Archive for November, 2002
19 items.
Acceptable alternate punchlines would also include:
“Whad’da think?”
“I think that ain’t tobacco in that pipe you’re smoking.”
OR
“Whad’da think?”
“I think I’m gonna have nightmares trying to figure our where you stashed that hat this entire time.”
Thank you very much!
So here’s to another week of exploiting my nerdy obsessions. I even snuck in a little Lord of the Rings. Isn’t that nice?
So what’s next? Ah, yes. Harry Potter. I, along with the rest of the mindless drones plan on seeing The Chamber of Secrets tonight. Is it wrong to admit I like this franchise? I enjoyed about 80% of the last one. The remaining 20% sat there loathing director Christopher Columbus for unleashing the holy terror of the Home Alone movies and Bicentennial Man onto the world. What did we ever do to you, Chris?!
I never read any of the Harry Potter books before seeing the movie. But I thought the movie was good enough to make me want to start reading them. I think that’s a pretty good indication of quality.
Anyway, Harry Potter jokes here Monday. Do come back.
I ran into a spot of bad luck last night. On a tip from the crew over at Troy’s Bucket, I swung by my local Toys ‘R Us to purchase a copy of Episode II on DVD. Word on the street is that they were letting it go for a mere $9.99.
Yes, I know I’ve spoken about the sanctions on cool purchases, but this price probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer. But when you make your love ones purchase nerd artifacts as presents, they’ll be a lot less happy knowing they could have saved ten bucks two weeks earlier. I decided to save them the frustration.
Anyway, I bring the movie home tonight, unwrap it – then notice it’s the FULL SCREEN version. NOT wide screen like any cineophile with discerning taste would demand. No. It was crappy, pan-and-scan. I felt like a total chump. I’m usually more observant of these kinds of things. I guess I must have been blinded by the price tag. It just goes to show, kids. ALWAYS CHECK THE LABEL!
So of course I’m going to take it back and demand my widescreen version. Let’s hope the big, goofy giraffe is understanding.
The funny thing about this story is that my friend Nick e-mailed me earlier this week and shared a story where the exact same thing happened to him when he bought Spider-Man at Target. Ladies and gentlemen, we’re both college-educated individuals. You’d think we’d do better at simple reading. Nick was an English major, for crying-out-loud.
It is my opinion that retailers need to stick the full screen and wide screen versions of movies AS FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AS POSSIBLE. Treat them like they were just divorced. Use the VHS copies like they were kids used for leverage and stick them in the middle so we know where the dividing line is. Turn left for quality. Turn right for a version that’s just as good as anything you’ll see on TBS.
For the love of God, I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would choose the full screen version. It’s like buying beer without alcohol in it. Don’t tell me you drink it for the taste!
QUICK PLUG: I almost forgot, but everyone needs to swing by Unmentionables. Protege108th was cool enough to sneak our characters into the background of his latest strip and I promised I would give him a shout-out.
It’s a good comic. If you’re in the loop at all, you know that already.
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Nov18
THERE ARE WORSE THINGS TO ALIGN YOURSELF WITH
November 18th, 2002 |
(10 votes, average: 7.80 out of 10)
Whenever I do a comic with social commentary, one might be inclined to believe that real-life events are what inspired them.
The above scenario isn’t something that has happened to me personally, but coming from Iowa, it wouldn’t surprise me if it did. Sometimes I resent that our country was founded by puritanical nutjobs. I resent it further that they all seem to camp out in my backyard.
Today’s comic is more of a response to the overzealous Christian parents who organized book burning in regard to the immense popularity of the Harry Potter book series (and, subsequently, the popular movie sequel debuting in theaters this weekend).
I think the swipe paints itself pretty clearly. It’s okay to saturate yourself with violence and gore, but fantasy and magic are no-no’s. Do these parents prevent their kids from watching David Copperfield specials? Do they refuse to have their picture taken out of fears that it may “steal their souls”. Personally, I find Steven Segal movies the greater offense to God.
Obviously the Harry Potter franchise has done a lot to get kids back into reading. How can that be a bad thing? In an era of diminished imaginations – where cable television, video games and the Internet eat away at brain cells, why would you want to punish a kid for reading? I don’t have kids, but if I did, I’d hand over the freakin’ Necronomicon if it meant having a child capable of stringing together a few sentences of cohesive thought down the road.
