1546 Writing In The Dark.

by

It took a while to decide if I wanted Thomas to be typing this. When I typed those words the first time there wasn’t a beautiful woman waiting for me in the dark. Maybe Thomas will write an even better version of the story he lived. What I wrote between he and Carol has been an echo of what I remember about being in love and being loved back. It’s also a bit of what I expect finding someone you could love your whole life would be like.

As I was finishing this page I had a moment where I felt like this would be a good place to end the whole comic. Mainly because it’s cyclical, I expect. I still have stories I want to tell with these characters, but this page would give a person a sense that Thomas had learned enough to make a good life for himself, and Carol would keep him steadily improving in a way he couldn’t on his own. It’s how movies like to stop. A vague happy moment, or one of discovery. A little victory between failures.

I hope you guys are still interested in seeing what’s going to happen. I’m still interested in telling that story and still can’t imagine a time when I won’t be.

Edit:
I should have thought of this last night, but my mind isn’t wired that way, I guess. Anyway, if you want to ensure I can keep going with the comic please consider dropping by my Patreon. It has saved the comic twice now. A dollar gets you access to everything I do there right now. Just give it some thought, okay?

I spent almost the entire day sketching my anthology entry for Muffintop 4. I’m feeling a little less worried about it now. It shouldn’t take too long to get it to a finished state. I’ll still need to get an extension probably, but it won’t be as terrible as I imagined it before. I’ll have to spent the next three days on regular pages though, which I’d rather not have to do. I liked having that week of buffer I used to have so I felt like I could take a risk from time to time. If I keep at it I’ll get back there eventually though.

84 Comments

I have to say, for just a fraction of a second, I was afraid this might be an unexpected end. It does work as such. That being said, I love the page, and since I love the comic, I’ll still be here for the foreseeable future. ^_^

I also felt a brief moment of fear that the comic would suddenly end here. It seems like there are several arcs that have yet to be resolved.

As long as you keep making it, I’ll keep reading it. I’ve gotten far too much enjoyment out of reading this comic to quit now. I am yours, Captain.

As much as open-ended is definitely a diversion from the cliched happy or tragic endings, it only serves to drive people nuts. Anyone remember the film “Sideways” with Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church?

Keep up the good work man. i found your comic a while ago and i have it on my speed dial to check it ever day. i enjoy reading it every other day!

I concur, there seems so much potential for more here… This would be an excellent place to leave us if you were saying life constantly goes on and it’s time for something new… but having only recently discovered this comic I hope there is much more you have yet to share with us. Please, as long as you find you have stories to tell, share them with us. ^~^

Well played, sir. You had me worried for a minute there, because this page definitely seems like “End of series” fare.

I am happy this isn’t the end and look forward to more of this story. I have loved this comic since I first heard of it years ago. There have been many emotional moments in the run but this one hits really nicely. I still think my favorite moment is the introduction of color but this is up there too.

My heart actually skipped a beat. I don’t think I’ve read anything as fast as your blurb. I’m not ready for the end. Not yet.

Yeah damn, I thought it was all over for a second. Narratively, this could be a good place to call it done, or, and just give me the benefit of the doubt here, it could be a good time to change styles, like adding color many hundreds of pages ago.

Not going to lie, I was scared for a second that this’d be the end. As far as endings go, this would be almost perfect. That being said, I don’t want this to be over. It’ll make for a good chapter ending though, or whatever it is you call them. Can’t quite remember.
Nice work

Yeesh, I think I felt my heart stop after reading that. Don’t mind me, just a zombie writing to say how glad I am that you didn’t end it here; this story has been awesome so far. :)

Oh my gods, he said the title!! We did it, internet! We got there! We accomplished this!
(Sorry, couldn’t resist.) :P

He said it on the second page and nobody gave a fuck…

I thought it was amazing, but then I was reading it in the archive because I didn’t know about this comic until my girlfriend pointed it out to me. Ending the comic with that line, the same way it began, would truly be fitting.

