Updates Resume Next Week

Sorry guys, we forgot that the “no update” post got removed when we changed the site ^^; There’s no page this week because we spent our time rehauling the site. Updates will resume next week.

And we’re glad to hear many of you approve the layout change :) We understand the few small dislikes (like how the latest page is displayed) but things are this way because they need to be for everything to work properly. We hope you understand!

47 thoughts on “Updates Resume Next Week

  1. Beautiful layout! I like it very much. :3

    Can’t wait till the next update guys!

  2. took me a few seconds to find the latest page lol but it’s not that hard to find

  3. How about you show just the first 2 panels of the latest page instead of all of it? (less spoilers that way)

  4. You know what I would Love to see? In the characters page underneath/above have a description like age, height, hair color, race… I know you cab see the hair and eye color, but since feral is a bounty hunter I think it would be cool to have it in a “wanted poster” type thing… Just a thought, but I always wonder what age feral is. And Holland too I guess lol

  5. Sorry to say but you seriously lose a lot of watchers by skipping posts. I think you guys may skip one every two weeks, it’s rather annoying. :/ I recommended this comic to 9 of my friends and out of them all only one continues to read because of the post skips.

    1. Well, I’m sorry, but Strays is a free webcomic that we do in our spare time. We do updates when we can, and if people would rather not read it because of that, we accept it.

    2. What the hell?? I keep posting comments and none are going through :( anyways, if this goes through I love the comic, updates or not. Its free and I’m cool with that. Although I wish there was a bit more romance… And ages. How old are feral and Holland?

    3. Pst! You’re self-entitled arrogance is showing! On any free web comic the deadlines that the creators of the comics set are just ESTIMATES. If a webcomic is free, it’s not making money, if it’s not making money, the creators have to have real life jobs, which takes up time.
      Strays is actually remarkably consistent compared to a lot of webcomics out there.
      You’re lucky you get to read someone else’s hard work for free and at the click of a button at all, so how about a bit of gratitude instead of the attitude, huh?

      1. Psst! Your ignorance is showing! Gemma again you really don’t know how this works, right? The author/artist solicit votes for promotion, sell advertising space, and promote a store for their products. So it’s not a matter of “self-entitled arrogance” that should be shamed/dismissed. If you are/were a web comic artist and your work is not making money, please look no further than your attitude if you want to know the reason why. I’m not saying it’s right to complain, but I AM saying it’s flat out stupid to ignore the complaints because it’s valuable feedback directly from regular/loyal consumers.

  6. Aww, skips make me sad… I was all, “Oh my gosh, Strays updated!!” …and then it didn’t… please be on time next week (and, for the record, at least 3 of my friends read strays, too. We just want to see more of Meela and Feral and also Holland)!

  7. Aww, skips? Sad pandas are sad…
    By the way, love the new layout, as well as all the different features you’ve added, such as comments to your updates, etc. LOVE! Keep it up. =D

  8. Eh, no updates for a week is a small price to pay for a more streamlined home page. Great job, guys. ^^

  9. This is an amazing comic but it IS true that you’ll be less successful because of your irregular posting. Of course it’s free; so is Penny Arcade and PVP for example. They make a nice living doing what they love and it’s because they treat the comic professionally.

    I think this comic has so much potential but you have to devote more of your time to it if you want to succeed with it.

    In the end it’s up to you. You’ll be as successful as you want to be. Your fans will either stick around or they won’t – not out of spite but because they forgot you. The web is full of amazing free content so in the end you need the fans more than they need you, and the only way to compete (and succeed) is with regular updates. Maybe it’s not your concern and you don’t care about being successful with it, but I don’t buy that because you sell products and advertising space and ask for votes. You care, but maybe not enough? Just something to think about.

    1. I think Penny Arcade is rather different from our type of comic. They rely on the pre-existing popularity of video games to sell their comic and we have only our story to offer, one of many already out there.

      Sarah Ellerton is a wonderful webcomic artist, with a vastly popular comic she updated very often without fail, and she even got a publisher to license it. Still it failed to turn a decent profit and the printing was cancelled. I’ve yet to see an example of a manga webcomic artist be able to make a living soley off their personal comic.

      Possibly the only way to do it would be to make the comic purchase only. I wonder how many readers we would lose then? We can’t get additional help without paying for it (which we can’t afford) and we’re not taking out a business loan for this, especially looking on Sarah Ellerton’s experiences. The little money we do get from sales and ad space we reinvest into the comic, which helps keep it running and keeps it free, so we sincerely appreciate every penny our fans do give us.

