Horskateers, I wanted to send you all a hearty happy holidays during this season. This is the first Christmas/New Years we’ve spent together, and I have to admit– it’s been a really rewarding experience. Horsemen as a work has never looked better, and I even feel like my writing is improving as we push onward and upward. It might not be GOOD, per se, but it’s better. You’ve gotta give me that!

On a creative front, we’re FINALLY out of the DMV, and we’ve FINALLY gotten some women in the story.

Very few people know this, but I shot a movie back in 2005 and had two female protagonists. I loved writing them, and I love writing for female characters. The problem I found with introducing them in the humble beginnings of the Horsemen universe was that, quite simply, it is a rare woman that would voluntarily spend time with these clowns. Now we have the opportunity to explore just what kinds of people will willingly participate in these jackasses’ adventures. I know we have quite a few female fans, and I have to say– thank you. Thank you for proving some of our naysayers wrong by enjoying this the way it is.

We finally have a store! This might seem like either a greedy ploy to bilk money from readers, but my excitement comes from just having Horsemen-related material. I love additional content in my pop-culture, and I want to satisfy that person out there who thinks something like a Skull plushie or a Firefly schematic would look completely awesome in their office. It’s slow goings putting together stuff that looks and feels authentic, but I think it’s worth it.

And since you haven’t seen the comic where Love & Craft Coffee appears, don’t worry. Next week sometime you’ll be introduced to the store in the strip. I wrote it awhile ago, and I loved the idea of having a coffee mug with a logo for one of my universe-centric businesses on it.

Horsemen finally had an unprovoked review, and it wasn’t half bad! I’ll be honest– when I had to find out about the review and wasn’t contacted directly about it, I feared the worst. Not for Mike. I was afraid what would be said was exactly how it began– the art’s fantastic, but the story and writing are complete crap. As the review went on, I think the people involved who got it, stepped up to the plate. I am extremely grateful for that, and I took some of their advice, as well. (Speaking of which, I really need to update that Archive.)

Mike’s art gets better every day, and I do my best to remind him of that every opportunity I get. I’m sure it sounds disingenuous saying it this much, but I really do need to stress how appreciative I am of his work, his talent, and his input. You can watch the art get better without changing the tone or entirely changing the comic. It just… grows. And of course, Supernormal Step is a testament to the creative, talented dude he is.

I’d like to introduce more blogging into the site. I know that can get boring, but I hate the fact that all I can offer is the written word. It sucks that once a week everyone gets to see the comic, and then for the rest of the time the site is just a gateway to Monday. I’d like to schedule blog updates, so I’m going to do that from now on. I think I’ll start on Wednesdays and see how it goes. Every Monday you get the comic, and Wednesday I’ll post a blog about something somehow related to the comic. I’d like to encourage as much commenting as possible, so we can connect with each other. I want to directly say “thank you” to as many fans as I can, and really open up the lines of communication.

Got a question? Email me! sal@horsemen-online.com. Want to comment? Just do it! You will not be flamed. That’s not what I’m about.

Maybe the comic version, but not me.

‘Til later, Horskateers! Thank you!