The Big Man
Brett. BRETT.
Oh and that Steward of Winter Clive Delhopp that prosecuted Brett during his trial last year.
A lot of folks have asked me why I removed Brett from the comic for nearly a full year, since he is arguable one of the most popular cast members. The short answer is I needed to know if I could keep the series funny and interesting without the humor and mythos of Brett to fall back on. It is easy to get comfortable as a creator and I just had to know if I could make it work without the big man. I like to think that I accomplished that with this year’s set of stories but all of you are the real judges of that, to be completely honest.
I am happy to see him back and I am not ashamed to say that I experienced joy working on his look and drawing his again in the strip. I am excited for what is coming and I hope all of you like it as well.
HOVER-TEXT: PSA for new readers. My Santa is a foul-mouthed ass kicker.
And we love him for it.
This was fucking fantastic, and i love the new look for Brett š
that Higgins guy is starting to sound like he needs a fist in the mouth.
Yay to see Brett, can’t wait to see what he’s been up to, But for a few necessary panels of foreshadowing. the strip has flowed and maintained just fine
Higgins needs to spend some quality time mucking out the reindeer stalls to learn a little humility.
honestly, while i get what u were going for with keepign him out, brett was my favorite character and really added a necesary element to the gaming group. hes the toughest member and keeps them together with nothing else than sheer group annoyance at him. also without brett the series has barely had much gaming aside from the dungeonrun, which was more about the contest and the one guy they didnt like. That being said i LOVE his new look. What is that thing in his beard called? and i hope he becomes a regular character again.
Eh… I sort of agree on the lack of diverse gaming, but Dungeon Run was a 3 month long arc. You can’t really say there was “barely” any gaming. There were also a couple of issues that weren’t at all Brian’s fault, which caused Christmas to run into April. Brett’s fun to have at the table and all, and while I’m not saying he would be -easily- replaced, I think he can be with the group holding together fine, relatively speaking.
I think that you’ve done an excellent job, and it’s been a fun and awesome year, and I think it would well survive with Brett in more of a supporting role, but that’s just me.
The lack of gaming was kind of a secret thing I was doing as well, just to see how it would go. It’s one of the things where early on it was all about the gaming gags and the characters were secondary, this year is a little bit of a flip (even though Dungeon Run was a big arc). 2015 will bring more of the group around the table but for me it was all about the challenge of doing other things with the characters and story. I know some folks like, some hate it, and some are indifferent. I’m at peace with all of the above. I never want to be the guy who just churns out the same old jokes and tropes year after year. I want to push myself in little ways. So 2015: More gaming!
*nods* That’s perfectly awesome. It’s always good to shake things up creatively, and to see what you can and can’t handle with the creator. I also still agree with what I said originally, though, that you can’t really say there was a lack of gaming this year. I think it made an awesome long form story, although maybe I’m just used to Something*Positive, where there’ll be one or two gaming storylines every year or two.
I will continue to read in whatever direction you decide to take the comic. Well, as long as it doesn’t take some kind of weird random turn like actually being a dream of the 7 headed dick hydra, or something. And even then, I would probably continue to read.
To be honest, I’ve been loving the extra focus on your characters lately. As you said, it’s been interesting to see that transition from mostly gaming jokes into some really great character development.
I think you’re a great artist and a great writer, and this comic just keeps getting better.
It’s kind of a shame you did both of those at the same time, to be honest; we didn’t really get to see the effect losing Brett had on the gaming group.
Great news! He will be! I love Brett and I missed him too.
Brian, you have delivered some of the most compelling and funny story arcs this year, even without Brett. His presence was missed, but it gave the other characters a chance to step up and take the spotlight and develop themselves. I’ll be glad to see Brett back, but the comic’s still pretty fantastic even without him.
Brett looks like a god damn dwarven god. I am so glad to see him back. BUT, mission accomplished! This webcomic has never let me down with it’s humor, stories, or making me care for the characters. Well done and please keep it going.
I just archive-binged the entire series, so he’s only been gone a day, but it’s nice to see Brett back!
I don’t think it’s harmed the comic at all not having Brett for a while, in fact I think it’s healthy to mix up the cast and elements as it keeps it all fresh. That said GO BRETT!!!!
BRETT!!! Yay!
I think it’s time to kick that little shit “Higgins” right square in the teeth.
DAT BEARD, THO
And to answer your question (even though it wasn’t really a question), I think you did a fantastic job with the comic this year, even without Brett. I do have mixed feelings about the Dungeon Run arc, but none of those really have anything to do with Brett’s absence.
Again, all in all, you did a great job š
While Rory may have been the reason Brett has blue jingle balls right now, Higgins is just a little shite that needs a taste of humble pie. Did Brett by chance name one of his fists ‘Humble Pie’ at all?
I am probably in the minority here, but I preferred the Brett-less strip. But then again, Brett is the sort of gamer I would have booted from my table after only a few sessions, unless he was already the kind of long-time friend who gets a pass on his boorish behavior.
