Archive for August, 2005
18 items.
You can’t take a pot-shot at comic book nerds without calling forth their patron saint. It’s part of the nerd by-laws, or something. It’s just what you do.
Sidebar: The more I do this comic, the more I realize that I draw from the world of comic books about as often as I do from the world of movies and DVD. I was combing through the archives earlier tonight and it’s kind of funny how many of them refer to graphic novels.
I don’t know if that’s because Hollywood continues to make more and more comic-book movies in the wake of success stories like Spider-Man and X-Men or if it’s simply my alternate influences seeping in.
But I digress…
Main blog: Contrary to the statements of my illustrated avatar, I personally am VERY excited to see The 40 Year-Old Virgin this weekend. I think it’s going to be a hit akin to Wedding Crashers and hopefully the proof that Hollywood needs to cement the notion that R-rated comedies can be successful.
Advance reviews have been great and I don’t doubt it. It has Steve Carell in his first lead role and one where he finally hasn’t been propped up to do the anchorman thing that he cultivated so well from his years on The Daily Show. I think he’s been long past due to break out of that mold and I think he’ll prove exactly how versatile he is with this movie.
Second, Judd Apatow directs and was the co-writer with Carell. Apatow is one of my favorite comedic writers – he being the brain behind both Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, which I both loved.
Third, I’m hearing rumblings that Virgin’s effectiveness lies not within it’s ability to be raunchy or shock. But rather in the tenderness it shows it’s characters and the sweetness it allows them to exude. It fleshes them out a little more. Evolves them past the point of catch-phrase dispensers.
At any rate, I have another comic lined up for Friday relating to The 40 Year-Old Virgin, so be on the lookout for that.
A couple of other things you need to be on the lookout for are our two new advertisers – Make With The Funny and Deathfist Ninja GKaiser.
The former is a web comic that’s been around for a while now and I find it puzzling that more people don’t know about it. The art is clean, the jokes are funny and the site design is sharp as a tack. What’s the problem people? Get on the bus now and tell all your friends you’ve actually been reading it for the last 2 years.
The later is a relatively new comic to the scene. Largely manga inspired and heavy on a narrative structure. If you like your comics with an little more characterization, this one is for you. I think these guys do a really good job with both panel layout and color. Their talent is only going to get stronger. Their ad is currently running in the THorum<. A banner that currently isn't up there but probably should be is that I've gotten a whole batch of new shirts in from the printer. If you’re thinking about buying one, now would be a good time. I have a full stock in several sizes, but due to the hit I’m taking on lower ad rates, I’ll probably raise prices on t-shirts by the end of the month.
So like I said. If you want a good deal, now is the time.
Speaking of new, attention-getting ads and t-shirts… If you refresh the home page a couple of times, you might see an ad telling you about the t-shirt I designed for Threadless.com. For about a month or two it was out of print, so I posted an ad on Monday telling everyone to request a reprint.
I did it partially for the satisfaction of seeing if they would do a reprint and partly because I’m very proud that my artwork is on a site like Threadless and I’m trying to tell as many people about it as possible.
Anyway, two days after I put up my ad – wouldn’t you know it, they reprint my shirt! Anyway, if you had your eye on it from afar, better scoop one up now before they run out again! If I remember correctly, the first batch emptied out pretty quick! Looks like I’ll have to whip up a new version of that ad now…
That’s about it for now. I’m still working on my recap of Wizard World Chicago from two weeks ago. I have the recap of Wednesday, August 3 up in the THorum. But I need to get cracking and start detailing some of the action on the convention floor. I know some of you guys are curious to know what happened.
Take it sleazy.
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I thought today’s incentive sketch turned out really well, so I thought I would take a little extra time and finish it off with color. I hope you enjoy it!
So there is no confusion, I’m not making fun of virgins in this strip. It’s very important that I stress that. That’s why Tom and Jared don’t make a big deal about Jimmy’s admission. He assumed incorrectly that there would be a negative stigma. Meanwhile, these guys just wanted to see the movie.
I’m not a religious guy, so I’m not necessarily bound by the convictions of the faith. I’ve just seen enough people regret their actions later down the line that I applaud anyone smart enough and emotionally mature enough to wait for the person they plan to be with the rest of their lives.
In terms of my introduction to such matters, you’ll get no such information from me!
