Archive for May, 2006
19 items.
Kind of ironic that a comic titled "Avoidance Plan" didn’t see a blog post until nearly 10:00 the night of the strip, eh?
Sincere apologies for my tardiness. It was just one of those days where life got in the way. It seemed to take a really long time to put together the comic last night and by the time I was done, it was 2:00 in the morning and I wasn’t in the shape to write. Work was crazy hectic, so I didn’t have time to write a blog over lunch. Then, when I got home, Cami needed the computer to write her final paper in her accounting class. So I haven’t been near the site all day!
So, again – my bad and thanks for your patience.
I have a bunch of site things I wanted to talk about. First things first – as always – the book pre-order. Sales are somewhat steady, but not exactly where I would like to see them at this point. So I’m extending this offer:
ALL ORDERS SUBMITTED DURING THE PRE-ORDER PERIOD WILL BE REWARDED WITH A BOOK SIGNING AND A NUMBERED, ORIGINAL SKETCH.
I understand that the whole pre-order thing is kind of scary. I know some of you are holding out because you don’t know if the book is going to get produced. It’s a totally "chicken and the egg" argument. Without your support and the money you pledge through your pre-order, I can’t produce the book. So it’s up to you guys to help me make this happen.
For those of you who have already pre-ordered, don’t worry. The offer is retroactive. And since the original sketches are numbered, that means those of you who ordered first get the lower numbers! Pretty cool, huh? That’s your reward for lining up first.
Original sketches will be available for as long as the pre-order is being conducted on the site. How long will that be? I’m not saying. Because that means I would have to tell you exactly how large the pre-order number has to be and I don’t want to reveal that. Some of you might see that number and think, "Oh, that’s not very many books. I’ll wait." I don’t want you to wait. I want you to order now because I need you to realize that the pre-order could end at any time.
So, anyway – that’s the new deal. Pre-order your book today and not only will I sign your copy, but I throw in a numbered, original sketch. It’s a hard deal to beat.
The next bit of site news I would like to address are our new sponsors! Say "hello" to each and all!
Random Pirate Comics – Is it really as random as it seems? It can’t be. This web comic is too funny. Check it out!
Digital Entertainment News – One of my most favorite video-game review sites. Seems like they’re adding content hourly! Lots of great game reviews and not just the big titles. Obscure stuff, too. And a lot of next-gen coverage, which is nice for someone like me who still can’t pronounce "Wii."
Big Pond – They’re not talking about the Atlantic Ocean, are they? Okay, they’re not. But I’m really enjoying this unique journal comic. The Devil Duckie is a nice touch.
The Uber Bean – College classes and online gaming. Is there nothing better?
Font Garden – Mary, Mary quite contrary – how do your fonts grow? If you’re looking for new and unique fonts like I am, check this site out. It’s the bee’s knees!
So those are all the latest sponsors. All the ad spots are filled for the moment, but we don’t have anyone waiting in the wings. So be sure to check the ad calendar to see when a spot will become available. Or reserve your spot now and claim it before anyone else does.
That’s about as much site stuff as I’m going to cram down your throat for one day.
Thanks again for checking back for the blog. I’ll try to do better on Wednesday!
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Holy crap!
I had so much big news to share about the book and the sponsors, I totally forgot to tell you guys that I am in dire need of guest comics!
Remember how I was talking about Cami using the computer for her Accounting final? Well, that’s because on May 14, she’s graduating with her Masters degree in Public Administration!
As part of that celebration, Cami and I are spending what little money we had left over from the last two years and going to Europe with it. We’ve both been to Europe on our own, but this will be the first time we’ve gone together. From May 18 to May 31, we’re going to Barcelona, Nice and Rome. It’s a dream come true and it significantly marks one chapter of our lives ending while turning the page on a new chapter.
As such, since we’ll be away for so long, I really need someone to help me mind the store. In other words, I need guest strips.
If you’re interested in contributing, I think it would be really worth your while. I have some ad purchase lined up with some pretty big web comics that is going to drive a lot of traffic to this end of the internet. So I’m sure you’ll get a little extra exposure from that since I plan on crediting everyone accordingly.