I should add, despite my prior post, I do like the new look for Brett. Very old school “badass Yuletide Santa”.
Brian, Brett, no Brett, this sheet is funny! One of the few webcomics that I make sure I keep on with on a regular basis. (Don’t tell, but I even read it at work)!
You’ve passed your self test with flying colors. You took out a main character for a whole year and still made a compelling story. I think you’ve strengthened our bonds to everyone else too.
I’m excited for the future.
I definitely agreed that you needed the time to see if you could make the comic stand on it’s own with the reliance of Brett as a comical “neck-beard asshole”. In my own opinion though, Brian–Sam needs Brett back in his life. Whether Sam is willing to admit it or not, Brett is his best friend before Charlie. I am happy though that you are reintroducing Brett after such a long time, because I would like to see how much his character has changed in the year off screen.
I could really relate to having Brett gone, or at least absent, from the strip. As one of my best friends (and soon to be best man) had to leave the Province (im Canadian) for work reasons and eventually moved his entire family with him. It has been a struggle to keep in touch, but with social media, and technology we have made it work.
I think the latest comics of the struggle to “keep the group” together have hit me hardest. But made me know that things usually happen for a reason and eventually work out for the best.
Thank you for writing them.
Merry Christmas and All that good stuff.
I’ve enjoyed the “Brett-less” stories so far, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been waiting for Brett to return.
Personally, I always loved Brett in this strip, but he was never my favorite character, Sam was. Also, while I love Brett as a character, I hate him as a player. If he were in my game, I would kick him out pretty quick, because I as a DM hate putting up with players like that. But then, that’s part of Brett’s charm as a character. Also, I personally have loved Brett’s story line as Santa, and him leaving for a year was all pretty smooth and made sense in universe. I’ve been at his absence this past year as a delay in his story that will be resolved, and was looking forward to this years Christmas arc just to see how that goes. So, my final opinion, I love the Brett/Santa story, but I don’t come to the strip for Brett, so I think it works just fine without him.
On a related topic, what I’d really love to see are some Charlie-centered stories. š
2015 is Charlie’s year. Stay tuned.
Charlie needs to run more DREAD for the group! That was an awesome mini-arc!
I agree on Charlie – and Trevor as well. I do love Sam and Brett and Mel, but sometimes it feels like Charlie and Trevor are just sidekicks who are there for companionship and words of wisdom… it would be nice to see some storylines that are mainly about them.
I think you’ve been doing great. I hadn’t really missed him, but I can honestly say that I was more excited to see Brett than I expected!
Cue heavy metal here comes Santa Claus intro music for the return of Brett(spelling?).
I really hope he stays around after this arc. Or that we get a CoC/similar game Arc afterward.
I feel like maybe this is an appropriate soundtrack for Brett’s return. Sir Christopher Lee singing heavy metal Christmas carols.
Awww yeah.
There he is…
Higgins.
The great cock-blocker himself.
I’ll join the choir in pronouncing the success of your test, Brian!
You’ve kept Brett off-panel for a good while, without ignoring the impact of his absence on the other characters, which is something I’ve noticed from time to time in other (less coherent?) webcomics.
Well… since I hate following the crowd, and everyone loves how you do things, I guess it is up to me to be the debby downer.
your comic said a bad word.
well shit, thats literally the only bad thing I can fucking think of….wow I suck at being a debby downer….
All of your mentioned tests and self-challenges were successful, and I’m even more impressed by both your capability and your self-challenge itself.
Apparently, you’re even more awesome than I thought, and I’d no idea that was possible until this morning.
Kudos.
SOOOO. LET IT BE JUDGED.
You made pretty good. Keep up the good work. ^^b
Oh my god, it’s so good to see our resident Santa again! While I love Sam and everyone else, Brett is, as you said, my favorite. I really missed him, even though we had all the previous foreshadowing that he was returning, It’s great to see Brett for real. This was a great reveal, and I do agree that Higgins needs to learn some humility. You did a great job, and I’m definitely looking forward towards the coming story, as well as what the new year brings.
*sees Brett’s new look, fans self, faints*
What’s that thing in his beard called again?
I think you pulled it off nicely. Sam can anchor the story fine. Happy to see Brett, not so happy to hear Brett. It’s a bit of pity that I can’t share the awesomeness with my family, honestly.
I’m prepping the bear trap and the “almond flavored” sugar cookies for his arrival….
Glad to see Brett back. Proud of you for your decision to focus on the other characters. Shows versatility.
I like what you’re doing with Higgins. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand the little fucker, but maybe that’s the point. Brett’s so physically tough now that it’s a foregone conclusion that he’d beat the piss out of Klaus, so you bring in someone who exploits a different set of weaknesses. That’s brave storytelling.
I think the strip has been better without Brett, thank you for giving us some space without him. It will be interesting to see how he fits back into the group now it has grown and changed without him…
Good god Higgins is a dick. They have an alert specifically for the type of situation that just happened and he tried to block it? If ever there was any doubt about whether he’s just doing his job or being a spiteful little prick, it’s sure gone now.