That’s probably enough ranting, but it’s good to get that out.
I did get a chance to see Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets this weekend – after trying three times!
I went on Friday night around 7:00 to try and secure tickets for the late showing at 10:30. The idea was to avoid having to sit through the film with a bunch of screeching 10 year-olds. The plan worked only too well when we learned ALL of that evenings shows were sold out.
We tried again Saturday afternoon in hopes of catching a matinee. But again, all afternoon shows were sold out. Cami had to work in the evening, so that option was out.
The stars finally aligned when I went to the theater AGAIN and purchased two tickets for a 7:15 showing. This time I had the foresight to go in and buy the tickets at noon. Geeze!
Although the film was long, I felt it was well worth the effort. I liked it better than the first movie because it got all of the clumsy introductions out of the way. I hope to have a review up sometime soon, but then again, I promised a review of Punch-Drunk Love a few weeks ago. These things tend to slip through my fingers.
As I mentioned in Friday’s blog, I bought Episode II on DVD last week – only to find that I purchased the full screen version and not the wide screen as the Gods command.
Fortunately, I had some luck sticking it to the man when I went to exchange it. Toys ‘R Us wasn’t the place where I made the trade, however. In fact, they were so useless, I wouldn’t wipe my ass with their customer service.
Where I struck gold was at Target of all places. I walk into the store with an OPEN copy of the DVD and tell them my whole sob story about how I didn’t know it was the full-screen version until I started watching it. Could I exchange it?
To my shock, the woman behind the counter said YES! At TARGET! The place my friend Nick gripes about having to hand over blood and urine samples when you want to make a return.
The woman told me to grab the version I wanted, and she would ring me up. The beauty of this situation is that I bought the full-screen version for $9.99 at Toys ‘R Us. The widescreen version at Target cost $15.99 – it would have been $22.99 if it weren’t on sale. I ended up making money on the deal!
Of course now I am constant fear of reprisal from the great, red bulls eye. They’re probably watching me right now. It’s most likely a grand mistake to admit my crimes in such a public forum. Let’s just say if I’m taking away by the retail tribunals, I won’t be surprised. If Wednesday’s comic is a bit late, like 5 to 10 years late, you’ll know why.
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Funny how I can go from topical subject matter to over-the-top slapstick in just one day. When you can’t come up with the funny, lunge for the jugular, I always say. In this case, literally!
Of course, today’s strip means nothing if you haven’t seen Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. However, considering it’s $87 million dollar haul over the weekend, I have a feeling I’m pitching to the majority right now.
There will be more news later this evening, but right now I am very tired from a night of bowling (and drinking). Be sure to come back to the site after 6PM tonight to learn more about the nominations Theater Hopper received from the Webcomic Choice Awards.
Be back later.
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Well, I’m back. I promised more news, and I’ve got more news. Ironically, this won’t be a mega-post like I originally envisioned.
I just wanted to make it public that Theater Hopper has been nominated for a couple of awards by the good folks sponsoring the Webcomic Choice Awards. We’re nominated in the categories of Best Hand-Drawn Comic and Best Webdesign.
Of course I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m just happy for the recognition, so many thanks to those who filled in my name on the nomination ballot.
Voting for the general public won’t begin until all the nominees have been contacted and they verify the honor. I’m imagining it’ll be near the end of the month before things get into full-swing.
I’m not going to vote-whore, but I intend on promoting the WCA during the voting period. Once things get rolling, please think of us when casting your ballot. It would make me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Things are really shaping up for the big five-oh milestone on Friday. Geeze. 50 comics. I can’t believe it. I just started this up to see if I could do it. And now it looks like I’ve got an average of a couple hundred readers telling me to keep it up. You guys are the best. Seriously. If it weren’t for you, I’d quit. There’s no reason to throw all this creative effort into a void. I’m glad there is someone on the other side to provide a soft pillow for it to land on.
To celebrate this chapter of Theater Hopper history, I’ve made some plans for next week. There are going to be a few changes around the site. I’m going to be deleting a few things, adding some more cool things to replace them and… well… something big is planned for next week, so you gotta be sure to come back and check it out.
Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to Butah over at Hot Buttered Funk. He was kind enough to add me to his ever-growing cam-pic army. You can find me on page 8. Do some scrolling. You’ll find me at the bottom.
