February 22, 2018: Psst... this isn't the real first page of the Epilogue. I just thought it would be nice to modify the placeholder and use it as a sort of chapter cover. The really for real first page of the Epilogue will go up at midnight.

G'night.

-Joe

February 19, 2018: Happy Presidents' Day, everyone! Here's a reminder that Zebra Girl's last lap begins this coming Friday the 23rd, and will be updated every Monday and Friday from then until the end.

Fair warning, the muscle injury I mentioned earlier has been slowing me down a bit, so I can't guarantee there won't be hiccups in the schedule at some point down the line. But I've built enough of a backlog that I can guarantee over a month of uninterrupted pages, twice a week! Hopefully the head start will counteract the drag caused by this minor medical issue.

Getting Zebra Girl done on time has almost never been easy for me. I guess it's only fitting that the tradition carries right to the finish. Well, it's nothing we're not used to by now! It's like an old friend, really.

Maybe a frenemy.

-Joe

January 12, 2018: So! Here we are on the flip side. 2018 treating you well so far? I hope so. We're stuck with it for a while.

Speaking of time and the marking thereof, I'm hereby placing the particular date for the Epilogue's commencement at February 23rd. I initially planned to pick right up earlier in the month, but not only is work hard, it's harder than it might otherwise have been. Clicking the mouse and scratching the pens, hauling the Christmas tree and shoveling the snow, well, it's all given me a nice little muscle injury afflicting the parts I tend to use while drawing. It hurts just sitting down and telling you about it. Ooh! Ow. See? That was real time.

So for now I'm going to have to move slower than I had hoped. But hey, don't worry, we'll get there. And come the 23rd I fully intend to set the remainder of the comic on a twice-a-week Monday/Friday schedule! I know you're anxious for this nightmare to end. Soon Zebra Girl will be officially over, the final books will print, and you'll finally be free to leave!

-Joe

December 30, 2017: Happy new years, everyone! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lot to look forward to as we transform into 2018!

-Joe

Updated for December, 2017: I'm afraid that after much meditation and deliberation and calculation and consideration I've realized that my plan for Zebra Girl's final days will require a few good months to adequately compile. The target date is tentatively set for February.

I hate to keep you waiting, I certainly hope that your fiery anticipation isn't dulled by the passage of time, but the epilogue is shaping up to be larger than I first figured. So many loose ends, what was I thinking? This comic's a mess! So it's going to be a bit of a production to do it all justice.

Meanwhile, Zandra is still updating her journal. That should tide us over here and there, and perhaps the website will even be fleshed out as well! The fan art, the fan fiction! For posterity, you know. If I can find the time. Which isn't guaranteed. Gotta keep this muzzle to the grindstone.

In the meantime, I'll continue to post the occasional progress report. And for the nowtime, I hope you all are enjoying your holiday season while I wrap up the work of eighteen years. It goes without saying that it would be nothing without you. Thanks, everyone. Thanks so, so much.

-Joe

November 17, 2017: I thought it would be best to throw up a placeholder. Not everyone gets the memo right away, and I want to be sure that we’re all on the same page. As I understand it, lots of folks don’t even read the news posts, but for those of you who do, I gotta say thanks again for all the kind words I’ve seen in the comments section, and of course just for being a part of this whole thing (and you can pass the word on to the folks who don't read these posts). I’m grateful for the company and the support of every one of you. Hard to believe that it’s been almost eighteen years! But you’ve sure made it worth the effort. Even if you’ve only just joined us! It certainly puts things in perspective, and I look forward to seeing this all through to the end with you.

Thanks for an amazing ride! It's always bittersweet to reach the end of a story that you love but I'm so glad I got to enjoy it. :D

Never would've guessed the comic was ending for reals.

I want to thank you for writing this comic. I started it in middle school and it has been a near daily part of my life even after college. You're an amazing artist and writer, I do hope you continue to do great work elsewhere. Thank you for everything you've done.

I have a theory about the epilogue, but I'm going to hold my tongue because I don't want to spoil it in case I end up being right...

Even though I knew it was impossible, somehow I felt like Zebra Girl would go on forever.

You've been in my life so long, I can't remember anything else.

Thanks Joe. This has been a hell of a ride. Your generosity in sharing this with us is amazing. I look forward to hopefully seeing where you go from here.

Nooooo ;_; Don't end!

I will never forget the flying knife-room birds.

THANK YOU for not pulling what Albert Temple did with Gene Catlow. You both went online in 2000, and I'm surprised I've been alive long enough to see some of the ancient webcomics I read to actually politely finish up while some just petered out in the middle of major storylines.

