System(')s End

Delicate Industry

2007-11-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

It's November 2007. Currently Systems-End is shut down because the URL expired and I can't keep paying for it.
This blog is all that remains of the comic on the internet. I have backups of every comic, script, and webpage design, and sometime later I'm going to do something big with it. I don't know what yet and I have a lot of other things on my plate.
If you just liked the blog and nothing else then that won't mean anything to you.
If you love me for who I am then...!

I'm adding some things to this blog on the off chance that people still use it. Nothing big - just some touch ups and links to make it better. I might even post in it frequently.
And since nobody reads it it's gonna be our little secret,

Once again - new blog is handfulofwires.blogspot.com. This is the hole what everything I do trickles back to.
Ubergamer's Blog : hidethelinux.ca
Snipe's Blog: axiomidiom.blogspot.com

Big things are still going on.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

Supplementary!

2005-08-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

The comic is still on hiatus.
I wish I had a reason beyond "I don't feel like it" but I don't.
Sorry about it being such a long time coming.

http://handfulofwires.blogspot.com
http://www.hidethelinux.com

I'm not going to start a new webcomic or come back to this one. I don't think I'll work on this comic anymore; there it is. That is the sentence.

If you saw what I had planned you'd agree it was beyond my ability. It would end up being really bad.

When I said I wasn't making this up as I went along I was not lieing. I had a lot planned, from start to finish, and it was a long narrative. The problem is it is simply too big and I don't have the interest for it anymore.
Sorry kids.

Megatokyo still sucks.

That's the story of System(')s End, villains and whores.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

Hardcore blues

2005-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

System(')s End is on a temporary hiatus again.
That's because we're trying to think of cool things to do with the comic and indulging our vices.
If we're still alive we'll make more comics. We're really not making this up as we go.
But that doesn't have any credibility.
Many apologies for being so unreliable.
Catch you cats later.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

Pass Thine Flask

2005-05-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

We can learn a lot from Moby.

From Moby.com:

let's talk about complaining.
on occasion i've been known to complain.
about, well, just about everything.
here are my rules for complaining(not that i always follow them)-
it's ok to complain when:
a-you have something valid to complain about(illness, inept politicians, etc)
and/or
b-you can complain in a manner that is somehow entertaining to the person(s) being complained to.

I expect everyone to follow these rules. If you don't I am not going to listen to you.
That's all.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

Silencio Theatre

2005-05-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Dr. Switchboard says:
Whatever happened to the Dancing Man?
übergamer says:
dancing man died. found out that the curve in his back wasn't natural.
übergamer says:
it was actually a downhill ski route for ants
Dr. Switchboard says:
That doesn't make any sense. It curves out. it is like a cliffside.
Dr. Switchboard says:
They'd just fall off and die.
übergamer says:
you leave what doesn't make sense to me
Dr. Switchboard says:
No. You're unreliable.
übergamer says:
i made the jesus comic
übergamer says:
oh wait
übergamer says:
i didnt
Dr. Switchboard says:
HTL is a crap shoot, shooting up into a fat man's ass.
übergamer says:
WHICH IS MORE THAN I CAN SAY FOR SYSTEMS END AMIRITE
übergamer says:
*runs*

Webcomics.

2005-05-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

I say we all band together and take down Fred from Megatokyo (megatokyo.com).
I fucking hate Questionable Content (questionablecontent.net) because I know people like that, and they piss me the hell off. I don't think the comic was ever funny. That is probably because it is too real.
And yet, Penny Arcade continues to please (www.penny-arcade.com).
Seriously, we have to destroy Megatokyo.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

A story about a Hen.

2005-04-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

We lie a lot.
We also break schedules.
Sorry.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

Welcome to the Electroweb

2005-04-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

One of my friends had something about the Pope's death in his MSN screen name. Something like "I killed the Pope with my car" or maybe it was "I killed the Pope". I can't remember. What followed was an assault by dozens of people, claiming he was rude, disrespectful, obscene, what have you. I started to laugh at this.
Weren't we the ones who hit the Pope with a car, turned him into a monster, and then murdured him? And then essentially peed on his image after the fact? That was an age ago, though.
And to think, Hide the Linux got in a hassle with the police about putting up a video about someone flipping us off.
Is that comic convention this weekend? If it is, I'm not going to be able to make it. I can't even remember if it is. Who gives a fuck?
Not this guy.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

"Once upon a time up on this mic..."

