1 Me: I will be killing off a major Irregular Webcomic! character before the end of the year. No ghosts. No witty banter with the Head Death before returning. Dead.
2 Me: And now, if you're averse to spoilers, I recommend you stop reading this comic. Right now.
3 Me: My personal time stream has been running backwards for some reason, and this strip doesn't have a punchline.
4 Me: Firstly, I must apologise in advance...

2018-01-07 Rerun commentary: To reveal all, it does. (spoiler warning)

And it will hint at an event in the past that will have readers debating about whether it's a true revelation or merely a one-off gag with no further significance.

It will be quite tricky coming up with dialogue that reads almost sensibly backwards, but then makes perfect sense only when you realise what's happening in the first panel and read it forwards.

In foresight, this will be one of my favourite strips that I will have written.