I'm not cool enough to say that I was here at the very beginning, but I do remember finding OP on the internet in 2008 and instantly falling in love with it. Since then I've re-read it several times over and there's one thing in particular that really stands out for me: I am constantly amazed by how every time I go through the entire run again, there's yet another plot point or little easter egg to be discovered. Meredith is the master of letting silence and suggestion fill her writing. The sheer quantity (and quality!) of character traits and nuanced bits of personality that were communicated not by what characters said, but what they didn't say, is unbelievable.
When I started reading OP, I was just starting to enter my 20's, and there were so many different aspects of the comic that I didn't "get". I couldn't appreciate the subtext because I hadn't encountered those relational experiences myself. Now, a decade later, it's funny how many of those interpretations speak to me with such clarity.
Thank you Meredith for writing and drawing such a wonderful story over the last 10 years, and letting us chart our own growth along the way.
man i knew the end was coming but i didn't expect it to come so fast! i only started reading around this time last year when i was in a place where i really needed it. i'm happy i got to see it oht to the end. thanks for everything mer! :'-)
This comic has been such a joy for all these years- watching your characters and skills develop and change was a positive influence on my own life. I look forward for whatever comes next!
Thanks for everything, I grew up with this comic. I changed a lot and my life is now better than ever, and I think I should say thanks… so… thank you so much
In just over 2 months, I turn 30. When I started reading Octopus Pie, I was barely 20. This comic has been my 20s. My 20s have good at times, bad at others, but through it all I've had this comic. Thank you, Meredith. This comic has been very important to me, and I look forward to what you make next.
Thank you for the amazing ride, Mer! This might be the first comic I've ever read that stops at its very peak and I love it. I'm sure I will reread it in its entirety every decade. <3
Unlike so many of these young whippersnappers, I am an *old* fart comics nerd (turned 52 last month!) and have been an OP fan since strip #22. And OP totally brought me back to what it was like to be a 20 something – swimming/half-drowning in a crazy ocean of 'adult' life that I felt completely unprepared for. Desperately wanting to figure out who to be. And like Eve, it was my friendships and loves that saw me through.
Mer, your art and story-telling started off great and have both leveled up so many times in ten years that it makes me dizzy. I can't wait to see what you do next – I'm a fan for life!
Thanks for everything, Meredith. Octopus Pie got me through some really hard times several years back and it's bittersweet to see it ending. I love these characters and the changes they've gone through and I'll miss this comic dearly. Thank you, thank you.
What a fantastic ending. As if it were a beginning.
Thank *YOU* for sharing all of this, Meredith.
I'm lacking words at the moment for thanking you, for letting us be part of this journey and for working so hard on this beautiful world and characters. It has helped me in ways I didn't know, and I'm sure re-reading it again and again I will find the joy that is rediscovering old stories and bringing back memories of my own, and the wonder of finding new things I never noticed. Like a book you read in hisghschool and rediscover every time your read it, as the years go by,
At the moment I can only say that definitely some part of July's budget will go to getting a physical copy of whatever volume I am able to get my hands on, and later on to try and help with your future endeavours.
It's over and I'm not even crying. I just feel warm inside. Thank you for this comic. Not only has it kept my head on straight more than once, it inspired me to pursue my art. After graduating with a BFA it feels like a lot of things are coming to an end, but I'm gonna keep on going. Thank you, Meredith.
As I've figured out from reading, Meredith made another interesting analogy for all the drama we fill our 20's with. It all really amounts to very little when we realize that real life is so much more.
Thank you so much, Mer. Octopus Pie has been a companion story for me through my own twenties. I'm proud of all of the accomplishments you and your team have made. This was a beautiful and fitting end to a deep, thoughtful, manic and magical journey.
And thank God there are no more existential boyfriends.
I know I'll be echoing a lot of people's thoughts here, but thank you for so many years of awesomeness.
I have a few tears wobbling around in my eyes threatening to leak at any moment, so as my vision starts blurring and typing gets more difficult I'll just say that this comic is, was and will continue to be an inspiration to me. Many a day has come by that's really dragged me down and getting to read a new OctoPie at the end of the day really perked me up.
I can't wait to see what you have in store for us next but for now enjoy the downtime and give the creative juices some time to reassemble.
Wow! I can hardly believe it's been 10 years. What an immeasurable journey. I was introduced to Octopus Pie shortly after graduating high school. The adventures of Eve Ning provided a steady semblance of security and familiarity that I often found lacking in my transitional struggle into 'adulthood'. Never in a million years would I have imagined the journey that Octopus Pie has taken me on would be one of such immense personal growth. I often think back on the characters with a melancholy nostalgia usually reserved for close personal friends and family. If anything, it is a testimony to the trueness and sincerity of the Octopus Pie universe. It has, and always will have, a place close to my heart.
Thank you so, so much. This comic has meant more to so many of us than we'll ever be able to express– I think many of us living our 20s-30s in this city (and any others!) found ourselves, our struggles, and our stories painted so beautifully in your comic. Thanks for this really incredible gift and for reaching out and connecting us all ?
It's been an awesome ride and this comic is so unique and amazing I know I'll always miss it. But like Eve, Meredith has to move on to greater things. Good luck on your future endeavors and thanks for a decade of great reading.
Thank you, Mer, for letting us into the lives of these characters. What a wild ride the past 10 years has been…sad to see it end; but as they say, "All good things…" It's been excellent.
Thank you for this wonderful comic, and I wish you all the best on your new endeavors! I'll be watching to see what comes next!
Editing to add a bit more: Meredith, I think you're one of the best writers in comics (and I love your art, too). Your ability to let gesture and silence tell stories is superb. You're not afraid of the things that writers–myself included–are so often afraid of: skipping chunks of time; letting your characters change and grow; giving your characters flaws that really, deeply hurt them from time to time (and not all of which they overcome). I can't wait to see what you apply your talent to next.
Thank you also for not giving us a Harry Potter ending, if that makes sense. I don't need to know where these characters are 19 years from now. We don't get to know if Hanna and Marigold ever reconcile, or if Will and Eve work out. You've left it open, which is the way life really works. We don't get to see the future, we can only try and prepare ourselves for it, much like your characters have been trying to do in recent storylines.
I loved this comic. I'm sad it's done, but I'm very thankful it was here at all.
Tomorrow I turn 27, and I can't thank you enough for this bittersweet birthday gift, Meredith. Like so many have eloquently said before me, OP has meant so much to me and I'm grateful to have been a part of this journey and this community of kind, smart, supportive readers. I'll miss the comic, but I'll forever cherish the ways in which it inspired me and made me feel.
I've read Hanna and Marek's break up arc over 100 times I'm pretty sure, probably as a form of therapy at this point, since I'm seemingly in the exact same situation in my current relationship. I guess that's what I love most about OP. How reflective of my own insecurities, struggles, identity and growth my 20's have been.
I don't think I can really type up how much this comic has given to me in a simple comment box, so I'll just simply say;
I've not commented here for many years, but have followed in silence.
I guess now's a good time to give my final word.
Thank you Meredith, for everything. This comic, its stories, its characters, not only has it been inspiring, but it has helped me in my own life with a number of things.
I hope to acquire the remaining/ missing volumes, so please keep selling them!
I'm genuinely going to miss it. At a serious loss for words… want to say more, can't think.
Thank you for the ride, thank you for the feels. Just, thank you. <3
Thank you Miss Gran for this wonderful webcomic that not only has a really wonderful art but it also show us the depth and development in all it´s characters, but I have only two questions that I hope you could answer: What is the meaning of the name of the comic (Octopus Pie) and why did you pick it for the webcomic?
I started reading octopus pie when I was 20. I'm 27 next month.
It has carried me all the way here.
I read a FUCKLOAD of comics and webcomics but none has had that much influence for me. I grew up with the characters and now I'm pretty much Eve: terrified of what's next
What is going to become of me without Octopus Pie?
I'm heartbroken, but also so grateful to you Meredith, because it really got me through some tough times. I hope I've stored enough Octopus Pie in me to last me for the next ones.
Thank you so much for these ten years you gave us, and I'll be there for whatever's next.
Long time reader (since the story where Eve gets her bike nicked – Mr Pedals!), first time poster.
These characters feel like real people who's lives continue even when I'm not reading. That takes great writing – thanks Meredith. Seeing you refine your art over the years has been a pleasure.
Now the big question – who to ask for as a sketch in the final print volume? I've already got Eve, Hanna, Marigold (short hair!), Marek. It's got to be Will, right?… (sideways stare at Jane…)
This has been one of the richest and deepest comics I can ever remember reading in just about everything – art, writing, story, character development, humour, the whole 9…
Best of luck with the future endeavours – looking forward to the new projects.
I don't know what I could say to thank you enough for every minute I've spent with Eve, Hannah, and company. I'm a couple years off from 30, and this comic's given me so much hope. Especially Ollie's letter. I really needed to hear that.
You've become one of my favorite artists, and a real inspiration to me.
Thank you. I was just about to turn 20 when I hopped on the Octopus Pie wagon and now I'm just about to turn 29 and I don't want it to end, especially since my life looks more and more like Eve's every day. Hopefully I'll break free just like she has.
I'll miss these characters, but I'll re-read again and again as I have nearly every year. I'll mostly miss you, Mer. Through Eve, Hannah and the gang, I admire your talent and adore your personality that shines through every page and word.
the link to Octopus Pie has been on the toolbar of every computer ive ever owned. i dont know what i would possibly replace it with, but im not ready to remove it just yet anyways. Thank you. this has been one of my favorite things since high school
Oh gosh, it's so weird to think that now… OP's going to end? It's been such a good webcomic that I've been following for so long. Thank you so very much, Meredith.
Will you be doing something else? Something we can follow to satisfy our addiction to your stuff?
I had barely started college when I found this comic. I had just moved to North America, the culture shock was more than I expected, put together with the shock of isolating myself on a new continent to force myself to grow up… this comic was always there to give me a sense of perspective, even when I wasn't mature enough to understand it. Every time I reread this comic I find something new to relate to; a retrospective, a glimpse into the future.
I'm entering the second half of my 20s now. Graduate school, viable job opportunities, a new perspective of family and social life. I still don't know where I'm headed. But I'm taking my time getting there. And I'm glad I saw this comic come to its destination, in the meanwhile. I'm gonna miss it. The art style, the writing, it's like a familiar voice I've imprinted on, that cool older friend whose stories and experiences always held you by the ear. I'm running out of ways to put my emotions into words. Honestly, just. It's just been great.
I just wanted to drop in a congratulations on reaching the end of the run.
It's an impressive achievement.
I'm leaving with a little smile, a little ache in my heart and a lot of good memories of people who, while they may not be real, certainly gave me some very real things to leave with.
All the best in wherever you go and whatever you do next.
Girls with Slingshots, Dar, Apple Geeks, Girly, Yu+Me, and now Octopus Pie. It's such a weird experience seeing what seems like a look into real people's live come to an end. Webcomics are such a personal experience because unlike their closest comparison, TV, there can be multiple updates to them every week. Like you are really watching someone's life go by day by day, even more so with auto biographical.
Whenever I lose another webcomic from my first years of crawling around the internet…I feel like I'm losing these friends I never had. This crushing realization that I will never hear from them again, that it all was just a story I was following from the outside, that they never existed. The frequency at which I am learning about these "people's" lives makes it seems all the more real, and the loss all the more blunt. I hope this comment gets pushed to the back because it certainly shouldn't, and won't, dampen the overwhelming gratitude everyone is rightfully giving Meredith for her work. I just…had to write it all down for once, since I never did for any of the other "friends" I've "lost."
You said that rather well. We get invested in things and people and then "poof" they're gone! (A 10-year "poof" in this case but it went too fast, right?).
But the beauty is in our getting to experience things that are external to us. We get an opportunity to feel those feelings that make us the richer for it.
as I have loved all of this comic. Thank you for the enormous gift, and the growth, and the art, and the beauty, and the joy. Looking forward to whatever you do next.
I LAUGHED SO FLIPPIN HARD!!!! OLLY YOU CHEAP BASTIDGE!
