I’ve just about had it. I can forgive the fact that the stories are wandering around like abandoned children. I can even forgive the disjointed (if well drawn) filler that is “Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain.” It’s this dearth of regular updates that is doing me in. I’m a creature of habit, and Pete USED to be able to keep my attention by posting something new every day. Lately, though, I have no motivation to click in. Today I clicked in, and was rewarded with filler of Kiki acting like a pirate and telling me to check back “Tamarrrr.”
Hey, Pete: remember back when you did a webcomic every day? Remember how you kept up on it, in spite of the other stuff that was happening? What was that, 1999? At any rate, it was back when I loved your work. Figure out how to get back to that point, and maybe I’ll see you there.
*sigh*
–Howard
I dropped Sluggy at the start of ‘Kitten II’. I didn’t enjoy the first Kitten storyline, so why do it to myself again? I never got back into it.
I don’t blame you, Howard. I did give up on it, and for far less than you have.
Isn’t Pete one of those that barely squeeks out a living at comics too? If it’s the only thing you’re doing, you have NO excuse for not updating daily. If he does, in fact, have a day job, feel free to tell me to screw off.
(And for the record, I dropped off after the FIRST Kitten storyline. I actually enjoyed it a lot, despite the opinions of others. I just started forgetting to read it. And if I leave a daily comic sit for a few months, God knows I’m probably NEVER going back to it.)
(Addendum: What’s really sad is that Sluggy was probably THE strip that made me want to draw webcomics. Le sigh.)
Ditto, dude. Ditto. Sluggy was what clued me in to the fact that REAL STORIES could be told in this wacky medium we share.
Hrm. Yeah, but it’s a damned cute drawing of Kiki at least….
I’m reading Sluggy mostly out of habit right now, GPF as well (I really hate the current GPF storyline, but meh)
Eh. Storylines end, the key is if you no longer enjoy the overall strip. *shrug*
shruggy freelance?
true. I’ve got so many years invested in both strips to give up i suppose 🙂
Heh. Yeah, I barely read Sluggy anymore, and mainly it’s because I’m just disappointed in how badly it’s gotten. There’s been some over the top stuff, but I just haven’t enjoyed this disjointed jaunt.
There was a magical, mystical time where Sluggy Freelance was a welcome reprieve from User Friendly. Now, there’s only a small list of webcomics I can guarantee will entertain me (and schlock is the top of that list 😉
Wax and Wane
All things wax and wane. I’m always disappointed when my favorite comics go off the deep end. I never like it when the best get mediocre. Web comics, authors, artists, musicians… they all vary in quality. Then I realize my mood, my perception goes though the same changes. In the end the very best keep me interested though it all. That’s a small list. I never think “what happened to sluggy?” I just think about the good strips, there best song, the one book that changed my life…
It goes to show you that greatness is something that requires constant work. The few exceptions of artists that can keep producing greatness should not make you think any less of someone who made something great, but could not be consistent.
I find the best method is to read Sluggy about once a month or so to see if anything interesting is happening. Fortunately the ability to bring up a week at a time makes this fairly easy.
Reading it day by day just got way too tedious a while ago, and I know I’m far from the only ex-Sluggy fan out there. I think the last time I really laughed at a Sluggy reference was their tendency to show up in John Ringo books. (Yay, SheVa 9!)
And I just want to say thank you for a) being so very regular with the posts for Schlock, and b) putting out a comic that’s never failed to be damn good.
Brett, a fan
I gave up too, a few months ago.
There seems to be a tendancy to either “filler” of no value to the main storylines, or setting up “traditions”, which, while good and all, you can’t help but feel like re-runs.
Combine that with *actual* filler, and, well, it kinda grew tiring. And I don’t read tiring.
I was pointed to sluggy after I was sunk hook, line and sinker on Schlock. I started reading it from the beginning on a rainy afternoon, and was most pleasantly surprised. It was in comparable quality to Schlock (which says a lot) and consistently good.
