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I thought the comic was disqualified this year for changing format?

Apparently not; I just went and voted for it just fine. How did it change that would have disqualified it?

As long as the comic continues to go up against SaveState, 2nd place is all HP is getting...
I just like that art style better.

Voted :3

I like Savestate as well! I much prefer Housepets's art.

First time voting in this.
Good luck Rick!

Is that time of the year again ? Voting for HP ! Savestate is a very strong second place, I like Tims style but uploading just once a week might not be enough for winning.

And who knows... maybe next year there will be a new contender *winks while looking at my banner*

I voted yesterday, I hope Housepets! will win the award also this year! My second place is for Savestate.


The doubt is about the now different comic format, that changed from strips to entire and half pages. The website talks about "Newspaper-style strips", indeed.

I voted! It's cool seeing Housepets! win so much, though I'll admit it's kinda lame the same comic wins year after year after year. It's good Housepets! keeps quality consistently high, but the furry fandom needs to step up its game!

There. I voted and I made this topic so that everyone can see it. ^^

One good contestant would be Savestate, but one upload a week is not enough and makes the development really slow. The Whiteboard, now, that would be an interesting candidate

This was the reason that I gave for not pulling myself out of the running. I'd really LIKE to see someone overtake me, though I'm p sure the best contestants don't have the regular update format I do

It should push them to want to improve more. Getting a good updating schedule and drawing consistently without a feel of flack is one of those things i feel the comic does so well.

Well yes and no. If the goal (of other artists) is to win the Ursa Major and "dethrone" Housepets!, then yes, they should improve their updating schedule, but in a lot of cases this isn´t the main goal. A lot of artists just want to tell the stories they want to share. And unlike Rick, they aren't full time artists (I believe this is the case of Savestate's Tim) and can't commit to a 3-time-a-week upload.

Now, this doesn't mean the artist shouldn´t push him/herself to improve in areas like the artwork or the storytelling (both being things that Rick has pretty much mastered). So, in a more specific example, the only scenario I can see where Savestate (who is right now the second best) wins the Ursa Major, is if Tim starts uploading more than once a week, and since he's not a full time artist, it is very unlikely for this to happen.

*I must say that I haven't checked the other participants, so this thing about the updating schedule might not apply to them.

So you are waiting for the Chosen One to arrive to take the place they no doubt would have to earn, whoever that may be. Well, good luck to the contestants.

I wonder how the MLP fandom would react if MLP:FIM won.



Well, Kevin and Kell has a regular daily update format. Unfortunately for them, that combined with the fact that the comic is over 20 years old means that the comic's jokes have gotten repetitive, and no longer have the element of surprise that is so important for the comic's style of comedy. I have to hand it to the artist, he has never missed a scheduled update in all that time. Not that I know of anyway.

I'm confident the goal of theirs isn't to just win the awards, but it woudln't surprise me if there is at least a little competitiveness out there on the ursa awards at least. =3

Not to mention EVOLUTION. Not only you have kept constant with your storytelling, but you always worked to improve your style and after all these years your comic still reads as fresh as new.

Not to mention actually providing things on time for your patrons instead of "comic's late again, sorry!" "burnt out, can't even be bothered with guest week, just not going to work for another 2 weeks... see you at the con!"

Plus it's not even that good, to be honest. It's like Garfield. What it did was important for its time, but it failed to evolve in any significant way and now it's basically a historically important relic more than it is quality entertainment.

Yeah, that's why I stopped reading it. Though to be fair, I think the reason for that might be because the artist has exhausted all of his ideas and thus keeps returning to the same jokes. It's pretty hard to keep coming up with fresh ideas and funny jokes every single day. To make it worse, his favorite jokes rely on an unexpected twist, but he's used those jokes so often that it's more unexpected if there ISN'T a twist.

In short it's bad, but for an understandable reason. Probably why I stuck with it as long as I did.

In other news, I saw S&S was nominated for best graphic story. I wish Jan luck on that. Kind of disappointed DMFA wasn't up there. It's really well done.

You know... you are absolutely right ! That kind of competitiveness at the end makes the artist want to be better...

But what happens when the next book comes out and it doesn't say housepets won the ursa major award!?

Annnnd Rick wins again

Grats, Rick!

Congrats Rick!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

*dances* well-deserved congratulations, furret!!

Yay! Great! Congratulations for the eighth consecutive win!

isn't he a roo now?
anyway, congrats, Rick

Congrats Rick!

Conga Rats, Rick! Are you going to take next year off and give everyone else a chance?

DocRat updates 5 days a week. Jenner creates them all on a Wednesday as that's the only day he's not ready to see patients as a Melbourne GP.

The creator of "Carry on" puts in three updates a week and sometimes adds in strips for the crosstimecafe whilst being a full time farmer.

I'll never say you don't work hard - to the bone, even - Rick, but some of the other top talent may have more 'distractions' meaning it's a miracle they keep to their update schedules so well.

Congratulations Rick! Love to see my fav webcomic at the top again.

Egad! VADE RETRO, DEMONIO! BEGONE, DEMON!

Congrats, Rick!

I was at Anthrocon but never made it to the ceremony, awwr...

ALL SHALL TREMBLE BEFORE THE FURRET'S UNBROKEN DOMINANCE

LOOK ON HIS WORK AND DESPAIR






...anyway, congratulations Rick!