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Hello everybody.
I am not dead as many of you have written and queried.
I’m not sure where to start. It’s been a month with ridiculously long hours of work, other obligations and a nice cold that knocked me out for a week just to keep me on my toes.
I feel a vast pang of disappointment in being unable to update. I love working on Kukuburi (and for that matter ButterNutSquash) it brings me great joy and satisfaction. However with the intermittent updates, mostly because of work, I’ve lost the momentum of the story I’m trying to tell and have felt a bit lost and disconnected.
So, I’ve made a decision.
Now this might sound like a broken record but I’m knuckling down and making some hard choices that I hope will have the best results for myself and for you the readers.
To give the story the strength, dedication and love it deserves I am going on a hiatus. I have taken on a series of corporate projects to help me get out of debt by hopefully mid-spring of next year. A debt that has been hanging over my head for numerous years. Aside from being debt free (which is a positive) my main reasoning for this is by clearing my debt (which resides in the form a credit line) I will be able to keep much more normal work hours and focus on the things I love and, most importantly, use said credit line to publish Kukuburi (and ButterNutSquash) collections. Which is a dream I’m aspiring towards, and have been for some time.
Many of you have donated towards Kukuburi to help fund the pursuit and ability to be able to do this full time. Rest assured your funds are resting in a paypal account and will not be touched for none other than to focus on Kukuburi. If you feel cheated by this hiatus I will gladly refund your money.
I still plan on having the donation drive and am currently working on a few incentives, in the form of original art and giclée prints, that I hope to launch in the new year.
I will try and update my BLOG with what is currently on my plate for those of you interested, one of which is a short Kukuburi story published in a anthology!
I haven’t decided how long this hiatus will take, I know it will be till the end of the year, which isn’t that far off and a little into the new year. After this month is up I will be better able to gauge my schedule and will update again shortly with an official relaunch date.
You’ve all been extremely patient and fantastic. I hope you understand my decision and will be here when Kukuburi returns, which really shouldn’t be too far off.
All the best,
Ramón.
Rock on, Ramon! Get your house in order and clear your mind. We’ll be here whenever you get back.
Peace.
Aw, we’ll miss you but take all the time you need!
Really looking forward to the Kukuburi story.
Sinatra always helps me through tough times. I mean, after all, he was the best Rat Packer. Not what’s his name again? Oh yeah, Dean.
You go do what you need to do. This comic is way worth waiting for. :)
Best of luck Ramon – you need to do what is best for your own situation. If that means a better Kukuburi product in the future by putting it off now, then that only makes sense. I’m sure those of us who are artists (and probably most everyone else) understands the desire for you to put out your best product.
We’ll be looking forward to your eventual return!
Tom
Thank you for making a decision. I have to admit I was getting a bit peeved with the sporadic updates and felt as a reader I was kind of in limbo. You’ve made a good choice and I think it’s the right one. Best of luck.
Good luck Ramon, We’ll still be here when you’re back.
Ramon, we love this comic and we want it to be what you want it to be. What you are doing is healthy for Kuku — creativity should not be sacrificed to material obstacles. Otherwise what would be the difference between the corporate work you do to pay the bills and the work you do as a labor of love?
Meanwhile, why don’t you recommend some kickin’ comics for us to read while we wait?
All best,
neo
Oh, Ramon, bless your heart! I’d send you money, but I just lost my own job and don’t have any to spare right now. When the Kukuburi collection comes out, I’ll buy it. In the meantime, you take care of yourself! We’re all rooting for you! Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah! Go Ramon!
No worries Ramon, I’ll be waiting!
That must have been difficult to write.
We’re all behind you, cheering you on! ^_^
If you’re having financial troubles and the chance of a paid job, then I say go for it! I know you will get back to Kukuburi and Butternutsquash as soon as you can afford to. Because you love them – just as we do….
Regards, Frank
You do what you need to do. Kukuburi and ButterNutSquash are worth waiting for. We support you!
Like everyone else I will of course miss Kukuburi. However, that being said I would also much rather sit and read the comic you want it to be not the comic you ended up writing due to time constraints and stress. Therefore kudos to you for making what is probably a very hard decision and trying to get yourself settled so that you can once more do things in the way you want.
We’ll all be here, anxious for more both in terms of the comic and news that you are ok and doing well.
Take care of yourself and make sure you keep in touch!!
I know I was starting to get a bit worried with the lack of any word from you.
PS Much though I would love to help you out with what is obviously a difficult position I am currently not stable enough in my own monetary world at present. However Im sure I could be persuaded to part with my cash when that Kukuburi publication hits the shelves…. and dont forget the plushies. I still want one ;)
Why the hell do all the good comics go on hiatus?! And it seems like only the really good ones go on break.
Well, let us know when you get back. All-caps in the RSS feed or something. I’ll be checking.. regularly.
Oh no! ;-)
Honestly, take the time. I’ll try to be patient. You’re on my RSS reader. When there’s more Kuku, I’ll enjoy it.
Good luck with everything, Ramon! :)
Hope everything will be back on track soon
Take your time, Kuku is definitely worth the wait. :)
Bonne chance avec tes futurs projets, se libérer d’une dette n’est pas évident… Kukuburi est et doit rester une source de plaisir et non de stress. Je suis sur que chaque lecteur sera patient pour attendre ton retour! Je prends la peine de t’écrire ce message car je sais que ce sont ces mots d’encouragements qui peuvent faire la différence dans certaines situations!
