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Back in 2004, I created a comic that introduced an alter ego for Tom who went by the name “Pimp Tom.” Reaction to the character was so positive, I created a shirt in his honor.
As part of the massive fire sale I have going on now in the store, I sold the very last shirt christened with his image. It seems unlikely to me that I will ever produce another Pimp Tom shirt again.
I was thinking about the character, though and I don’t know why I haven’t used him more often. I break out Jared’s alter ego “Goth Jared” usually two or three times a year. He even has his own entry on the Cast page!
I don’t know. I don’t have anything especially insightful to say. Maybe I’m just feeling a little nostalgic. I could bring back Pimp Tom any time I suppose. Maybe have Pimp Tom meet Goth Jared! Who knows?
I’m just making observations, I suppose.
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After I drew today’s comic, I was a little bit lost as to what incentive sketch I should throw together that tied in with it. Then, looking back at the first panel, it kind of hit me and, well, this was the result.
Why is Goth Jared such a happy Goth? Because he feels so AWESOME!
After a summer of nearly no romantic comedy releases, Cami is suffering withdrawal and is jonesing for a fix. To that end, she is supremely excited for Just Like Heaven. I have to say that I agree. I am also very excited for this movie.
Sweet Home Alabama excluded (I thought it was cloying, regional hucksterism – trying to net that “NASCAR Dad” dollar), I greatly enjoy Reese Witherspoon in romantic comedies. She seems smart and winning and I think she’s fun to watch.
I’m also quite fond of Mark Ruffalo, who is charming in every film he appears in. His performance was the only thing redeeming about 13 Going On 30 and I like that he’s able to switch things up. His role as Detective Fanning in Collateral was also satisfying. To me, he’s an actor that’s pretty much good in any genre even if the film around him is total crap. He’s the next John Cusack without all of the “boombox-over-the-head” romanticism in his background.
Of course, the big news about this movie is that it’s the first post-Napoleon Dynamite role for fro-less Jon Heder. Gotta admit I’m suckered by his trailer closing line delivery of “I’m ninety-nine percent ∗parched∗ right now. I could sure use a ∗co-la∗.” What can I say? I’m easily amused. It’ll be interesting to see if he can trump such an instantly identifiable and unique character like Napoleon.
Not much news right now except I know there are a handful of you out there waiting for me to deliver a few shirts. I’m getting to it! Haven’t forgotten you.
I’m steering myself toward a sea change in my life right now and I’m kind of doing some stuff to put me on firm ground, mentally speaking. I’m making a couple of changes to my habits and routines. So hopefully I can kind of fold it into a pattern that allows me to be a little more productive while being a little less exhausted.
I’m looking forward to it.
Oh – I’m still looking for some programming help with the site. Mostly archive functions. So if any of you out there have experience with PHP or maybe even databases, please contact me!
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Dec08
Don’t you hate it when the lines of communication get crossed? Tom and Jared are going to look pretty silly trying to get into the theater for free with Tom looking like a Las Vegas hustler and Jared looking like a Hot Topic reject.
Those of you familiar with the site are probably aware of Jared’s long dormant personality – GOTH Jared. He’s kind of like the evil Captain Kirk except lethargic instead of evil and without the goatee so you can tell them apart.
So Blade: Trinity opens today and I’m in this weird paradox where on the one hand I know it will be formula and I don’t care about it, while on the other, seeing a vampire movie two weeks before the holidays really turns me on. That’s great counter programming, kids.
Blade as a franchise is kind of an odd duck for me. The first movie was filmed before the success of Spider-Man and X-Men or the notoriety of Daredevil or The Hulk. It’s kind of this Marvel comic book property that exists in its own pocket universe, protected from the detractors of the comic book genre.
Part horror, part action, part blacksploitation – the Blade movies are unique unto themselves. That said, is it shameful to admit that I find the lead character and Wesley Snipes’ performance the least intriguing aspect of the movies?
The first Blade was notorious for it’s off the wall violence and gore – something not seen in traditional comic book adaptations. That rave scene at the beginning where all the blood comes out of the fire sprinklers really set the tone. Plus, it casts L.A. street urchin Stephen Dorff as the main baddie. Hilarious casting!
Blade II had a pre-Hellboy/post The Devil’s Backbone Guillermo del Toro in the director’s chair. This film caught a lot of flack for being too dependent on shoddy CGI, but I thought The Reapers were pretty cool as far as creatures-of-the-night is concerned. Those little Predator-like mandibles coming out of the sides of their faces were pretty inventive. And really, how can you go wrong by adding Ron Pearlman to anything. With a shaved head to boot!
