Because we need an “Eight Years” thread…
Posted June 11th, 2008 by Howard TaylerI’ve been doing this thing for eight years. I’ve been doing it full-time for almost four. Wow.
THANK YOU.
I like my job, and I wouldn’t be able to keep it without you.
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June 11th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
We love you, Howard.
Schlock has been a favorite of mine practically since you started. Catching up on the 3 months I missed was one of my first priorities after boot camp, if that tells you anything.
June 11th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
*gives his favorite cartoonist a thank-you hug and a stick of dynamite*
Celebration time!
*flicks open his Zippo and offers Howard a flame*
June 11th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
*Howard removes the cap and fuse from the dynamite, puts the dynamite in his pocket, and hands the primer back to Tank*
I’ll light it later, when it’s not quite as obvious who did it. Also, I’ve got my own primers.
June 11th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Wow. Eight years and only an exploding electrical transformer caused any missed display days.
Howard rocks. :)
June 11th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Thanks for many years and many more in the future. Cheers!
June 11th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
I actually registered here just to say thank you for your work. That’s a long time making excellent comics. Keep it up!
June 11th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Hehe, Howard, it may amuse you to know, in 1 of the sci-fi RPG supplements (storyline suggestions one) I have, one of the ‘adventures’, number 42 in the book “100 sci-fi adventure seeds” (avalible as a PDF from postmortem studios, if anyone wants to check up and prove me right or wrong :P) is “New Schlock. Now with Fleem!(tm)
So it looks like Schlock Mercenary has become established as a core sci-fi concept now :P
June 11th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I hereby fire you from any other odd jobs and part timey things you do… can we now get Schlock Mercenary and a new web comic every day?
No?
Well, thanks for all of the effort and the fantastic web comic. Congrats on another duly earned milestone. I don’t know if it is the art, the punchlines, the excellent story, or all the stuff that blows up… but I’ve been hooked since the first strip I read.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
WOOHOOOO, Howard!!!!! 8 Years!!! And I love ya even more than some, cause me and several friends used to play a browser based game that you let us make tags for our pilots, using a template you made, based on SM and TT. Woohooo for you being awesome!
-D.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
And many moooooooore~!
Congratulations, man.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Congratulations, Howard … and here’s to the NEXT eight years, yes?
June 11th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Naw, Pax. It’s clearly time to quit while I’m at the top of my game.
(KIDDING.)
June 11th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Well done Howard, well done! When I first discovered Schlock I went through the entire archive at that time (Jan ‘03) in an evening. On dialup.
/I award you one annie plant & a fabber. Go crazy, you’ve earned it!
June 12th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Wow! Eight years of Schlocky goodness. Hard to believe, yet at the same time, seeing your work ethic, I’m sure that the next eight years will go just as fast.
It really isn’t a good start to a day unless I get my Schlock fix. And when your job is blowing stuff up, you can’t afford to have a bad day.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I just googled “Longshoreman of the Apocalypse”. You should be very proud for this phrase!
I’m looking forward to another 8 years!
June 12th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Woohoo!
Congratulations Howard, and a big thank you, for all the fun I’ve had reading Schlock.
Boomex for the win!
June 12th, 2008 at 2:22 am
bizzybody: Except that even then, there was an update — early yet, IIRC — via LiveJournal, while the main site was still out because of the explosion. So even in the situation where nobody would’ve objected to a claim that it “didn’t count” as breaking the streak because it was beyond Howard’s control, he still got a strip posted and I still got my Schlock fix that day. Methinks that goes above and beyond the call of
dutyprofessionalism; at the very least, I’m counting it as an unblemished posting record.I recently reread the strip from the beginning — it started with looking up something I wasn’t sure I remembered right, then deciding that I needed a refresher on a bunch of other episodes I might have forgotten details from that might be important again in the future, and wound up with my being stuck in the archives because I just couldn’t stop clicking the ‘next strip’ button.
The overall aesthetic effect was more like having reread a favourite novel than reading a comic strip (though it obviously works as a comic strip as well).
And the days with footnotes are always a special treat.
June 12th, 2008 at 3:41 am
Have I truly been reading this that long? Whats worse, yea I was reading this before I got laid off in 2002, that means it’s been 6 years that I’ve been working here. Ok, great milestone for you Howard but I have to go cry in the corner for a bit.
Thanks for keeping me smiling in the morning. Here’s to your continued success.
Clean
June 12th, 2008 at 4:33 am
I agree with all here when I say great job and thanks for 8 great years (7 for me). I used to have alot more time for webcomics and read about 8 a day. Now I only read Schlock its the one comic I hope to never stop reading!!!!
Thanks for making me laugh over the years and lets have another 8 more!!!
June 12th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Congratulations, Howard! I really appreciate the fact that you’ve tried so hard and done so well at updating every day. You’ve created a great cast of characters. I look forward to another eight years, and man more after that.
