Posts Tagged ‘announcement’
19 items.
Hey, guys.
Remember earlier in the year when I would put together some original artwork and raffle it off to a random, lucky person who either bought merchandise, advertising or donated to the site?
Well, I’ve fallen WAY behind!
I haven’t sent out the Constantine artwork from February and I haven’t even pulled together the list of names to pull from for the Robots piece I did in March.
Remember how I was going to color in all of them and make a big calendar at the end of the year? Yeah… still haven’t colored in the Robots piece yet…
Well, anyway. This aproach is changing. Instead of giving away the original art for free, I’m auctioning it off.
My reasoning for this is pretty simple. Basically, some of the artwork people have begged me to auction because they want to control their odds of getting it a little better than a raffle. Using the logic that everything is as valuable as what someone is willing to pay for it, I see the logic in their demands. Plus, it’s easier to keep track of.
This month, I think I have a real hum-dinger for you.
So you all know that Sin City came out the first week in April, right? I even did a week-long arc covering it. What better subject could there possibly be for me to parody than the Frank Miller classic?
That’s why I whipped this up:
Yeah, I thought you might like that.
If you click on the image, it will take you straight to the eBay auction I have set up. Or, of course, you could just click this link and get there just the same.
The rules are simple – by the end of Monday, April 18, the highest bidder wins. To sweeten the pot, I’m throwing in free Theater Hopper buttons and stickers. I’m also paying for First Class shipping, because that’s the kind of guy I am.
The previous’ months artwork will still be given away raffle-style for free. And once those names have been drawn, I will make an announcement to that effect.
But in the meantime, I will be running this message below the regular blog until the auction concludes Monday, April 18.
Incidentally, the profits from the sale of this original artwork will go toward the purchase of this silk screen press. My goal is to start producing Theater Hopper shirts that I can do myself instead of relying on outside vendors. Naturally, these shirts would be sold from this site. So if your a fan of Theater Hopper, bid generously because your money will help to advance the goals of this site.
Time to dig out the loose change from the couch cushions, kids. As always, thank you for your support! Happy bidding!
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PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT ORIGINAL THEATER HOPPER ARTWORK BEING ACUTIONED OFF AT EBAY! YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED! AUCTION ENDS NEXT MONDAY, APRIL 18TH. SCROLL DOWN TO LEARN MORE!!!
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Boy, I’m Mr. Post-Happy today, aren’t I?
I just wanted to let you guys know that our printer sent me a notification that shirts from the mid-May pre-order have been shipped!
I’m watching things very closely with the help of my UPS tracking number and everything should be at my house on June 6. That means I’ll be mailing them all out that week and hopefully you’ll see them before June 13! Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for their shirts to arrive.
Just a note to those of you still interested in purchasing a tee shirt or baby doll, I ordered a bunch of extras this time around, so it’s more than likely I’ll have your size IN STOCK and ready to ship right away. If that sounds good to you, swing by the store and place an order today!
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Henry Finn Brazelton was born at 1:27 PM on Sunday, February 18, 2007 weighing 9 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 20.5″ inches.
Incidentally, his head measured a little more than 14″ inches around. A “normal” baby has a head circumference of about 11″ or 12″. – victim of the famed “Brazelton Head Syndrome” or B.H.S. A condition in which you a born with a friggin’ huge noggin. Seriously – it has it’s own weather system!
Subsequently, medical professionals in attendance concur – THAT’S a big baby.
For those of you monitoring “Brazelbaby Watch 2007,” the wait is over. Cami performed like a gladiator through 30 hours of labor including 5 hours of pushing before Henry was delivered by C-section on Sunday afternoon. I am beside myself with pride. Never once did she complain and she gave to me a beautiful baby boy. Both Mother and baby are doing great.
I know you may have been looking forward to a new comic here (and there will be one on Wednesday). But since this has been a moment that I’ve been building up toward and involving you guys in for several months, I thought it would be a nice thing to take this time and celebrate it with all of you as well.
Many thanks for your previous messages of support. We’ve saved every one of them and it means the world to us.
It’s been a long ride for the three of us. I think we both got about 4 hours of sleep between us in the last 48 hours. Stay tuned, though. It’s a great story and we’re looking forward to telling it!