Please send me your guest strips as soon as possible to theaterhopper@hotmail.com
Thanks in advance for your help!
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I couldn’t really figure out what somone with cynicism oozing from their pores might look like, but in this comic, I look positively diseased! I think this has to be the most unattractive rendering of myself in three and a half years of comics. What can I say? I’m under a lot of stress right now and I’ve decided to deal with it through the comic.
I’ve already been highly vocal about my suspicions surrounding the life-events of one Tom Cruise and the movies he’s promoting. How can you look at the birth of his child with Katie Holmes "premiering" three weeks ahead of Mission Impossibe: III a happy accident? It certainly gives him something to talk about when he makes the talk show promotional rounds!
Mark my words, there will be another big Tom Cruise announcement sometime this fall or winter to coincide with the DVD release of this picture. Divorce is the hard-line, hyper-cynical view. You’d have to have a Level 12 tollerance for that kind of cynicism. But I digress. I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced that they were pregnant with a second in time to hype things up a notch.
I have more thoughts about how we’re being marketed to on this one, but I want to save some thoughts for Friday’s comic.
One quick note about the book pre-sale – Since I announced the addition of a free numbered and original sketch for all pre-orders, you guys really perked up! I’m repeating it today in case anyone missed it due to my extreme late posting of Monday’s blog.
I’ll also mention that I am accepting guest strips. Cami and I will be on vacation from May 18 – 31 and I need a lot of comics to cover the gaps! So if you’re interested, please let me know!
Gonna close for now. Talk to you again real soon!
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This isn’t really the first time Tom has consulted religion (or at least his limited understanding of it.) Nor is it his first brush with existentialism. But when it comes to the matter of pop culture, it’s serious business and sometimes you need to look to a higher power.
I’ve personally been reading Entertainment Weekly since 1995 and I can remember the first issue I picked up. I was in Iowa City over the summer attending a two-week art camp at the University of Iowa. I was 17 and still in high school. It was great. We got to sleep in the dorms and we took classes ranging from photography, to oil painting and pottery.
But I digress. I picked up the magazine at the university bookstore and it had Val Kilmer on the cover in full costume for Batman Forever. I devoured the issue. And no, not because of the bat-nipples on the costume. Here was a magazine that was catered very well to my interest in the myriad of pop culture. Not just movies or music but television and books as well. I thought it was written exceptionally well and in a voice that spoke directly to me. 11 years later, I’m still reading it. If I had saved each of those issues, I surely would have become one of those people you read about who was found buried alive under all the garbage in their house that toppled over on them.
At any rate, I didn’t mean for this to be a giant endorsement of Entertainment Weekly. I’m not getting any kickbacks (but if anyone has connections!…) Just kidding. I’m just telling stories.
The pre-sale for the book is still going on. I’m feeling a little better about things. People seem to really like the idea of me signing the book and including a numbered original sketch with their orders. Of course, I would feel better if I could tell you I have all the orders I need and I was sending the artwork to the printer – but were still a ways off from that. So if you’re thinking about pre-ordering a book, do it today!
Also, don’t forget that I still have an open call for guest strips. I have a few people that have expressed interest and are working on things, but so far I don’t have enough to cover me while Cami and I are gone. I’m gonna need about 3 weeks worth of stuff, so if you have anything, send it in! Really the only limitation is to keep the artwork 525 pixels wide. Anything larger breaks the template of the site. But if you want to go longer, I’m okay with that! Black and white or color is okay. Just keep it tasteful (nothing worse than you might see in prime time network television) and I’ll roll with it!
I consulted my Magic Eight Ball and asked it if I see Mission Impossible 3 this weekend. I turned it over and it said "My sources tell me ‘No’." Part of the reason is because we’re having a big party at our house on Saturday to celebrate Cami earning her Master’s degree in Public Administration. A two-year struggle that’s finally come to a close. The other reason is that I’m pretty much over all of the hype and don’t feel like supporting Tom Cruise in any way, shape or form.
