The last four months of 2008 weren't particularly eventful for readers of the strip. In September, there were almost as many filler sketches as strips. In October, things briefly seemed to be back on track. In November, four strips were posted. In December, three. Three!
January 2009 is another month with spotty updates instead of a steady trickle of new comics. The year started with me getting the flu, then getting hammered by the antibiotics and with my motivation to keep going somewhere in a dark corner.
Readership seems to be stagnating and even dropping. It's been months since I've received an e-mail from a new reader. Don't get me wrong: I cherish every e-mail I receive from regular readers. But there's something special about an e-mail from a new reader – I can't quite put it in words. Perhaps it's the joy at somebody having discovered my feeble efforts and appreciating them.
Anyhow... These certainly aren't the best of circumstances to embark on a five-part sequence of strips (six if you count the prologue), especially not one which requires color and a very specific approach to coloring. Still, that's what I decided to do. And strangely enough, having a specific goal is indeed motivating me. Hopefully, the "Life On The Tube" series will be concluded by the end of the month.