The Specialists

Generally, no one wins in war. One side just doesn’t lose as bad as the other.

Last week, I alluded to some big plans we have in the works, and now I’m ready to talk about them.

There are five pages left in this chapter, so the last one will be posted on August 23rd. The first page of Chapter 8 will be released on December 6th. Yes, that means that we’re taking a little over three months off between chapters, and yes, I realize that we just had a hiatus. But there are very specific reasons that we’re doing it. Let me explain.

First of all, we’re finally taking The Specialists back to its roots. Way back, before it was a comic, The Specialists was going to be a tabletop role-playing game product. That idea got put on the back burner for a long time, but now we’re going to make it happen. We’ve been planning to take this break to work on that for a while now.

Second, you’ve no doubt noticed that we’re having an increasingly difficult time maintaining our weekly release schedule lately. That’s due to a combination of day jobs and families taking our time, and the two of us slowing down with age. So we’re looking to bring on a couple of people to help with the art process. We’re talking to two very talented artists to do finishes and colors for us. This will help us keep up with our page-a-week pace for the long term. So we’re also using this hiatus to figure out this new workflow and build up a buffer.

We’re really excited about this new arrangement. Hopefully, it will help us finish our story before we’re both in retirement homes. However, it also means that we need to start bringing in some money. We’ve never been good at the self-promotion side of things, and we don’t like constantly reminding you of ways that you can support us, but that’s what we’re going to have to do going forward. So, let’s get started:

The best way to support us is to become a patron on our Patreon page. For as little as a dollar a month, you can help provide ongoing support, and get some cool benefits in return. (Big thanks to Anne C, Edward B, georgia, Mary, and Michael D, some of our long-term patrons!)

If you’d rather make a one-time contribution, you can kick us a few bucks through Ko-fi. That’s quick and easy!

And, of course, there’s always our online store, where you can get Specialists books, PDFs, and posters. Al has also designed a line of awesome-looking pop culture prints. No matter what your geeky interest, you should be able to find something you like!

Now, we understand that a lot of people are struggling right now, and we don’t mean to put pressure on anyone who can’t afford to support us financially. If none of the above options is practical for you, please vote for us on Top Webcomics, and tell your friends about us!

We are always grateful for our readers, and we appreciate whatever kind of support you can give us. As I said, we don’t want to sound like salesmen, but if we’re going to be able to keep the comic humming along at a page a week, it’s going to be a require a team effort.