Until I got a few years into it, when things started to get … very disjointed and weird. I persevered, and read the whole deal through, and yesterday (coincidentally) I caught up again with the few months since I last looked … and it remains weird and disjointed, a shadow of what it was, but with the potential to get back on track.
I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of work it takes to keep a webcomic running, day after day, year after year; but I know a good thing when I see it, and sluggy was a very good thing that is now, well, not so good.
Jumped the Shark
Whenever I bring up Sluggy filler strips to a die hard Sluggy fan (like I used to be), they always say something along the lines of “Give him a break, he’s really busy.” Then, of course, I bring up Schlock and the fact that Howard has a DAY JOB, and has never missed a day.
So here’s my question. When do you think Sluggy “jumped the shark”? For those who don’t know this terminology, I will illuminate you. There is a point in everything where you look at it at realize “This is the best this will ever be, and it’s all downhill from here.” That is the point where it “jumped the shark”
For me, it’s a toss up between when Santa was an alien, when Ian began the DoP strips, or the first long storyline (The Stormbreaker?)
Re: Jumped the Shark
To be more accurate, “Jumped the Shark” comes from the episode of Happy Days where Fonzie went waterskiing and literally jumped over a shark. It was a ridiculous ploy to get viewers back. A show that had been a delightful family comedy about simpler times tried to reach out to the action audience. People looked back at it and realized not that the episode previous was the best Happy Days had ever been, but that the shark jumping marked the point of no return on the show’s trip to cancellation.
That said, it’s difficult to define a “jump the shark” moment for Sluggy. We’re too close to it, and Pete has done all KINDS of things to draw in a larger audience. The X-files parody. The Horror parody (Kitten). The Anime/Manga parody (the Punyverse). The dramatic series (“Fire and Rain.”) They all worked in their own ways, and for the most part Pete brought the new readers into the fold, and then kept doing what you MIGHT try to call “mainstream Sluggy” to show everybody else that he was still on track.
For me, the WORST of those storylines was the “punyverse” one. It worked, barely, but that was the point at which my wife said “tell me when Sluggy is back. This stuff isn’t doing it for me.) But I don’t think that was shark-jumping.
The current alternate universe/alternate Bun-bun storyline is pretty bad. I’m not sure if it’s shark-jumping bad, or if it’s just the irregular updates, but the net effect is the same. I tune into Sluggy about once a week and don’t bother to page through the archives. It’s like I’m there just to rubberneck at the carnage his work has become.
If I had to pick a Sluggy apex, or zenith, I’d say the Bun-bun vs robo-easter-bunny was it. I laughed all the way through it, and loved the arrangement of “forces” Pete had moving in the backstory of his strip. The culmination of those stories with the Deus Egg and Bun-bun the Holiday God was pretty good, but for me was just a shadow of the earlier work.
*sigh* See? You’ve got me longing for the good-old-days of Sluggy. But I refuse to go back and peruse the archives to find the joy again, because I know I’ll just end up back here.
–Howard
Re: Jumped the Shark
I got the feeling you were getting tired of Sluggy when you had “Oh, no, not the light-speed limitation!” countered with “It’s not as bad as what Sluggy or Megatokyo does.”
Though, I’m impressed by Megatokyo lately. Sure, it’s still annoying when Piro updates late, but he really is sticking closer to his promise to improve update times, and the comics themselves are still fun.
And I don’t really mind Dead Piro Days, because Piro actually has a lot of talent. I’m not paying for the entertainment, so I don’t have cause to complain, right?
Re: Jumped the Shark
Actually, I did that not because I was tired of Sluggy, but because it was funny. I looked around for “no comic today” references, and “Dead Piro Day” and “Shirt Guy Tom” week were the most common.
The fact that I was getting frustrated with Pete for his lack of a work ethic and inability to do the job his fans are paying him to do only made the joke funnier for me.
Re: Jumped the Shark
Well yeah, it was still funny, but like you said–it was synchronicity.
