Okay, I never wanted to have to say this, but I’m going to have to take a few weeks off.
I have a paying gig I’m working on right now that is on a tight schedule and there simply isn’t enough time in the day for them and me both. You folks have all been so good to me and I feel kinda crappy doing this to you, but this isn’t the season to be walking away from cash. (Especially seeing as it is a relatively big project with a nice payoff at the end.)
However, I want to emphasize that I am also not walking away from HOLE. This is temporary, and you will see a normal resumption of comics and blogs on Monday the 27th of this month. I beg your patience and forgiveness, and fervently hope you return when things pick back up.
{ 96 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, don’t walk back to HOLE without a featherfall spell. It’s a long drop.
Lame joke—completed.
LOL!
If this is contract work make sure they pay you early and often. If you’ve already done that then I’m sure you can ask or research whatever other contracting questions you’ve got as they occur to you.
It’s a job with a well known and respected advertising agency. I should be fine.
Just make sure they don’t make a life insurance behind your back.
Like he would ever find out or be able to stop them? Be reasonable.
So you will never go for more than a week without being paid, and you’ve already nailed down all the things they could try to make you do for free as instead things they will pay you for?
Large companies are less likely to fold up and go poof without paying you but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an impressive arsenal of tricks to get you to do work for them without being paid, or without being paid enough.
Well, yeah. It’s just that the agency I’m working for has a history of hiring, and paying, freelancers. Thanks for the concern, but I’m pretty confident I’ll be okay on this one.
Then good luck and better value-for-money lawyers man, if it turns into a bitter learning experience this may persuade me to share one of my stories.
Just so long as you DO come back. Remember, there are crazy people that read yer comic and some of them are skilled enough to find yer address and track you down if you don’t keep them distracted with cartoon boobies.
Some of those crazy people already know his address.
Kevin, just curious, but what happened to the buffer?
My back, gallbladder, and Dragon*con ate the buffer. I thought I’d be able to stay ahead anyway, but such was not the case.
Hmm, “Dragoncon ate my buffer”
That sounds like somthing for a t-shirt / sticker.
Ill be here.
Thanks. That means a lot.
Pah! Was it only til the 27th? Don’t worry, atleast I can wait. I was worried that this would keep you away til March or something. Have fun doing whatever you will be doing.
It’s not forever, but it’s still longer than I would like. But this story is itching to be told and I really DO have to finish it.
aw man and this is one of my fave comics too, maybe we should figure out some other way to entertain your guests =O
(considers posting under comments a stick figure comic of Kevin’s characters doing ridiculous things that he most likely would not approve of them doing)
[bunker is ultra republican conservative and believes the rich should pay no taxes while the working class has to pay 99% tax]
hehehehehe
Is there something ridiculous enough that Kevin won’t approve his characters doing?
I can’t imagine…
Indeed, enjoy the work, make sure they pay you promptly and see you when you come back…
Thanks.
Will do!
Well, everybody needs money. So this is totally cool with me. See you soon.
I appreciate it, Dagon.
Sellout
.
Heh, seriously though, I am glad that you have found a paid thing. I am constantly amazed at the number of people who are willing to do webcomics to entertain the hordes on the Internet for next to nothing.
Just out of curiosity, what kind of paid work is it?
Oh, and as a thought, how about posting some kind of contentious issue to discuss and debate while you are away so we can start a mini flame war in comments to keep us entertained?
Maybe you could set someone up to do fillers? Kinda like a guest DM?
On second thought, what if it’s someone like Martin?
The project is a short series of TV commercials to be used as internal memos for a large company. They try to explain some complex issues quickly and in a slightly more fun way to people who don’t have the time to read through the piles of paperwork.
Yes. I see the irony.
If anyone out there would like to do a guest strip, I’d be happy to post it! (Funny trumps porny.)
Ah, so just posting porn pics doesn’t count as filler?
It’s okay! Make lots of money and keep the roof over your head. I’ll check the site hourly until you come back. Then I’ll go back to checking it every minute…
You know it always posts at midnight, right?
Ten o’clock if you live on the West Coast. It’s how I get some of the first posts when I’m bored right before bed. “Hey, a new HOLE! Now sleep.” We’ll miss you Kevin, but as they say, money makes the world go round. Do what you gotta do.
Thanks, Tim.
Kevin this does not at all fit the starving artists bill, in fact it sounds rather goal oriented and career founding. I’m worried about you.
So does this mean we get the Lena channel till you get back? I hear it is really good.
I really think you should press this. She’s been talking about doing a guest spot in HOLE for years.
I sent a suggestion, haha, it would be great to hear from the better half of Kevin
Agreed! She’s on this thing now where she wants to produce one piece of art a day. Make her post ‘em!
I hear that! where are you art pieces Lena?
I caved. New post today. (:
Good luck, Kevin!