      We do our best to offer free, quality, consistent content. Sometimes life gets in the way and we can’t deliver every time, but we hope people appreciate our efforts enough to remember us and keep coming back.

      1. I would purchase it in a heartbeat, or subscribe, or whatever. You have a really good product here. I would say the only reason you haven’t seen a webcomic manga artist able to make a living off their personal comic is because so many of them don’t treat their work like its how they make their living – like a business. That’s what keeps so many talented artists from making a living, actually. It applies to a lot of fields. You should read this book: http://www.anti9to5guide.com/ it’s really great advice on taking something you do on the side and turning it into a career. Unless you don’t want Strays to be your focus and you’re just doing it for fun, but man what a fantastic story and product you produce! I think it deserves a lot more attention! I don’t think you need a publisher either, I think if you promoted this more with advertising (facebook advertising is really easy, targeted, and suits any budget) you can stick to self publishing.

  10. Also the new website is great and I wanted to say that I personally love the comic and REALLY REALLY want to see you succeed with it, which is why I said what I said. Maybe you should consider taking on additional help creating the pages? Look into getting a small business loan so you can devote more time or resources to it? Pitch it to publishers? There are tons of options.

  11. Love the new website, but the only thing I miss is my cute little paw print icon I get in my bookmarks toolbar. With the new url it doesn’t seem to be there anymore. :[

    1. The paw should be back now :)

  12. Hey guys, I just wanted to tell you that the new layout looks really neat!

    I’ve been a fan of Strays ever since my best friend recommended it to me last year. Just wanted to let you both know that you do a fantastic job with everything! <3

    I've read a few of these other comments and noticed that some people aren't happy with the lack of updates every week. It might be because I haven't been reading web comics for very long, but I don't think it's that a big a deal to be honest.

    You guys have lives outside working on your comic and being an artist myself, I know how much time and effort must go into each and every page you guys do, from the artwork and down to the story itself. Not to mention you do it for free!

    If life gets in the way sometimes and you can't update, don't let it stress you out too much! Projects like this shouldn't be about the stress of not having a weekly update, they should be about the fun you have creating a great comic you can share with fans. :D

    Keep up the amazing work guys! <3

  13. Oh wow, I get to comment on your site finally!! I’ve loved Strays for a long time now and I truly appreciate all of the hard work you two put into this. Thank you very much!

  14. Goodness. I’m a little stunned myself at the comments here. (One reason I personally rather hate comment sections for my own work.)

    Don’t let the complainers get you down, you two do a great job here WHENEVER you have the chance to update. The art and writing is fantastic! (This is among my 5 favorite comics!)

    And… I like the new layout too! :-)

    The only thing this comic is missing…. is some sort of ROMANCE somewhere! ;-) (I say that about all the comics I follow….)

    1. FFFFF you have no idea how much I would love a little romance. xD
      But that’s not why I’m replying to you! I just wanted to say I agree completely! :D It’s worth the wait when the art and the story are quality stuff. c:

  15. WOW, did not think my post would get so much attention and even a response! I did not post what I originally did to be mean or spiteful. I wasn’t being hateful either. The infrequent postings bother me with any and all major online comics I follow, HOWEVER there are those that, without fail, post every single week. How? They prepare their pages ahead of schedule and proudly state the fact in order to maintain a frequent post and keep their fan base without constantly irritating them. I’m not suggesting taking out a loan, additional help, or anything of the sort. However, as a reader, it’s disappointing to see how often you skip postings [I even recall a time that there was no post AND no explanation as to WHY there was no post. That was just a no no.] In conclusion, all I have to say is that I really enjoy this comic but it sucks to have to come back every week, and half the time find that there is no new post. Eh, I’m not the creator so I can’t say much. Like one of the commentators said, your success is based off you.

    1. PS: The no update post wasn’t for this week. It was in the past, sorry I can’t recall when exactly.

    2. We do realise that there have been few page updates lately. Please remember we do have lives outside of Strays, things coming up and now the NEW website. The past few weeks we haven’t been able to make a buffer on top of other things.
      As for the day that there was no post, it was probably a friday where we were at a convention.
      There will be a page update this week, though

  16. cool! u guys got a comment selection,I’m so liking this.I’v found out about ur comic though my Deviantart account and I have been watching ur site ever since.I really enjoy ur art and comic story,can’t wait 2 read more^-^

  17. Thing is, I love the comic. But I DO forget about this site after a while, because of how often you fail to update. I understand that this is a free comic you guys do in your spare time, but I can’t get back into the story after a week for only one page, let alone every other week. You guys sell merchandise.. so you’re not doing this completely for free. You gain from it. But you would gain more if you updated more pages more often.

