Before we continue, let me say how good it feels to hear how many of you love BARKEATER LAKE. I’m very lucky to have a fanbase so loyal and passionate. I’ve been through a lot with this strip and it feels good to know that I was never alone on the roller coaster.
Which brings me to the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my comic career. It’s time to end BARKEATER LAKE. I feel very strongly that the strip has run it’s course and that my heart is just not in it any longer. Truth be told, I probably held on a couple years too long. So, as of October 31st, BL, in strip form will end. I thought Halloween was the perfect day to end the crazy, plus it’s the week that I will be moving to NYC, permanently. BARKEATER LAKE began in Maine and it should end in Maine, me thinks.
Before you all get “angry mob” angry with me about my decision, let me run through my list of reasons for ending the strip…
1. Money. Sure, it’s petty, but the comic was really designed for syndication, and when it got pushed aside, it became a labor of love. 5 years of free Internet entertainment seemed like enough. I do thank all of you who supported BL over the years with purchases, donations and gifts. That was extra gravy for me and my work. Thank you.
2. In case you didn’t know, I write and draw three other strips. Plus, I blog, write scripts and farm out design and comic services on a freelance basis. I am physically and mentally beat. Of the comics I currently do, TOBY is too much fun and frankly, the easiest of the four to produce, ELDERBERRIES I’m contractually obligated to continue through 2014 and GREENE WITH ENVY is brand new, making me itch with anticipation over where it could lead. Dropping BL was the obvious choice. Losing it from my schedule can help me concentrate on those other projects, finish the pre-order BL books and allow me to sleep a normal night and work a (semi)normal day.
3. It’s just time. Like I mentioned before, I feel like I’ve told all the BL stories I want to tell. Dragging it on for another couple of years with half-baked stories and sporadic updates will be no fun for anyone. I need to feel better about my work, and finally putting this daily comic to bed is a huge step in that direction.
There is some good news in all this, however… I am in talks with GoComics to re-run the comic from the very beginning, right after the last new strip – I’ll let you all know as soon as I confirm that plan. There are other possible venues for the townsfolk of BARKEATER LAKE, as well, but let me just say first that none of these, save the two pending books, are guaranteed. We still have two long awaited books that need to be published, Rise of the CHPMNK Militia and Return to Barkeater Lake, as well as a possible, yet-to-be-named forth book. There is also a TV screenplay of BL circulating around that I hope to dive back into within the next year. I also plan on some cameos in my other strips and there are ideas floating around for a couple of BARKEATER LAKE short comic books.
So, to recap: BL ending as a daily strip on October 31st, reruns a possibility, at least two more books a reality and other venues a work in progress.
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you to all who take the time to email, comment and support my efforts. I know there are a lot who are upset at this decision, but you have to believe me when I say that it’s the right one for me and my career… And my sanity.
Let’s all enjoy the last two months of new BARKEATER LAKE strips and hey! I have three other great comics that I’d love to share with you…
Cheers, Beers and Bacon,
Corey “FRS” Pandolph
