I think it’s worth mentioning that Penny Arcade turned 19 years old on Saturday. All this started on November 18th 1998 which seems like ancient history at this point. I can still remember sitting in a chinese restaurant in Spokane with Kara and Jerry as he and I wrote that very first strip. Penny Arcade has changed a lot over the years but I have to say I have never been happier to go to work than in the last year or so. I’m not sure how many people can say that after working at a job for nearly 20 years but I feel incredibly fortunate that I get to do this every day.
So I just want to mark the date and say thank you to all the amazing people who work at PA. I am humbled by their hard work on my behalf and inspired by their talent every single day. I also want to thank all of you for supporting us all these years. I met so many people this weekend who told me they have been reading PA since it started. Kids who started reading the comic in middle school are now bringing their kids to PAX and introducing them to the community and the hobby that meant so much to them growing up. It’s very hard not to get misty eyed when someone tells me that our goofy strips got them through the hardest parts of their life. All I can do is tell you that you all have done the same for me.
I also want to thank Jerry who has somehow managed to remain my friend for 23 years despite all my worst tendencies. I am so proud of what we have managed to create and I don’t even think we’ve made our best stuff yet.
Finally I want to thank Kara for sticking with me through all of this. She married me just as I decided to quit my job and do this internet comic thing full time. We ate a lot of Top Ramen and lived in some pretty sketchy apartments but she always believed in the comic. Penny Arcade was by no means a sure thing and it’s had some rough times over the years, but she has always supported me and encouraged me even when I felt like giving up.
I don’t know what the next five or ten years looks like for PA but I do know that I have never been more excited to find out.
-Gabe Out
