# Dear Pete Abrams, please take a very long vacation. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613 "2005-08-25T19:41:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/1 "2005-08-25T19:41:29Z")
Sluggy Freelance was once an awesomely funny webcomic, but lately it has caused my eyes to glaze over as Pete delves into very weird and nonsensical stories that don’t even involve the main cast. I thought he was getting back on track with the That Which Redeems storyline, but the ones since then have been a horribly unfunny attempt at comic relief, and have largely ignored an important development with Torg. Just the other day, Sluggy had its 8th birthday. 8 years is a long damn time to run a daily strip without getting stale, and sadly I think the freshness is pretty far gone. Take a year off, Pete. Recharge your creative batteries. And for Pete’s sake don’t give us any more stories about hygenically challenged cloners or alien space caribou time pirates. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/2 "2005-08-25T19:51:27Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > Sluggy Freelance was once an awesomely funny webcomic, but lately it has caused my eyes to glaze over as Pete delves into very weird and nonsensical stories that don’t even involve the main cast. I thought he was getting back on track with the That Which Redeems storyline, but the ones since then have been a horribly unfunny attempt at comic relief, and have largely ignored an important development with Torg. I don’t think it’s staleness so much as focusing on characters and (by extension) storylines that nobody gives a damn about. Dimension of Pain? Are any of our characters there? No? I don’t give a damn. Bun-Bun, Torg, Riff, Zoe, Gwynn, Kiki, and Sam not present? No? Does it involve Santa? No? Then why the hell is it on the site? I agree. I tend to not read the site for a long time and then I’ll come in and catch up. I’ve tried to catch up on the latest stuff and…well, I don’t care. In my own case, Bun-Bun is what made the strip for me. And he seems to have vanished forever. And he’s not even been replaced by the second-tier favorites. Pfft. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/3 "2005-08-25T20:00:52Z")
IMO, this rant would have been more topical a couple weeks ago. Ocean’s Unmoving was boring, Living Conditions was worse and 28 Geeks Later was **terrible**. That week with Skippy and the Fate Spider, however, definitely piqued my interest. I really want to see where Pete’s going with that, although I do fear that he’s going to try and tie too many elements together and end up with a storyline that collapses under its own weight. > [@](#): > > In my own case, Bun-Bun is what made the strip for me. And he seems to have vanished forever. Did you miss the Ocean’s Unmoving storyline? Or have you just blocked all memory of it from your mind? (I certainly wouldn’t blame you) ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/4 "2005-08-25T20:09:57Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Did you miss the Ocean’s Unmoving storyline? Or have you just blocked all memory of it from your mind? (I certainly wouldn’t blame you) Actually, I plow through the mediocrity of the pre-Oceans Unmoving storyline and can’t force myself through even the first week’s worth of Oceans Unmoving. So, for me, Bun-Bun has been gone a long time. Then again, some people must still have some fond memories because on BF2 I couldn’t register the name “Bun-Bun” or “Bun-BunTheLop”. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/5 "2005-08-25T20:22:29Z")
A few weeks ago, I went back and re-read roughly the first three years worth of comics. It was thoroughly depressing to see how much Abrams has slipped. I still read it every day, but it’s no longer something I file under “Daily Joys in Life” (like see my wife when I get home from work, or [PvP](http://www.pvponline.com)). ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/6 "2005-08-25T20:29:17Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > That week with Skippy and the Fate Spider, however, definitely piqued my interest. That was almost interesting, but there was far too much blah blah blah going on. And now, of course, we have another lame Harry Potter parody. It’s not even timed well; the DVD for Prisoner of Azkaban came out neary a year ago. Get on with the main story, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/7 "2005-08-25T21:05:49Z")
Having once been active on their forums, I’ve not read Sluggy for over 2 years now because I felt Pete’s humour and stories were slipping considerably. I still have an email address over there, so when I check that once every two weeks or so, I usually take a quick peek at the comic. That Bun-Bun/pirate/weird-caribou-thing storyline looked absolutely dire! And now he’s back to Torg Potter, one of the main reasons I stopped reading in the first place. > [@Pete Abrams on the Sluggy front page](#): > > I personally enjoy the Torg Potter parodies, and on a recent rereading I impressed myself on how I knocked it out of the park on the last two! :dubious: “It” in this case being your credibility as a comic writer, Pete? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/8 "2005-08-26T00:55:01Z")
