We are alive

[SKuehner]

Hi everyone.

It's been one hell of a coupla years. You wouldn't believe the crap we've gone through, between Amanda's health and my losing my job and most of our community turning their backs on us and the absolutely terrifying dalliance with poverty and and and and.....

I'm a completely different person now. I don't know if the guy I am now could write the LWIBH you remember. I view a goodly portion of my archive with shame (although I can't deny, some of that stuff was funny as hell.)

I'm a much better writer now than I was... Even after the point by which I felt I had become a good writer, looking back I'm embarrassed by a lot of our output.

I could do a really good comic now. Perhaps "New LWIBH" with a few characters you know, but a drastically different philosophy. I miss doing this stuff, and our lives are FINALLY JUST NOW starting to get back on track.

I still can't draw. It never mattered before.

I think about it a lot, but visiting the Keenspot site at all when LWIBH is inactive is typically really painful for me. For whatever it's worth, I think I'm very very close to coming back. If Chris and the rest of you will still have me, that is.

Scott-O

[jzimbert]

Yes! I knew haunting this board would pay off someday. Sorry to hear everything sucked for you guys for so long, but glad it's turning around. And if you decide to start a new comic, I can't wait to read it!

[Godmoma]

We SO want you back! I used to check the board every day, then every week, then monthly, then rarely, but I never got rid of my bookmark Today I checked on a whim, and was VERY happy! Yay!

//Godmoma//

[hillchick]

We SO want you back! I used to check the board every day, then every week, then monthly, then rarely, but I never got rid of my bookmark Today I checked on a whim, and was VERY happy! Yay!

//Godmoma//

Me and Godmoma are psychic friends! This is how I've been dealing with the missing Scott as well. Gone but not forgotten. Let's see what you do next!

[xzqx]

I'm so sorry for the rough times you've gone through. I just finished re-reading the entire archive and it made me very happy, and not just the gross parts! The characters are so vivid and even, sometimes, loveable. I would be thrilled if you continued the cartoon, or started a new cartoon, anything. You definitely have my support!

[thePOLD]

OMG. I have to go clean up the mess I just made between my legs.

More LWIBH?!?!?! A new comic?!?! You had me at hello. I was prepared to keep checking this site until the Internet exploded! (2032, people. Be there.)

Really sorry to hear about all the crap you've gone through. People/life sucks. But LWIBH can make the happy times. For everybody!! I have faith.

The thing I love best about LWIBH is that the characters evolve...yet they still stay the same.

[Webgrunt]

Scott, it sounds like you went through some pretty horrible stuff. I am glad it sounds like you're through the bad stuff now. I also suffered some trauma recently. It really does affect your values, doesn't it?

I hope things continue to improve for you and Amanda.

And whatever you decide to do as far as the comic, I hope that it brings you joy.

[HalifaxRage]

OMG. I still regret being away so long. If you'll have me back, can we have more LWIBH?

[crazeyal]

Don't apologize for having a real life!

If you enjoy creating, DO SO! The people who liked your work will return.

[Skane]

When you decide to come back, we will be here.

[Owen Dunne]

Man, I feel bad it took me this long to realize you posted...

From the beginning (remember those heady days?) LWIBH was my favorite Keenspot comic. Don't look back in shame, my friend - it was , and is, miles ahead of a lot of shit that passes for webcomic entertainment. It would be a better world if you chose to bring your shovel and pail back to the sandbox.

In any case, my best. You have a lot of fans who'd be happy to help bring you back!

Owen

[Chris Crosby]

I feel REALLY bad for taking so long to see this post (you should've E-Mailed me, dagnabit!). I've been checking the LWIBH! site every few weeks or so but I'm so stupid I haven't been looking in the forums until now. It's stupid, but seeing Chris Kattan make a cameo on SNL tonight made me think about the LWIBH! movie treatment we wrote way back in 2000 (Kattan was Emily in my "dream cast") and spurred me to actually check the Forums for signs of Kuehner activity.

It's a BIG relief to see that you're alive and (relatively) well, I've been worried.

I'd be excited as all get-out to see ANY new comic from you, especially new LWIBH! Whatever incarnation it might take would be welcomed with open arms by Keenspot. Same goes for any other comic by you. The lack of Kuehner comicry has left a big hole in my webcomics heart these past few years.

E-MAIL ME! (keenspot@gmail.com)

[SKuehner]

Thanks to those who've posted, it's good to know we're missed by at least a few.

