And so ends Green Wake
by kurtiswiebe
To our faithful readers,
I’ve just finished writing Green Wake #10. It’s cold outside, which is fitting really, and I’m sitting here reflecting on the experience that has been Green Wake. It’s been an interesting journey, starting out as a five issue mini, then, with an overwhelming response quickly being upgraded to an ongoing series, and finally coming to an early end at issue 10.
From the very beginning, Green Wake was a project of passion. I poured my heart into this little beast, filling it up with all my crazy experiences over the last few years. While I’m sad that we didn’t get the full run to fully flesh out the mythology as we had planned, I’m satisfied with the resolution and looking it over even now, I believe we lived up to our promise in revealing Green Wake to you.
So, the question on your minds: Why did it end 15 issues early?
The answer is simple.
Sales.
Indie books live and die by numbers and while we received universally stellar reviews, it didn’t translate into sales. While we wanted to continue on, we simply couldn’t afford to do it anymore. We had to come to a very tough decision and this was the ultimate result. I truly hope you understand.
This is my message: if you like a series, tell everyone. If they won’t buy it for themselves, buy the first issue for them. Give comics as gifts, get your friends and coworkers on board.
Riley and I have loved this book and along the way we’ve become good friends as well as being able to work incredibly well together. We have something new coming. Something fun and exciting. Something totally different.
Something like Red Sonja fighting Transformers in a dystopian Miyazaki world.
Something called Debris.
Thank you for all your support, we appreciate it more than you can know and from me personally, I owe all my readers. Without you, I wouldn’t be writing new series, I wouldn’t be doing this as a full time gig and I’d still be going around in circles driving a city bus.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Kurtis J. Wiebe
Inside the Mind of Kurtis J. Wiebe 
Great to hear that another project is on the way from you. Any chance of getting the remaining story out via Kickstarter and doing it yourself?
Just wish there was an easier way for indie comics to finish without crossing contract agreements. Keep up the great work.
I can only hope that perhaps an eventual collected edition will do well enough to at least make another limited series feasible.
I think we pushed the book pretty heavily at comicsbulletin.com, but I also think the average comic book fan has a narrow definition of what a comic book should be, and Green Wake just freaked them out too much.
So I’m guessing sales dropped when the series picked back up after its original conclusion. It makes me wonder if fans are more likely to try something different if it’s a limited run as opposed to an ongoing.
So sorry to hear this, Kurtis. I followed Riley over, so this was my first exposure to your writing, and I enjoyed the series immensely. People seem to underestimate how much sales of single issues mean to comics, and independent comics in particular. Trade-waiting is killing a lot of good books.
Well, I’m glad you were able to get 10 issues in, and based on Green Wake, I’ll be checking out your other projects for sure.
Thanks!
This makes me sad, its the only book I crave right now.
BOOO!!!!!! I will pay $3 per issue if you continue, I PROMISE!!!
No in all seriousness this stinks man. One of the 2 BEST SERIES on the shelves right now. You guys should release future arcs as OGN’s just for me.
[…] last year), announced that Green Wake, his 5-issue miniseries that got bumped up to ongoing status, would be ending early with the tenth issue. Wiebe‘s answer was simple: […]
I only just put an order in at my LCS for the first trade because they had all sold out that week, so I imagine that I’m not the only fan around these parts that is disappointed by this news.
You can consider me in for both your next project and any kind of Kickstarter project that is put together. Is such a thing feasible though rights wise?
Don’t be discouraged though man, your work means a lot to those few of us that do read it. So thanks for what you’ve done and I hope that you can keep doing it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to make that comment. There’s been an overwhelming response since the announcement of the early end to the series, one quite honestly, I wasn’t expecting. It has made it very much worth all the time and energy to know that what I’m writing has connected with people in a meaningful way. Who knows, we might be able to come back and do some self contained stories set in Green Wake if people are interested.
Greetings from Malaysia, Kurtis!
I knew about Green Wake from an article in IGN and decided to check the first issue. After that, I went out to get the first volume. It’s mindblowingly awesome.
Truly a great series on so many levels and I’m sad it had to come to an early end. I’m really looking forward to see some of your forthcoming work.
Cheers to you and all your future endevours!