With love,
Tom, Cami and Henry
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Apologies for the delay of this news post. I meant to post it earlier this evening but was held up partially by the conversation I was having with Cami about it, partially out of fear and partially by denial. However, I need to get this information out there and I need to get it over with.
So, effective immediately, Theater Hopper comic updates will be scaled back to once a week with comics running every Wednesday.
The reason for this change is simple. Since Henry was born, it is important for me to keep my focus on him and the well-being of my family. For a short period of time, I deluded myself into thinking this was possible while continuing to maintain three full-color updates a week. After nine weeks with Henry in our lives, it has become clear to me this is no longer the case.
While I have proven that it is physically possible for me to create three comics a week, emotionally I was short shrifting my family and that is unacceptable. These delusions of grandeur led me to believe that I could have it all. Unfortunately, I did not weigh the complete cost of my actions.
This decision has been over four months in the making. I agonized about it before Henry was born and continued to question myself after. A large part of my reluctance to do the right thing was the deep sense of responsibility I felt for you – the reader. Over the last four and a half years, your generosity and support has kept this site going and I consider myself lucky to have some of the nicest fans anyone can hope for. I pride myself on the fact that Theater Hopper has been largely immune from the some of the more juvenile and petty aspects of fandom in this genre and that can all be attributed to you.
However, my life has entered into a new phase that unfortunately eclipses that . If Theater Hopper were all that I did, this wouldn’t be an issue. But between a full-time career outside the home, being a responsible father and contributing member of my family and being a cartoonist… well, there’s only so much room in my life.
In a way, I knew something like this would happen someday. In interviews I’ve given in the past, people would ask me how long I planned to continue Theater Hopper. I was realistic about it. I would tell them that I would probably have kids and then stop.
Well, I’m not stopping entirely and that’s the compromise. For now, this is a short term solution that hopefully leaves the window open for me to come back to it full time. I find it a much more attractive option than going on a semi-permanent hiatus or closing the doors completely.
I also want to let you know that even though I am reducing my comic output to once a week, that will not alter the three-times-a-week update schedule for the site at large. I still want you to continue checking in as I plan to continue supplementing things with sketches for the immediate future and DVD and movie reviews in the near future. In the coming weeks and months, it is my goal to restructure Theater Hopper to become more than just as web comic, but to become a multi-dimensional piece that covers many different aspects of movies.
I know to some of you, this might sound counter-intuitive to the reasons I gave you for reducing the output of comics. If I’m only updating comics once a week to be with my family, why am I replacing it with new and varied content. The answer is simple. Sketches I can do anywhere. DVD and movie reviews I can do anywhere. All of these options take CONSIDERABLY less time than a full-color comic that takes a few hours each night to complete. Writing for me has been no great trick. I think I can communicate my ideas clearly and quickly. The evolution of my art has been much more of a struggle.
Please bear with me while I make this transition into a new role. With any luck, Theater Hopper will become more of a resource to film as well as an entertaining commentary on it. I appreciate your patience and understanding and hope that you continue to check the site.
Thank you for your support. I look forward to entering into this new phase of Theater Hopper with you!
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Well, we just wrapped up Henry’s first birthday party and put him to be. All things equal, I would say he had a great time. It was great to spend time with the family. Smiles all around.
So what about that big news that’s going to change the direction of Theater Hopper that I was talking about earlier?…
Starting today, Theater Hopper has entered into an exclusive partnership with the movies news, review and interview blog FirstShowing.net. Theater Hopper comics will now be mirrored on FirstShowing.net every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
It’s a real thrill for me to announce this exclusive partnership with First Showing. There’s is a blog I’ve been following for a while and it speaks directly to my sensibilities. These guys do a great job not only discussing upcoming projects, but reviewing what’s in theaters, too with humor, sometimes caution, sometimes utter fanboy adulation. Believe me, they cover all the angles.
It doesn’t hurt that they have a soft spot for comic book properties like yours truly, either.
So if you haven’t visited FirstShowing.net before, be sure to add them to your bookmarks now. Hopefully this is a relationship that we’ll be able to develop further in the months to come and find new ways to work together and deliver a unique movie-related online experience for everyone involved.
Thanks again to Alex Billington and look for continued updates as we move forward!
For more insight into this exclusive partnership, please be sure to listen to The Triple Feature talkcast at TalkShoe.com tonight at 9:00 PM CST. Feel free to call in or submit questions! We’ll see you there!
