Posts Tagged ‘changes’
3 items.
Things might look a little odd around here for a week or two. I just recently converted the site from .shtml to .php using a handy script I picked up from Comrade F over at The Misc.
The changes shouldn’t affect how you, the reader encounter the site as a whole. But it does WONDERS in terms of organizing things for me on the back end.
With this script in place, there will be less likelihood of broken links and MORE blog updates since now I can input commentary into the site from any terminal with internet access. This goes the same for my friends Jared and Nick as well as my wife Cami – who should have more ease uploading content versus the old “send me a Word document” system we had going before. So in that respect, it’s good for you because you’ll be getting more diversified content.
The bad news is that all of the old blogs have been erased and need to be replaced through the .php script. That’s going to take some time, but I plan on starting at the beginning and steadily working my way toward the present.
Also on the fritz is the archive section. but it’s not a big loss because if you want to skip around to a specific strip, there is now a little menu bar underneath the blog. Actually, it’s more efficient than what we had before.
The last down side is for anyone who may have linked directly to a strip. Those links are gone now, but this doesn’t screw up those of you don’t have web sites.
Regardless, this is the new system and it’ll be a little bumpy putting it into place. If you see an errors or broken links, please contact me so I can fix them and thank you for your patience.
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Some of you may have noticed that I’ve added a couple of new elements to the site.
The most obvious addition to the site is the new banner ad up at the top asking you to buy a poster. Looks like it’s working. I’ve already received two orders today.
Which begs the question “What are you waiting for?” With the new banner ad in place to spur sales, it’s only a matter of time before we run out. Do you really want to be one of those people? And by “those people”, I mean the individuals who didn’t purchase a poster and were made fun of throughout eternity! Get on it!
Oh, and just as an aside. For those of you concerned that the space at the top of the page will become a spot for advertising… well, I haven’t ruled it out. But I’m not hooking up with UGO or AllPosters.com or anything. It’ll be a strictly personal affair where I will promote other artists and web toons. That is IF I decide to go that route. In the meantime, it’s just a spot reserved for me to hock my cheesy wares.
Anyway, back on track. The other new feature you mave have noticed is the new webcam page. Basically, it’s just a living archive of the cam images I have floating out around the net.
You can find my ugly mug in a few places, but the majority of these cam images revolve around specific events at Hot Buttered Funk – my portal and forum community of choice. So if you’re looking at them and can’t figure out what they reference, that’s why.
I just thought it would be a fun thing to look at as I usually put in a little time and effort to make sure my images stand out. Be sure to check in on the archive every once in a while as I probably update it at least once or twice a week. And if you have a moment, check out Hot Buttered Funk. It’s a fun place to go after school. Kind of like the YMCA, but with more swearing.
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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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