– C.
June 12th, 2008 at 5:00 am
8 years of Schlock! Hard to believe, but there ya have it. Thank you!!!!!
June 12th, 2008 at 5:10 am
It’s the best daily strip I read. Seriously.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Howard –
Many thanks for many laughs – and more thanks for many more thoughts! Long may Schlock do whatever it is Schlock does! *grin* & *duck*
June 12th, 2008 at 6:28 am
H’ray!
June 12th, 2008 at 6:48 am
*applause*
This is still the only strip I read every single day. I start my mornings with a cup of coffee and Schlock.
Here’s to 8 more years (and beyond!) of noninterrupted daily updates! Pretty impressive.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Can’t thank you enough, Howard…
Shlock has become a necessary part of my morning ritual. A strong jolt of coffee used to be enough, but these days I need a big steaming mug of boomex-laced ovalkwik, or I’m useless for the rest of the day.
Fortunately, my supplier has a rock-solid strip-a-day come-hell-high-water-or-transformer-explosions work ethic. Thanks for keeping the withdrawal at bay.
Schlock Rocks! I hope you are still enjoying his exploits as much as the rest of us are.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Thank you for delivering my overall favorite web comic so deliciously regularly for a ridiculous amount of time! I’ve been using it as a morale boost for a bit over 7 years now… wow! I can’t wait to check Schlock each and every day. I can’t think of anything else that I can say that about. You are quite amazing Howard and I really appreciate being able to enjoy it!
June 12th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I discovered Schlock Mercenary about a month ago and started the archives from the beginning.
When I got to June 12, 2004 (about two weeks ago) and saw Howard’s mention of the 4-year milestone, I realized I’d have to hoof-it to catch up with the daily updates by the 8-year mark. However, I was so caught up in the story, it only took me another three days! Now, I plan to celebrate each May with a complete re-read of the archives.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:43 am
The first thing I thought, when I read the opening blog post is this:
Sure, you haven’t been able to do it without the massive audience… but you wouldn’t have gotten the massive audience without quality writing.
So, while humility is nice and all, we wouldn’t be here if you’d been writing mediocrity or relying on sprites. We’re all here because Schlock Mercenary is one of the few must-read comics around.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s always posted when it’s supposed to be. (Unlike so many other comics.)
June 12th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Congratulations Howard! Eight years is longer than I’ve ever held a job.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:11 am
@ jnaujok: I worked at Novell for 11 years, though I changed jobs several times within the company.
I’m hoping to break that record by a factor of at least three with the current gig. An order of magnitude would be nice, but I don’t expect to live to be 146…
June 12th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Congrats Howard, I’ve enjoyed reading this comic over, and over, and over… well, you get the idea. Anyways, Keep it up, and here’s to many more years!
June 12th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Nice. That means Schlock is exactly 18 years younger than me :)
June 12th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Thanks Howard. You’ve made sure that no matter how bad my days were, they always end with a smile.
That’s huge and you’re great.
D.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Howard, there is one major problem I am having. When I first saw the site, I read the whole archive in one sitting (Wooohooo for espresso!)
While I can reread it all again, it will not quite have the same gut shaking giggle factor.
So my question is: Can you please create a parallel universe in which another 20 years of SM exists, so I can read all those at once too? Please? I’ll throw in some nanite enhanced micro fusion epaulet bombs if you can…..
Seriously, thanks for the single finest webcomic I know of.
Just to qualify that statement my daily read consists of SP, Sam and fuzzy, Weregeek, Girl genius, buck godot, nukees, comedity, questionable content and starslip crisis and more(yeah I’m a webcomic junkie). And this is BY FAR THE BEST!!!!!
June 12th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Thanks for feeding my Daily Schlock Fix.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I read a silly amount of webcomics every day. But Schlock Mercenary is the one I read even if I don’t have time for my usual swing through comic cyberspace. For all the Schlock we have received and for all the Schlock we are about to receive, we thank you, Exalted Artist.
–GS
June 12th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Eight years. That is good. years of waiting to see what will happen, years of waiting for JUST ONE straightforward mercenary job. Hours of grieving for Petey, Athens, and how may other apparently lost characters. narrowed eyes at Howard’s Halloween resurrection of Kevyn (wasted grief grrr!!)
I don’t get my Schlock fix in the morning per se, I get it at night after shutting my MMOG down, long after the coffee pot has gone offline. I bet Schlock with coffee would be good too though
June 12th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Thanks for writing this strip Howard. I’ve been reading it for almost a third of my life (I’m 17). So needless to say, Schlock is a major part of my childhood. Looking forward to eight more years.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Come on guys, Let’s make “Longshoreman of the Apocalypse” a top ten in Google trends today.
Everyone get searching for it!