With Blade: Trinity, casting is again what has caught my attention. Jessica Biel, shedding the “Daddy’s little ‘Girl Gone Wild'” image and transforming herself into an ace archer. The erstwhile Van Wilder – Ryan Reynolds – packing on 25 pounds of muscle as a former vampire. WWE wrestling potentate Paul Michael Levesque – AKA “Triple H” putting on the pointy fangs. Indie Queen Parker Posey doing the same. And for the hell of it, they threw in Patton Oswalt.
Kids, Wesely Snipes is going to be the least interesting thing on the screen.
Naturally, Cami wants nothing to do with seeing this movie in the theater. So maybe Jared and I can weasel our way into it after navigating the crazed holiday crowds. We’ll see.
By the way, only a few more days to pre-order all of the clothing items in the store. December 10th is the cut off date! Don’t forget!
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If you guys are wondering what’s up with today’s strip, then I invite you to take a trip in The Wayback Machine to precisely a week ago to check out where this story arc began. All caught up? Good!
Today’s strip reintroduces a long-lost fan favorite character – Scurvy Joe: the local transient in Tom and Jared’s neighborhood. He helped scare the pimp juice out of Tom in this comic from earlier in the year.
I don’t know why I’m dusting off these old characters. First Goth Jared. Now Scurvy Joe. It must be a bug I’ve caught from all those year-end, top 10 list programs I’ve been seeing so much of on TV.
Went to see Ocean’s Twelve on Friday and was pleasantly surprised. I think my expectations were low because advance reviews were saying, while fun, the movie carries little heft.
While essentially true, you’ll still have a damn good time in this movie. It’s just good entertainment, even if it doesn’t add up to much.
Fans who loved the heist aspect of Ocean’s Eleven will probably be disappointed here. The majority of the crew spends the movie in a European prison. Bernie Mac is almost completely wasted as he’s one of the first to get pinched.
In any case, it’s less about the heist and the “How’d they DO that?!” and more about the twists and turns. The fake-outs. The red herrings. A few of them you can see coming a mile away. Actually, after the fact, they all seem pretty obvious. But the movie zips along at such a steady clip, you feel like you’re two steps behind the crooks.
Julie Roberts still annoys as the most gaunt-looking pregnant woman in film history, but props to Catherine Zeta-Jones. She gives a very confident performance and one of her least condescending in years. It’s almost enough to make me forget those T-Mobile advertisements and rekindle the same kind of interest she sparked with her turn in The Mask of Zorro so many years ago.
…almost.
Those of you who ordered t-shirts, baby doll tees or hoodies the last few weeks will be happy to know that I’ve placed the order with the printer. No E.T.A. on when I’ll receive them, but once I know, you’ll know. Check this space for updates. Previous experience indicates it could be anywhere between two to three weeks before they’re in your hot, little hands. So nothing by Christmas, sorry. Then again, I never promised that, did I? ;-D
If you missed the boat on this last round of orders, I’m taking pre-orders for a whole other batch. Everything we sell, you can find in the store.
One last bit of fun. I know I promised not to bug you guys about it, but Theater Hopper has been hovering around number 11 on the buzzComix list for about a week now and I’ve playfully laid down the gauntlet to Anime Arcadia that I will usurp their position on the list. We’re about 60 votes away from achieving that goal, so if you want to lend a hand, it would be pretty cool. Just to say we could do it.
More later. Sleep now.
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All that hard work and not being able to enjoy it with the person that matters most? That’s what we call irony, kids. Then again, Cami probably wouldn’t have gotten as big of a kick out of meeting Scurvy Joe as Tom and Goth Jared did.
Not much to talk about movie-wise. I feel like I’ve been beating a dead horse talking about Ocean’s 12. It’s good. Go see it. That about sums it up for me.
I guess I’ve been getting some push back on that sentiment, though. Basically, the audience has been split into two camps. Those like me who really loved it and those that have been disappointed by it.
Boy, there’s some insight for you, huh?
No, but seriously. The people who have been disappointed all make the same complaint – “There wasn’t as much heist action as there was in the first.” So just keep that in mind if you haven’t seen the movie and are thinking about spending your hard earned cash.
A couple of you have written in asking me what my thoughts are about the MPAA suing peer-to-peer networks who traffic in pirated movies.
As much as I don’t like the MPAA, I don’t really fault them on this move. Unlike music or software, pirated movies are usually of questionable quality. Basically it’s just some guy sitting in a movie theater taping what’s on the screen with a video camera, then trying to pawn it off on you for five bucks. I think any true film fanatic would insist on optimum picture and sound. So in this regard, hooray for the MPAA.
