Modern Day Note:  We’d like to apologize for the lack of updates last week;  it’s been a bit crazy around Missing Number HQ, and unfortuantly our Subersion Repository that we use for managing the comic went a little… caca.  (It ain’t Quantum Physics, so I don’t know why it’s being so difficult!)  In any case, to make up for it, this Saturday’s update is a Triple Update.  Click here to go back three comics.

We’re in the process of completing an update to The Comics Engine (the application this site runs on), and it’s causing delays all across the board. One of the things were going to be pushing is our RSS feed, which will allow you to keep Up To Date with our comics! Keep an eye out for Engine 2!  P.S… the next comic update is slightly delayed for the same reason…

Whew! This one was loads of fun!

The sketch artist has never, ever drawn Officer Jenny before. So, obviously, Missing Number HQ decided to put seven of them in one comic!

The inker had lots of fun as well. Even with this speedy inking technique, it still takes a lot of time to go through all the frames and ink the various pieces. And the colorist had lots of fun as well. He thinks that Panel 2 came out best of all!

There are two “references” in this comic. First off, the easy one: Naruto. The last two weeks hasn’t been an easy one for productivity, as a small chunk of time has been diverted to watching Naruto. The inker and colorist have seen the entire series as released (over the course of many months), but the sketch artist just “discovered” the series for himself. We enjoy it… maybe a bit too much.

The other reference is to the character from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, an excellent read. It’s one of the sketch artist’s favorite books, and a great insight into the unconscious and conscious decisions involved in building a really good comic. I only hope that our comics reflect some of the insights from that book!

In any case, enjoy this issue. We will be doing more site maintenance over the next week, so don’t be too surprised if the next issue is late as well And, as always, if you like our comic, please give us a vote! It never hurts!