Meredith thank you so much for everything. I did not read you from your earliest days but I have been a regular reader ever since I started in the aughts. Your characters' angst and search for meaning and happiness have been a counterpoint to my own throughout. I honor the insight and sensitivity you have to people's hearts. It has been a long time since my own 20s… well, not more than 13 years since the end of them technically, but that is long enough to get into a very different place, and you gave me a wonderful… not mirror, but optical implement of some kind… to look back at the possibilities, the choices good and boneheaded, the people I knew and the people I thought I knew but only saw distortions of my self in. Thank you and prayers and blessings on your next endeavors.
Meredith, as someone who started your comic at the age of twenty, thank you so much. I think our generation is one that is so often maligned, mocked, and ridiculed. It's been sometimes frustrating working so hard and seeing all my friends work so hard and then be told by the world that we're lazy.
Octopus Pie has been the one media that for me got it. It got what it was like to be at this time in your life at this time in the world. I think it'll be something I always come back to. It's not just an amazing comic, but I imagine will become a sort of time machine to a specific time in my life.
I can never thank you so much for the work you've done.
Can't beleive it was 6 years ago when i started to read the OP… i gonna miss Eve and Hanna , Will and the rest.. Gonna miss coming here once or twice a week just to see if there is a new page. Checking out the website like my email with a daily routine. Thank You Meredith!
I've been reading this comic from right around the beginning, and I want to thank you for sharing it with everyone. This comic has meant a lot to me, and it taught so many things about writing and storytelling. You made characters I think everyone is going to sincerely miss, and wrote adventures that we'll all remember. And, I hope I'll find a way to tell a story even half as good as yours. I wanted to say this when I saw you at MoCCA, but I suck at in person stuff. So, thank you so much.
I remember when this comic went to 'whenever' updates, when Meredith decided to try a more episodic update schedule.. 2011, was it? I forget, now. I didn't like waiting so long between updates. I thought it was bad for the comic. "I'll stop reading," I said to myself. "I'll stop reading."
I couldn't, of course. And suddenly it's 2017, and I don't get a choice anymore.
Thank you Meredith for one of the most beautiful, heartfelt, poignant silly and all-in-all comics I've ever read. Good luck and Godspeed in all future endeavors. Also please let us know how Eve, Hannah, Merek, Will, Mar, Jane, Ollie and the rest of the crew are doing from every now and then.
Oh my. Can't believe it's over. I was 32 and had hair when started reading it. It's been quite a ride. It felt more like living in an alternate reality than reading a comic. Thank you so, so much, Ms. Gran. You made possible for me to live 10 more years. Thank you.
Can't wait to see your next project!
I can't overstate how much Octopie has meant to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll keep pushing this work on everyone important to me for decades. Mar and Jane's relationship in particular has been so stabilizing for me Can't wait for what comes next.
When I started reading OP, I was a dumb teenager looking up to the characters as maybe half-warning-half-incentive of what life in my twenties would look like. Now I'm a dumb twenty something stubbornly failing my way through life and man, I feel I've done pretty good by these role models.
LOL! Can I end up writing two comments, one for immediate and now and one for later? Thank you Meredith Gran. I can't… believe how incredible a writer and astute a person you are. Eve's fears, dreams, non-actions… how can it feel so personal yet clearly be so universal, seeing as all your fans love and relate so much with this comic. I relate so much with Eve. Not to mention the fact that she's Asian is another beautiful thing that's still difficult to find, POC representation.
I started reading this years ago of course and I actually don't think my early 20's mind REALLY could relate to all of the goings on of the characters so I will no doubt be re-reading this comic soon as I now near 30, to really get the full gist of things. But getting to read these final arcs at a time where it did all start really resonating, it made octopus pie somewhere SAFE to go to. A place where everything felt right, no matter what chaos or heartbreak or cartoonish insanity was happening; it always felt like the right thing was going on. It was somewhere I could trust to go and to find exactly what I needed to see at just that moment.
Thanks Meredith. Thanks Eve, Hanna, Marek, Will. Oh and Olly, of course… thank you.
When I realised that this was It, The End, my body automatically started to go into the fetal pose in my computer chair, tears started to well my eyes, and my chest felt tight. I have been reading this for nearly 10 years and it has been something to look forward to; to know and love the characters, to appreciate the art, to Feel. It has outlasted good times and bad, relationships and loss. It has been a stability. I can't thank you enough for giving us this, for putting in all the hours and work.
I'll miss Octopus Pie. Jeez, I already miss it and I'm staring at the page! Wherever you go from here, whatever you work on, I hope it brings you as much happiness as we got out of reading your comic. Thank you, Meredith. Thank you.
Thank you so much for everything! I've been reading this comic from the start and it's been a joy, one of the best webcomics I've ever read and one of the only ones I've stuck with for this long. Thank you so so much for sharing your story and gift with all of us, and best of luck to you in all your future projects.
Can't say that I've ever commented on a webcomic. Then again, no comic has ever held my attention for 10 years. Thank you so much for this lovely work. I'm excited to see what's next for you!
Thank you so much for Octopus Pie. It's brilliant. So subtle, human, and exciting. I have loved reading it and waited anxiously for the next page over several years.
As so many others have said, a wonderful achievement, a truly great comic, and a satisfying (particularly because it's quite open-ended) conclusion. Thanks for all your hard work, Meredith!
Thank you so much Meredith, for one of the finest, funniest, most uplifting, tragic, beautiful and all round wonderful stories it's ever been my pleasure to read. Between laughing so hard I cried, and sometimes just straight-up crying, are the truly great moments that knocked me flat on my arse with pure revelatory awe; the last page of The Gray Lady, in particular, never fails to completely stagger me. Octopus Pie is the only comic I can think of that's ever done that for me. You are, to understate the point massively, a sublime storyteller, and I eagerly await whatever you choose to do next. For the time being I can think of no-one more deserving of a rest.
P.S.: The coffee-stained print my friend had you sign is one of my most treasured possessions.
I've been reading OP since I was in college, around 2009 or 2010. Among all of the webcomics, I've read, I truly believe that it's OP that left the clearest imprint in my life. Sometimes I talk to my friends or my SO and have this feeling that this seems like something that happened in your comic. Sometimes I even drop a line or two from it.
I've matured with and through OP. Like many of the readers here, I think it's incredible that you've made something that captured what it's like to come of age in your 20s.
Thank you so much, Meredith.
P.S.
I felt so, so lucky that I found the first volume of OP in a bookstore here in Manila. Even more lucky that I got to get it.
The lights dim, the curtain slowly closes and the audience just sits in silence in a darkened theater in awe of having been witness to a work of art that has reached into each soul and touched each heart in a way that becomes unique to the life of each.
"Bye, bye Miss OctopusPie…."
Meredith, you're wrapping up OP as I've turned 75. You use so many contemporary references and yet the storyline is timeless. I'll miss it like I miss old friends long gone but I'll look forward to following your work and looking for new. You've made an indelible mark on my life (and obviously many others) and I thank you.
Congratulations on an amazing run, Meredith. OP has been not only a joy, it was a great conduit to the world for you. But, it also gave back to all of us. And hey! way to end with a nod to Peanuts. You did it right. Keep your hands moving, make great work, and cheers to you.
everyone else is posting really well thought out comments, all i can say is i've been reading for a long while, i love the comic, i love this ending, i love you, thanks for octopus pie
And just now, If you listen to the whispers gently floating on the breeze, you can hear that one guy berating themselves for only now getting the "Eve Ning = Evening" thing.
Goodnight folks!
Started reading Octopus Pie about 7 years ago. It was so fun to read, so emotional to go through, and so great to experience. It even gave me the courage to make my own webcomic. I knew it was a sign when I saw Vol 1 in the book store yesterday. Octopus Pie is truly an inspiration.Thank you for everything, Meredith.
I just wanted to say, that as a creative pro, you work has been a unique and beautiful gem. It has been a pleasure and an honor to be on board for that most rare of things on the Web, a genuine unique and intimate STORY. Will absolutely be missed.
As a creative pro, I've dabbled in the occasional comic project, and I am terrifyingly aware of how much work must have gone into Octopus Pie. It is a magnificent achievement.
It's been an amazing ride. Thank you Meredith for creating this story and these characters. I will miss seeing a new OP post in my RSS feed and knowing with absolute certainty that my day was about to improve.
I read the farewell letter, it was touching, kind, and thoughtful.
It also left me wondering *why* the comic is over, that seems like kind of an elephant in the room (or I missed something obvious). Don't misunderstand me, I don't *need* this or that explanation, just one. The story was supposed to end here, it was planned for a while? Great! Personal life stuff makes doing this not a good idea? Makes sense. Can anyone help me understand the why here?
I do believe it has much more to do with the character's lives. This, like many here have pointed, is an ending with a new beggining hinted at it.
They are finally transiotioning from where they were when the comic started to new points at their lives. So the turmoil they were in, the discoveries, sadness and joy, is shifted to whole new things.
OctoPie was about a certain phase of their lives that is over now. So, there's no more story to tell that can be called OctoPie. I think it's something like that.
First thing that came to my mind was to say "I wanted it to go just a little longer".
I started reading OP when I wasn't even in high school I guess. Time went on, and you suddenly realize your favorite comic, packed with ny-hipster-jokes, has become a thing you relate to so much. As if being a wonderfully written, drawn (and colored lately, that went so good together, props to Valerie!) you just enjoyed so much wasn't enough.
Thank you very much Meredith, and I wish you all the best.
PS. I can't wait to get the whole book in print 🙂
(actually this is the first example that comes to my mind when it goes about whether web-comics can be as good as the 'normal' ones)
Hi Meredith. I have been reading octopus pie since I was in late high school when it was only two ish chapters in. It’s been a long ride but I’m happy to have been here for so long. It’s weird, I know they are fictional characters but back in high school and in college, in a lot of ways I got a lot of advices from them because they technically had more life experience than me haha. Few years later, it became less about laughing at their jokes and how I wished I could make comics that was fun as yours. Because well, your comic became less about things I didn’t understand and more about how I couldn’t help but relate to eve and co’s struggles and their point of view. I grew up with it and its funny how I’m now probably the same age as Eve. Or a year or two shy of it. Ollies line about how your 20s aren’t the end is a true comfort, because it did feel that way for a long time until recently.
Thank you for dedicating so much of your time and everything else because the experience to grow up with this comic was definitely something I’m grateful for. I’m looking forward to your future endeavors, comics or otherwise. Thanks again.
I'am from Russia and I think I've started reading "Octopus Pie" around 2008 when I was trying to read as much as I can to learn English and I had to use a dictionary and Wikipedia and stuff to fully understand all the references and concepts:) And I believe this comics not only helped me in learning foreign language – it also helped me to understand your way of living, "Brooklynian life" , so to speak, much better 🙂
Now I'm 30 and moving from Moscow to New-York this fall. And yeah, I am a bit terrified about that next chapter of my life:) I'm planning to bring all 4 previous printed books with me (I believe international shipping to Russia did cost as much as the books itself – oh the irony!) and get the 5th one when it's out:)
In the end, that comics, perhaps more than anything else, made me realise that we all have pretty much the same journey in our 20s and that, i believe, made it a little easier.
Thank you:)
I never commented on here before, but: Thank you.
This comic has acompanied me through my teens until my twenties like little else. And it made me laugh, and cry, and reflect, often at the same time.
thank you so much for letting us read this fantastic comic. i'll be attending sva next year for animation and hope to at least kinda see u. really appreciate all the work you've put into this- i've loved every page for as long as I've been reading it. best of luck!
wow, four pages of comments to go through. i'm going to add the same sentiment as so many of them. thank you meredith for creating OP for 10 years. thanks to all the characters for letting us peak into their lives. it feels impossible that i've been reading for 10 years. it'll be tough not to get to check for regular new updates, but i'll never stop loving and re-reading this comic.
I don't even remember when I found OP. It's been one of my big 3 webcomics for years, and took the top slot (briefly, I guess) when Dr. McNinja ended. It will probably for *years* to come still be what Chrome autocompletes when I put an 'o' in the address bar.