That being said, I’m here for as long as you keep writing and I’m able to read.

I caught the echo back to … geez, was it page 2? I swear I remembered it at a “chapter end” sort of point. I GUESS I AM JUST CRAZY.

Second page was a loooong time ago, dood.
And I barely remember what happens 3 days ago.

You had me at first. Then I imagined it like the end of an era, and time to start the next one.

I’ve been reading this comic for a long time now and have enjoyed every moment of it. I finally cough up to it right as the Nerf War of 2012 started and have been keeping up ever since. After i read this page i felt like it could end here and i would be okay with that, although i would still like to see how Reggie’s date will go. But i still wouldn’t mind it to much if it ended there. I’m glad its still going tho, i can’t wait to see what happens next!

If the comic ended here, I would have been satisfied, but I’m REALLY, REALLY, REALLY glad that it’s not over.

This would be the right place to end the comic. It would be a good end.
Maybe you can end it here and continue the story in another comic, like with another name or smth like that ? On another website ?

Anyway it will be the end of a volume when you will print the whole comic ^^

I wanna read a little more about the characters before it ends, like with Nina and Ed and how Reggie and Alex’s date went just a little more, of course I’d like it to go on forever but some things have to end.

I didn’t actually think of this as the end until I read the commentary–based on what we’ve seen the past couple weeks it felt more like the end of a chapter or act, as Thomas finally begins taking steps toward doing that incredible thing everyone thinks he’s capable of. Which strikes me as less the end of his story and more the start of it.

That said, if it was the finale, it would have been a nice one to go out on.

Damn, man. Nearly gave me a heart attack. I get worried what’s about to happen every time Thomas’s inner monologue starts up. Glad it isn’t over.

I mean, if you died here and couldn’t write anymore this could be the place to do it. But, there is so much more to this story. This is where it starts. Everyone is together, Nina has shared her master piece, Jo has taken her first steps towards creation, Carol has acknowledged her potential, and Thomas has realized it might actually take some effort on his part to create. This is the galvanizing moment, this is where it can start. If it were a cartoon this would be the series final and the new series would pick up where this left off the next season. “Between Failures: Subtitle”

Man, You got me really worried there that you are about to finish the comic! It would have felt a lot like when Quilbag finished prematurely at the end of Chapter Two.

I appreciate your work a lot and I hope you will be able to continue for a long-long time!

You keep makin’ ’em, I’ll keep readin’ ’em.

Great job on everything btw. Comic, sketches, the Patreon story. Really good stuff.

I really LOVE your comic, Jackie! :)

I’m glad it’s still going on strong.
I’m to stick around + read it…I’m just dying to see what Jo will look like, when she makes her first film.
[ I don’t know if she’ll make a film, but if she does- it will be fun to see her work on it.]

:D

While this would make a decent endpoint, please DON’T!!! I love the story too much to see it go! But it might make a good stop for a timeskip.

It would be sad if this series ended now, with so many storylines on-going with nice characters that I care about.

I TOTALLY want to see more of this comic! Don’t stop now!

However, I do think that those words can – and should – be repeated down the line. Perhaps after he’s “done” writing his first book (Script? Comic?), you should have Carol reading these words… then later they could be read by some guy in an office who wants to publish/produce his work (unless Thomas decides to self-publish or self-produce)… and eventually his words are seen by an audience. It feels like these words aren’t words that “end” something – they merely begin a new cycle. Art being thought up, then written, then discovered, then seen. Sorry if it sounds cliche, but what seems like an end is usually just a new beginning. The question is whether or not we readers get to join Thomas on that new beginning. I’m looking forward to joining him – and the rest of the BF crew – on this one. :-)

I’ve never written on this site before but I’ve been an active reader since discovering you many, many years ago. I’ve felt a connection to Thomas and his struggles from his love of transformers to his problems with his ex-girlfriend. When I read the final panel my heart suddenly dropped and I felt this weight like I’d lost something and the truth is, If you had finish right then and there, I would’ve. I understand the whole idea of ending something before it gets bad but I can honestly say that if you were to end Between Failures now then I’d be left wanting to see more stories and I hope that this is no where near the end.