Re: Jumped the Shark
I thought the “Fire and Rain” strip was the best Sluggy I had seen for a long time….I really felt for Torg…
and it is only a comic strip…..
As a non artist I deserve flaming for that last one….
Fire and Rain
Yeah, Fire and Rain was awesome. Pete’s incredibly talented, and that storyline made it pretty obvious.
Re: Jumped the Shark
Personally, the last storyline that I really enjoyed was “The Bug, The Witch, and the Robot.” It was just classic Sluggy.
Re: Jumped the Shark
Come to think of it, why do I even still read the thing when the last enjoyable storyline was over three years ago?
Thanks Howard.
I was thinking of leaving Monday as a “Dead Day”
Now, I’m gonna put something up if it kills me.
Scott
Don’t do that on MY account. You’re still holding down a day-job. You get to miss days from time to time.
–Howard
I think the thing that bothers me about Sluggy Freelance is the feeling I get that Pete Abrams isn’t in it for the stories or the readers. Right now I feel like the sluggy comic is something he does so that he can go to conventions as a guest of honor. And when he goes he gives us so much filler that both he and the readers lose the thread of the storyline.
Eh, maybe. I saw Pete at a couple of ‘cons, and he certainly enjoys himself, but I think they’re good marketing and business opportunities as well. But yeah, it does bug me that he goes to a ‘con, and everybody but the con-goers get the shaft for a week.
Hmm
Well, you’re entitled to your opinion but I would question the wisdom of publicly attacking a fellow web cartoonist in a forum like this.
That choppy storyline has been so that he can make public appearances at conventions. He’s already stated that he’s cutting his con appearances back next year. The “Dimension of Pain” is not really a filler – it has driven a major storyline that crosses over into Sluggy itself.
Sluggy may have been uneven in your opinion but it’s still capable of laugh out loud moments and that’s all I need. It has contributed hugely to the phenomenom of web cartoons and for that it should be applauded. Pete does his best and if that’s not good enough for the fans, that’s tough. Those of us that have stuck through it, even when we haven’t enjoyed the storylines, know that it’ll come around again.
This is a really cheap shot. As someone who knows the trials and tribulations of being a web cartoonist I would have expected more tolerence. One day, maybe your buffer fu will wither or real life will prevent you posting regularly. I hope your fans have more tolerence than you’ve just displayed when that happens.
Re: Hmm
I guess my point is that I don’t think Pete IS doing his best. I think he’s off his game, and being surrounded by sycophants and devotees is not doing him any good. Don’t get me wrong: I’d LOVE to see him back on his game.
As to my fans and their tolerance, I’ve already put my money where my mouth is: I don’t EXPECT nor ASK for tolerance. I demand that THEY demand regular, high-quality work from me. Anything less would put me off my game.
Feel free to question my wisdom all you want. My game will only get better for your criticism, warranted or no. And if you want Sluggy back, go criticize Pete.
Re: Hmm
First off, I love Sluggy, in fact it is the web comic that got me into web comics. Of course now Schlock is the first one I check every day. That being said I too have been getting annoyed at the sporadic nature of Pete’s updates. Interestingly enough just over the weekend the first thing I thought was why isn’t Pete as forward thinking as Howard, all he needs is a buffer. I won’t criticize Pete’s work, he has some slow stories, but based on past experience I know he’s an incredibly talented storyteller and have to believe he’ll be able to get back to his old self. I did have to voice my disappointment.
Re: Hmm
I guess my point is that I don’t think Pete IS doing his best.
Well, let’s see. He’s spending a great deal of time making sure that the books of the comic strip aren’t mindless reproductions of what you see on the web but also include new and extensive mini-stories. So that’s value for money taken care of.
He’s also doing what he can to get a comic out there as often as he can. It might not be as often as you’d wish but it’s still more than most web comics occasionally manage. He’s not giving up, as he has considered doing, but still striving to produce.
I think he’s off his game, and being surrounded by sycophants and devotees is not doing him any good.
