2020 is a year for keeping promises.

Thicket Plaza, the long awaited spiritual successor to my first webcomic, Urban Underbrush, has finally made its New Year’s Day debut.

New Year’s Day, 2020 is the ten year anniversary of the launch of Lepus Studios and original Urban Underbrush’s comic debut. There is no better day to release Thicket Plaza.

Before I get into any heartfelt stories about how this came to be, I’d like to answer your questions about the new comic. Of course no one has actually had the chance to ask any questions, so I’ll just have to guess:

Q: Is this a new comic?

A: Yes, this is the beginning of a whole new series

Q: Is Thicket Plaza connected to the original Urban Underbrush?

A: No, it uses most of the same characters, but it’s a completely different story. You can think of it as an alternate universe if that makes you comfortable.

Q: Do I have to read the original Urban Underbrush first?

A: No, both series can stand alone. I don’t think reading the old comics will add to or detract from the new one.

Q: Would reading Urban Underbrush spoil any parts of Thicket Plaza?

A: Probably not, but some of the relationships will be similar, so if you read the earlier comics, you might be better at guessing some of the upcoming plots and storylines.

Q: What’s the update schedule?

A: It’s going to be sporadic at first, then we’ll see how it levels out. I’m still developing a lot of things behind the scenes. Normally I wouldn’t release a new comic until everything was mapped out with a big buffer of strips, but I knew that if I missed the New Year’s anniversary, I would just postpone the launch indefinitely and no one wants that. Don’t worry, I do have most of it worked out already, so we’re not lost from the start. I know it sounds cliche, but follow me on Twitter or Instagram and I’ll keep you in the loop on new updates.

Q: Will this mess up the Draconis Wicked schedule?

A: No, Draconis should be unaffected. Unrelated, I’m making my annual appearance at Super MAGFest this week, and that might keep me from uploading a new page on Monday. I might also need a development break between Chapter 11 and Chapter 12, but again, these interruptions will be unrelated to Thicket Plaza. I’ll keep you posted.

Q: Did you ever get your comics untangled on Comic Rocket?

A: Working on it.

Q: Did you ever get back into your account on Top Web Comics?

A: See previous answer.

Q: Wait a minute, is Thicket Plaza posted in cell phone format?

A: Yep, I’m trying out the vertical scroll format. I’ve laid out the comic panels so that each strip can be assembled as classic comic strip or as a tall stack. That way, I have nice options for print and web.

Q: Will Thicket Plaza get a spot on the menu bar and its own info pages?

A: Yes, I’ll start adding those features when I get back from MAGFest.

Q: Will you tell me anything about the story?

A: Nope, you’ll have to keep reading.

Did I miss any questions? Post them in the comments below. Your feedback lets me know what’s important to the audience.

Happy New Year.