Posts Tagged ‘Charlie’
65 items.
There was another version of this comic that I think was a little more pedestrian. In the original version, it was going to be Charlie asking Cami to see Our Idiot Brother with her. Cami abstains, telling Charlie she can save $8.00 and watch Tom do something stupid instead. Cut to Tom looking down the barrel of a shotgun for a Cheeto he dropped, or something. Maybe it would have been funnier. The world will never know.
Truthfully, I thought it was a little more disparaging of Tom and Cami’s relationship than I would have liked. That Cami would sit idly by while Tom put a gun to his face seemed needlessly callous to me. But if there wasn’t threat of bodily harm, it wouldn’t have been funny. Stalemate. So I went this route instead.
I don’t know about you, but I enjoy dialogue where characters backtrack away from outlandish statements when confronted with withering glances. I know it’s a trope, but it’s a trope because it works. So I wanted to try a little bit of it here. That said, I feel a little bad that I didn’t actually give Charlie a chance to say anything. Hey! Remember when I used to do story lines that used to last a month? Remember character development? Man, I miss those days.
I’m getting a little down on myself. Let’s switch tracks, shall we?
I’m still kind of recovering from the Chicago Comic Con, but in a good way. Basically just taking time to reassess things and figuring out what I can do to improve. Conventions always do that for me. They’re exhausting work, but also very energizing creatively. You see all of these other artists around you and – even if you don’t like their style – it’s easy to be humbled by their techniques… their view of the world. The challenge is to learn from that exposure and figure out a way to incorporate what you observe into your own workflow. Considering the amount of inspiration I find at conventions, it’s a shame I don’t go to more of them!
I will say this… I got a great e-mail from someone I met at Chicago Comic Con. Someone who had never heard of Theater Hopper before that weekend. He picked up one of my sampler booklets, read it and loved it so much that he came back to the site and bought a copy of Theater Hopper: Year Two and Theater Hopper: Year Three.
I’ve been writing and drawing Theater Hopper now for 9 years. So it’s not often that I hear from people who are new to the comic. Let’s face it. The archive is… daunting. Not very many people want to sit and read 1,000+ comics. So, now more than ever, I’m only as good as my last comic. My work is timely, but also transient. If I attract a new reader at all, I presume they don’t feel as compelled to stick around as long if a particular comic doesn’t strike them as funny.
Anyway, back on point… this person’s order along with their complimentary letter was a really nice surprise – because I didn’t know my work could continue to make an impact like that.
Just an observation. Nothing more.
Switching gears again, I invite you guys to check out the Bonus Materials blog. I know updates have been spotty, but I’m trying to do better about that. For the most part, it’s me linking to newly-released trailers and talking about them. But if I get my hooks into anything meatier from a movie news standpoint, I’ll be sure to post that as well.
I just wanted to remind you that the blog is out there and I update it during the week. So if you want to strike up a conversation, that’s a good place to do it.
That’s all for right now. Cheers and have a good week!
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I didn’t go crazy with this week’s Top Web Comics incentive sketch. Just a simple profile shot of Charlie, since she seems to be on Jimmy’s mind. If you vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics, you’ll get to see the whole thing! Check it out!
My apologies for the lateness of this week’s comic. I knew when I was putting it together that I wanted it to be double-sized to take advantage of the pacing. I just didn’t estimate how long that would actually take.
For your reference, I’ve included a couple of links to some of the issues this comic brought up. Yes, Jimmy was a former womanizer. He also once had a relationship with Charlie and they almost got married! It might be easier if you check out that story line from the beginning if you haven’t read it before. It’s one of the arcs that I’m probably most proud of. Kind of funny that it’s pretty much the 3 year anniversary of that story and how it’s finally coming full-circle.
I mentioned last week that since this is the last hurrah, it was my ambition to tie up some of the loose ends with several of the characters. Jimmy – witnessing Tom’s potential evolution into a family man – is deciding maybe it’s time to stop torturing himself and pick up with Charlie where they left off. We’ll get to see that play out before it’s all over.