    I like the new layout, however I don’t like that you can see the whole comic page. Too much of a spoiler for only one page in two weeks.

    1. To add onto that, a donation pool and adding advertisements to your website would help a great deal with the cash flow.

  18. I love the comic, and I look forward to it every week. I used to read another comic almost as good as Strays but out of no where they decided to quit. I was wondering if you have plans to finish Strays completely? I don’t want to get into this comic and then get disappointed if one day you decide to shut it down =(

    1. I know there are a lot of complaints about how much you guys update, but I don’t care. As long as you do update it eventually and not quit makes me happy

      1. Don’t worry, we plan to finish the comic no matter what. We’re dead set on that. We will never just abandon it and never finish it :)

        1. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that this comic will be seen through to the end. That’s my greatest fear — that I would get so engrossed in the work only to have it drop of the face of the earth, nary a conclusion in sight. Thank you for setting my mind at ease. I will wait however long it takes. :)

  19. Algy, Celesse, don’t be disheartened about the irregular posting. I’ve been following Strays for a while now, and I’ve not only bookmarked it and put the bookmark exactly where I can see it daily, but I pretty much check back every three days to reread or vote. Your loyal fans will definitely continue reading and they will absolutely understand that life gets in the way sometimes, especially when the comic is free and is something you’re only doing in spare time.
    Like Cam said up there, as long as there are updates that happen sooner rather than later, your fans will be happy. I don’t read very many webcomics – only a few I think are worth it – but I think Strays has amazing potential to the point where a few skipped posts can be overlooked.
    Anyways, I’m not gonna write pages and pages of encouragement (though I feel like I could, haha, and you two deserve it!) but just know that Strays is fantastic, and I’ll be a fan till the very end.
    Keep up the good work! Can’t wait for more Feral. :D

  20. hey i think its ok that you missed a post you guys are so cool by giving us all a free web comic so dont let any one make you feel sad. ^^

  21. *Sigh* It’s very sad, seeing this self-entitled attitude in people that the Internet has helped foster. What with torrenting and being able to own other people’s hard work without paying for it, or even showing gratitude, people seem to slowly be turning into demanding, petulant children, who feel they should be able to have everything for free and now, now, NOW!

    It makes me so angry to hear people whining about their favourite web comics being late or missing a week. Aw, poor poor you, having to simply do nothing but wait while the artists spend hour after hour slaving over content that you to enjoy for free.
    I honestly can’t imagine that the people complaining could have any experience in the illustration or comic industry, because then they would understand just how long a single page of artwork actually takes to create. And that sometimes, when someone has to support themselves with another job as well as drawing, other things have to take priority.

    Perhaps a lot of your readers are too young to have heard this phrase, but it goes: “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”, which means, don’t you dare be so rude as to complain about something you’re getting for free!
    People, you need to think about how your comments sound before you post them, and how they make the artists feel, when they are working so hard and spending so much time creating something lovely for you to enjoy, for nothing in return.

    1. Whoa, y’all need to calm down. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinions. If some fans want to express their concerns to the author, why not? They’re big grown ups too, they can defend and respond all on their own!

      Reading some of the complaints, I don’t feel that these fans are cruelly attacking the creators, they *do* have a point, though I’m personally not complaining. I have three kids and a full time job, I get it. Life happens and I don’t mind the skips, especially since I can’t check them every week!

      But are you any better than these people you’re angry towards by attacking back with needless anger? No, I don’t think so.

      1. ‘Everyone is entitled to their own opinions’ is quite an ironic phrase for you to be quoting while telling me that I shouldn’t express mine, don’t you think?

        My comment was not simply in regards the attitude towards this particular comic specifically, although I’m certainly including this one, but a general attitude I see more and more towards free web comic creators in general.
        My point stands. People *do* need to think about how their demanding comments make the artists they are following feel. As far as I’m concerned, if you are receiving and enjoying someone else’s hard work without paying a single penny for it, then you really have no right what-so-ever to complain about the time frame on which you receive it.

        If there is a point to be made, or someone really wants to offer some friendly advice to the creators, it could be made without the expectant attitude and tactlessness.

