho I think I’m heading in the right direction now.

Early 2022: The Catch-up Auctions! Some time in January I hope to put up some art from the last two years of stories. This should be great for collectors who pick up a thing or two every auction or so. But also I’ll probably be releasing a lot at once, it should be very affordable for everyone who wants to participate.

Early 2022: February Book-Focus: It really bothered me to not get any books out in 2021. To help rectify this in 2022 I’m going to spend February mostly focused on Book 22 (the Research and Development Wars) and setting up for the re-releasing Megatome 02 Little Evils through IndyPlanet. I’m going to probably only run one comic a week in February to facilitate this. I’ve done this sort of thing in recent years and it works!

Defenders: The Defenders 20+ members keep this comic going. At 50 cents a strip, that's a maximum of $6 a month (IF I manage 12 strips in a month, I've been averaging 7 to 9 the last few years). Without the support I've gotten the last 4-ish years through Defenders 20+, I do not think this comic would still exist. Plus the ad-free archive-dives probably pay for themselves in joy! Join today for joy! (heh) OK end minor promotion. If you are a defender? Thank you!!! Also there's a new Defender Blog with more insight on Immortal King and the future!

Immortal King: I know it probably feels like we’ve been spending too much time in the past and not enough with Gwynn and the gang. At least I feel that way. And I loathe writing for Farahn even more than the Bug (he’s a creep). I’m moving through it as fast as I can narratively allow and still show everything that needs showing before we return to the gang and their fight. Hopefully soon!

Whelp, that's about all I got! I'm happy to having a little time between work to really spend quality time with family. I hope you all get what you need out of this holiday season. Please be kind to each other. It's not hard to do!
-Pete

GWYNN AND COMPANY WILL RETURN!
(And hopefully Kiki will find some food or something.)

Art Auctions:
Sluggy Freelance Original Art Auctions are currently running until December 10th, I'll get them out ASAP. I'm planning on doing a bigger auction in January with some of the Anima and more early Immortal King art, FYI!

Time RetCon ("Retroactive Continuity"), AKA "how old are these guys anywho?":


Time works weird in the Sluggyverse. To be honest it feels like Torg and Riff were kids-to-teens in the 80's, college-age in the 90's and pretty much have stayed 20-something forever after that (with Zoë being slightly younger and Gwynn will never admit her age anywho). Normally this isn't a problem, but since I established Riff being a kid of the 80's, and also showed him around that age when he spoke of his fathers return after Tombsy's accident, Wilcott's discovery of the books should have been in, maybe 1983, not 1972. I was thrown off by my internal concept of Wilcott being the adventuring archeologist of the 70's. The downside here is there are 70's elements in the art, but since I defined Riffs age to a decade, the easiest solution is just to change the panels in the comic for November 22. "793 Years Later" becomes "804 Years Later", and "Sinkhole Excavation in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. 1972" becomes "Sinkhole Excavation in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. 1983". I picked 1983 because that's the year the A-Team started and I pity the fool who didn't have Mr. T on their Trapper Keeper. This slight change shouldn't effect anything else, and I apologize for missing it. 'Immortal King' is requiring a lot of plot-ball juggling! But clearly I'm a writer who loves to juggle. Time to break out the chainsaws!

I'm finally making headway!!! It's been a tough year-plus, trying so hard to keep on top of the pile and falling behind at every turn. But I'm finally finding my way out of the woods!
Sluggy Store
Good News: The Sluggy Store will finally open again on November 11th (roughly noon eastern time). Born of Nifty's (Megatome 1, containing books 1-3), Dangerous Days' (Book 9) in soft and hardcover, and plush beanie Bun-buns galore for all who want 'em!
Bad News: There is nothing new in the store, and almost no supplies of the other books (other books are available from IndyPlanet). I was hoping to get Megatome 02* back in print, and it's almost ready to go, but won't be ready in time. So there are a handful of other books (like Book 13 and Book 19) and a couple of shirt designs with limited shirt options. BUT Getting the Store open in in of itself is a victory to my soul.
*Side note: I do have some Megatome02s in hardcover left!

Auctions
Sluggy Freelance Original Art Auctions are BACK! The last auction was two years ago (November 2019) and it looks like there's been some changes to Ebay. I've started slow with just three pieces. This is kinda a test run to make sure everything runs smoothly.

IF IT DOES: Then I'll run a bunch of them starting the week of November 15th. These auction sets will contain
1) original art from where we left off with Anima.
2) original art from the start of Immortal King.
3) recent Immortal King comic art.
REMINDER: Even though there will be nothing new in the Sluggy Store, the auctions allow an opportunity for you to own a unique piece of Sluggy history. That's pretty nifty.