LWIBH will be back within months. The only thing I can tell you for sure about the new series is that it will star Dr. Shamrock and Stephanie.

Hope some'y'all'll be readin'er.

[Owen Dunne]

Looking forward to it!

(And for the record, please note that I felt bad before Chris did. Just saying )

Owen

[SKuehner]

Gentlemen, I don't want anybody feeling bad. The time for feeling bad has passed.

Really great to hear from you especially Owen, YDK kicks as much ass as ever. And HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT, dude! Congratulations on the sweet-ass gig!! I am so unbelievably happy for you, man. It's gonna be so huge.

I've had a really great year, and life is finally turning around. I've come a long way from some seriously low lows. It's bringing on some kind of mid-life renaissance in me. It's cool. I'm even working on some music again, it's been forever!

Anyhow, yeah. Go team!!

[Malapterus]

Ten days.

I haven't checked this board in over a year. I've had my adventures as well and after solidifying my quest to be the last person ever to post on this board i let it go.

However, Scott comes back, out of the blue, no warning or newsbox or anything, and within ten days i am inexplicably drawn to check the message board.

THIS IS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOUUUUUUU


this thread needs some
B0RK

[jzimbert]

July 1st... So far away...

[SKuehner]

So... Hey. I don't know if everyone saw this or not, but we've launched that new comic. And we've locked up the LWIBH archives for Keenspot Premium subscribers only.

Mainly because, now that she's older, our daughter Haley has been getting interested in this whole Keenspot thing and reading the comics etc. We've kept LWIBH from her this long, and she's particularly curious about THAT comic... Heh

[BoxJam]

I don't feel bad for missing this thread until now. Not in the least.

You're *ashamed* of some of the LWIBH archive? Feh. You don't know shame.

[SKuehner]

BJ:

I'm at odds with the LWIBH archive. There was a lot of hilarious stuff, but I probably regret and am ashamed of about 5% of it.

Problem is, as Amanda pointed out, it's the 5% people remember

[BoxJam]

OK, now I have to know...what are you ashamed of?

[SKuehner]

Perhaps shame is too strong a word.

Looking back though, I have some regrets. There were quite a number of strips which I would never *NOW* present on the front page of a website with my name on it.

My earliest involvement with the community, in which I aimed to irritate all those who didn't find my comic funny, is something I regret now.

Sneaking disgusting images into the Keenspot Newsbox... Well I still think that was funny , but I feel bad for offending those who didn't want those stinky pictures on their comic sites.

I completely regret the 'roll-in deodorant' for morbidly obese people storyline.

And pretty much anything in the final year that includes filth... It was there to appease the 'masses.'

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!

[MandieK]

Scott wasn't one hundred percent honest when he said that he was doing it for Haley. That was part of it. The other part falls squarely on me. I don't like the LWIBH comics being accessed by anyone, because they are often cruel and mean spirited. I feel especially terrible about them, given my own disabilities, and I wish that a lot of it hadn't been written. I wanted Scott to delete it completely, but he didn't want to destroy the archive. He said you guys would probably have my head, so this was the fairest compromise we could come up with.

Onto other topics, Haley (our daughter) is doing some fan art that we'll post in the CiL forum once she finishes.
Anyway, I'll poke my head in once and again, to say hey, in here or in the other forum.

[BoxJam]

Well, the best way to take the humor out of anything is to explain it.

So, to me, it was never that "roll in deodorant" for obese people, or similar stuff, was funny per se. It was Emily and Bess' completely disaffected, detached reactions to things. Watching people who dealt with life completely absent of morals was, well, funny.

It's not like anybody really thought Emily and her brother having sex was right (finally, a comic strip that shows what we're all thinking!), it was that it caught people off guard. Accepting incest as a given, and watching the reality of it, is different than most peoples' experiences, and thus contains many surprises. We're surprised by things we recognize even though it's incest (did you ever do one where they had sex, but then it becomes like a typical post-sex deal - the guy wants to leave, and not call, and the woman wants to cuddle? That coulda been funny), and we're surprised by the things that are different. Reversals and surprises are 90% of the way to funniness.

Humor is the best way to keep from going insane, too, in my experience.

[MandieK]

Unfortunately, some people DID take our comics seriously, and it did get us in trouble a few times, some of the things we put up on our various sites. Some people have no sense of humour, but some of it WAS really offensive, and I'm surprised no one gave Scott a computerized slap to the head for some of the things he did(we did).