Thank you for all the comics so far and for all the free funny these last few years.

I do agree that it is a thematically good place to conxlude, but there are so many more stories to tell.

As a compromise, how about a time skip? We could jump forward a few years and see how everyone is advancing and have them face new situations

anyone else felt a super fear that…
this was the surprise last chapter?
I did..
I’ll happily keep reading the story! So much things! and still some open plot lines too

I think this is great spot for you to have a short break if you wanted one.

I could be content with this ending.

Yeah, I’m not saying I muttered “oh no” before reading your notes about continuing the story…but I’m not saying I didn’t, either.

I legitimately thought this would be a final page for a second, for the reasons you mentioned. I’m glad you’re still doing this. Reading this coming is a part of my MWF morning routine!

Wow, I guess I’m not the first to say this page had me panicked that the comic was over. And we do mean panicked. If ever you feel inadequate, remember that. Because that’s proof that you and your comic have touched all of our lives deeply. We all love you and your comic. I, for one, feel like the characters are friends of mine, somehow. And, if I may, I love coming here to read about their world between failures.

“I hope you guys are still interested in seeing what’s going to happen.” – Jackie, Looking at all the responses you’ve gotten today, this may have been one of the dumbest things you’ve ever said.

I am sure there are a LOT more people who read this than just those of us who have responded. I know I have been reading this strip for several years now and I would personally be broken hearted if you stopped writing it.

Granted, if you wanted to pull a Bill Waterson/Gary Larson and go out on a high note, this would be the place to do it – the choice is obviously yours. But, for purely selfish reasons, I hope you do not.

Like a lot of others already mentioned, my heart stopped for a second and was ready to break. I am glad and heartened that you will still be there for some time to come.

It would be a great closing page for the first giant omnibus issue, when you get around to it.

Now onward to the second grand cycle of stories where things go so far south you see puffins.
=)

Well played, Jackie. But I can’t see you playing the “and they all lived happily ever after” bit as yet.

Besides, while Jay (hey, I remember from the archives…) may have been woken up to the rest of his life, he still has to get up and do something about it :)

I had to come read the comments because it was such a perfect circle I was scared you where going to end the comic. I am glad you’re making more.

Maybe this is an end, but not to the entire comic. The way I’m seeing it, this is much like the end of the black and white portion of the comic. A moment has triggered a bigger change to happen and has ended one arc, but also started a brand new one.

Thomas is great. :)

We probably would disagree on various things, but he is such a genuine person that I think we’d get along pretty well. I’m looking forward to seeing where he (and the rest) go from here on out!

Well, you scared the crap out of me for a minute. I have had too many of the webcomics I love stop updating lately, I don’t know how I would have reacted if yours finished now. You have too many unfinished storylines going to finish now, there is enough storyline to explore for several years at least. How about we consider this the end of the first act? I am with you until you finally do decide to finish this story, and even then I would hope you would just be stopping to start another comic.

Jackie, you have entertained and enlightened us with your art and observations for years. If you chose to stop here, I wouldn’t blame you but I have to admit, this feels more like a midway marker than an ending. There’s fire in Thomas’ eye and there are so many threads left to explore in the stories you’ve crafted.

Long may your tales be told and happy may they make you, their creator.

(Also, I’ll start kicking more into the Patreon pile the moment I move into solvency)

Gah, you scared me a second there till I read the blog.

It would be a really great place to end or go on an hiatus. It just seems to be fitting for his story but you crafted such a full world and cast I hope you keep going. I’ve been reading for many years and I just love coming back to it every update.

Man. This right here, is the ending to a master piece. If this comic ever gets made into a film, this is the scene where it would end. There’s still unresolved stories and plot threads because we’re not just reading a narrative, we’re seeing a snapshot of someones life, and there’s always more stories going on all the time.

I’m also really inebriated, so take all this with a grain of salt.

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