I grew up with this comic, starting out reading it as a barely 20 year old and now almost 30 somehow. Thank you, Meredith. Whatever you do next, count me in.
i can't believe it's over. this was such a beautiful and crazy comic and i loved every bit of it. i love the ending but i don't want it to end but oh well. i wish you the best and hope one day you'll create more awesome stuff. i'm gonna keep going cuz it's like saying goodbye without wanting to leave so i'll stop here.
I only discovered OP last year, but it was great to follow the lives of all those people, at least for a short while. Now I think I have to read it again from the very beginning. And probably once or twice more. Thank you for your work, Meredith!
Thank you so much Meredith!
It's been such a treasured experience to be able to read this beautiful comic from start to finish. With online works, it's so rare to get a comic that can make the struggle all the way across the finish line let alone one that does so in such a meaningful way.
Thanks for all the years of hard work and good luck for your next project! 🙂
Turning 26 next week (though that makes me a lightweight compared to some others here!) Still finding my way through my 20s, but Octopus Pie has been one of the things that's helped me over the last few years. I'd like to think that it's helped me get better at connecting with others, at expressing my self, at fulfilling my dreams… hopefully it's also helped me become a better person.
Thank you so much for everything, Meredith.
I've been reading (but only very rarely commenting) for four or five years now, starting just when I was discovering webcomics in earnest. Octopus Pie was one of the first, and it's still one of the very best that I've found. Let me add my small voice to the roar of approval from us all to say: Thank you, Meredith Gran, for this fantastic story. I can't wait to see what you do next!
Also: Thank you to the fanbase for the thoughtful, kind, and frequently hilarious comments along the way!
Been reading OP for years now! I think since 2010. Thank you for creating such wonderful characters. They're my friends– both in my mind and reflected in my friends around me. I've always been inspired by the abstract and nonlinear aspects of this comic. Because life is like that, aint it? Thank you so much! PS I wish Hanna was around to smoke me out as I slowly sink into the reality that OP is over. AND THAT'S IT !
I've read this comic for the entire duration of my 20s, so it seems fitting that it would end in the same month that I turn 30. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us. It wasn't until things started wrapping up that I realized how much of an impact on me this comic has truly had. The characters have been a part of my life longer than many of my friends! You've made something so incredible. I can't wait to see what you'll make in the future.
I remember finding volume 1 in a library when I was in 6th grade. I've been consistently reading OP for 5 years now and it's so wild to see it end. Thank you so much, Meredith. I am very thankful to have experienced a good chunk of my prime teen years with Octopus Pie, even though I didn't understand it very well until a year or so ago. I should reread it with my newfound wisdom. Thanks dude!
Thank you for this experience in my life. I started reading Octopus Pie when I was 19 and am 28 now. I've grown up with these characters and your immensely thoughtful and meticulous hard work, skill and dedication has brought a very special and profound meaning to my life. Seriously, thank you. Can't wait to read it all again.
This is a perfect ending and I couldn't be happier! Thank you so much Meredith This comic has meant so much to me and as someone who recently entered their 20's afraid for what the future will hold, this comic has offered reassurance and perspective. I loved everything about this comic from its variety of incredible references, endearing and complex characters, beautiful animation and it's ability to be genuinely moving and make me laugh my ass off in any given panel. While I'm obviously sad to see it come to an end, I'm so thankful to have had the chance to read it. You are an amazing storyteller and I know you'll have success with whatever you do next! I can't wait to reread this comic down the line when I have my own experiences to reflect on.
wishing you luck in all your future projects!
Thank you so much : )
i can't believe it's over
i've read this since i don't even remember
i have 3 op originals i bought when mer got married and they're my most prized possessions
what does
oh man this strip hit me
ohh im feeling it now it couldn't do anything other than end, but,
it's ended in a soft way, but, this is real people, this comic, it's real life on a page. so unbelievably well-written and even-handed and kind, even to the characters it doesn't like
i can't remember when this comic wasn't with me. it's such a change in my life i can't describe it, OP has always been here. I've always been able to dive into this world, i don't
it didn't even feel like someone was making it, it felt like something that the world was saying, all on its own. i can't believe it's over but this was obviously how it ends. ive had an easier time saying goodbye to characters from tolstoy novels
When I stated reading this comic (occasionally at first, then binging it in a few days) Hannah was getting high at the MET. Now it's all over and I'm not sure I've ever commented, but I just wanted to say thanks like everyone else. I started reading in High school when I was into web-comics and wanted to do that as a career. Now I've finished a year of art college and am making an animated short. I have to admit, reading this comic and seeing the characters going through shit helped me realize that some of the stuff I would have to deal with isn't impossible like I used to think. In a way it gave me the courage to look to the future and upcoming 20s with hope instead of dread. So once again Thanks for producing one of the best comics of the 21st century.
I'll be 30 in just over two months (What's up, other guy in the exact same boat). A lot of my life has been pretty bad. Well, it's been okay. But the kind of okay that in retrospect you consider bad. I spend a lot of time wondering what I could have done better, what I could have changed to have this year not be the first one living outside my parents' house — when does it stop being "your house" and become theirs, anyway? — and I spent a good amount of that time reading this comic wondering where this warm, if not always fulfilling world Eve & Friends(tm) inhabited was and why I hadn't found it yet. I'm still working on it, but I think I'm okay. Or at least I am more okay with not being okay than I used to be. Is that good? I don't know. Thank you for Octopus Pie, Meredith.
Thank you so much for this incredible story that I'm looking forward to rereading from the beginning again soon. To watch these characters grow and change (with such well-drawn expressions!) over the years has been wonderful.
I hope Hanna and Marek still end up getting their duck farm someday.
A long time ago I read a comic called Skirting Danger. Then the artist stopped doing that one and made another one. Now I'm here, older, maybe wiser. It was great.
Thank you, Meredith. Thank you for creating a world with colorful characters, intricate stories, and raw emotions that mirror that of real life. Octopus Pie has been something I've returned to after weeks, months, and at one point probably a few years. It's been cathartic to sit and read and admire your work from time to time throughout the span of your work. I wish you all the best in your next adventure. Keep creating, and keep being amazing.
I started reading this in college when I was 21, I'm 28 now, and Octopus Pie has been really inspiring. You just have such a great understanding of humans and how they work and… I don't know, the beauty of mundane things or just how confusing life is.
It's been an honour to watch the growth of the characters and your growth as an artist and a storyteller. I wish I'd met you at some point. I live in Malaysia and Singapore where I act, so it's kinda hard (that confused artist life, I gets it).
I hope for all wonderful things for you in life, more growth and more success. I hope that Octopus Pie becomes a really well-made Netflix series and pays you mad royalties, and perhaps a musical so I can play Eve at some point.
Thank you for feeding my soul and the souls of so many others!
well i gotta say this comic has been *awesome* and i'm sad that i only discovered it a few pages ago! binging it was quite a lot of fun 😀 i can't wait to see what crazy talented thing you put out next
This comic was with me from my mid teens (where I binged up to the work retreat arc) to now in my early 20s, and I have to admit that I didn't really understand some of the characters when I was younger, but rereading the comic, I'm now able to relate the characters' struggles, conflicts, happy times… Man. I'm sure as I go into my late 20s I'll discover even more depth than I can now (your writing is so good!!).
It's so bittersweet to see Octopus Pie finished. Definitely my #1 webcomic for being able to portray real life so, so well. It's been a hell of a ride. Thanks again for everything!
Thank you Mer, I've been reading this webcomic for years and I'm ending my 20s too, so this ending hits all the right places.
This was by far the best webcomic I've ever read, you are an awesome storyteller, with your writing and your expressive drawings. I wish you all the happiness and beautiful experiences to come!!
All my love <3
I've read and loved every page since the beginning; Octopus Pie's characters feel like old friends, their ups and downs and trials and growth mirrored those of my life and helped me get through my own.
I came to read this towards the later end of the story but the whole comic has been fantastic. Thank you for sharing this amazing work with us. I am going to miss reading this.
Thank you for everything Meredith! I've been reading since high school and OP has influenced me so much. When times got rough, this comic brought me a lot of joy and self-understanding. I love your style and your writing. I eagerly await your next project, I know it will be awesome!
I don't know whether to call it irony or serendipity that a webcomic you started 2 months after the death of your father finally ends 2 weeks after the death of my mother.
There were times, more than one or two or three, that this comic saved me when nothing else could.
Whether it was finally understanding something I never would have otherwise, realising other people felt the same way, or letting me know that this is now, and things change, and there is hope for the future that comes like a train, despite all your best laid plans.
Eve and Will finally being together, as they are now, healed some kind of psychic chasm in my heart that I'd thought would forever be a black hole.
There is 'life after love', in so many ways, and I know that I am wiser, braver, and more alive because of this comic.
From the bottom of all the feels, thank you Meredith.
If you ever read this Ms. Gran, I hope you realize how incredible the work you've done is. I would not be surprised if this comic means something different to every person who reads it.
I've been lurking around this comic for years. I got to meet Meredith one at SPX several years ago and pick a couple minicomics, which I still love 🙂 This comics has been a constant for me for a long time and I'm sad to see it end, but happy to check out whatever Meredith makes next!
I want to cry! Thank you so much for this inspiring piece of art! This is by far my favorite comic. I am so sad! I won't get to see my friends anymore! (I am totally gonna buy ALL THE MERCH!)
Really. Thank you so much. This comic has helped me through rough times.
OP has quickly turned into a phantom limb; I keep mindlessly typing in its URL, but there's nothing to see. At least there's the archive, I guess – if this was a Pictures for Sad Children scenario, I wouldn't know what to do.
I walked into this comic around 2012, and spend quite a bit of time in the archives. Eve and Hannah's struggles in particular always spoke to me, and the things I've struggled with in live. The art style has improved so much over those early days, and you can see the artist grow as you read from year to year.
Thanks for giving us all such a wonderful story to read!
I came to this comic late, but caught up about 7 years ago and have been following it ever since. A slice-of-life story. NO aliens, not fairies no bizarreness. Other than what life can throw at you. A tale of the heart. This ending is not the end of their story, just in us following it. You did a wonderful job with the characters. They seemed real to me. Which is quite an accomplishment. I hope to get to see whatever your next project is. Taking 10 years of your life on this one is quite a drain. I will understand how ever long you need to recharge. To get that fire again to start up something new and interesting to you. Thank you for your work.
I started reading this when I was 17 years old. I'm 27 now, and I have to say that this comic has been a joy the whole time. Thank you for everything, and good luck.
Last night I dreamed there was a new page of Octopus Pie, but then I woke up to the real world. It's been deep and beautiful, and couldn't have ended better. Thank you so much.
'My favorite comic ended. It started in 2007. 10 years of Octopus Pie. It was quite a ride! If you haven't read it check it out. Start from the beginning :). I loved it from beginning to end and the characters grew throughout the years. It's 100% worth the read.'
Thank you Meredith for this wonderful Journey. And the ending was like a new beginning as someone else posted. I'm so glad Eve ended up with him in the end. I think they were always meant to be. It makes my heart so warm. It's been amazing watching these characters grow over the years. And relating to them and seeing how real their lives felt to me, to all of us. It's been quite a journey. I can't wait to see what you do next. And I can't wait to purchase the books all at once <3.
Unlike many others here, I am just that of a first time reader, I've read it over the past three weeks in my spare time. I honestly love the characters completely, you depicted so many emotions and made it so realistic it felt as if I was going along with them and the progression in your art is amazing!
I have been uncertain about some things in my life, I am likely the age of the characters at the beginning – but honestly? I feel like this has helped in some weird way, made me realise what's important in a sense. As many others have said; thank you, and best of luck on your next plans Meredith!
I’m so happy with my “paper bag parade” pint glasses. They remind me of the loops and twists of the comic… hard to believe ten years went by so fast. Thanks for a wonderful story and some fantastic memories! http://www.octopuspie.com/2011-10-29/488-cute-ten…
Also, I'm kind of glad Olly isn't dead. I think he could see that Eve wanted to (or should?) move on from the store soon, and thought it was a good time to end it.
