Well, folks… that’s it!  Chapter 5 is done!  On to Chapter 6!

But first, I think I need to take a little bit of time off.  This chapter took me an awfully long time to complete, intersecting as it did with a lot of issues at work and at home, resulting in more than the average number of delays.  I think a little vacation is going to do me some good, and let me stretch my legs, so to speak.

This is not, however, an indefinite delay – the “permanent vacation,” as it were.  I’ve already written Chapter 6 and have begun sketching some of the pages out in advance of starting work in earnest on it.  But I do think I’d like a little rest, maybe a month or two.  This chapter was really grueling for me and I just need a little distance to get in the right head space to get back on top of it. Not only do I have a lot of regular work piling up, I have some traveling to do, and also, for some time now, I’ve been doing preliminaries for another comic that I’d like to try to make a start on, just as a side project; and when I’m in 6-Commando mode, I devote myself wholly to it and really one comic at a time is my genuine limit right now.  I’m not sure what it’s going to be, if anything – probably nothing – but a brief change of pace will do me a lot of good, I feel.

At the outside, I will continue 6-Commando at the end of the summer, commencing Chapter 6 on August 17.  I may end up relenting and staring the chapter earlier than that, but I’ll call that my outside start date.  I know that sounds like an awfully long time, but I’m due, I think, and I won’t be totally dropping off the map – I’ll update here with sketches and banter and so forth, just a little less regularly than I normally do.  Maybe I can even convince some friends in the comics world to do some guest art around the edges to keep boredom at bay.

But there it is.  I just want to close by saying thank you to everyone who’s been reading for so long.  This project has been a real pleasure for me and I’m looking forward to its continuation at the end of the summer.  Your comments and support have been really terrific all the way along, as has your patience, as I’ve sometimes struggled to keep up with this.  Drawing comics, let me tell you, is a really difficult undertaking, but also a very rewarding one.  It does me good to know that you all appreciate it as you do, and for that I thank you.

So I hope you enjoy your summer and will join me again in August for the start of Chapter 6.  I’ll be around!

All the best, everyone!