Business Casual

So another year has come and gone. And what do we have to show for it besides economic disasters and turmoil? Well, if you're taking stock in Business Casual, then you're in luck because this was the best year ever for this lowly comic. Am I hitting the lofty perches that will allow me to do this full time and forget all about regular work. Uh, no. That day still only exists in a dream world far, far away. But it was still a good year with new traffic highs and some encouraging signs. If you'll allow me to indulge for just a bit, here are some of my highlights for 2008.

1. Punctuality - This is the first year that I've never missed a single update. Every Monday and Friday, Business Casual goodness was delivered to the internet. It may not have always been great, but it was always there.

2. Longevity - I passed some fairly significant milestones this year. First, I celebrated the 5th anniversary of the first Business Casual strip. I also created my 300th strip to end 2008. While I know that these milestones still pale in comparison to actual comic strips, the milestones that I am hitting are getting significant enough where people are starting to notice when I state how long I've been doing this.

3. Exposure - I attended comic book conventions for the first time as a creator. I've never been a comic book convention veteran as either a fan or a creator so this was really a new experience for me. I loved every moment of it and can't wait to do some more in 2009. From meeting the con-goers and fellow creators to the actual joy of having someone who knew my comic come up to me and say they enjoyed reading it, there was no end of good times at the conventions. I hope to at least double my convention appearances this year.

4. Improvement - I really feel like the strip improved over the last year. From the jokes to the art to just my commitment to the strip, there was a noticeable change in 2008. Hopefully, I can continue the solid trend this year and produce even better comics.

So there you go. Was last year a success? I guess so. The comic is still taking baby steps, but it is growing, and that's a good sign. I have a some new things planned for 2009, but I'll save those for later as this post is all about looking back at last year.

Welcome to 2009, Business Casual! Let's make it a good one.

While doing last night's comic, I realized that the last comic of this year will be the 300th Business Casual strip that I've created. And while that seems like a lot to me, I realize that real comic strip creators put out more than that each year. I can't even imagine doing that many.

Today's the end of the Thanksgiving story that I've been running for a while. On Monday, I'll return to the regularly scheduled ridicule of businesses, tech support, and all that jazz.