Brilliant ending, Meredith–I came over from a link on Kate Beaton's tumblr and binge-read this thing in three days. This is amazingly well-written: your characters are so realistic and human, down to the smallest detail. They don't always do what we'd like them to do, but they do what their character would do if they were real. And you've never forced a story-line, you've everything happen organically. Just slice-of-life with a few weird details like inter-space portals and car people thrown in for good measure.
Bravo, and best of luck in your future endeavors!
I just read the entire thing in 3 days. I'd never heard of this before Kate Beaton's post. Holy shit. What a fucking tremendous ride. Now to buy all of the books…
I was listening to "This Ladder is Ours" by The Joy Formidable while reading this page and, somehow, the song was fitting. Man, this was a beautiful adventure, so beautiful that any attempt to spin poetry on how deep, soulful, and riveting it was on my part would sound absolutely ridiculous, but still…
I love how I'm not alone in my concerns or my problems, how it's okay for me to keep searching for my little place in the world, and that I'm worthy of love and the many mistakes I made and will make won't hold me back or permanently damage me as a person; that I can move on.
Thank you for creating these beautiful characters, for not painting over the real issues of young adulthood, for reminding us that we still grow even in our 30s or 40s or even 70s, and that all we need is to connect with others and bring happiness for ourselves and to each other.
I just don't know. Octopus Pie has been a big part of my life since I discovered it years ago in my late teens. This story has been a ride for a lifetime. I have laughed, and cried with the ups and downs. Now that it's over, I feel a chapter in my life has closed. I wish I could say I was in at the top, but I wasn't, and gods above, I wish I had been.
Mer, you have performed a great service to the world having toiled on this work for so long. This is one of my all time favorite comics. As sad as I am to see it end, I am happy. The ending was perfect, I love each and every character you have made. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future, if you decide to continue in the world of webcomics. I'm never going to forget Octopus Pie for as long as I live. It was a great companion for me through some tough times. Thank you, more than you will ever know, thank you.
I wanted to send a mail but whatever, at least this will last forever (or at least as long as this website I suppose).
I came here from Kate Beaton's speech about how Octupus Pie was not only a great webcomic, but an amazing story that may not have the recognition it deserved. Well, I can only concur after basically binge-reading Octupus Pie. Everything here is nothing short of remarkable, and when I finished it I must say I felt a little empty inside. I spent a week with these people, in their lives, empathizing with their happiness, their sadness, their bitterness (and other words in -ness I guess). It felt so real because I (and I think many people) can relate with this sentiment of loss of control we have over our lives during our 20s. So many decisions to take, so many "first time", when we feel we must act as we are wasting our time, make tough choices or even just be thrown upside down by whatever happens to us.
And the show still goes on as we continue our lives, differently than before as we have changed even we don't know "when".
I could go on and on and be more confusing, but I guess my message was clear. Thanks for the emotional roller coaster. Never a comic has stroke so deep in me, and I am glad I had the chance to read it.
This is a good end. Well, no, it's not. If only on account of the fact that it isn't an end. Or, rather, it is the end, but only the end of the comic, not of the story.
I want to make this big speech about how well this comic represents life and growing up and reaching maturity, but all I can manage is this:
I know it's been over six months since this comic ended, but I finished reading the entire series again and wanted to say thanks Meredith. Thanks and great work. I didn't think this type of comic was my cup of tea at first, way back in the second or third story arc, but it grabbed me and held me. I loved seeing the characters grow and gain more depth. I hope they'll all be okay, and I miss them already. Good luck Meredith, and thanks again for what turned out to be one of my all-time favorite serial stories.
I started reading this webcomic when I was 19. I am now 29. I have stumbled through my twenties, growing clumsily alongside Eve&co. Thank you so much for this, Meredith! It's been a trip!
This is the best web comic I've ever read. Thank you so much for letting us follow these intresting characthers. And the last chapter was an fantastic ending to it all.
it’s almost been a year since octopus pie ended and i still find myself looking to these characters and their relationships for some sort of tangible guidance.
i just turned 20- i’ve been reading octopus pie since i was a wee freshman in high school and i love this comic dearly. i’m excited for your future endeavors mer, and thank you so much!
So I just spent the last few weeks catching up. I don't even remember what made me click into here in the first place but I started and just kept going thinking "man, it's going to be great when I finally catch up. I'll add it to my regular list and every few days or once a week or whatever the update schedule is I'll learn a little more about these crazy kids" and then I got here and I'm thinking "oh wow. $75, that, Ollie. What could possibly be next for Eve?" and clicked next and… that was it. Yup, that's it. I mean, that's a good place to end, the ride has been fantastic, but I took 10 years and condensed it into about a month and now I don't know what to do with myself.
Anywho, that's all on me. I wanted to congratulation you for doing that thing that you did for all those years. I came in so late but it was very worth it to read. Thank you.
Thanks for your amazing story telling and great art. I will keep up, hopefully if you create other comics or anything else. By the way is that a little eve-will babe?lol
Thanks fo r your work!
I'm in my early 20's now, and pretty much took about two weeks to read through OP for the first time. I was engrossed. And I quickly watched characters change from black and white to color and LGBT and open up and be nervous and be real. In my freshman year of high school, I was introduced to Questionable Content. And I bloomed from the opportunities it gave me. New music, new outlook on an otherwise dreary life, and I was able to actually log my steps into maturity with every new page of QC.
And I feel like I took another large leap in my own introspection as I finished OP, and realized how much I still don't know and understand. How much insight OP would give me through Meredith Gran's writing, illustrations, and character development. I'm so torn, being a young adult and fearful for a future I still find myself flailing to reach; despite the unknown, I feel safe knowing there have always been people suffering in similar situations who were able to push past their insecurities, obstacles they put into place themselves, and relationship issues galore.
I'm still terrified of my future. But it makes me happy knowing I'm not the only one. Thank you everyone in the comments who shared their own insights, their own theories, and their own memories and analysis. I love you all.
The next arrow keeps taking me back to the beginning… I know it's a glitch. it has to be, so who can tell me how to proceed to the next story line? anyone? pleeez? I know it's a mistake… this isn't the end. no. no. no. it's not the end i'm just…
As I've figured out from reading, Meredith made another interesting analogy for all the drama we fill our 20's with. It all really amounts to very little when we realize that real life is so much more.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat a ride! If I had found this story as it was happening I think my LIFE would have been different. Instead, it was just the last 10 months or so worth of lovely lunch-time reading.
I can't describe how much I've enjoyed reading OP. Suffice to say: a heckin lot.
and so ends my third time reading through this, half as research for how to write a good comic myself, half out of loving it so darn much. unfortunately i can't say i was around since the beginning, but i was around for the end. this comic has so much heart.
thank you mer.
Ah! Here I am, on the very last strip. Rediscovered this comic last week and finally caught up. The characters along with the art changed so much, the changes were so subtle and gradual that you don’t even notice until its blatant. Eve going from a cynical asshole to supportive and fun-loving, Hanna moving in the opposite direction, and Will being ever the womanizer… truly a Frenchman! It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see much of Olly after the employee winter getaway, I got the impression he had some stuff happening in the background as he shifted to a kind of a father figure(?).
You know, Gran, this comic resonated with me on a deep level, you managed to portray so many different personalities and view-points in such a masterful and dynamic way that gives each its fair credit. The characters and their struggles really embody the generations of the last two decades, and I found myself and my friends reflected in these characters (I’m Donovan+Greg, yes, I know, sorry). That arc with the Times interview felt too real, not just because it’s true but because I also missed so much of this “youth activity”.
On another level, this comic scratched an itch I could never reach. I don’t live in the West, I’m thousands of miles away from the USA but was raised on American culture, American media. It’s no joke, you guys basically rule the world. Do you know what it’s like to see all those things but never participate? I am a stranger in a strange land, alienated from everything that’s around me but too far away from anything that’s familiar or comfortable. Yes, this sounds kind of pathetic, but at least in the spirit of our heroine. Reading through Octopus Pie gave me a sort of filler, a sense of authentic American life, exaggerated and goofy, but at least better than TV.
I say this from the bottom of my heart, thank you Meredith Gran, for an outstanding comic.
that was certainly a ride, gives an only recently adult reader a good preemptive look into what he might expect. I must thank you for that perspective, even if it's from… well… a comic lol
let's just hope it's not a New York exclusive thing…. cheers from the UK!
Thanks for everything. It's been a wonderful ride.
what a gift octopie has been. than you for the experience, gran
Thank you so so so much
"THAT'S IT?!"
Yep. That's all
Thank you Mer
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, its been a wild ride. :'(
That was some excellent pie. Thank you, Meredith and Val, for the ride and for the memories. Thank you for everything.
I'm not cool enough to say that I was here at the very beginning, but I do remember finding OP on the internet in 2008 and instantly falling in love with it. Since then I've re-read it several times over and there's one thing in particular that really stands out for me: I am constantly amazed by how every time I go through the entire run again, there's yet another plot point or little easter egg to be discovered. Meredith is the master of letting silence and suggestion fill her writing. The sheer quantity (and quality!) of character traits and nuanced bits of personality that were communicated not by what characters said, but what they didn't say, is unbelievable.
When I started reading OP, I was just starting to enter my 20's, and there were so many different aspects of the comic that I didn't "get". I couldn't appreciate the subtext because I hadn't encountered those relational experiences myself. Now, a decade later, it's funny how many of those interpretations speak to me with such clarity.
Thank you Meredith for writing and drawing such a wonderful story over the last 10 years, and letting us chart our own growth along the way.
man i knew the end was coming but i didn't expect it to come so fast! i only started reading around this time last year when i was in a place where i really needed it. i'm happy i got to see it oht to the end. thanks for everything mer! :'-)
This comic has been such a joy for all these years- watching your characters and skills develop and change was a positive influence on my own life. I look forward for whatever comes next!
He did say a "taste". It's Olly, after all
Started when I was a freshman in highschool. Lost it and rejoined a few months ago as a 22 year old.
I'm thrilled, excited and overjoyed I got to come back just in time.
Like so many of us that have found our own lives in Eve. Sometimes I'm on the train just thinking what would Eve do?
Thank you so much for this. For a rolemodel I'll have for the rest of my life.
Can't wait to have a full hardcover set above my bed.
Thank you for sharing this magical journey with us.
To quote a reply I saw a long time ago and now can't find–
We are so lucky to be able to read this comic.
Thank you Meredith
Omg that's it? I'm in tears because I didn't realize. I'm so sad, but thank you, for everything. For this comic. It brightened my life. 🙂
Thanks for everything, I grew up with this comic. I changed a lot and my life is now better than ever, and I think I should say thanks… so… thank you so much
In just over 2 months, I turn 30. When I started reading Octopus Pie, I was barely 20. This comic has been my 20s. My 20s have good at times, bad at others, but through it all I've had this comic. Thank you, Meredith. This comic has been very important to me, and I look forward to what you make next.
Same here, next month.
Thank you for the amazing ride, Mer! This might be the first comic I've ever read that stops at its very peak and I love it. I'm sure I will reread it in its entirety every decade. <3
Hah yeeeaah, I hit the big three ohhh this year already. The whole time I kept thinking "What, really? This is it? Huh…"
Same! It's so funny to see all the people who aged with this. I didn't think I was going to cry, and now I am.
Unlike so many of these young whippersnappers, I am an *old* fart comics nerd (turned 52 last month!) and have been an OP fan since strip #22. And OP totally brought me back to what it was like to be a 20 something – swimming/half-drowning in a crazy ocean of 'adult' life that I felt completely unprepared for. Desperately wanting to figure out who to be. And like Eve, it was my friendships and loves that saw me through.
Mer, your art and story-telling started off great and have both leveled up so many times in ten years that it makes me dizzy. I can't wait to see what you do next – I'm a fan for life!
Thank you thank you thank you!
Thank you for one of the most excellent comics I have experienced, it's been a real pleasure!
Someone called it being money from Ollie. But of course it's only $75. Thanks for creating such an amazing story.
Thanks for everything, Meredith. Octopus Pie got me through some really hard times several years back and it's bittersweet to see it ending. I love these characters and the changes they've gone through and I'll miss this comic dearly. Thank you, thank you.
What a fantastic ending. As if it were a beginning.