Now Zebra Girl can settle into clean-up and side stories which I'll gladly read for years to come. While Catlow was suddenly struck off, and all I can find from the forum is eight-month-old comments, 'There are many notes on many computers and many paper notes and his brothers are artists too and will sort it out and Gene Catlow Will Be Finished Someday!'

Thank you for being considerate to your fans, even those who don't recognize it as such.

I'm sad to see Zebra Girl going, but I'm so glad that you saw it through! It remains one of my favorite pieces of media anywhere ever, and I plan to take it as inspiration when or if I should ever tackle my own modern/dark fantasy story.

Thanks so much, Joe! Really and truly.

This has been one of my top web comics for the last thirteen years. The worlds that were created, and the evolution of the characters have been a pleasure to witness. I think my favorite pages are when Betty first wakes up. There is so much beautiful work. Thank you for your years of dedication, and for sharing this incredible story with us.

Thank you, Joe ;;

I've been a silent reader since about early 2002. Of all the comics I started reading online with my brother Clint, this is the first and probably last one that I will see the conclusion of. I know it's depressing, but my brother died in 2004 and this comic has always reminded me of him. I'm very glad that it's being seen through to the end.
Thank you for hanging in there, through the doldrums of hand lettering and extreme hatching, to get Zebra Girl through to the end.

I won't lie; I'll be sad to see Zebragirl end. Still, if you believe the story is coming up on its natural and rightful conclusion, then I say full steam ahead, and let's enjoy the ride.

Thank you for all these years of steadily-improving art and the great story. :) Do you have any plans for a future project?

I won't lie; I'll be sad to see Zebragirl end. Still, if you believe the story is coming up on its natural and rightful conclusion, then I say full steam ahead, and let's enjoy the ride.

Thank you for all these years of steadily-improving art and the great story. :) Do you have any plans for a future project?

Ditto and ditto- Will miss this- but glad you are letting us have this 'finish' and explain. Thank you. It has been a joy all these years. Excellence is its own best reward- but nice to hear others appreciate it, too. <3

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could never keep homes dead and had to keep writing him thank the gods.. Please forgive me joe that I hope you are similarly cursed..

Damn good comic, one of the best of all time. Highly recommended. While I'm sad to see you go, every story eventually ends. What's important is the story that comes after...

I’ve been following since the beginning, and have loved the journey. You do amazing work. Thank you for sharing this world with us. I’m curious if you’ve decided where you go next? Another webcomic, published books, retirement? I’m hoping an X-Files-ish spinoff about a reporter with a scarred hand and a magic camera. Whatever you do, live it well. You’ve earned it.

How about just one more JOE DOES SOMETHING gif, for old time's sake?

I'm gonna miss this... :-(

Thank you for the ride.
Zebra Girl was one of the first webcomics I really got into, and I will miss it, but as they say, every good thing must ends.

The graphic makes it even more real. :(

I'm sad, but still looking forward to it.

Quite the trip we've been on, eh Joe?

I've read through your comic a few times and seen the steady progression and improvement of your artistic and story telling skill.

The number of incomplete comics, where artists go on permanent hiatus, or they die a quiet death is kinda saddening, but that's the way things go...

So, while it's sad to see your story coming to a conclusion, but all good things come to an end. In all honesty, I'm GLAD to see a comic from beginning to end!

Seriously, I missed reading a new part.

Thanks for the great entertainment, take your time to make it good.

Never really like to comment, with the exception of doing so verbatim.

Well gotta find me something to read on Sundays then ... in preparation of the grande finale and afterwards.
I know it will be worth the wait.

*Thumbs up*

I've said it before, but thank you for the wild ride over the years. It really shows the passage of time reading how many people, like me, starting reading this comic as pre-teens or teens, and now are in the throes of adulthood. It really shows that this was an indelible work of art that has been imprinted on our brains in the best way possible. Long live Zebra Girl!

Will you be starting new projects? I am a fan of your story and would like to continue to follow you.

When Ursula Vernon's <i>Digger</i> came to its destined end, my Tuesdays had a hole in them for months afterward. The same thing may happen with Zebra Girl, but I have hopes of something equally good coming from you to fill the hole.

I wonder what will happen to this 'prologue is pending' image when the prologue is, uh, no longer pending? Is just a very nice image, I would like it to persist somewhere.

I mean, there are many much more involved, more impressive images in the comic proper, but I'm not worried about them going anywhere and there's a nice simplicity to this one and I find myself fond of it.

I was reading zebra girl from the start. Was the one that mutilated their original xbox duke controller to have horns and look like her, I still have it on a shelf. Hope you will still be making imaginative worlds after ZG.

