Terry, you never cease to amaze me and bring tears to my eyes or smiles to my mouth. This story is forever etched in my mind, as it hits so close to my heart. i cannot thank you enough for your work, and i love the way you made this all happen.
of course there is sadness that our girls have become the famous split, but at the same time, there are so many stories to share!
i had the pleasure of meeting you in NYC two months after 9/11/01. it was my very first venture back into NYC after the attack,a nd all i wanted to do was say hello to you and thank you for these stories. And you were so gracious and kind :) and the voice of Space Ghost hit on my friend. (lol)

in a nutshell, thanks, you rock, and keep on keepin on!!
Jenne

hello katchoo francine casey and david
I am so eager to visit with you so soon after with you after the flower to flame. I love you all and will miss you for an eternity until your letters and company will be in my hands and I can read your sweet somethings I can read about from beginning to end over and over everytime I get any new letter. Terry you have saved my life by your advice to really savor my every breath and relationship whether platonic or a more complex relationship with more intimate issues involved. Thank yous are sent to you everyday I wake and go to sleep. When my life went for days on end without sleep due to stress your books are my escape. I love you and your world you given all of us involved all your fans.- Jer

(sorry I live in montana and have erractic issues given to me)
Regarding Heart 2 a Flame Trade)
a deleted message I can't complete)
Hi Katchoo
not a moment goes by
where inside I never die
a thousand times
If only I would've knew
all the hell I put you through
I'm sitting here
wishing as always I was near
my own life now only rubble
wishing that night, we could have cuddled
I love you with all my heart
what you went through ripped me apart
I wanted just to leave
let your love be what it will be
now I can see
I was being very naive
I hope it's what you believe
goodnight my heart and my soul
If only I loved as I was told
I knew I am not your choice
I am unwanted, the ignored voice
I'm not close to hit
I love you with every last bit

please dont wait up 4 me
let me surprise you when next we meet.........
sorry my love I will be there to heal the soul
that made me dig out of that deep hole
-David

Thanks Terry - you wrote the first comic book that made me cry openly in a comic shop! My heart aches for Katchoo, as love has become something sad and dismal. I'm crawling back into my cave, knowing now that life is sad, and so is love.

(Forgive the Kate Bush quote, but this issue was really heartbreaking, and it's going to be a while until or if I can get over this)

Hey. I know this may be a little far back in history, but I was thinking about one of Francine's dream sequences in volume two, when Katchoo calls David a "poo-poo head with pee-pee brains". Francine wakes herself exclaiming "I... love... David?" Just struck my mind the other day... wonder what happened with that.
Another thing that had me wondering: I am under a vague impression that Terry got the base design for the covers of "My Maiden Voyage" 3-part from an old ad for Robette Absinthe. Probably just a coincidence. Anyway, this issue was very sad and leaves me wondering about the controversial "alternate futures".

to Katchoo:
I so feel what its like not to have the right words to choose and the ability to refrsin the words from the heart to reflect percisely the the ideal offer to remind your soulmate I love you, please dont do this....listen to your heart and know regardless of your views, Forever I will wait 4 you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~from bozeman montana

i was dreading this day would come, some many days and I was yet undone.
to tell you my true love,
cursed to be your closest friend,
please be certain before you say yes.
your vows will sever me,
from a reality of dreams.
but please answer from your heart of hearts,
your choice will tear me apart.
somehow I know to go
but face to face I need to know
your last word to to me
is a final denile,
to the heaven my offer
exculive to you I can be no softer
so now as I read your lips
I weep.
Years to be disappear
as soul bares the truth
I choose the one yet way too soon.

----thank you terry for all you have done. I know the pains of being undone.......

