The End of Christmas in March
And with this, the 2014-2015 Christmas arc ends.
This arc means a lot to me. It was personal with Sam’s part. It was equally personal with Brett’s progression as the Mantlebearer for less-than-obvious reasons. These characters mean more to me now than they ever have.  I removed Brett from the cast for nearly a year as a personal exercise. Could I do it? Could d20Monkey still be interesting without him? I like to think I proved that Brett isn’t the easy cheap laughs of the strip but I missed him. I am glad he is back. He will be commuting to the Pole via the Mantle. His job is being Santa but he is back at the table.
I’ll be honest, I caught a lot of flack from some folks. Mean flack. Hurtful flack. The kind of flack that makes you push back away from the desk and allow a tiny, dark voice at the bottom of the well to say “is it worth it?” It is worth it. It will always be worth it. I get that d20Monkey has had a shortage of d20s for a while. I am not oblivious to it. Don’t worry, the group is returning to the table. I’ll still be working through Sam’s recovery and a few other out-of-game cast subplots but there will be gaming, lots of gaming and more one-off strips. I think I have an idea now of the balance I would like to maintain between story arcs and gags. I love to create both styles.
For the folks who hung in here through the Christmas arc and had nice things to say, thank you. For the folks who do not care for Christmas/story arcs but respect my need to push my boundaries and get these stories out of my head, thank you.
As for Monday, I may take the day off to catch up on some commitments and resume business of Wednesday.
Have a nice weekend, everyone.
HOVER-TEXT: You mean you don’t have a glow and tasteful pattern overlays when you kiss your sweetie? Shit, that is the only way to do it.
I. . . I don’t have a sweetie. . . so no, that doesn’t happen for me.
also I have really loved this entire arc (especially how much you were able to make me absolutely DESPISE Higgins) and I cannot believe that anybody would actually send you hate mail about a decision YOU made regarding the story direction of YOUR comic. I look forward to your boudary pushing story arcs.
sadly you see this a lot in webcomics, the author pulls away from the original concept for a bit to do a story that wouldnt fit the normal comic, the “original” fans get pissed. Not all of them, not most of them, but enough that some webcomic artists get so hurt they quit. The longest running comics have all had this problem. For me wear it as a badge of honor that your comic was given flack, it puts you in the same boat as some of the greats.
Well said, and I heartily agree!
The best thing about reading comics from start to current (or finish), is to see how everything progresses; from the art, the storyline(s), the characters, the cartoonist’s style & narrative ability, even the site design and navigation.
For the record, though I’m late in joining the fun, d20monkey has impressed me from the first comic, and it only got better along the way. Thank you, sir, for sharing it with your readers. 🙂
This arc was brilliant.
Quick jokes are one thing but the ability to make us detest Clive and feel for Sam and Brett?
That is GREAT writing right there.
I found this comic last October and had read everything up to that point within 2 days as I enjoyed it so much!
I personally enjoyed this arc and i too am glad Brett’s back. Now lets get back to Karthun!!
well done.
with thus particular one, i especially enjoy the varied coloring on the 2nd & 3rd panel – a bit of a fade, an artful brush quality to it. lovely.
(ergh. “this” not “thus”. i am thusly irked.)
now if we can get Sam back on the Lore track
Sounds like someone’s about to be added to the naughty list…
…What?
Normally, I’m a grumpy, grouchy, Grinchy bastard when it comes to Christmas but there’s something about the stories you craft that makes me appreciate the holiday so much more.
The 2nd and 3rd panels are amazing good sir.
I have missed Brett. I’m glad he’s back. But how you did this was perfect. This story arc was worth his absence. If people don’t like it, they can go elsewhere. It’s not like you are holding a gun on them and forcing them to read the comic (I hope anyway;-).
Let the characters tell their stories, the haters can just suck it.
As for the mean flak you got, F THEM, it isn’t their comic. Sure you post it here for us to read and might even take some suggestions, but in the end it is your comic, not TWITCH PLAYS POKEMON or something like that. It is your comic, so do it how you want and those who cant hack it and handle change, well they know how to work a mouse/keyboard and can promptly shove them up their ###
Okay, so I might have channeled a little Brett/Jeanie there, but I get that way when comic authors apologize for doing what they want with their property just cause someone whines.
