December 29, 2004
Getting My Funny Onentry,
In the fall of 2001 Americans reeled from the devastating emotional impact of a large-scale terrorist attack on our nation. I remember crying, and then deciding that whatever might be going on, it was MY job to keep being funny. The Schlock Mercenary storyline with its embedded gags, jabs, puns, and knee-slappers marched forward oblivious to current events.
I'm feeling that way again. With tens of thousands dead and millions homeless in coastal Southeast Asia right now, the media is full to bursting with tragic tales and pleas for aid. For my own part, there's little I can add. On Sunday I wept, wishing I could be in Sumatra, or Indonesia, or India holding a shovel. I no longer have the means to throw money at problems like these, and the resultant helplessness was at once numbing and infuriating.
Today I remembered my commitment to you, my readers. You don't come here for the news. You don't show up every day for my take on current events. You come to Schlock Mercenary to escape. My job isn't to educate. I'm here to amuse, to entertain, and to divert. If you end up smarter for reading this comic, we'll just call that a happy accident and not tell any grown-ups about it.
I'm up to the task. I'll keep being funny, and you'll know that even though the world is an oft-hurtful place, there are spots in it where you can still find your happy. Granted, I'll still write maudlin, bloggish crap down here below the fold from time to time, but for all my open opining, the comic itself will remain the same: serial, daily, funny, and free.
I hope it helps you. I know it helps me.