Hi folks.
It's been a while since I've updated the strip. Since March 2020, in fact. I don't think COVID-19 and the quarantine played into my malaise, but it certainly didn't help. My enthusiasm for the strip has waned significantly over the past couple of years. Â After long discussions with people whose creative opinions I respect and some soul-searching, I've decided to bring the strip to a close. There may well be some one-shot adventures later down the line with Dhur, Jaine and all the rest, but it would be disingenuous to say that those stories are "just around the corner!"
I am not going to go away, however. I will be working on other projects and I will let you all know what they are and when you can expect to see them. They might be gaming-related, they might not. Â I want to explore other genres, other formats and see what works for me.
A brief bookkeeping note: to all paying Patrons at the Patreon MeatShield page, I've frozen all payments there and will keep it so. It's not fair to have a Patreon page up asking for donations when you aren't receiving anything in return. To any patrons that still have bonuses coming to them, such as character portraits, email me at rob (at) meatshield (dot) net and remind me.
I want to thank each and everyone of you for your astounding support over the past ten years. I couldn't have gotten this far without you, and it's been a privilege to make something that so many people enjoy. I love you guys.
Take care,
~Rob
I wondered with the long break. It was a great place to stop it. Well done on a great story and fun art for the last 700 strips. I’ll miss the characters and look forward to seeing what comes. Best of all to you and may you one day find a bard on your doorstep working on their thesis.
And so ends an era. Thank you for the great ride, and I wish you well in your future endeavors. D’hur and the gang will be missed. I hope the rest of these will be collected into another book so I can come back and visit from time to time.
Thank you for a wonderful decade. Looking forward to what you have for your next adventure.
There is a difference between ENDING and STOPPING. Thank you for not simply stopping the strip.
This has been an outstanding and entertaining work.
Thanks for the years of entertaining comics and for hanging on to finish up the story.
I’m so sorry has come to this but, if the creative tide is out, the font of snarky fun run dry etc etc, then…
Just don’t say ‘Never’, and a joyous ‘Aha !!’ may come.
{Sigh…}
So, ‘Meatshield’ joins my list of strips that are ‘Resting’.
Will miss.
It’s been an amazing ride, Mr. Chambers, and one I thank you for. Sincerely. Wherever you go from here, may the road rise to meet you and the sun shine bright.
I had a feeling. I’ve seen several end similarly. It’s hard to keep the juices flowing for such a long time. Real life has a habit of interfering and the excitement of new projects always pushes the old projects to the dusty shelves.
I’ve enjoyed your work over the years and I for one feel grateful to have found your work. I hope you find another project that’s been just as fulfilling and enjoyed by so many people.
Good luck to you and yours.
I’ve really enjoyed reading this strip over the past few years. All good things must come to an end and this is a good place to pause for awhile. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
You’ve done well to keep it going as long as you have. Star Power is closing down at the end of their current storyline, after some seven years, and SuperVillainous didn’t last any ten years. There are longer running strips out there (OOTS, Girl Genius, and the like) but I’ve actually lost interest in many of those.
It’s important to recognize when you’re done with a project. You’re done with MeatShield, and while I will miss it, I also accept it.
May all your efforts to serve the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, continue to be blessed and bear fruit.
It’s been a wild ride, and while this news brings a tear to my eye, I’m happy to have taken this journey . . . Rob, I wish ya all the luck in the world.
Sad to see it come to an end but at least you gave it an end instead of just vanishing without a trace like so many web comics do.
I hope you have grand adventures in your life and the dice rolls be forever in your favor.
It’s sad to see Meat Shield ending, but if you are having trouble sustaining a thing you’ve been working on, then it’s best to let it go. 700 pages over 10 years is eminently respectable, and at least this last page lets us know that things seem to have worked out pretty okay for the characters.
Fair fortune for your future endeavors!
Thank you for 700 fun strips. I look forward to whatever you do next.