That’s all I’ve got for right now. I just want to remind everyone to check out the Theater Hopper store and help me unload some of my inventory. I’ve got a pretty aggressive sale going on right now. Buy any two books, get the third one free. Buy any two shirts, you’ll also get the third one free.
There have been several people to take me up on the offer so far – including people who have ordered the Artist Edition’s of the books. If you’d like me to personalize your book with a sketch, it’s a great opportunity to get something unique. By the time August rolls around, I don’t know if I’ll be doing sketches in books anymore. Get yours now!
Thanks again for your support and your patience. I’ll see you soon!
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If you love your cell phone, you’ll probably love the latest Top Web Comics incentive sketch. Click on that little graphic to the left to see it!
Every week it feels like I’m apologizing for the strip being late and such is the case this week. I posted teasers on Facebook and Twitter telling people that today’s comic would be double-sized – much like last week’s comic. As you can see, that didn’t happen.
But I want you to know that I actually put in the work this week. I drew and inked 8 panels. In the end, I felt maybe that that comic was better served split in two rather than one giant strip.
That’s good news for you, though. Because it gives me a leg up on the next comic. What say you? Should I try to turn around the second half of this strip and post it tomorrow or Friday? Or maybe I should hold off and post it on Monday?
The more I think about it, I might actually have an opportunity to build a buffer here. So I might hold off. You’ll like the second half of this strip – it actually has a punchline! But for now, I’m just going to let the emotion breath a little bit.
These final strips are all about letting you guys know that the characters are going to be “okay.” I’ve left Charlie and Jimmy’s relationship on the back burner since March of 2009. That’s a long time to leave these two in limbo. I always intended to come back to them. I guess there’s no time like the present. The next few comics will be focusing on their relationship.
I feel oddly handicapped because I’m not writing blogs as lengthy as I used to. This tends to happen during storylines. But I’m still talking about movie stuff! If you check out the Bonus Materials blog, I recently posted the trailer and some stills from the upcoming Avengers movie. I’ll probably be posting the trailer from the reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man soon.
I know you guys have probably seen this stuff floating around the internet on a dozen different sites by now. But if you feel like talking about it with me… then, hey… I’m here for your buddy.
Thanks again for your patience. I hope you’re enjoying these last few comics!
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Cami’s all herp-a-derp in this week’s Top Web Comics voting incentive image. Want to see it? You have to vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics! It couldn’t be easier. Just click on that little image to the left and follow the prompts from there. Thanks for your support!
This week’s comic was originally supposed to be the second half of a double-sized comic that I was going to produce last week. I’m glad I split them up. It gives the joke in this comic a little room to breathe.
I kind of wanted to explore the idea that Tom and Cami – although in a very loving and committed relationship – are kind of the worst people to ask for relationship advice.
As you’re probably aware, the comic versions of Cami and Tom are based of me and my wife. We were high school sweethearts. We got married right out of college. We have NO IDEA how relationships work in the aggregate. We only know what works for us.
Long story short: If you’re having troubles with your significant other, we’ll lend a sympathetic ear. Just don’t ask us for advice because we haven’t had to navigate those waters for a long, LONG time.
I don’t have much more to say about the comic but I wanted to take a minute to do something I’ve traditionally done in this space since 2007.
You guys remember my son, Henry, right? I don’t talk about him too much, but when his birthday rolls around, I like to give everyone a little update.
Henry’s turning 5 on Saturday and the time has absolutely flown by. The kid is a marvel to me. Smart as a whip and a memory that puts me to shame. He’ll remember the most insignificant detail from a breakfast we had 4 months ago. Needless to say, he keeps us on our toes.
We recently had pictures taken as we’ve done every year prior and we decided to spice things up a little bit. We told Henry he could bring his lightsaber to the photo shoot.
Keep in mind that Henry hasn’t seen any of the Star Wars films yet. But, like I said, he’s a pretty observant kid – and a lightsaber is hard to miss when you’re wandering the toy aisle at Target. So I got him one for Christmas.
