It's hard to fathom that it was already ten years ago – one whole decade – that I sat down at this very same drawing board, pencil and paper in hand, and drew the strip that would officially launch Tanner and Casey.
I have enjoyed a lot of success large and small with the strip over the years, and 2023 alone saw the largest boost in the strip's popularity ever. I want to personally thank you, dear reader, for your ongoing dedication and loyalty to our little feature, and for all the care that you have put into keeping up with these characters.
I'd also like to extend a very big "thank you" to those who have helped push Tanner and Casey behind the scenes. Family and friends who have helped me in shaping and directing the strip, the various newspaper editors who helped bring it to new audiences, and the kind folks who offered interviews on TV, the radio, and in the papers who were key in its promotion. I don't know where I'd be without you!
To still be going so strong after all this time, as a small independent, means the world to me. I really hope that at some point over these past several years, in all the hours I've spent per strip, trying my best to at least resemble something humorous, I've been able to make someone smile at least once. That, after all, is why I create!
Today's strip pays homage to T&C's beginnings, with a cleaned up version of December 30th, 2013's strip meshing into the new, modern, digital era we're currently in, effectively bringing the strip together as a whole. Really, you could treat this as a loop if you wanted to, and what followed in these ten years has now come back around in a complete full circle.
Of course, that's just something for you theory nerds. Tanner and Casey will continue as normal in the new year, and I do hope that you join us Monday as we return to our once-a-week schedule (which we haven't enjoyed since 2020). We will continue in our new format, and slowly introduce some storylines, back history, and side characters.
This just might be our most adventurous year yet!
With a full heart I wish you the best for 2024, and say once more, a very heavy "thank you!"
Tanner F. Riche
Creator Tanner F. Riche
December 30th, 2023
The first strip: December 30th, 2013.
Today's strip.