So here's the deal, faithful masses: We've been spending far too long living in the past. There is no time like the present. It's time to march forcefully towards the 2010s! Change we can believe in. Etc etc. Even Lost has decided to give up their time-travel season and straighten things out, so it's time I did.

On March 19th, Dumbstruck will turn seven venerable years old. It will also mark the beginning of the end of the strip, as I long ago promised that, since the strip began with the Iraq War/Conflict, it will end with the winding down of the Iraq War/Conflict. Obama has promised to remove the majority of troops from the country later this year, so the strip will find it's natural, book-ended conclusion then. Here, then, is how the year will play out, for those of you keeping score at home:

By March 19th, I will be current with the strip. That's right-- six months will fly by in the span of the next six weeks! Most certainly this means a lot of good strips that I already have written and thumbnailed will be left on the cutting room floor as I draw and post only the best and most necessary strips. But fear not, because once the comic is over at the end of the year, I will begin releasing compilation books of each year, complete with all the strips that were left behind in the dust. I don't know how often these books will be released (every 4-6 months likely), but rest assured they will be attractive little numbers with full-color covers and creator and character commentary sprinkled throughout. You'll be able to have a nice little collection of my life's misadventures on your bookshelf with which to amaze your friends and impress your in-laws.

That's my nefarious plan, my darlings. I'll have some more fun and excitement for your eyeballs appearing on March 19th as well, but we'll let that stay a surprise for now. In the meantime, it'll be like fast-forwarding comics on your TiVo for the rest of the winter! Enjoy