Done. Francine made a decision. Life could go on to new horizons. SiP imho had a lot of deadlocks in the recent years (still i have all the issues). I hope for a new fleshy start in a new area. Looking especially forward for three consecutive issues of David.
Loved the "and so it goes" ending, felt like the credit section scrolling over the last pictures of a good movie.
Don't cling to the past... ;-)

As always I found teh story well written. I espeically liked the opening dialogue between mother and daughter, but I felt a chill when I read the first line of "And So It Goes." I have always found that to be a haunting song. The fact that it hit the airwaves during a breakup for me, just adds to the mystique. Hearing it in this story, and I say "hearing" as oppossed to reading, because anytime I see the words I hear Billy Joel signing it clearly in my head, really brought the story home. Thanx.

Wow, Mr. Moore (yay! I'm a dennis!)

You have made such a palpable impact on my life. Discovering your book has turned me into an obsessive fan. I don't recall why I initially started reading-I probably thought the title was interesting when I saw it in the library-but the instant I picked up The Collected Strangers in Paradise, I was hooked. David won me over to the series when he asked Katchoo to go out for coffee by the Rodin statue. I got my father interested in SIP as well (rather clever of me, because I am flat broke, so he buys all of the SIP stuff for us), and we read all of the books the library had at the time, up to Sanctuary. Well, then we tracked down some more of the collections until we could subscribe. It was at that point that it was excrutiating for me to wait six weeks between issues. It's my pleasure and my pain to endure the wait. But it's all worth it when I get home from a harrowing day as a high school junior to find the manila envelope from Texas sitting on my dining room table. For the next half an hour, I am lost in your work. I read the issue over and over again, observing nuances and little details I missed the first time around. I'm addicted to your book; happily, this is an addiction that I can't cure.

I wish I had a boyfriend like David. He has been my favorite character all along! Katchoo is beautiful and surprisingly vulnerable, and I just want her to be happy. Francine is adorably lost, both in her weight issues and her love life. As with Katchoo, I just want to see her happy. Casey is so endearing, especially with her new favorite hairdo. Griffin sucks me in as I'm sure he does for all his fans. I love "his" lyrics. I always wite them on my clothes when I'm feeling punk. Nikki seems jealous, but passionate, so I like her. I hope Sarah's cold, FBI-hardened heart softens up, for Katina's sake-I don't want Kat carted off. I also hope Tambi can have a baby; I would love to see a maternal side to such a tough person. I hope everything works out for all of them.

I thought the latest issue was gorgeous and melancholy. It was like a Chopin etude (i'm a classical pianist and violinist with hopes of attending a fabulous conservatory); it's an exquisite pain. I felt the gloom of the rain and the potency of the song lyrics. I know that some other fans will want to hit me, but I was satisfied with this separation. I don't know why. It felt definite, not the waffling that is so typical of Francine. I am sad to see them separate, but eager to see how this makes the girls reach out to people other than each other.

I know that I'm not the same person without this book. I have turned into a minister, preaching the gospel of SIP. I tell everybody I know how much I love your book. It's such a part of my life. I have the SIP coffee mug filled up with mocha every morning, the pins on my favorite bag, some home-made shirts with images I've scanned. I can't wait for the next issue. Thank you for making such an impact on my life, and please, continue to do so every six weeks!

Much love from one of your many number one fans,
Dana

Argh! I think the fan letters should be banned altogther! And this message board.

Okay, Terry touched on some hard topics in this last issue and the previous. But comics have been famous for doing this for several decades now. The difference now is that the heroes aren't always in the right (Katchoo had no business punching Griffin Silver--I think that was the clencher in Francine cutting ties with Katchoo). Each of our main heroines truely believe what they are doing is the right thing: Kasey deleting Francine's message in order to save Katchoo further anguish; Katchoo trying to keep Francine from making what she believes is a huge mistake; Francine making an honest ditch effort at living a stable lifestyle and raising a family in a safe environment. And of course, life throws one pile of crap at you again and again, and just have to keep dodging it or risk getting hit. They're learning as they go on what decisions are in the best interest for themselves and the people around them.

If anyone, maybe people should start looking at how Katchoo and Francine are playing out their life, and actually pay attention. They might learn something.

