(Open letter? What the heck does that mean? It’s just a letter. But if I call it a letter people will go “duh, I know it’s a letter”, but since I made this freely available to everyone shouldn’t they also go “duh, of course the letter is open?”)


Arrrrrrr the Carrrse of Oceans Unmoving! Some assembled words.


Hey everybody! I wanted to let you all know what a horrible mistake I’ve made in and with the comic lately! You see, I like throwing in epic complex storylines from time to time. That Which Redeems required a lot of background info about the “Dimension of Lame” and explaining too much detail could slow down the story at times, but I chose my battles and told my tale and was very happy with the finished product. Then I made a mistake.


I’m kinda like Hereti-Corp! “Even our mistakes are big!”


Timeless Space (a concept that was so durn cool and simple in my head) is a whole environment in which next to everything needed explanation and it has slowed the storytelling process immensely. There is just too much to comfortably and seamlessly weave into the daily strips without buckets of words or hundreds of panels. And to follow it so closely after That Which Redeems was very bad timing. But I really wanted to get back to Bun-bun who had been waiting far too long to be gotten back to (similar to Oasis and Aylee).


After the first part of Oceans Unmoving was finished, I took time to plan out how to make this next part less painful.


During Torg Potter III I experimented with NOT establishing things I normally would have to move the story forward (with the safety-net of knowing the ending would make the information needless) yet this experiment did cause confusion. A “I guess you had to know the movie or book to get that part, which I didn’t need for the other two Potter parodies” kind of thing. No book or movie to back up Oceans Unmoving. No safety-net. The setting for this story is just too doggone ambitious and the characters interact and conflict with too many elements of it.


And even the break to regroup caused problems as four months away from the story cause daily readers to forget elements that were established in Oceans Unmoving part 1.


Currently I’m using flashbacks to narrate things in a single panel that would otherwise take five strips to establish. Trying to rush through unimportant sections. And the end result is still wordy and confusing.


I think the whole story and all its complexities will come together as a nice tale once together in one piece (this probably would have made a great graphic novel, but as it were, I’m not in the graphic novel business) but for now I understand the torture to daily readers. Now the question is what do I do about it?


I could just scrap the whole thing… No I couldn’t. That’s just not me. I could put it on hold…finish up this story on the side and present it all at once…Leave Bun-bun’s fate unknown for years to come? Not so good either. I could do a crappy ending! But the ending is already written and I kinda like it.


So heres my plan. First is to come clean with you all on how I’m struggling on this one (Check!), try my best to move through quickly (it may be wordy but it’ll be direct as I think I can make it), encourage you to read Oceans Unmoving again to follow a little more of what’s going on, try to shore up all unessential data (you’ll just have to guess how people get drinking water or produce enough food to survive in such desolate terrain) and get to the good bits fast as I can. AND most importantly learn from my mistakes!


And to you guys following and enjoying this story, have no fear, I’m not intending on rushing through how it all comes together. I think you will keep enjoying it! At least I hope so.


I’m going to think twice before starting another potentially horribly confusing epic that requires buckets of rereading and gallons of text again! And after this story I’ll strive to get Sluggy back to its mid-roots. (Not its rootier roots, Clay’s doing a fine job of taking care of that!). And Aylee and Oasis.
Sometimes I might falter... for... er... months and months… But I’m always striving. This is my passion. This, and Star Wars Miniatures. But this more. Oh yes, so much more….
I’m off to battle my brain once again!
-Pete

And by the way I really don't read this forum but this was the best place to post it! ;)

That was great.

No need to apologize - as a serial author myself, I know how it goes. Thanks for keeping us informed. :) Also, cute little strip.

If you dont read the forums, i hope someone who's close to you and cant pass on the message does read them, Pete. I just wanted to say that you rule and this letter just proves furtherly your greatness. The way how you can bow your head and admit your mistakes (not that I really have anything against OU2, as I'm deeply enjoying it), but you being capable of feeling the discomfort of some of your readers, and do something about it, shows how much care and tought you put in sluggy.

Thank you for so many years of awesome storytelling, we can tell how much you love sluggy and that's what makes it so great, please keep the good work.

A nifty darn comic, indeed. I worship the comic.

He reads the forums, Mao, just not SRC; he does read Reactions. The main reason we have Reactions and SRC separate - and allow no spec in Reactions - is so that Pete can get feedback, but no one can claim Pete stole their spec-idea. (It's happened in the past.)

Here's hoping he at least reads this one thread, though. Or at least gets the reaction to this letter passed along.

I have to say that I've been enjoying Oceans Unmoving, but I do see how the "wordy and confusing" bits may be difficult for some to follow (and yes, at the moment I totally agree that this would've made a phenomenal graphic novel).

As an MST3K fan, it never really seemed necessary to ask how they get water, eat, breathe or other science facts (lalala), so maybe I've just been too "into" the story to notice when you mentioned those things.

Can't wait to see what this all means for us in the future (I'm not good at following rather straightforward announcements), so keep up the good work.

Hi Everybody! I'm trying to get banned!

[ADMIN EDIT] Paraphrased for clarity. --Thyla

Edit: Ouch! XD *is pwned* sowwy. I'll be a good boy.

Admitting one's errors in judgement to a fan base that can be equal parts unforgiving and irate or appreciative and understandingtakes class and courage, in my opinion. Bravo, Pete!

