End of this storyline, last comic of the year. Thank you for reading and for your endless support. See you in 2009!

Hope you all had a good holiday! Sorry for the missed update; I thought a little time off to visit family was in order. And hey look, what a relevant comic!

This storyline’s just about over. One more page, and then we’ll be starting a Valentine’s Day story. That’s right – Octopus Pie is the only place you will find a Valentine’s Day story in January. It’s going to be… colorful.

Christmas Eve already! Did you guys see this coming??

Hope your holiday is nice and the worst of your traffic woes are over. See you on the 26th!

Happy Monday! Sorry for the lame non-blogging. I am so tired guys. I feel like the stress of the holiday season is finally diminishing. I’m starting to clear my mind for upcoming projects, which I think will be a lot of fun for me and you! More posts when I’m more coherent.

Happy Hanukkah to all who think Hanukkah is excellent! I very much do.

I’m a fan of restaurants that write their own birthday themes and you should be too.

Can’t talk now, gotta do a million holiday errands! Have a good weekend!

The old birthday bathroom excuse, eh? It’s the gold standard and it WORKS, people.

I consider panels 2 & 3 to be the classic father-daughter conundrum. When Eve is 40, perhaps we can reevaluate.

Folks, thank you so much for your donations. I was somewhat timid in accepting them, and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I did. It’s very touching to see so many names – a few familiar, many I’ve never seen before – contribute to my well-being. It has lifted a great deal of stress over the past few days, and I can’t begin to describe how helpful that is.

There is now a donation button under the comic. I’d like to post about this just once.

As I’ve made clear before, I’m not in immediate danger. I have health insurance, a little bit of emergency savings, and friends and family who would help me if I needed them. So please, don’t worry about my kitty getting the flu or my snow tires popping on I-91. These are not comic-related problems and they’re not your concern.

As everyone’s figured out by now, times are tough. And what I don’t have is an actual salary. I sink almost every last penny earned through this website into rent, office/art supplies, and new merch. My hours are long, often extending through my weekends. It’s essentially 2 full-time jobs rolled into one, with a fraction of a single paycheck. And while that sort of workload will never bother me as long as I’m drawing what I love, the constant question of where the money will come from, week by week, is daunting.

There will be no status bars, no “save the comic” charity drives. You know I’m not giving up on the comic, no matter what. You know I will continue to update 3 times a week, without fail, whether you donate or not. If you can afford to donate, you will be doing an incredible service to me and to the comic. If you can’t afford to donate – if you’re in the same boat as me – consider writing a blog post, e-mailing a few of your friends, or lending out the books you already own. In the long run, a bigger readership will make a difference.

The donation button will be up until I no longer deem it necessary. I believe this time will come in 2009, when Octopus Pie’s inventory and audience will have grown to fit one another’s needs. Until then, I ask that you, my small (but mighty!) readership, help the comic through its growing pains and into another great year. Thanks so much.

Early update hooray!

Today is your last day to order stuff in the U.S. and reasonably expect it to arrive before X-mas. It’s also the last day for free shipping on books and all artwork! Go go go! In particular there is a little painting you might enjoy:

Have a good Friday and weekend, everyone.

“Veiny Arrows” is an actual place which for some reason is usually spelled as Veniero’s on signs and billboards. It’s no quinoa pilaf, but if you ever find yourself in Manhattan’s East Village it’s a pretty amazing pastry.

Folks, please observe holiday shipping deadlines! I will do my best to ship any US/Canada orders placed after December 12th, but I can’t make any promises. So please order your books, prints, original strips and artwork in the next 2 days. (Which, incidentally, is how long shipping will be free!)

Some of you have probably noticed I’ve been behind on paintings. An unfortunate result of work as we know it! But if you’re itchin’ for a painting, I will be posting a few tonight (Monday). So check back!