2287 Nerder.

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On March 20th the comic will have officially been in existence for 15 years. Even though the dates don’t match up on the site because of various disasters. I’m not going to plan anything special because whenever I do something happens to stop me. So it’s just going to be a thing that happens. I think from now on, instead of deleting the Amazon link for the holidays I’m just going to leave it up forever. If you want to send me a gift at any point for this thing I do I’m just going to accept that you want to praise me in the form of objects. At this point I feel like I’ve earned at least that much.

It’s been a long, strange, road. I’ve gone through major depression that lasted for over a year, anxiety disorders, the death of an uncle that resulted in our family taking in & raising his minor daughter briefly, hospital stays of at least a week twice, which I’ve never recovered from fully… Now I’m somewhat agoraphobic, but the anxiety isn’t much of a problem. The Teen has found her place in the world. I feel like I helped her learn ways to navigate her journey in a positive way even when things are bad. In all that time, in spite of all those things, I always had content here when I said it would be. That’s not a bad failure rate. Eventually something will break my streak. That’s a given. It’s only a matter of time. Al systems fail eventually. Even then, if I still have the ability to work after whatever happens, I’ll get back up & keep going. When I started this comic I made a pact with myself that either it would eventually get to a point where it would support me financially, or I would die. I didn’t leave myself an escape route. I’m willing to compromise on a lot of things, but that was something I set in stone for myself & I’ll keep living that way until I choose to end this story. After that, assuming it WAS my choice, we’ll see where things go. For the moment, for the foreseeable future, I have enough story to tell to keep things going for quite some time. Hopefully enough people will want to see where things go long enough for me to tell all the story I want to tell.

Several times this year I’ve gotten messages saying something like “I can’t believe you’re still doing this, I stopped reading for some reason but wanted to read it all again & you’re still going!” Then they read the archive and say something like “This story is amazing! It’s only gotten better. I loved reading it all at once.” People were at loose ends, felling alone, & they remembered that my work made them feel safe & normal & came back to me. I like that. The idea that I can be a haven for people who are weary of the world outside. I think it might have been Scott Kurtz who said what you post doesn’t matter nearly as much as showing up for people. I took that to heart & if I couldn’t always be funny I could at least always be THERE. Being there for people is so much more important than you realize. Being a home for someone, an oasis, a safe harbor, is a very good thing to be. I’ve tried to do that in spite of my limitations as a person, a writer, & an artist.

Tomorrow isn’t promised to us, but if I get another I’ll be here… For as many tomorrows as I get.

37 Comments

I’ve never commented before, but I’ve been reading for a long time. My friend randomly said “choke slams for everyone!” one time and I got hooked. What others say is true. This comic does make me feel normal. Even at my worst, I can come read a few strips and it helps to center me.

More than that, not only has it inspired me to be determined and consistent, but that determination has saved me more than once.

Sappy comment, maybe, but I’m proud of you and the work you’ve done and you deserve so much more than you get. Much love to you and most of the other commenters who have come and gone.

Your work, this comic, kept me together through some really tough times. Between that and Henry Rollins, it kept me from finding a bridge to dive off of.
So, thank you. Thank you so freaking much.

Congrats on the 15-year milestone. You make one of my favorite comics and it remains fresh and engaging.

P.S. I love Reggie’s final comment on this page. Carol, I know you’re having fun, but dial it back.

I had this comic bookmarked, and a couple of JPGs (Carol and Alex) saved to my drive, for a couple years before I dove in and binged from the start. I don’t remember at what point I became current with it, but it has been a meaningful part of my webcomic diet.

Carol here doesn’t have the omniscient knowledge of Reggie that we have, so she doesn’t know yet that this is adorable.

Commenting again to say I’m still here still reading every page and still loving that you’re doing this. Also here to say I’ll still gladly buy physical copies of this if you’re ever able to compile them.

I’ve been reading all the stuff you post for a while now. (I do miss the fantasy text stories) You do great work. And it pains me, but Kurtz was right. You care about your work and your readers and you keep your commitments and it shows. Kurtz stopped caring, started farming out his work, and then didn’t show up for a long time. He was always a bit of an arse, but I stuck with him until he stopped bothering to show up. Keep on being you Jackie, we’re with you!

Kurtz had his own life problems to deal with for a big chunk of time. But he’s been back for a while now, finding a new balance, but producing again.

Frankly it astounds me how nasty fans can get at artists. It also amazes me to see the commitment people like Jackie make to creating something new so consistently. What creators make is a gift to us, it’s a shame so many people are jerks when checking the teeth.

Congrats on the pending milestone Jackie, and thank you for sharing your gifts with us.

Congratulations and felicitations. I’ve been reading this comic for years now, and it’s still fresh. You have a talent for storytelling, and you’re a good artist.