I’m not the only one. Tracking figures released Wednesday cite Mission Impossible 3 has 98% general awareness, 43% definite interest and 13% first choice. So, in other words, the marketing is doing it’s job by putting the film out there – but it doesn’t look like the majority of the audience is going to bite. There have been some initial good reviews. Some are calling it the best of the series. That’s good, I suppose. But it makes me wonder if the interest level in this film would be much more positive if people weren’t burnt out on the details of Cruise’s private life.
I like J.J. Abrams. I like Phillip Seymour Hoffman. If I see the movie, it’ll be for their talents. But from what I’ve read, Hoffman isn’t given very much screen time and the film seems to be edited in favor of Cruise. So, essentially, we end up with a movie abou a hero fighting a villian with no screen time. Sounds like cutting of your nose to save face. Which maybe what I’m doing by shunning the talents of those I like over those of one I don’t. But what can I say? I’m petty.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!
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Whether or not one could truly categorize at $48 three day take as "underwhelming" is probably subjective. For most movies, that would be an impressive haul. But I am happy to report with little shame that the media is already starting to pick appart Tom Cruise’s ability to draw a crowd at the box office with articles about Mission Impossible 3 failing to perform this weekend. As a sidebar, Entertainment Weekly has a cutting article questioning if Cruise is really worth what he’s being paid. Ouch!
Like I said, $48 million isn’t a bad take. But when compared to $58 million take of Mission Impossible 2 and the $65 million take of last year’s War of the Worlds, it’s not encouraging. If you factor inflation into the six-year period between Mission Impossible 2 and 3, it’s actually more like a $40 million take – which is even more sobering.
Since this percieved "failure" will strongly be making the media rounds for the next couple of days, Paramount Studios already has a few facts and figures thrown out to quell the storm. According to them, Mission Impossible 3 is Cruise’s third largest opening and it’s world-wide take was somewhere north of $118 million – up from Mission Impossible 2.
Personally, as much as I like to read about how Cruises antics has caused him to suffer in the minds of audiences, I think it’s probably a lot of hullaballo over nothing at this point. Reviews for Mission Impossible 3 have been positive. Some have called it the best of the series. So, who knows? Maybe positive word of mouth will turn it around.
Even if it doesn’t and the media succeeds in dropping Cruise to his knees, it’ll only serve to make a more remarkable comeback later on down the road. Would Cruise stop making films if Mission Impossible 3 became the financial indicate of his weakening draw? Of course not. He’d fine smaller movies. Bounce back. Maybe even win some awards.
In a perverse way, I’m wondering if this whole public erosion of audience confidence in Cruise as an action star wasn’t pre-meditated. Maybe I’m giving him too much credit, but can’t you picture Cruise hatching a plan to "kill" his action star persona so that he might re-invent himself as a different kind of actor? I think he’s dropped clues in performances from Born on the 4th of July and Magnoila that he’s capible of more than just running from explosions in slow motion. I think he’s trying to avoid becoming Harrison Ford – the guy who stuck around doing action pictures slightly past his prime. Maybe we’ve all been played for fools.
Then again, maybe not. I mean, Tom went on BET’s 106 & Park to promote Mission Impossible 3. Check out those dance moves!
WHAT?
At any rate, please keep in mind that the book pre-order is still going on. We’ve gotten a lot of orders, but we still need several more to raise the money for production costs! The faster you get your order in, the faster you’ll get your books!
In case you forget what you’re getting when you pre-order your book, it’s 200 pages in full color. 156 comics from the first year of Theater Hopper bring in production. BRAND NEW commentary on each comic that reflects on the evolution of the strip and how I got started. You won’t see this content appear anywhere else. This if for the book only! There are also 11 guest strips from that era and a six-part crossover I did with Movie Punks, as well.
DON’T FORGET! Each pre-order comes with a signed, original and numbered sketch from yours truly! Only a limited number of these sketches will be produced!