Seconded.

i wanted to make surer pete saw this so i tried to e-mail him, but i have no idea if it got through or not so i'm putting it here too. sorry about the spelling i really can't do anything about that.

ok pete, it's time you know the truth. and i apologize for my spelling

i've been reading your comics since almost the beginning. the fact that i'm only 20 now means that i've grown up reading your comic. when i started i was gangly and akward, and barly a teenager and i like to think that we've grown up somwhat together, your comic and me.

when we both started were were very cute. snippy one liners about satanic forces and bunnies with assorted weaponry. neither of our jokes or ideas were exactly brillient but were were both damned fun to be around, and god damn it people liked us.

a few years later we finally hit our stride. you introduced oasis and started experementing, i realized that the girls would never like me if i kept acting like an ass all the time, and we both aquired a certain attractivness, a certen dangerounsness, but we rocked.

then i entered college. and you stip platoed. we had troubles with our experements, and we both became disheatened as we lost things. your strip lost somthing, and i lost my many womens. but do not fear.

pete, your story, that last dimention of pain bit, was the best thing, in my opinion you ever did. it was hard. i saw that. i could easily tell you were struggeling but it was, dare i say, brilliant. it fixed relathip wants. it moved foward torg, it explained why torg likes, and puts up with bunbun, or vice versa why bunbun acually puts up with torg.

your dimention of pain story was brilliant. and you went on.

and you tried oceans unmoving. and i saaw immediatly that it was going to be harder still. and yes it's MUCh more clunky, but pete, it's the most daring and sucessful portrayl of such an idea as i have ever seen (providing that the entire series doesn't take place there) and the idea is new, undone withc makes it harder and better

you really do think like a gamer, or film maker, or dare i say god. you make worlds pete that's what you do. who who make worlds we think like littley arragoant gods.

you create dimentions and you build worlds, and you take us there and share them with us, and ANYONE who complains instead of thanking you for it is a selfish asshole, cause you do a fantastic job of it.

(here the part where i get selfish) we are both world makers pete. i understand how you get disheartenend and maybe i should't be giving you advice seeing as your so much older than i am, but i grew up reading your comics, and it really is the only webcomic i've even been able to keep up with (and i've loved it) but we are the magic makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams. (to quote willy wonka) without us experementing and sharing we won't grow, and we won't love telling stories so god damned much.

my advice is this. don't care so much what we think, i undestand you worry about us more cause many of us help pya your bills, but really don't we'll be there with you in the hard times, and the good times, we love you pete, and the rest of you, and even shirtguy tom somtimes, when we are really feeling like killing things (sorry tom but that is what you are there for.) bute really, just have some fun. just enjoy it.

keep trying

keep experementing

keep building your worlds

keep sharing

and we'll keep watching

and waiting

and supporting you when you do them

cause well atleas i, honestly love you, and what you do

and no this is not a come-on....



Truly, with love, kalman a. spigel

oh yeah, and as far as food and wather, how do people today who spend months at sea get food and watter. i assume that these people have better tech than the ancient exploreres did and they were okay for months away at sea, why do we really even need to worry aout this?

Arrrrr. Now I had to register just to post a reply to this

I just want to second what a few others have said. Oceans Unmoving is a truly epic piece of work. Sure it isn't filled with slap-stick one-liners and sure it is wordy at times... But I still laugh sometimes, and when I don't I'm captivated - both by the highly interesting story, and by the equally interesting world it is happening in!

Do I sometimes wish this was indeed a graphic novel - or even just that it'd move along faster than one strip a day? You bet I do! But would I want you to "dumb it down" just to move along faster? No freaking way

I love this storyline, and I eagerly anticipate seeing it unfold. While putting this epic a storyline so close on the heels of That Which Redeems was perhaps - as you say - a mistake, it was necessary ;) I look forward to some more of Sluggy's "mid-roots" as well after this storyline is done, but I hope you will eventually grace us all by going this way again. This ability to build worlds and stories on an epic scale is one thing that sets Sluggy apart in the world of (web)comics.

Perhaps I'm biased, because I love good (Timeless) Space comics? I loved the old Linda and Valentin comics, and even though they were commecial comics, the story in Oceans unmoving is way more consistent and complete than early L&V. In fact it reminds me very much of the later albums in that series - and I love it.

SciFi don't have to explain every detail - it just has to suspend disbelief sufficiently, and Oceans Unmoving does that for me. I hope this open letter is not a sign that we will get a rushed ending to this story (thankfully you say we won't), and I hope this will not be the last epic and sweeping storyline you do (this I fear more).

But I do look forward to some good old-fashioned stories too *g*

Sure, sometimes it is like wading through all those words, but it is worth it. It may take some thinking, and sometimes I have to go back and read it again, but I still enjoy it. I trust Pete as the nifty comic master to take me where I need to go and am willing to do the work to get there, because I know it will be good.

My main problem isn't the wordiness or complexity, it is missing some of the other characters (:kiki:) but that is what the archives are great for.

So take the time and just keep driving at it, I am sure it will be worth the trip.

Darn. Now that letter makes me feel odd for loving Oceans Unmoving and everything in it.

But despite that- he just mentioned Aylee in the same breath as "stories after OU2"! AYLEE COMIN BACK YAY!

I admit, I do find Oceans Unmoving to be painful, but not for the reasons you say. I still feel that there is too much sillyness for what is a relatively serious sci-fi story, and I think it drags the flow of the story down much more than the exposition. Sometimes, it simply feels like a series "clever" attempts to cover exposition, when, in my mind, it just makes it more difficult to follow. I don't mind the necessary expositionary parts, if you simply give it to me. And more importantly, I'm not finding the jokes humorous like I do with most of Sluggy, and feel it would be better if the humor were toned down more.

Of course, it really doesn't matter if you impress me with this. Eventually it will end, and something else will pop up that will be interesting. Not everything must appeal to me.