My biggest complaint with the MPAA was its shoddy treatment of movie audiences who paid the price of admission. The stern, disappointed Fatherly tone of the RespectCopyrights.org ads that appeared in front of trailers were as insulting as they were insipid.
In the past I’ve made the comparison that those ads are like lecturing a kid about shoplifting after he just put down money to buy a candy bar. In the case of the MPAA suing the peer-to-peer networks, the kid has stolen the candy bar and is half way around the block. Feel free to paddle his ass when you catch up to him.
Perhaps I’m oversimplifying things a bit. In fact, it’s more than likely. But it’s my interpretation of the situation.
Hey, before you go, be sure to check out our latest advertiser Skookum. Great fun for the manga lover inside all of us!
Have a great weekend!
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For those of you concerned that today marks the last appearance of Goth Jared, fear not. His lack of planning and available resources see to his continued status as a member of the living. Click here to learn his fate.
I hope you don’t find today’s comic too macabre. I’m certainly not aiming to make fun of suicide. But think of it this way – If your kids can handle the concept of an animated Johnny Depp marrying the rotting corpse of woman while cavorting around town with a bunch of dead people (Ala Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride), then they should be able to handle today’s comic. After all, how many times have we seen Tom and Jerry inflict mortal harm upon each other?
All in good fun people!
No really commentary for today except to say that Cami and I are planning to paint the afternoon red when we catch a matinee of Just Like Heaven on Sunday. After that, expect a full week of strips continuing to have fun with The Corpse Bride.
Not ∗that∗ kind of fun, you sickos.
In the meantime, if you have a LiveJournal account and would like to add the Theater Hopper feed to your friends list, I would be much obliged. You’ll get all the latest comic and blog postings delivered directly to your friends list. Can’t be that kind of service with a stick.
Or a corpse.
Or whatever.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
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Funyons are a bit of a repeating theme in Theater Hopper lore. Have you ever eaten one? They’re awful!
I know I’m kind of teasing you guys with cliffhanger after cliffhanger with this arc. But it’s intential and, believe me, it’s going somewhere. If you also picked up on the fact that I was attempting to capture some of the neo-noir stylings of Hollywoodland in these last few comics, well… you’d be right!
I’m thinking this arc will last at least until next week. I’m excited about the story I have plotted out for you guys, but I’m also bummed I’m missing the opportunity to razz on The Covenant. A better movie for Goth Jared to geek out over has not been made! Moody emo kids! Dark powers! It’s basically The Craft but with dudes.
The first few days of sales for "Theater Hopper: Year Two" is exactly what I would have hoped for. I see some of you who haven’t bought "Theater Hopper: Year One" yet are taking advantage of our discounted bundle package that puts both books together! Thank you for your support!
While I will confess that sales have been good, I will also report that your odds are still VERY good to win one of the three hand-made Truman dolls my loving wife Cami stitched together as part of this pre-sale. We’re giving out the first three next Tuesday. After that, we’re giving two away the following week. The last week of the pre-sale, there will only be one puppy left in need of a home. So get your pre-orders in before Tuesday to increase your odds at owning this one-of-a-kind item!
Incidentally, since the doll promotion is taking place of the custom sketches I did for "Year One" (due to time constraints) I have been asked if I am still signing copies of "Year Two." It’s not on the order page – and I mean to correct that – but to erase any doubt, EVERY book that gets sent out will have my signature on it with a note of thanks. That’s been my M.O. since I first started selling posters back in the day. There’s no reason for me to stop now! So if you’re on the fence about buying the books and a signature is important to you, let it be known that it’s included!
You may have noticed that the Sales Drive banner above the comic has been updated. We’re VERY close to reaching 1/4 of our goal! Which, in two weeks time, is really amazing! Thank you!
So you’re aware of what the Sales Drive is about, I’m trying to raise enough money to take "Theater Hopper: Year Two" to the printer to give them enough time to produce copies of the book for me to take to Wizard World Texas November 10 – 12. So the faster we meet the goal, the faster you get the book!
Keep in mind that buying merchandise isn’t the only way you can help us meet our goal!
Most of you are aware of the sponsorship buttons I’ve offered between the comic and this blog for the last few months. At $10 for 30 days, it’s a very affordable option for people just starting to get into advertising.
However I have recently also made available the 728 x 90 leaderboard beneath the navigation and the 160 x 600 tower ad to the right of the comic. I am selling ad space here based on ad views – 35,000 and 100,000 in both locations. If you’ve never purchased ad views before, basically the agreement is that vistors to this site will see your ad either 35,000 or 100,000 times – no ifs, ands or buts. It will be rotated with the ads that are currently running to ensure long-term exposure.