Trent here pretty much summed up what I wanted to say. In the end, this is YOUR story. Never apologize for writing it the way you want to. I’ve enjoyed the hell out of it for years, and look forward to years more. If I thought for one minute I knew better how this should go, I’d have started my own webcomic long ago. We are lucky that you share this with us, and even more so that you open up the option for comments. And doubly so that you read then and take them seriously. Please don’t let some entitled troll ruin a wonderful entertaining story for everyone ekse.
P.S. In real life, my real name is Sam, I’m also a major gamer/GM, and I have done serious damage to one of knees and needed surgery on it.
Not even joking.
Porthos… The pirate? *jumps in water*
On another note, while Brett has been gone over the arc year. The times we have seen him he has been in mantle-mode, going to be odd seeing him back to normal.
For what it’s worth, this is what I have to say. When I was 18 I went through a life altering injury. I am 31 and still dealing with the repercussions associated with that initial injury. As a consumer of your product, yes I would have liked to have seen more updates. As a fan, I love how relate-able both Sam and Brett are. The kind of life changing events that an injury and/or what I can only imagine a job like the mantel bearing of Christmas must be is? are? I’m losing track of my ability to parse words here…. The important thing is, at least one of your fans gets it. Life sucks. Get a helmet. You still continue on. You sir, are an inspiration to at the very least one person. I demand more Brett. Make it happen, and continue to make him the grating voice of basic goodness that he has evolved into. We may not all be palatable, but we still care about what is good and right, and just. hashtagdicksgetshitdone.
Dude, this is exactly what the arc needed. I have been following this whole storyline and have LOVED everything about it. Yes, I’ve missed Brett. I think everyone has. But it allowed a whole host of other subplots and character arcs to do what they needed to do, and let us get to know the other characters in ways that would have been totally unworkable with Brett involved. Mad props to you for having the guts to stick it out and not cave. You did what you thought the story needed, and did it well. I look forward to the next year(s) with enthusiasm! Keep on writing awesome stories. I’ll keep reading.
It begs the question though–how does Brett go back to role playing when his life is ACTUAL role-playing. Sam has his work cut out to make something that still engages FRICKIN SANTA CLAUS….
Oh, I think it’ll be fine. Absolute worst case is that Brett starts defaulting to a ranger with Favored Enemy: Humanoids(Elves). 😉
I don’t see that as being terribly likely; there are a lot of elves, enough that he’s said he can’t keep them straight, and Higgins is the only one we’ve ever seen him have a serious problem with. Having the first member of a group you meet be a dick can set you up for unfortunate prejudices, but meeting one dick in a group you’ve been in contact with for years is another matter entirely.
Think of it this way; Brett’s been off doing a long term LARP for a solid year, and is -really- in the mood for a genre shift.
I’m reminded of a comic found somewhere in my first Ad&d DM guide of a party of adventurers sitting down to play a rousing tabletop game of (I think) Accountants & Actuaries….
Because being a roleplayer doesn’t mean your real life isn’t exciting. Soldiers Roleplay. Firemen Roleplay. Covert Agents Roleplay. I know all this from personal groups I’ve been part of. Also, Sydney in GrrrlPower still roleplays and she’s a superhero. One of the characters in my fantasy novels runs fantasy roleplaying games while attending a magical academy. Being Santa is his job… Roleplaying Gronthar the Barbarian Chieftan is a hobby… and awesome.
Keep in mind as well that Brett was already Santa Claus for a full year PRIOR to this past probationary year. And the only thing that took him away from the table was the probation he was forced to spend. Only real reason he went with the probation was that he REALLY loves Christmas and loved that he was now Santa Claus.
FREAKIN’ beautiful and I love everything about this comic. Everything. From gaming to more in-depth, unique story.
Love what you do, ’cause I love what you do, man.
Well now, this makes for a nice, tidy, happy end to the Xmas arc, and I say it was a fun ride (the Christmas ones have a habit of being rather epic)
Here’s to sticking with it, fans that aren’t douches, and future…well, everything.
Really? People got upset at you for trying to grow as a cartoonist and storyteller?
T’hell with them. Tell the stories you want to tell. If that’s not to people’s tastes, door’s on the left.