This was a great issue!!! I luv this comic book.. keep it up thank you:)

Im unsure how to start so I'll start from the top of my head,Terry, you have never met me personally because ive always had something going on much like your book,life's every day dramatics we call life. But I have always been a fan.My brother had the pleasure of meeting you in the carolina's during a megacon on fathers day.This was about five years ago and you sighned one of my graduation pictures for me and that was why I couldnt meet you myself.Years have gone by and I went thru my phases of reading a comic every day to read one when ever I can to i hope I have enough money at least to buy a sip.Well , as you can tell Im a devoted fan.But sadly enough I havent been able to read you lately because of a handsome little baby that demandes all my attention.But I was able to snag a a good read of the last couple of issuses.This is the sad part im afraid,I regret to inform you I will no longer read you wonderful book due to the fact it hit a little to close to home to me this time.The book was always great for me to identify with but not to relive my worst memory of my life.I love your work terry, and god bless whatever else you do .To explain myself a little ,three years ago with I was married for the wrong reasons and wanted a family of my own being naive as i was.Then god showered a little reality when i was 7 months pregnant with my first little boy corbin.I lost my little corbin as a stillborn , still to this day the docters have no reason why just that god works in mysterious ways. This was the worst thing that could have happened to me or anyone for that matter.And alot has happened to me since.I have jose now with my big brown eyes and i still feel corbin near us every time we laugh togethor but i dont want to ever go thru that feel of loss again.And your superb writing doesnt allow me to do that.For that Im sorry because I feel every one needs to read your book.well thank you and good bye.

First time writer here.

I just wanted to say thanks for respecting the magnitude of what happened in this issue and not including the letters column. Of course I eventually made it over to the website to see what the folks are talking about but not without thinking about the issue for a good long while.

I guess the back and forth nature of Francine & Katchoo's relationship would end this way. It's satisfying because it's realistic and all the more heart-breaking because of it.

Thanks Terry. I'm just grateful to have been able to get so close to these characters that they feel real to me. I feel like I'm losing a friend with Francine getting married. What a piece of work!

Liz

Loved it,as usual... I almost cried..but I won't give Terry the satisfaction!

I for one don't think the "coffee buddy" idea's a good one. I've tried to just "be friends" with someone I still had feelings for. It never ended anywhere in the same zip code as all right. & I don't even drink caffinated beverages...

Hello Terry and SIP fans.
I just read the last issue, a tad bit late I know. I am not sure that I have ever wanted to cry after reading any of the other issues.. I have a hunch that this will not be the last of Katchoo and Francine.. Katchoo is my girl, Love her as much as anyone can love a comic book character. I am hurting for her, but I do understand Francines frustration with her dangerous lifestyle. Katchoo is a complicated character. That is what makes her so fascinating, that is what keeps me reading. Come on,, they could still be "coffee buddies" right?
Congratulations on ten wonderful years..
You can afford to be mighty proud of yourself. Keep up the good work and I will keep reading....Thanks.

did anyone else wonder where her bridemaids were? didn't she make ANY friends while she was in tenn?

Terry-
Again you're using the no-dialogue-for-a-few-pages to really tear a reader's heart out.... it'll join Katchoo's in the gutter.
How about a 'Mary Midnight' revelation? I know I went 'huh?' reading the page... but now it makes sense-- the whole screwy, damaged mother thing.
Finally David is getting his story-time! YaY! BUT you're going to kill him to fit the 'Sanctuary' angle, aren't you? (exhales slowly, tears well)
Again, thanks for a great 10 years.... Hopefully the story prior to 'Sanctuary' resolves a bit quicker 'cause six weeks seems to pass even more slowly than usual!
Or maybe it's just a USPS conspiracy.....
Have a good weekend!
:0)

Geez Terry, the last issue was absolutley gut wrenching. At least Katchoo gave Francine's mom a few words that she heartily deserved before everything crashed and burned. Perhaps there will be a "Mary Midnight" series eventually? Ugh. Forget I said that. I doubt anyone would want to witness the string of events that contributed to Mrs Peters obvious damage. Needless to say I laughed out loud and your choice of lyrics perfectly illustrated the final scenes. It left me sobbing in the parking lot of Wal Mart while my boyfriend was inside searching for "The Shining" on DVD. (I can never wait till I get home to read these things..)

