Page 44 & The Soon End of Alpha Luna
Back at the end of 2014 I started a dream, that I could create a comic that could reach people in love with werewolves as much as I loved them, as amazing creatures that could be more than horror icons but fierce heroes too. The story of a girl named Luna in a story of self discovery. It’s been almost 15 years and after many and a few road bumps and hiatuses along the way I’m still working on it as much as I can.
But the time has come to look forward to her farewell. But before you send flying your table out of the window, let me tell you Alpha Luna is not ending today but soon, as we reach chapter’s 5 ending. Which means, about two months of drawing works from today. Time which will add at least 8 pages or more depending on the layouts I’m working atm. That means pages will be posted more regularly from now on and the Alpha Luna Chronicles being posted at my Patreon will still happen, in fact they may last longer than Alpha Luna main story line.
So then, Why is Alpha Luna ending? Well to start, it’s been a long time. Through the years It was always an uphill road as I never took AL to another level of production, it was and it always been a solo endeavor and many times through the years I took time out as I grew up as an artist and as a creator. But I couldn’t focus or learning other things as each AL page took me about 12 hours of continuos work to make. I did many sacrifices of my life time for it, but my art and narrative was never as good and neither consistent to reach an audience big enough to go to another level. It drained me over time and the hiatuses repeated itself over and over digging a bigger hole scaring old readers away and making my goals just a wishful thinking.
The good side of these hiatuses is that I managed to recover energies and gain inspiration for what was to come, write down the script, get new ideas and get excited for the future but at the same time my slow pace drained the patience of most readers away, and I can’t keep doing that.
And that passion I had at the beginning is not with me anymore, I feel like Bilbo after the ring has passed to Frodo, and I can’t keep forcing to draw what is not there. I loved the characters, I loved that they connected with so many readers like you who loved Luna, Collie and Fang. I loved the response and I loved the community that we created over time.
But this is an anticipated farewell. I took this month out to think all these things, to rewrite a bit of the last pages of AL which won’t and can’t bring a closed ending to the story. A few things will inevitably just end up hanging, like a series that was cancelled before another season.
But at least some sense of closing will be there, a sense of achievement I hope to convey through the last pages where Luna will be happy for who she is now and what may lie in the horizon on a full moon.
But remember I’m NOT leaving right now, I have at least 2 months of Alpha Luna works still to do. I’ll be publishing in my country (Chile) the 3rd and last book (next June) that will “end” the series and that means a new cover work to make.
So I hope you still stay around for the months to come. The new AL Chronicles comics at the store and Patreon are amazing and I can’t be more happy of what the artists have made. I’m uploading 4 new pages of those each month to Patreon.
My work with AL will end, but I’ll keep drawing for my own from time to time and taking commissions here and there. But this a chapter in my life that was due to happen sooner or later and I think I can be glad that at least I’m doing it in my own terms.
Thanks to all of you who loved my work and followed me through the years. Thanks to you who did those amazing art-gift you send, even if I didn’t reply all your emails, thanks from the bottom of my hearth, you made my life a bit happier.
All of this has has been an incredible journey for me and while I feel a sense of sorrow due this announcement I also feel grateful for the experience I gained working on it. I won’t say good bye just yet, the last howl is on the horizon but for now I look forward to it with a content spirit.
Thanks to all of you, the true pack.
Leo
Comments
Leo,
I remember when you started Alpha Luna, and I admit that there were times i lost track of it but I always came back to this wonderful series. I will be sad to see it come to an end, but I can understand your reasoning behind it. I wish you all the best in what future awaits you, and I hope you will continue to share your future artistic endeavors with us. May your future be bright and the full moon continue to shine on you.
Anira.
Thanks for touching words and best wishes, thank you Anira 🙂
Loooong time fan (2004 maybe?) here.
I’m glad you could find the strength to come back to it to finish it some way (indefinite hiatus is so frequently seen on that kind of project)
I deeply understand and respect your decision and am eagerly waiting for the last pages of AlphaLuna
Thousands thanks to you Leo.Alphaluna accompanied my adolescence, I learned through this comic strip to look deep in my soul and know who I was. When I discovered your work I loved it and I fell in love with Luna ^^ ” .Thank you Leo thanks to you I got to know myself.
It’s so crazy to think that so many years following the story, it has been only a few days for the characters >.<
Well, I gotta say thank you so much for the story and the characters, Leo. And good luck on your future enterprises ^^
Thank you for being honest with us Leo. I remember the first time I found this comic was…I was in a deep emotional ditch. Reading it for the first time was a uplifting experience and looking forward to upcoming pages helped me to start climbing out of my depression. I absolutely love the characters (How can you not love Luna) and I’m sad to see them go. It almost feels like saying goodbye to long time friends. It practically feels like I’m saying goodbye to a part of my adolescence. Though the comic may be ending… I will always be thankful for both you and Alpha Luna for helping me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you will be willing to share the plot details that never came to fruition with us! I look forward to the ending and to your future projects. Never stop howling Leo!
Leo, let’s use THE POWER OF PRINCESS MEOWIA!!!
Let’s meow!