Hope you can read that ;)
If not, good luck and I wish you the best. Take your time and we’ll be right there when you come back! (sooo cheesy ;))
We’re not going anywhere. ♪♫ Dooo what you gotta doooo. Come on back and see me when you cannn. ♪♫
While the best of all possible worlds would have Kukuburi continuously updated on a weekly basis, finding out what is happening with your life and thus being given information on why we aren’t seeing Kuku is better than not hearing.
And if your work is making you lose focus on Kuku, you need to get your desk cleared so the inspiration comes back.
– Odo.
You call a month or so a hiatus? I’ve still got bookmarks to comics that started a “hiatus” more than a year ago. I check ‘em about once a month. I just had to delete a dead link in November. So, I’ll check on you again.
A month. *snort* Web cartoonists just don’t know how to slack off these days.
Don’t sweat it, Ramon. Real life trumps the funny pages. We’ll be here when you get back.
Dude, whatever it takes! You know we’re all behind you and can’t wait for both the ‘Squash and Kuku to be back up and running :-)
Have a great Christmas and New Year… I know I will!!
Alex
I think I won’t repeat the many supportive comments left here by all the other readers.
Good luck!
Grey
Hope MTM hasnt screwed you over too much, and we (your students) are more than gladly to support any decision you may make in order to better your career. Keep up the good work and keep your head up Ramon.
Have a great holiday,
Anthony
you’re breaking my heart.
I know your pain dude; debt is eveil, do whatever you can to get rid of it!
Canadian Support!!!
Sorry to hear I won’t be able to keep enjoying Kukubury and Buttersquash for a while, but I totally understand (I’m under a debt myself). In any case I can’t wait to see you back and for both projects to be on print ’cause I’m getting them.
Does that mean I need to take out the links I had on my blog to your sites? :P
Buena suerte.
Best of luck with getting your house in order, Ramon! Please post an update on Facebook when you can return to Kukuburi!
Hey keep up the good work!
I’ve only just found your comic but I am completely hooked!!!!
I hope you feel better/cure all disease/remove all money issues/conquer the world soon!
Kat the Mya
I’ll be here waiting. I love the crap outta kuku!
Don’t worry – of course we understand. There has to be a balance between real life and art or both will suffer. I think you are making a very wise and important decision for yourself and your practice and I just can’t wait to see you back in full swing again.
Good luck with the real world!
Good luck, I hope everything works out for you. You write one hell of a webcomic, so rest assured, I’ll stick around and continue to read it. Thank you for all that you’ve done so far.
Please, please PLEEEEEEEEAAAASE find a way to publish some Kukuburi prints. HUGE prints. Soon. And that will also help a bit with that money thing.
And thanks for being so open with your readers. You deserve to make a good living and be rewarded for your incredible talent.
I’m pretty good at motorcycle riding, but thus far there are even fewer career paths in that direction than in art.
Hi,
thanks for being so open. We will wait patiently.
Cat
Ramon-san — Rest, relax and recuperate. I just found Kukuburi via The Abominable C.C. and it’s already *totally* worth the wait. I’ll keep an eye out for whatever I can do to support you when you’re back. Cheers!
I plan on donating some money after Christmas, but I don’t know how to use paypal. I’ll check it out sometime soon. We all understand, sounds like we’ll all be here when you’re ready. Hope things calm down for you. Hope you have a Happy Christmas and New Year!
Take care of you first and foremost. We’ll be here when you’re ready and able to return!
Good things are worth waiting for! Hope the hiatus gives you some time to recharge.
But this is the coolest webcomic I’ve found! Aww…
Well, take care of yourself… I’ll check back in a month or two, I guess…
not one for words,
be here when you get back
-Zakk
Ramón,
Speaking as both a dedicated Kukuburi and Butternut Squash reader (who, like many others, will not be going anywhere) and as someone who has just recently cleared his own massive debt (almost eight years of piling bills) I want to offer my spirit of support to you and inform you of the immense weight that will suddenly lift from you the moment you write that final check. I thought I would never escape, then I did exactly what you’re doing now by buckling down and focusing on little else. It works, and it feels like nothing else on this planet when it happens. I’m finally able to breathe easily again. I have confidence in your abilities and I wish you the best of luck! See you then!
Normally this wouldn’t faze me a bit, but this comic is so damn good and so gripping that it will be PAINFUL to wait for an update! However, it’s rather selfish for me to continue bitching about it, so here’s hoping you get everything in order and can resume working ASAP!
You can make up the wait to all of us by releasing Kukuburi in print. ;3
As living is an important thing, I wish you all the best Ramon! I will wait in joyful anticipation for your return.
Just don’t forget to tell us what’s going on in your life, Ramon!
Happy Holidays to you!
-The Coyote.
so this is the reason BNS was never on time?
Debt is a killer. Do what needs to be done to get rid of it. Good luck!
I agree with MEJ. Do what you need to do to give yourself some freedom and peace of mind. We are rooting for you. Have a wonderful holiday season and please do not wear yourself out taking on too much. Kuku is worth waiting for.
Take good care of yourself. We expect you to come back! This is a great story. Happy holidays!