So with the advent of the 4,000th strip nearly here (We’re about 30 or 40 away), it’s time to do a little shuffling as the gang moves into the next era of the strip’s history.

One of the things that always bothered me a bit was the lack of specific locales for these guys. All we really know about Doc and Ray’s place is that old couch and the perpetually mussed-up bed, but everything else has been played pretty loose… as is the case with almost everyone else in the cast. So now we’re gonna change that: the old couch… well, we’ll say they put it in storage for the moment. It’s around, but no longer the focus of their living room, which is now slightly more upscale and modern, reflective of Doc’s success as a writer and Ray’s moving up to foreman. Same with everyone else, for that matter: Eddie and André’s place in Edinborough will have that slick, well-heeled feel to it (Im still working on the details for André’s flat in Paris), while the London apartment will be a bit more casual. Grady and Jean-Phillipe, who will become more of a presence in the coming months, have an industrial loft, while Mik, Kai, and Al will now share something more South Beach and colourful. Elliot and Gilles’ place is middle class and mundane, not ostentatious by any stretch.

In essence, the idea is to have these interiors reflect who these people are, something I should have done a long time ago. The guys are all moving up in the world, so it’s about time we let them live like it.

There’s a few more changes coming down the pike, but we’ll introduce them as they come to fruition. One thing I can tell you is that in the coming year, we’re gonna start experimenting a bit with animation and video — not as part of the daily strips, but certainly as something of a speed bump along the way, the buffer between storylines. And I’ve figured out to make Connor (who’s been beta-tested, as it were, on the Secret Doc and Raider page at Facebook) work into things, something that will see the regular return of everyone’s favour FTM waiter Aiko.

So lots ahead. Hope you enjoy the ride. If you like it, tell your friends. If you dont, tell me… but gently. 🙂

And if you’ve not visited it yet, the guys are in the final leg of their Canada 150 road trip as they discover all manner of oddities as they go from coast to coast to coast. We’re gonna time it so they pull in for the final stop in Ottawa on July 1 so they can be part of the party. Check it out here.