Thank *YOU* for sharing all of this, Meredith.
I'm lacking words at the moment for thanking you, for letting us be part of this journey and for working so hard on this beautiful world and characters. It has helped me in ways I didn't know, and I'm sure re-reading it again and again I will find the joy that is rediscovering old stories and bringing back memories of my own, and the wonder of finding new things I never noticed. Like a book you read in hisghschool and rediscover every time your read it, as the years go by,
At the moment I can only say that definitely some part of July's budget will go to getting a physical copy of whatever volume I am able to get my hands on, and later on to try and help with your future endeavours.
Thank you, thank you and thank you.
I LOVE THIS THANK YOU
It's over and I'm not even crying. I just feel warm inside. Thank you for this comic. Not only has it kept my head on straight more than once, it inspired me to pursue my art. After graduating with a BFA it feels like a lot of things are coming to an end, but I'm gonna keep on going. Thank you, Meredith.
I'm crying
All the love!
God, this is beautiful.
This is the fukken shit.
As I've figured out from reading, Meredith made another interesting analogy for all the drama we fill our 20's with. It all really amounts to very little when we realize that real life is so much more.
Honestly amazed to see it end so abruptly.
Thank you so much, Mer. Octopus Pie has been a companion story for me through my own twenties. I'm proud of all of the accomplishments you and your team have made. This was a beautiful and fitting end to a deep, thoughtful, manic and magical journey.
And thank God there are no more existential boyfriends.
I know I'll be echoing a lot of people's thoughts here, but thank you for so many years of awesomeness.
I have a few tears wobbling around in my eyes threatening to leak at any moment, so as my vision starts blurring and typing gets more difficult I'll just say that this comic is, was and will continue to be an inspiration to me. Many a day has come by that's really dragged me down and getting to read a new OctoPie at the end of the day really perked me up.
I can't wait to see what you have in store for us next but for now enjoy the downtime and give the creative juices some time to reassemble.
Peace out!
So many mixed feelings abound….Thanks for the ride!
Wow! I can hardly believe it's been 10 years. What an immeasurable journey. I was introduced to Octopus Pie shortly after graduating high school. The adventures of Eve Ning provided a steady semblance of security and familiarity that I often found lacking in my transitional struggle into 'adulthood'. Never in a million years would I have imagined the journey that Octopus Pie has taken me on would be one of such immense personal growth. I often think back on the characters with a melancholy nostalgia usually reserved for close personal friends and family. If anything, it is a testimony to the trueness and sincerity of the Octopus Pie universe. It has, and always will have, a place close to my heart.
Thank you, Meredith.
Thank you so, so much. This comic has meant more to so many of us than we'll ever be able to express– I think many of us living our 20s-30s in this city (and any others!) found ourselves, our struggles, and our stories painted so beautifully in your comic. Thanks for this really incredible gift and for reaching out and connecting us all ?
A decade? My god. Thank you so much.
It's been an awesome ride and this comic is so unique and amazing I know I'll always miss it. But like Eve, Meredith has to move on to greater things. Good luck on your future endeavors and thanks for a decade of great reading.
$75…
…then again, it IS Ollie, so…
Thank you, Mer, for letting us into the lives of these characters. What a wild ride the past 10 years has been…sad to see it end; but as they say, "All good things…" It's been excellent.
Thank you for this wonderful comic, and I wish you all the best on your new endeavors! I'll be watching to see what comes next!
Editing to add a bit more: Meredith, I think you're one of the best writers in comics (and I love your art, too). Your ability to let gesture and silence tell stories is superb. You're not afraid of the things that writers–myself included–are so often afraid of: skipping chunks of time; letting your characters change and grow; giving your characters flaws that really, deeply hurt them from time to time (and not all of which they overcome). I can't wait to see what you apply your talent to next.
Thank you also for not giving us a Harry Potter ending, if that makes sense. I don't need to know where these characters are 19 years from now. We don't get to know if Hanna and Marigold ever reconcile, or if Will and Eve work out. You've left it open, which is the way life really works. We don't get to see the future, we can only try and prepare ourselves for it, much like your characters have been trying to do in recent storylines.
I loved this comic. I'm sad it's done, but I'm very thankful it was here at all.
I read this comic through law school in my mid -20s, a bumpy start to my career, and now I'm 33 with a good job, a house, and a great relationship.
Thank you.
Tomorrow I turn 27, and I can't thank you enough for this bittersweet birthday gift, Meredith. Like so many have eloquently said before me, OP has meant so much to me and I'm grateful to have been a part of this journey and this community of kind, smart, supportive readers. I'll miss the comic, but I'll forever cherish the ways in which it inspired me and made me feel.
Love always,
Anna
This is my favorite webcomic of all time.
I will think fondly of it every time I look at the Bake N' Bake apron hanging on my coat rack.
See you, space cowboy…
I've read Hanna and Marek's break up arc over 100 times I'm pretty sure, probably as a form of therapy at this point, since I'm seemingly in the exact same situation in my current relationship. I guess that's what I love most about OP. How reflective of my own insecurities, struggles, identity and growth my 20's have been.
I don't think I can really type up how much this comic has given to me in a simple comment box, so I'll just simply say;
thank you for everything Meredith.
this so much
Thank you Meredith, it's been a pleasure.
I've not commented here for many years, but have followed in silence.
I guess now's a good time to give my final word.
Thank you Meredith, for everything. This comic, its stories, its characters, not only has it been inspiring, but it has helped me in my own life with a number of things.
I hope to acquire the remaining/ missing volumes, so please keep selling them!
I'm genuinely going to miss it. At a serious loss for words… want to say more, can't think.
Thank you for the ride, thank you for the feels. Just, thank you. <3
Part of Eve's 20s ends with $75. Part of my 20s ends with warmth and gratefulness that I had OP to grow up with. Thank you, Meredith.
Thank you for this comic, Meredith. It has been one of my very favorites since the very beginning.
Thank you Miss Gran for this wonderful webcomic that not only has a really wonderful art but it also show us the depth and development in all it´s characters, but I have only two questions that I hope you could answer: What is the meaning of the name of the comic (Octopus Pie) and why did you pick it for the webcomic?
I started reading octopus pie when I was 20. I'm 27 next month.
It has carried me all the way here.
I read a FUCKLOAD of comics and webcomics but none has had that much influence for me. I grew up with the characters and now I'm pretty much Eve: terrified of what's next
What is going to become of me without Octopus Pie?
I'm heartbroken, but also so grateful to you Meredith, because it really got me through some tough times. I hope I've stored enough Octopus Pie in me to last me for the next ones.
Thank you so much for these ten years you gave us, and I'll be there for whatever's next.
"That's all there is; there isn't any more."
Thank you, Meredith, for everything.
Long time reader (since the story where Eve gets her bike nicked – Mr Pedals!), first time poster.
These characters feel like real people who's lives continue even when I'm not reading. That takes great writing – thanks Meredith. Seeing you refine your art over the years has been a pleasure.
Now the big question – who to ask for as a sketch in the final print volume? I've already got Eve, Hanna, Marigold (short hair!), Marek. It's got to be Will, right?… (sideways stare at Jane…)
Thank you for everything. I've been reading this comic since it began and I've enjoyed every page. It's amazing and you're amazing.
Thanks for sharing this story with us. So long, and thanks for all the fish!
This has been one of the richest and deepest comics I can ever remember reading in just about everything – art, writing, story, character development, humour, the whole 9…
Best of luck with the future endeavours – looking forward to the new projects.
How many organic pea wiggles can $75 buy?
Despite what that guy said, they're the fukken shit.
Anyway, thanks for all the comics.
I don't know what I could say to thank you enough for every minute I've spent with Eve, Hannah, and company. I'm a couple years off from 30, and this comic's given me so much hope. Especially Ollie's letter. I really needed to hear that.
You've become one of my favorite artists, and a real inspiration to me.
Thank you, for everything.
Thank you. I was just about to turn 20 when I hopped on the Octopus Pie wagon and now I'm just about to turn 29 and I don't want it to end, especially since my life looks more and more like Eve's every day. Hopefully I'll break free just like she has.
I'll miss these characters, but I'll re-read again and again as I have nearly every year. I'll mostly miss you, Mer. Through Eve, Hannah and the gang, I admire your talent and adore your personality that shines through every page and word.
Thanks so much!
Reading since the first comic. Wonderful from start to finish. What is next?
Nice.
the link to Octopus Pie has been on the toolbar of every computer ive ever owned. i dont know what i would possibly replace it with, but im not ready to remove it just yet anyways. Thank you. this has been one of my favorite things since high school
Oh gosh, it's so weird to think that now… OP's going to end? It's been such a good webcomic that I've been following for so long. Thank you so very much, Meredith.
Will you be doing something else? Something we can follow to satisfy our addiction to your stuff?
I had barely started college when I found this comic. I had just moved to North America, the culture shock was more than I expected, put together with the shock of isolating myself on a new continent to force myself to grow up… this comic was always there to give me a sense of perspective, even when I wasn't mature enough to understand it. Every time I reread this comic I find something new to relate to; a retrospective, a glimpse into the future.
I'm entering the second half of my 20s now. Graduate school, viable job opportunities, a new perspective of family and social life. I still don't know where I'm headed. But I'm taking my time getting there. And I'm glad I saw this comic come to its destination, in the meanwhile. I'm gonna miss it. The art style, the writing, it's like a familiar voice I've imprinted on, that cool older friend whose stories and experiences always held you by the ear. I'm running out of ways to put my emotions into words. Honestly, just. It's just been great.
Cheers. And thank you.
Gonna miss this.
Thank you.
What a ride. Thank you for taking us all along.
I just wanted to drop in a congratulations on reaching the end of the run.
It's an impressive achievement.
I'm leaving with a little smile, a little ache in my heart and a lot of good memories of people who, while they may not be real, certainly gave me some very real things to leave with.
All the best in wherever you go and whatever you do next.
Girls with Slingshots, Dar, Apple Geeks, Girly, Yu+Me, and now Octopus Pie. It's such a weird experience seeing what seems like a look into real people's live come to an end. Webcomics are such a personal experience because unlike their closest comparison, TV, there can be multiple updates to them every week. Like you are really watching someone's life go by day by day, even more so with auto biographical.
Whenever I lose another webcomic from my first years of crawling around the internet…I feel like I'm losing these friends I never had. This crushing realization that I will never hear from them again, that it all was just a story I was following from the outside, that they never existed. The frequency at which I am learning about these "people's" lives makes it seems all the more real, and the loss all the more blunt. I hope this comment gets pushed to the back because it certainly shouldn't, and won't, dampen the overwhelming gratitude everyone is rightfully giving Meredith for her work. I just…had to write it all down for once, since I never did for any of the other "friends" I've "lost."
You said that rather well. We get invested in things and people and then "poof" they're gone! (A 10-year "poof" in this case but it went too fast, right?).
But the beauty is in our getting to experience things that are external to us. We get an opportunity to feel those feelings that make us the richer for it.
No pain, no gain, I guess.
I love the reader-reaction poke of "That's it???"
as I have loved all of this comic. Thank you for the enormous gift, and the growth, and the art, and the beauty, and the joy. Looking forward to whatever you do next.
Thank you, Meredith!!
I LAUGHED SO FLIPPIN HARD!!!! OLLY YOU CHEAP BASTIDGE!
Meredith thank you so much for everything. I did not read you from your earliest days but I have been a regular reader ever since I started in the aughts. Your characters' angst and search for meaning and happiness have been a counterpoint to my own throughout. I honor the insight and sensitivity you have to people's hearts. It has been a long time since my own 20s… well, not more than 13 years since the end of them technically, but that is long enough to get into a very different place, and you gave me a wonderful… not mirror, but optical implement of some kind… to look back at the possibilities, the choices good and boneheaded, the people I knew and the people I thought I knew but only saw distortions of my self in. Thank you and prayers and blessings on your next endeavors.
Oh frick, the end is real. Thanks for everything Meredith Gran. It's been wonderful.
Meredith, as someone who started your comic at the age of twenty, thank you so much. I think our generation is one that is so often maligned, mocked, and ridiculed. It's been sometimes frustrating working so hard and seeing all my friends work so hard and then be told by the world that we're lazy.