I’ve made purchasing advertising space through the site easier than ever. Just check out our new advertising page. I’ve included two fields where you can input the location of the banner you would like me to use as well as the URL you would like me to point it to! No more having to buy the ad and then follow up with an e-mail! I’ve also recently installed a new ad server to help manage these displays and part of that is to give future advertisers the options to log on to the server and see how their ad is performing. So you can check your account, see how many times your ad has displayed, how many views you have left… even the number of click throughs it’s generated! No more guesswork! No more crossing your fingers and hoping it works! You guys are really going to dig this feature.
So if you have a web site that you would like to spread the word about and want a little more high-profile exposure than the sponsorship buttons offer, consider buying ad views in either the 728 x 90 or 160 x 600 spaces. You won’t regret it. All of the profits go toward the larger goal of the Sales Drive, so you’re helping Theater Hopper while helping yourself!
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. Otherwise, here’s to everyone having a great weekend!
TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT "THEATER HOPPER: YEAR ONE AND YEAR TWO!"
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Speaking of LiveJournal, did you know you can add Theater Hopper to your friends list?
*END PLUG*
I realize that I’m pretty late on the whole "Ha, ha! Peter Parker listens to My Chemical Romance!" bandwagon. Heck, some people have integrated the gag into their comic with long-running characters! I guess I didn’t bother commenting on it earlier because, when the trailer came out a few weeks ago, I was in Texas busy being robbed. Regardless, emo Spider-Man is tailor-made for our own emotionally despondant character – Goth Jared! I felt it was high time to dust him off again.
Not a lot to talk about today. If you checked the blog yesterday, you’ll see that I’m kicking around the idea of an interactive talkcast similar to what Scott Kurtz from PvP has been doing with and application called TalkShoe for the past few weeks. I’m planning on doing a dry run this coming Monday at 10:00 PM central time just to get a sense of how the technology works. There’s no format just yet. No structure. Just me on the air for and hour or two (probably talking about movies and comics) and you can either listen in, send text messages in a chat room setting with other audience members or (if you have a microphone) "call-in" to discuss topics with me. I’m already trying to round up a few guests from my circle of friends over at Boxcar Comics, so if you listen in, there might be an extra treat for you.
I encourage everyone to go to the TalkShoe and Skype web sites and download their applications in preparation. Then, 15 minutes before the broadcast on Monday, go to this page and dial in so you’re ready for us when we kick things off. It’s going to be a fun experiment and I look forward to talking with everyone!
One last thing I want to mention before I sign off…
Speaking of Boxcar, one of my good friends Ali Graham just ended his comic Hous’d on Friday with the death of a major character. He’s spinning off the adventures of said character into a new comic called Afterstrife. I have to tell you right now that I’ve seen a handful of pages from Afterstrife and it’s above and beyond anything you’ve grown used to seeing from Ali. He’s knocking it out of the park with this one and you need to show your support. Afterstrife is going to be great and it’ll be an opportunity for you new readers to get in on the ground floor.
Ali’s a great guy and a hard worker. He did nearly 1,300 episodes of Hous’d before taking things in a new direction. I immediately respect anyone with that much dedication to their craft. You know right away that they’re serious about bringing you their best work. Check it out.
That’s all for now. Have a great weekend and I’ll talk to you all (in real time!) on Monday!
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Meet the cast of Theater Hopper and become familiar with some of their more monumental story lines! Is there a character or story line we overlooked? Let us know and we’ll add it!
Tom
A fan boy for all seasons, Tom is the youthful exuberance of the Theater Hopper crew. Sometimes his passion gets in the way of making sense or having self-respect. Like when he insists on visiting the theater dressed up as his favorite movie characters or when he fantasizes about a romantic interlude with Iron Man. Don’t ask why he insists upon wearing a Spider-Man mask around time whenever a new Spider-Man movie hits theaters. Only he knows for sure.
Cami
If you look up “calm” or “sensible” in the dictionary, don’t be surprised if you see an image of Tom’s always-patient wife, Cami. She makes sense out things where there is none and her appreciation for Julia Roberts movies is a perfect counter balance to Tom’s geekier tendencies.
But a woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets. For example, who knew that Cami was once praetor in a nefarious cult dedicated to Adam Sandler? Or that she can, y’know… levitate and throw fireballs?
Jared
Tom and Jared have been best friends nearly all their lives and Jared is often Tom’s right hand man. He’s normally patient and kind, but watch out if you accidentally name-drop Ben Affleck in conversation! They were once contentious enemies for years!