Additionally, I’m still taking guest strip submissions for a three week period that Cami and I will be out of the country. I plan on running the strips starting next Monday, May 12. At the very least, I need 9 strips to run with. Right now I have 4. So I need 5 more. If I end up with more than 9 strips, I’m going to run them along with the others. Maybe a full week of guest strips the last week we’re gone. Don’t worry – I give full credit plus links to any web sites to those that contribute, so it’s a good publicty opportunity for you up-and-comers out there. Anything you have, feel free to send along to theaterhopper@hotmail.com
Last, but not least, I just wanted to send out a quick "Hello" to the readers coming over here from Real Life. I know I dropped you on the book order page (it’s a bit of a priorty right now, as you can see) but hopefully you found your way to the front page. If you have time, be sure to check out our archive! Type in any movie you can think of. Chances are we’ve made fun of it!
Take a look around. If you like what you see, please consider buying a book. I know it’s a lot to ask if you’re new to the site, but Greg told me you guys are really good about supporting web comics in print – what with the book he had out for a while.
Thanks for giving Theater Hopper a chance!
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First off, let me say that this strip took FOREVER to figure out how to stage and draw. You think drawing a car is hard? Try drawing a roller coaster! Coloring and shading was no walk in the park, either. Especially that third panel! It was like doing everything backwards!
But I’m happy with the result.
I need to talk about something serious for a moment. It’s about the book pre-sale.
Here’s the thing: Sales are good, but there is information about this pre-sale that I haven’t shared with you. There are deadlines to consider and now it’s time to let those be known.
THE BOOK PRE-ORDER WILL END SUNDAY, JUNE 11.
Y’see, I’ll be attending Wizard World Chicago this year on August 4- 6 and I want to be sure and have copies of the book with me. In order to have the books printed up and delivered by August 1, the printer needs the artwork by June 11.
The reason for this pre-sale is to raise the money needed to pay the printer. In order to do that, a certain number of books need to be sold. As I said before, sales have been good but they’re not moving as fast as I need them to. Which brings me to my second point:
I NEED 240 MORE PRE-ORDERS BEFORE SUNDAY, JUNE 11.
The reason I didn’t mention the pre-sale deadline or the number of pre-orders I needed was because I didn’t want you guys to look at those figures and become complacent. I didn’t want you to look at those numbers and say "Oh, he’ll get what he needs before then. I’ll just wait until the book is published."
Don’t think like that. I need your help. Not to get over-dramatic, but the success of this book could seriously impact the future of Theater Hopper.
The goal with the first book was to raise enough money through pre-orders to pay for the cost of the total run. The profits of every book sold after that would go toward the production of the second book and so on. Thus shortening the length of the pre-order or eliminating it altogether for subsequent books. A snowball effect.
If I can’t get the first book off the ground, there is a strong likelihood that there won’t be a second book. I don’t want that to happen. Because if I’m incapable of getting a single book off the ground, then I need to re-examine how much time I’m dedicating to Theater Hopper. Say that out loud scares the crap out of me.
I don’t want to guilt you guys into buying the book. I realize that it’s tough to come up with the money for these things. I know most of you are in high school or college and you don’t have a lot of spare cash.
But it only takes a few of you to make a difference. Between 6,000 and 7,000 of you visit this site daily. All I need is for four percent of you to pre-order the book to make this a success. FOUR PERCENT! That’s nothing! I know you have it in you to help me.
Remember what you’re getting. 200 pages, full-color. 156 comics with brand new commentary. 11 guest strips. A 6-part crossover. An original signed and numbered sketch from me. A $20 Fandango.com gift certificate if you get 5 of your friends to pre-order along with you. Can you see that I’m serious about this? I need to make this happen. I need your help to do it.
PLEASE PLACE YOUR BOOK PRE-ORDER TODAY!
Cami and I will be gone from May 18 – 31. It would really help to ease my mind to know that before we left, the pre-orders would be complete and we can move forward. After nearly 4 years of continuous on-time and FREE content, this is the most important thing I can ask you to do for me in return.
Thank you.
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Oh, in case you weren’t familiar with the X-Men 3 clip that’s being referenced in the punchline in today’s comic, click here. It’ll help to make a little more sense out of things.
Of course, if you were a huge comic book nerd like I am, you would then see exactly what’s wrong with the clip and it would make EVEN MORE sense!