Your comic is always the highlight of my MWF. Your characters are all really well done and your writing is superb!

Carol is right and wrong. Reggie does have a type. It’s smart girls and the two smartest girls Reggie knows are Nina and Alex.
One thing that I realized had changed with me, is my perception of Reggie. For the vast majority of the comic, Reggie seemed to be a one dimensional dick. I didn’t really understand what Thomas saw in him. I wonder if this was intentional so we can relate to the other characters. However, now that I have seen Reggie’s humanity, he seems so much more relatable that even when he’s being a dick in this comic, it doesn’t seem nearly as dick-ish as it used to be.

Holy Carp! I can’t believe this comic’s been goin’ since I was seven!

I was actually one of the people who’d lost this comic at one point, just to refind it later. I’ve been very careful not to lose it since, as it’s one of my favorites to read through! I truly look forward to each update :)

Oh my God, this dialogue is gold. Your work is normally at A rank, Jackie, but today’s strip is S rank. <3

I haven’t commented before, but I want you to know I’ve been reading your comic for about a decade now, and it’s truly amazing how consistently you’ve presented a world and characters that fell so real. Having this familiar world to fall back on when times are tough has been so helpful, and I really appreciate everything you do.

Fifteen years! Congratulations. Your comic is a daily highlight; Locked in and since COVID going out very little, it helps keep me on an even keel.
I wish you much good health and happiness, and thank you for all your hard work!

I have to say, I’m always annoyed by people when they think one can’t be into different types of girls.

I can think a thin girl or girl with some weight on her, looks good. It’s not an either or. It’s a straight, “Do I think she’s cute or not?”

I can agree with that, :D

Here’s a 1970 song, named “Spill the Wine”, aka “Do I Dig That Girl”.
Please give it a listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=espD_-Z-SaY

Actual lyrics:
Spill the wine, take that pearl…
But it sounds much more like
Do I get that girl.

A mondegreen.

(Said in a sardonic tone)- “well, shucks! I heard that wrong.”
:D
Oh well.
Lotsa people think that Jimi Hendrix sang-

“‘Scuse me, while I kiss this guy!”

Thanks for telling me about, “mondegreen”.
That’s a cool, new word for my vocabulary! :)

I came to this comic relatively late. Honestly, I can’t even remember anymore what it was that led me here. Still, I liked what I saw and decided to give it a chance to catch me, so I went back to the archive. Not only did it catch me, I very quickly came to love not only the story, but the characters as well. I had the entire archive (which, at that time, numbered around 1400) finished in the span of a weekend.

What you’ve created here is something truly beautiful Jackie, never let yourself think otherwise. Likewise, never allow yourself to doubt that what you’ve created has been able to touch the lives of those who read it.

Speaking solely for myself, this story has given a much needed source of entertainment and happiness to someone who is dangerously low on either one, and given someone who has sometimes questioned if going on is even the correct decision, something to look forward too. For that, I greatly thank you and wish you a long and happy career.

I’ll be here to see it.

“For the moment, for the foreseeable future, I have enough story to tell to keep things going for quite some time. ”
I think this is the best thing I’ve heard so far in this horrible year. Literally.

Over the course of my dating life (now well behind me) I did not seem to have a “type” as far as body shape went. It was as here, entirely as to whether there was chemistry or not. However I once made a comment within earshot of my son, about a woman I thought of as interesting. He replied yeah she is your type…. I said hold on, what do you mean by my type? He said you know… loud aggressive women. I thought about that for a moment, and realized I have a type….

So, 15 years, that is an impressive milestone. You are in pretty exclusive territory now my friend. Your comic has become one of my favourites and I hope to continue to read it for a long time yet.

15 years is a damn impressive feat by anyone’s yardstick (to mix metaphors). Thank you for bringing us these characters and I hope you will keep going for a long time. I’ll be here as long as you are. :)

I don’t comment much here, but I do want to chip in and say congrats, good job, and keep up the good work. I’ve been reading longer than I can quantify, and I’ll keep reading as long as you keep posting. Do us a favor though, if you would: write down the broad strokes of your future plans for the comic and leave them somewhere not too hidden. I’ve seen too many artists drop off the face of the earth lately (especially through 2020), and if anything more permanent than a bad wrist does happen to you, it’d be nice to get some closure on these beloved characters. I like hearing about your life and understanding of the world, and I’ll miss you too, should the unthinkable happen. But here’s hoping you’ll outlive me!

Holy Crap! Now that I’ve commented on the thread from the 3rd, I went and read the thread from the 5th, only to find that you’ve already addressed exactly what I was saying!

Anyhoo, again, love your comic, love your thoughts, keep on truckin (or something else inane but appreciative/encouraging).

I’m doing one of those rediscovery rereads right now! Super fun to see that 15 years of the comic was so close to my bday haha

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