2005-04-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

So it is Tuesday today, and the comic was put up last night, so it was only a day late. That's not so bad if you have a head made of lead.
I work in a comic store. If I hear one more fat, bearded, awkward bastard walk in with greezy hair, step up to the counter, take a big, smiling breath, and say "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" I am going to knife somebody. I am going to knife you.
Who deceided that Monty Python was the holy grail (fucking pun) of comedy? I've seen it. It's great. But I can't live squarely off of the fucking parrot sketch. I hate it.
It's the same with Star Trek. Nerds can't let anything go.
And now I reap the discomfort.
We also sell martial arts stuff there. We're going to have a kung fu battle.
I should have known what I was getting into. But I get to read things like Hellboy and Transmetropolitan.
Everyone go see Sin City.
Everyone give me money.
Someone rig up the System(')s End store.
Buck 65 is releasing an album soon. Is anybody else creaming their shirt over this?
Would you like first hand lactate with your coffee?
I am going to open a coffee shop, and all I have to go is amaze people, and they can make their own cream.
It's the perfect get rich quick scheme.
System(')s End is better than Megatokyo.
*escape plan*

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

The road may turn into a Runway

2005-03-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

There was no comic last week because of a Chicago trip. We're all back now and everything can resume.
Is it worth it to advertise? We tried it once on Top Webcomics. Even though I don't like that list much (or any ranking list) they were really nice about it, and gave us a good deal, and some people might have trickled in from there. I thought it was decent. Buzzcomix was assholic about it and intended to ream us up the ass, cost wise.
We were on some ranking lists for awhile though, long ago. Top Webcomics was first, but they were too big, so then we went down to the modest sized Funnypapers. We were in the top 10 for awhile, but that was us being really really vigilant about it.
The reason it failed, I believe, is because we never called attention to it. It's not that we didn't just bribe people, oh no. We never even awknowledged it was there. I thought that was dignified on our part. It's sort of cyclical, because to get people to vote, you need readers, and the purpose of being on there was to get readers. So you had to come in with a cruise missile from the side, and advertise, to get that ball rolling.
The problem with this was commitment. We had a long term plan mapped out for all this campaigning, and had some banners made up, but we never went through with it.
Maybe when we commit to the comic more. We have other stuff to do. We're not in the webcomic game for financial gain. We're in it to tell a story and have fun.
Are you having fun yet?

Time for a spot of the Shine

2005-03-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

You know what? Fuck those astronauts, I'll write here more.
I work in a comic store. Isn't that ironic? I shout "Oh no! Nerds!" just like Bender.
I live in Canada, and in Ontario, and in a place called Oshawa, right now. A lady (not a real lady, but a lady in the making) came in from a local college and started asking the boss questions. I shoehorned myself in like a thief in the night and got interviewed. Some stupid shit will get quoted. I got to talk about webcomics, but she didn't write much, so I guess it was just to show off that I know something she doesn't. I am sure she can tell me a lot about doing last minute interviews because she didn't have enough content, but I'll be the nicest villain this side of the equator and not go there.
You know what else? I'm going to Chicago tomorrow. Tomorrow's wednesday. Later on, next month I think, I'll be at a comic convention in Toronto. Does anybody that reads the comic live in Toronto?
Does anybody read the comic?
Ow, my ego.
I'll be at the Worlds Collide booth, since that is the store. I don't know. I'll mention it again. I'm going to see if I can dropkick a Wookie.
I've only seen a dropkick thrice, and each time some injury was sustained. I am going to walk up to the law of averages and make it my bitch.
What else? That's it. That's all for now.
I don't keep up with much webcomic news as much as I should. Since we bowed out of Buzzcomix, Top Webcomics, and all of that, the internet has lost its "community" element. It's big and scary now. We're rebels without a cause with necklaces made of jaws. I'd really like to disassosciate from all of that bullshit. Buzzcomix is a world of losers. There, that'll be the first of a string of webcomic related comments.
Oh, and by the way, down a few posts, I linked Ubergamer's site. I was corrected on the links page, but just to be safe, it's now www.hidethelinux.com. Mind the smell.