June 12th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
And to help celebrate those eight years, here’s a youtube video of what sounds like you documenting the insta-freezing of an entire pool with liquid nitrogen.
I honestly found this by complete accident while searching for videos of superfluids. And that makes it double-awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2mj-Sq2oeo&feature=related
Howard Taylor – Artist; Storyteller; Pool Freezer.
I salute you.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Not that you are likely to get to reading all the way down here… BUuuUUT. CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU Deserve it!!
SCHLOCK ON!!!!!!
June 12th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Congratulations, Howard! Schlock has been an integral part of my afternoons, which begin sometime in the vicinity of 11 PM. (Such as night owl I am.)
Keep up the good work, and thanks for all the giggles, titters, snickers, belly-shaking chuckles, side-splitting shakes, and outright fell laughter.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Am I the only one who wants a Longshoreman of the Apocalypse t-shirt? Oh so very badly?
Congrats Howard!
June 12th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
syahwhit: I read it. Thank you.
StormRider: No, you’re not. I want one now too.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Belated post, but congrats Howard. I’ve been reading since about 6 months before you quit at Novel and I’ve loved every minute of it. Thank you so much for all the characters, stories, and laughs you’ve given me.
Also, I’ve had to pass up merch before due to budget constraints, but if you printed some kind of Longshoreman of the Apocalypse t-shirt I would feel morally obligated to buy one. Please, obligate me. :D
Thanks again for all your amazing work.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Schlock! Schlock! Yes you Rock!
Howard can do it and nobody else can!
Yaaaaaaay the Tayler Megahugeco! :p
June 13th, 2008 at 5:04 am
Heh… I’ve been a fan for about six of those years, Howard. Has it been four years since you made that decision (looks at the Lunucon dragon, realizes it was made in 2004…yeah about that… :-) ). Keep doing the amazing work, sir- it’s greatly appreciated
June 13th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Howard, congratulations! What an awesome accomplishment. Schlock is the first comic I read every day, and has given me tremendous joy over the years. Thanks for your hard work.
June 13th, 2008 at 6:19 am
congrats Howard, here’s hoping for eight more.
June 13th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Many congrats! I discovered Schlock and Writing Excuses after you did the Geek Dads interview. That was just before the current story line started, and I’ve been reading ever since. I told my oldest son about Schlock at the same time, and was shocked to find out recently that he had read *all eight years* of story line already, and still did well last semester. I’m way behind but catching up!
Keep it rolling!
June 13th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Yada, yada, yada. Everybody here applauds their favorite web cartoonist, etc, etc, etc. Lots of congratulations, lots of fawning. Big deal.
Now, how about if we start throwing money at Taylor Corp? There ya go! *That’s* the way to show our appreciation!
(I can drone on like this because I finally got a couple of clients to pay me. Otherwise, my voice would be added to the long line of Uriah Heeps offering praise, but tightly clamping their cash. Heh.)
June 13th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Yeah, I agree with Psychosomatic – let`s throw some money in Howard`s way – I`m already brandishing my Credit Card to buy a full set of those magnets once the surface in the store (I actually check twice every day… I`m not really obsessed, just thorough ^^), as well as assorted other merchandise.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Magnets? Where?
Now!
{checks store AGAIN}
Please? I really want to give you my money. . .
D.
June 13th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I’m glad I started reading a few years ago, because I’m not sure I could get through eight years of back strips quick enough. Congratulations on eight years of not missing an update…
Ona
June 13th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
*Flips open his Cellphone and waves it* Cause my dad swiped my Zippo. Anyway, love the comic, kudos on Eight years uninterrupted except by a freak accident. But none of us think that counts. I’ve loved your comic for a long time, and especially enjoy the rich visuals. I’m starting to miss Petey again, I wish I’d joined here when you had him pop up again. Cause I yelled, “PETEY’S BACK!!!” when I read that comic. Anyway, again congratulations on Two thousand, Nine hundred Twenty consecuative days of consistant Mercenary Mayhem! Now it’s time to blow some stuff up.
*pops on his shades and is backlit by a ploom of boom!*
June 13th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Thank you, Howard. For the majority of those 8 years, I’ve spent a small part of my day reading the stories you tell me. Alternately beautiful, exciting, and hilarious, but always utterly fascinating and inventive, Schlock Mercenary is a welcome part of my life.
I can’t thank you enough for doing what you do, including other things, like blog posts, and Writing Excuses, which all brighten my day and illuminate storytelling lessons.
I hope you continue to create Schlock (or whatever else you want) for at least another 8 years of uninterrupted awesomeness.
Thank you, thank you, a thousand thanks. I wish I could do more.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Howard Tayler is our hero
he will save the day
he will make us laugh and chortle
so we have this to say:
Thank you Howard
Thank you much.
Thank you for the comic
Thank you fo the Ovalquick
gasp, choke, gak
*thump*
June 14th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Thanks!
