It was me all along
Ah yes, getting the Mafia back into the crime bussiness. You remember when Fuzzy did that, right? (And how it turned out.) At the time, he was doing it to try and get the Committee to go after Hazel. Things sure have gotten complicated since then.
We return on Wednesday with our next time. But in the meantime, a note for Patreon backers, current and future: In case you missed Friday's update, all of this months Patreon rewards are now out! Depending on your backer level, there's a new art vote, a new issue of the S&F Extra e-magazine, a bunch of new art in the Art Vault, and some brand new anniversary-themed additions to the pin-up collection starring Alexa, Lance, and Andrea. Woo!
-Sam Logan
Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: Clairvoyant Edition
Got a question you want answered? Just drop me an email with "Q & A" in the subject line!
"In [this month's Patreon bonus pin-up of Lance bursting out of a cake], Lance says he's been stuck in that birthday cake for six years. Does that mean that cake was originally for the comic's 9th anniversary, rather than the 15th? (And hasn't Lance has actually appeared in the comic twice since six years ago, in The Pitch and Six Years Earlier?" -Jake
Non-speaking cameos don't count! You might have a point about the cake, though. That's pretty gross! (I mean, even if there hadn't been a man living in it for six years.)
Speaking of Patreon, all of this month's rewards are out now! So if it's not too crass, I should probably pause for a moment to give them a proper plug. This month, we've got:
- A new bonus art poll for all backers!
- A new issue of our e-magazine for Extra-level backers!
- A bunch of new art and a copy of S&F Fix Your Problem ebook for Art Vault backers!
- Two new 15th-anniversary-themed pin-ups for Saucy Hippo backers: the aforementioned goofy caked-themed piece of Lance and Alexa, and a (pretty saucy) Andrea one!
That's a lot of stuff! But I'm getting a lot of support through Patreon -- we have almost 200 backers now! -- so I do my best to come up with fun bonuses.
"Hi! I noticed on a reread that Dev's full name is given as Devahi Prasad in a couple places. But in this comic, the squid businesswoman she's extorting addresses her as Ms. Singh. Has Dev been using a false name for her criminal activities or something? Or is it just a simple continuity slip?" -JB
That, my friend, is a good old-fashioned goof-up on my part. By the time I had gotten to that later comic, I'd straight up forgotten that I'd ever given her a last name and gave her a new one. We actually caught this error later and fixed it for the print version, but clearly I forgot to fix it here on the website, too. (I'll do so after we've all taken a moment to properly bask in my error.)
"How does it feel when a reader guesses or asks in a surprisingly clairvoyant way about relevant plot points way before they get to even be a thing in the comic? One example that comes to mind was this one time in 2011, during the NMS era, when it was asked when would the comic be getting back to the important stuff, the buddy is sick storyline (that question was retroactivelly made so incredibly brilliant when we actually got back to it!). Another is this question that was made in 2012 about the implications of Hazel not having the ninja emperor's code and of Hart having possessed the emperor. Is it frustrating when this kind of thing happens? Is it fulfilling to know you're writing such a tight story people can pick up on the important stuff and go along the right tracks with it? Or does it make you feel/react in another, entirely different way?" - Bernardo
Some of you may have seen may say something along these lines before elsewhere, but here's my philosophy on the subject: I think truly satisfying plot twists are foreshadowed, and truly foreshadowed plot twists are always theoretically guessable.
So, on the occassion that a specific reader guesses a future story twist with exreme accuracy, I just take it as a sign that I have successfully done what I set out to do. It definitely doesn't bother me. (Although I suppose it would if a HUGE QUANTITY of readers all guessed it at once.) And I assume it doesn't bother them, either... I assume it's very validating when they turn out to be right!
The guess about Buddy's illness being very important was a particularly funny one, though, because the reader was clearly joking. Of course, it actually was very important, so I decided to answer their question with a "joke" response that would seem really funny in hindsight. I'm glad you stumbled across it! I'd completely forgotten that I'd done that until you reminded me.
That's a wrap for this week, friends! We return on Monday with a new comic. See you then!
-Sam Logan
Notes of note
Kickstarter backers: all the books and other rewards have arrived at Make That Thing HQ! They're being packed up and readied to mail right now! I hope you are as psyched as I am.
In other news... I'm happy to announce that I will be at this year's Anime Expo in Los Angeles this July 1st-4th! I've never been before, so I'm pretty stoked. I hope to see lots of you there! I'll post more info closer to the show.
That's all for today, team. But we return on Friday with a new comic and a new round of Q and A. Got a question for me? Pop it in an email with "Q and A" in the subject line!
-Sam Logan
