Drake: Well, I am sorry to
report that Jen and I are taking an indefinite
hiatus from Hackles. This was seriously one of the
hardest decisions we've ever had to make.
Honestly, if it wasn't for the support and encouragement we'd been
receiving from our readers, we surely would have ended it much
sooner. Thank you all for reading our comics, signing our
guestbook, and sending us emails throughout the years. Some of you
have been with us almost since the beginning (you know who you are),
and we appreciate your support so much.
Basically, we don't have the time anymore to continue this
project. Jen and I are busier than ever with our jobs. We also broke
up last year, and I moved to a different house. We remain best
friends, but it became much less convenient to collaborate on this
comic than it was before. I started running as a serious hobby, and
lately I started a new band and have been pouring my creative energy
into that. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
This comic has been a vital part of both of our lives, and we are
genuinely sad to end it. While we can't make any guarantees, it is not
inconceivable that we might continue Hackles in the future, when our
lives aren't so busy. For any of you who would want notification if
this happens, I suggest using one of the
free
notification services that will email you whenever
our web page updates.
Again, I can't stress enough how much we appreciate each and
every one of you who have made Hackles a part of your web
browsing routine. Thank you, live happy, support Open
Source software, and keep on supporting web comics!
Jen: Well, everything Drake said is
true. Believe me, this was the hardest Hackles for me to finish. It
was sort of like making a mix tape with all the arranging and deciding
which pictures to include. I have to admit, I may have shed a few
tears before this strip was done. My computer must have sensed my
reluctance to finish the final comic because it failed me three times,
which is rare. Then I remembered how the computer kept crashing in the
movie Pi as the
main character came closer to the 216-digit number that might be the
actual name of God. Who knows if Hackles will ever snap out of the
enlightened place he's in right now.
I've been trying to answer our emails, but it's been breaking my heart
to read all the support coming from our readers and all the requests
for a daily strip, as I knew Hackles was coming to an end. Thanks for
taking the time to write to us, it is appreciated even if yet
unanswered by a return email. Drake and I would like to give a gift to
all of our readers by posting a comic book that we wrote a couple of
years ago. You may remember that we were going to do a fund raiser
with it at the time, but since that never really came together, we
will post it next week for all to see.
As for my daily life, I'll have no problem using the time I usually
devote to Hackles. Since Drake and I broke up, I took a new job doing
groundskeeping and maintenance in addition to my job as a massage
therapist. The diversity of these two jobs sometimes makes me feel
like Jekyll & Hyde and the irony hit me the other day as I put a
shovel in my car right next to my massage table. I guess I really like
variety and it's been fun exploring and learning all the different
jobs and hobbies I've had. Being a part of a well received, online
comic strip is one of those things I'll look back on and it will make
me smile. Drake and I would never have guessed that our small creative
outlet would turn into almost three years of geek humor. Thank you all
for your interest and support along the way. No one can guess the
future, so maybe Hackles will snap out of it one day after all...
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