Ten years ago today the first Schlock Mercenary strip went up on the web. Howard had only been drawing for a couple of months. I still considered the whole project a nice hobby for him. I supported it, because I believe it is good for people to have hobbies, but I had not yet bought into the vision. I had no idea that this one little strip on the web was the beginning of so many dreams fulfilled. I had no idea of all the work ahead of us, or of the things I would need to become to help the project succeed.
A couple of years ago I had a conversation with a neighbor in which I talked about the things I was doing. She sighed and said “It must be nice to have time to chase a dream. With three little ones, I hardly know what mine are anymore.” I pondered that statement later and realized that not only was I living a life which allowed for chasing dreams, I was actively catching them and putting them into my pockets. This was made possible because of Schlock Mercenary. In fact, some of these dreams could not even have existed without Schlock Mercenary to stand on.
So today is a day for me to stand up and say thanks to Howard. His dream, his work, his diligence, all paved the way for me to become who I am and live the life that I have. I really love my life, even the parts that are hard. Howard helps me with the hard bits, but I owe him thanks for that every day not just once per decade.
It is also a day for me to thank all of the Schlock Mercenary fans out there everywhere. You came and you laughed. You wrote emails to us which helped us get through the emotional lows. You shared the comic with your friends and co-workers. You said nice things when the words of others stung. We could not be where we are without all of you. Without the fans, this comic would have withered and died long ago. So thank you. I hope you’ll stick with us for the next ten years.