Thanks to all

I want to take some time to say that I appreciate all of the comments I’ve received lately. I read every single one of them, (even if it takes all morning and I’m supposed to be working!) I want to thank those of you who have showed your support and faith in me as an author, but also those who have expressed their frustrations with the latest developments in the strip. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you are all so heavily invested in the comic and these characters.

Of course it’s disappointing that a small number of frustrated commenters have decided to stop reading. But webcomics lose readers every day, and it’s usually not because of the story or characters. It’s because they got bored or forgot about it. I would much rather lose readers because of a plot twist they didn’t agree with than because I didn’t make a strong enough impression.

There is a lot still left to happen in this comic before all is said and done, and I want to thank each of you for sticking around to see what happens next!

44 thoughts on “Thanks to all

  1. yeah, fine, whatever, but omg hurry! you can’t leave us hanging like this! 🙂

  2. Some people just say they’ll stop reading and don’t mean it. You’ll probably get some fans back soon.

    1. You’re right that many are probably just people venting their frustrations. Generally if something makes a strong impression on me I’ll at least want to see it through.

  3. I seriously cannot take the suspense. I need to know what happens between Nate and the Harlot.

    1. You’ll find out on Friday!

      1. I won’t try to sugar coat it or over-exaggerate anything when I say this, but this honestly is the best storyline I have read to date. Manga, comic, online comic, show, movie, whatever – Treading Ground has more elements of realism to it that sticks with the readers that any and all other comic-based writers just can’t seem to grasp.

        Nick’s prowess as a writer still leaves me dumbfounded – even though I don’t LIKE some of the decisions he made with the story, I will admit that I’m happy that he didn’t choose the options I may have, because it would have been boring, cliche, and hacked away at the longevity and quality of the story as a whole. How he does it now is what keeps us eager to read the next strip, and he’s basically setting the standard for how web comics should be written if you ask me.

        Nick you should really get this comic formatted to hard-copy when it’s done and sell it, I’m sure you have enough of a fan base now to make it worth while.

        1. Wow, I really don’t know what to say to that. My sincere thanks would be a start. I’m honored.

          There’s going to be a lot of work involved in cleaning TG up for a print run, but it’s definitely something I’m planning on after it’s done!

  4. It’s the sign of a good webcomic when the readers are invested that much in the characters. Keep up the good work.

  5. I can understand that some people may not like the way this comic is going, but it seems pretty true to life to me. This kind of thing happens all the time in my life. Or it did before I was settled down.

  6. The amount of time I’ve stuck with this thing is measured in years. It left an impression on me that lasted literally for like two years before I checked it again and found it to be updated. I ain’t leaving this damn comic. BRING IT ON!

    1. Always nice to hear from the old-schoolers who were here before I got my shit together. Thank you, sir.

  7. I’ve always been impressed with the community you built here as well as the comic. Just don’t leave us all hanging. We want to see how it ends as much as you want to tell it.

    1. No worries, I’m not going anywhere!

  8. I wonder if some of the disgruntled folks realize just how little fiction is presented in this comic. These are not “wacky hijinks” or “the author fucking with us”. This is all real-life stupid drama that happens -all- the damn time.

    1. I think there are a fair proportion of Virgins among them.

  9. I must say that I’m very gruntled with this comic. You’ve done some great work with the story, and the art’s a lot of fun, too.

  10. I don’t know how you’re counting readership, but I know I will skip reading “my” web comics for 2 weeks or so so I can come back and have lots and lots of amazing plot to catch up on. :]

    1. I don’t expect to see a noticeable dip in the readership. We’re still on track to get over 500,000 unique visitors this month, which would be my best month ever.

      It’s more about individual people who are standing up and saying “You have wounded me, sir, and I shall not return.” I care about those people and their opinions, but the fact that a few must fall away shows me that the story is having the effect it should.

  11. I am a big fan of any comic art. Since the late 70’s, I have collected most of Heavy Metal magazine because I get introduced to a person’s mind through their comic art. I read probably 40 online comics a day , more if you count the slow ones ( like Mega Tokyo – oi I wish that guy had consistency! )
    To follow your ideas has been delightful and a real adventure ! Your realism is hilarious and your character development is clear . I am only disappointed that you can’t pump out 2 comics a day! I love the story ! haha !
    Please, keep up the great work and I can’t wait to see how this crazy world you have made develops!
    Thanks for the exceptional work !

  12. Well people who ‘forget’ to check up on their comics need to learn how to use an RSS feed! I have around 20+ webcomics I check up on. Its so funny when I see your avatar pop up in other comics comments, too. It seems the webcomic author community is slightly connected with each other.

    Keep up the good work!

  13. Well you may have lost some but you have gain at least one new one, namely me. I am definitely keeping up with this until it raps up.

  14. Don’t let the idle threats and unfortunate loss of a few disgruntled readers dishearten you, you have made something of substance and quality that has attacted a relatively massive following. The fact that many of our favorite webcomic authors have directly or indirectly led to the discovery of your art says volumes for your talent, let alone the level of emotional involvement so many have shown to date.