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Is today’s comic a little bit of a cheat? Yeah, but I needed a break after drawing all that cray-zay coaster action on Wednesday. Plus, I thought it worked really well for the pacing. Really, I just like the idea of being a participant of a disaster, being stuck upside down and then casually suggesting Poseidon as an entertainment option.
From what I’ve read, Wolfgang Peterson’s remake moves along at a fairly brisk clip. The boat gets turned over somewhere around the 20 minute mark.. Some people have complained that the film doesn’t give you enough time to get to know the characters and therefore you’re not invested in their peril. I think that’s hogwash. I’m tired of bloated action pictures giving you every boring detail about a character to get you to care about them more. "She’s a mother of three AND she goes to night school! Will she make it home in time to protect her kids before the alien invasion!" Please. You know most of them are as good as dead anyway.
Peterson’s decision to forego the pleasantries is a good one. His directing style is less about people anyway. But the bigger reason is that the goal of these disaster movies is to put you beside the people in danger as you wrack you brain trying to figure out what YOU would do. At least, that’s my theory.
There was a strong outpouring of support from people after I announced the pre-order deadline of June 11 on Wednesday. Sincere thanks to all of you that placed an order. As you can see, the little meter below the comic has been updated. We’re getting close, but we still have a ways to go! As the bold, circled date on my calendar communicates, today is payday. So if you think you have a little money to spare, please pre-order the book. And remember – the faster we get your order, the faster you get your book!
There’s some great stuff happening in the Theater Hopper universe lately. I recently did an interview with Comixpedia – which was a big deal for me. Comixpedia sometimes gets flack for only being interesting to other web comics creators. I don’t think that’s true. I think they’ve made great strides – especially in the last 4 months – to make their magazine an essential resource for fans and creators alike. That’s why I was more than pleased to have been contacted by them to do an interview for their "movies issue." If you’d like to read it, click here for the full article.
Movies seem to be the topic-de-jour right now because I also have an interview in Zoinks Magazine that is coming out in June. I love Zoinks Magazine. These guys do a great job of promoting the web comic scene and doing it through a print magazine is an excellent way to spread the word to potential audiences who haven’t gotten into online comics yet. I should mention that my contribution to the issue besides the interview includes a sidebar about the movies I’m looking forward to seeing in ’06, a brand new illustration of the Theater Hopper cast, and I also contributed to the cover artwork along with Chris Cantrell from Please Rewind.
If you want to get your hands on this issue, you need to pre-order now. You don’t have get a full subscription (although I would highly recommend it). You can order one issue at a time if you want. If you haven’t read Zoinks, I suggest picking it up. It’s a really great publication.
A couple of more things I need to mention:
Today will be the last comic you see from me in a while. Cami and I will be going on vacation on Thursday and we won’t be back until May 30. I have a bunch of great guest comics lined up for you over the next three weeks. I haven’t lined up the itinerary yet, so be sure to come back on Monday to see if your favorite web comic artist is contributing the the mayhem. A lot of very talented artists sent in some GREAT work, so you’ll want to be sure and check it out.
Once I get back from vacation, I will be attending the Iowa I-Con comic book convetion on June 10 at the Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Incidentally, one day before the book pre-order deadline! It’s $5.00 at the door and they’ll be open from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.I will have a bunch of shirts and posters for sale and will be doing sketches for anyone who wants one.
I’ve been trying to go to I-Con for the last two years. But it seems like every time it’s going on, I have to be out of town for one reason or another! It’s nice to finally be able to attend a convention in my own backyard.
By the way, if any of you out there have exhibited at conventions before, I’m looking to upgrade the quality of my booth presentation. I want to build some kind of PVC display area that can go behind the table. Stuff I can hang banners and t-shirts from. If you guys have any insight on how I could assemble something like that, let me know!
At any rate, that’s the news that’s fit to print. Thanks again to everyone who has pre-ordered a book. Keep ’em comin’! We’ll make it to our goal in no time!
Have a great weekend!
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May15
GUEST STRIP – JOERULES AND DANIEL PELFREY
May 15th, 2006 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(6 votes, average: 8.50 out of 10)
Hey, guys. I’m going to be out of town for a while – leaving on vacation with Cami Thursday morning. So, in preparation for and continuing through our vacation, I’ve arranged a series of guest strips to keep things moving. A bunch of great artists answered the call and I’m way excited to show you what they came up with!
