As you’ve noticed, the current storyline is alternating between the castle (the King, Queen, Crown Prince, Princess, etc.) and the Black Duke’s tower (the Black Duke, his guard, the oversize pigeon and at least one character who has yet to appear).  Since this back and forth is going to continue for at least a little while, I’m changing the update schedule to both Mondays and Fridays.  Every Monday, you can expect to see a new strip that takes place at the castle, while every Friday will see a strip following the Black Duke and his cohorts.

Not sure that will eliminate the confusion, but it’s a start…

I’m planning on a few changes with the strip and with the website.  Some will happen immediately, while others will happen over the course of the year (and yes, some may never happen at all.  Alas).

First: You will likely have noticed the change in the update schedule.  For the first time in three years, the strip will update TWICE a week, on Mondays and Fridays.  Now don’t get too used to this!  I’m trying it out on a very temporary basis because of the current storyline.  If it works out well and I can keep it up, great.  If not, I’ll go right back to once a week without any hesitation.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Second: I’m planning on adding an RSS feed to the site.  Let me know if you would be interested in this feature.  The more people who speak up on this, the sooner I’ll make it happen.

Third: Keep your eyes open for some little tidbits here and there on the site.  I plan on updating and expanding the Cast page, improving the search engine and a few other little tweaks.

So once again, I’d like to thank you all for sticking around so long.  I know some of you have been reading since September 1, 2005 while others started reading last week.  I hope you continue to find something in the comic that keeps bringing you back.

 Who are they?  Well, this is from their site: “The SCA is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe. Our “Known World” consists of 19 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Members, dressed in clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, attend events which may feature tournaments, arts exhibits, classes, workshops, dancing, feasts, and more. Our “royalty” hold courts at which they recognize and honor members for their contributions to the group.“

So that leads us to this week’s homework assignment: what would you like to know about The Crown Prince?  Send them to me (see my e-mail to the lower right) or add them to the Comments below and I will have a FAQ up and running by the time strip #200 appears.  It can be questions about the characters, the background, how I draw the strip, etc. 

It appears that giant pigeon is not that fast at delivering messages…

We also get our first look at the Black Duke’s home.  We’ll be seeing a lot of that for the next little while.