On the Subject of Milestones
Channing: In October 2007, Shaenon K. Garrity sent me some mail that changed my life for the better. In it, she described to me a hypothetical new daily webcomic she was planning as a follow-up to her much-beloved Narbonic and invited me to collaborate with her on it. So we plotted and planned and pitched ideas around for a few months.
Ten years ago, on this very day, Skin Horse began in earnest.
It’s been a hell of a time. Thanks to each and every one of you for helping to make it happen.
Shaenon: Thanks for noting this milestone, Jeff! I’ve been so swamped with all kinds of work (some of which I may be able to talk about soon, who knows) that I completely failed to realize we’ve been on this adventure for ten friggin’ years. Although on second thought, I take back my thanks because of all the bonkers stuff you’re making me draw for next week.
Wow. And I’ve only been reading it for about half that time.
At last! Evidence of premeditation!
Blasphemy! You dare question the holy doctrine of spontaneous generation? Clearly the webcomic sprang fully formed from Shaenon’s head, just as Athena sprang from her father Zeus, garbed for war!
That must’ve been one holy HELL of a hangover! Um, bartender? I’ll have what *she’s* drinking…..
There was never any question that it was premeditated. The real surprise is that Shaenon and Jeff only talked about it together for two months before turning it loose on the world.
I get this mental image of her handling the script like Don Martin’s Very *SPECIAL* Drink…
I’ve been reading since it was Narbonic, and have also lost track of time.
Happy anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!
That’s a long time to skin a horse!
I’ve actually been re-reading the Narbonic Perfect collection recently, and it’s been fun to come across bits and pieces of Channing’s contributions to Narbonic as well. A note here, a song there, an entire fan-story illustrated, towards the end.
It’s neat to see!
10 years?
Holy god… it does NOT feel that long. geeze… that… wow…
Congratulations. Here’s to 10 more. *toasts*
I found Skin Horse around 2010. I quickly read through the archive, and then read all of the Narbonic director’s cut. I cannot tell you how much richer my life has been because of your work, Shaenon and Jeff, in these comics and in your other works as well. I’m also deeply appreciative of the wonderful interplay among the commentariat. Y’alls have introduced me to many other terrific artists and bits of culture. Congratulations, and I can’t wait to see what the next decade brings.
Here! Here! I second this congratulatory expostulation! Thank you Shaenon and Jeff!
Well, Shaenon, I’ll thank Jeff for all the bonkers stuff he’s making you draw, and I’ll thank you for drawing it. The world would be a more boring place without that little bit of insanity the two of you bring to it. And of course, I would be remiss if I forgot to also thank the wonderfully talented Pancha Diaz for making it all colorful!
I think we may also have just passed the twentieth anniversary of Mundementia One. ^_^
Dang, I want Mundementia One to return.
When I finally joined the 21st century and got my first computer (yeah, I’m old) I discovered Narbonics a few months before it ended. Now I’m a bit surprised to realize how long its been since I allowed computers to take over my life.
I was reading Narbonic during the second half of its original run, and so have been reading SH since the beginning. Hard to believe it has been 10 years now (half again as long as Narbonic ran).
Congratulations!
I started reading … somewhere around “Big Bad Wolves”, I think. I’d recently started reading Narbonic: The Director’s Cut to learn more about the original to Paul Gadzikowski’s take on Elaine of Carbonek in Arthur, King of Time and Space, and the commentary kept talking about this new strip Shaenon was doing with the guy who wrote the yoghurt story, so I thought I should probably check that one out as well.
Here’s to many more years of bonkers stuff!
I think I found this strip just as the silverfish saga came to an end; I binged everything before that, and have been a daily visitor ever since. You never fail to cause a smile, and the characters have developed and grown while still remaining true to their original appearances. Maybe it’s time I finally read through Narbonic? 🙂
I found Narbonic near its end (the hamsters were ready to attack Madblood’s polar base with their flying island, and in what other universe does that sentence make sense?), and I spent the next three days plowing through the archives. I had been thinking about starting my own comic, and Shaenon gave me an example of a story that reached a climax and had a proper ending, rather than having to reset the whole universe like the major superhero print comics do.
Shaenon, you’ve been a great example and a positive influence on my own work. Thank you for many great years of entertainment and inspiration.e
Since we’re giving case studies, I started on Narbonic just as Artie was getting turned into a human, so about a third of the way into the original run. Sorry to say, Skin Horse didn’t immediately grab my attention, despite comments from Shaenon, until Nick became a part of the team. I’ve grown to love the Narboniverse, and it makes me happy to be part of this creative community, even if it is only by proxy.
Sometime back around mid-2006, I started reading Phil and Kaja Foglio’s Girl Genius (how I found that is a tale in itself). Of course I saw Shaenon’s charming GG short story “Fan Fiction” (Kaja called her “that goddess of all things Mad”). When I finally troubled to look at Narbonic, starting it early in the running of the Director’s Cut, I became an instant fan.
So I really have no excuse for not having followed Skin Horse from the beginning. I read chunks of it from time to time, but I really didn’t start reading it faithfully until a few years ago, when Skin Horse filled the huge void left in my life by the near-simultaneous ends of the Director’s Cut and xkcd’s “Time”.
Shaenon may sometimes disparage her early art, but I consider her a real pro, meeting a daily schedule all these years and being the most reliable creator of a daily punch line since Bill Watterson. And Jeff’s stories have made a wonderful mix with Shaenon’s own zany plots and art. Thanks to both of you!
(Complete aside: Did you know “Yippie-kay-yay, melonfarmer!” is (mis)quoted in the Honest Trailer for Die Hard?)
You held on to a conversation log for ten whole years??? Who does that? Did you known that—
Sorry, I’m getting sidetracked. Congratulations.
I’m an email packrat. I hold on to everything for way too long.
I’ve archived pretty much everything I’ve gotten in my Gmail account since I got it in late 2006 (coincidentally, around the time I discovered Narbonic). It’s no harder than deleting, and I’m still only at 13% of my account’s capacity.
I use Outlook on my computer to download and archive my messages. I have everything from roughly the past 20 years. Of course, I’m not just a digital packrat. I also have physical crap that my parents had hoarded before I was even born, and now I’m the one hoarding it.
I must say that I find this oddly moving; not only by virtue of it being the conception of something I love, but due to the casual, unassuming nature of it. I guess I’m just an old softy at heart.
This is so cool! Thank you for posting that email. Kinda like sharing baby pictures (without the d’awww!) Ten years!
I cut it off where I did because it almost immediately delved into spoilers for things we still haven’t revealed.
Maybe after the strip is finished, you cna post the whole email thread?
I started reading Skin Horse not long after I read Narbonic, around the time of the Machine Union strike. I don’t remember when I read “Li’l Mell” and “Smithson,” but probably not long after I ran out of Skin Horse archives to binge on.