Hey everyone!!

I know I haven't been the best at keeping everyone informed of my daily goings-on. Or, at the very least, the goings-on of Wandering Trials, and what everyone can expect next.

Well, I have some good news and some bad news.

For your benefit, I'm gonna start off with the bad news:

The webcomic that you all know is going away for a little while. Possibly permanently. I HAVE A VERY GOOD REASON FOR THIS! Allow me to explain!

Firstly, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed that the writing has gotten just a bit disjointed over the past few updates. There hasn't been a whole lot of story progression, just a lot of stand-offs and cliffhangers. Granted, sometimes this can keep reader anticipation high enough to continue the story. But, due mainly to my hectic schedule, I haven't been able to update the story the way I've wanted to, not to mention WHEN I've wanted to.

Secondly, an offer has come along very recently that I would be a certifiable IDIOT to pass up. This is where the GOOD news comes in:

Over the past couple of months, GraveyardGreg has been working hard and making deals with the people over at FurNation to get his and Gaby's comic, "Carpe Diem" published. This paid off in a HUGE way at AnthroCon 2004. They put together a small print run of 150 copies, which sold out by midday Saturday.

Now, the two admins of FurNation, Nexxus and Rackett, have both expressed interest in expanding their readership to a more mainstream type of comic. And, being as Wandering Trials really doesn't fit in the "Furry/Anthro" category, they think it'll fit the bill elsewhere pretty nicely. And, based on the suggestion made by GraveyardGreg, they have extended the offer to me to get issue #1 of Wandering Trials printed and ready for distribution at MFM this September!

Now, my one reservation about printing up Wandering Trials in comic form is that, as stated earlier, my writing for the comic has been pretty stale. The concept is there! But, it needs a little refining. Some scenes could do with a little hemming, while others could use a little expansion. Thankfully, this gives me JUST the opportunity I need to refine the story. So, what you'll see in the printed version of Wandering Trials will not be COMPLETELY different. But, it'll definitely be different enough to keep you interested.

This opportunity could very well allow me to put out a new issue every 2 months! If I can keep up with that kind of schedule, we be offering up Issue 6 by AC next year.

I know, I know, if I'm having this much trouble putting out a single page once a week, how'm I gonna be able to put out a bi-monthly print comic? Well, I don't know. But, if you want something badly enough, you'll make the effort whenever and wherever necessary! And, that's just what I'm going to do. I've managed to plot out and script out the first 24 pages of the story so far. And, that's just within the last few days, with major thanks going to Gaby for helping me refine the story. She's a hell of a writer, which I'm sure not many of you know. But, I promise you, you will when this comes out.

Now, in the interim, the webcomic will be on indefinite hiatus. This means no new pages for a while, I'm sorry to say. :\ However, in the next couple of days I'm planning on launching www.wanderingtrials.com This site will be set up to give some character bios, fan art, updates and news on production of our comics (both Wandering Trials and Carpe Diem) and maybe the miscellaneous extra from time to time.

My sincerest apologies for those of you who've only recently gotten into Wandering Trials. The last thing I intended to do was leave it on a cliffhanger like this. But, I intend to resolve it eventually. You're all just gonna have to trust me on this.

This board is going to stay up for now! Feel free to keep the conversation going. Ask any questions you like about the new comic! I'll see what I can do about answering 'em. (Don't be surprised if I don't answer them COMPLETELY straight forward. Gotta keep some mystery about it all, right?)

I'll keep ya all posted! Promise!

Seeya!

That all sounds pretty exciting.  Getting your comic published is way better than continuing to place effort into the webcomic.  Certainly it's an opportunity not to be missed, and could even be profitable.  I suppose the biggest hurdle that's in your way (as is for a many a people) is probably just lazyness and lethargy. 

I hope it goes good.  If not you can always continue the storyline anyways!

This is very true!

However, I do have the first page conceived, and partially finished in pencil. Once I get past that, the rest will just get easier. I just need to get into the right rhythm, that's all.

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll keep everyone posted in here about the progress.

Might even give a sneak peak at my new website, once I get it up and running.

Seeya!

DRAT!!!!

No more "Wandering Trials" May as well take it out of the "Favorites" Folder.
Won't have access to a comic book, from what I gather it'd only be available at shows??
Too bad the webcomic appears to essentially have came to a end -- at least it seems to be, but hopefully not, and will continue on web.

Man! I am having not so great luck with webcomics: "Furry!" hasn't updated since July 5, "Mixed Myth" is sporadic, and perhaps no "Wandering Trials" now.
"Gaming Guardians" is only one I look at now that is on schedule.


Later. -- RedLion --

Well, that's not necessarily true, RedLion.

Wandering Trials isn't going away completely. I just won't be updating it any longer online.

After all, I wanna make it fair to everyone. Why make some people pay for a comic that they can otherwise see online for free? And, for those who've read it online up to this point, why make you pay for something you've already seen? I'm retooling the story (with a helping hand from Gaby, who happens to be a DAMN fine writer) and completely redrawing it at the same time. I intend for this story to have a much better flow to it than the webcomic version had.

Now, I know the best part about webcomics is that you don't have to pay for 'em. Believe me, I hate to charge people for it. But, at the same time, this is my chance to actually make some money at something that I love doing, and that I've BEEN doing for years now. Even if it's not successful, I can't very well NOT take the opportunity.

If you're still willing to follow the story, the comic will be made available online over at the FurNation store. They'll also send me some copies to send out. So, there'll always be a way for you to get your hands on it.

Hopefully, in the next week or so, I'll have the official site up and running with some previews of how the new comic will look. Just remember, it's a B&W comic. So, there's not gonna be a whole lotta color except for the cover. Promise, I'll make it worth it for ya, though.

Seeya!

Still disappointing to me--and, I am sure, to other "Wandering Trials" fan's--though that the series is essentially going away for those who can't afford monthly fee's to read comics.
Very disappointed that the feeling seems to be that web readers are only freeloaders and unimportant...

I really have to agree with RedLion, to be honest. I'll admit that this is a really great opportunity, of course, and you probably would be a fool to pass it up... but it does seem kind of like a slap in the face to everyone who's been reading the comic up to this point, and continue to keep coming even after all the lapses in updating, and the rather curious turns that the story has taken. Granted, I could probably afford the $5 or whatever the comic would cost per month myself easily enough... of course, I've never been much of an actual comic-book reader, so there you go.

It's a moot point either way, though, but I thought it should be said. Best of luck with this then, I suppose, Pegasus.

Shannon Spencer Fox

Eh. I've watched and read and voted since the beginning after TnT ended, and I'm inclined to agree with the other two people who are a little irritated. Although in my case it has more to do with you not having any time to work on it, then, ooh, money, and it's your passion again.

But hey, you are a talented artist and I wish you the best - it's just kind've weird that you'd alienate established fans to such a degree to start from scratch.