CCLXIX: Billie VII
on October 26, 2020
at 4:00 am
Production Code: UTC259
First, thank you to everyone who commented and wrote to me about the return of UTC. I can’t describe in words how much it means to hear from you and know that you still enjoy the comic after so many years and so many long breaks. I’m going to keep doing the best I can to bring Cass and Flint’s story to you all.
Stepping outside of the comic for a moment, I’m posting here the message that ran on the main page for the past two days. It’s down here now but it’s as important today as it was on Monday, and will continue to be important for a long time to come.
Hi, folks!
Quick update after a long summer hiatus to let you know that new UTC pages will start on Monday, September 14. I’m not sure yet what the frequency of the release schedule will be. I’ll announce that when the first new page arrives.
Thank you for your patience! Hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
Hi Everyone,
I hope you’re all safe and well. I just wanted to give you an update on where things stand with the comic. New pages should start coming out in a week or two.
I recently upgraded to a new computer with brand new art software. Since UTC’s launch in 2007 I’ve been using now-ancient versions of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to color and balloon the pages. (During Chapter 11 I also used an equally old copy of Manga Studio to draw everything.)
I’ve now gotten Clip Studio Paint, and am learning the intricacies of that program. My hope is that I’ll be able to use just this one program for all of the comic’s digital needs starting with Chapter 13.
In the meantime I’ve been trying to finish up the remaining pages of the final story for Chapter 12. It’s ironic that they were the first pages I started drawing for the chapter back in November, yet it’s taken me until now to finish them up.
Given the lack of updates these past weeks, I’m putting the Patreon campaign on pause. Patreon supporters won’t be charged for next month’s updates.
I encourage everyone supporting me to redirect the pledges you’ve reserved for me to other artists who are in need right now. The impact of this virus is hitting freelancers very hard. I’m lucky to still have a full-time job. Many don’t, and they deserve a helping hand.
To anyone who isn’t already supporting artists on Patreon, if you have the means to, this is a great time to start.
Take care of yourselves, and each other.
Hi, everyone. First off, act 2 of Chapter 12 begins Tuesday, December 17. I’m going to keep trying to put the pages out on Tuesdays and Thursdays but with the holidays coming, updates may drop to one page per week.
If you’ve been waiting for my commentary on the last chapter, it’s finally been recorded. Real talk, though: the reason it’s taken me months to record it is because I have been going back and forth on how to talk about the making of the chapter. As I’ve hinted at over the years, working on this particular part of UTC was a very trying time for me, and I decided that, for better or worse, I should tell the entire story, including the upsetting parts.
Be advised I discuss cancer and armed violence at length, and dip into politics briefly as well. If you just want to know about the making of the comic without the heavier stuff, that’s understandable. All of the essential info is written in the commentary on the pages themselves, so you should look back through the comic archive for that.
One important thing to note that I don’t believe I stress enough in the video itself — I AM OKAY. I got a little upset while reflecting on the events of the past few years but it’s all in the past, and I am having a much better time making Chapter 12. And that is largely thanks to your support through all these years. Thanks for sticking with UTC, and I hope you take some good things out of this commentary if you choose to listen to the whole thing. It’s, uh, pretty long.
The Christmas countdown has begun! For TODAY ONLY, digital copies of UTC Volumes 1 and 2 are on sale at itch.io for 50% off. If you don’t have either of these yet, you can purchase them both at an extra discount! These PDF volumes contain the same content as the trade paperbacks: every UTC page from 2007 to 2015, plus bonus goodies not published on the website.
Head over to the Catomix Cyber Monday Sale between now and 11:59 pm Monday (U.S. Eastern time)!