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

I want your job.

2005-02-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what we talk about behind the scenes of Systems End?

übergamer | www.hidethelinux.com says:
hidethelinux's 15 min of fame has passed.
Switchboard says:
So what now then? Your last post is on the gay Simpsons episode.
Switchboard says:
Post some more stuff about dinosaurs and bombs.
Switchboard says:
I am having Chinese food tonite. I wish I could kill Metallica.
Switchboard says:
In the future, when I am 30...35.... 37... All I am going to do is sit alone in a white room with no sound, and sit on a metal chair, and call things gay and stupid.
Switchboard says:
And you're going to be #1 on the list.
Switchboard says:
For the first 5 years.

Next week, oh man, you'll see. Prepare to be murdured by the update. I'm sorry, it's actually nothing cool. Just a new comic. I'm so sorry. What the fuck.

Love,

Switchboard

"While you were out, I was fucking everyone you know"

2005-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

If we had a legit store, that would be on a t-shirt. Something cool might be on the back too.

I was standing on the roof of a skyscraper last week and a stork carrying a man dropped in.
Did you know storks could carry people?
No lie.
And so the stork dropped him on the roof, but his mouth was on the back of his head so the stork spoke for him. He asked what was up with the site. "What's the deal?" he asked.
I put my hands in my pockets.
No, I put on my sunglasses first.
I found them.
And I said "It's not my fault. Sometimes worms get at them" and it was not fiction.
So incase you ever come here, to System(')s End and you don't see a comic and nobody is saying why, it is because worms have gotten to it.
I miss the days when Mercury was still cool.

"Learn how to spit acid"

2005-01-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday, January the something'th. Just got word that there will be no comic this week because everyone is busy. The script is done, so chances are it will be put up later in the week because we had a good rythm going.

Everyone join www.hawtmail.com. I know I have.
Ubergamer: dropitlikeits@hawtmail.com
Switchboard: UbergamerIsGay@hawtmail.com

I doubt anyone will check them though. Stick to the gmail account if you want questions answered (Switchboard@gmail.com).

Spines and Knives,

Switchboard

Membrane Cash

2005-01-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

We have made an executive decision:
"We will open up the System(')s End store if someone else does all the work."

The week before last was a week off. Sometimes people do that- rich people, or tall people. We are neither rich nor tall, but we have lofty aspirations.
Remember when I said Josh was making a webcomic? That was such a lie. Don't look out for that anymore. And don't look out for Darius' either. We've cornered the monopoly.

www.matthewgood.org
He has some good stuff to say. Plus I like his music, but look elsewhere for that. Ubergamer set up his own site and I'll put it on when he gives it to me. It is from 1and1 or something. 6 months free. No strings attached! "A scam!" I shouted, but it wasn't. The catch was that it is a string of numbers.somethingsomething.us, so it's really stupid. Anyone watch the Daily Show? Everyone watch the Daily Show. And Dead like Me, even though I think it was just cancelled. And watch Huff. And give Switchboard 100 000 English Dollars.

Edit: http://s116833876.onlinehome.us/

Sincerely,

Switchboard

Happy Holidays

2004-12-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.amnesty.org/

Christmas is stupid.

(Soundtrack: Tatu- Clowns, Astarte- Black Mighty Gods, Aeba- As Wolf Among Sheep, Amon Amarth- Fate of the Norns)

Zombies on Parade

2004-12-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

There's a new banner for the site and a new addition to the links. In the Extras section there is a Dancing Man picture- Batman gets it. Whenever anything besides the comic is updated, it's rarely mentioned. Think of it like Easter, but smaller, with no warning.
If ever anyone wants to make fan art, you'll be 160% greater if you make it Dancing Man related. Tell your friends. Pee it in the snow. Make Dancing Man the next Princess Diana.
Before we make any shirts and shit, we'll probably make stickers, because stickers are easier to get made than shirts. Shirts and shit. Does anyone want stickers? They'd be witty.