Thanks. I've really enjoyed this webcomic. Hate to see it end but that's just because I enjoyed it so much.

I have loved this comic from the early 2000's. Sad to see it end, but also glad it won't end up stalled out and abandoned like so many have. just wondering, are you planning to print any more of the series? I have book 1, and would love to eventually have the whole series on paper.

That is to say, I'd like to collect any other series you do in the futere

I'm going reread the whole comic from the very beginning.

I can can't I?

going to miss this, can we go back and reread it all over again?

L

Erm. Last week Rosie wrote 'I think my favorite pages are when Betty first wakes up.' That seems like an interesting way to pass the time as we wait to say farewell to Zebra Girl. My own favorite page was 516, our first sight of Ellyllonville. There were hundreds of excellent pages before it, but this one completely knocked my socks off. I had to go barefoot for weeks. 'Pant seats to fly by!' 'Scum! Get it fresh!' 'Cheap comics!' Lovely.

I remember when I first started reading... right on the ass end of the Tool storyline. I would have liked to see a redemption arc for him.

Here's hoping we see Sam back in his own universe before the curtain falls...

The perfectly mirrored features of this pic give me the heebie-jeebies.

Thank you for this journey, I started reading this in high-school, in the early 2000's. And as this draws to a close, I can only say this. Thank you once more, for the story, for the characters, for the peek into the tapestry of this world you've woven. It's been one helluva ride.

I remember the early days. When it was all light and goofy and hadn't had a chance to develop into something more mature. I was in high school when I started reading Zebra Girl, and Web Comics like this, Dominic Deegan, Mac Hall all got me through some rough times.

I'll echo what a lot of other people seem to be saying - I hope this isn't the end of your Narrative works. Your work has developed a lot of nuance and just plain evolved so far it would be a shame to see all that come to an end.

That and I'd love to see what a fresh and rested Jack with all that skill and talent he's developed could do with a fresh IP.

But you have to take care of yourself, and do what makes you happy.

All the best in the future chap, and i look forward to see how things wrap up.

Thanks for the amazing ride! I’ve been following your comic for a while now. The first one I read was the one taking place in the magi-net because you had a guest character and I linked over from that webcomic all those years ago.

I have some questions: Will we ever see what went happened between Sam and Pooka Zin. Explanation on Mary Shrieks did I miss something? What's up with the bunnies doing the zombie thing at the start of the arc? Will we ever see Mr Brown? Mr Chalk is he actually evil? And will Zandra ever see her mom?

Guess I'll be seeing you next project, at least it ends on a high note. I will miss this comic, but maybe we will see something later either based off it, or a spiritual sequal. I vote Spiritual because that leaves joe to do what ever he wants.

Or are they gonna fix the house? Really, that house has become a character on it's own.

I just want to say thank you, Joe, for an incredible ride. I've been a silent reader for years and while I'm sad to see this come to an end, I'm so happy to have been along for the journey. Thank you so, so much. :')

Dude I found this comic probably a good 7 or 8 years ago, and it's been my firm favorite ever since. It's the one bookmark I save for last on a sunday cause I know it'll be my favorite.

I like things dark and moody, I like fantasy, and I like actual character development. Your comic has always had these in spades, as well as having some of my favorite facial expressions I've seen in webcomics.

Huge congratulations on your achievement, I'm patiently looking forward to the finale!

We'll wait as long as we have to, Joe. This is a proper work of art you've done and a work of art can't be rushed.

Anyone else remember RPG World, and how it steadily built up to an ending that never actually happened..? My, but that was ages ago. Looks like someone finally picked that up again last year – and that it went on hiatus again back in March. So it goes.

At least Homestuck did reach some sort of conclusion, eventually; seems it can be done.

No worries hon. You take care of yourself and do what works for you. The majority of us will be waiting patiently.

You've put in so much time and effort making this gorgeous story. Please don't feel rushed giving it the ending it deserves.

Now that there's mention of the Zebra Girl diary in the post, this is at all topical: Is the way you make those related at all to your actual sketching/drawing process, or is it like a special thing you do for the diary? Like, is it just a case of keeping your pencil sketches and not getting rid of them, and inking on top of that such that you see both? Or are those cool pencil things not related to the way you sketch?

Happy new year!

Please, take all the time that you need. I hope your muscle heals quickly. We can wait patiently.

You dreaming up a new project? If so, still going for this sort of ephemeral-action fantasy hallucination type thing or moving on to something completely different.

You had me at "I know I will...", and you have never disappointed. As soon as I can find an anthology of your strips, I will buy them all, and add them to my collection. Thanks for the wonderful story (a little weird and creepy at times, but hey, it's your story)!!!