And don’t worry about taking some time away from the comic, other webcomic artists have done that too, it’s not uncommon. As long as you don’t stop updating the comic for two years without even leaving a message on your homepage saying if you’re still alive (like what happened to another webcomic I used to read)….
THAT will certainly not happen. If I don’t post for two years, I am definitely dead.
Having some ready cash to deal with those pesky bills and fight off the occational disaster that pops up in your life is rather nice, so i completly understand.
I look foreward to seeing you on your triumphant and hopefully flush return!
Thanks Kroiden. You guys are really the best.
Starts the chant….
Lena
Lena!
Lena!!
LENA!!!
Congrats on the paying gig and go get em tiger.
Lena? You paying attention?
Yep. New post today. (:
LENA!
LENA!
LENA!
If I call her name three times, will she appear?
There are reports that Evil Lena will appear and eat all the ice cream out of your refrigerator. She can be warded off with peach flavor however.
I hate peach. *runs back to Monday’s post*
OMG omg omg… wtf am I supposed to do without my HOLE comics! Damnit Kevin – iNeedMyFixNow!!!
How long has it been since you reread from the beginning?
Too true, it’s been about a year since I last re-read from the start. Let’s see, 707 comics, at say 5 a day, that should last me last me through this drought, right? Although I’ll have to go through the to-and-from-colour transition again.
On the other hand, I’m moving my family from New Zealand to Canada in a month, so maybe that will somehow fill up the free time..
Perhaps somehow…
Why are you coming here? Harper will ruin us! You’re moving to a doomed land!
A DOOMED LAND!
A doomed land, eh?
Yeah, well, I didn’t vote for the Conservatives. The wife and I used to vote for Ed Broadbent (NDP). When we left Canada, everybody thought Steve Martin was doing a great job, our budgets were deficit free, and we were paying down the national debt. I think the wife secretly decided we’d better come back and kick our homeland in the butt. Somebody has to do it!
Steve Martin?
Well, ya gotta pay the rent and eat, the number of webcomics I know of that make enough money for that I can count on one hand (have you considered money laundering? It turns unprofitable businesses like webcomics into profitable ones. Until they kill you and burn your house down). Do us a favor and update your blog with videos from time to time till you get back, I’m still dying every time I watch Markets of Britain.
“Me! I’d like some butter!… Idiots…”
That might be my favorite.
Ok, my comments.
First, as a loyal reader (no matter how many times Kevin has changed things up trying to run us off), I think we deserve a cut. Seeing as how it’s our suffering that is enabling him to get payed, we should get a “placation fee”.
Second, I’m no artist, but I have some ideas. Maybe I can do a couple of guest strips. It might even give Kevin some ideas.
Third, even if no one posts a guest strip, I’d at least like to see the occassional blog post (even if it just says “I’m still alive….”). I’m not talking about anything that should take more than 5 or 10 minutes to post. That’ll give us idiots who will still visit the site daily something new to post comments about.
I think I can handle that, SQLGuru.
I’ll work out an equitable cut. (Equitable for someone anyway.)
grats on the job kevin hope you do well. see you when you get back
Thanks, man.
It’s ok. We forgive you.
LOL, much appreciated.
ok, seeing as we have 17 days to amuse ourselves, why don’t we behave like proper forum geeks and play a HOLE elimination game! I’m sure everyone knows the rules, each post gets to add a +1 and a -1, anyone who reaches 0 is eliminated, last hero standing wins.
10 Bunker
11 Enkidu +1 just to give him a head start
10 Martin
10 Freya
10 Morty
10 Fleece
9 Zobbie -1 I liked her better when she was a man
10 Bunker
10 Enkidu (-1 cause I liked “him” better in his female form (not the “fat chick” form though))
10 Martin
10 Freya
10 Morty
10 Fleece
10 Zobbie (+1 for the always bare boobies)
10 Bunker
10 Enkidu
11 Martin (+1 cause I’m a fan of his “inventive” playstyle LOL)
10 Freya
9 Morty (-1 cause he’s short and I just didn’t see him standing there, oops)
10 Fleece
10 Zobbie
10 Bunker
9 Enkidu (-1 wow, even with a bump at the beginning. Already loosing)
12 Martin (+1 Wait a minute…. I didn’t vote for Martin.)
10 Freya
9 Morty
10 Fleece
10 Zobbie
11 Bunker (+1 because I like him the most.)
8 Enkidu (-1 because he is a jerk)
12 Martin
10 Freya
9 Morty
10 Fleece
10 Zobbie
11 Bunker
9 Enkidu (+1 Because he is a jerk.)
12 Martin
10 Freya
8 Morty (-1 Because he isn’t.)
10 Fleece
10 Zobbie
11 Bunker
9 Enkidu
12 Martin
10 Freya
9 Morty (+1 because dwarves are, paradoxically, awesome!)
9 Fleece (-1 because she’s actually a half NPC, and I liked her earlier versions better)
10 Zobbie
11 Bunker // 10 Freya // 9 Morty // 9 Fleece // 10 Zobbie –Unchanged
10 Enkidu +1 –Because he pulls off being a jerk with such panache.
11 Martin -1 –Because players that try to cheat annoy me very much (although it’s excusable with this GM perhaps).
11 Bunker
9 Enkidu (-1, for never learning)
11 Martin
10 Freya
10 Morty (+1, for having the best voice)
9 Fleece
10 Zobbie
(Love this game!)