Butah was also cool enough to hook Theater Hopper up with a permanent link on his links page. I’m returning the favor by slapping this big ass banner here.
I strongly suggest you visit the site and sign up for the forums. They’ve got a great crew of regulars over there and some of the most intelligent and inventive topics I’ve seen on the Internet in a long time.
Hmm… I guess this post ended up being longer than I thought. Nuthin’ wrong with that!
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50 Strips. Wow. Who thought it would ever come to this. I certainly didn’t.
Well, with such a milestone under our belts, it seems appropriate to celebrate, doesn’t it? So that’s just what we’re gonna do!
Be sure to come back on Monday for the Theater Hopper 50th Strip Celebration! To mark this momentous occasion, we’ll be undertaking a crossover with the another movie-themed strip – Carrington Vanston’s excellent Movie Punks.
This is a real thrill and honor for me. I’ve been a big fan of Movie Punks from the very beginning. Carrington and I actually started developing our strips at the same time. Well, okay, I think he had a month or two on me. But regardless, Carrington is a really great guy who is doing me an awesome favor by helping in this celebration. I know how busy he is right now and the fact that he’s willing to help me out with this on top of his regular publishing schedule proves Carrington is the nicest guy in the world.
If you’re not reading Movie Punks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you need to go there first. Then you can come back here. His strip all that and then some. That’s a fact.
Of course, we’re not doing a crossover just to toot our own horns. It’s a way of saying “thank you” to all of our readers for the support they’ve given us. Regular strips will be published alongside the crossover strips. That means you’ll be getting 6 new strips next week! You can’t beat that bargain with a stick!
Of course, since I’ll be working overtime on all these strips, we’ve got to find a place to stash all those extras…
Say hello to the Bonus Materials page! It’s the new part of the site that will feature all of the cool extras that don’t go anywhere else. Fan art, desktop wallpapers, crossovers – you name it! This will be the place to dig it out. Be sure to check it out! Right now we have 3 pieces of fan art ready and waiting for you. If you’d like to have your work added, feel free to e-mail it to us.
One last bit of information I’ll mention and it has nothing to do with the milestone: In Wednesday’s blog, I erroneously reported that there would be a public voting period in regard to the nominations Theater Hopper received from the Webcomic Choice Awards.
The truth is that there is a panel of judges that will vote on the nominees and the public will not be involved at this time. I regret the error.
In the meantime, thanks again and be sure to come back on Monday for the big crossover event! What kind of wacky misadventures will Tom, Jared, Dexter and Seethe get into? You’ll have to be here on Monday to find out
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Nov25
In case you didn’t know, all this week we’re celebrating Theater Hopper crossing the milestone of 50 strips!
And to help with the celebration, I’ve recruited the ever-awesome Carrington Vanston from Movie Punks to do a crossover this week.
Fans of Movie Punks will recognize the scenario from when he hooked up with Shivian from Oh My Gods! We each take turns doing a strip, and to see the next stage of the plot, you have to visit the corresponding artist’s web site. Really simple!
I’m kicking things off today, and tomorrow, you can see Carrington’s take over at Movie Punks. This is going to be a lot of fun, so be sure to follow along!
You can find part one of our crossover located on the Bonus Materials page. Expect to find subsequent installments there as well. I’ll be sure to keep everyone informed when new strips appear on the page.
The reason we’re doing a crossover is to thank you, the reader for your support and enthusiasm. I’ve received several nice letters from fans and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. But we’re not doing this for just those who send letters. This crossover is also for the casual reader. Because without the steady stream of hits you add to our totals, I would consider myself a failure and quite outright. You encourage us, too – if somewhat silently. 🙂
Of course, this crossover wouldn’t be “special” if I weren’t working extra hard to bring you a week of regular strips. So that means you’ll be getting 6 strips from me instead of the standard three. That’s right. I’m working DOUBLE hard just for you. No, not you. You owe me money. The guy to your right. Him. Oh, and everyone else.
I did today’s crossover at an 8 panel job. The file is really big, so for those of you with slower connections, you might consider going to the bathroom or making a sandwich while waiting for it to download. However, I must recommend you don’t do both at the same time, because that is very gross. Regardless, it’s out there in all its enormity, waiting for you.
