I’m shooting for February and March of 2025 to get on top of the pile! What could go wrong? :)
OK, so I’m still working on the bonus content for Sluggy Freelance Book 23, Mohkadun. This bonus story (called, suspiciously enough, Family Reunion) is going to be very nifty and touch on some cool plot points. But life events and rewrites caused a delay of a couple of weeks on this project.
I was very aggravated when I realized I would NOT have Book 23 available to offer to you all in December for the holidays. But I’ve come to realize it’s OK. I fall behind sometimes. But I always get there eventually. I’ve currently sequestered myself in my office-cave and I have removed all non-essential distractions to work on this thing (and maintain the flow of new strips). It should just be a few weeks more, I hope!
What about the store?!? I was going to keep the store closed until the new book was in my hands, but I’ve decided on a different plan. I do have small quantities of some of the older books. I also have plenty of Megatome 1’s (Contains books 1-3) and Book 9’s and the Beanie-style plush Bun-buns which are still the best and you all should own one! So on the off chance anyone wants these in time for the holidays for any reason, I feel like it’s my duty to give you a chance to!
The Sluggy Store will open around noon-ish Eastern Time on Wednesday November 27th. All international orders need to be in by Wednesday December 4th or they might not make it to you by Christmas. The store will close on Wednesday December 11th. I will push to get all international orders out first, but domestic orders might take a week longer to fulfill. I’ll have family invading my house at that time, so I’ll make them do some of the packing-and-shipping leg-work. That’ll teach ‘em!
Unless something unforeseen happens, the Store will Reopen with a full book catalog including the new BOOK 23 MOHKADUN by March!
It will take about a month for the printer to turn the book around once I get them the files. So I’m just going to assume I’ll have it in hand February at the latest. The first batch will go off to the higher level Defenders, as always. But then my intention it to open the store AGAIN, early March, with stock of all the other books! It’s like Christmas in March! I know SOME of you will still have your decorations up! That's not my style, but I understand.
TL;DR: I’m behind on Pawnz and Bookmarks (as usual these last few years). I’m taking off a lot of February and March to get on top of that pile. I NEED to do this as the END LOOMS CLOSER...
So I’m over a year behind on sending these postcards and bookmarks out. Again. But now I’m almost a year behind on designing and announcing them! In January 2024 I was supposed to start laying out Mohkadun style Pawnz and Bookmarks and catch up. It’s perplexing to even me, who is living it, why I was not able to succeed on this.
I’m slowing down. It’s getting harder and harder simply keeping up with one-to-three strips a week, let alone moving the ball forward on something else, like books or Pawnz and Bookmarks.
I want you all to know this is important to me. I will get you what I owe you. I’m just trying to figure out how without sacrificing the comic itself.
What I’m going to try is to limit new comic strip releases in the months of February and March, and dedicating myself to getting on top of that pile. Sending out Book 23s and creating and distributing Pawnz and Bookmarks is going to be my focus at that point.
I tried this two years ago with subpar results. This time I’m going to task some friends to help me.
Once I’m past that I can focus on the most important thing. The comic itself. You’ve all put such faith in me to do right by it. And I must. Because it is coming to an end.
Sluggy Freelance will end in the not too distant future. I’ve mentioned this in more detail in the Defenders Blog. And I’ll discuss it here with you all once Book 23 is in hand. For now I’ll say it’s still at least a couple of years away. Two major stories beyond Monstrous.
This is why its so important for me to get on top of the pile and stay on top of the pile, early 2025. So I can focus on ending things right. By the way, those of you who became Defenders of the Nifty are the sole reason the strip didn’t vanish years ago. My appreciation knows no bounds. And all the non-Defender readers owe you thanks as well. THANKS for being the Niftiest.
Onwards and sideways, with, perhaps, a slightly upward turn!
Be Nifty to each other.
-Pete
Comments
Take care of yourself dude. It takes what it takes.
Also, love that Mr Sticks is the long awaited return of Shirtguy Tom
Hey GUIGUI! I've never been good at promotion and if I had a Bluesky account it would probably see just as much use as my twitter did. Like, none! Mix my lack of skill at promotion with lack of time, and what do you get? Me, a dummy. :)
"For now I’ll say it’s still at least a couple of years away. Two major stories beyond Monstrous."
Picture me having a sigh of relief. I love your stuff, Pete and I am not sure I am ready for it to end yet. Wish I was in a better situation to help out, but I promise to buy the prints as soon as I'll be. Gotta read all those bonus stories at some point, after all.
Side-note, but if increasing your readership (and thus maybe your number of Defenders?) is something you have interest for, you might maybe consider making a Bluesky account, maybe? I know you didn't made much use of your twitter account, But Bluesky is on the rise and maybe you might want to increase your exposure for the sake of potential additional dough? Also, I had already mentioned it in the Sluggy Related Chat forum: https://forums.sluggy.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=97252, but there is even a listing for webcomic artists who have been on the web since the 2000's or earlier:
https://bsky.app/starter-pack-short/U8Ab6eo
Wouldn't feel right to have yours missing, would it?
anyway, good speed to you.