Okay, folks, here goes Chapter 5!  This chapter is one I’ve been working towards for years now, and I’m excited to be drawing it at last!  It’s not easy, all of this, but fun nonetheless.  I’ve also wanted, for a long time, to draw a scene at sea, though I can’t exactly say why.  This is a multinational fleet, here, with ships from Québec, Canada, Japan, Australia, Cuba, and even a Russian submarine (though you can’t tell – its markings are all underwater, but it’s an Imperialist sub).  I had a huge ton of fun drawing this whole fleet here, and the aircraft and all.

So, hopefully you’ll find that this chapter will go places you’ll enjoy reading.  I know that I can tend to err on the side of Kubrickian imagery in my comics, explaining little and leaving things open to interpretation, but so far you’ve all followed along with me so patiently, and even when I thought I was burying my mysteries so deeply, you guys have dug them up.  In this page, actually, there’s something very specific I wonder if anyone will pick up on that ties it to the previous chapter.

But at any rate, I’m glad to be back, and I owe you all a great debt of gratitude for letting me take a few weeks to just goof off and get my bearings.  It was very much worth it, and I feel very good to be back.  In fact, I think that if more comic artists, especially webcomic artists, took time to just rest and relax while they go, they wouldn’t end up burning out and just letting their comics drift off into nothingness.  This has happened to some really fantastic and high-potential comics, like The Meek, Alpha Shade, and others I always liked.  For me, having the time to relax and just get away from 6-Commando actually made me far more enthusiastic about continuing, and so I feel very good about getting off to another start.

So, while I’m doing my general status report, I should say that Pupshaw, who you will recall had some medical emergencies this fall, is as spry and frisky as ever, and was pronounced by the vet to be one of the healthiest 14-year-old cats she’s ever seen, having recovered in fine condition from emergency dentistry, though she’s on a strict wet-food diet now.  Interesting side effect of that, though, for fellow cat people: the all meat high protein diet has caused her to stop shedding.  So, you know, bonus!  My real job has me as busy as ever, but that’s par for the course.  Also, I finally worked out the opening parts of the print-form “Director’s Cut” of 6-Commando, and so, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be spending a little more time on the side getting that ready for freddy.  I know that has been a promise long deferred, but I’m still thinking about it, and I’m hoping to make it happen “Real Soon Now.”

And finally, something I think you folks might enjoy: a comic artist whose work I’ve admired for some time now is Justin Redfield, and his comic The Rogues is of a kindred spirit to 6-Commando, though with a more decidedly action-oriented, and mecha oriented, in an anime-but-not-anime style I actually dig, for all my rantings about Amerimanga.  I recommend you check it out on his deviantart page and show him some love, 6-Commando style!  I know he’d live to hear from you and I think you’ll totally dig his stuff.

Anyhow, that’s enough outta my yapper for now.  Good to be back, and here goes nothing!