In that regard, I feel badly for the star of The 40 Year-Old Virgin – Steve Carell – because I’m sure he has to put up with a litany of dumb questions about his own virginity while he’s making the promotional rounds for this movie. I’m certain that every interviewer who asks him how and when he lost his “special purpose” things they are being bold, original or clever. But Steve’s a sharp tack. I’m sure he has some deadpan comebacks ready for them.
Things have been… interesting for me the last few days. I don’t know if I can explain much more than that without giving away information I don’t want to share. But our family has been through the wringer the last few weeks. This weekend is all about recharging the batteries and staring down some challenges ahead of us. We’re seeing The 40 Year-Old Virgin, of course. But Broken Flowers finally opens in Des Moines this weekend and I’m really excited to see that. A Sunday matinee there awaits us.
Seems like this summer has been such a drag for movies. Anything I’m interested in seeing arrives in theaters in bulk. So I’ll go a few weeks without seeing anything, then go to 2 or 3 movies in a weekend right on top of each other.
I want to be sure and remind everyone about the Theater Hopper LiveJournal syndication feed we’re rockin’. So if you have an LJ account, add us to your friends list and get all of the updates posted to the site as soon as the occur.
Also buy some t-shirts if you’re so inclined. I just got a bundle of them in on Tuesday so it’s very likely that I have your size and can send you one! I have a bunch of orders I wasn’t able to fill because I ran out of inventory, so those guys come first. But I deliberately over-ordered so I would have some ready to go.
I hope you and yours are well. Have a great weekend.
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It’s hard to think of good insults when you’re under threat of a Monty Python moment…
Cami and I went to see The 40 Year-Old Virgin this weekend and the exact scenario with the woman taking off her shoes and putting her feet up on the seat in front of her did transpire.
Well, everything except me calling her a “dirty pirate wench…” But the rest is all true!
This is the thing I don’t understand. This woman wasn’t some post-adolescent taking part in some kind of lazy summer-time rebellion. This wasn’t some girl casually kicking off her flip-flops and dangling her manicured toes over the seat in front of her.
No. The woman in question was middle-aged. In attendance with friends. Some of them balding. My point? She should have known better.
Folks, she had to unlace her shoes and take off her socks to perform this gross trespass against common decency. C’mon. That’s like taking off your pants in a crowded restaurant to scratch your ass.
Anyway, I’m only leaving a quick thought about The 40 Year-Old Virgin because I’m tired and need to go to bed soon.
I loved it. Honest to goodness, I think it’s the most entertaining movie I’ve been to all year. I liked it even better than I liked Batman Begins. I liked it better than I liked Wedding Crashers. And now that Cami knows that action figures are now a sound investment, she can’t make fun of me when I buy 5 or 6 figures from the Marvel Legends line.
I’m happy for Steve Carell. There was this lingering question if he could carry a movie by himself. I think he knocked it out of the park. He makes his character more real just by playing it straight.
Director/writer Judd Apatow has now cemented my status as a life-long fan. I think his script was brilliant. I was even more pleased to learn that his second canceled sitcom – Undeclared – was just released in its entirety on DVD, which I did not know. I will be snapping that up shortly.
Overall, I’m happy for the R-rated sex comedy. Hopefully the success of this film and Wedding Crashers will prove to Hollywood that there is an older audience out there starving for smart entertainment instead of films that have been watered down for a PG-13 rating and the loose purse strings of the fiscally irresponsible youth of America.
I was really pleased to see the support you guys have shown for the Theater Hopper LiveJournal syndication feed. Since it would seem that simply mentioning it gets people to add it to their LiveJournal friends list, I’m doing so again today. If you want updates to the comic and the blog as soon as they’re posted, this is the most direct line to them.
Well, it’s not as direct as actually checking the site first, but you know what I mean..
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If you’ve ever flown economy, you know that flatulent passengers is a real threat. Don’t be surprised if this happens to you mid-flight!
Red Eye has been getting some pretty good reviews which has enticed me. There are so few well-done thrillers these days. Either it’s straight up action or some hack-em-up gore fest. Very little cerebral action in between.
I’d like to see Red Eye at some point to see if it lives up to the Hitchcock comparisons. Who would have thought Wes Craven would swerve in this direction? If the film ends up being terrible, I’ll just come home and watch Rear Window. It’s a win-win!
Can I just say that I really like the second panel in today’s strip. If my Sin City arc taught me anything, silhouettes can be your friend!
Not much to say at the moment. August has been a terribly fractured month. Between my trip to Wizard World Chicago, family emergencies, moving cubicles at work, taking training classes, having people come to paint our house, landscaping and taking a business trip next week I never know if I’m coming or going.
