This is a brief announcement to say that Scary Go Round will be ending in September. The eighth collection will be the last. "Goodbye" is the final story. I'm sure a lot of you had worked this out already.
If your claw-like fingers are rending your clothes to rags as we speak, I would ask you to be calm. I have a new project in mind and, like the transition from Bobbins to Scary Go Round back in 2002, it won't all be new, all different. I could probably have got away with making the change with no fanfare at all and kept the name the same. But there were a few reasons that I decided not to.
Firstly, the huge archive and long history put off new readers, and I can't afford to put all the out of print books back into print. You'll always lose readers as the novelty wears off for them, but if you can't replace them, your audience will slowly diminish to a hard core. And it's hard to have people email you saying they'd buy the new books if they could still buy all the books, but they can't, so they won't.
Secondly, while the game remains the same, it appears to have become "more fierce". Four years ago, a webcomic with a readership in the tens of thousands, a couple of book collections and a few chippy tshirts would keep you in the hay most months of the year. But now the market is oversaturated with "product" in, arguably, all three of those categories and I have to take a risk and raise my game. I've said it before but I don't want to be knocking on 40 with only a long-in-the-tooth internet strip to keep my (as yet unborn) babies in school coats and shoes.
I don't want to talk about my new project yet as it would spoil the current story, but you can rest assured that there will be plenty that you recognise about it. I'm not sure about the exact end date of Scary Go Round, and there may be something transitional in between, but expect no interruption in service.
I take great pleasure from entertaining and surprising people, writing and drawing are a continual source of joy to me and I will endeavour to do both for as long as I am able.
My comics: Bad Machinery - Scary Go Round - Giant Days :: My Shop :: My Flickr Sketchblog :: My Last.fm
103 comments:
"Things are going to change." I am saddened by the end of Scary Go Round. I think I might burn my house down to show my pain. But equally I am excited by a new project. I might leave my house un-burnt to show my joy. Well, whatever happens next, thank you for the excellent years of cartooning you have given us.
Well... that certainly is a shock... And I will miss it. Scary Go Round is certainly one of the best comics out there, and I've had a great time reading it.
On the other hand a new comic is something to stay happy about, so huzzahs.
I'm wailing and tearing my undergarments off RIGHT NOW. I'll send you my shredded knickers along with the replacement bill.
Really though I am happy to hear you have confidence in the new project! I'll buy the in print books as soon as the Aussie dollar hits 50 cents to the pound, it's been sitting at 48 forever. I don't see the huge problem in only having the last few, it's where I reckon Scary Go Round became really good anyway.
Super excited for the new project!
If you take Shelley Winters from me, I will thrash you like the jealous lover that I am. Beware the ides.
I followed your work through the change from Bobbins to Scarygoround, and all the smaller changes that have happened during both those comics. Some people will always complain about change, but the results speak for themselves. Whatever you feel you need to do to stay creative, I'll keep reading.
Cheers,
Graham
Good luck, John.
As sad as it is that it's all coming to an end, I've seen plenty of webcomics where it looks like the creator is trying to fight their way out after the first couple of months, but I never got that with Scarygoround.
Ultimately, you are the author, so it's your work i'm a fan of, not Scarygoround on it's own. I'm sure whatever you choose to do, we'll all follow you and give our support.
Good Luck! Can't wait to see what comes next!
I will play cool; Bobbins to SGR worked out for the best; SGR to-- I can't speculate once, so I just call it Devilbear Jamboree-- I'm sure it will be lovely.
Consider the Omnibus! All these yarns in one "COMPLETE!" edition. I know it would warm my cockles & I can guarantee at least one sale.
Mordicai:
My main concern when naming the new comic was to get it as close to the start of the alphabet as possibly without seeming like a try-hard. The new name starts "BA".
I have discovered that these things matter!
Just like the old days, when the Scary Go Round books are out of print, they will be gone for good. That is what happens to books. I did tell my dad that we were going to burn the leftover stock in the Eastworks car park after SPX but that was a lie.
I think an Absolute edition would be a keen moneyspinner and look very nice on my shelf. Even Eddie Campbell is getting on the omnibus bandwagon; he knows what's what.
