Big update!

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't checked in here much; that's my bad, but I'm finally back with some news!

I've been hard at work on the next issue of the comic and I'm happy to say that the script is finished. I continue to go over it with a fine tooth comb to slightly refine the dialogue and action, but it's pretty much ready to go... at 21 pages long. When I started writing this issue, I had not intended for it to be that long, but as I was writing, it became clear, more and more, that I couldn't skimp on the important character interactions that take place in this issue. Lots and lots of dialogue! Not only that, but I had to introduce three new characters, so there's that too! 

I will say this, though - I firmly believe that it's the best thing I've ever written and it is heavily emotional, even for a Sweet Leaves issue. This narrative literally ties every previous issue I've done together in a bow. I'm hopeful that you, the readers, will be touched and as happy reading the finished product as I am looking at it all written down.

Now for some fun bean-spilling about the issue! Because it's the most important issue of Sweet Leaves there will likely ever be, I'm going all out. I've hired a background artist who is insanely talented, BorkThunder. The issue is going to have fully rendered, gorgeous backgrounds, and Mousenoises will focus on the character art.

Secondly, this issue does not take place in the present day that every other issue of Sweet Leaves has taken place in - this one is set twenty years into the future, and will revolve around a very important life event for a now-grown Toby, and a much older Colson and Sebastien. The talented and lovely Rusbear has helped with some designs for our older gents -

Toby's mid twenties design will be coming soon, though you'll end up seeing that fairly soon on the cover art as it stands. Jo is a very long lived parrot, so she won't look all that different (lucky gal).

And here are three new characters that will be joining the cast, a family of foxes.

Please say hello to Masako:

... and her daughter Mayu:

... and Masako's grandmother, and Mayu's great-grandmother, Yuki, aka "Obaasan" (the Japanese-Romaji word for great grandmother):

And a lineup of all the new gals:

So! What's next? We will have the title page out near the beginning of February and production starts that first week of February in earnest. We're hoping for a June release of this year - there's a ton of work for Mouse, Thunder, and I to all get through, but we're all super excited to start having pages flow into Patreon here for you guys as we complete them.

Thank you for your support (and patience!) through some of the production challenges and delays that have occurred over the past year.

- Travis