Oh, how the mighty have fallen (us too)

Brian!
oh-how-the-mighty-have-fallen-us-too

Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X #5 should have been released in the first week of January 2012. But it will not go on sale until February. Our hope is that it will be in the first week of February, but it’s still too early to tell.

And it’s all our fault!

The short version!

October screwed us. Scott works about 6 days a week on this stupid comic book, minimum, but October wrecked that. A combination of conventions, travel, random family stuff, and the day-to-day bullshit of, well, day-to-day bullshit killed most of his working days that month.

Even this would not have been a problem, so guarded is Team Robo vis a vis scheduling and buffers and such, except as a result every single page of Issue 5 was then pushed into that dreaded November – December corridor.

I mean, I guess we could’ve had Scott slack on that last issue. Just scribble anything to get it through the pipeline. But could we? Really? Just as we promised not to deliver a late issue, we also promised to never deliver less than our best issue.

Caught between those mutually exclusive goals we chose to give you our very best a little later. Really, there wasn’t much of a choice. Being late with an issue is a temporary embarrassment, but having a shitty one clog up the trade is something that never goes away.

We hope to have your understanding and that this hasn’t strained your patience too much.

In the meantime, we don’t intend to make a habit of this. The treacherous nature of October is unlikely to change in the short term. We already adjusted our 2012 schedule to account for it.


  • http://twitter.com/NevixAstari Herman Cillo

    You made the right choice. I will ALWAYS choose getting a better quality product over getting it sooner than it should be out.

    I look forward to the collected edition of Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X.

  • http://twitter.com/Boone_Mason Josh Bell

    Seconded. I’d rather have a great book later than a mediocre one now.

  • Waynes Comics

    It’ll be worth the wait! I’d rather have good than timely!

  • Joshua Carmody

    Late happens. Of all the comics I read (most of which are webcomics, admittedly), I can only think of 2 that are very reliably on-time. Even newspaper comics go on “vacation” and print a week or two of re-runs every now and then.

  • Anonymous

    I would also definitely take late and great over rushed and timely.  Glad you all went in that direction.

    The fact that you actually care about this kind of stuff (quality, lateness, keeping your commitments to your fans) is further proof of how awesome you all are!  Look forward to #5 next month!

  • brandon

    I’m waiting to pick up the trade anyway, so this suits me just fine.

  • http://www.nuklearpower.com Brian!

    Full disclosure: I think this pushes back the trade as well, but not as drastically. But, yeah, you won’t really notice!

  • Anonymous

    I don’t think you’re going to find anyone screaming for sooner over better. With an operable brain, anyway.

    But then I’m also one of those people who’s starting to feel that these things don’t need to be monthly fixes in the first place… as long as the economics can be worked out.

  • Anonymous

    I will always wait for greatness, it is why I’m cool with waiting to be served at a restaurant than pulling up to the drive through. Comics are the same thing, I could get myself some over priced junk or I can savour something great when it does come.

  • http://www.nuklearpower.com Brian!

    I absolutely agree the monthly model is part of the problem with this industry. People don’t mind waiting a “long” time for a big finished story line. And folks go nuts for their weekly dose of televised serial entertainment. Weekly. Not monthly, Mr. Comics Industry.

  • Anonymous

    I know…

    And don’t even get me started on “mid-season breaks,” which I still just see as an excuse to break a single TV season into two DVD sets instead of one for more $$$.

    Especially if you know it’s a show that’s not actually made on an actual weekly schedule… it’s just the rate they play ‘em out at.

    I waited a year for series 2 of Sherlock, and it was worth it. And those are only three (long) episodes each.

    But then I wonder – would you want to do Robo a volume at a time? You wouldn’t have to do five small issue-size arcs within the main story arc.

    (As overall page count would probably stay the about the same; Art Speed is Art Speed, and for good reasons.)

  • http://twitter.com/introvertedone Joel Becker

    Aw, guys! I can’t stay mad at you! Not that I really was. The delay only caused me to wonder if you guys were all right. You are! Robo is! HUZZAH QUALITY WORK!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Serge-Broom/1567496523 Serge Broom

    You can do it fast OR you can do it right.

    Unless the situation involves being shackled to an atomic bomb inside Fort Knox, I prefer ‘right’.

  • Anonymous

    You could be Wolverine Vs. Hulk late.

  • http://www.nuklearpower.com Brian!

    Maybe we’ll get there one day.

  • Miles

    Oh good, I was beginning to  think I missed it at the comic shop. I think I might which to waiting for the trade though. This monthly stuff is a hassle.

  • Anonymous

    hey now there are things to joke about and that isn’t one… Even the wait for Planetary was a painful one.

  • Douglas G Smith

    If you guys ever need anything inked to speed things up, I’d be happy to help.

  • Danny Crash

    well you’ve been caught up in of those situations that both designers and illustrators are usually embarrassed to admit, but usually  happens. we think we have all the situation under control, but we don’t expect the world to act against us, and THEN is when everything goes wrong. I understand ya, and i think and know that you made the best decision!!!
    We all in here are big fans of yours both Brian and Scott, and we don’t expect nothing but the best Atomic, that’s because you’ve made a costume of it and i know that you’ll keep it on!!
    Keep on Rockin’ in an Atomic World!

  • Scott!

    Thanks folks. We really appreciate your understanding. I think the payoff in 6.5 will be worth the wait.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=661880366 Chris Fieldhouse

    Thirded (wait, did I just make that up?)

    Love the comic, the saying “better late than never” springs to mind (though in a significantly less condescending tone)

    Keep up your usual level of quality and I’ll be laughing all the way to the funny pages (usually page 3 of 4)

  • Teran_katoba

    For what it’s worth I had to cut my comic book fund out of my budget for financial reasons. Everything, that is, but Atomic Robo. Take as long as you need, it’s always worth it!