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If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you probably caught my announcement yesterday about celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary with Cami. And, if you didn’t, well… you are now!
It’s difficult for me to talk about the anniversary without sounding like I’m bragging or too proud. But, darn it… I’m proud! 10 years is a big deal and worth celebrating. I think it’s cool that I’m able to share it with so many people.
Cami and I have actually been together a lot longer than 10 years. The wedding anniversary is just the celebration of a legal document. In fact, we’ve been together for 15 years – almost half our lives. We were high school sweethearts and we married 5 years to the day of our first date. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s cool.
But, of course, I love it when dates and stuff like that line up neatly. I think it’s awesome that Cami and I got married in 2000. Not only because of symbolism of starting a new life together in a new millennium. But it means I can always do some simple math if I ever forget how many years we’ve been together when I’m old and senile. “Lessee… It’s 2056 and we were married in 2000… So that means we’ve been married… 56 YEARS!”
I’m telling you, fellas, it’s a bulletproof plan. Maybe I’m a closeted numerologist, or something. More likely, I suck at math and need all the help I can get!
To celebrate our anniversary last night, Cami and I recruited my parents to babysit Henry and Pearl and we had a very nice meal at a restaurant we love. We had the best time just talking, eating and sharing a bottle of wine. Afterwords, we ran an errand at Target and got a car wash. We joked about it. “What did you do on your 10th wedding anniversary?” “Oh, we got a car wash.”
We we were younger, we used to fantasize about our 10th wedding anniversary. We vaguely planned to go to Hawaii to celebrate. Of course, we had kids and I lost my job last summer. Then our oven crapped out on us last month, so we decided to buy a new oven and count that as our anniversary present for each other.
It sounds unglamorous on paper, but it’s not. It’s representational of how we’ve built a life together, how sometimes plans change and you go with the flow as best you can. How you grow, adjust and learn. If you’re lucky and you’ve picked the right person, hard times are never really hard. And you become a better person because you have someone to share these things with.
Cami makes me a better person and I’m having a blast being married to her.
Happy 10th anniversary, Cami. Here’s to 10 more… and 10 more after that… and 10 more after that.
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So, here it is. This is the artwork I was threatening to do a week ago. A nice little cast portrait to commemorate my Iron Man 2 storyline. Apologies for the lack of color, but I think it looks better in black and white.
Yeah, I know it kind of ended with a thud. But I’m really proud of about 95% of it and thought it was worth celebrating. Goodness knows I burned up a lot of midnight oil putting it together for you guys.
As a special treat, I filmed myself drawing the artwork last night and sped it up for you in this delightful little YouTube video:
If you find that exciting, then I have even BETTER news for you!
I have decided to auction off the original inked illustration you see in the video on eBay. You can find it here. It’s on a 9 x 12″ sheet of Bristol board with a 1″ border (so you can frame it if you want to!) I will make sure to mail it flat.
Bidding starts now and the auction will remain open for the next 5 days. I don’t sell original artwork all that often, so if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind piece from yours truly, now is the time to snap it up!
Now if I can get serious for a moment…
I went to this extra effort with the video and the auction because I’m afraid I have some bad news and I wanted to let you guys down gently. There isn’t a good way to say it other than to just come right out and say it…
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, I WILL BE SCALING BACK PRODUCTION OF THEATER HOPPER TO ONE DAY A WEEK.
This decision was a hard one for me but, ultimately, necessary. With the end of the Iron Man 2 story line, now seemed like the best time to make a change.
The primary motivation behind this cutback is actually very positive. A year after having been laid off, I have finally found full-time employment again! I start work in June and am very much looking forward to the opportunity.
But, as such, I recognize that I cannot continue to dedicate myself to Theater Hopper on a thrice-weekly schedule. The late nights spent staying up past midnight working on the comic have caught up with me. I don’t bounce back like I used to when I was 24 years-old and just starting the comic. Add to the mix two children with irregular sleeping schedules and, well, the end result is that I’m not 100% like I should be.
There’s been a lot that I’ve sacrificed for Theater Hopper. Primarily sleep. But my health, my attitude and my availability to my family have all suffered as a consequence. I don’t blame anyone by myself for these choices. But, at some point, one has to recognize when enough is enough. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day to be effective in all the areas I need to be effective in.