Good luck with the changeover anyway.
We love you John Allison.
It would be a lie to say that I wasn't disappointed to see the end of Scary Go Round but I look forward to supporting your new endeavours. Thank you for Scary Go Round. I still love it.
That's not particularly good news. This webcomic has consistently delivered in the categories of good writing, stylish art, lovable characters (in general) and pretty women folk (in particular). No morning is complete without a new Scary Go Round.
On the other hand, it isn't particularly bad news either. It would be terrible if Scary Go Round joins the current webcomic trend of keeping the story going long after the story's been told, driven by memes and randomness for the irony crowd.
The Bobbins and SGR archives are evidence that the author is someone to be trusted when it comes to change, so I am very excited to see what comes next (even though that future may be without Desmond Fishman).
Friggin' sweet!
Change is good
John,
each morning, except for the cursed Wednesdays, starts with your webcomic. I am sure you have good reasons to make the transition from SGR to BA...and I am looking forward to finding out what it'll be like. Two requests however: in some form or another, please retain Shelly and Desmond. If not, consider this a polite demand for a T-shirt featuring the most notorious, obnoxious characters from SGR.
All the best!
After following your creations for several years now I must admit a web without some of your redoubtable characters will be a sadder place. Nonetheless far be it from me to dictate how you pursue your creative interests, so good luck John and while I go into a state of pre-grieving at the oncoming loss I await your next creation with interest.
Good luck with the new project!
I will certainly keep following your work. It's good stuff.
Change is good! I'm eager to see what you have for us next.
I just finished reading the last three books; though I've been reading the site for years, I'd never read the stories in print form before. They were fantastic. I think it's quite amazing that you have the ability to craft something that works in one-a-day dribbles just as well as in sit-down-for-a-few-hours epics. Well done, sir.
Like the others, I am sad to see SGR end, and I am equally excited by the prospect of a new title.
I am, however, not concerned by the potential absence of Ms. Winters; if the "Zombie Shelley" storyline has taught us anything, it's that Dr. Ladysounds is a sort of unnaturally perky lich, who cannot be killed by someone as lowly as her creater. I am more concerned that some other beloved characters (Amy, Dark Esther, The Boy/Useless) might join Fallon Young and Tim Jones in permanent exile, but I remain sanguine that the product of your talents will continue to engage me in the future.
May BA bring you the readership you deserve.
Thank you for Scary Go Round, the greatest interwebs-based discovery I have made, and all the best for BA!
As someone said, I'm a fan of what John Allison does, not a comic entitled "Scary-go-round", so I'm excited by this news. What makes a comic like this good is the freshness and integrity of the writing, and that comes from the author's interest and commitment to the characters. If changes need to be made to keep that interest and commitment going, then so be it.
And of course I'm looking forward to "BA Baracus' adventures in Tackleford".
To be fair, John, you have reinvented SGR so many times since its inception (moving between different styles, different subplots, different character focuses etc.) that it surprises me you haven't started off-shoots - besides Scare-O-Deleria - each time you embark on a different concept.
Anyway, your logic for doing all this is flawless (though you don't need me to say that), although I was on of those who drifted away as for some time after Uni I stopped having a constant internet feed. But I guess I was one of the few "loonies" who actually decided it was best to catch up (and spent about a month doing so :P).
I don't regret it, but having a fresh starting point always makes life easier - it's like having a new Doctor, a new face really does regenerate things!
Best of luck, and whatever happens you'll know you've made the right decision.
Even if it's called "Baa".
Rich
While it's always a shame to see the end of something good, it's far better for something good to end on its own terms and move on to other (good) things without first going through a horrible sticky decline.
I look forward to seeing what the new project is like, but in the mean time, I shall be enjoying Scary Go Round every time there's a new comic. I just might take Poh more seriously next time he says things are going to change...
In concur with all the wise people above: Scary Go Round is a sparkly, wonderful thing, and its demise shall herald a time of mourning, though I may bypass the black clothes, since it's the middle of summer.
On the other hand, I'm sure whatever comes next will be equally inspired, so good luck with it.
I say, "Huzzah, John Allison! Go boldly into the unknown!"
Hooray for progress!
