“ And there she goes. “
Xaun kicked the air like an anxious child. Her eyes still focussed on where the prismatic swirl had winked out of existence. With a mischievous smirk she spoke obliquely to her companion.
“ What shall we do with ourselves now, Cyrus? “
The seemingly older man instinctively knew the real turmoil boiling under Xaun’s carefree demeanor. The real fear she was obviously trying to hide. After all, Cyrus was fighting down the same rising anxiety.
“ Let’s not dwell on that. Why don’t we make the most of the time we have left? “
She made an exaggerated show of mock relief. Cyrus might not be able to assuage Xaun’s dread, but he could distract her for awhile. Maybe long enough that they wouldn’t notice it when it happened.
“ No, how about we make the least of it. I can never process the time difference between here and there. It’d be a shame to get involved with anything we can’t finish.“
Xaun languidly turned to regard him. Her lavender eyes searching his face. Was she looking for
a sign of his own despair? Cyrus met her attitude in kind. Casually leaning on the record shop’s sign, he presented a wry smile.
“ Well then, I understand this area was underwater about 65 million years ago. Should be a beach around here somewhere. “
Greetings you wonderful Astray3 readers. Just wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2017 and address a few issues.
2017 was a mixed bag for yours truly. It was a year filled with triumph, horrible coincidences, rattled nerves, and family tragedies. Truthfully, I picked a terrible time to relaunch this life consuming monster. But, I do not regret it.
I’m proud of what I’ve created so far and believe Astray3 is a story worth telling. Sure, It’s not always perfect. And yes, I still kick myself for falling short of the intended vision. Yet, that is all part of the process. The only important thing is to keep pressing onwards and upwards. Cause you can’t reach the summit if you don’t start climbing. ( I need to find a different metaphor. Now, I’m thinking of frozen corpses on the slopes of comic mountain. )
So, with several months of updates behind us, let’s reflect a bit on the previous year. 2017 for Astray3 has largely been about laying the foundation for our protagonist. I always felt this was something missing in the old A3. Emily’s dissatisfaction was largely baseless. Her pathos during the story seemed shallow and mawkish. That’s why I feebly tried to do a rewrite during the last run. Alas, that was impossible while trying to keep the comic moving forward at the same time. One of the reasons for the reboot.
I do suspect that this is not what old fans were looking for in the comic’s return. A whole bunch of mundane drama. Well, I’m happy to announce that Astray3 will be returning to form in 2018.
2018 is going to be wild. A year full of new faces and old friends ( with some slightly newer faces. ) Plus, we are going to answer some questions that were left hanging in the previous iteration. Yes, Astray3 is back bigger and better than ever. ( And I’ll finally be able to draw fun stuff again. )
Now, for some more practical issues. First, I’m going to try to expand my services on Patreon and be more interactive with the audience. Astray3 is a monster of a project. Keeping up with page production alone consumes the majority of my free time. That doesn’t leave much room for creating supplementary material nor community outreach. But, I also understand that those are the things that keep readers engaged. ( Maybe even toss some shekels my way. ) To that end, I’ll be posting a few polls/surveys to feel out the audience. Also, feel free to comment on this topic if anything immediately comes to mind.
Second, there will be a break coming up. The current run will end about mid-January. After that, there will be a one to two month break while I rebuild the buffer. Patreon patrons will not be charged during this break. The comic should be back in full force no later than March 1st. ( Sooner than that if I can help it. ) It is my goal to reach at least page 100 by the end of 2018. So, don’t expect too many breaks during the year.
And that wraps up this update. Thanks to all of you for reading this humble webcomic. I hope 2018 will be a banner year for Astray3.
All the best,
Eldon Cowgur 
The first week of inktober 2017 is in the can and it’s been illuminating. ( You can see the entire week’s run on the Astray3 Facebook Page. ) It really has forced me to re-evaluate how I approach finished art. But plainly, I feel it has been for the best. The week started out rough admittedly. I clearly hadn’t touched the ole brushes, nibs and inks in awhile. Luckily, I seem to be getting back up to speed pretty quick. You can expect a shift in the way the new comic looks after the first two month run. ( That is when the current buffer runs out. ) Now, to start working on a new system for coloring….
Oh, long time readers may notice that the above image is roughly based on the old Astray3 Upper Fuungahi run. Also, it may just be a glimpse of things to come…. 
Yes, in one short week Astray3 will return! It’s been a long time, but the wait is almost over. Beginning on Oct. 2nd a new version of Astray3 will begin to unfurl. This project has been in the works for a long, long time and it’s a relief to finally be able to share it with you. If you haven’t been following the facebook page, I encourage you to go over there for details on the return. (