Spines and Knives,
Switchboard

(Soundtrack: AC/DC- Thunderstruck. The Locust- This is Radio Surgery. Ludacris- Get back. )

Switchboard for President

2004-11-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Alright all your villains and whores, System(')s End came back bigger and sexier than ever. Nipples are erect throughout the universe. The System(')s End store is still in limbo, but there are several trillion changes to the Void archives. It is like finding easter eggs, except they are filled with old meat and pins. The Refused are destroying my brain, the new GWAR album took what's left of my head and tore it to pieces, and that Cradle of Filth album that came out last month took all the shreds and stepped them into a paste. I don't even have a head right now. Look out for more changes in the future. The first one that already happened was: Better forum. Maybe something might happen with that store. Who knows?

Irregularities.

2004-11-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

Have you dropped by recently and noticed that System(')s End wouldn't load properly? That was due to trouble with the domain name provider. It happened again today, so I don't know what exactly is going on. It looks like it all smoothed out, but I can't say for sure. Wait a minute, cats, it gets better. The hosting Works, our host, sent me this :
"I regret to inform you that Hostameg/TheHostingWorks will be shutting down its services in a few weeks. This is strictly due to lack of time and interest. If you have any questions please e-mail (REMOVED) ASAP. All accounts will be terminated within a month"

No definite date was given. I am posting this so if you come back and find that the site is gone, it is because we haven't found a suitable host yet, or haven't gotten everything up and running in time. This is a bad news kind of week. Lack of interest, what the fuck?

Cleaning house.

2004-09-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

Okay. I think this needs to be said and fast. On the forum, there are some stupid people who said some stupid things. To say stupid people say stupid things is elementary; like how nectarines are delicious. Sometimes, these people on the forum, they come off as racist. Nothing blatent, but some passing remark that makes your ears perk up. These people aren't affiliated with the site. Beatmeistah said something about asian people cause Pookie (also a forum member) is Asian. He was promptly shut up. We feel that instead of banning someone for racism, we shut them up forever by means of not silencing by administrative force, but by a better arguement and a better way of saying things. After that, sure, ban away, whatever. We want to get our few cents in because we truly believe we are the smartest people alive. I dare you to disprove it. Systems(')s End is not racist. That is key. Ubergamer isn't racist, he's just stupid. He's not white, either; maybe that helps. Probably not. Less potent. That isn't the thing though. There was a guest comic made for White Ninja awhile ago. ES made it. He thought it was clever because he put a bunch of white things in it. There was a wintry forest, a white moon, and a white ghost, and the white ninja. However, there was also a KKK member there. he thought that was sort of the main focus of the "white" element in it. Not really a satire, not really a ethic or social comment, just a statement. Like spaghetti thrown on a wall. Naturally it wasn't accepted BY White Ninja as a guest comic because of that, but the last 3 guest comics weren't accepted. We don't blame them. It didn't seem racist at the time, either. He (and we here as well) didn't really think twice about it. One day all the celebrities that appeared in the comic will get together and collectively sue. We are anticipating that day with grins and a bag of sandwiches. But that's the beginning. I hadn't checked the referrers in awhile so I decided to give them a quick look through. One of them was a Xanga site, which is sort of a blog online journal nonsense operation. Not as end boss as this one, though. We've had some isues with Xanga before as the users link remotely to the images and sap the bandwith. The last time we found this, what we did was rename that file and replace it with something funny so that shows up instead. Fun fun, whatever. Not that interesting. Had to be there. Regardless, I saw this scenario forming when I saw the Xanga link and I clicked it, thinking it was another person using the "big red button" image or something on a forum. Not the case (you can probably guess where this is going). It was some white supremacist site using that white ninja comic as a background. This caught me off guard. I am not going to stand here and say I was completely surprised. I knew the nature of the comic, I thought "Hey, we're going into no man's land now", but I thought nothing of it afterward. It was just another rejection, and I didn't do it, so whatever. I found this instance unsettling, though. I can't claim ignorance because I am not ignorant, but I didn't expect it. We have to take the blame on this one, but I want to state this once and for all: System(')s End isn't a racist site. System(')s End picks on everyone. Mark Fucking Wahlberg has been mutilated for no other purpose than to satisfy what can only be described as an incoherant running gag. You don't get much whiter than Mark Wahlberg. Soon we'll get onto other people, too. We don't wear the violation of cultures on our sleeve, but it seems to happen anyway, but there is no rhyme or reason to it. It made me feel simply horrified when I realized that the evidence had started to pile up against us. I put the puzzle together, I plugged the numbers in, and I wasn't happy. All these isolated cases make up this big picture that I didn't see speeding from the horizon. The comic on its own wouldn't make that big of a deal, but this was the final death-stab. I just want to set it straight before anything is said. I don't know what will happen with the comic. Take it down? Disclaimer? Not sure. Comic 300 still isn't up. It is going to be a double update: Comic from Ube, Comic from ES. There is also a crazy Halloween Special in the works. This is a comic divorced from Void (And Sticks and Stones so dash those ideas now). It will have new characters and be a one shot deal. Updates are slow these days, and as the informer I have to say: Sorry. Really really sorry. There is no excuse for this other than workload. There is a lot going on and this Halloween Comic is in pre production (drawing character ideas and writing the script). That is all for now. Have a great time.