Bat, The New Adventures of Comrade?
I didn't know you were coming out to SPX! That is swell news.
This is really exciting. You are one of my favorite artists ever and I know I'll always be reading whatever you do! Best of luck!
As long as it keeps you happily making *something* we'll be there to enjoy it!
That's the important bit.
I look forward to whatever you do next, in whatever medium you choose, and however wacky, serious, witty or fantastical you decide to do it.
Good luck and congrats! What a scary and exciting thing. I got on the bandwagon only a couple years ago but I love your work. Im excited to see where you take us! Good luck!
...and I thought "Goodbye" was just your MJ send-off.
It's kind of funny, because the comic has essentially already changed. I can't remember the last time a flesh-eating zombie or similar macabre McGuffin appeared.
It seems to have metamorphosed into a strip about the relationships of a group of young people (QC U.K.?) who are either coming-of-age or finding that they have already come-of-age, and what happens next, anyway?
I suppose it's for the best if it helps the longevity of the strip, and the reference to the Bobbins changeover gives one hope, as that was much less than traumatic.
Add my name to those breathlessly chanting:"Omnibus, omnibus!"~perhaps you could go for newsprint? If Marvel, DC and Dave Sim can do it...so can you! (Perhaps you should call Mr. Sim? He's been known to supply quite a lot of help to self-publishers over the course of his carreer?)
...just remember, you strongly implied that we WOULD be getting a proper "origin" for Des! Default on that, and we find out where to buy "pitch" for our torches!
You do what you gotta; I will be right behind you. Not figuratively, either.
I think there's a lot to be said for throwing off the shackles of your previous work, especially when you keep getting better and better. Throwing out Bobbins for Scary Go Round was a good move. Throwing out SGR will be an even better move. Change is going to come.
Looking forward to the brave new future, John. Been here since Bobbins, and not going away anytime soon.
I thoroughly expect the new John A. work to be of high quality, because that's what John A. does. He's done it since I started reading Bobbins so many years ago, he's done it all the way through Scary-Go-Round, and it will continue, I have no doubt.
i wish you the best of luck in your new venture. i have every confidence in you and your witty ways!
As a long-time reader (Bobbins and SGR from the beginning), I greet you (in words of Emerson) on the beginning of a (3rd) great career. With sadness for characters gone, with eager anticipation of characters yet to come, and with pleasant anticipation of the value of a complete SGR book collection,
I remain, dear John,
your devoted reader.
Good luck on the next phase, John!
I'll echo the outcry for an omnibus. But the bottom line for me is:
1) If John A. is writing/drawing it,
2) If Shelley's in there somewhere,
3) Then I'm on board!
I trust in John. I have been a fan since bobbins, watched as story went from one-liners to crazy driven plots with twists and holes galore to "scary" themes to lollipops and zombies and everything in between. A transition to a new comic is not only applauded but expected; I would much rather see you progress into something new than stagnate and keep beating an already dead horse. Cheers to you John. I can't wait for the new project.
From Bobbins to Scary Go Round, Mr. Allison I shall read what ever it is you produce.
Bravo!
It's been a good... wow, 5, 6 years now? Good luck in your endeavours.
It'll be sad to say goodbye to the SGR cast, but I look forward to whatever's next. Thanks for the quality entertainment these past 7 years and change. It's been a fun ride!
I echo everyone else when I say that although I'm sad to hear the end of scarygoround and excited about ba! Sgr is better than bobbins and I was worried about that too! I do hope amy and shelly are in ba but I understand that your prob bored of them after so many years!
I'm sad to see the end of SGR... but if the new strip continues in the same vein with surreal stories and the wit and charm of SGR, I'm there.
Best of luck with "BA". I, for one, will be reading.
My word... shock, disappointment, and a bit of upset that the first site I check every morning, 4 days a week, is finishing.
I'm rather torn about this: on one hand I really like the characters and their personalities, which HAVE to be established - Shelley, Amy, The Boy, Ryan - all take time. On the other, I liked the earlier zombies, goblins and later ghostliness and plague nuns stories which seem to be missing lately.
Will I be disappointed in having this view of your new project, John?