At any rate, Cami thought it would be a good idea if I got in on the fun and we ended up with a pretty cool triptych that I think you guys might appreciate.
I posted the photo to the Theater Hopper Facebook page. I’ll admit I was a little reluctant to take the photo at first. But now that we have it, I’m so, so glad.
You never get this time back, people. If you’ve got kids, hug ’em extra hard tonight, okay?
Have a great week.
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I was getting kind of tired of drawing profiles of characters for the Top Web Comics incentive image, so I did something a little different today. Jimmy’s trials at the movie theater kind of reminded me of Atlas, so I went that direction with the incentive sketch. Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics if you want to see it.
I realized while plotting this week’s comic that it didn’t contain a joke. It sent me into a miniature panic. I’m not exactly known for writing drama and – to me – writing a comic without a joke feels… unfinished.
Ultimately I determined that cramming in the joke for the sake of one really didn’t benefit things. So maybe today’s comic isn’t funny, but it moves the ball up the field.
Incidentally, is everyone able to follow along with the changes in scenery? I’ve been doing a lot of jumping around from location to location – sometimes flipping back and forth between different sets of characters. I know you guys are smart and are probably following along just fine. I’m just self-conscious about it.
Like I said, I don’t write drama. Most of my comics are fairly self-contained. I really haven’t had to think of my story telling in terms of “What’s happening over here while these characters over here are talking about something else?” It’s kind of weird.
Something interesting that’s been happening in the last few weeks is that people have complimented me for allowing the characters to “grow up” a little bit. I can say with all honestly that it has not been intentional. But, with what I know about where I want the characters to end up when I end the comic in August, I would have to admit the transition has been almost subliminal.
Since announcing the comic’s end, I’ve made clear my intentions to let readers know that the characters will be “okay.” Perhaps some of this maturation is the unintended byproduct of that?
Sometimes I feel like it’s best to get out of my own way and kind of let the characters write themselves. I know that sounds pretentious. But in this case, I feel like its an honest assessment of how things are playing out.
On that note…
I NEED YOUR HELP
I’ve been presented the opportunity to attend and exhibit at Emerald City Comiccon in Seattle this March 31 – April 1 and I would really, really, REALLY like to go.
However, this was not a convention I had originally planned on attending. That there is now an opportunity is a complete fluke. As such, I don’t really have the money to secure a plane ticket, a hotel room, cab fare and the rest.
This isn’t really your problem. If I don’t have the money, I shouldn’t go, right? Buuuuuuut… if you have it in your heart to make a purchase from the Theater Hopper store or perhaps donate to my “Farewell Tour,” it would be really, really, REALLY helpful right now. That’s all I’m saying.
If you can help, great. If you can’t help, well, that’s how the cookie crumbles. Even if I don’t end up going to ECCC this year, I will be going to C2E2 in Chicago two weeks later. So, there’s that!
That’s all I have for right now. Thanks for checking out the comic and I’ll see you next week!
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I didn’t put together an incentive sketch for Top Web Comics today because I kind of ran out of time. Also, beyond generating sketches that I might or might not sell at a future date, I don’t know if it’s doing any real good in terms of A.) Generating votes or B.) Generating traffic.
I don’t know what it is about me that I insist on tinkering with how the comic is promoted when the finish line is only a few months away. I guess I can’t leave well enough alone.
That said, if you still want to vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics, you can do that.
I had the idea for today’s comic kind of before I decided if it was a good idea or not. I had this romantic idea in mind – that Jimmy would be willing to work at the movie theater because it made it easier to remember Charlie being there – but couldn’t decide if I was hitting the same beat as last week’s comic.
Either way, I think I’m going to have to squeeze in some jokes into next week’s comic. If nothing else, I certainly need to get Charlie’s side of the equation in there.
Part of me feels like I’m running out the clock a little bit in anticipation of May. Because I think by the time The Avengers hits, I might be in the mood for a reprieve from the dramatic stuff. I think you know what that means.