*blinks* Are you referring to his loyal and faithful fans? Fan loyalty makes for sycophantism? Interestingly, I thought mindless flattery for favour was sycophantic. No one’s doing that, very few of the readers know Pete Abrams from Adam, they’re showing loyalty and faith in his skill and perseverance. If that were sycophantism, every toonist fan base out there – including your own – would have that lable. Fortunately the dictionary assures me it isn’t.
As to my fans and their tolerance, I’ve already put my money where my mouth is: I don’t EXPECT nor ASK for tolerance. I demand that THEY demand regular, high-quality work from me. Anything less would put me off my game.
Bravo for you. Your game is great from what I’ve seen so far and you are fortunate that your talent and creativity haven’t hit any dry spells. For 99% of the people out there, creativity is a fluid thing that comes and goes and it must be terrifying to have an audience waiting for something that you can’t give. Not having hit that wall yourself doesn’t give you the right to claim the moral high ground and use a public journal to slam the guy. You should be right there encouraging him on, for that’s the way people get over creative obstacles and improve. And a healthy Sluggy can only be good for web comics, given it’s place in web comic fandom.
Feel free to question my wisdom all you want.
Thank you.
My game will only get better for your criticism, warranted or no.
The criticism was of your forum and the opinion you chose to express, not your game which is very good and – judging from the sudden rush of agreements from your loyal and faithful fanbase – successful.
And if you want Sluggy back, go criticize Pete.
How do you know I haven’t? Maybe I’ve just expressed my constructive criticism on a less public forum…..
Re: Hmm
If I understand you right, your complaint is not with what Howard said, but that he expressed it in a public forum rather than telling Pete Abrams in private.
Pete Abrams has one of the most successful comics on the web. He has proved himself devastatingly talented which is why he has one of the most successful comics on the web. That makes him a public figure. Public figures are going to garner public praise and public criticism.
By publishing Schlock Mercenary Howard has chosen to become a public figure. By chosing to publish this journal openly he is choosing to have his journaling choices criticised. I’m so pleased to see the process working the way that it is supposed to.
I’m glad that Pete has loyal friends like you who want to defend his feelings from injury. I certainly know that when Howard comes under fire, it’s happend before and it will happen again, I want to defend him from attack. But if I protect him from all criticism he won’t feel the pain or grow from the experience. Criticism hurts, growth hurts, hurt is unpleasant but not always a bad thing in the long run.
Re: Hmm
Your game is great from what I’ve seen so far and you are fortunate that your talent and creativity haven’t hit any dry spells. For 99% of the people out there, creativity is a fluid thing that comes and goes and it must be terrifying to have an audience waiting for something that you can’t give. Not having hit that wall yourself doesn’t give you the right to claim the moral high ground and use a public journal to slam the guy.
Actually, I HAVE hit that wall, so I DO have the right to claim Moral high Ground, and I DO have the right to use a public journal to slam Pete. You’re wrong on all three counts, I’m afraid.
See, professional humorists, writers, and others gainfully employed in creative businesses ALL hit dry spells. THAT’S WHY THEY ALL WORK WEEKS OR MONTHS AHEAD. Why Pete doesn’t do this is beyond me. The only thing that has prevented me from falling behind is my understanding that when I CAN be creative, I should work as far ahead as my energies will permit, so that I get vacations.
I just took a nice one. My inked buffer dropped from 32 days to 21 days. During that time I relaxed with family, went to a convention, and fussed and fidgeted over what to write next. Then I got home and started writing what comes next. This weekend I worked that buffer back up from 21 to 28.
There’s nothing magical about that. Jeff Darlington does it. Every syndicated cartoonist out there does it, and to my knowledge all of them have average buffers twice the size of mine. I’m not claiming sole ownership of the moral high ground here. I’m wondering why Pete isn’t up here with us. He’s a professional, right? He should act like one, instead of begging forgiveness from his fans on a weekly basis.
