It's a fair point, and I don't anybody would disagree. MT is a comic that rewards a few rereads. There's always a little more than you noticed the first time around, and Fred often makes points indirectly or in multiple layers, or pulls in things that happened hundreds of comics ago. I don't know how many times I've seen people comment that they don't understand what's going on in MT. It's not that it's hard, but it's not as in-your-face obvious as with most webcomics. That's actually part of what I enjoy about MT, but it's not everybody's cup of tea. And it is definitely harder to keep up when new comics come less frequently.tambo wrote: ↑Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:41 amCurrently, I have a lot of reading left before I might claim familiarity with the entire MT world. Having done at least some of the homework, I find it a little difficult to motivate myself to continue revisiting past strips... when future strips are dribbling out at the rate of one per month.
It feels a little like discovering the series Firefly in, let's say, 2014. Like, hey, here's this great thing that inspired a huge fanbase - but both the story and the fanbase have lost nearly all momentum. It's disappointing to join a community with dissipating energy. It ends up feeling more like cultural archaeology than a shared experience of cultural discovery.
Unfortunately, that's just the reality of things right now. For all the wonderful support that MT fans give Fred via his Patreon, Twitch subs, and merchandise, that covers not much more than their health insurance and the out-of-pocket max, which they seem to hit every year. Last year, Sarah got laid off when covid hit, and they got by for a little while on unemployment, but then Fred had to go get a better bus-driving job to be able to pay the bills, which meant fewer hours to comic. His dad's Parkinson's getting worse also had Fred spending a lot of time taking him to doctors, and then after he went into the care home, taking care of his bills, teh house, etc. His dad is nearing the end now.
Fred is frustrated and sometimes depressed over this all. He wants to do more comics. He's got store orders that are 4 years old that he hasn't shipped yet. He's got people still angry over the VN, and he's just in despair over that. He's got the comics done for Book 7, and a publisher who's interested, but he can't get time to put it all together. He's only one guy, and there's only so much he can do.
Once the covid vaccinations really kick in and the economy picks back up, hopefully Sarah will be able to find a good job. And when that happens, hopefully Fred can afford to cut back or quit the bus-driving and spend more time on MT. But I've been saying similar things for years now, and something new always seems to come along to bite them. I swear they're cursed. I hope this new year will be different and better for Fred and for all of us.
Thank all of you who stick with Fred and MT through all of this. I first got into MT and came to the forums maybe 12 years ago, not long before Sarah's cancer fight started and the first real slow-downs in comic production. I've seen how many people have left over the years because the comics often didn't come fast enough. I totally get it, and I don't think badly of any of those folks. But it makes me really appreciate the folks who continue to stick it out and support.