CONVENTION SCHEDULE
I wanted to take a quick moment and share my convention schedule for the next couple of months. It’s pretty aggressive and no one is more surprised than me by how active I’m going to be in the next few weeks.
- Emerald City Comic Con – Seattle, WA – March 30 through April 1
- I’ll be hanging out at booth #307 with Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex and Angela Melick from Wasted Talent.
- C2E2 – Chicago, IL – April 13, 14, 15
- I don’t know what table I’ll be at other than in the webcomics section of Artist Alley. Come find me!
- MCBA Springcon – Minneapolis, MN – May 19 & 20
- This is a smaller show, so I should be pretty easy to find. But they’ve got great selection. If you live in the Minneapolis area, come out and see me!
It’s weird. A month ago, I wasn’t planning on going to any of these shows. Then I did an interview with Kurt Sasso over at TGT Media and we talked about C2E2. I went to the show its inaugural year and said I wasn’t interested in going back due to the expense. Kurt ended up giving me a few tips and talked me into going. I even managed to find a cheap hotel downtown, too!
Shortly after that, Gordon sent me an e-mail about ECCC. One of the people he and Angela were sharing a booth with had to back out and he asked me if I was interested in filling the spot.
I went to ECCC in 2009 and it was one of the most exhilarating/stressful trips of my life. I had never flown to a convention before. I had no idea how to get my merchandise there. I was kind of on the outs with a few people in the webcomic community at the time. I had no idea how it was going to go over.
That said, it was a profoundly positive experience. ECCC is so well run and the people of Seattle are so welcoming toward webcomics, I look back on it fondly. I ended up socializing with other webcomic creators I had never met before and got to speak on a panel with Jeph Jacques, Danielle Corsetto and Robert Khoo. It was crazy validating and I’ve been struggling to go back every year. I’ve always kicked myself for not going in the years since.
So here’s Gordon with this opportunity and I’m struggling to find a way to make it work. I’m cashing in hotel rewards points, I’m looking at Priceline for cheap flights ever 15 miuntes, I’m hemming, I’m hawing. Finally I decided to pull the trigger and leave it all on the table – damn the expense. If I’m ending Theater Hopper this year, I’m going out with a bang.
And then there’s the Minneapolis Springcon. This was the first comic book convention I ever went to back in 2004. It seemed fitting that I hadn’t been there since 2007. It seemed appropriate that I should try to go back.
So here we are. Three conventions in two months. Cami isn’t exactly thrilled about it, but she understands. So if you’re going to be at any one of those three shows, help me make it worth my while, yeah? After all, there’s no telling the next time we’ll get to see each other again…
That’s it for now. Have a great week, everyone!
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Before we get too far into the blog for this week’s comic, it might be worthwhile for some of you to revisit the flashback arc that established Jimmy and Charlie’s relationship. Also, their untimely split. Check out where things all started to go wrong for them by clicking here.
I know that this week’s comic is egregiously late. That’s due to a confluence of personal obstacles and me also preparing for THIS:
If you are in the Seattle area, please do not forget that I will be exhibiting at Emerald City Comicon this weekend, Friday, March 31 through Sunday April 1. I’ll be hanging out at booth #307 with Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex and Angela Melick from Wasted Talent.
I’m both nervous and excited to go to this show. Excited because I know from first-hand experience how awesome the audience is that comes to this show and how appreciative they are of webcomics. Nervous because figuring out how to ship my merchandise and my own stinking carcass to Seattle has been a logistical nightmare. I’ve basically been second-guessing myself for three weeks.
Now if I can only figure out how to get the weight of my checked bag under 50 pounds…
Something else I’ll mention: If you’re thinking about buying anything from the store in the near future – ESPECIALLY T-SHIRTS – I want to encourage you to place your orders now.
Part of the reason behind my aggressive convention schedule this year is that I want to sell as much of my Theater Hopper merchandise as possible. I was going through my inventory as I packed for Emerald City and I’m starting to notice a dwindling supply of some shirts in popular sizes.