    Thanks for giving the world Treading Ground, and for god sakes man find a way to make Friday come faster, lol.

  15. Never mind the haters. They make up only a teeny tiny percentage of your readership anyway. As long as you’re not losing a huge chunk of your visit count there’s no reason to be concerned.

    I know I’m not going anywhere. Hell, I just bought some ad space for TLT! 🙂

    1. Thanks for the support! Hope that ad performs for you.

  16. I’m loving the plot twists bro… keep it up.. its the key to a good story line…

    Just look at Questionable Content as an example!

  17. Do mind the haters…in a positive way. There are several authorities on art that agree on the fact that one of the signs of a great writer is that he is able to make you hate what he does to his characters.

    And, while I don’t like what happens to all of the characters, they are human, and the world is… for lack of better word, “worldly”, and they are living a story that I want to experience…through reading it, of course. (I’m not sure I’d like to live it…or pretty sure I wouldn’t if I had a choice)

  18. First time commenter, although I’ve lurked for awhile. I suppose I fall in the “sort of frustrated” category, if I had to pick one.

    I appreciate the willingness to tell a story that isn’t sparkly and pretty – bad things happen to people and relationships.

    That said, I won’t be checking TG anymore. I just don’t find myself enjoying how things are playing out, and I don’t really look forward to the next strip like I used to. I guess I’m not much for this particular plot twist, even if mentally I agree with what the others are saying.

    I feel you are telling a good story, regardless. Good luck with the story as it evolves and plays out. 🙂

  19. I’ll also be a first time commenter … although I’ve become hooked on this series and will be back for more

    I blame that Geoff Appleby for posting every single link on his Facebook feed that you get curious after awhile and have to click to find what the hell he’s on about …

  20. I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your stories with us all. I know putting something like this out there and letting a bunch of strangers read it is a hard thing to do. I’ve really enjoyed the stories and your sense of humor and hope your muse continues to be kind. You have a fan for as long as your willing to work on it.

  21. THAT banner of Tracy is currently on a site so NSFW, it makes this look like a sunday school class. Nice Arse.

  22. this is what most of the guys here are for! and then they read the comic from the beginning and turn from lonely guys to invested readership. THATS what good writing does for you. right on man!

  23. Stop reading the dang comments and get to work! You can read em when you get home later

    1. DID MY BOSS SEND YOU?

      1. My dear Nick, it would be to your advantage to discount the elocution that has been listed prior, wherefore the author of this discourse has very nearly read the works of Lord Paarfi of Roundwood. How, impossible? Not the least in the world.

        Also, probably.

  24. I’m just here for the boobs. 😉

    I kid, I’ve found the comic quite entertaining. Although typically I’m here for the humour less than the story, but I’ve found that i actually like Rose and want to stand up for her at times.

  25. to read that youread all of our post adn it makes you happy to see we ivest our selves so emtionaly to your charasters well it makes me feel less of the socially awkward new guy tothe comic that i am , while i feel just as strong to rose’s ubiquitous whorish nature i love your plot twists and look foward to see what happens next every day, also im thinking tracy either black mailed her way to postion or she like nate thinks really slept with the guy i supose we’ll find out next time if she con’ed or slept her way to the top

  26. Dude let me put it like this, me and my ex navy buddy love this comic. We were a bit sad when you stopped your a work a while ago. Out of all the works you done, we still love the yaoi/KFC strip the most.

  27. I will admit that I came here for the NSFW part initially. However, the story really dragged me in and I got kind of disappointed when I noticed the words “all is said and done” in the blog post. It indicates a future end! Sure, there are still webcomics taht mean more to me (I can no longer imagine a world without xkcd and it would take me a really long time to get back to normal if a couple of other webcomics went down) but I would be truly disappointed if treadingground would end. Maybe in a few years time, when at least one of Nate and Rose have ended up in a relationship that might let them live “happily ever after” I might be able to find it appropriate. But hopefully I will be busy with my own family long before that…

  28. Well, you gained a reader this week! Found the comic on Thursday, read the entire archive and have it bookmarked now!

  29. i find TG as interesting as Questionable Content. hahahaha i dont mean to compare, but it’s just because i’ve been hooked on that one for YEARS. actually i saw something about your comic on that site, so here i am.

    i’m fairly new to your webcomic (probably only started a month ago) but ever since then i’ve been hooked. i can really feel the excitement every time i click on my bookmark and the page loads the newest comic (that i hopefully have not seen yet)

    and yes sometimes i would stop visiting for a week so that i can enjoy the story longer (if that makes any sense) haha!

  30. New reader here! Went back and read through them all. Really dig the comic, mang.

  31. Thanks, guys! Glad you’re enjoying it!

  32. I found Treading Ground a loooong time ago, when you were still on that free hosting site with a bunch of others. It was before the crazy killer-for-hire plot went down. I can’t remember why I stopped reading – I think you stopped updating for a while? Either way, saw the ad on a site and now I’m catching up. Glad you’re still going 😀

    1. I think I recognize that handle. Welcome back!

      That crazy story is now archived here.

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