Will it be sad to see this story come to an end? Yeah, it will. But I thank you for the story that we were treated to.
It definitely helped challenge and evolve my views of what werewolves (tied with dragons and mermaids as my favorite mythical creature) can be like.
And I also thank you for letting us know ahead of time. Far too often, I have seen webcomics end abruptly, sometimes in the middle of the chapter, with no resolution whatsoever.
I hope that you keep this website up, however, to allow us longtime readers and fans to come back and reread the story from the beginning whenever we wanted to.
As it has been said before, and will be said again, thank you for everything, and never stop howling, Leo!
I’ll miss you and the story so much, I remember back in 2014 or 15 when I first found the comic and I’ve sticked with it ever since. It’s very nostalgic. I’m glad at least it will have some closure, but these things are very hard. It’s rare for me to stick to something for such a long time too! I tend to forget about things in time but werewolves have been exciting for me for at least 6 or 7 years! Heck, my online usernames are inspired by this comic.
Anyway, it will be nice to see the last few pages up. VwV
Alpha Luna was such a big part of my life. I first found it in third grade when I was doing some deep internet searching. I wasn’t really sure what a werewolf was but I fell in love with the comic and got so excited over it that I told my friends about it, though they weren’t as excited about it as me. The art, the characters, the plot. It was all so real. I felt like I belonged with them. From there, I wondered if there were other comics like it out there. This led me to finding all of the webcomics that I read today, including Paradigm Shift, How To Be A Werewolf, The Night Belongs To Us, Eldritch (hopefully that’s spelled right), and Days of Hana. The anticipation of waiting for these comics to come out is what brightens my week. Especially yours. I was there, through the days, weeks, months, and years. Through the regularly scheduled pages, and the long hiatuses. This is the comic that started it all. The comic that did so much for me. I am really happy to have been apart of this experience and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. Thank you for a great childhood and an even greater future. It’s been a lovely 7 years. God bless. 🙂
As a writer myself (Though I only do short stories to show my family and friends) I see where you are coming from but in a way it doesn’t have to be the end to the main story line. Why here’s the solution; turn the series into a normal book or even continue it like that. Yes it may take time but when writing a book you can take your time and if you think the plot “should be this instead of that” follow your gut and take your time and use the first idea for either a different story or later on in the book/series. For example I have started to write a book well at first my concept was gonna be science fiction warfare but now I have decided to make it more fantasy/historical turn (mostly because your work with Alpha Luna inspired me). But I understand if you don’t continue.
will this be the end of the comic?
and why?
Thanks big wolf Leo, for all that incredible story you’ve created. I think I speak for more people than myself when I say your story has delighted us and became part of our minds.
*ear-to-ear grin*
Btw after you finish AL will you keep updating your comics in this website?because is the only place I know to come and see your work
Tristina I think he said he will be updating more on patreon and his deviantart after AL.
I love this comic. I from Poland, but i can speak English ( only easy words ;)) I love werewolves <3
Been Reading AL since you started Leo and even though it have taken awhile to get this far the comics still worth it and still one of the best werewolf comics around. But sad to see it go but nothing lasts forever.
I’ll still check and see what you and for an additional things you post
You comics are interesting
Ok, and a whole month gone and silence. I assume he’s working on stuff but again he may be on another hiatus.
Thank you. When I found your comic (2015) I see: quality, excellence. You gave me a passion for this story. I remember all problem you says to us and all the time you wake up and fight. That’s Why I love you (not literaly because that make us gay(I think)) you gave me that energy. For that I thank you. Greetings from Swiss
Thanks Leo, although your comics is too good to be Ended
I’ve been reading since the comic started and stuck around through pretty much everything that happened. Alpha Luna was a great comic series that I’ll be sad to see go but it’s end is understandable. You do what you need to so you can keep creating great pieces of art and move on to bigger and better things.
I’ll miss AL but I know that you’ll keep drawing great stuff. Thanks for all the years of hard work for one of the best werewolf comics out there 🙂
Hi, I just read through your work, and I love what you have done.
I respect that you wish to end this, but I must ask, is this the final page of chapter 5? Or are you waiting until you finish the rest of the chapter before you post it here?
I apologize if this is too forward of me, but as a fan of this who can’t afford being a patron at the moment, I don’t want to feel left wanting.
Regardless, I wish you well on your work.
You know, I don’t wanna sound pessimistic or anything, but I had a feeling something like this may happen, between the long pauses, the story that seemed to project itself further and further into the future, I was actually fearing AL ending short of the initial vision for a long time.
Now, I have followed AL passively for like a decade now, I found you by accident on DA and kept an eye or your work ever since, AL has been a great source of inspiration and introspection for the works I hope to one day bring to life, and in all honesty, hearing your plan for an AL sendoff after this part of the story is over, ans not abandoning at all, put a big smile on my face, a great balance between passion and personal responsibility, I knew this time would come, but now I’m so glad it’s gonna be a bang, an ending worth of such long hype.
I would say more, but this comment is long enough as it is, all I gotta say now is thank you very much for being a great example and an inspiration.
Sincerely, a fan from Cauquenes.
Cuidate Leo