Beautiful as always.

Even though this issue came out on my Birthday on the 24th of September, I just bought it today.

And wow.... wonderful work. No blockbuster here. Just a simple goodbye and onto their lives. This series is so real life, its scary.

I hope the David mini-series does not suffer do to quicker release schedule.

Also, Griffin knows Katchoo as Baby Jude. he he, I wanna Terry to spill the beans. HOW does he know? Details, DETAILS!

And what about Sara???

And what about Sara???

OW!

I hope the next issue will be more pleasant...

Terry hey..

I guess im a rather new reader/lover/admirer/ of SIP, having only been in Francie and katchoo's lives for a little over 3 years now.
This is the 1st time i have posted on the site, so hey to everyone else too.

I have to say that even though i was completely aware that the 10 year break had to come sometime..i was nowhere near ready for the outcome of this issue. I guess i was hoping to see a little happiness, and love shared as it should be, between two people who love as they do.

I think this is one if the very first times i remember francine being so grown up, granted the pain she must be suffering right now has knocked her off her feet.
It does make me wonder if part of the reason she totally rejects katchoo is because she is so hurt by the apparent abandonment, due to Caseys attempt at protecting 'tchoo's heart..

We have all done what Francie seems to be doing...sat and listened to other peoples apologies, said we accept the explanation...but really, we made our minds up before they came into the room, and we will stick to our own version no matter what.

*sigh*..Hmm i just re-read that and i am definately rambling..im just a little gutted i guess..two of my very best girls..hearts torn..there is nothing i can do...but wait, the story must be told and we must sit and listen.

As you recomended i read the last scenes while listening to Mr Joel (specially downloaded as i dont own a copy, what a beautiful song), my days, it hit me like a brick wall..i cried and cried..1st as i turned the pages riding the bus on the way home, and then again as i re-read with the song playing in the background...

I think it hurt more than david imagining Katchoo..while 'Fields of Gold' played around the edges of his mind.

*wonders*..where do you find such perfect lyrics to accompany the scenes.

Thankyou so much Terry for continuing to write such a beautiful and entrancing story, and for sending something out into the world that i treasure and plan to pass down to my children one day...if i can ever bear to part with them that is..

Cherie x

The whole Casey situation makes less and less sense to me. So, in the restaurant, are Older Francie and Older Casey *pretending* that the sorta-triangle with Katchoo never happened? Or is Casey hoping Francine forgot? Or what?

I thought maybe David would make it out to the wedding, I'm kind of surprised he was a no-show. I bet his hair is getting really long right about now. You know, it seems like the longer David's hair is, the farther into the Dark Side he goes. Huh...

Terry --

Each time I read an issue, I keep thinking 'Wow he won't be able to top that.' And yet it happens. Every issue surpasses the one before it. Truly a masterpiece of work.

Issue #60 has arrived. Lots of build up to this critical issue in the storyline. I was somewhat surprised that Freddie, Chuck, and David were not there. However, I know that things had to be trimmed, and the essential story had to remain. All in all, I wouldn't change a thing.

Francine is right, of course. Katchoo and her are not meant to be together... at least not at this moment. There's still so much growing they need to do. I enjoyed that for once in a long time, Francine was calm, and layed it out on the line. Or perhaps, she was finally too exhausted to deal with it anymore. In either case, she has made her choice, and chosen a life with Brad.

So now the "10 year split" has finally and truly begun. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens with the 'big 3' in the meanwhile along with Tambi, Casey, and the others.

Keep it coming, Terry! Your work has touched many hearts and will continue to do so.