Octopus Pie has been the one media that for me got it. It got what it was like to be at this time in your life at this time in the world. I think it'll be something I always come back to. It's not just an amazing comic, but I imagine will become a sort of time machine to a specific time in my life.
I can never thank you so much for the work you've done.
Can't beleive it was 6 years ago when i started to read the OP… i gonna miss Eve and Hanna , Will and the rest.. Gonna miss coming here once or twice a week just to see if there is a new page. Checking out the website like my email with a daily routine. Thank You Meredith!
thank you thank you a thousand times over, from someone who started reading in high school and has now ended in grad school.
I've been reading this comic from right around the beginning, and I want to thank you for sharing it with everyone. This comic has meant a lot to me, and it taught so many things about writing and storytelling. You made characters I think everyone is going to sincerely miss, and wrote adventures that we'll all remember. And, I hope I'll find a way to tell a story even half as good as yours. I wanted to say this when I saw you at MoCCA, but I suck at in person stuff. So, thank you so much.
I remember when this comic went to 'whenever' updates, when Meredith decided to try a more episodic update schedule.. 2011, was it? I forget, now. I didn't like waiting so long between updates. I thought it was bad for the comic. "I'll stop reading," I said to myself. "I'll stop reading."
I couldn't, of course. And suddenly it's 2017, and I don't get a choice anymore.
Thank you for everything, Meredith.
I don't really think it's enough to just type out a response, so I recorded a "thank you" story of sorts instead.
Thank you, Meredith. Octopus Pie will always stay with me.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2y8upbiq45jgcty/THATS%2…
Thank you Meredith for one of the most beautiful, heartfelt, poignant silly and all-in-all comics I've ever read. Good luck and Godspeed in all future endeavors. Also please let us know how Eve, Hannah, Merek, Will, Mar, Jane, Ollie and the rest of the crew are doing from every now and then.
Oh my. Can't believe it's over. I was 32 and had hair when started reading it. It's been quite a ride. It felt more like living in an alternate reality than reading a comic. Thank you so, so much, Ms. Gran. You made possible for me to live 10 more years. Thank you.
Can't wait to see your next project!
I can't overstate how much Octopie has meant to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll keep pushing this work on everyone important to me for decades. Mar and Jane's relationship in particular has been so stabilizing for me Can't wait for what comes next.
When I started reading OP, I was a dumb teenager looking up to the characters as maybe half-warning-half-incentive of what life in my twenties would look like. Now I'm a dumb twenty something stubbornly failing my way through life and man, I feel I've done pretty good by these role models.
Thank you, Meredith.
LOL! Can I end up writing two comments, one for immediate and now and one for later? Thank you Meredith Gran. I can't… believe how incredible a writer and astute a person you are. Eve's fears, dreams, non-actions… how can it feel so personal yet clearly be so universal, seeing as all your fans love and relate so much with this comic. I relate so much with Eve. Not to mention the fact that she's Asian is another beautiful thing that's still difficult to find, POC representation.
I started reading this years ago of course and I actually don't think my early 20's mind REALLY could relate to all of the goings on of the characters so I will no doubt be re-reading this comic soon as I now near 30, to really get the full gist of things. But getting to read these final arcs at a time where it did all start really resonating, it made octopus pie somewhere SAFE to go to. A place where everything felt right, no matter what chaos or heartbreak or cartoonish insanity was happening; it always felt like the right thing was going on. It was somewhere I could trust to go and to find exactly what I needed to see at just that moment.
Thanks Meredith. Thanks Eve, Hanna, Marek, Will. Oh and Olly, of course… thank you.
Oh and here's the later comment: Will's ability to listen to the count of money. Brilliant. Still charming as ever, weed dealer Will.
When I realised that this was It, The End, my body automatically started to go into the fetal pose in my computer chair, tears started to well my eyes, and my chest felt tight. I have been reading this for nearly 10 years and it has been something to look forward to; to know and love the characters, to appreciate the art, to Feel. It has outlasted good times and bad, relationships and loss. It has been a stability. I can't thank you enough for giving us this, for putting in all the hours and work.
I'll miss Octopus Pie. Jeez, I already miss it and I'm staring at the page! Wherever you go from here, whatever you work on, I hope it brings you as much happiness as we got out of reading your comic. Thank you, Meredith. Thank you.
Thank you so much for everything! I've been reading this comic from the start and it's been a joy, one of the best webcomics I've ever read and one of the only ones I've stuck with for this long. Thank you so so much for sharing your story and gift with all of us, and best of luck to you in all your future projects.
I never comment but…
Thank you, Meredith. Best wishes wherever life takes you.
Thanks for the ride, Meredith.
Can't say that I've ever commented on a webcomic. Then again, no comic has ever held my attention for 10 years. Thank you so much for this lovely work. I'm excited to see what's next for you!
gosh, it really did end.
Thanks to everyone who made this work of art. it heals me. Best of luck on future endeavors.
Thank you so much for Octopus Pie. It's brilliant. So subtle, human, and exciting. I have loved reading it and waited anxiously for the next page over several years.
As so many others have said, a wonderful achievement, a truly great comic, and a satisfying (particularly because it's quite open-ended) conclusion. Thanks for all your hard work, Meredith!
Thank you so much Meredith, for one of the finest, funniest, most uplifting, tragic, beautiful and all round wonderful stories it's ever been my pleasure to read. Between laughing so hard I cried, and sometimes just straight-up crying, are the truly great moments that knocked me flat on my arse with pure revelatory awe; the last page of The Gray Lady, in particular, never fails to completely stagger me. Octopus Pie is the only comic I can think of that's ever done that for me. You are, to understate the point massively, a sublime storyteller, and I eagerly await whatever you choose to do next. For the time being I can think of no-one more deserving of a rest.
P.S.: The coffee-stained print my friend had you sign is one of my most treasured possessions.
I've been reading OP since I was in college, around 2009 or 2010. Among all of the webcomics, I've read, I truly believe that it's OP that left the clearest imprint in my life. Sometimes I talk to my friends or my SO and have this feeling that this seems like something that happened in your comic. Sometimes I even drop a line or two from it.
I've matured with and through OP. Like many of the readers here, I think it's incredible that you've made something that captured what it's like to come of age in your 20s.
Thank you so much, Meredith.
P.S.
I felt so, so lucky that I found the first volume of OP in a bookstore here in Manila. Even more lucky that I got to get it.
Man… thank you, Meredith. This comic has been with me through my late teens to late twenties — I turn 30 at the end of the year.
You're the best. That's really all there is to say.
Other than… I can't wait to see what you come up with next.
The lights dim, the curtain slowly closes and the audience just sits in silence in a darkened theater in awe of having been witness to a work of art that has reached into each soul and touched each heart in a way that becomes unique to the life of each.
"Bye, bye Miss OctopusPie…."
Meredith, you're wrapping up OP as I've turned 75. You use so many contemporary references and yet the storyline is timeless. I'll miss it like I miss old friends long gone but I'll look forward to following your work and looking for new. You've made an indelible mark on my life (and obviously many others) and I thank you.
Congratulations on an amazing run, Meredith. OP has been not only a joy, it was a great conduit to the world for you. But, it also gave back to all of us. And hey! way to end with a nod to Peanuts. You did it right. Keep your hands moving, make great work, and cheers to you.
Thanks for the great story Meredith!
everyone else is posting really well thought out comments, all i can say is i've been reading for a long while, i love the comic, i love this ending, i love you, thanks for octopus pie
And just now, If you listen to the whispers gently floating on the breeze, you can hear that one guy berating themselves for only now getting the "Eve Ning = Evening" thing.
Goodnight folks!
Damn.
Started reading Octopus Pie about 7 years ago. It was so fun to read, so emotional to go through, and so great to experience. It even gave me the courage to make my own webcomic. I knew it was a sign when I saw Vol 1 in the book store yesterday. Octopus Pie is truly an inspiration.Thank you for everything, Meredith.
I just wanted to say, that as a creative pro, you work has been a unique and beautiful gem. It has been a pleasure and an honor to be on board for that most rare of things on the Web, a genuine unique and intimate STORY. Will absolutely be missed.
As a creative pro, I've dabbled in the occasional comic project, and I am terrifyingly aware of how much work must have gone into Octopus Pie. It is a magnificent achievement.
Thank you so much for sharing it with us all.
Is this the last one? Really?
It's been an amazing ride. Thank you Meredith for creating this story and these characters. I will miss seeing a new OP post in my RSS feed and knowing with absolute certainty that my day was about to improve.
I read the farewell letter, it was touching, kind, and thoughtful.
It also left me wondering *why* the comic is over, that seems like kind of an elephant in the room (or I missed something obvious). Don't misunderstand me, I don't *need* this or that explanation, just one. The story was supposed to end here, it was planned for a while? Great! Personal life stuff makes doing this not a good idea? Makes sense. Can anyone help me understand the why here?
I do believe it has much more to do with the character's lives. This, like many here have pointed, is an ending with a new beggining hinted at it.
They are finally transiotioning from where they were when the comic started to new points at their lives. So the turmoil they were in, the discoveries, sadness and joy, is shifted to whole new things.
OctoPie was about a certain phase of their lives that is over now. So, there's no more story to tell that can be called OctoPie. I think it's something like that.
First thing that came to my mind was to say "I wanted it to go just a little longer".
I started reading OP when I wasn't even in high school I guess. Time went on, and you suddenly realize your favorite comic, packed with ny-hipster-jokes, has become a thing you relate to so much. As if being a wonderfully written, drawn (and colored lately, that went so good together, props to Valerie!) you just enjoyed so much wasn't enough.
Thank you very much Meredith, and I wish you all the best.
PS. I can't wait to get the whole book in print 🙂
(actually this is the first example that comes to my mind when it goes about whether web-comics can be as good as the 'normal' ones)
Hi Meredith. I have been reading octopus pie since I was in late high school when it was only two ish chapters in. It’s been a long ride but I’m happy to have been here for so long. It’s weird, I know they are fictional characters but back in high school and in college, in a lot of ways I got a lot of advices from them because they technically had more life experience than me haha. Few years later, it became less about laughing at their jokes and how I wished I could make comics that was fun as yours. Because well, your comic became less about things I didn’t understand and more about how I couldn’t help but relate to eve and co’s struggles and their point of view. I grew up with it and its funny how I’m now probably the same age as Eve. Or a year or two shy of it. Ollies line about how your 20s aren’t the end is a true comfort, because it did feel that way for a long time until recently.
Thank you for dedicating so much of your time and everything else because the experience to grow up with this comic was definitely something I’m grateful for. I’m looking forward to your future endeavors, comics or otherwise. Thanks again.
I'am from Russia and I think I've started reading "Octopus Pie" around 2008 when I was trying to read as much as I can to learn English and I had to use a dictionary and Wikipedia and stuff to fully understand all the references and concepts:) And I believe this comics not only helped me in learning foreign language – it also helped me to understand your way of living, "Brooklynian life" , so to speak, much better 🙂
Now I'm 30 and moving from Moscow to New-York this fall. And yeah, I am a bit terrified about that next chapter of my life:) I'm planning to bring all 4 previous printed books with me (I believe international shipping to Russia did cost as much as the books itself – oh the irony!) and get the 5th one when it's out:)
In the end, that comics, perhaps more than anything else, made me realise that we all have pretty much the same journey in our 20s and that, i believe, made it a little easier.
Thank you:)
What ending? Can't you people read? Near the end of the letter, it says, "I promise you, there's more."
I never commented on here before, but: Thank you.
This comic has acompanied me through my teens until my twenties like little else. And it made me laugh, and cry, and reflect, often at the same time.
Thanks.
Thank you.
thank you so much for letting us read this fantastic comic. i'll be attending sva next year for animation and hope to at least kinda see u. really appreciate all the work you've put into this- i've loved every page for as long as I've been reading it. best of luck!
I'm having a hard time closing this tab, Meredith. A perfect ending, but I'm clinging a bit. Thank you.
wow, four pages of comments to go through. i'm going to add the same sentiment as so many of them. thank you meredith for creating OP for 10 years. thanks to all the characters for letting us peak into their lives. it feels impossible that i've been reading for 10 years. it'll be tough not to get to check for regular new updates, but i'll never stop loving and re-reading this comic.
