Last Call
Shaenon: You may have noticed that Skin Horse has been developing toward some kind of climax. Jeff and I always planned for the strip to have an ending, and we’re creeping toward it now. It’ll probably end late this year, though we can’t make any promises.
Thanks so much for helping us get this far. Onward! Forward! Upward!
Channing: Folks, it’s been a long, strange trip, and I have so many emotions as we enter the finale year. Thank all of you for being here. You’re the reason we’ve done this, this whole time.
Noooo, you can’t do that, it’s illegal! What will I do every night at 9 if you aren’t publishing Skin Horse’s adventures? You’re mean!
(Seriously tho I’m gonna really miss this comic)
Hoooooooly shit. I mean, I know I wasn’t expecting it to last for a decade when I first showed up all those years ago, but the thought that it’s ending now is still kind of…shocking, really?
Thanks for the weird, wonderful journey! Looking forward to the landing sequence.
I still have your webcomics interview on line (the URL changed) if you still want it.
I’ve been reading Skin Horse for quite a few years – ever since I finished Narbonic some time in the early 2010s. It’ll be interesting to see where this baby goes, but if Narbonic’s any indication it’ll be grand. You’ve been a comfortingly regular part of my life, it’ll be weird not to have that ny more, but I look forward to seeing what you folks do next.
Thanks for the laughs.
Looks like my timeline, too: And I started with Narbonic just as Artie was decanted. These years have been humorously enhanced by the weird universe Shaenon created. Thanks again to the entire crew (including Robin).
…Wow.
I joined reading at around Looking Glass Land, but recently reread and fell in love all over again. Seeing the improvement, seeing how much has been built up to be paid off now… it’s really impressive. Obviously we’ve been in the endgame, but I guess this Really is it. Well, I’m excited. Best of luck!
Oh bother.
I’d best go insert those keys.
A defining characteristic of great literature is when characters take on a life of their own.
Shaenon and Jeff, you have not only entertained but educated me over these past few years, and I honestly feel I am a better sapient for the privilege of enjoying your art.
My sincere and humble thanks!
Thirteen *years*? Good gravy.
…how many times *did* Robin puke on the art?
Wowee. I started reading through Narbonic in… 08, I think, and caught up with Skin Horse around Big Bad Wolves, when the sequel thing was still only implied. Can’t wait for the start of Skin Horse: Director’s Cut!
… That’s definitely happening, right?
I for one hope so!
Wow. Schlock Mercenary ended last year, and now Skin Horse? I’m going to need to find some new comics!
Freefall is still perking along… and it has a page for speedreading!
Shaenon’s co-creator for Willowweep Manor, Christopher Baldwin, has a long-running story that is a joy to read: Spacetrawler. If you haven’t read it before, you have years of strips to catch up on.
If you find any good candidates, I’m open to suggestions.
{I’m still jonesin’ for new daily Schlockness}
Thanks for the ride.
I sincerely hope that you have another brainstorm brewing on the horizon – maybe an actual sequel to Narbonic, rather than a spinoff-ish sequel. I love the Skin Horse gang (even though I couldn’t spend more than 5 minutes in the same room with either Tip or Baron Mistycorn), but I really miss Helen and Dave and Mell. And Rosalind must be a teenager by now – about the age when she went back and met her parents without their knowledge.
Yes. This. The Rosalind arc would be great. We’ve seen the /what/, now we need to see the /how/ (please make it interminable).
I mean, I’m still waiting for Kyon to go back in time and fix he world. He promised.
I want to see Unity and Mell adventuring together!
I want to see Mell’s reaction when Unity calls her “Mom”.
Yeah, a Long Nap would be me reaction too after finishing a project like this.
Thanks for the fun!
“Oh, hey. We’re done.”
My heart skipped a beat. SH is one of those things one wants to last forever, like the period when the kids have grown up and take care of themselves, but still stay around being awesome and fine. The kids, I’ve realised, move out and start restaurants or repair stage lighting gear or get a degree, and this is basically a good thing. I suppose SH ending is a good thing too in the grand scheme of things.
I’ll save the thankyous for later, but you have been awesome.
If you wrap up your cooperation with this, that’ll be the end of it. But if you don’t, I will look for your next comic project, I will find you… and I will follow you.
[Raises a coffee mug, er, glass to salute you]
My life is entirely different because of the two of you, and I am more grateful than I can ever express.
Looking forwards to Sweetheart’s hat.
looking forward to whatever you’ve got cooking up.
Has it been 13 years? I remember when the first stip aired and I thought “Who is this woman? A mad psychiatrist?”. Then I learned he was Tip and not mad. Probably. XD
Thank you for the stories.
I look forward to the conclusion.
And hope for any future comics.
13 years? It could not have possibly been that long. [clicks on ‘first’]
…Holy mother-forking shirt-balls!
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
Regardless of how it ends, we’ve made it, and you guys, a daily part of our lives.
Love, always.
when the drive failed utterly and i recently had to build my bookmark list from memory, Skinhorse was the first one i recalled. I have delayed my invasion of the West Coast just to avoid interrupting this web comic, but now i’d best get that robot army prepared. Going to take nine months to change all that oil.
I’ve read Narbonic three times, the third time with commentary. Although I don’t want SH to end, it would ease the pain if you did something similar..
Thank you both for the awesomeness!
Oh, my. It’s weird; I love webcomics that are clearly heading somewhere and telling a complete story, and yet I’m never ready when they get there.
Noooooooooo . . . snif.
I would say “No, you must keep going after the end of the carefully planned story!” Then I think about the fifth season of Babylon 5, and I make myself go sit in the corner.
