Monday, September 22, 2008

Ten zesty years

Today I'm celebrating ten years of making comics on the internet. How am I celebrating? By being drunk all day. A cup of wine instead of orange juice, Baileys on my cornflakes instead of milk, irish coffee and a vodka jelly shot as a sharpener to finish. For someone who barely drinks any more, this is very uncomfortable, but binge-drinking is all the rage and I need to get my spurs. Hopefully my spurs aren't on a high shelf as I am having problems standing up.

Of course, I am telling a lie. I am actually working furiously hard before I take off for the Dumbrella Wedding Of The Year in New York in two days! My good friend Andrew Bell is marrying a special lady and I will be there in my suit, top hat, spats, velvet lined cape, cummerbund and woad. The dress code is severe but Andy promises pomp and pageantry of the first order and we must all do our part. Jeff Rowland and Tallahassee are going to dress as Herne The Hunter and the Lady of the Lake, Steven Cloud intends to adopt the livery of Robin Hood, Jon Rosenberg is going as Stringer Bell from The Wire and Rich Stevens says he is going to be "skyclad", I guess we'll find out what that means on the big day!

The Scary Go Round front page is a big mess of gratitude today but I imagine the blog readers are the most faithful readers (or the most in need of diversion) so thank you, blog readers! I'd draw you a picture but the jelly shot is kicking in now and I can't actually hold a pen.

30 comments:

Lorri said...

Congrats! I think I've been reading for about five of those ten years, thank you for a consistant bright spot in my morning.

Simon said...

Congratulations! Ten years is... well, it's pretty damn impressive. And, after all that time, you're still coming up with interesting new storylines and fascinating characters! Yours is the webcomic I most frequently recommend to people for its accessibility, hilarity and art. If only they'd listen.

Also: never go to America wearing that watch.

polianitsa said...

Huzzah! Congratulations on Scary Go Round's decade-ance.

Also: Spats! Yes!

V^e said...

Wow, ten years? I haven't spent ten years doing anything. Glad someone has the patience to kick ass for a consecutive decade.

Also: What the hell is a woad?

0Khan said...

Grats dog! These matters have only increased in awesomeness! *Toasts* To my favorite fictional hottie, Amy
*rrowl* She is like a supa spicy indian dish with curry dal, satisfying and she makes you cry!

Dave said...

Well done sir! 10 years is quite a milestone. In internet time that's well over a century isn't it?

I remember when it were all usenet round here.

Jon said...

You are an unstoppable warrior of greatest justice. Know this information.

Unknown said...

I dig the blog, baby. Dig it hard.

Ms.Scarlet said...

Congratulations on ten years, and I hope you're around for another ten. Though, considering that binge drinking... :D

As far as the wedding, 'skyclad' generally means stark naked. Have fun!

Unknown said...

you should leave the bobbin's charecters in since you getting rid of the others at too quick a rate!

rs said...

I don't remember when I started reading, sir, but it has been a pleasure the whole time. Thank you for making comics, and congratulations on ten years! And on remembering ten years. I would probably forget things like that.

Sparkles F said...

Well, I remember eight of those years. Thanks for making comics that sometimes are the only bright thing in deadly dull mornings at work. It's a fix, you know? And of course I have to say thanks for the shirts that no one else understands. ;)

fingle said...

Happy anniversary!

~m. said...

Congrats on making ten years.

Oh, god. I've been reading for at least nine of those ten years. Now I feel old.

(Also, is this Webcomic Wedding Week or something?)

K said...

Hurray hurray hurray! (only been reading for about a year, but SGR has filled a hole in my life that I hardly knew was there...)

I will also have to say thank you for the conversation-starting T-shirts.

Have a nice time in NY!

Roman said...

So, it's 10 years plus one day: how's that hangover treating you?

Brendan said...

Wait wait, did Andy Bell and Jeph Jacques marry each other??

V^e said...

Brendan - I was thinking along the same lines!!

Congratulations to both, and best wishes to their brides!

I still don't know what a woad is, though.

spugmeistress said...

congratulations Mr Allison! i can't claim to have been around for all of those 10 years - i don't think i even knew what the internet was until 2000, clearly you are a man ahead of your time and a pioneer for pictures on the interwebs. i loved SGR from the moment i set eyes upon its colourful vector loveliness, and it has since got better and better in ways unimaginable. it is also a testament to your writing that i know the boy (his name is mark, although he's not from up north sadly) and all this from a greater mancunian! hooray UK and all that malarkey. have fun celebrating :)

bananaman said...

first, congrats on the comics. the only thing i've consistently done for the past ten years is exhaling, followed closely by inhaling.

i'm a bit confused as to your trip timeline, though. is the DWOTYNY* in two days or are you leaving for it in two days? there be this gathering of fans of general shenanigans in new york on saturday. it's called the mp3 experiment**, and it seems to be something right up dumbrella's alley. unless, of course, that is the day of the wedding, in which case, congrats to the couple.

*Dumbrella Wedding Of The Year in New York
**link! http://tiny.cc/RtSiU

V^e said...

GRrrrrrrrrr! I hate unoriginal people who are arrogant enough to think they ARE original!

Thank you, John Allison, for never being an arrogant, unoriginal twerp!

Morgan said...

Congratulations! I've been reading SGR for a couple of months and I love it! Great sense of humor. I've been known to quote your characters and when people give me "looks" I simply shrug and say, "it's a webcomic thing." (I still can't believe people just don't get it)

Keep it up. SGR makes it easier to drag myself out of bed and get to work everyday, knowing I can read every morning. Thanks!

rs said...

I just read this on The Corner, some crazy political blog:

"John Allison is chairman of North Carolina's BB&T, one of the biggest and most successful banks in the U.S. (though Tar Heel State rivals Bank of America and Wachovia are larger still). He is also a passionate believer in freedom (full disclosure: he's a donor to my think tank and his company is a sponsor of my radio program). He dislikes the Paulson Plan, and thinks better alternatives exist."

John, you should have told us in the ten years since you invented webcomics you became a pillar of our economy.

Valry: Woad is a blue dye. Think Braveheart.

V^e said...

Rob - sorry, still lost. I understand that the weed produces a sort of indigo dye, but I don't understand the USE of the woad. Is John going to be dying himself? Will he have blue skin to go with his suit? Is he going to dye his suit? Will he run directly at the bride and groom brandishing a large sword and perhaps yelling the word "FREEDOM"? I don't think that's the theme the couple was going for. Quite the opposite, I'd imagine. I could be wrong, though. It's been known to happen.

rs said...

It's used as a face paint. I don't think it's usually an accompaniment to suit, top hat, spats, cape, and cummerbund, but possibly it is traditional. (The Wikipedias told me that you can wear traditional national costumes instead of actual formal attire if you want to.) Possibly he wears it because he invented the American banking system.

V^e said...

Well I'll leave it to Mr. John Allison to paint himself according to artistic impression. Style points will be awarded.

Bad Andy said...

Baileys on cornflakes is a bad idea.
I speak from experience.

spasticfreakshow said...

the starbucks/esther panel would be an AWESOME shirt and i might even buy it in the dreaded (to me) american apparel!

fingle said...

"Busking with a triangle"

Genius.

nigel said...

I know this is now quite belated but I just wanted to add my congratulations. I've been a reader for about half of those zesty years. Along with Sam & Fuzzy and Penny Arcade, Scary Go Round is the only comic to have held my attention for that long.

Well done John - here's to another ten.

Nigel