Thank you for the comic. And as I said before I personally enjoyed this arc more than the previous Christmas arcs (I think they got better and better with the years, as I guess you put more and more actual plot into them). Gag-a-day comics can be fun, but stories are fun too. And personally I am reeeeealy looking forward to a resolution to Grey’s story.
Dude, both you, and this comic rock. Remember something important, it’s YOUR comic, your the one taking your time to put your stuff out there. You can’t please all the people all the time, and here on the net, I think ee are some people that can never be pleased. Keep doing what your doing, and I’ll keep reading!
Don’t listen to the nay-sayers, Brian!
EPIC storyline is EPIC!
Brett used to be my least favorite of your characters – but he has grown and with that, so has my appreciation of him.
Hey – I love the Stories as they come – It’s not ALL about the D20’s… It is about the People Rolling them.
Roll on Brother, Roll On.
Yes! It’s also about the monkeys and Higgins was DEF. a monkey
What is up with Brett’s arms? They’re very thin, and you’d think you’d see some of his left hand and wrist–they look amputated.
Yeah the hand nub freaks me outa tiny bit…
Brian, I can see how both the one offs, and the long form have developed over time within this comic. I appreciate that you have experimented, have tried to challenge yourself, challenge us as readers, and done what you felt was necessary for the characters and the whole idea.
No other comic has held my attention, week after week. I supported the kickstarter, I read my volume from cover to cover. I feel like these characters are some good friends, and seeing them continue to evolve is what keeps me coming back. And of course the occasional dick joke or three. You are continuing to become a better storyteller, and I look forward to riding along, no matter where we end up.
Take care of yourself, Brian. And even if we never meet in person, I consider you one of my friends.
Shit, man, this arc made me decide to get on your Patreon. Also, if you ever need a Brett for live action, I -can- bleach my hair.
Never apologize for your art. Ever. And if someone bitches about your story, plot or frequency of updates, refer them to Neil Gaiman’s post about GRRM. You are not our bitch. D20Monkey is a privilege and it’s one I have enjoyed the hell out of. Keep on rocking.
ok . . .is it bad that i wanna find out what happened with the blind guy and the cop . . . .ummm . . .SOMETHING HAD TO HAVE HAPPENED!!!! >>>>Pleads with Brian for a spoiler!!
Patience. I haven’t forgotten and things will take an… interesting turn.
Does a Mcstabby . . . i can wait all night long!! ALL FREAKING NIGHT LONG!
(Ps. . love the story . . love the characters .. .don;t care what u roll so long as u keep the storyline rolling and it is YOUR Story. Take me on a journey . . .blow me away with the plot turns and make me wish Jeanie had Dick bagged the “total Douche”)
ALL NIGHT LONG !!!!
Enjoyed the arc a lot. Great job. People may complain, but good art isn’t always about giving people what they ask for. It’s also giving them stuff they didn’t realize they wanted. That’s not the easiest thing to do sometimes. Keep at it, please.
Well, I think this has been a hell of a ride for a long time and hope that you continue. You are a wonderful storyteller, so please tell whatever story fits your mood. I, for one, am good for the ride. Please keep it up.
I’ve been a reader through a lot of your comic, and never once did I load up the page and think ‘Oh, no gaming content today, what a waste of the 2 seconds it took for me to check.’ I LOVE your work, d20Monkey is amazing whether it’s a strip featuring the joy and suffering of your characters sat around the table waiting for the dice to land, or whether it’s the equally moving experience of them going through their own lives, be it through the good or the bad times.
In my opinion knowing more about each person makes the d20 related strips all the more entertaining, for the simple reason that context can change a lot. It’s the difference between a roll going wrong to give you a quick laugh, and having (for example) a well known ladies man *repeatedly* roll critical failures while their character tries to seduce the female guard watching their cell (a particularly fond memory of one of my friends).
I’m glad that there seems to be so much support in the comments, and I will end this essay now, but I felt that I needed to let you know how much I enjoy each aspect of your comic. If people are quick to vocalise their discontent at the choices you make for your own work, then I can certainly leave a quick comment to say how amazing I think it all is.
