“Japan’s new first lady rode in a spaceship”

Triangular-shaped UFOs? Perhaps she was referring to one of these.

So why didn’t “Bequeath” wrap up the Lady’s hijinks in Rwahle, as I confidently but mistakenly stated, back when it first started?

You see, the way I had originally plotted out the issue, Rona and crew were supposed to head straight back to Senserealm. The Lady was supposed to head straight to Belahm’s lair and have that final confrontation with the Huntress that we’ve all been waiting for. End of story. End of arc.

But characters don’t always do what they’re supposed to. Sometimes, they take on a life of their own. That’s when a story more or less writes (rights?) itself. Knowing Rona, Perse, Zai, et al as I have gotten to (I did create them after all), and the way things had developed, there was simply no way they would meekly give up and head home. Likewise, the Lady just didn’t seem to me (and I’d like to think I know her pretty well too) like the type of heroine who would go charging into enemy territory without sufficient reason or motivation.

So, there you go. ”Imprisoned Lightning” brings us the belated conclusion to the Rwahle arc, and I intend to make it worth the wait (and buildup). Maybe I could have gotten to this point a bit quicker, but Twilight Lady has never been about just getting to the action, has it? I suspect if you were looking for a comic that just cuts to the chase (or the shootout, or swordfight, or explosion, or fistfight) all the time, you would have looked elsewhere long ago.

No, this comic has always been about characters who live and breathe (at least to me). And sometimes write themselves. Who don’t always follow the plan laid out for them by their creator. And that’s okay… right?

Yes, there will now be one (gasp) extra update each week, as my time starts to free up following the big move (mentioned below).

For you longtime readers out there… yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Will this comic ever get back to the heady days of daily updates?

I hope so. Certainly it will, should the law of demand and supply dictate thus…

There will only be one update this week as I plan to be in San Diego for Comic-Con 2009.

To slightly make up for that, here’s a page of rough pencils from an upcoming Twilight Lady tale I’m working on with artist Federico Zumel.

Since speculation can sometimes be half the fun, I’m going to keep mum regarding story details for the time being, and let you folks have the pleasure of figuring out just what’s happening here.

(Apologies to Zuda.)

I’m currently in the midst of relocating, so updates are going to be a bit less frequent for the next month or so. As anyone who’s ever done it will attest, moving house can be a heckuva time-suck.

It can be a money-suck as well. As always, any donations are greatly appreciated.

At the very least, you can help halt this comic’s current rapid slide down the rankings at TWC by voting as often as you can (once a day is the limit). Whatever you may think of it, TWC is a pretty good way of spreading the word.

But, you may wonder, why is he asking for help at a time when he’s giving us less than usual, instead of… y’know, more? Where’s our incentive to vote and/or donate?

It’s actually at times like this that us webcomickers truly need support. Not as much to keep ourselves going (we tend to be rather thick-skinned, hardy types), but to keep the comic, the characters, the site, the enthusiasm, the idea, the story, the dream, going. I’ve seen too many creators get sidetracked and lose focus, and their creations peter out as a result.

I, for one, am determined never to let Twilight Lady fall by the wayside. Though it’s at times like this that the spectre of dwindling readership rears its scary head, where the momentum we’ve spent months building threatens to grind to a halt. Where we get preoccupied with things like furniture and finances and life and other practical b.s. and it becomes way too easy to lose sight of what’s really important (webcomicking… duh).

Support can come in many forms, of course. And there may be no proper way to gauge its effect. But believe me, it does make a difference.

Read. Vote. Donate!