Dommage

2004-09-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Comic 300 is coming up. Where will you be? Add that together with the Sticks and Stones archive and there are a lot of comics here. Does Sticks and Stones count? That was more of a side project that's over. Someone help me. How is the American election going? Is anyone American around here? A lot of people in the world are watching you guys, you Americans you. This will tell people if a nation favours Bush. America has entered into the affairs of a lot of other countries, so this is garnering some attention from more than one place. You're being watched! We Canadians hear a lot about it because we get a lot of your TV. A lot of Canadians are stupid, though. Canadians are often quick to be victimized or blame America, or stick their noses at them for whatever reason. Find SOME way to drag the U.S into the dirt. It is really subtle. I see it a lot; often on radio phone ins (Michael Corin had a caller drag America into some Olympic matter where they weren't even involved. If you heard it you'd know what I am talking about. If not, I don't want to get into the details.) Canadians are stupid that way. I think North America is broken and nobody can fix it. Nobody except System(')s End. We plan on making giant volcanoes out of steel and throwing people in. Doesn't matter who; anyone will do. There are a lot of good webcomics out there. Like, the comic called Tuesday (Or Mallet, the tangent of that. Do a search, I don't have the URL offhand). Or Artificial Time. Artificial Time is using the sidebar text thing that happens often in S(')E (I totally just did that you fucker). Or Lick My Jesus. One day someone will kill me for not thinking Scary Go Round is the biggest thing to happen to comics. And Megatokyo is bad too. Penny Arcade is funny, and consistant. That's all I have to say about that for now. Even thoush Systems End updates unevenly, it isn't dying or becoming a chore. Other things come up to make bumps and wrinkles in the schedule. I think the update schedule is now a week plus 2 days, or something. Give or take. Nothing cocnrete. Gwar and Cradle of Filth releasing new albums soon. Good news. Have a good time everyone. Spines and Knives.

Damn you.

2004-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

Much talk has been done about the format of the comics. Smaller comics might get them done faster. By small I mean amount of panels and not size of panels. That would be silly. Me? I'm working on a book and got some stuff into teeny tiny independant magazines. That is what I am doing with my time.What about Schroeder and his comic? News on that is it is actually up and going. Maybe not now, but the gears are turning. From what he told me advertising will start soon and he wants to "hit the cons". How does this interest you? It is a flimsy excuse for SE to tag along to the San Diego Comic con next year. You can see System(')s End as me sitting in a bent lawnchair behind a shitty table with a 1980's jam box to pump out the beats. Dope beats. What else? Still attending the CNE whenever that rolls around. Shit will get done. Shit will get done. Look at allthe italisized sentences. Don't mess with me. I'll stab you in the back of the head and wreck your bike. More related "news" as it "occurs".