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to follow up with another 8 panel strip on Wednesday because it basically devoured my entire weekend. So what I’m saying is don’t get used to it. Of course, it all depends on what Carrington fires back with tomorrow. We’ll see then if I need to one-up him. 🙂
I will say there was a bit of serendipitous timing with this crossover. Since this week is Thanksgiving, I’ve got a few days off from work. It’s giving me extra time to work on the strip and goof off. Meanwhile, my wife will be slaving over a hot stove.
God, I’m a bad husband.
Not really. In truth, I’m just a really bad cook. Cami wouldn’t let me near a stove if her life depended on it. I’m sure I’ll be made useful by making several trips to the grocery store for her. Picking things off a shelf – that’s about all I’m good for. That, and drawing silly pictures. Enjoy!
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The big crossover between Theater Hopper and Movie Punks is still going strong. If you haven’t checked out Part 2 at Carrington’s site, well, you won’t have to because I’ve already saved it to our bonus materials page.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be standing in line first thing Thursday morning at Movie Punks to check out Part 4.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. For Part 4 to make any sense, you’ll have to read Part 3, my strip, which has also posted today in the bonus section. Don’t forget to check it out!
Today’s strip calls to the fore a basic subtext of movie-going motivation in our household. Sure, Solaris will probably be a fun movie to see. George Clooney and director Steven Soderberg have done so many movies together, by this point they’re sharing the same brain. I have no question to its quality.
But at the same time, Cami has a major crush on Clooney and won’t object in the least to the reported ass shots he has committed to celluloid.
I like George Clooney. I like him a lot better now than I did in his old ER days. I think Clooney has used a lot of the power behind his celebrity to do some good within the industry. And I really respect him for not taking flack from that right-wing pinhead Bill O’Riely after then whole 9/11 benefit thing.
Clooney is also keenly aware of his appeal versus studio interests. In a recent interview, he commented on the leak about his derriere making a cameo appearance in Solaris. He cited the film’s distributor Fox as the source of the leak. He basically made comments along the lines of how Fox doesn’t know how to properly market and film for adults, so to generate interests, they let it slip that there was going to be some Clooney tush-action going on.
From a purely marketing perspective, you can’t blame Fox for the move. Look how people are talking about it. The news HAS generated buzz. But kudos to Clooney for calling them on their “marketing of least resistance”. It would have been more refreshing to watch a good film pitched at more refined levels.
I don’t know if Cami and I will get a chance to see Solaris this week, what with all the holiday shenanigans (we still haven’t caught Die Another Day), but I plan on making time. Even when Soderberg is off his game, he’s still 90% better than anyone else out there right now.
Last thing I’ll mention: Rick Brose of The 2econd Opinion was kind enough to review our site. It’s fair and balanced and well worth your time to read. If not for his take on our work, but for the very thorough collection of reviews he has assembled on other topics far-flung as video games, movies, music and DVD’s. It’s a real treat. Check it out!
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Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I wasn’t able to get my 5th and final contribution to the Theater Hopper/Movie Punks Crossover ready to go first thing today. I feel terrible about it, but nothing can be done. After so much turkey, alcohol and family, it was a struggle to get just the regular strip done.
Also, since this will be my last shot with the crossover, I wanted to make sure the quality was up to snuff. I didn’t want to hand out a crap product and expect you to take it on the chin. I’m already feeling crappy enough that I haven’t been able to do the proper highlighting on my colors the last two days.
Anyway, I apologize for the lateness of the strip, but it WILL be posted later this afternoon, so be sure to check back.
I hope everyone had a very safe and happy holiday. Thanksgiving at the Brazelton home was one of the best ever. We had all of our family over. It was our first time hosting, too. I’m proud to say it went off without a hitch. Props to Cami for being the best wife ever.
Be back later. Thanks.
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I know I said I would have the my last contribution to the Theater Hopper/Movie Punks Crossover ready by this afternoon, but it took a little longer to get it right. I’m happy with the results and the extra care it took to get there. Please check it out.
Once again, major props to Carrington for helping me celebrate the big 5-oh. I had a lot of fun trying to get my characters out of the sticky situations he put them in. Drawing Dexter and Seethe was a real treat.
Everyone be sure to check out the conclusion of the crossover Saturday over a Movie Punks. I can’t wait to see what solution Carrington cooks up since we hadn’t really talked about specific plot points during our collaboration.
In the meantime, I’ll see you all back in this spot Monday. Have a great weekend!
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