Pawnz
I've been way behind on announcing Pawnz (& Bookmarks) of the Month and way behind on distributing them too! But I have a plan. When my house is full of beloved holiday guests for weeks on end unintentionally interrupting my workflow, I'm going to make them stuff envelopes (which I'll mail out in early January). So by then I'll be all caught up! And here are the Pawnz I was behind on announcing, all Immortal King Themed! I'll update this news image when I finish with the bookmark designs and such!

In conclusion
I lost a lot of files from a November 2020 computer crash and still haven't dealt with that even though it was a year ago and files need to be recreated for future books. Book 22 is barely laid out. I owe a lot of people a lot of emails and a few people some artwork. it's been continuously weighing on me. But getting the store open, auctions running, and catching up on Pawnz is lifting my spirits in a significant way! It means a lot. As do you all to me. So instead of doing my usual "Onward and Sideways", I'm going to say, just this once (lest it become a trend), Onward and Upward!

A State of the Comic Message: August 2021 is looking to be OK! Well, the comics themselves are OK. But some things are not going to go 'as usual'.

The Comic: The two-comics-a-week is looking steady (although I may skip a week for much needed family vacation), and I'm slightly ahead on scripts for a change (YAYYY!), but as usual for covid, I'm behind on EVERYTHING else.

Everything Else: Normally I reopen the store in August, but I'm just not going to be able to do it until probably October. I also wanted to have Megatome02 back in print by now, still hoping to have it for the October store reopening. And I'm hoping to have Book 22 ready to ship in time for the December holidays. I'm behind on sending out Pawnz & Bookmarks, sending out emails, cleaning up some parts of the site... heck we haven't had an original art auction in over a year (maybe two?).

Hope: Here's my light at the end of the tunnel. September. This September my kids should be back in school and my wife in the office so I'll have my normal seclusion needed for focus. I'm hoping, unless there's some variant triggering a massive lockdown, that I'll be able to get on top of the pile like I haven't done since 2019.

I also was created with a ridiculous amount of hope baked-in, against all evidence to the contrary. Hope, try, possibly fail, rinse&repeat. That's my coat-of-arms. I'm OK with this, been doing 'dumb-hope' for over twenty years! ;)

In Conclusion: So not a lot of fanfare for my August birthday or the comic's anniversary, as in years past, but I'm ready to push myself hard in September, with results in October. The comics themselves are great, and I'm happy with the results so far with the most complicated story I've ever told. Thanks for reading! And you D20+ Defenders ROCK!

The next few Pawnz & Bookmarks, like the last few, are all tied to the upcoming Sluggy Freelance Book 22, The Research and Development Wars! Lab-coat Schlock, Dr. Newguy, Plot Twist Teresa, and a character I enjoyed quite a bit despite not seeing much 'screen time', Weasel Gothka! Thanks to all Defenders level 2 and higher who will receive the digital copies and level 3 and higher who receive the physical copies, mailed for free. To all of you defenders, of any level, I can't thank you enough for showing love and support through the uncertain times we've been experiencing. You are all nifty.

Hey all! Last comic's Reactions Forum thread reminded me of something I lose sight of from time to time, and that is just how complicated my stories are. Immortal King suffers from this perhaps more than any other. Big thanks to GUIGUI for clarifications in that thread.

In most stories the reference links beneath a strip are there to put the subject in a larger context and let you dive deeper if you wish. Everything you need to know should be contained in the story, and if I notice otherwise I'll directly recap what's needed to know in the strip.

This one feels trickier. Like there is SO MUCH referenced material, it feels needed to understand whats going on. But any attempts to recap on such a massive scale would be a huge endevour, and an annoying word dump (which I never do :P )

In my mind the Liberliganus subsections were a self-contained story of a family surrounding the creation and evolution of the Book of E-ville. Did you need to know who Quint's moon goddess was in the bigger context of the Sluggyverse? No. But I think it's cooler if you do. Simularly, 'Roomies' will be the story of a couple of irredeemably despicable jackasses trapped together for way-too-long, but with the reflinks you will see where these comics intersect with the Sluggy Freelance timeline, and will be given additional timeline information. All the questions, like "Why rip pages from the book instead of using the spelll of binding/inbinding" "who is Ozzid?" and "why was there two versions of Kozoaku (big version and lil' bug version) at the same time in the ref links?" These will all be answered in upcoing comics. If you do deep reference dives you should be able to work out the last made-up question, but all should be answered in time without the need of a ref-link dive.

Having said all that, I feel your pain. I will try to make things clearer and simpler as I go forward in Roomies, while simultaniouly underwstanding it won't be enough for everyone.

Please remember the Reactions Forums can be used to express confusion and ask questions about the current strip that don't involve speculaton.  And I'll remember I need to do my job better. :) Onward and Sideways!