I attended your panel at the Pittsburgh Comicon, so I knew this issue was coming up...
You know I've collected comic books since I was 12, I'm 24 now...through those years I've let go of a lot of books, stopped reading them all together...all of them except SIP, and this is why----

"and what happens when one of those parker people comes calling while you're with my family?"......I think my heart broke that moment *sigh*, that's a realization I never thought of, and i've been reading this book from the beginning.
It made me cry but it also made perfect sense.

I was fine until that panel...this was a marvelous issue, the balance of humor, and heartbreak was perfect.

Well I wasn't listening to Billy Joel at the time, I know the song, but I had Steve Perry's soulful voice in the background...I don't know if I want to cry anymore than I already did.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for David's story.

Thanks for 10 years of wonderful reading and inspiration.
--Dayas

I very much loved this episode, especially the last scenes with the Billy Joel song. It is one of my favorit mournful songs, and all in all it really broke my heart. NOW, a complaint. Your cover. Francine is not a vacuous idiot in this issue. She is a heartbroken, intelligent woman making a sane and painful decision. That line about the Parker people showing up when she is with her family... But your cover made her look, well, stupid. Fat and goofy and brainless. Was it supposed to make her look like he is sleepwalking? You could do that with a serious face, less bulging out of the dress (which she wasn't)... she had the same look on her face as when she was doing the condom commercial and quacked at the director. That was funny. This was just insulting.
Francine is my woman, my alter, the one I respect the most. She has to be the grown up. Let her be that on the cover, to.

this is an awsome issue...

This is another one of your great stories. Touching and heart felt all the way. It wastruly a tret to see the punch and hearing about Mary Midnight. Only thing I would had added to the greatness of this story would had been a flashback as the vows were being said. Pictures going along with the vows as Katchoo said a soft I Do to Francine. I am a sucker for romance and a tear jerker. Ca't wait for the story to continue. Your Pal Troy

A cracker! Amazing how, even without contract killings, sibling rivalry, the FBI or world domination, the lives of Francine and Katchoo have the power to hold us all entranced. Spot on. Give that man a prize. No wait, another prize.

Thanks Terry,

Damian
UK

tee hee hee...Midnight Mary... Who woulda guessed =).

wow, im a lady of many words, and i have very few that can do this issue justice. as it is, i always think the issues are too short, and this one went by so quickly, however, i think if it were any longer i would have never recovered from it :) the little note in the letters column to listen to the billy joel song along w/ reading was perfect. i cried all over again...and again. thanks terry

I loved it. I laughed and cried and struggled in between. Part of me hoped that Fran would run off with Kat and that the '10 year split' was a bad dream. And who exactly IS Mary Midnight?? The expression on her face was priceless. Excellent job! And Griffin!! How DOES he know Baby June anyway? A past we don't know about maybe? The last two pages, with the Billy Joel song. I listened to it as a REread it for the 4th time. Nice touch.

and now I await the David Arc.

Deat Terry,
Bravo on another interesting, impossible-to-put-down-issue! Francie and katchoo have an unhealthy relationship. Thank god Francie took the leap and broke it off for good. I believe the story can now move in fresh new direction. Congrats on your choice to "kill off" a principle part of the story line, the realtionship between Francine and Katchoo. It opens up new creative possibilites for you, and keeps us fans wanting more!

Now I know how Annie Wilks (Kathy Bates, Misery) felt when Paul Sheldon (James Caan) killed off "Misery". I am wondering why I have been reading SIP for the past five years, only for the F & K storyline to come to a rather abrupt halt. Terry, I hope this is some kind of *Dream Sequence* or something because F & K are destine to be together.

Did you notice the locket that Francine is wearing on the cover? I didn't see it inside the issue, but on the cover the photo in the locket looks like Francine's great-grandmother. She tried to tell Francine once that for all that she gained by meeting her family's expectations, she lost true love and died from it.