Since I’m going to Emerald City this weekend, C2E2 in Chicago two weeks after that and Minneapolis SpringCon a month after that, it’s very possible that I will not have the style of shirt you want in the size you want when it’s all over.
I DO NOT INTEND TO REORDER SHIRTS. ONCE THEY’RE GONE, THEY’RE GONE.
I am currently offering a “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” offer on all shirts and books. Previously, it was buy two shirts or buy two books. But yesterday I COMBINED the offer so you can mix and match items. Buy ANY two books or shirts and get the third item for FREE. I can’t make it any better than that!
So, like I said, if you think you want some Theater Hopper merchandise, I would strongly encourage you to make a purchase soon so I don’t sell what you hoped to buy at a convention somewhere.
That’s all I have for now. Next week’s comic will probably be a little late as well due to Emerald City, but hopefully it won’t be as late as this one was.
Thanks for your patience. SEATTLE, HERE I COME!
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Apr06
I’m sorry that this comic is so late. In fact, this comic is ridiculously late, it could almost qualify as NEXT week’s comic. I couldn’t stomach that thought, so I tried my hardest to publish it by today.
A big part of the reason why this week’s comic was late is thanks to Emerald City Comicon. (Well, actually, the real reason it’s late is because I don’t work with a buffer. But I’m going to blame Emerald City Comicon anyway.)
Due to flights leaving from Seattle being both ridiculously scheduled (11:15 pm, REALLY?) and ridiculously overpriced ($650, REALLY?!) I opted to stay in town an extra day and take a cheaper flight that wouldn’t bankrupt me. I still got home pretty late Monday night and pretty much went straight to bed that evening.
Tuesday I spent catching up on life-stuff (hugging my kids, or whatever) and by Wednesday I was battling a full-blown case of Con Crud. I was able to draw and ink the comic on Wednesday, though and spent Thursday night coloring and shading. Remind me again how I managed to do this three times a week? Oh, yeah. NEVER SLEEPING.
Although my recovery has been difficult, the show in Seattle last weekend was AMAZING. By far the busiest con I’ve ever been to and the crowds were FANTASTIC. For whatever reason, I was innundated with requests to do sketches. I did over 40 when – usually – I do maybe 10 to 15. I’m going to upload all of them to the Theater Hopper Facebook page soon. Follow me on Twitter for notification (SYNERGY!)
Doing all those sketches actually gave me a good idea. In addition to the 4×6 sketch I currently sell for $5.00, I’m going to start offering a more highly-detailed 8×10 sketch for $10.00. I’m going to bust those out at C2E2 next week, but if you’re interested, you can place an order in the store today!
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The show was great and I met a lot of really cool people. Several fans came up to me and told me they were sorry to hear that I was ending Theater Hopper. But all of them said the same thing – that I was ending it the right way and “thank you” for all the free entertainment over the years.
That made me feel really good. It made me feel like I had friends in Seattle – and you have no idea how valuable that was to me while I spent the weekend away from my family.
That’s not to say that I was completely ALONE all weekend. I ended up sharing a booth with Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex and Angela Melick from Wasted Talent. I really want to thank them for letting me crash their table. It was a fantastic opportunity and I’m glad it all worked out.
The booth space was a little tight, though. I know Angela and I bumped elbows a couple of times. If she’s reading this, I just wanted to let her know I wasn’t trying to crowd her out. Thanks for putting up with me. I hope all is well.
I also had the opportunity to hang out with some webcomic folks during the evenings. Randy Milholland from Something Positive, Jeph Jacques from Questionable Content, Alina Pete and Layne Myhre from Weregeek, James and Rebecca Hicks from Little Vampires, David Willis from Shortpacked Ryan Sohmer and Lar deSouza from Least I Could Do and Joel Watson from Hijinks Ensue.