Store and Toronto Convention

2004-08-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

While we couldn't make it to Conneticon, San Diego, Otakon or any of that nonsense, we will be hitting one convention at the end of August. By "we" I mean myself and some other guys from the comic. The catch is we won't have a table; we'll just be walking around like jerks. I'll have a SE Shirt so that is how I will be identifiable. That is, if you look, and I am where you are at that time, and you happen to want to find us. I'll only be there for one day cause the commute is killer. It is a murdurer commute. Some of the others might be going for two depending on our schedules. And that's it. That's all you get. Shut up.

The store? What is up with the store? There is a fucking page for it over there, with stuff on it, why can't I order anything? That's a good one.
It was planned out with Domination Distribtion in mind, in conjunction with Brunetto T-Shirts, as that seemed to be a sweet deal catered specifically to webcomics. But Domination Distribution is more like a club deal where you need to be a member. And as such they aren't looking for new members right now. So what now? There are designs for shirts and hats and things like that. They're really great. There are around 7 designs in all, but I can't remember in detail. Can't offer them all at once, and don't have any means to get them out. We're looking into that. The prospect is that we'll find something interesting at the Toronto Comic Expo, or something will come up soon. It was discussed on the forum at length as well, if you want to go catch up on that. That is all there is to say about the store! We really don't want to go the Cafepress route and would rather do nothing than submit to that.
Oh yeah, the shirt I'll be wearing at the con? Where did I get that from? Ordered it from the Posse Productions merch site I mentioned. I'll probably alter it up by dying the sleeves or... drawing on it. Something to fill up all the white space. There's a lot of white. Somebody stop me.

(Soundtrack: Twizted- Rock the Dead, Dust Brothers- This is your Life, Apocalyptica-Somewhere around Nowhere , Rage Against the Machine- Know your Enemy)

Comic Conventions

2004-07-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of conventions System(')s End won't be at during the next few days.

Conneticon. (http://www.connecticon.org/)

San Diego Comic Convention. (http://www.comic-con.org/)

That's all I have to say. We hardly talk anymore, you and me. We used to be like this.

-Switchboard

(Soundtrack for the Update: Insane Clown Posse- Every Halloween, ES Posthumus - Elba, Modest mouse - Bury me with it)

Unofficial System(')s End shirt.

2004-07-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

There are 3 people on the forum named Madroxide, Wick, and Beatmeistah, and they run an independant film studio named Posse Productions. They are in between projects right now, like making movies and the website, but until then they have a Cafepress store for their merchandise. One of the pieces of merchandise is a System(')s End long sleeve shirt with an entire comic on it.
The comic is called "Savage", and you can look it up in the recent comics in the archives. It is somewhere in there.
The store is at http://www.cafeshops.com/thaposse

The shirt, however, is not created by the site, it is an outside interest, blah blah, whatever, car hits tree. It is an interesting little thing so give it a look.
I'll call Posse Productions as a site affiliate because I think that word sounds right. There will be other affiliates in the future, because other people linked to the site in some way are going to do their own thing. 2 examples are other people on the forum, named Darius and Schroeder. Each have a webcomic they are creating, but is currently on hold/hiatus. Schroeder, last time I checked, was in development, but the news on Darius' comic is scarse. It'll be interesting to see what happens with all of that; Everything this site touches turns to gold, but then stops suddenly.

(Soundtrack for this Update: Misfits- Dig up her Bones, Beastie Boys- Intergalactic, Cradle of Filth- Saffron's Curse)

-Switchboard

First Impressions

2004-07-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is a System(')s End information dump. The index updates directly concern new content updated, and up until now, longer news has been posted in the forum and then linked on the index. This is where all involved will post important or interesting things concerning the site. It is a dump because there will be no schedule or criteria for the information; it is funneled in like blood.

Cheers to futures.

-Switchboard