It makes sense to me that Francine would retreat into life with Brad. While we want to see her with Katchoo, she's never been able to totally commit to Katchoo. Out of all the men Francine has been involved with, Brad comes across as a real jewel. Francine can't know what'll happen ten years down the road (we can't know for certain either), so at this point it looks like she made the best choice she could.

In the lettercol in issue 59, one fan pointed out how Casey has evolved from where she began in the series. I have to agree. She's attentive, affectionate, and she has hidden depths. When she needs to, she can be quite strong, as when she helped Francine find out about the plane crash that nearly killed David and Katchoo during the "My Other Life" storyline.

I'm just as curious as ever to see how these people manage together. Even with David halfway around the world and Francine married to a doctor, I have no doubt that they belong together and will find a way.

MasterpieceK.there are no other words for it.

I have just finished reading #60, this is better than good this is story telling at it's BEST. The Wedding day we all knew this issue was going to be one of the most important. The build up was done with style and humor, and the actual break up came so quietly, that you had to do a double take.
Love the mix of humor with moments of pure heart breaking drama. Nikki with the flowers, the wrong dress, Casey sign my bra (gotta love her for trying).

Francine finally said it all, Katchoo has obsessed over Francine like a stalker, it`s not what Francine wants that`s important to Katchoo, but ONLY what Katchoo wants.Finally Katchoo begins to find out that you cannot solve every thing in life, with violence and verbal abuse.

Francine is at this time better off away from Katchoo (I never thought I would write that). But Katchoo has got to use this time to reflect, calm down and see other people`s lives as important. She must also keep a firm lid on her anger, constant outbursts of verbal and physical violence, mean that you will be ALONE, a lot in your life.

SIP #60

I may have to stop reading SIP. It is not for lack of content; the fact that the book moves me to tears more often than not, or the fact that the story-line is undoubtedly one of the most engaging in the smaller press market. It is the fact that I usually read them in my store, and inevitably I walk around with red eyes after voraciously consuming the story.

The book is one of a select few that I can recommend to my female readership. Parts of it are hard to explain to potential customers, but when I tell them that it is on a very short list of books that I read consistently, it usually helps.

Terry, I thoroughly enjoy your work. I hope it will continue to grace my stands for decades to come.

Congrats on your 10 year anniversary.

Daryl C. Collison
Owner/operator
3rd Quadrant Comics
Toronto, ON CANADA

Terry and Co.,
As you may (or may not) recall from a few of my previous posts, I have just recently began reading SiP. Within the short time, I have read and caught the current storyline, and even in some cases, re-read storylines. SiP is easily one of my absolute favorites and everytime it comes out it is the first if not only book I read that day. Yesterday as I read issue #60, I knew what was coming. I think everyone knew what was coming, but I am hard pressed to think I am the only one who did not want to see it happen. I was left crushed last issue to see Katchoo left brooding over her father's grave, and full of potential for Francie's wedding. I can imagine that was what it was like to have left the theater way back in 1980, after having just learned Vader was Luke's father and that Han was captured by the bounty hunter and being taken to Jabba, and so on. The next two months were anguish, waiting to see what was going to happen. Would the ten-year split begin? Would Katchoo be able to carry on without Francine in a dignified manner? Would Francie go on with things, and carry herself down that aisle in light of all the recent events; losing her baby, the lack of contact from Katchoo... There was just so much going on and being left unresolved! Now we know. Damn you Terry, you are one hell of a writer, artist, and creator of life. SiP is, to me, one of the most realistic, natural representations of life, struggle, human emotion, and everything else imaginable. You are a real genious, and a rather diabolical one at that. I only hope that you do not make us wait a whole ten years for whatever conclusion may come. I am on my way home soon- and plan on starting SiP over again, from issue #1, because it is a long winding road in front of Francine, Katchoo, and everyone else (especially us fans), but you got me till we get there Terry.
Thank You,
Luke Wilkins

...damn....

your timing is eerie, terry. i knew this would probably be their last fight before the rift, but... you and aeire need to stop spying on me. i'm not going to say anything more, or talk about francie's descision, because i know i'm too close and i can't be fair. well, one thing: it hurts beyond words when someone puts their family's expections above you. when at the end of the day, no matter how much you love them, you're not good enough because you're not ___ for them.

