So here we are, a few months into Operation Safehouse, and what do we have to show? Books 7 and 8 are back, book 11 was released, and book 12 is 90% there! (BTW: Books 12 and 13 will encompass all of 'That Which Redeems'!) But it's not all upshots! Apparently the current storyline SUCKS! :)
Look, I know some of you are enjoying it tons and have let me know, but I can tell from the reactions forums alone that something is wrong! Specific stuff aside, here's a guide to how I process the general positive or negative feedback from the reactions forums:

"Reactors love it" + "I know it's good" = The Universe is in Balance
"Reactors hate it" + "I know it's good" = I'm alert to concerns, but COME ON, I've got GOLD here!
"Reactions nonexistent and mostly negative" + "I know I'm not working the scripts hard enough" = FAIL
(Oh, and there's also: "Reactors love it" + "I didn't work that hard" = I WIN! Video game time!)

Now this isn't like when I screwed up during Oceans Unmoving, or when I similarly got lost in exposition in 4U City Red. In both those situations I simply had too much information to convey in too short a time to hold attention. Safehouse is different. Safehouse is me not having elbow room to write.

My intention was to write simple humorous short strips that were actually going to come together in plotty-goodness in the end. But I lacked that elbow room to write at the level I'm used to, even on basic gag-strips. As it turns out I need peace, an empty house, and time to enjoy life in order to have the focus I need to pound a strip's script into place just so. 4U City Red upped my stress, and although I'm ecstatic and proud with the way it came out, I never came down off of the stress. Never had the chance, as It's been a constant barrage of events in my life stopping me from getting my focus back. And I fear it shows.

So that's my self diagnosis. What's the "tonic?" I need space! And you can't give it to me. *I* need to give it to me.

Here's what I'm thinking. There is actually a story behind the randomness of Safehouse.  I'm going to try to show that this week (the 19th to the 23rd). Then from the 23rd to the 1st I'm going to RELAX. Start moving my elbows out a little. And hopefully January's Safehouse Finale will be what it should be. And I'll make it my New Year's resolution to change my schedule so I get my elbow room back.

Because the next part after Safehouse is big! But you knew that! Happy safe and healthy holidays to you and yours! I'm taking a nap!

OK HERE'S THE DEAL! It has been driving me BONKERS that I took this year off from conventions (besides my two prior commitments) to work on getting books out and I so far got NO BOOKS (Curse you 4U City Red,  beach-vacation-evacuation, Hurricane Irene, five-day-power outage and everything else!)! but NO MORE! From this day forward I will be spending a chunk of time every day moving the 'books-in-production' ball forward. And because of this, I'm going to keep the Safehouse Chapter nice and simple for me. Don't look for any major plot advancement from any serious current stories (like the R&D wars, or anything about Sasha, Sam, or Zhoas). Sometimes there may even be only one row of comics! And the weekends may look pretty weak (like last weekend (oct2nd and 3rd)). But know that I'm still busting my tail! And hopefully I've have something to show by the December holidays!

A Little Ret-Con: I want to reorder the Chapter and Subsections since July 11th.  Basically I want to have Chapter 63 'Safehouse' start with subsection 1 'The Shallow Beds' on September 26, and move everything prior to that into a subsection of '4U City Red' entitled 'Breaking the News'. But I cant. Ever since the new site has rolled out, everything has been working so much better (besides the odd archive glitch or two). But the two most important things I still can't control are Defenders Compendium Entries, and editing Chapters and Subsections. Currently I rely on rit manually editing these, but he's off gallivanting across the world again (damn his opulent success!)  So it might be a while before Chapters, Subsections, and the Compendium get updated. It's always at the back of my mind, but whats on the forefront of my mind is BOOKS! Wish me luck!

What about those '4U City Riff Prints'? Waiting on a second proof. the first one was affordable but used a wax ink that wouldn't stand up to certain conditions like hot lamination. And I got a lead on a new printer. Clearly this is not going to happen fast as I originally hoped. I'll let you know when things change.

Become a Defender! Help Support the Strip
This page has all the details but I also wanted to mention “The Sampire” Defenders-Only Comic Book! 37 Pages of Sampire!

Being a Defender isn’t only about bonus content, it’s also about saying thanks for the years of entertainment this strip has provided you. And it gives me the gift of continuing to provide it for at least a few more years to come, for everyone! Just fill out the registration form, and you’ll be taken to a page where you can pay via Credit Card (link on the bottom left) or via Paypal. Your account should be activated almost immediately!* Checks and Money Orders can be sent to: Sluggy Freelance, LLC PO Box 453, Denville, NJ 07834 Please include a valid contact email with the check, and please allow 3 weeks* for account activation! (I can’t get out to my PO Box every day and personal checks take time to clear.)

Donate! When I started my last “New Defenders Drive” I was surprised how many people simply wanted to donate completely separate from Defenders Membership so I set one up! If you do go this route please donate at least $5 otherwise I' won't see much of the money due to processing fees.

*IMPORTANT: Once you’ve paid, (and waited the three weeks if paying by check or money order) if you can’t access Defenders content or log in for any reason contact me at defendersfix@sluggy.com and we’ll take care of you! We’ve noticed sometimes the Paypal payments and automatic membership activation don’t synch up, and I don’t want anybody left out!