Making Some Hard Decisions

And an offer I'd be stupid to refuse.

Hi there,

This week I got some really awesome, unexpected news. I received a generous offer from the wonderful folks who are sponsoring the training program in which I’m currently enrolled. The offer is a scholarship type deal which will easily financially support me until I finish school and find a job, or until January 2026. Whichever comes first.

Honestly, it’s more than I’ve ever made in a year working on comics. and it’s amazing that they’re willing to pretty much pay someone to go to school and pull themself out of the gutter.

But there’s a catch. Because there’s always a catch and I always think ahead.

I’ve done the math and if I accept the scholarship and run another Kickstarter, plus whatever freelance work I’m currently locked into, that puts me in a higher income bracket and I lose access to my free healthcare. That means I’d have to pay literal hundreds out of pocket every month for coverage that I still won’t be able to afford AND I’d get less coverage than I previously had (especially as someone who’s chronically ill and needs very pricey meds every month to be barely functional), despite being in a slightly higher bracket.

Gotta love how that works. It almost feels like a trap. Or maybe it is one. The US Healthcare system is a scam, I tell you.

So I had to make a hard decision.

I decided it’s safer for me, financially (and medically I guess), to hold off on doing another Kickstarter until January 2026, when the scholarship period ends. I would say I’m holding off until I get an actual job (complete with its own healthcare!) but if that happens in November or December, it’s not a great time to run a Kickstarter anyway. Also, if I don’t take the scholarship and only rely on Kickstarter/freelance work, I’ll be struggling to find work in a shitty economy (and trying to do all that work while going to school full-time) from now until I graduate and find a job and why would I put that kind of stress myself when I have the option not to?

So does this mean that I “quit” comics or I’m on hiatus? Hell no!

I’m still going to be working on Sacrimony behind the scenes, even though I’m not going to be running any Kickstarters. If you’d like to read ahead and see what I’ve got planned for Sacrimony #9, you can check out the pages on my Patreon with the Director’s Commentary tier. I’m still wrapping up Sacrimony #8 on there, but I’ll start posting issue #9 stuff next month.

Anyway, if you read all of this, give yourself a pat on the back and a cookie. Shit’s crazy out here and while it sucks to not put out another book until next year and probably have to start rebuilding an audience from scratch, I look forward to spending the rest of the year still chugging along with my comics.

Speaking of comics (that are not mine), you should check out Final Heist on Kickstarter right now!

If you’re into 80’s/90’s type action stories, with a little romance AND horror thrown in, then Final Heist is up your alley!

Thanks so much for reading and have a great weekend!
-M

Also, if you want to follow the Sacrimony #9 campaign and get notified when it goes live in January, here’s the link!