I feel the need to chime in here, because of your comment. I have been reading d20monkey for quite awhile now. I am a gamer and a geek who met the wife I love dearly through gaming. The gaming parts of this comic are fun, I enjoy them. But to me, they are the aside from the real story, which is things like this. The characters in your comic have lives. to see them in these stories allows them to grow into fuller characters, not just the people who are playing this game now. Now what I am waiting to see is, how has being away and at the pole for a year changed Brett? How has he grown?
I’m a mean-spirited, Christmas hating Grinch, so it shows how much I love your comic that I’ve enjoyed this arc even though it’s extended Christmas to past my birthday on the first of March 😉 Let the idiots give you flak if they want, it’s your comic to do with as you wish, and I for one will stick with it come what may as I love the characters and storylines (although I also liked the old one-shot jokes too and wouldn’t mind if there were a few more sprinkled in to the mix again).
Your story. Write WHAT you want, HOW you want, and WHEN you want (preferably still with in schedule :P). Anyone who would drop out of a read because you delved deeply in to the world your story takes place in is A, a shitty reader or B, an unimaginiative power gamer threatened by your ability to craft full lives and stories of multiple characters that they lack.
Thanks for the entertainment.
Don’t let the flak get to you, dude. Most people are either duchebags or don’t realize they’re giving you shit at all. They don’t have to read d20Monkey if it doesn’t suit them.
Good sir, You’ve done a wonderful job with this Arc of your story. If you don’t put all the little Details, The story doesn’t feel as full. I was always a writer too, And i stopped showing people my stories and started just writing to them myself, But i can Guarantee you that You’ll get plenty of respect for the stories and characters that you’ve created that we all love and keep coming back to see.
Keep up the Good work.
I can get gag-a-day strips just about anywhere; there are dozens of them. I visit d20Monkey because I’ve grown to care about the characters AS characters, not just mouthpieces for single-serving jokes.
I do like the gaming strips, but I also love what you’ve created with the Mantlebearer storyline, and seeing the characters grow and change is fantastic. For my part, I hope you’ll continue with both the short and/or single-day arcs, plus the longer storylines. I like both of ’em.
cheers,
Phil
What Phil said.
Long-time reader, of the comic and the comments, and I had to come out of lurk-mode for this.
I hate Christmas/holiday arcs and I hate people like Brett.
That said, I love your comic and only wish you could update more often. The only comic I’ve found with holiday arcs that did it as well as you would be Sluggy Freelance, and, like you, Pete Abrams incorporated the holiday arc into the general comic storyline. It doesn’t feel forced, like you see December approaching and say “oh no, time for the obligatory Christmas specials.” Brett IS Santa. It is year-round, not a one-off that feels out of place with canon but actually part of the day-to-day continuity. Brett has grown on me as well, even though I will still bitch-slap people that act like him at the table.
As far as the gag-a-day versus deep story issue; I prefer story punctuated by gags and one-offs, exactly like you usually do it. It gives us all a break between deep issues or character focus. I would love to see you post more comics, but not if you had to sacrifice quality for quantity.
And remember, if you can make someone like Brett a well liked and wanted character, with issues, backstory, and traits that we can all relate to, then you are a great writer. No trolls can take that away from you.
brian, this has been a great arc and a great comic. can’t wait to see what happens next!
The only thing I would loved to have seen to round off this arc – perhaps instead of this comic – was a “panorama”, as it were, of the ball itself.
Otherwise, I definitely enjoyed this arc, and look forward to the next gaming arc, the next one-off penis joke, the next whatever.
Hey Brian,
What can I say, I do love your comic. Have been following it from two years now (I think). I love that the characters has a way in and out the table. I really enjoy all of the christmas arcs, and how they evolve in time.
My most sincere congratulations.
And I have your back covered. Keep the good work, those hurtful naisayers are just envious douches (and english is not my native language 😉 )
I just want to say that I am pretty new to reading this comic but I must say that I absolutely love this story arc. It was great and I love Brett’s girlfriend. DO NOT PISS that woman off! LOL
Stop making me love this comic so much! Okay, no – don’t stop. It’s so good to see them happy together again.
MAJK
It’s your comic man, you do do. I came for the d20s (years ago) and I stuck around for the characters. I will continue to stick around for said characters.
As much fun as this arc has been, it’ll be great to see how Brett re-meshes with the rest of the group.
I’m also eager to see what will happen in regards to Dallas and Dove.