These requests for an omnibus fall on deaf ears I am afraid, unless you know a publisher who specialises in books that are thicker than they are either tall or wide. I'm not printing an 1800-page colour book. You are all completely insane. But in a nice way I am sure.
James: there is no need to be upset, I will maintain the new thing at the old URL as well as a new one. It is the safest way. You may like my new direction.
I would add that the end of the Scary Go Round comic on the web won't mean you will never see a given character that you like again. Having painstakingly built a little world, I don't intend to abandon it.
Hats off to you sir! Scarygoround has brightened my mornings since you started writing it, just as bobbins did, i'm sure whatever you do next will continue to do the same...
How many people would we need to get together to put the first few books back in print? (i'm missing the first two myself)
If not an omnibus then surely a box set!
I enjoyed Bobbins, I have enjoyed SGR and I look forward to whatever you do next.
Loved Scary-Go-Round, which is an awesome name, will devour Bobbins sometime soon, and I will surely read this new project. That said, BOO to change. That said, look forward to seeing what you come up with, as always!
ScribbleVJ - it takes about 400 people to make the books break even. That is a lot harder to reach with 70000+ readers than you would think.
Good luck with you new venture, Mr Allison - a new dawn approaches!
I hope you'll be bringing Scarygoround to the respectful end it deserves, by killing everyone off with the ebola virus.
Thanks for the reassurance, John. I wish you the best, and hope it is just as much fun as SGR has been for all these years.
I only tore some of my clothes. I look forward to John A's new comic: BAND AID 2284AD: THE RETURN OF GELDOF.
"blah blah blah it turned into QC U.K."
What an awful comparison. Scary Go Round has fantastic writing.
Not shocked--and glad. You do really amazing work, John, & I'll follow whatever new madcap endeavor you come up with.
PS JOHN FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO WANNA OWN THEM ALL WHY DONTCHA MAKE A PDF THEY CAN PAY 5 BUCKS TO DOWNLOAD?
The ebook idea is pure essence of genius and would make you a headline-worthy innovatore. Also it's a good idea.
actually that ebook thing sounds pretty good...i would buy it.
The logistics of e-books are appalling when you are talking about something that is all images. Bandwidth, hosting, payments, it is a monster to set up on your own. Let alone laying the things out! I'd love to sell them but there is only one of me, with limited resources of time and money.
I don't like discussing things like this because it sounds like whining. out the "business of webcomics" (ha ha) sucks all the life out of me sometimes.
For similar reasons I stopped taking being in a band so seriously. The business of music was sucking all the joy out of music in general.
I have to say... this makes me feel quite sad... like an era is ending. Shelly, Amy, and the rest have been a part of my daily routine for coming up on 8 years now... wow.
You've always done a fantastic job with SGR, and I applaud you. I look forward to seeing what you do next, and can only hope that some of our dear friends will at least show up from time to time... I don't think many of us are ready to say goodbye for good!
Holy &*^#, don't frighten me like that. You should have heard the wailing in the space before the second paragraph where you explain that you're not quitting entirely to bake crumpets or whatever you Englishfolk do for a living when you're not making comics.
You do what you need to do and I'll keep reading... but good God, man, have mercy when you announce it. You don't want to lose even more readers by giving them heart attacks. Next I'd suggest you try this:
Hey everybody! Good news! John Allison is making a new comic!
I support this Devilbear Jambouree
I'm going to miss SGR - just like I've missed Beaver and Steve.
But nevertheless I'm glad you will be coming back in one form or another. I would pay serious dollars (even if I am disadvantaged by the AUD to GBP rate) for a omnibus. But Maybe I'll just have to get the ones that are available.
Anyways - good luck and thanks!
(BTW - ever thought of putting a submission pack together to send to an agent in Holywood to make an on screen adaption of your characters?)
"I would pay serious dollars (even if I am disadvantaged by the AUD to GBP rate) for a omnibus."
I agree with this, though I understand why this, or even a box set, would likely never happen. I missed out on my chance to buy the first 3 books, and would love a complete set... I'd even pay up-front in pre-order if need be.
Failing that, I can only hope the archives remain available online, like with Bobbins.
With this news, how many others, I wonder, are re-reading everything from start to finish in a rush of nostalgia?
