Aagh. Oof. And I mean that sincerely! Might’ve finished this sooner if it wasn’t for the back pain. I was fine for a while, then out of nowhere it suddenly feels like my arm’s falling off. It’s mostly better now, but only mostly, and if I sit and work too long it creeps in again. Age, right? That’s what a lifetime of poor drawing posture and mouse-clicking does to you. They say we hurt the people we love, but it’s the things we love that wind up hurting us back! Hurting my back, specifically. It’s as frustrating as introducing a kid and never quite explaining where she comes from.

I hope it was worth it. This was the first time I’ve finished a page by creating pure grey tones entirely with a program (besides the pen and ink cross-hatching). I hope it looks alright compared to the old markers.

And do you like Zandra’s exhibition? I’m still obsessively trying to revise her gown. I never forgot the initial reception of the first version (at the time someone called it “dreadful nonsense”, and oh, lord, that still stings), and I’ve been attempting to redeem this semi-gothic fantasy craziness ever since. I’m most fond of the design in panel 4, but if you talk I’ll listen.

Aches and pains notwithstanding, I’m also contemplating what to do beyond the Tales of the Wooden Castle. I have several concepts for a sister series to follow Zebra Girl, and I’m torn. Maybe literally, judging by the muscles around my shoulder blade. Zing! Ow.

And, yes, I’m still working on the confounded Omnibus. I promised myself I would annotate every single page of all five volumes, and I’m almost halfway through Heaven on Earth. We’ll see that hardcover printed yet! And I’m sure once you read my occasionally relevant thoughts beneath all those pages you’ll say, “Yeah, this was definitely worth the wait!” How am I sure? Because I will beg you to say it no matter what.

As always, thanks for being here, and I hope things are going well for you and your loved ones, wherever you are. Needless to say, we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, so please, continue to exercise caution! Wash your hands, wear masks, socially distance, and befriend that vaccine! I want to have you around for a long, long time.

- Joe

YAY! More Tales! Thank You!

I liked the original design, to be honest.
The person who called it dreadful nonsense seemed to be looking at it from a practical standpoint... the thing is dresses aren't really designed to be "practical," they're designed to look striking and eye catching.
If you want something practical then you don't wear a dress, lol.

IMHO dress 3 is more intimidating then dress 4, but both looks great (just for different occasions).
Also, very cool detail that Zandra changes her body along with the dress.
For your back pain, I would suggest a trip to a chiropractor to get a professional massage, it can work wonders.
Take care :)

I am definitely most fond of the plump Zandra, surprisingly friend shaped for your local fiendish overlady.

I have befriended the vaccine as of last week! Now I can stop withdrawing from society due to the pandemic and resume withdrawing from society *by choice.*

Zandra's interactions with Clarity are always so freakin adorable.

The dress: Meh. It's purely in accordance with Zandra's whim-of-the-moment, ennit? Just run with whatever you feel like at the time you're drawing it, and do not give two wet farts in a hurricane about "consistency". It's not like Zandra would do that, you know?

Back problems: Ouch! A chiropractor is prolly a good idea here. But make sure you get one who's basically a massage therapist—the flavor of chiropractor that insists everything can be cured by spinal manipulations is Not What You Want.

If she can manipulate her body and the dress, is the dress part of her body? Or is it more that she's able to manipulate matter or light or just the brain's perception of her? (Kinda like panel 1, btw.)

I've always been impressed with your use of shadow, especially those times when it intrudes and encroaches on the situation. It could also maybe be rationalized as a reflection of her mood, when she's doing the encroaching or when the encroaching is being done to her. To have shadows more mellowed out and rendered perhaps reflects her current state of mind, which seems to be approaching tranquility.

It took me a lot of looks to figure out the changes in the first 4 panels. Grace is right, change blindness is real!

Hey Joe!

I hope I can call you Joe, I feel like I've known you for a long time. I'm sorry I never reached out sooner but I'm 31 now and have been reading your coming since I was probably 12 or 13. I have a clear memory of being enraptured by a illustration of Zandra you did that I saw on some comic aggregate website. I thought 'What the hell is a Zebra Girl??? I must know more.' I was a very young, impressionable, closeted (even to myself) queer girl, lonely, and the Internet was my playground. This comic and the world and characters you created was one of my playmates. Not really enough words to tell you how much of a rock and a pervasive undercurrent in my life that Zebra Girl has been, through my teen years and into my young adult (and now adult adult!) life. I've had a webcomic bookmark folder for over a decade now that I open every day and still have yours listed to check in on you. I was there through the hiatuses, various health issues life threw at you, through the crazy storylines, and through all of the emotional and physical transformations your characters have gone through. Your unique style is one of my favorites of all time from any comic artist and I really can't say how much your work and your ethos mean to me. I loved reading Ask Zandra, and all of your strip commentary - you've a way with words that few have and have influenced me to no end. Thanks man, with all my love. Hope that's not weird haha. Can't really help myself when you and this comic feels like one of my oldest friends. I live a good life now, I'm lucky, and I just wanted to let you know you helped me through some really hard times both directly and indirectly. I'll never stop checking the site and I'm looking forward to finally purchasing the second volume soon!! <3

All my sincerity and love,
Alex from TX

Hello again...
Wish I could edit my comment!! I was in a rush haha - meant to say 'reading your comic', not 'reading your coming', and I also wanted to specifically highlight your resilience. You never stopped working on Zebra Girl, never let it go in your heart, and that's been such a valuable example to me in my own life. So thanks just one more time!
Alex from Tx

Hello again...
Wish I could edit my comment!! I was in a rush haha - meant to say 'reading your comic', not 'reading your coming', and I also wanted to specifically highlight your resilience. You never stopped working on Zebra Girl, never let it go in your heart, and that's been such a valuable example to me in my own life. So thanks just one more time!
Alex from Tx

It's always nice to see a new page. Makes me reminisce about the whole story. It was a very good story.

You know, it just hit me how odd it might be to see her trying on the different outfits and body shapes...seeing her parts wax and wane, seeing the dress (and the horns, missed that the first time) changing shape...

...And then it occurred to me that if you were feeling particularly ambitious you could do a morphing gif that actually showed her shifting from one form to another.

Not that I find the comic in any way lacking. Just sayin'.