Comic #96: The Quest Chain: Part 1 (Patreon)

Originally published: June 17, 2007.

This was the first arc since the Trip to Mars. But unlike the Mars arc, this one actually had a clear beginning and end. It began as I began to near comic #100. People were asking me what I was planning for the occasion and I began to panic. For comic #50 I effectively just put effort into a grander scale comic, but it didn't really stand out. So I decided to start an arc that would end at #100.

Because the arc was pre-planned and had to end at #100, it ended up with a much more cohesive and complete story. I should have learned from this lesson, but I went on to do some very long and unplanned stories in the future. For some reason, I didn't use this format again for a hundredth issue until #400. Both comics #200 and #300 were not so much endings of storylines but plot points or beginnings.

After 400 I followed that format each hundredth issue except for #600 where I was apparently too lazy to do an arc (though it ended up being one of my favorite comics that I've done).