HUKI365 - I'm not sure how you could make a film out of Scary Go Round, just thinking about this area gives me a migraine.
Hmmwhat? Whoa! Well, it's your call, John. Good luck to you.
Dear John,
First of all, thank you for the divine madness of Scary Go Round.
You are brilliant. Wherever your brilliance takes you, my eyes will follow. Whatever you pursue in the future, may it bring you as much joy as SGR has brought to all its readers.
Liza
It's the damned end of an era.
I am glad I tattoed Shelley Winters on my left arm. She and the gang will never leave me, no matter what. <3
I know this is not the direction you will head in...but "Bad Ass: The Adventures of an Adolescent Shelley"...or what would have happened if Shelley had not become a zombie
regardless of which, very excited about the new project!
This news is an outrage. best of luck
I loved Bobbins and I love Scary-Go-Round so it seems likely that I will love the next JohnA project too. Looking forward to it. (I realized I've been reading for almost a decade now, and I still have my Cap't. Bobbins America tshirt tucked away.)
I almost cried until I saw that you plan to do a new comic. Now I am slightly less sad. But still sad. :(
SGR managed to stick with me through my fickle teenage years (15 to 21!) and was one of the few things that did; if you can keep me interested that long then expect another fan to follow you along to the new project!
I'd just like to say that your ability to constantly keep SGR new and interesting has kept me hooked since I stumbled here via your Sluggy Freelance guest strip in... 2004? 2005 maybe? And that if this is what it takes to keep that up, then more power to you.
I'm a bit sad that Erin will never escape from Hell though.
Goodness! I have been along time and quiet fan of Scary Go Round from nearly the beginning.
I was a shock to hear that there is to be an end, but I guess all things have to.
Will be cautiously looking forward to the new strip. Looks like I'll be saving up for the print back issues!
If you're still reading, 76 comments in....
I found SGR about 6 months ago and wasn't put off by the huge archive at all - I love it when I find a great comic that can keep me busy for weeks! So I sat and read the whole thing and loved every minute. ^_^ I'm eager to see what you'll do next, even if I'll miss some of the characters. Good luck!
Just saw your post on the SGR homepage, and the news that there will be more Shelly SOMEWHERE at least warms the cockles of my heart. And just so we're clear, until that specific moment, my heart, I am quite certain, didn't even have cockles.
How's that for an endorsement? "Scary Go Round: So good, you'll grow new organs!"
I loved the archives too. Are you going to store them elsewhere, since I am not able to get them all in book?
I'll add my name to the growing list of those who would pre-order an omnibus or e-book. I'm surprised that you have nor been approached by publishers in the past anyway. If Dark Horse can publish Achewood, surely they could publish SGR.
So long as the Scarygoround archives are still around though I'll be happy though.
Also knowing the quality of your work, I'm sure that your new venture will be as excellent as ever. Thank you so much for SGR, it's truly brightened my life.
As long as you keep permitting me to imagine a place on earth where the women are that fine, tell whatever story you want.
I like this idea of a SGR compilation book! I would totally get one! Completely unrelatedly and belatedly, thanks to the shirts I've gotten from your shop my students think I am AMAZING. Quite an unexpected boon for a first-year teacher! Good luck on the new comic!
Aww... it's a shame that SGR is ending just as I discovered it this year, but at least I have a new comic to look forward to!
How upsetting! I have actually cried. I have read Scary Go Round since I first got a computer at 14 years old. This strip has been a daily constant for 8 years of my life, John.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the laughter you've given me, and look forward to your new gig.
Good luck.
-W
It'll be sad to think this is going but, looking at the evolution of the strip's focus (Shelley and the Danger Society, then onto the Tackleford emoteen junta, then the current little'un adventures), a transition into something new might not be as painful as people might think. In fact I reckon it'll feel completely natural and, I feel, something you've wanted to do for quite a while.
Anyways, all the best.
I for one knew it was coming. Or that it should come if this creator was wise. For all the reasons outlined. With Ryan + Amy coming to the fore of attention in recent weeks I would have hated seeing that go unresolved for years to come. And as a psychic, I guarantee its resolution within weeks. Plus complications.