No one exactly knows what set off their rivalry, but some assume that Jared felt grossly cheated after watching Reindeer Games and decided to take it out on Ben. In the time since, he’s assaulted him with baseball bats, giant candy canes and bees sent through the U.S. Postal Service. He’s even tormented him in his dreams!
But no retelling of Jared and Affleck’s epic war can overlook Jared’s battle against the nefarious Benbots!
After making one final attempt on Affleck’s life before realizing that the actor had matured with age, Jared has centered his focus on another up-and-coming actor who annoys him for no reason – Shia LaBeouf – and joined Harrison Ford in a team-up where the two of them beat the ever-living snot out of him.
Goth Jared
As you might have guessed, Goth Jared is regular Jared’s dark side. He’s not really married to the lifestyle though. He typically only turns up when people are talking about dark and mystical things or emo culture.
Charlie
Once a fierce rival to Cami during their high school years, Charlie left the Midwest to pursue a career in Hollywood. Working as a production assistant on Jersey Girl, Charlie met Ben Affleck and dated him for a short time. When Affleck fretted that the tabloid press would dub them “Barley,” Charlie broke it off with him – by hitting him across the face with his Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
Cami and Charlie have since resolved their differences and gone on to become good friends. Charlie is still single, despite wooing from the town nerds, who find her knowledge of geek culture enchanting.
Truman
A man’s best friend is his dog and that’s never been more true than with Tom and Cami’s sweet and loving beagle Truman. He doesn’t say much, but his loyalty has never faltered. Much like his affinity for piloting bi-planes, dressing like Justin Timberlake and passing gas.
Jimmy
Patient, trust-worthy, kind, chump. These are all words that describe Jimmy, the tireless theater employee. He takes Tom’s insults and jibes in stride and isn’t above asking for help in a tight spot. For example, like the time he lost his job. Why? Because Jimmy believes people are good at heart. Despite Tom’s consistent actions to the contrary.
Victor
From the cold and barren mountains of the Ukraine comes Victor Kresh – the fearsome manager of the movie theater Tom and his friends frequent. It’s been said he once cut off the hand of a kid who took too many napkins!
Victor’s stoic, authoritarian style would seem to put him in direct odds with Tom’s brand off offbeat wackiness. He once threw both Tom and Cami into the theater’s holding cell! But in recent years, Victor has let a lot of Tom’s transgressions slide. Some say he even has a crush on him! If that’s true, Tom has yet to notice.
Victor relies on his faith in worship of Balki Bartokomous to stand strong in the face of his unrequited love.
Cecil
Not much is known about Cecil except that he works at the same movie theater as Jimmy and Victor and is possibly Jimmy’s subordinate. He has only appeared in one comic so far, but we may see more of him in the future…
David
In the world of web comics, talking appliances are nothing new. David was Tom’s sentient, surly and snobbish DVD player who randomly came to life one day. No one else seemed to have a problem with it except Tom, who unceremoniously kicked David to the curb. He briefly found solace with other upright appliances from the world of web comics. But, unfortunately, David wasn’t long for this world. He was run over by an eighteen-wheel truck four comics after being introduced.
Dewey
An early Christmas present Cami gave Tom before the remake of King Kong hit theaters, Dewey looked like the ultimate pet. He got along great with everyone, but harbored a festering resentment for Truman and the two were frequently at odds.
Things went off the rails when Tom snuck Dewey into a screening of King Kong. It gave him all kinds of bad ideas. Thank goodness Truman was there in his bi-plane to save the day!
Dewey’s last known whereabouts were with a Hollywood studio. They placed him inside a motion capture suit to help animate the latest iteration of Curious George. Dewey sent a postcard back to Tom, Cami and Truman to rub their noses in it.
The Fat, White Movie Producer
He’s fat, he’s white and he’s here to squash your creativity. The Fat, White Movie Producer represents all that is wrong-headed about Hollywood marketing and decision making.
The Pitchmen
This nameless, tireless duo makes their appearance whenever we need to pull back the curtain on the creative process.
They had some good ideas for the costuming in 300, if you ask me.
By the way, I don’t know if you noticed, but since the site relaunch in January I’ve dusted off three obscure characters in a little more than a week’s time.
How do you guys feel about seeing Victor, Charlie and Goth Jared again?
If you’re a new reader and not familiar with these guys, I encourage you to check out the cast page for a little background information as well as links to some of the story lines they were featured in!
If you’re a veteran reader and if you think there are any important characters or story lines I overlooked, use our handy new contact form and let me know!
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