Keyguard Active

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500: Pop, The End

goodolwt

on July 6, 2008

So… 500. In the past this is where I would thank all of you for getting me here, and while I still want to do that (Thanks guys) I decided with such a big number deserved something equally grandiose. And for that, I’m going to not only reveal the single most frequently asked question about the comic, but also answer it for the first time. More than any other question, yes even more than “why does your art suck?” I’m asked the meaning of the strip’s title. What is a Keyguard and why is it Active?

I’ve avoided telling this story, because I didn’t know that I had an answer. Here’s the honest truth about what the title meant when I put it on the top of those very first long ago strips: Nothing. It was something my cell phone at the time did. Some of you may be too young to remember, but long ago Cell Phones didn’t all slide or flip shut. I had what is today called a Candybar Phone, because it’s about the size and shape of one. To keep the buttons from getting pushed and having me call random people constantly, you could push a series of buttons and turn on the Key Guard. When this was one my phone’s screen would read “Keyguard Active.”

It was meaningless, but I liked the sound of it so it went up that way. I figured I could always just change it later, if I came up with something better. I didn’t. However.

I’ve been thinking about that name for the last few weeks, though. What is the function of a Keyguard? To halt communication, really. When it’s turned on, outgoing calls are an impossibility. Sure, you can receive them, but you’ve put a barrier between you and the world. And that’s how I live my life.

I’m not an outgoing person by nature. I’ll take what comes, sure, but I’m not out there perusing things. I sit, and I wait. I’m tired of waiting. I’ve learned many things from doing the strip, both about myself and those around me. I think this may well be the most important. I’m dropping that safety net.

So while my personal key guard may be deactivated, Keyguard Active barrels on. I mean come on! Five Hundred comics is quite a few, but I feel like I’ve got at least that many more in me still. The road to Keyguard Active #1000 begins today. I hope I see you all when we get there.

Until Tomorrow…