OFF CAMPUS

Ok, first thing’s first: OFF CAMPUS resumes Monday June 14th.

Sorry that took so long, by the by.  I would’ve returned to updating several weeks sooner if I hadn’t hurt my hand in the middle of May, but I guess in the long run the timing of the injury coinciding with the hiatus was probably a good thing.

The site redesign is (obviously) not completed, but the time off allowed me to get a good, solid start on that project.  I expect I’ll be tweaking it through the remainder of the summer as time allows.

As for A-Kon 21 … well, I usually try to do massive, comprehensive post-con reports for you guys, but the finger I cut is still a little ginger and since typing remains more of a bear than I care to admit at this point, I’m going to have to be uncharacteristically succinct.  From a fan-perspective, it’s one of the best run shows I’ve been to, lagging only behind the two PAXs in terms of organization.  The panels were a little weak, but the strength of the Artist’s Alley (they had two!) and the Dealer’s Room more than make up for that deficit.

Speaking as an industry semi-pro, seeing A-Kon was downright heartwarming.  Not only did sales appear to be brisk but the fan demographic skewed far younger and more female than any American comics-centric show I’ve attended as well.  Given all the recent negative press regarding comic sales (manga included), it definitely did me a world of good to see first-hand the passion (and cash) that a show dedicated to cartoons and animation can still generate.

What I’m Reading: Tenjho Tenge Volume 13: by Oh! Great
What I’m Watching: Mad Men Season 3
What I’m Listening to: “Little Lion Man” (Mumford & Sons)

Given the literal translation of this particular post heading, I beg that you not panic.

No, the strip is not ending.  But, after much soul-searching and deliberation, I’ve decided that I need to put it on hold for a bit.  While there’s a couple of factors at work driving the timing of this announcement, there’s really just one reason behind the hiatus itself:

I have got to learn how to build a proper website.

For ten years now, I’ve told this story and worked at getting better at the very act of telling this story.  I feel stronger about my writing and art than I ever have, but I simply cannot go any further with this comic as a commercial endeavor (and I have always viewed it as a commercial endeavor) unless I learn the basics of graphic design and web-coding.

I strongly believe that these skills are ones that I can teach myself.  But, as has become clear to me over the last few months that I’ve tried to rebuild this site while working a 40 hour a week day job and working about 12 hours a week on cartooning, it’s not going to happen (in a timely manner, at any rate) unless I devote the bulk of my free time towards completing this absolutely necessary project.

As you can probably tell, I’ve already begun.  Both archives, comic and blog, are now complete.  The one facet of this project that does worry me, however, is its deadline.  As the long-timers here know, I am terrible at predicting with any kind of accuracy how long it will take me to finish a creative project.  What I can do is promise to check in here in two weeks time with an update on the status of how OFF CAMPUS 3.0 is coming along.

I’m sorry this had to happen this way, but I just couldn’t figure how a good way to juggle both the reconstruction of the site while producing content for the site.  I do think this is going to be for the best in the long run, otherwise I would’ve just struggled on as before.   Please know that I remain committed to the strip as I work towards presenting it in as bitchin’ of a manner as possible and, as always, I appreciate your support and patience.

What I’m Reading: Siege (Marvel Comics)
What I’m Watching: District B13
What I’m Listening to: “Sex on Fire” (Kings of Leon)