I know there are several of you waiting for your t-shirt orders to be fulfilled. Some of you have been waiting an EXCEPTIONALLY long time because when you ordered, I didn’t have anything in stock.
I reassure you that I haven’t forgotten about you. I have ALL orders in stock. Now it’s just a matter of sitting down and mailing things out in one fell swoop. I try to knock off a couple here and there, but I want to be sure I’m not missing anyone.
At any rate, that’s my life at the moment. Exciting, huh? I bet those of you who come to the site to read the blogs are REALLY enthralled!
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If you wanna be cool like Bill Murray, you have to practice, people!
Haven’t seen Broken Flowers yet and I feel the clock ticking away. It’s only a matter of time before the indie theaters around here throw up their arms and say “Well, we gave another Jim Jarmusch movie a chance – but audiences here in Iowa don’t ‘get’ his stuff. Roll in that Rob Schneider movie!”
Honest to goodness, quality cinema seems to have a shelf-life of about a week in these parts…
There was a great article I read on MSN about Bill Murray’s career and it explored the reasons we as a culture seem to enjoy him so much. I think that everyone enjoys a particular brand of tea, but I’ve encountered very few people in my life that don’t enjoy Bill Murray on some level.
If it’s not Ghostbusters, it’s Rushmore. If it’s not Stripes, it’s What About Bob? There’s just something about the guy that is everyman and authentic. Nevermind the whole time he’s performing to you, he’s looking around in the audience for the one guy in back that really “gets it.” The guy who will throw him the subtle nod to his knowing wink that says “All these people in this room are morons.” The way Bill Murray plays his roles, he makes every individual feel like he or she is in on the joke. What a talent.
Sure, there are movies that he’s made that are colossal mis-fires. Larger Than Life and Garfield immediately spring to mind (not much luck with animals, eh Billy?) But I would say the hits far outnumber the misses and he is probably one of the most infinitely quotable actors in modern comedy.
I’ve always thought if I could be quick-witted like John Cusack when I’m in my 30’s, wry and slightly detached like Murray when I’m in my 50’s and be all kick-ass and hairy like Sean Connery when I’m in my 70’s, then I will have reached the zenith of generational cool.
I like Bill Murray a lot.
Want to remind everyone that I’m sitting on a large stock of t-shirts at the moment. I need to ship a bunch off to people who have been patiently waiting for their orders to be fulfilled first and foremost. But there is also a good chance that I will bump prices up on all shirts to probably $15 up from $12 to help pick up the slack on the advertising space I’ve recently cut from the site.
Price increase will probably take place in a few weeks once all of the current orders are out the door. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you’re thinking about buying a t-shirt, now is the time to do it.
And by-the-by, since it has been such a success so far (50 additions since mentioning it earlier in the week!) don’t forget about the Theater Hopper LiveJournal syndication feed. Just add us to your friends list and be in on the loop when new comics and blogs are posted to the site!
Have a great weekend everyone! I’ll be getting a jump start on things Friday by volunteering some hours at a Habitat For Humanity house. Myself and some members of my team from my day job will be helping fit the house with insulation. Hope I don’t get too scratchy!
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Aug29
GUEST STRIP – JIM BURGESS
August 29th, 2005 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(4 votes, average: 7.75 out of 10)
Apologies to the TH faithful that thought there would be a new comic waiting for you today. But as it turns out, I’m leavin’ on a jet plane and will be out of town this week for an extended business meeting.
It’s something that I knew was on the horizon and thought I could prepare for. But as it turns out, what with everything that’s been going on (details I am deliberately withholding), I wasn’t able to muster up a stable of strips ahead of time to run while I was away.
But you are in very capable hands this week. Take for example my fellow Dayfree compatriot Jim Burgess from Able and Baker who was able to whip up today’s excellent guest strip. It pays homage to both Theater Hopper and Little Gamers at the same time! Well done, old man!
At any rate, expect guest strips on Wednesday and Friday as well. I’d tell you who is doing them, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise!
This has been the third time this year that I’ve sprung guest strips on you guys and I feel kind of bad. I did it once when Cami and I visited relatives in Texas back in April and did it again when Cami and I moved into our new house back in July.
On the one hand, I think it’s really great that there are enough artists out there even FAMILIAR with Theater Hopper to do a guest strip and WILLING to do so that I shake my head in disbelief. I’ve made a lot of great friends through web comics and I’m thankful for every artist that takes the responsibility in tandem to the responsibilities of their own comics to produce something extra for me.
