It’s always irked me that I started my strip by breaking the fourth wall (when characters in theatre show their awareness of the audience, and the fact that they are in a fictional story). It’s just one of those things you look back on and wish you had done differently. So for Ctrl+Alt+Del’s one-thousandth strip today, I thought I’d poke a little fun at how we got started.

One-thousand strips. I can hardly believe it. I’ve been doing this for five years come this fall, and four of those years its been my full-time job. It’s a bit of a milestone for me, so you’ll pardon if I get a little nostalgic here. I celebrated my 100th strip, and the first anniversary… but after that I had no interest in celebrating every 100 comics. And I probably won’t again until the ten-thousandth comic.

I feel so incredibly fortunate to have spent the last five years working on Ctrl+Alt+Del. I wake up every morning and I do something I love, and I love it today every bit as much as when I started. I’m still excited to play new games and make jokes, and come up with fun new stories and situations for my characters. Not a day goes by that I’m not thankful that all of this has happened.

And you guys are right there with me, along for the ride. What started as a hobby, a whim, a project for my portfolio that I thought I’d toss online for kicks has turned into something that not only I enjoy, but something that you all enjoy too. That means a lot to me. You guys read the strip, you send me emails, you interact with me, come see me at conventions… it’s because of all of you that Ctrl+Alt+Del is as successful as it is.

I’d still draw the strip if no one read it, because it’s enjoyable for me. But you guys have helped me turn it into something so much bigger. Multiple books, a comic book spin-off, an animated series, plushies, a successful LAN party, and dozens of other opportunities for projects that I’m still working on, or haven’t even explored yet.

I can’t even imagine my life without Ctrl+Alt+Del in it anymore. It has permeated nearly every aspect of my life for the past five years. Almost everything I have, the wonderful things I’ve experienced, and a lot of the outstanding friends I’ve made, are a direct result of creating this comic strip. And being self-employed has become a huge part of who I am. Sure, it means that some days you have to work a twelve, or fourteen hour day to get done what needs to get done, but I enjoy every minute of it. Even when the work really is work, you still find the fun there.

So thank you all so very much for sticking with me through these last one-thousand strips. It’s been one hell of a journey.

Here’s to the next thousand!