Update: I just found out that Peter and Company has been chosen as the “Best Comic of 2007″ by one of the people behind CannedGeek.com. Thanks so much for the mention and link, Kyle! Read the full article and other categories of winners here.

In other words, Persephoni could easily disguise herself as someone close to Chelsea in order to directly interact with her, but she is required to stay in-character as long as she is visible. This is why she feels like she can “never truly be close to Chelsea,” as she had mentioned in a previous comic.

And yes, Chelsea was about to say “cigarettes” in the second panel.

I’m finally feeling back up to speed with everything that’s been on my plate for the past month. I managed to finish all of my projects that I owed from last quarter, when I had to apply for a grade of incomplete after landing in the hospital over spring break. Now that all is said and done, the only project in front of me now for the next few weeks is Peter and Company. I have exactly one month to finish the book, so it’s time to get workin’!

Additionally, I thought I would announce my plans for the upcoming quarter. Starting March 24th I’ll be taking my first Graduate Studio class, which will consist of 10 weeks of nothing but my own personal comic projects. I will be bringing Peter and Company with me and producing not only 10 straight weeks’ worth of regular updates (which means there will be no more of these “delay notices” for quite some time), but finishing all of the colored pages for the collection book AND the exclusive 10-page comic that will be printed in the book. This will put me directly on track for a June 2008 release date for the first P&C Collection, including 110 total strips, concept artwork, sketches, and maybe a few other surprises if I can make room for them.

While you’re waiting for P&C to update again, don’t forget that I have been regularly updating my Sketch/Portfolio Blog with all of my class projects as they are completed. I’ll be adding some new sketches and artwork from Ademar there in the next few days as well, so keep an eye out for that, too.

Update 3-16: Things kind of went bad with my health a few days after my last post, and I ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis. I’m fine now, but considering I only just got back home yesterday, I’m still getting my strength back up. I’ll be posting a new comic soon, but it probably won’t be for another few weeks. Thank you all for having patience with me… I’ll keep you all informed when I’m feeling back up to speed.

Update 3-31: Wow, an entire month without updates. I’m sorry to everyone who has been worried about my health! It’s really been a slow recovery, unfortunately. I’m still feeling residual pain (which sucks), and with my new classes already in session, all my free time is spent on my final projects from LAST quarter, since I had to apply for a temporary grade of Incomplete when I ended up in the hospital during finals week. One of my classes this quarter is Graduate Studio, though, and I am bringing the Peter & Company book in to finish it off, which means I now have an official date for when the book will be completed and ready to print: May 22nd!! Also, part of my self-appointed assignment for the studio class is to produce 10 weeks of regular P&C online updates before anything else, so you WILL see new material from me on here very soon. Count on it for next week, I promise. I should be back on track by then.

Comic-wise, for moments like these I could not be happier with the full-page format. The timing in this gag would not have been possible (or have as great of an impact) in a four-panel strip layout.

Also in news, I’m making great headway on the coloring of the archive pages for the Peter & Company Book One Collection. My new Wacom Intuos3 tablet has greatly sped up my productivity, so expect to hear an announcement on its availability in the coming month or two.

For Whitney’s character, I experimented with a few different color patterns for her hair and fur, ultimately deciding to give her a sort of Russian Blue look. For a brief moment I thought of giving her a Russian accent to match, but then I realized I was a dingbat for even considering it. Way too cliche.

This page was posted in full color as a result of the donations counter! If you’d like to see more pages updated like this (or are just feeling generous and would like to add to my tip jar), feel free to click the button below to donate funds via PayPal. Many thanks to all who donated this time!

Update: I added a new link on the sidebar under “Other Good Comics” for Planet Saturday Comics, by Monty S. Kane. This is a fantastic monthly online comic that definitely requires a read, so give it a look when you get a moment.

Sorry yet again for another delay, but at least the next page is going to be in full color (thanks for the donations!). In the meantime, be sure to check out my sketch blog at JonPonikar.com. I have begun updating it again with my finished projects and assignments, so feel free to give them a view and comment/critique if you so desire. At least this way I can have some new material to show on a regular basis, even if it isn’t P&C related.

See you all in a week!

1-28-08: Gonna be just a couple more days. The work load didn’t let up at ALL during the week, but I’m going to have a breathing point come Monday evening. I’ll work as fast as I can to get the page finished and posted, so just hold tight!

So yes, this story is introducing a new character to the cast. Details on who she is and what role she’ll play will be better detailed in subsequent pages, but I will say that Peter’s initial reaction is a perfect reflection of how I used to react to a pretty face at that age. Rather than having any sense of bravery or courage to actually talk to the girl, I would instead opt to act like she was trying to shoot me and run like crazy in the opposite direction.

This habit eventually faded around high school or so, but for a good chunk of my childhood my lack of courage in the face of beauty really made it hard to talk to girls that I liked.

Also, Chelsea’s back yard in these panels is identical to that of the actual girl’s whom I used as the basis for Chelsea’s character. Her family had a trampoline on a raised deck just above a small creek/ravine running through their back yard. It was the most dangerous placement I’d ever seen for a trampoline, but for some reason the neighborhood kids would flock to it. Crazy kids.

This is just a quick post to let you all know that I’m working on a few things right now — school, my contract job, and the new P&C story — and I’m going to have the next comic done and posted by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll just be editing this post to update with the comic. Stay tuned!

And yes, Peter is half-describing Metroid Prime 3 in his rant. I can’t help but let my geek show from time to time.

There’s a new story arc brewing and getting ready to launch with the new year, and with my graduate studies getting ready to kick in around the same time, I’m VERY excited to get started. I’m going to be taking about a week or so off from drawing to drive north and visit family in Virginia for the holidays, so the updates will resume the Monday after Christmas (December 31st, to be specific). Have a Merry Christmas and thanks for reading, everyone!