All good things must come to an end, or certainly that's the case for Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. I didn't want to believe it was going to end, but the current (and apparently second-to-last) comic tries to say it as definitively as possible.

It's an odd prospect for a webcomic to have a definite end like that. Most webcomics tend to sprawl out and end when the creator loses interest. It's very rare for a webcomic to say "The End"; even comics that work towards an end usually give up not even halfway through.

Either way, it's a well-done ending. Although it has humor the whole way through, I doubt anyone could argue the tone in the (second-to) last comic is anything more than somber. You'd think I'd be more prepared for it ending... the author mentioned it was going to end eventually and tried to say in no uncertain terms it wouldn't continue past Half-Life 2's story. Not only that, but the very name of the comic is "The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman."

Still, I'm going to miss it. One of the comics out there, and now it's over. What'll fill the void? If anything, this opens the door for any other Half-Life humor comics. Just hopefully not this one.

Al Nennig, of Tree Sprocket, is taking a break, and I say good for him.

Hey guys, sorry to say this, but I'm going on hiatus until November.

I know it sucks, but I really need a break. I just had a bunch of schedule adjustment type things come up in my life, and it results in me losing my normal comic-making day in favor of working, so I have to get used to the changes, re-charge for a while, then come back BETTER THAN EVER!!!

Don't worry though, Tree Sprocket is not dead, and I promise I will be back at the start of November. In the meantime, I will still be around on the Forum.

If you have any Tree Sprocket guest comics, or were thinking of making them, I'd have no problem putting them up during the break, just email them to me.

Speaking of guest comics, I've got one coming up on Fade Resistant later, so I'll post a link when thats up.

So I'll see you guys in a month and a half. If you're looking for something to read while I'm gone, try Fade Resistant, Starslip Crisis, Comet7, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, Real Life Comics, Carzorthade, or Ugly Hill"

While I love the comic and would want it to update every day, webcartoonists have lives too, and sometimes they take precedence. But, Al Nennig handles it perfectly. He posts why he's taking a break, when he's coming back, and posts some comics with a similar humor for readers to keep themselves occupied while he's away.

Rather than force out strips just to meet the deadline, Al's taking initiative and being honest with your readership. While it's true that the majority of readers tend to be casual and will delete the bookmark at the first missed update, the readers that matter (the ones that really love the strip) will thank him. Kudos, Al.