Ladies and Gents, it gives me relief and joy (but mostly relief) to present to you the story of Back Office: Office Party!
I was tempted to embed a video of Sinatra’s “My Way” here, but that song really feels like something I would do at the very end of Back Office…and we are far from that point folks. It has been one hell of a ride, as well as one hell of a year, and now in its final week I am very glad and humbled that you have all chosen to join me throughout all of the update-breaks & general silliness that I put on here.
You all rock, and your enjoyment of the work keeps me wanting to do my best for you. It is a genuine joy to draw for for such an excellent bunch of folks.
At just over 130 pages ‘Office Party’ is longest single story I have ever drawn, and itself is enough to fill a decent print volume. Thus the next printed volume: ‘Back Office: Vol. 2’ will pretty much be this story. When I had first set out on this story, I was concerned that I was drawing out my stories too long. So I promised myself that this new story would last ‘only one year’.
So…erm…yea…that didn’t happened. Instead of 50 pages we ended up 130 pages filled with sub-plots, background stories and betrayal upon betrayal, upon betrayal. I really should have kept it simpler. However, thanks to what Nao had thought me I think I’m now ready to bring you a newer compact version of this comic.
With the end of Back Office: Office Party we will see the end of one era of this comic and the beginning of a new one. I would like to invite you back here again in one months time for the new beginning on:
Monday 1st February 2016
for the first page of:
Back Office: ReCall
Until then, please have an absolutely awesome New Year and I’ll see you again long after your hangovers have recovered (unless you are reading Bata Neart…in which case I’ll have some aspirin waiting for you)
Thanks for the comics, Rawr. It was certainly an…interesting ride. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next year.
Now what in the world happened to Karen? You’re going to be mean and not tell us until at least March, aren’t you? And who’s doing the narrating in this page? Who’s that taking a picture of her? Where are my pants? Who are you people and why are you in my living room?!
*proceeds to make a couch fort to hide from the madness* You’re not getting in here.
@Farren: Thank you 🙂
For the record, the narration is a replay of what Karen said to Mike waaaay back on Page 4. Essentially, the same thing has happened yet again. I like seeding a ‘red thread’ into a lot of my work, and the red thread this time was the specter of Karen’s last office party. Add that to Lisa’s bizarre request earlier on, and the scene is set for ‘Call2Home’ to screw over one of their employees yet again.
The person taking the picture is just a random neighbor who has taken the opportunity to record even more of Karen’s now *very-public* nudity. (PS. I was actually planning on making that person Aoife…but I felt that was pushing it a little)
Poor Karen. Will she ever catch a break?
I actually thought about having Aoife taking the picture, too, but had the same thought as you did.
At least this chapter came with a nice end. :>P
@Farren: I was wondering if anyone would get that 😀
FYI, here’s a sneak peak of the first page of Back Office: ReCall 😀
Well, that does explain Lisa’s comment about Karen bringing her bikini indeed, which was the last loose thread. Neatly wrapped up. But yeah… her co-workers, Murphy, and this whole universe are really behaving badly towards Karen and I’m not liking it. I may have commented that I like seeing her in trouble, and that is true, but it does not extend to this kind of trouble – only the adventure kind. And it sort of does depend on Karen’s ability to handle that kind of trouble quite well.
Anyways, onward to the next story, which I most certainly have not read before! 🙂