Part of me wondered if it was better to end the comic completely. But I didn’t want to do a disservice to you, the fans, for supporting me. Nor did I want to perform a disservice to myself and the investment that I’ve made over the last 8 years.
Eventually, Theater Hopper will have to end – as all things do. But when it does, I want to make sure it goes out on a high note with a story that satisfies the long-term readers and appreciates them for their kindness and encouragement.
Until then, it will be business as usual content-wise. I’ll continue to make fun of the latest releases, just not as often. I’ll probably be playing around with the format a little until I strike the right balance. But from now on, you can expect a new comic here every Monday morning.
To aid the transition, I encourage you to follow Theater Hopper’s RSS feed. I also encourage to to follow Theater Hopper on Facebook and my personal account on Twitter. They will be the best places for you to receive news and updates as well as links to the most recent comics.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them either here in the comments section or in the THorum. If you’re not comfortable with that, e-mails are okay, too.
This is a large adjustment for me, as I’m sure it will be for you. I will miss updating the comic three times a week. But, in the end, I know that this is the decision that will benefit me and my family most. At this point, it’s all about realigning my priorities. I will always enjoy producing the comic and interacting with the fans. But my family, my livelihood and my personal health must come first.
As the excellent, supportive and understanding audience you have always been, I know you will appreciate my reasons.
Again, I thank you. You have been much more kind to me than I deserve.
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Since I’m in a Disney mood lately, I thought I would pass along a press release I received about Disney’s 50th animated feature Tangled, announcing plans to release the film on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on March 29.
Grossing over 400 million dollars in global theatrical sales to date, TANGLED, The Walt Disney Studios blockbuster animated feature that takes a modern twist on the famous hair-raising fable Rapunzel, debuts as the ultimate 4-Disc Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack (3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy in a single package) on March 29, 2011. As the 50th full-length animated feature in The Walt Disney Studios’ celebrated library and the first animated feature film to ever debut day-and-date on Disney Blu-ray 3D, TANGLED’s uniquely packaged home entertainment release ensures that viewers of all ages can enjoy this film on a variety of superior, hi-def media platforms while diving further into the history and quirky details behind the making of this film via amusing and informative bonus features.
BONUS FEATURES
Blu-ray
Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale – Exactly how long is Rapunzel’s hair? How many lanterns were used? Where did Pascal’s name come from? Which Disney animated feature first utilized CG animation? These and more will be answered when Mandy Moore and Zach Levi take viewers on a kooky behind-the-scenes tour to learn how the filmmakers styled this film’s ―Golden Tresses.‖
Deleted Scenes – Co-directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno introduce three scenes and illuminate why they were ultimately cut.
- The Jaunty Moose
- Chemistry Develops
- Vigor The Visionary
Extended Songs – The complete versions of two great songs are shared in a unique feature that explains the co-directors decision to scale them down.
- When Will My Life Begin
- Mother Knows Best
Two Original Storybook Openings – Two alternate versions of the film’s opening sequence described by co-directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard.
50th Animated Feature Countdown – A video montage celebrating Tangled as the 50th film to join The Walt Disney Studios’ prestigious lineup of classic animated features.
9 Tangled Teasers – A collection of the most unique and quirky commercials made for the theatrical release of ―Tangled.‖ Some are spoofs based off of infomercials and/or breaking news, some are teasers and others are simply just funny filmstrips.
DVD & Movie Download
Two Original Storybook Openings – Versions 1 & 2
50th Animated Feature Countdown
AAAAAND, for your enjoyment, a YouTube clip announcing the release.
Tangled was a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed and, despite its success, didn’t get the recognition it deserved in theaters. Everyone I talked to who saw it loved it. But I think Disney mucked up the marketing a little by making it appear to be a boy-centric action-adventure flick.
Tangled is actually much smarter than that. Lots of humor, a female lead worth looking up to and a painterly style unseen from the House of Mouse since The Lion King or Sleeping Beauty.
If you missed Tangled in theaters, do yourself a favor and pick it up on Blu-ray. It’s a very worthy addition to your collection. If you’re thinking about pre-ordering it, here are a few links on Amazon:
- Tangled – 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-ray, DVD
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