Actually, Morty should be at 10, unless your vote carries double to power, but I don’t mind him staying up there.
11 Bunker
9 Enkidu
11 Martin
10 Freya
10 Morty (Fixed Kevin’s intervention)
10 Fleece (+1… I like rogues)
9 Zobbie (-1 because I don’t think the Zobbie is as well developed as s/he should be)
12 Bunker (+1 because being the straight-man is tough)
8 Enkidu (-1 because he is a butt-head)
11 Martin
10 Freya
10 Morty
10 Fleece
9 Zobbie
10 Morty, Kevin added +2 instead of +1(it was 9, Kevin voted so=10, not 11).
Derp! I see that, now. Okay:
12 Bunker (+1 because being the straight-man is tough)
8 Enkidu (-1 because he is a butt-head)
11 Martin
10 Freya
10 Morty
10 Fleece
9 Zobbie
Nobody’s off the island yet? What’s up with that?
I guess because you have crafted a strong engaging characters, who each appeal to different sections of your audience, with well balanced views and archetypes.
Either that or people are gaming the system.
Since we are committed to amusing ourselves, I would like to take this opportunity to declare that my cat produces EPIC TURDS! Years of constipation stretched out his colon, and problem we did not address until he started crapping all over the house. He would always start with his cat box, but if that did not “work”, he would try another location, and another. We finally got him on Metamucil, so now he happily produces a human-sized turd every few days. The Metamucil itself creates much of the bulk. It also moves along the hair said he doesn’t cough up hairballs anymore. Just wanted to share….
Ooh, gross pet stories time!
I once had, for a couple of weeks, to apply an ointment to my late dog’s testicles due to some skin condition, daily.
He didn’t appreciate it very much, for some reason.
But at least I didn’t have to bathe him, he’d try to KILL you when you did, and he wasn’t a little doggy either.
Some people will think this is gross.
My brother just got a goliath bird-eating spider. It’s misnamed. It actually eats mice. And is the size of a small dinner plate
Ewww! This IS gross, but kinda cool.
Maybe it eats bird-mice?
Sure it eats mice, because that’s what your brother feeds it with. The only reas0n it doesn’t eat birds is because they can fly, while mice can’t.
Does he feed it live mice for authenticity’s sake or cheaps out and gives it dead ones?
He actually does give it live mice. Well, they’re alive for the first couple minutes, anyway. After that they’re spider chow. I tell people we tie a string around it’s body and set it loose in the house at night. No burglars so far
No rodent infestation either.
Though I think a fluffy, warm cat would do a better job while also being far more cuddly.
Depends on the cat, some are so thoroughly domesticated or brain-damaged they are bad mouse and bug hunters.
OK, random rule for 2nd picks and 3rd picks, you’re not allowed to pick the same two as in your first pick!
12 Bunker
8 Enkidu
11 Martin
11 Freya (+1 because I like the way her hair has gradually changed length over the years)
10 Morty
9 Fleece (-1 NPC who doesn’t have enough frame-time)
9 Zobbie
13 Bunker (+1 because he finally grew a pair)
8 Enkidu
11 Martin
11 Freya
10 Morty
8 Fleece (-1 for having the most complicated outfit to draw)
9 Zobbie
13 Bunker
8 Enkidu
12 Martin (+1 for having an excellent taste in mating partners, if not in henchwomen)
10 Freya (-1, IDK, I just never really cared about her)
10 Morty
8 Fleece
9 Zobbie
ETA: Why are these two posts on a teal background and not white?
13 Bunker
8 Enkidu
13 Martin (+1 for being a rogue in Warlock’s clothing)
9 Freya (-1, for being a bit schizophrenic)
10 Morty
8 Fleece
9 Zobbie
12 Bunker (-1, too much drama lately)
8 Enkidu
13 Martin
9 Freya
10 Morty
9 Fleece (+1, hot chicks in skimpy outfits)
9 Zobbie
12 Bunker
9 Enkidu (+1 because he wins at every enemy engagement)
13 Martin
8 Freya (-1 she complains too much)
10 Morty
9 Fleece
9 Zobbie
Bunker/Enkidu/Martin/Freya/Morty unchanged at 12/9/13/8/10
Fleece +1 because rogues do it under cover of darkness 10
Zobbie -1 because gender double-bending makes me think of The Wotch 8