–Howard
Re: Hmm
Actually, I HAVE hit that wall, so I DO have the right to claim Moral high Ground, and I DO have the right to use a public journal to slam Pete. You’re wrong on all three counts, I’m afraid.
See, professional humorists, writers, and others gainfully employed in creative businesses ALL hit dry spells
But they don’t all harshly criticize their competition in an open form so all the fan-boys can jump on an anti (insert comic of choice) bandwagon. And you call Pete unprofessional? I can’t speak for Pete but this statement reeks of ego. Go ahead and make your slam. Burn your bridges. Wear that heart right out there for everyone to see.
I like you Howard but this journal thread is really quite shallow.
Re: Hmm
If you’ll read more closely, you’ll see this isn’t an anti-Sluggy thread, or even an anti-Pete thread. I LIKE Sluggy. I LIKE Pete. I just don’t understand why he can’t keep up.
Re fanboys and open forums
Incidentally, had I been in a bridge-burning mood, this would have been an Open Letter rather than a Journal entry. I’ll say this for Pete — he doesn’t seem to talk about anybody other than himself and his business partners, and it’s all very upbeat — even when he’s begging forgiveness for another filler.
I do appreciate your comments, Joe, and I see where you’re coming from. I’m almost flattered that the thread merits any attention at all from Official sluggites. And if it helps Pete get his game back on, and stop missing updates, and start working weeks or months ahead, I’ll take all the heat for starting a sluggy-bash with a few tens of posts.
(As as side-note, one of the most productive online conversations I had was with a fan who was worried that I was off of MY game, and was griping not about the current direction of the strip, but about overall tone. I learned a lot, and was able to adjust my scripting and plotting accordingly.)
I’ve talked to Pete in person about this, and we had fun jabbing back at forth with each other on a panel at Penguicon. Or at least the audience had fun, and I had fun, and Rob Balder had fun, and it LOOKED like Pete was enjoying himself. It was the comedic side of constructive criticism.
I’ll reiterate: I like Sluggy, and I like Pete. I want him to succeed. This thread grew out a moment’s desperation, when I first realized I was checking on Sluggy regularly in the hopes that it could really win me back.
Re: Hmm
to my fans and their tolerance, I’ve already put my money where my mouth is: I don’t EXPECT nor ASK for tolerance. I demand that THEY demand regular, high-quality work from me. Anything less would put me off my game.
Note to self: Mr. Tayler would rather a kick in the rear than a pat on the head if he’s doing badly.
I’ll try to keep that in mind, if you ever start a story arc that disappoints me. 🙂
I’m having a similar problem with Schlock Updates
Mind you, it’s not your fault – I’ve gone from reading it in the mornings on the East Coast to reading it at random times in Uzbekistan. It’s playing merry heck with keeping a “one strip per day” pattern.
What time does the Schlock Machine decide to offer up the new strip? I figure if I have a time to shoot for, I may be able to develop a pattern around it. Otherwise I’m shifting back and forth through time worse than the VDA.
Anyway, keep up the good work.
Re: I’m having a similar problem with Schlock Updates
From my experience, Schlock updates between midnight and 1 AM Eastern Time in the US. I’ll leave the time-zone conversion to you.
😉
Re: I’m having a similar problem with Schlock Updates
Typically the update is at 12:25 Eastern time. It’s scheduled for midnight, but the Keen updater has about 30 jobs scheduled in front of Schlock at that time. In practical terms, 99% of the time it’ll be updated by 1am Eastern.
As near as I can tell, that means 11am your time in Uzbekistan.
–Howard
It’s been some years since “Schlock Mercenary” replaced “Sluggy Freelance” as my favorite comic strip. I don’t complain about irregular updates and whatnot from web artists — Mr. Abrams is far from the worst I read when it comes to this, though he’s not nearly as good about updating as he used to be. I’m not paying for this.
But I can’t argue with you. The strip has become a disappointment, especially with the lastest Sham-pain arc. :/