Concept art for the end of Countdown to Culper Issue #3.
This is an update to you know what has been going on. I’m sorry for the radio silence.
On my last post, I vaguely mentioned a family illness. Mike’s father was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer in February. We flew home to spend as much time with him as we could, but we lost him in April. It was heart wrenching and traumatic and we’re all still in a bit of shock.
When I got back to California I immediately had to finish Wynonna Earp. IDW was amazing about restructuring the timeline so they could keep me on the book, but it meant that I had to finish the last two issues in a short amount of time. (I drew all of issue 6 in just 17 days.)
But I finished! Wynonna Earp Issue #5 comes out in comic shops everywhere tomorrow.
So what about The Dreamer?
The last time I took a break, I set a return date up front so you knew when to expect updates to resume. It was fun and exciting and I liked having a countdown to the Countdown to Culper.
But when the comic returned, I had a secret: though I was able to start writing Volume 4, I hadn’t finished my research for Act II. I thought I could manage both at the same time, but I quickly got swallowed up in conventions and other projects. I am at a point now where I can’t write issue #4 without finally finishing my research.
So I had two options: Finish issue 3 now (which is written) then take a break to finish my research. Or, continue this unscheduled break that we’re currently on and resume updates when they will continue uninterrupted.
I let my Patreon supporters decide.
They voted to extend the current break, and come back when I’ve finished my research.
This isn’t an easy decision. Putting the comic on hold for any reason makes me sick. I started The Dreamer during the “if you stop updating you’ll die!” era of webcomics. In the years since, I’ve seen that though I will lose some readers, the folks who really care are still there waiting. I love you so much for that.
I miss you all. I miss updating. And I miss these characters!
A lot more has been going on, and if you’re the kind of person who loves the full story, I barfed my emotional guts out to Patreon a few weeks ago. (I unlocked that post so everyone can read it.)
So here is the plan:
- On Thursday, I am going to celebrate wrapping up Wynonna Earp by going to Hamilton on Broadway! (I’ll Go Live on Facebook afterwards because I can’t see Hamilton and not share it with you! Tune in!)
- And then I’m returning to San Diego to finish my research. I don’t know how long it will take, but I am saying ‘no’ to all other projects until it is finished.
- In the meantime, I’ll be drawing the rest of Issue #3, which I’ll post on Patreon. Become a part of the Patreon family if you want to read the new pages! (Though The Dreamer blog has been silent, I’m very active on Patreon.)
- Mike will be fixing website bugs and rebuilding a few sections, like the missing Store.
- Once I finish my research, I will announce a return date. (I have something fun planned for this.)
- And then we’ll be back to Wed – Friday updates as usual.
- Between now and then, I’ll update this blog so I don’t keep you in the dark for so long. Check back regularly or follow me on social media to stay in the loop.
I’m sorry this post is overdue! Thanks for sticking with me and being patient. I hope to make it worth the wait.