I am going to miss this comic. I was less than half my current age when I started reading this comic and a lot has changed in my life. I enjoyed watching the characters change and develope as I was doing likewise, unlike a lot of the other comics I read back in the day where all the characters were static.

"Zebra Girl will be officially over, the final books will print, and you'll finally be free to leave!"

But... I don't wanna leave!
I am hugely looking forwards to getting volume 5 and completing my collection. Your work is fantastic and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Wait - you mean there AREN'T any little stripey ones? Well, if there were, you can bet I'd be the Empress of ALL of them, you betcha! But enough about that.

Joe, I just wanted to stop in and say... you'd be surprised exactly how much I am NOT anxious for this "nightmare to end." I expect once Zebragirl is done, I shall be quite, quite sad. Don't rush to the end. We've stuck with the pace thus far. Tell it well and lovingly as you have ever done, and we will creep silently along with you to then end.

Was that creepy? I hope it wasn't creepy. Well, at least not more creepy than you might enjoy. Anyway. Thanks for sharing this story with us. I think I am not alone in hoping that, after perhaps a suitable rest, you might soon have another story to share with us, in the future? Please don't go away forever, Joe. A world with your intricate and poignant imaginings in it is a good world.

I've already had one nightmare about the end of Zebra Girl. I'm not ready.

There will be more projects, yes?

I wonder if it's ok to simply ask directly? Joe, you have developed a gorgeous, talented, expressive art style. As well as a gift for story-telling. What do you see yourself doing with these talents in the future? Have you considered writing and illustrating books? Graphic novels? Doing drawings and paintings and putting them in galleries? Doing graphic work for other comic companies? Perhaps other projects? What are you hoping for, in your post-Zebragirl future? Is it ok to ask?

lovingly but nosy,
Kerinbot

Big fan, for many years. You might remember me from other comments, such as "foolish pre-teen gushing" or "impulsive rambling fan-theories".
Anyhow, I'd just like to know if/when a Zebra Girl Omnibus edition would happen. I would kickstart the heck outta that.
Also; you're a huge inspiration and I can't wait to see what you do next.
Ciao!

Dude

I'm not ready.

I'm in my mid thirties, and I have been reading this comic almost since day one. To say that I am bewildered by your talent would be insufficient; you have made strides where others would shuffle their feet.

I will be concise: I could read about Zandra's story for all of my days. You have entranced my imagination. When her story wanes, please direct your humble followers to your next weaving.

I started reading this comic at a random recommendation from somebody on the internet, about a year ago. It's quite the read, and I'm a little torn that it's ending; I can recognize that it is far better for the story to conclude in a planned, intentional fashion than to have it slowly peter out, but in another way, I feel like the characters' stories have barely begun.

10 days to showtime. Can we get an update? How finished are you with the final "storyline"?

Goddamn I'm so impatient. I'll wait with the rest of them. Because I like not being set on fire by the Striped One... ;)

Will she find True Love at last? Maybe at least a bigger wardrobe?

Hi Joe.
I feel like I've posted a lot in the comic comments in the last year, and I'm not sure I can think of anything left to say that I haven't said before, or that hasn't already been posted in this thread, but I'm gonna try anyway. Please forgive me if I sound like an echo.

Like a lot of other folks here, I've been reading since some time in the early 2000's (I've tried to remember when, but it's all a blur by now). I love Zebra Girl in a way that I've loved few other artistic works. I'm going to miss it a whole hell of a lot. I'm also really happy that you're giving it a proper send-off. Every good story deserves a good ending. This will probably sound weirder to you than it does to me, but I feel like the comic and I grew up together. The comic has matured as I've grown older, starting at something like 14. I think the final page will turn before I hit 31, but it's been a long and wonderful ride. It's been a constant in my life for longer and more reliably than most of my family has been, and even though it's ending, it's going to stay with me for decades to come. It means something to me that I can't fully express.

I saw it compared earlier in the thread to Digger, which seems fitting to me in that Digger was another amazing comic full of rich characters and incredible heart, that also received a planned final chapter. The fact that it was completed in a way that respected the work as a whole puts it in a category apart in my head as not just an artistic work, but as a feat. It's not just effort, it's an achievement. I think by bringing Zebra Girl to a proper close, it will end up in that category too, and that makes me so happy. I think it belongs there.

Like many other commenters, I hope this isn't the last of your work we get to enjoy. Obviously you do what fits best for you, it's your life to live, but I'll be thrilled if there's more to come.

Thanks for everything so far, and I'm really excited to learn what's left in store for us.