I don't even remember when I found OP. It's been one of my big 3 webcomics for years, and took the top slot (briefly, I guess) when Dr. McNinja ended. It will probably for *years* to come still be what Chrome autocompletes when I put an 'o' in the address bar.
I grew up with this comic, starting out reading it as a barely 20 year old and now almost 30 somehow. Thank you, Meredith. Whatever you do next, count me in.
i can't believe it's over. this was such a beautiful and crazy comic and i loved every bit of it. i love the ending but i don't want it to end but oh well. i wish you the best and hope one day you'll create more awesome stuff. i'm gonna keep going cuz it's like saying goodbye without wanting to leave so i'll stop here.
I only discovered OP last year, but it was great to follow the lives of all those people, at least for a short while. Now I think I have to read it again from the very beginning. And probably once or twice more. Thank you for your work, Meredith!
It's gonna be so weird not seeing the little Octopus Pie link on my bookmark toolbar anymore. It's been there since 2010.
It's been a pleasure growing up with this comic. Cheers Meredith!
Thank you so much Meredith!
It's been such a treasured experience to be able to read this beautiful comic from start to finish. With online works, it's so rare to get a comic that can make the struggle all the way across the finish line let alone one that does so in such a meaningful way.
Thanks for all the years of hard work and good luck for your next project! 🙂
Perfect. Thanks for everything, Meredith! I loved growing up with these characters
Thank you for a great comic. I will miss OP tremendously. Best wishes for all of your other current and future endeavors!
Thank you for everything.
I'm gonna miss this place…please don't be gone too long.
A satisfying end. We came full circle on Olly and what an adventure it was. Cheers for the ride, Meredith.
Turning 26 next week (though that makes me a lightweight compared to some others here!) Still finding my way through my 20s, but Octopus Pie has been one of the things that's helped me over the last few years. I'd like to think that it's helped me get better at connecting with others, at expressing my self, at fulfilling my dreams… hopefully it's also helped me become a better person.
Thank you so much for everything, Meredith.
I love this comic — it's soothed me in ways I can't describe to read these stories and imagine the characters' struggles. Thanks Meredith.
I've been reading (but only very rarely commenting) for four or five years now, starting just when I was discovering webcomics in earnest. Octopus Pie was one of the first, and it's still one of the very best that I've found. Let me add my small voice to the roar of approval from us all to say: Thank you, Meredith Gran, for this fantastic story. I can't wait to see what you do next!
Also: Thank you to the fanbase for the thoughtful, kind, and frequently hilarious comments along the way!
I'm gettin' the ol' serial storytelling withdrawals. It's been great.
Been reading OP for years now! I think since 2010. Thank you for creating such wonderful characters. They're my friends– both in my mind and reflected in my friends around me. I've always been inspired by the abstract and nonlinear aspects of this comic. Because life is like that, aint it? Thank you so much! PS I wish Hanna was around to smoke me out as I slowly sink into the reality that OP is over. AND THAT'S IT !
This was the Perfect Ending. What a fantastic ride it has been…! Thank you so much for everything Meredith. <3
I've read this comic for the entire duration of my 20s, so it seems fitting that it would end in the same month that I turn 30. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us. It wasn't until things started wrapping up that I realized how much of an impact on me this comic has truly had. The characters have been a part of my life longer than many of my friends! You've made something so incredible. I can't wait to see what you'll make in the future.
I remember finding volume 1 in a library when I was in 6th grade. I've been consistently reading OP for 5 years now and it's so wild to see it end. Thank you so much, Meredith. I am very thankful to have experienced a good chunk of my prime teen years with Octopus Pie, even though I didn't understand it very well until a year or so ago. I should reread it with my newfound wisdom. Thanks dude!
Hey, Meredith
Thank you for this experience in my life. I started reading Octopus Pie when I was 19 and am 28 now. I've grown up with these characters and your immensely thoughtful and meticulous hard work, skill and dedication has brought a very special and profound meaning to my life. Seriously, thank you. Can't wait to read it all again.
This is a perfect ending and I couldn't be happier! Thank you so much Meredith This comic has meant so much to me and as someone who recently entered their 20's afraid for what the future will hold, this comic has offered reassurance and perspective. I loved everything about this comic from its variety of incredible references, endearing and complex characters, beautiful animation and it's ability to be genuinely moving and make me laugh my ass off in any given panel. While I'm obviously sad to see it come to an end, I'm so thankful to have had the chance to read it. You are an amazing storyteller and I know you'll have success with whatever you do next! I can't wait to reread this comic down the line when I have my own experiences to reflect on.
wishing you luck in all your future projects!
Thank you so much : )
i can't believe it's over
i've read this since i don't even remember
i have 3 op originals i bought when mer got married and they're my most prized possessions
what does
oh man this strip hit me
ohh im feeling it now it couldn't do anything other than end, but,
it's ended in a soft way, but, this is real people, this comic, it's real life on a page. so unbelievably well-written and even-handed and kind, even to the characters it doesn't like
i can't remember when this comic wasn't with me. it's such a change in my life i can't describe it, OP has always been here. I've always been able to dive into this world, i don't
it didn't even feel like someone was making it, it felt like something that the world was saying, all on its own. i can't believe it's over but this was obviously how it ends. ive had an easier time saying goodbye to characters from tolstoy novels
When I stated reading this comic (occasionally at first, then binging it in a few days) Hannah was getting high at the MET. Now it's all over and I'm not sure I've ever commented, but I just wanted to say thanks like everyone else. I started reading in High school when I was into web-comics and wanted to do that as a career. Now I've finished a year of art college and am making an animated short. I have to admit, reading this comic and seeing the characters going through shit helped me realize that some of the stuff I would have to deal with isn't impossible like I used to think. In a way it gave me the courage to look to the future and upcoming 20s with hope instead of dread. So once again Thanks for producing one of the best comics of the 21st century.
I'll be 30 in just over two months (What's up, other guy in the exact same boat). A lot of my life has been pretty bad. Well, it's been okay. But the kind of okay that in retrospect you consider bad. I spend a lot of time wondering what I could have done better, what I could have changed to have this year not be the first one living outside my parents' house — when does it stop being "your house" and become theirs, anyway? — and I spent a good amount of that time reading this comic wondering where this warm, if not always fulfilling world Eve & Friends(tm) inhabited was and why I hadn't found it yet. I'm still working on it, but I think I'm okay. Or at least I am more okay with not being okay than I used to be. Is that good? I don't know. Thank you for Octopus Pie, Meredith.
They're all right.
Thank you too, Meredith. For everything.
Thank you so much for this incredible story that I'm looking forward to rereading from the beginning again soon. To watch these characters grow and change (with such well-drawn expressions!) over the years has been wonderful.
I hope Hanna and Marek still end up getting their duck farm someday.
A long time ago I read a comic called Skirting Danger. Then the artist stopped doing that one and made another one. Now I'm here, older, maybe wiser. It was great.
Wonder what's next?
Thank you, Meredith. Thank you for creating a world with colorful characters, intricate stories, and raw emotions that mirror that of real life. Octopus Pie has been something I've returned to after weeks, months, and at one point probably a few years. It's been cathartic to sit and read and admire your work from time to time throughout the span of your work. I wish you all the best in your next adventure. Keep creating, and keep being amazing.
G'bye and thanks (snif).
I started reading this in college when I was 21, I'm 28 now, and Octopus Pie has been really inspiring. You just have such a great understanding of humans and how they work and… I don't know, the beauty of mundane things or just how confusing life is.
It's been an honour to watch the growth of the characters and your growth as an artist and a storyteller. I wish I'd met you at some point. I live in Malaysia and Singapore where I act, so it's kinda hard (that confused artist life, I gets it).
I hope for all wonderful things for you in life, more growth and more success. I hope that Octopus Pie becomes a really well-made Netflix series and pays you mad royalties, and perhaps a musical so I can play Eve at some point.
Thank you for feeding my soul and the souls of so many others!
oh… damn 🙁
well i gotta say this comic has been *awesome* and i'm sad that i only discovered it a few pages ago! binging it was quite a lot of fun 😀 i can't wait to see what crazy talented thing you put out next
This comic was with me from my mid teens (where I binged up to the work retreat arc) to now in my early 20s, and I have to admit that I didn't really understand some of the characters when I was younger, but rereading the comic, I'm now able to relate the characters' struggles, conflicts, happy times… Man. I'm sure as I go into my late 20s I'll discover even more depth than I can now (your writing is so good!!).
It's so bittersweet to see Octopus Pie finished. Definitely my #1 webcomic for being able to portray real life so, so well. It's been a hell of a ride. Thanks again for everything!
No! How?! It's… over?
Pure genius. Thanks a lot.
Read all of this in few days. Some time travel it was ! Great work, thank you for that, I'm crying a little right now.
Hi from France 🙂
Thank you Mer, I've been reading this webcomic for years and I'm ending my 20s too, so this ending hits all the right places.
This was by far the best webcomic I've ever read, you are an awesome storyteller, with your writing and your expressive drawings. I wish you all the happiness and beautiful experiences to come!!
All my love <3
Lu
I've read and loved every page since the beginning; Octopus Pie's characters feel like old friends, their ups and downs and trials and growth mirrored those of my life and helped me get through my own.
Thank you for creating.
I came to read this towards the later end of the story but the whole comic has been fantastic. Thank you for sharing this amazing work with us. I am going to miss reading this.
I'm 29. I think I've been reading this comic since the beginning… I was 19 — Ollys letter is hitting hard right now.
Thank you for everything Meredith! I've been reading since high school and OP has influenced me so much. When times got rough, this comic brought me a lot of joy and self-understanding. I love your style and your writing. I eagerly await your next project, I know it will be awesome!
Thanks for everything, all these years, Mer. I hope all your next endeavours have this or even better fanbase. Count us in.
Greetings from Chile
I don't know whether to call it irony or serendipity that a webcomic you started 2 months after the death of your father finally ends 2 weeks after the death of my mother.
There were times, more than one or two or three, that this comic saved me when nothing else could.
Whether it was finally understanding something I never would have otherwise, realising other people felt the same way, or letting me know that this is now, and things change, and there is hope for the future that comes like a train, despite all your best laid plans.
Eve and Will finally being together, as they are now, healed some kind of psychic chasm in my heart that I'd thought would forever be a black hole.
There is 'life after love', in so many ways, and I know that I am wiser, braver, and more alive because of this comic.
From the bottom of all the feels, thank you Meredith.
Been a fan for years, thanks for all the comics. You've truly created a wonderful series worth reading again and again.
Sad to see the end of this comic. II was a regular reader.
If you ever read this Ms. Gran, I hope you realize how incredible the work you've done is. I would not be surprised if this comic means something different to every person who reads it.
Thank you for sharing with us
I've been lurking around this comic for years. I got to meet Meredith one at SPX several years ago and pick a couple minicomics, which I still love 🙂 This comics has been a constant for me for a long time and I'm sad to see it end, but happy to check out whatever Meredith makes next!
rerun it from the beginning! keep getting ad revenue!
I want to cry! Thank you so much for this inspiring piece of art! This is by far my favorite comic. I am so sad! I won't get to see my friends anymore! (I am totally gonna buy ALL THE MERCH!)
Really. Thank you so much. This comic has helped me through rough times.
thank you for everything <3
Absolutely fantastic and thought provoking all the way through, thank you so much for making this.
OP has quickly turned into a phantom limb; I keep mindlessly typing in its URL, but there's nothing to see. At least there's the archive, I guess – if this was a Pictures for Sad Children scenario, I wouldn't know what to do.
That's it.
Turned 30 couple of weeks ago, octopus pie has been my 20s.
Also, became a cat owner some 7 months ago, so I can totally relate to panel 4.
Thank you, Meredith. Hope you do well.
I walked into this comic around 2012, and spend quite a bit of time in the archives. Eve and Hannah's struggles in particular always spoke to me, and the things I've struggled with in live. The art style has improved so much over those early days, and you can see the artist grow as you read from year to year.