griffin.... why am i not surprised he knows kat? i'm glad her ecperiences with him weren't as traumatic as the others- after all, she can still love his music. ^__^

Damn it, Terry. Not damn it because I'm upset--quite the contrary. I loved this issue. The event we've all been waiting for, there it is. I had to read the ending three, four times before I pulled away from being near tears. It didn't help that I managed to find only a recording of that song by the campus a capella group, because it was even more touching for some reason. I loved Francine, too, for that moment, where she finally makes the choice, but I hated her for seeing how Katchoo looked. Reminds me of my own breakup of late, how much I loved her when I had to tell her goodbye. And I loved Katchoo, too, for her last-ditch effort, and hated her for the same thing, because damn it, Katchoo, you never understood, did you? I'm just sorry that the 10-years-later had to happen, sorry that it was real and not just conjecture, because, well, it's like life, and there's nothing you can do to get away from that which has to happen. I hope that it ends as we expected it to, with Version One, because after everything Kat and Fran have gone through, that single panel of them lying together in bed holding hands makes it all worth it. Kudos, Terry, you've done it again.

Dear Terry,
This is the second letter I'm writing you about issue 60, mainly, to describe my girlfriend, Leslie's, response. She cried. She cried like crazy. She asked me, "why aren't you crying?" I told her, "because I've been where Katchoo is. Katchoo and Francine are not right for each other; in the future Katchoo will find some that compliments her like I found you." Then she said something along the lines of "when the events are happening, you have no clearity." And she kept saying in reference to the wedding events, "it's so freakin' awful, it's so freakin awful." Terry, thisis your greatest work to date. Thanks so much for creating and sharing it with the world.
Sincerely,
Michael Goodman

Weddings have become so cliched and hackneyed in movies, press and book media that you almost know what to expect when they happen.

I give huge props to Terry for having it rain. It's different and realistic enough that it could happen to an unlucky couple...

The trouble with the wedding dress...Well I do not wear dresses but I could see that happening with the pants lol...

OK, onto the Katchoo and Francine thing...

I was going back...and forth....back...and forth on Katchoo's behaviour.

One minute, I just want to agree with her and high-five her, and the other I am like "Wow, you are really, really insensitive in trashing Francine's beliefs and wants. If she chooses to be with Brad, to be with this man that she loves and that loves her, then you know, swallow the bitter pill and support your friend."

I cringed when she said Francine had so much potential but she was wrapped up in useless tradition and when she totally missed the point regarding the dress....

The dress doesn't matter...it's just for show and for photos...what matters here is that Francine made a choice, and that she loves Katchoo.

It was sad, really, seeing Katchoo grasping at any straw to be able to be with Francine. She deserves better than that, than to propose on Francine's wedding day, then offer to be a coffee and bagel partner, to become a doctor...

Katchoo...you're too violent for me, and I am a man of course but... you gotta learn that sometimes, it doesn't work with a person, no matter how come...and no amount of give will change that.

It's a lesson I am still learning, but I think I am getting better at it myself.

And Katchoo, sometimes you don't get what you want, life sucks that way sometimes...

I liked Francine's openness and frankness to Katchoo.

"What if you're with my family and a Parker person comes after you? You punched out the best man...it can't happen anymore."

And she's right.

Will Francine be happy with Brad...who knows really...
I would like to believe she will be...but we know she goes into a depressive state at some point.

In the end, the last few pages with the song in the background were very touching.

Good work Terry.

You cut me real deep, Terry. Oh, I was just fine all the way through - right - but that last panel of Katchoo waving to the already closed window just broke my damn heart.

This is the second time I nearly swore off SiP just because it's so /hard/ to read sometimes.

*sigh* ... and because I forgot to say anything about the last issue... well, brilliance. You give me love and laughter and snipers with horking huge guns and elvis fetishes.

