Chris finds himself talking to his lost friend, and he realises how things just will never be the same.

Sometimes I may not look it, and my brother tells me I look like Bill Bailey. But, it makes me realise I’ve been doing this comic for five years. Things sure have changed, especially in the art (thank god.)

But, it also makes me wistful and ponderous about where everything stands and where it will go next. Sure, I want this comic to grow in size, and I’d love to grow the readership, sell more books, get some T-shirts out there, do a podcast or two and other things (some of those, I may have news about in the coming months.)

But, today is also a day of wondering about the future of the whole venture. Is it strong enough to carry on, can I make the comic better, can I turn this small thing into something that I can call a full-time job? That is where I need my readers (yeah, yeah, I keep asking for help, but I am humble enough to do so.)

Today is also when I have to wander “Can I do another five years? Can I keep writing this? Am I getting bored of it? Do I want to just go somewhere else?” Well, I can say that the answers, are in the same order as the questions, “Yes, Yes, No, No.”

However, that is going to mean more experimentation, plot twists, turns and the coming and going of characters.  There’s going to be highs and lows. Life and death. Good things and bad things. Maybe some returns and a little revenge.

There will also be planning for conventions, getting merchandise sorted, plot-lines to sort out…

And of course, coming to terms that I am one year older.

Gopher does some serious, deep thinking and realises that without Lee, the gang is going to need a new D.M. (Dungeon Master or G.M. Games Master for other types of roleplay gamers.)

Friday will be my birthday, so if the strip shows up late, you’ll know what’s happened, but I’ll try and get it done today (Wednesday.)

Chris prepares his list, to start the hiring process to replace Tim and find someone to take over Gopher’s old position.

Gopher makes an added suggestion to the new employment criteria fulfillment list.

If you’ve not checked out Zombie Roomie, then you should. I endorse it and enjoy it greatly. So, if you’ve not checked it out, and you like webcomics with a funny take on the supernatural, then get over there, go through his archives and devour his amazing work.

You will not regret it.

In the continuing mystery of where Lee has gone, Chris explains to Cheryl the situation, and confesses his worry. Cheryl offers some thoughts and comforting words.

As some have guessed, they are noticing that I am shaking up the dynamic of the strip, the characters and how everything interplays.

I had always conceived that the strip would continue with or without the main characters. I had envisioned that the store would gain new faces, eventually change hands, and the stories would follow new characters, as older ones rode off into the sunset. Those same old characters could also come back, or have spin-off adventures of their own, in new places, with new characters.

Plus, I want to play with how the characters interact in new set-ups, like how Chris and Gopher will work together on a newer level, rather than boss and underling.

If any of you out that that use adblocker, if you could set it to allow ads on this site, that would be great. I can assure you that the ads that show on this site do not link to spam sites, flashing annoying freebie stuff and and horrible things that seemed more at home on a crappy 90′s-era geocities site. I try to keep control of what ads that are shown, but if anything does slip the net, let me know and I’ll deal with it.

I say this, because, the ads are one way I make money from doing this site. The other is through merchandise, which so far is just one book, but that will soon change. And, if you haven’t yet purchased a copy of the book via the links to Indyplanet or DriveThru Comics, who stock my book as POD and .pdf format, it would let me know that there is a demand for Book 2, and that there is enough demand to sell directly from this site, rather than go print-on-demand.

Also, with that show of demand will also let me know it’s time to take the show on the road and start doing conventions.

The comic has been going now for five years, and the ads and merchandise help pay my bills. I have not added a donation button to this site, but if you are willing to donate, then let me know, and I’ll add a button.

Without your help, this comic will not be able to grow, and without that growth, there is no justification to continue doing the strip.

Chris and Gopher arrive at Lee’s place, but find they cannot get a clear view inside, to see if Lee is there, or not. But, things maybe looking pretty grim.

I want to change dynamics and shake things up. Bring some freshness to the strip. I want my characters to grow and change, to allow them to have breaks, take center-stage, have some spotlight time, move on or do new things.

The only thing is, whenever I do commit to doing storylines, pageviews drop like a rock. That tells me that my readership only wants throw-away one shot gags. The only problem is, a lot of time, doing just one-shot gags gets old and news to build those gags upon runs dry, and I find myself in a tailspin when there’s nothing to poke fun at.

So, I want to engage you readers about it. I really want you to comment, give your thoughts. No more silently saying nothing, I want to hear what you think.

I want this strip to grow, and I don’t want it growing stale, doing the same old thing, year after year, but to do that, I need my readers. I need them to speak up. Tell me what they like and what they don’t. With that, things can grow. If not, then all I am doing is chasing my own metaphorical tail.

So, help me out, okay. This comic needs to grow, and it needs it’s readership to help it to do so.

As the mystery over Lee’s disappearance deepens, it becomes the call to action of a new snarky superhero and his trusty side-kick.

I’ve always wanted to give my characters some form of comicbook hero alter-ego, and this, I thought, was fitting and the right time to bring out the Snark Knight and his side-kick, the Sarcastic Wonder.