        1. Quite right on all points. The biggest downer for me personally on my own *FREE* work was unnecessary negative commentary. It’s not that hard to be nice but the ‘net seems to breed a sort of “I can be nasty” attitude. That coupled with “you owe me” attitude is a big motivation killer. It eventually took most of the fun out of it for me and I quit for a long while.

          That’s the real tragedy I think. The bad attitudes deter content makers in all sorts of venues, not just comics.

        2. Gemma, I did not state that you are not entitled to your opinion. I said you shouldn’t be “attacking back with needless anger.” I don’t care if you shared your opinion, I was more annoyed with your attitude. Ironic for you to be complaining about others attitudes when you don’t even check your own. You are no more entitled than anyone else, so calm down. Everything that “Fan” said below is right on the money. You want customers, you have to keep up with the consistency. It’s just how it works. I don’t mind the skips, but I can see why it’s a concern to some fans, especially if they’re donating. :D

    2. Gemma, I can only assume you don’t know how to run a business when I read your comments. The artist and writer are trying to make money from this comic and their fans are their customers – yes, even if it’s free to them, it is still a product being sold because of the advertising and store. You don’t ask your customers to look at it from your angle – or you can, but don’t be surprised when you don’t meet your goals. They don’t care how long it takes to make a page. The real world sucks like that. If you want to be successful then you cater to your consumers. You not only cater to them but you LOVE them, and you are devastated when they are unhappy because you know they’re your life blood. Every single successful self-publishing entity, from web comic teams to bloggers to youtubers, all follow their promised publishing schedule religiously with VERY few exceptions. Post Secret is a great example – it’s free to read but the maintainer is incredibly apologetic when he misses an update (maybe three times since he started it) because he knows how important it is to keep on schedule. Consistency is more important than the quality of the content, maybe a 51/49 split in favor of consistency/promise fulfillment. That’s how it works in all industries by the way: persistence, hard work, and earning the trust of your clients is #1. If you don’t care enough to keep your promises then your customers will take their business elsewhere because they forget you exist or get frustrated with their consumer experience with your product. And you can complain that they are ungrateful or don’t understand you, but then you’re just sitting there with a failed product talking to empty air and forever forgotten in the three seconds it takes to google “web comics”.

      And as for not having experience in that field, let’s see how long you would last professionally when you miss deadlines from art directors and clients, or how frequently you would get work if you didn’t live up to your promises to your customers. Or if you had a retail store that didn’t follow its posted business hours. Or if you sold products online and took weeks to send orders out when you state that it only takes a few days. The answer is that those people go out of business.

      And the only reason I’m saying any of this at all is because Strays is one of the most professional, well crafted pieces I’ve seen in years, if not the best I’ve seen, and I think the artist and writer can really go places with it if they take the leap necessary to make it happen. I’ve been following this comic from the first issue and I love it, but not enough to post this stuff because I want to see what happens to Feral and Meela and I’m pissy that the creators are taking too long. What really pisses me off is seeing wasted potential. That’s why I’m posting anyway.

      And to the creators, I don’t intend to stress you out with my comments or offend you. I just think if anyone deserves to succeed, its the two of you. Your work is honestly incredible. I don’t know what your plans are for this work but I think if you are worried about making an investment (more time or money), my opinion is: don’t be. Its 100% worth the risk. And I will leave it at that.

      1. Very nicely said, I applaud you. :]

  22. LOVE the new lay out. It looks awesome! You guys do so much work on this site and on the comic, I’m really grateful that you let everyone read it for free! Thanks for your hard work and generosity. :D

  23. *sad face* No update… Ah well. The artwork and plot always make up for any delay in my mind. I honestly can’t imagine keeping a web-comic afloat for FOUR YEARS. Owo You guys are amazing, honestly. ^w^ lB

  24. Love the new layout :) and personally, although I’m always dissapointed when there isn’t an update, I really love your comic and think that it is worth the wait. So thanks a lot for all your hard work and for offering it for free :) I love Meela and Feral! Meela always makes me laugh, and I love how she bothers Feral. :)Thanks an awful lot you two for doing this, it’s really great!

  25. Lovely layout, I agree with some of the comments here that showing the full page is a bit of a spoiler? Maybe it’d be best to just show the first few panels instead of the entire page? Other than that, looks great!

  26. I love your comic so much! You guys have such cute characters and I’m always happy to see a new page *O* You guys are such a good team and the pages look so beautiful and professional and amazing. I always want to make a comic as lovely as this but its a lot of work and I get side tracked but this comic still inspires me to want to make one! Holland and Piper are my favorites <3

  27. I never thought of it that way, well put!

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