Our most recent Incredible Doom story Eternal September hasn't been going as planned, but maybe that’s for the best.
We set out to release the new series as a traditional webcomic—new pages every week, eventually collecting them into a print volume. But sticking to that schedule has always been a challenge. I used to blame my day job, but now that I’m not working one, I’ve realized the real issue: writing is hard.
Several months ago, we showed some trusted friends an earlier version of issue two. Their feedback was eye-opening: the story felt repetitive, too much like what we’d already done in Incredible Doom volumes one and two.
Oof.
That was tough tough to hear.
So, Jesse and I took a step back. We made a list of everything in the story that echoed our past work, and, sure enough, there was a lot. We stripped it all out and spent weeks brainstorming fresh ideas—new elements that would still explore the themes we care about but in ways we hadn’t done before.
We finally arrived at a new script that felt good, but then it hit me: “Good” isn’t good enough. We always aim for something something phenomenal, knowing that the final product will inevitably fall short of that. But if we’re only aiming for “good,” it’s going to end up being less than that. And that’s not okay. These projects take years to complete. I don’t want to spend years on something that’s just “good enough.”
So we’re making some changes. We’re dropping the weekly release schedule—it wasn’t working anyway—and fully embracing the web. Eternal September is now a web-first comic. We’re stepping away from print, at least for now, which frees us to experiment with storytelling techniques that just aren’t possible when you’re thinking about print.
This shift also means we’ll be revisiting some of the comics we’ve already posted. We’ve realized there are elements in the earlier pages that could be stronger or more aligned with the new direction we're taking. Rather than seeing this as a setback, I view it as an opportunity to refine and elevate the story, making it as good as it can be. It’s all part of our commitment to creating something truly special.
Going forward, I’ll be sharing more behind-the-scenes content—videos, podcasts, and more—so you can see this project take shape in real time. I want to be transparent about the process, the challenges, and the successes. Making cool art is hard, and anyone who makes it look easy is hiding how much work really goes into it.
Thrilled about the new directions we’re taking with Incredible Doom this year; it’ll be like nothing that came before. @matt is doing great work that could only exist on the indie web and I can’t wait for you all to see what’s coming
We made the decision to make these bold changes about a month ago, and the work we've done since then has been some of the most exciting stuff we've done in years.
Let’s make a big mess on the internet together.