And blessings be on you and yours, Sir!
June 14th, 2008 at 2:22 am
A few days late, but thanks for all of the fun. I’ve been through the archive so many times, I can’t remember when I started reading Schlock. It was at least 5 years ago, but probably a couple years before that.
So yeah, I’ve been reading Schlock for a long time now, and I eagerly await each new comic.
June 14th, 2008 at 4:51 am
Congratulations and a special “thank you” — not just for the unflagging delivery, but for bringing something to each of your
$(( 2 + 8 * 365)) ?2922 strips which makes every single one a pleasure.
Re re-reading strips (dglenn, above):
There are ~5 +/-1 strips which I found sufficiently amusing to buckle down, ferret out the dusty archived, and assimilate from their respective beginnings to grok in fullness. Of these, all but two came to my attention while recovering from nearly three unemployed years in the wake of the .collapse ; nearly all of them demonstrated why bell curves look bellular (i.e. declining quality/interest/content over accumulated time). Of the two exceptions, one called it quits a long time back; the other is still alive and penned by a crazy guy named HoTay, who rocks and keeps rocking in every single strip.
So: Howard, I thank you. And please, since SM is your day job … please keep your day job.
June 14th, 2008 at 8:34 am
“Ruptured a kidney with my face” Snort of laughter. Thankfully not after taking in a mouthful of tea. I don’t need a wet monitor and keyboard this early in the morning.
Also, the new kid is annoyingly smart, probably like I was at that age. I’ve taken a liking to her, Kevyn’s gonna have his hands full. I fear for the universe once she gets her hands on a really good fabber.
I’ve got all the books, looking forward to more. Thank you very much for 8 years of the Schlock Universe!
June 14th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Honestly? Thank you. This has been a royally entertaining ride, thanks for doing this.
June 14th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Keep feeding the habit, Howard.
;-)
(I literally go through the archives quite a bit. Keeps me sane in between help desk calls.)
June 14th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Eight years. Wow, it feels like it’s been around forever.
*Raises glass*
To days to come, eh Howard?
June 14th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
>Psychosomatic Says:
>June 13th, 2008 at 6:55 am
>Now, how about if we start throwing money at Tayler Corp? There ya go! *That’s* the >way to show our appreciation!
Unemployed, in school, can’t even afford an internet connection at home, so I often get my schlock at the library. (I admit, Schlocky outbursts are not always library appropriate. So what. I’m willing to be embarrassed for my Schlock).
So do what I did. Tell everyone you know! If they don’t get schlock, send them links to _Hold your Horses_. Get the word out. If we can’t give Tayler Corp money, give them publicity!
June 15th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Kaeruzawa: I approve of this solution whole-heartedly. Thank you!
June 15th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Let’s not forget the unsung heroine who supports our favorite cartoonist. Howard, please relay our heartfelt thanks to Sandra (you might get jealous if we all gave her the hugs & kisses she deserves); I know you wouldn’t be able to accomplish 1/2 of what you have without her.
June 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Howard, like everyone who has posted to this thread, I am a long-time Schlock fan. I read several comics a day and Schlock in the ONLY that i genuinely look forward to. Please accept my sincere thanks for sharing your wonderful universe with us!
June 15th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I like your job, too, and even more that you can do it fulltime. You’re setting a mark here: “Webcomic authors can live from their art and they can keep their strips accessible to everyone while doing so”, and that’s great!
Also I just love Schlock. It’s always the last webcomic I read every day, just like I prefer meals: Eat that as last part of which you know that it tastes good (I learned that from my wife ;) ).
And my Webcomic meals, have really fantastic endings, since I discovered Schlock!
That way every day begins with a Schlock and a smile, and at times with all-out happy laugther.
@all other Schlock fans: How about a “my 8 most beloved Schlock strips from 8 years of doodling”?
June 16th, 2008 at 10:46 am
All these people wait to read Schlock until the morning? Most evenings, I’m checking the clock! Hmph! And they call themselves fans?!
I still laugh out loud when I go archive surfing. Third, fourth time. Howard, your humor is truly classic. “Sounds like my kind of fun!” Even if it is with an M-model gun.
June 16th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
:::raises glass:::
Here’s to the marvelous and talented Tayler family. Thank you for the work and the support that give us one of the best webcomics going.
:::clink:::
Can’t wait for InCon! Woohoo!
June 17th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Heh, late to the party…(I’m usually so punctual)…Just wanted to say, “Thanks.” You kept me from doing so much coursework in college (caught your humble beginnings while waiting for a COBOL program to compile) *toothy grin* but that’s okay, I like my funny. Keep making the funny, as long as it remains fun for you!
June 18th, 2008 at 5:24 am
COBOL? In college? In a year beginning with 2?
I don’t think Howard kept me from my work, exactly – I would have been distracted by something else otherwise. I’m glad it was this.