Oceans Unmoving, enh. 28 Geeks Later, sure, okay. Another Torg Potter parody, well, hey, it’s your comic. But I’m willing to give him one more chance, just one, because of this: > [@](#): > > And after that I have my sights on a redhead and an alien, but that’s all I’m gonna say! > > … > > What to expect in the coming year? Well I hope to get through more than two stories (man, these things are getting longer, ain’t they?) and to get back to the alien and the redhead. I no longer check Sluggy before going to bed as a matter of habit, but I’ll keep reading it semi-daily just to finally get back to Oasis and Aylee. More Torg and Zoe and Riff and Gwynn, fewer one-off storylines that end up with one or two filler strips of the gang before another inane plot develops. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/9 "2005-08-26T06:53:42Z")
To be fair, the Saturday Suicide Bikini strips are pretty old-school Sluggy. Personally, I think the only thing Pete needs to do to fix Sluggy is to get back to short stories and forget about the high-falootin’ multi-month psuedo-literature arcs. There are still some good jokes buried in the daily strips, but the burden of carrying a plot just slows things down. Torg, Riff, and Stuff That Goes Boom™ is all you need… ---
**Author:** ![Gerome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Gerome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerome)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/10 "2005-08-26T11:28:45Z")
The Saturday strips are done by Clay Yount these days, not Abrams. I agree tho, they’re good. Perhaps thats a sign he needs to refocus the strip on the main characters and not go off on bizarre tangents where he introduces fifty new minor characters…I mean, read through the archives, and that’s where all the humour is. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/11 "2005-08-26T14:13:24Z")
Oh yeah, these Saturday strips keep me reading. Ian MacDonald’s eternity of painful Saturdays was enough to deter even the most loyal reader. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/12 "2005-08-26T18:35:20Z")
So I am the only one here who’s liked most of Sluggy Freelance since Fire and Rain, the year 2005 notwithstanding? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/13 "2005-08-26T18:40:21Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > So I am the only one here who’s liked most of Sluggy Freelance since Fire and Rain, the year 2005 notwithstanding? No, I like it too, though not as much as the old stuff. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/14 "2005-08-26T18:42:12Z")
I still shudder thinking about the horror of Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain Saturdays. Bikini Suicide Frisbee Saturdays are much better - actually, I think it’s pretty sad that they’re usually better than the main strip these days. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/15 "2005-08-26T19:20:47Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > So I am the only one here who’s liked most of Sluggy Freelance since Fire and Rain, the year 2005 notwithstanding? I thought Sluggy was great until _after_ Fire and Rain, then it started slipping. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/16 "2005-08-26T19:25:22Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > So I am the only one here who’s liked most of Sluggy Freelance since Fire and Rain, the year 2005 notwithstanding? I still enjoy it, but I think Sluggy has become one of those strips that’s a lot more fun to read in archives rather than once a day. At this point I have enough invested in the characters that it would take a lot to get me to give it up. I think, too, that people are misremembering just how good it used to be. There’s some real genius in the archives, but there’s a bunch of stuff that isn’t all that good. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/17 "2005-08-26T20:59:41Z")
> [@lno](#): > > Oh yeah, these Saturday strips keep me reading. Ian MacDonald’s eternity of painful Saturdays was enough to deter even the most loyal reader. Does that mean the original Dimension of Pain (how appropriate) guy is gone or something? Because I’ll admit after the first month or two I just started skipping the Saturdays. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/18 "2005-08-26T23:20:46Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > I think, too, that people are misremembering just how good it used to be. There’s some real genius in the archives, but there’s a bunch of stuff that isn’t all that good. Some people, maybe. I only started reading the strip a few years ago, so it’s not like I’m trying to remember back 8 years. I know there was some junk back then too (like the extended look at the intrigues of Christmas elves :rolleyes: ), but it wasn’t as common. > [@Merijeek](#): > > Does that mean the original Dimension of Pain (how appropriate) guy is gone or something? Yeah, he’s back to just doing his own comic these days. Bruno the Bandit is marginally better than his DoP stuff, but I don’t really care for it. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-pete-abrams-please-take-a-very-long-vacation/318613/19 "2005-08-27T14:43:40Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Does that mean the original Dimension of Pain (how appropriate) guy is gone or something? Because I’ll admit after the first month or two I just started skipping the Saturdays. Yup. Clay Yount of [Rob & Elliot](http://www.robandelliot.cycomics.com/) is doing Bikini Suicide Frisbee Saturdays, or comics set back in that time - 1999 or so, with the gang still living in the apartment complex and Sam married to a non-vampiric Valerie. [Here’s the most recent one](http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=050820), which is Rembrandt in comparison to the Meanwhile In The Dimension Of Who Gives A Damn.