Leading off are my good friend Joe “Rules” Dunn and Daniel “Monk” Pelfrey. Both of them are members of the Theater Hopper THorum and are good friends of mine. You probably recognize Joe’s name from all his good work on Joe Loves Crappy Movies, Martriculated, Free Lunch and the now-completed Coffee Achievers. If you’re already familiar with his work, you already know that he drew today’s comic. Daniel is the guy behind the scenes running everything over at Digital Entertainment News. He’s advertised with us before and is a great friend of the site. Daniel wrote today’s strip!
So, check out Joe’s comics for some excellent illustration and comedy and check out Daniel’s site for a whole slew of gaming information and news across all the platforms. He’s been doing a lot of work out at E3 and is posting some great reaction articles!
Some of you that are familiar with Theater Hopper and the guest strip periods we go through know that Joe has contributed several times before. Typically, he collaborates with another THorum mainstay Mup. Well, for those of you that get a kick out of their awesome Wonder Twins-level team ups, don’t worry. They have a treat for you later on.
Incidentally, for those of you that are curious, this guest week period will be running for the next three weeks. I’ll be taking up the mantle again on Monday, June 5.
This is kind of bad timing because, as you know, the pre-order for the first Theater Hopper book Theater Hopper – Year One ends on June 11. I won’t be around to keep bugging you guys about it (although I’ll do my best!) so if you’re thinking about buying a book, please do so now. Cami and I leave at 6:30 Thursday morning. It would be great if before we go, I could see my inbox flooded with orders so we can get closer to our ultimate goal! It would go a long way to setting my mind at ease.
Last week you guys did an excellent job responding to the announced deadline. As of today, I would say we are about 225 book orders away from our goal. We have less than a month to do it, but I know you guys are there for me!
As a matter of fact, I just got a wonderful e-mail message from someone (and I won’t share his name because I haven’t cleared it with him), but he mad an exceptionally generous donation. Here’s a guy who has already pre-ordered a copy of the book, but he wants to see it succeed as badly as I do. So what does do? He goes ahead and donates $10 to the cause. Didn’t have enough money to buy another book, but wanted to continue supporting me anyway.
That, my friends, is totally amazing.
So, remember – even if you don’t have enough money to buy a book, you can still help out. A dollar here, a dollar there. It all adds up. The goal is to earn the money we need to pay off the printer in full by June 11. Every little bit helps!
Donating to Theater Hopper also comes with it’s fair share of rewards. You’ll get your name and web site address listed on the Walk of Fame. And if you’re a member of the THorum, you get Donator status with exclusive rights to content no one else sees. You don’t have to donated $10 like my friend did to earn these privileges. All you need is one dollar in your in the club.
So, anyway. Think of it as an option. If you don’t have the money to buy the book, feel free to donate instead. If you want to learn more, click here.
Of course, I would always encourage you to save up if you can and buy the book because I think you get a little more for your money. Heck – you get A LOT more for your money! There’s some great content in there and I want to share it with all of you!
Thanks again for your fabulous support! You guys are the best – no question about it
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I just wanted to say something really quickly about the book pre-orders before I talk about today’s guest strip.
Tomorrow Cami and I are going on vacation. It’s a long one. We won’t be back until May 30. When we get back, we have less than two weeks to really drive home pre-orders to meet the minimum requirement we need to be able to pay the printer. The deadline in June 11.
You guys were really great about placing your orders last week when I mentioned the deadline, so I want to mention it again. I’ve also posted a new graphic to the right of the comic that outlines EXACTLY what we need to make this a success.
If you’re thinking about buying the book, please do so now. How awesome would it be if Cami and I came back from vacation and found 225 pre-orders in my mailbox? That would be pretty flipping sweet!
So, once again, I stress that I need your help. You know the reasons why. Time is running out.
For those of you who have already placed your orders, you guys are awesome and I really appreciate your support. The time is drawing near. It won’t be long now until you get your copy delivered to your hot little hands!
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