... and you're doing a sourcebook. Christmas comes early. ^^

Dear Terry:

A marvelous issue, and a perfect denouement to the build-up since the first flash-back. A pure character piece in which every actor's lines were letter perfect. However, despite the gravity and pathos of the events, one line so outshone the others that it will be difficult to remember the sad events of the issue without a smile on my face and a giggle in my heart.

"What ever happened to Mary Midnight...."

That line itself was worth the price of admission (and nearly had a few of my staff members picking me up off the floor when they heard me gasping for breath as I laughed myself out of my chair).

In addition to that show stopper, we also had the traditional switched wedding dress scenario and Casey's and Griffen's quick interlude was priceless (they don't write screwball comedy like that any more).

I'm glad you had Francine's father come to the ceremony. It was a brief bright moment for Francine and a respite for us between the alternately frantic and bitter start and what we knew was to come.

Sorry, Freddie wasn't there (just to glower in the corner under threat of death from all and sundry) or David (aside from the usual reasons, he's also more of a family member than Katchoo, was there when the romance started and brings out the best qualities in Marie).

Also, a minor point, were we supposed to recognize the "Charlemagne devotee?" If so, I expect it's my failure to identify the obvious rather than an issue of likeness. It certainly appears that the drawing was given particular care (was that full face shot in the upper right corner redrawn and pasted on?).

And then there were the main events. I never imagined that Katchoo's KO of Griffen Silver would be because he recognized her from her Baby June days (is that why she has such a relationship to the music). I guess when she first used the cabin in Hawaii with Emma she visited the neighboring house a few times (or was it more Darcy related?).

Marie's diatribe, despite her personal bias, was a fairly accurate summation of Katchoo and Francine's relationship. It has been generally unhealthy, Katchoo hasn't looked out for Francine's best interests and has upset her at least as much as comforted her. Although probably inaccurate, Marie's line about the miscarriage was a not unexpected spin and absolutely true to Marie's viewpoint.

Francine's decision to cut Katchoo out was probably the most rational thing she's done of late(not that I agree, but I have a greater tolerance for dangerous friends than Francine has ever exhibited). After the events of the last dozen or so issues, it was time for Francine to move on (and how many still interested ex-partners do most married people retain as coffee friends (explains why Freddie and Chuck weren't in the crowd)).

Of course I'd be livid if I thought this was the end rather than know this is just a respite before the reunion, ten years and one Ashley later.

In the interim, I'm looking forward to all that you set up (or will establish) for us to our entertainment: David's past, the resolution of the current Parker-girl related story line, Tambi's next attempt to bring the two bloodlines together (even if she has another go at David, you've told us that there'll be a Kat-David wedding eventually).

Thank you for the issue and the run to date. It was a long time getting this far, but it was worth the wait and I'm looking forward to covering the next ten years (in less time, I hope).

terry-

Oh my God.
First the baby, then this. The tears just keep happening. Please let 61 heighten our spirits. At least with David's story we'll have a distraction from the turmoil that is Katchoo and Francine. How could this come so easily! My heart breaks, even though this moment has been much anticipated. You did a beautiful job both with dialogue and the drawings, Terry, thank you. It's not everyday you read a comic book that brings you to gasping tears because you can't believe how very true the emotion is.

you're amazing Terry, thanks again.

i thought it was a smash ooo00o0oh ya baby.........

I wouldn't know, since I seem to have no access to SIP in even the most cosmopolitan areas of the UK!!!
ARRRRGH!

Whew! I am glad to hear it is not out till the 24th! I went to my comic store and they are on vacation till the 23rd. I am definately jonesing for SIP now!

Wednesday will be wonderful!!!!! ;-)

Kaleen,
I made the SAME mistake.. The new issues isn't out until Wednesday Sept 24th. I too have been awaiting its arrival.

Oh my god, the new issue is out and I dont have it!! How is it! Give me data folks!!!! Write it down dammit!!!