I’m seriously humbled that I get to talk to these people at all. Often I feel like I’m at the “Kids Table” of webcomics. Kind of obnoxious enough to pay attention to but not serious enough to be part of the conversation. The analogy is kind of appropriate considering I was actually invited to dinner by Ryan Sohmer on Saturday night – which I need to thank him for. It was very thoughtful and he was very welcoming.
I also have to give a special shout-out to Joel Watson who let me crash in his hotel room on Sunday night after the convention to help me save a few bucks. He also had some fantastic tips that helped me out on the convention floor – even if he was being kind of a bossy boots about it!
I tease Joel because I’m insecure. But also because he is a bossy boots. He’ll have the last laugh, though because I plan on using his Proven Money Making Techniques
That’s the funny thing about ECCC this year. I actually picked up a lot of really good ideas that I’m going to be able to turn around and execute quickly at another convention. Typically I go to one – MAYBE TWO – conventions a year. Any insights I glean are usually lost by the next time I make an appearance.
This time I actually WROTE DOWN ideas to take with me to the next convention – a whole strategy document. I even managed to execute one of those idea this week. I created a business card to hand out to people who check out my Spoiler shirt.
In retrospect, this was a completely obvious thing to do. Over the course of a weekend, I would say no less than 250 people probably stop to look at my Spoiler shirts. I place them very prominently on my table and use them to attract people so I can tell them about my comic.
People either say “I gotta have that” and graciously buy a shirt or they say “That’s really funny, man” and go about their business. Either way, I was being STRAIGHT UP STUPID by not giving them something to take home with them to remind them about the shirt. So now the business card exists to say “Hey, remember that shirt you liked? There’s actually a pretty cool comic associated with it!”
Like I said, it’s completely obvious and long, LONG overdue. It’s especially egregious considering people at the convention would ASK me if I had a business card. I never did because I could never really figure out what to put on it. Contact information alone just didn’t seem… clever enough. I’m glad it only took me 10 years to figure it out. Just in time for me to end my comic! My business acumen, you see, is (how do you say it?)… not strong.
Speaking of my Spoiler shirt, by the way, we got a pretty cool shout out over at AV Club in an article called “Favorite Pop Culture Apparel.” We’re mentioned right at the top. Tasha Robinson, wherever you are, thank you! Also thanks to Ryan Estrada for sharing the link with me!
Last thing I’ll mention (again) is C2E2. I’ll be at table O2 in Artist Alley. Here’s a link to a map in case you want to find me later. I’m in the back of the hall, kind of by the Food Court. Be sure to visit me, okay, because I’m going to be lonely. My good friends with the Digital Pimp crew secured a booth this year up in the front of the hall next to the Marvel Comics monolith. That’s what I get for making arrangements at the last minute!
I’ll be selling books, shirts, buttons and sketches and I fully intend to leave as much of it on the floor as possible. If you’re at all anxious about not being able to pick up some Theater Hopper merch, I would strongly encourage you to do it this week. I’m not sure what my inventory will look like after next week and I don’t plan on restocking these items any time soon!
Next week’s comic should hopefully be a little… less late. Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding. See you again in a couple of days!
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Things have come to a head between Jimmy and Charlie. What happens next? CLIFFHANGER!
Don’t worry. This will actually get resolved quick than you think. Originally, this comic was supposed to be double-sized. But then I realized it really didn’t have to be. So, instead, I broke it in two and am going to finish it up this week so it’s in the queue and ready to go for Monday. BUFFER!
I really wanted to post two comics this week as a way to make up for last week’s extraordinarily late comic. But I figured it would be more prudent to post next week’s comic on-time instead. Send all complaints to the management.
I suppose it might be more realistic if Jimmy were taken aback by Charlie’s recent admissions. To be told that your betrothed really didn’t want to marry you out of fear for commitment would probably give most people pause. So I hope you don’t find it poor writing the Jimmy is just kind of bulldozing past that revelation. I have a deadline to keep, you know.
Truthfully, I was more interested in establishing a romantic tone with this comic than anything else. Jimmy possesses certainty. He’s served his penance and wants to move on. Does he have enough certainty for both himself and Charlie? You’ll have to wait until next week to find out!