But on the other hand, it makes me feel like I’m asleep at the switch – that I’m not providing the content that you guys come here for. I have no excuse. It’s been one of those years, y’know?
Hopefully things will start settling down soon and I can go back to providing you with regularly scheduled content every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Hey, if anything positive came out of this, I was able to take the time I would have otherwise used to make today’s comic and package up all of the shirt orders I had that were piling up. The only two I weren’t able to get to were those for Sarah Cathey in Gainsville, FL and Christoper Orme across the pond in the UK. I’m name-checking you guys now because it might take a little while before I get your orders back in stock. But everyone else can expect to see their stuff in the next few days. International orders might take a week or two.
It’s a very strong possibility that once I get back from my business trip that I will take the weekend to reorganize the store and increase prices on all t-shirts, baby-doll tees and hoodies. I have a lot of these items in stock right now, but some of the shirts that have multiple colors, I had to order in larger quantities – so I ended up sitting on some extra merchandise. Along with the price increase, I will also likely return to doing pre-orders so I can get a better sense of where the demand is.
Anyway, that’s probably enough blubbering for now. Be sure to check back through the week for more guest strips from exceptionally talented artists!
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Wanna know something cool that I learned? I was looking at the list of Live Journal syndicated feeds and learned that Theater Hopper’s syndication feed is #271 on the list. And that’s for ALL the internet, baby! Pretty cool!
Sure, we might not be like Mitch and be #19 onthe list , but #271 is pretty good, too!
The one thing that irks me, though…Al-Jazeera was number #228 on the list. That doesn’t seem right, does it?
Let’s see if we can get the TH syndication feed above Al-Jazeera, can we? Just follow this link and add us to your LiveJournal friends page so that you can see all the comic and blog updates as soon as they are posted to the site.
Or… y’know…the terrorists win, ‘n stuff…
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Aug31
GUEST STRIP – KIDNEMO
August 31st, 2005 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(5 votes, average: 5.60 out of 10)
Geeze, can you guys believe it’s almost September? This year has gone by WAY to fast. We’re in the last fourth of 2005 and there is so much I wanted to get done with the site this year that hasn’t happened yet. Time to attack things with renewed vigor!
That is… after I get back from my business trip this week.
Wednesday’s comic is from my good friend and fellow Dayfree Press buddy Kidnemo. He’s actually done a guest strip for me before, but this is the first time he’s done so in his signature pixelated style. You can catch more of that action from his prime-time comic gig Comet 7. But don’t forget that he has an excellent side project called Kristy vs. The Zombie Army that is really good, too.
I’m not sure how to write this without coming off like I’m bragging, so I’m just going to let my fingers dance across the keyboard and whatever sputters out is what I’ll post.
Anyway, I’ve been receiving a lot of e-mails from people who are writing to me for the first time and saying that they really dig the comic and whatnot. I can’t remember ever receiving concentrated feedback of this nature in the comic’s 3+ years of existence, so it’s kind of catching me off guard.
I’ve always maintained that I have one of the nicest and most intelligent fan bases in all of web comics. Your support has always been consistent and I’m thankful for it. All I’m saying is that to get a bunch of messages like this at once is unusual for me.
At any rate, I wanted to give a collective “Thank You” to the readership. August has been… a really hard month for me – both professionally and personally. And for those friends and family who read the comic, by “professionally,” I’m referring specifically to Theater Hopper and not my day job. Don’t worry! Everything is fine on that front! ;D
But yeah… August has been tough and I just wanted to say the compliments you guys have been sending my way as of late couldn’t have come at a better time.
I try not to fish for these kinds of things. I’ve been deliberately sketchy about some of the details of my life in this space because I don’t want to bog you guys down with my problems. This space is for entertaining. That’s what I want to do with it – entertain.
But to know you guys are out there… reading and engaged. Excited about what’s next. Wow. What a trip. What an honor.
I guess I never really mentioned that Theater Hopper celebrated it’s 3 year anniversary on August 5th. I don’t know why. I guess I didn’t want to trumpet the milestone without something special to back it up. A week’s worth of comics or a special expanded storyline. I don’t know.
But yeah… I created the site to try and use my talents (however small) to reach out and communicate with people. I never knew the real potential of what was out there or what you would give back to me.
So, thanks. I’m amazed by your graciousness every day.
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