JMS planned a 5-season arc
partway through season 3, the network told him “meh, ratings are down, you can do FOUR seasons and then we’re cutting you off”
so he did his best to tie everything up in four seasons
after which the network told him “wow, ratings are up! We’ll give you a fifth season!”
I found Narbonics late in the game and was sad to have it end while I was such a new fan. I’ve been with Skin Horse since the beginning and even became a recurring kickstarter character, a novel experience for me. SK was the first comic I read in the morning and I’ll miss new episodes but we all saw what happened to Peanuts. Creative people need to finish with a last brushstroke and tackle something new with all they’ve learned. I can’t wait to see what you do next after your nap.
Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Thank you. And thank you. (And yeah, “long nap” sounds like a fine way to celebrate.)
No problem with skin horse ending (trying to keep tears from welling in my eyes) its time for you guys to try the next step (dissolving into tears and sobs)
No!
Congratulations to you both!!!
Wow…. I started reading Skin Horse at the beginning (and was reading Narbonic from somewhere in the middle)… there is no way it has been that many years…. *checks calendar* … O_O …. wow.
I’m odd in that I do like to have series have a concrete END and wrap everything up. There are WAAAY too many unfinished/abandoned webcomics out there.
It would be great if you start another project, though! Especially if it ends up bringing back some of the Narbonic gang so we can see what happened later. 🙂
Aww. That’s not what I wanted to hear this Sunday morning! Well, I hope there’s a secret sequel to Skin Horse like there was to Narbonic.
Oh my gosh I’m so excited for you guys! It’s so cool and exciting to hit the endgame on a project! I’ve loved Skin Horse and looked forward to it daily, and I’m excited to see how you all bring it to curtain call! *claps hands*
While you both definitely deserve a good long rest, I hope this won’t be your last collaboration.
I heartily agree with those readers who would rather see a narrative-driven comic finish strong with a planned, purposeful ending than simply fizzle out and stop when the creators lose interest, or else wander aimlessly from meaningless anecdote to meaningless anecdote because someone insists that it must continue without giving it something to continue [i]for[/i]. It was the right decision for [i]Narbonic[/i] and it’s the right decision for [i]Skin Horse[/i], or at least it feels that way to this reader.
… Which is not to say that the door should be held closed against occasional peeks back into that world. The [i]Narbonic[/i] stories in the Couscous Collective anthologies have been delightful, and there’s no reason to regard [i]Skin Horse[/i] any differently. And of course, should either or both of you plan future projects, I’ll be eager to learn of them.
And, um, thanks for giving us a heads-up about the finale of [i]Skin Horse[/i]. Of your readers who are going to miss seeing new strips six days a week, there are probably a bunch of us who appreciate the chance to prepare ourselves for the end.
Wait, the tags are supposed to use angle brackets here, aren’t they? Dammit. Got this format confused with the one from another site I occasionally participate in.
I’m glad that I’ve been here for the entire ride, and I’ll only be sorry when it’s over. Well, I am sorry that Mongor the Lizard Man didn’t get a role, but I’ll get over it.
You have done an amazing thing.
You can have the best of both worlds by writing a finite comic that lasts forever. You just have to double the time between releases each time you halve the amount of material remaining. At some point you’ll have to start releasing fractions of a panel. I can provide more details as needed.
AH! Oh..no. Nooo.I…well I’m sad. But it had to end sometime. *sighs* Well…I’m excited.
The number of comments I have made for all other comic strips combined could be counted on one hand, and the number of comments for this one would require six fingers at least, but I wouldn’t read anything into that.
I don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said, but I feel like I gotta say something. It’s been one heck of a ride and loved the comic and time and effort you all put in. Congrats on nearing the finish line!
Are you going to hold co-writer auditions for the next story?
Applicants lacking seniority must audition with one of the novelty weapons — bola, whip, sap, boomerang, pocket sand, hypnodisc….
The approach of this has felt inevitable since you dropped the Ira bomb back in 2018. Thank goodness that’s taken two years, but you have certainly earned your rest on this huge bed of laurels.
Gosh, I’ve been realizing more and more how much I’ve enjoyed these characters and this journey and telling friends about it over the last few months, I’ve definitely figured the climax is coming soon and I’m excited to see it. I don’t remember when exactly I started reading Skin Horse, but I know I started reading Narbonic at least 15 years ago because I was a freshman in Computer Science and delighted at the first strip calling it out as the most clearly evil major.
Looking forward to seeing where this current journey ends, and what’s coming next for both Shaenon and Channing 🙂 Even (especially) if that includes “a well-deserved rest”.
Noooo I don’t want it to end!
(It’s been an amazing 13 years, thank you so much!)
I came quite late to the party, starting with Narbonic (I think while it was running the Director’s Cut, and Skin Horse began before I caught up). I’ve been eagerly awaiting every update, and learned so much about plotting from the Narbonic commentary. I’ve felt this ending coming for a couple of years now (has it really been that long? Yipe!), and it has been worth every twist and turn. Seeing Skin Horse end will be sad, but sadder still would have been if it were left incomplete.
Thank you, and good luck.
I have far too much room reserved on my bookshelf for Skin Horse volumes for you two to stop now….
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
o!
I just discovered this comic last year. I veto your decision to end it. O: I’m sure others would join in!
Congratulations on a job well done, and also on your literal use of the word “new”
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! … and… THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!! … and… I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HOW THIS AMAZING JOURNEY ENDS!!!
Calling it now, “Long Nap” is the name of their next webcomic!
from the dawn of 2022, I must say I don’t mind the slight inaccuracy.
I hope it’s not a spoiler to say I’m deeply amused to read this on the re-read in May… 2022. 😉