FULL DISCLOSURE: I was listening to The Corin Tucker Band’s “It’s Always Summer” on an infinite repeat as I was working on this comic last night. Call me crazy, but I think that song is sexy as hell. Don’t believe me? LISTEN TO IT!
Incidentally, if you feel the same way I do and want to own this song for yourself, I’ve included a helpful link. Seriously. You should buy it. It’s a great album.
QUICK HITS
Don’t forget that I will be at C2E2 this weekend, April 13 – 15 at McCormick Place in Chicago. You can find me in Artist Alley, table O2. It would be really cool if you would come and visit me. I don’t know any of the other people at the tables around me and I’m afraid I’m going to be lonely! Also, I’m going to be selling books, shirts, buttons and sketches and I REALLY need to make a profit on this show!
Speaking of which, if you’re thinking about purchasing any Theater Hopper merch, I strongly encourage you to place an order now. I’m planning on selling as much as possible this weekend and I’m not planning on reordering any of my inventory. Now is the time, people!
That’s all I have for now. Thanks for checking things out. If you could use those handy little buttons below the blog to share today’s comic among your social networks. I would appreciate it! Cheers!
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So, there you have it. The end of Act One. If it helps you at all, today’s comic is a call back to the end of Charlie and Jimmy’s first arc back in 2009. So there you go.
I know that this comic is grossly overdue and I am sorry. I don’t really have an excuse other than exhaustion caught up with me after getting back from C2E2. I had to get my house back in order, spend time with my kids and wife and there just wasn’t time for anything else last week.
Of course, like a dummy, I had to go ahead and make this comic double-sized. Like I didn’t have enough on my plate.
I’ve never worked with a buffer and that has usually been to my detriment. However, it’s only bitten me on the rear end a couple of times. This was one of those times. I feel bad enough about it, but what’s done is done. Time to move on.
A quick recap: From April 13 – 15, I was exhibiting at C2E2 in Chicago and had a great time. Oddly, it was probably one of the most profitable shows I’ve ever been to. Which, of course, is great. I had a lot of people come up to me just like they did at Emerald City Comic Con and tell me that they were sorry to hear the comic was ending. I was really touched.
Most amazingly, at one point while drawing sketches, I had a line of people waiting to talk to me. THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN, folks. Sometimes I’ll be talking to one person and there will be another person off to the side looking at my Spoiler t-shirt. But a line? People who came to see me and then waited? That was a first. It actually made me wonder if I should be ending the comic at all!
But, alas. The comic is ending and this is the end cap of all the dramatic stuff.
I took a little bit of criticism for the comic a couple of weeks ago for heaping on the melodrama. Bad melodrama.
Hey, I get it. Some of you want jokes about Cabin in the Woods. Me, too. But those aren’t the comics I’m making right now. I have to wrap this up the way I feel is best. And, yeah, maybe drama isn’t my strong suit. But it’s something I wanted to try before I closed up shop. Charlie and Jimmy specifically were characters whose involvement I felt should be resolved before moving forward.
That said, you’ll be pleased to know that there will be plenty of Avengers action starting next week. And, as I’m sure you know, Iron Man is in the Avengers. And where Iron Man goes, CARDBOARD IRON MAN is sure to follow.
I consider it kind of serendipitous that there would be an opportunity for another Cardboard Iron Man story arc in the last year of the comic. Although I somewhat bemoan the fact that Theater Hopper won’t be here for Iron Man 3.
BUT LET’S FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES, SHALL WE? Next week. Avengers. Cardboard Iron Man. JOKES. Everyone wins. Something to look forward to.
Incidentally, there was an experience that I had at C2E2 that I kind of left out of my (brief) recap. That was intentional because I plan to specifically reference it in the comic this week.
To (hopefully) make it up to you, I’m going to do another comic this week detailing my experience. Keep and eye on the site. It’ll be worth it.
That’s it for now. Thanks for your patience and I’ll see you soon!
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