Thanks for giving us all such a wonderful story to read!
i'm so heartbroken it's over but so thankful it happend. thank you meredith
I came to this comic late, but caught up about 7 years ago and have been following it ever since. A slice-of-life story. NO aliens, not fairies no bizarreness. Other than what life can throw at you. A tale of the heart. This ending is not the end of their story, just in us following it. You did a wonderful job with the characters. They seemed real to me. Which is quite an accomplishment. I hope to get to see whatever your next project is. Taking 10 years of your life on this one is quite a drain. I will understand how ever long you need to recharge. To get that fire again to start up something new and interesting to you. Thank you for your work.
I started reading this when I was 17 years old. I'm 27 now, and I have to say that this comic has been a joy the whole time. Thank you for everything, and good luck.
Thank you very much Meredith. It was simply wonderful…. :'(
Last night I dreamed there was a new page of Octopus Pie, but then I woke up to the real world. It's been deep and beautiful, and couldn't have ended better. Thank you so much.
Thanks for everything.
I guess I need a new favorite thing on the internet.
I'll never forget this comic. It got me through a lot of tough times. I can't wait to see what you do next. You have a lifetime fan in me.
Thank you, it's been a wonderful read!
I shared the site on my facebook page with this:
'My favorite comic ended. It started in 2007. 10 years of Octopus Pie. It was quite a ride! If you haven't read it check it out. Start from the beginning :). I loved it from beginning to end and the characters grew throughout the years. It's 100% worth the read.'
Thank you Meredith for this wonderful Journey. And the ending was like a new beginning as someone else posted. I'm so glad Eve ended up with him in the end. I think they were always meant to be. It makes my heart so warm. It's been amazing watching these characters grow over the years. And relating to them and seeing how real their lives felt to me, to all of us. It's been quite a journey. I can't wait to see what you do next. And I can't wait to purchase the books all at once <3.
Thank you so much Mer!
been reading for a long, long time. thanks
What the fucking fuck.
Found this comic yesterday. read it in two days… and it ENDED… just a couple weeks ago? like… a month ago? It's OVER? @.@
Unlike many others here, I am just that of a first time reader, I've read it over the past three weeks in my spare time. I honestly love the characters completely, you depicted so many emotions and made it so realistic it felt as if I was going along with them and the progression in your art is amazing!
I have been uncertain about some things in my life, I am likely the age of the characters at the beginning – but honestly? I feel like this has helped in some weird way, made me realise what's important in a sense. As many others have said; thank you, and best of luck on your next plans Meredith!
I’m so happy with my “paper bag parade” pint glasses. They remind me of the loops and twists of the comic… hard to believe ten years went by so fast. Thanks for a wonderful story and some fantastic memories! http://www.octopuspie.com/2011-10-29/488-cute-ten…
Whoops that was the wrong link, I must have meant https://topatoco.com/collections/octopus-pie/products/op-parade-pint
Thanks for nearly a decade of fun, I and all of your other readers wish you the best and look forward the future. It's been a good run
Thanks for everything. It was a great comic. I look forward to buying the last trade. Best of luck with what is next.
No, Eve!! Don't touch the cat-belly! It's a trap!
Also, I'm kind of glad Olly isn't dead. I think he could see that Eve wanted to (or should?) move on from the store soon, and thought it was a good time to end it.
Brilliant ending, Meredith–I came over from a link on Kate Beaton's tumblr and binge-read this thing in three days. This is amazingly well-written: your characters are so realistic and human, down to the smallest detail. They don't always do what we'd like them to do, but they do what their character would do if they were real. And you've never forced a story-line, you've everything happen organically. Just slice-of-life with a few weird details like inter-space portals and car people thrown in for good measure.
Bravo, and best of luck in your future endeavors!
I just read the entire thing in 3 days. I'd never heard of this before Kate Beaton's post. Holy shit. What a fucking tremendous ride. Now to buy all of the books…
I was listening to "This Ladder is Ours" by The Joy Formidable while reading this page and, somehow, the song was fitting. Man, this was a beautiful adventure, so beautiful that any attempt to spin poetry on how deep, soulful, and riveting it was on my part would sound absolutely ridiculous, but still…
I love how I'm not alone in my concerns or my problems, how it's okay for me to keep searching for my little place in the world, and that I'm worthy of love and the many mistakes I made and will make won't hold me back or permanently damage me as a person; that I can move on.
Thank you for creating these beautiful characters, for not painting over the real issues of young adulthood, for reminding us that we still grow even in our 30s or 40s or even 70s, and that all we need is to connect with others and bring happiness for ourselves and to each other.
Meredith, you are the best!
I just don't know. Octopus Pie has been a big part of my life since I discovered it years ago in my late teens. This story has been a ride for a lifetime. I have laughed, and cried with the ups and downs. Now that it's over, I feel a chapter in my life has closed. I wish I could say I was in at the top, but I wasn't, and gods above, I wish I had been.
Mer, you have performed a great service to the world having toiled on this work for so long. This is one of my all time favorite comics. As sad as I am to see it end, I am happy. The ending was perfect, I love each and every character you have made. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future, if you decide to continue in the world of webcomics. I'm never going to forget Octopus Pie for as long as I live. It was a great companion for me through some tough times. Thank you, more than you will ever know, thank you.
I wanted to send a mail but whatever, at least this will last forever (or at least as long as this website I suppose).
I came here from Kate Beaton's speech about how Octupus Pie was not only a great webcomic, but an amazing story that may not have the recognition it deserved. Well, I can only concur after basically binge-reading Octupus Pie. Everything here is nothing short of remarkable, and when I finished it I must say I felt a little empty inside. I spent a week with these people, in their lives, empathizing with their happiness, their sadness, their bitterness (and other words in -ness I guess). It felt so real because I (and I think many people) can relate with this sentiment of loss of control we have over our lives during our 20s. So many decisions to take, so many "first time", when we feel we must act as we are wasting our time, make tough choices or even just be thrown upside down by whatever happens to us.
And the show still goes on as we continue our lives, differently than before as we have changed even we don't know "when".
I could go on and on and be more confusing, but I guess my message was clear. Thanks for the emotional roller coaster. Never a comic has stroke so deep in me, and I am glad I had the chance to read it.
Thanks for everything, this was a really incredible journey.
…
This is a good end. Well, no, it's not. If only on account of the fact that it isn't an end. Or, rather, it is the end, but only the end of the comic, not of the story.
I want to make this big speech about how well this comic represents life and growing up and reaching maturity, but all I can manage is this:
GOOD FUCKING JOB! THIS COMIC WAS AMAZING!
I know it's been over six months since this comic ended, but I finished reading the entire series again and wanted to say thanks Meredith. Thanks and great work. I didn't think this type of comic was my cup of tea at first, way back in the second or third story arc, but it grabbed me and held me. I loved seeing the characters grow and gain more depth. I hope they'll all be okay, and I miss them already. Good luck Meredith, and thanks again for what turned out to be one of my all-time favorite serial stories.
I started reading this webcomic when I was 19. I am now 29. I have stumbled through my twenties, growing clumsily alongside Eve&co. Thank you so much for this, Meredith! It's been a trip!
This is the best web comic I've ever read. Thank you so much for letting us follow these intresting characthers. And the last chapter was an fantastic ending to it all.
God Damned. I miss Hanna So Much…
it’s almost been a year since octopus pie ended and i still find myself looking to these characters and their relationships for some sort of tangible guidance.
i just turned 20- i’ve been reading octopus pie since i was a wee freshman in high school and i love this comic dearly. i’m excited for your future endeavors mer, and thank you so much!
I've read this from start to finish all in one day. It was journey to read through and i loved every second of this. Thank you for making this
This has been such as wonderful read! I've enjoyed every panel, every morph in style, everything! <3<3
So I just spent the last few weeks catching up. I don't even remember what made me click into here in the first place but I started and just kept going thinking "man, it's going to be great when I finally catch up. I'll add it to my regular list and every few days or once a week or whatever the update schedule is I'll learn a little more about these crazy kids" and then I got here and I'm thinking "oh wow. $75, that, Ollie. What could possibly be next for Eve?" and clicked next and… that was it. Yup, that's it. I mean, that's a good place to end, the ride has been fantastic, but I took 10 years and condensed it into about a month and now I don't know what to do with myself.
Anywho, that's all on me. I wanted to congratulation you for doing that thing that you did for all those years. I came in so late but it was very worth it to read. Thank you.
Thanks for your amazing story telling and great art. I will keep up, hopefully if you create other comics or anything else. By the way is that a little eve-will babe?lol
Thanks fo r your work!
I'm in my early 20's now, and pretty much took about two weeks to read through OP for the first time. I was engrossed. And I quickly watched characters change from black and white to color and LGBT and open up and be nervous and be real. In my freshman year of high school, I was introduced to Questionable Content. And I bloomed from the opportunities it gave me. New music, new outlook on an otherwise dreary life, and I was able to actually log my steps into maturity with every new page of QC.
And I feel like I took another large leap in my own introspection as I finished OP, and realized how much I still don't know and understand. How much insight OP would give me through Meredith Gran's writing, illustrations, and character development. I'm so torn, being a young adult and fearful for a future I still find myself flailing to reach; despite the unknown, I feel safe knowing there have always been people suffering in similar situations who were able to push past their insecurities, obstacles they put into place themselves, and relationship issues galore.
I'm still terrified of my future. But it makes me happy knowing I'm not the only one. Thank you everyone in the comments who shared their own insights, their own theories, and their own memories and analysis. I love you all.
The next arrow keeps taking me back to the beginning… I know it's a glitch. it has to be, so who can tell me how to proceed to the next story line? anyone? pleeez? I know it's a mistake… this isn't the end. no. no. no. it's not the end i'm just…
i'm just..
*sobs*
no…
(OP I love you)
As I've figured out from reading, Meredith made another interesting analogy for all the drama we fill our 20's with. It all really amounts to very little when we realize that real life is so much more.
Honestly amazed to see it end so abruptly.:)
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat a ride! If I had found this story as it was happening I think my LIFE would have been different. Instead, it was just the last 10 months or so worth of lovely lunch-time reading.
I can't describe how much I've enjoyed reading OP. Suffice to say: a heckin lot.
Thank you!
and so ends my third time reading through this, half as research for how to write a good comic myself, half out of loving it so darn much. unfortunately i can't say i was around since the beginning, but i was around for the end. this comic has so much heart.
thank you mer.
Ah! Here I am, on the very last strip. Rediscovered this comic last week and finally caught up. The characters along with the art changed so much, the changes were so subtle and gradual that you don’t even notice until its blatant. Eve going from a cynical asshole to supportive and fun-loving, Hanna moving in the opposite direction, and Will being ever the womanizer… truly a Frenchman! It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see much of Olly after the employee winter getaway, I got the impression he had some stuff happening in the background as he shifted to a kind of a father figure(?).
You know, Gran, this comic resonated with me on a deep level, you managed to portray so many different personalities and view-points in such a masterful and dynamic way that gives each its fair credit. The characters and their struggles really embody the generations of the last two decades, and I found myself and my friends reflected in these characters (I’m Donovan+Greg, yes, I know, sorry). That arc with the Times interview felt too real, not just because it’s true but because I also missed so much of this “youth activity”.
On another level, this comic scratched an itch I could never reach. I don’t live in the West, I’m thousands of miles away from the USA but was raised on American culture, American media. It’s no joke, you guys basically rule the world. Do you know what it’s like to see all those things but never participate? I am a stranger in a strange land, alienated from everything that’s around me but too far away from anything that’s familiar or comfortable. Yes, this sounds kind of pathetic, but at least in the spirit of our heroine. Reading through Octopus Pie gave me a sort of filler, a sense of authentic American life, exaggerated and goofy, but at least better than TV.
I say this from the bottom of my heart, thank you Meredith Gran, for an outstanding comic.
that was certainly a ride, gives an only recently adult reader a good preemptive look into what he might expect. I must thank you for that perspective, even if it's from… well… a comic lol
let's just hope it's not a New York exclusive thing…. cheers from the UK!
🙂
woa… intense…