So, we did it.  We at Flatt Bear completed a year’s worth of  bear-based comedy.  Wow.  What a trip it’s been.  So what should I say at a time like this?  Hmmm….

How about thanks.

Thanks to all my readers who show up here three times a week to indulged my strange sense of humor.  Thanks for the support you’ve given Flatt Bear through readership, through Twitter, Facebook, and your Google Plus posts.  And thanks for leaving comments here on this site.  It’s fun to be able to interact almost real-time with you guys, an aspect that  a cartoonist couldn’t do ten or twenty years ago. This makes it more personable and more enjoyable.  Through this social avenue, I’ve met  a lot of great cartoonists and made some great friends along the way.  I’d love to list all of you individually but that list would be massive.

I would also like to thank my family who puts up with my disappearing act three-times a week, sometimes for hours when I’m trying to make deadline the next day.  Thanks for the support for allowing me to do something that’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid.  And of course, for supplying me with tons of material and ideas, for weighing in on character designs and gags, and putting up with my momentary lapse of sanity when something isn’t working out.

And finally thanks to my characters.  Yep.  The cast at Flatt Bear.  Thanks for becoming who you are.  Thanks for making it not only fun, but possibly to write the material that keeps the reader (and myself) giggling and entertained.  And thanks for being that vehicle that allows me to get my weird sense of humor out there for other to see.

So, what’s next?

Well, a year ago, I told myself, I would do this for a year.  After which I would evaluate the state of the union to determine whether I should continue or call it quits.  If I found it to be a hardship to complete each week, if the readership consisted of only my parents and a hobo, if  I ran out of ideas to write about, I would end it’s run.  I’ve done the evaluation a long time ago and decided a ways back that I was going to continue Flatt Bear.  I still enjoy doing the strip.  I still have plenty of ideas and material to pull from, and my readership does continues to grow.  Slowly, but steadily.  But most importantly, I still enjoy creating it.

So here’s what’s up for this year.  

As you could already tell, the site went though an overhaul this weekend.  The characters have had tweaks to them which will allow me to be able to draw them more consistently each week.  I’ve tried to tighten up the artwork a bit as well.  With the completion of Friday’s strip, the back story has been adjusted.  This will allow me to introduce new characters and to be able to write more material and story arcs.  I’m also planing to be more interactive on my social network sites as well and I would like to resurrect Duffy’s Spotlight so I can spotlight comic strips that might get over looked.  And as a minor aspect, I’m looking into ways to get the name Flatt Bear out there in front of more eyes.  Possibly through things like Project Wonderful or maybe even going the GoComics Sherpa route.

Well see that though.  That last part is not as important.  For me, it’s not about quantity of readers, but the quality of readers.  And you all are the best.

Everything is as it should be… and the world continues to spin on greased grooves.