Personally, I found Brett’s pre-Santa language to be, in Clive’s words, unsavory. Honestly, I haven’t missed that aspect. But the whole Christmas arc dovetails nicely with what I teach my kids about Santa so I’ve been pleasantly impressed with your work on that and can’t complain.
But while I have kind words and warm feelings for you and yours, ultimately, my opinion is just that, and in the strange calculus of humanity, it’s your thoughts that matter here.
You know what?, Fuck the haters and mean comments.
This comic goes way beyond just some dice hitting a table. It has a heart at the core of the dick jokes and puns. That is what makes this a great story.
I admit it is the dice and dick jokes that drew me in with a laugh, but it was the characters and story that has made me an eternal fan. I hope I get to meet you one day at a con or something so I can shake your hand.
Man, screw all the people who didn’t like this arc. It was awesome!
Man, I’m a french reader who discover your comic and read it like, what…7 times?
You tell great stories, your characters are awesome and I can’t wait to see what will happen next!
Also, please more Carlos: His rage trooper is amazing and il would love to see him on a table with the others again^^
Don’t worry about the complaints. I’ve never commented on here before, but know I’ve appreciated every comic including this wonderful story arc. There are always going to be people who want to tell you how to do your art, but ultimately it’s your art and rest assured you have lots of supporters even if many of us are silent most of the time.
Haters can blow me, this was a great run as they all have been. I’ve enjoyed the comic when it was dice and enjoyed it when it was story, when there were dick jokes and when there were touching moments. The entire run has been amazing and I’ve been following it for well over a year and have NO plans in stopping. You do what you do, and you do it well! Keep up the epic rolls!
Have to ask: the King of Seasons modelled on Cerunnus?
Seriously, this storyline has been brilliant. It is always a risk to do something different or remove a beloved character, but you took that risk and it paid off. There was actual character development for a number of characters this year, including Brett, that couldn’t have happened otherwise. In short: it was bloody brilliant!
For me, the “Dungeon Run” storyline was the only place that I’ve felt the strip drifted away from being my “first click” in the last year, and that’s because I got a little detached from it at parts… probably because many of the characters had no real resonance for me. But even that was a great exploration of your Karthun world and how it falls together, and I muscled through it because I’ve come to trust your storytelling.
Keep up the good work! And thanks for entertaining us.
I’m thinking Clive is the guy in the limo with what’s his name the douche who got banished from Sam’s table. I mean, they both got banished for being assholes to the guy in charge; calling him soft.
You okay, Brian? You haven’t updated in ten days.
Starting to worry… =(
He has been traveling for his birthday. He’s been crazy active on Twitter. Haven’t heard anything about the strip, but he appears to be well otherwise.
I said it early on, one messed up jerk is going down hard, and I figured that elf was a bigot who was going to go boom in a really big way.
I would to start off with a bit of background info:
I am a Jew, a seasoned gamer, and all out nerd, I find most Christmas specials garish and tripe. I have always felt that most christmas specials take a lot away from the story they are connected with. (And usually feel forced, much like many filler arcs)
That being said. This was not forced, this was not tripe, this was well written, thought out, and I enjoyed the entire arc. I have enjoyed D20Monkey as a comic overall, and look forward to Karthun. So I would like to add my voice to those who support your actions, take this comic where you want to take it, We will follow.
Your fan,
Evan
P.S. I can’t wait to discover where Higgins was banished to, personally I hope it was customer service or a call center, as a mortal, forced to serve the whims of mortals with a smile on his face less he lose the job that pays him minimum wage.
Dude! Yer strong! Beat back tha beastie tha cries for ya bluud!
Nah, just joking, they suck you rool!
Good day Brian
I would just like to say that in all honesty d20Monkey has become my absolute favourite web comic, i started on the first strip last week and will probably be up to date before the week is out.
I applaud your continued efforts on both the comic strip and Karthun.
I feel that I have become a better DM in some regards from reading d20Monkey, it has opened my eyes on what a DM should be.
May the dice be ever in your favour.
So this is only like 4 years later but, “Eff the haters”, you do you. Thoroughly enjoying getting caught up on this… I am binge reading (is that a thing) your strips… absolutely great.
“… allow a tiny, dark voice at the bottom of the well to say “is it worth it?†”
HOLY SH*T, BRIAN!
the foreshadowing…