Mr. Allison, while I am rending my garments at the coming loss of Scary Go Round, I will follow you and your comic genius pretty much anywhere, or at least pretty much anywhere accessible from the internets. Good luck and godspeed, sir.
I was upset at first, but then I realized I just won't be seeing the same characters anymore. I read for the writing and art, and that's not going anywhere, so why worry? Best of luck staying competitive.
While I love SGR in its current incarnation, I am confident that your gift for a well-turned phrase will persist in whatever future form your work takes. The tricky bit will be getting me to remember a new URL.
Gadzooks ! No more SGR ? I'll go cry my eyes away now (all figuratively, I am on my way to an apéro in Paris ^_^) but you must promise (pleease) that the new comics will include (a) limericks, (b) other crazy trips to France, (c) new daily reasons to thank and praise you for that fine British talent of yours …
:'( I'll miss scary-go-round when it goes, but I'll look forwards to the new project. Scary-go-round has always managed to change plots and characters seamlessly, so I'm sure the transition to the new one will be painless.
How many books would you have to know you'd sell (or how many preorders would you have to have) to put the earlier books back into print? I understand that with the nice glossy colour print, they must be fairly expensive to produce. Would the same apply to an omnibus?
I . . . I stumbled across and read the Bobbins archive sometime in 2002 and moved seamlessly on to Scary Go Round from there. I've been reading ever since. Shelley is entirely to blame for the fact that I eat sammiches, blame my absent-mindedness on earwigs and fear the dinosaurus. I can't believe it's ending, and I'm immeasurably relieved to hear that you'll be carrying on with something new.
I am crying now and it is all your fault! But you should probably take that as a tiny compliment.
nkkingston, I think a preorder of 400 usually sees a book over the line.
A 2000 page omnibus is not the most economical item to produce. It would be wider than it was tall and I would probably have to ship them in individual crates! It's a nice thought but not a nice prospect.
As someone who also started reading Johns work during the Bobbins era I'm looking forward to this and also dreading it. Dreading that we may loose characters we love. I doubt we'll loose Shelly as John has said hew loves writing for her. Even Amy who I didn't like much during durring the Bobins and Early SGR period has grown on me as her character has grown up. So I hope we don't loose her. And Ryan who apeared as Bobbins was drawing to a close is a another big fave of mine, he deffinatly filled the void left by Tim's exodus, Tupping Liberty Indeed! And Esther has realy grown on me and I am starting to like Sarah as well but that might just be due to my weakness for pretty Goth Girls!
All things said good luck and I'll be reading! Please keep the SGR archives up though!
Hmm, I think if it came down to it...I will miss Esther the most. I have great affection for her.
Dang, and all this time I've been waiting for some plot twist to bring back Shelly's sister. Sadness.
Can't wait for the new project. :]
I suggest the next project be called Larry Go Round. It's about a man who can never stop spinning.
Looking forward to the new comic, for all that I'll miss Ryan, Amy, The Boy, Esther, Desmond and even Shelley. Here's to your grand new endeavor... cheers!
Well, gee. I just spent the last week reading through the archive after discovering Scary Go Round.
I'm not sure whether or not this is sad news, because a week isn't quite long enough to get attached to the comic, and a new comic is awesome. Also, the news on the site said there will be Shelley Winters comics somewhere, and this makes me happy, as Shelley is my favorite, and reminds me much of me, in an unrestrained and perpetually gleeful way.
So... this is just news for me, I suppose. Oh well! It is good to know this in advance, and I look forward to the new comic, and the rest of Scary Go Round!
Sadly and Gladly, we're now in an age where everyone can do web comics. Making money off them in this time is a bit harder. I have a day job but many of my friends who are going to art school are taking the risk I couldn't. Reading J. Allison's blog about upping his game is scary because he's trying to make a good living off his art (something a lot of us want to do on the net).
I'll miss new updates, but since I just started reading it last year, there enough back posts to get me in the series.
I started reading SGR last October, and I had caught up to the story within three days of starting at the beginning. You've done an amazing job and I hope your new project brings me as much pleasure as Scary Go Round has.
Thank you so much.
Post a Comment