A webcomic of strategic happenstance.

Shotgunshuffle.com is a webcomic I produce in an effort to offer story and character elements I find lacking in many internet offerings. While it's my first real pursuit in sequential storytelling, it's somewhat become my magnum opus. I wanted to write something I would want to read myself, and maybe fill a need seen by like-minded individuals who enjoy the medium. Shotgun Shuffle has had plenty of growing pains in its infancy, and it's come to point where financial support through Patreon is required to keep it on its feet.
I was recently in a position where ending the comic seemed like the only reasonable absolution to the expense of running the site, as well as the time each comic takes to produce. From overwhelming support and influence from my reader base, I'm here. They're the sole reason.
As a creator, if you can't listen to your own fans, what good are you?

New to the comic?
If you're not familiar, first and foremost: it has an ending. It's been working towards that end since the very first strip I made. The cast page alone conveys the characters already planned out for the future, and ultimate conclusion of the series.


So why's that so important? Because I'm using this medium to take you somewhere. This isn't Peanuts. The characters age, change.. get better, get worse. You're not going to be pledging this comic another 50 years and you as a reader won't feel like water was tread the entire way. No addition is ever pointless. It's not a gag-a-day, talking heads, or copy/paste comic. It's a saga of interpersonal relationships, societal breakdown, and life's general drudgery (with a slight dose of surrealism.)




Yeah about that surrealism...



Writing
In terms or writing, I try to marry the real and the fantasy with each story arc. Same with the lows and highs of life. Each one eventually brings its expected counterpart. I believe as people we're fairly optimistic in the end. This comic acts the same in its approach. The surreal elements I sporadically impose is an escape from the banality of life these characters would otherwise endure.

Something of tremendous importance to me when making this strip is to never write the characters in absolutes. No one person is right all the time. Nor are they wrong. No one is perfect, and as a counterbalance, no one is perpetually imperfect. The greatest thing I could ever accomplish in my writing is having my readers see both sides of the argument. I can make the colors in my comic as bright and flashy as I want, but the grayer the forefront issue is, the better.



Characters
I tend to avoid making my cast the wallflowers of the world. That's a huge personal preference I can't stand in comics.  I try to avoid having my characters simply argue or talk through each edition. Talking about the world. Observing it. Walking in a park observing it. Sitting on a couch discussing it.
Just need a good "Herr Herr" line for the last panel and we're golden, right?
Not really my M.O.

I don't vie for yuk-yuk-move-along comics. None of my comics will probably ever be a Facebook pass-around "everybody instantly gets it" gag. I mean sure, I hope you find the comic humorous.. but that's certainly not its sole intent. This comic isn't a gaggle of deadpan snarkers in a room with each other. It's story driven. It's characters that like, love, or hate one another. Then take those feelings and act on them. One of my characters wouldn't surround themselves with another that constantly put them down. How many times have we seen that in comics? Even though I bend the rules myself, I do prefer my creations act like people.
There will be blood!


Plot
Hard to say. It involves a grand lot. Perhaps youthful ignorance would be a good start? The majority of the cast is in their early adulthood and running out of fingers for each of their metaphorical dams. Dealing in responsibilities and obligations they're not quite conditioned for, they're learning what many of us have: As a functioning adult in everyday interactions, you're forced to be around people you may not necessarily like.

Sometimes that involves family. It may even include paying the bills.. but every now and then, in results in realizing how much we actually need each other.




Parody
Yes, I love me some parody.




Art
Any of my regular readers would tell you it's something I take the utmost pride in. The art of the comic is something I'm never quite satisfied with. Every strip has to be better than the last. I integrate gradients, transparencies, lighting, textures and colored lines as much as possible to give Shotgun Shuffle the most visually appealing presentation I can. It's a time consuming process from start to finish, but the end results hopefully speak for themselves.


Still undecided??
Better pull out my A-game. Here are some of Shotgun Shuffle's finer points:


Can't forget those musical strips. Remember when you were a kid and dad would gather the family around on Sundays and sing everyone the funny pages?





Well... I sincerely hope you help fund my little corner of the internet. We have a great community of readers, commentators, and genuinely conscientious observers. Whether you're just finding me now, or you've been with me for years, I'm always happy to have you along for the ride.

Warmest regards,
Chris Rusche