Posts Tagged ‘costume’
64 items.
I can tell you this – and I don’t think Jared will mind (evil snicker) – but when Jared was a wee lad, he used to run around his house in a pair of light blue pajamas (with footies!), hands outstretched, imagining that he was creating ice bridges as the ever-loving Iceman.
Picture how secretly thrilled he must have been to learn the young Bobby Drake is featured prominently in X-Men 2.
It may also interest you to know that X-2 will receive the largest international opening in movie history on March 2nd when it is released in 93 countries simultaneously. That’s more countries at once than Spider-Man or either Harry Potter movie.
Media spin would have you believe that X-2 is such an IMPORTANT movie, so VITAL to the fabric of the world culture, that there was no alternative BUT to release it in so many countries. But the real truth is that Fox is just trying to put a tourniquet on illegal pirating. “E” for effort, guys.
Onto more pressing matters.
It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally decided to shack up with Top Web Comics. For those of you who have been long time readers, you may be aware of my stance toward the organization has been negative for quite some time.
But I’ve also expressed great hope since the boys from True Nuff took over not long ago. I’ve seen lots of changes since Fruitad’s reign – which I believe was the root of a lot of the negativity surrounding the site. As such, I’ve decided to take advantage of the exposure TWC provides.
Since starting the whole thing with the posters (only 60 left, by the way!) I’ve come to realize how much Theater Hopper means to a lot of people. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support. I would never want to lie to you or make it seem as if my word was no good. You may all be strangers, but if you’ve read the site at least once, I consider you a friend. I would hate to do anything to sully that relationship.
That said, I want to take the positive aspects of my work and bring it to a wider audience and, having all but exhausted alternative advertising (link exchanges, crossovers, forum participation) believe firmly that the TWC is what can take Theater Hopper to the “next level”.
I liken it to using the Yellow Pages to advertise a service. You may think that you’ve got the best widget factory in the world, but who is going to find out about you if you don’t advertise? Tossing aside the competitive nature of getting your site voted into the Top 10, I look at TWC like the Yellow Pages of web comics and now it’s time to put my money where my mouth is.
Of course, the realization of my goal will be decided by you, the reader. And if you can lend your support, I would be eternally grateful.
I promise not to bombard you with requests for votes or pull stunts that blackmail you into a response. If I’m going to do this, I want to be honest about it. So the banner beneath the comic is the only places you will see me beg for your approval. And don’t worry, I’m going to do something about that standard banner and whip up something with a little more personality.
If anyone has issue with this decision, please feel free to e-mail me and I will discuss it with you at length. Those of you who have been coming here from the beginning are the lifeblood of this operation and you should be commended for it.
Thank you so much for your support and here’s to the continued success of Theater Hopper!
[ No Comments ]
May30
As promised on Wednesday, here is your strip on Finding Nemo.
I had some difficulty generating a joke to coincide with Nemo as I know next to nothing about the plot. This goes deeply against my M.O. because usually I’m up to my neck in facts about every movie in production.
But Nemo I purposefully stayed away from. Most of the time I’ll say I’m not looking up information on the next Star Wars movie or Return of the King, but in truth, I can tell you what Elijah Wood had for breakfast on any given day of pre-production.
Nemo, on the other hand, I made a real effort to shy away from. I do this because I remember when I first saw Toy Story on opening day back in 1995. I didn’t know anything about the movie other than it was the first completely rendered computer animated movie in the history of cinema. If for no other reason, I would see it for that.
Imagine my surprise when the story turned out to be great, the characters were (pardon the expression) fully fleshed out and when it was over, I spent the remainder of the holiday season trying to figure out how they did it.
Since then, Pixar has kept that tradition alive and raises their game every time they put out a new movie. I forbid myself from seeing screen shots or learning plot information out of the need to regain that sense of awe when I saw their first offering.
I have high hopes for Nemo. I don’t think I will be disappointed.
One note of interest; Be sure to check out NewMoanYeah for an interview I did with intrepid reporter Jennifer. Both Cami and I sat down to talk with her and we had a blast. It’s a great article. Check it out
[ No Comments ]
If ever there was a holiday that would have been perfect plot-wise for Theater Hopper, Halloween would have to be it. What with my habit of dressing up my characters in different costumes.
Still, this time around, it felt like an easy pick. So I decided to play with expectations and not go costume crazy. Especially when there are other comics doing a much better job.
Tomorrow is November the first and as such, buzzComix will reset their top comics list. I want everyone to come back to the site and throw in their support for the site.
We’ve been hovering around the low 30’s for the last week or so, and I’m really happy with that. Especially when you consider that I joined the list half way through the month of October. But come November, I want to make a big push for the top 10 and let people know what we’re all about. We did it once before over at Top Web Comics. We can do it again!
To give you that little extra incentive, everyone can expect a new piece of post-Halloween Theater Hopper artwork as reward for voting on Saturday. But remember, you can’t see the artwork unless you vote and it HAS to be on Saturday. So take a break during Saturday morning cartoons and give us a little clicky-click.
In other news, fans of PVP might be aware that creator Scott Kurtz is making a pit stop in West Des Moines this Saturday at Mayhem Comics and Collectables. Guess who’s going to see him? That’s right. Me. I really have no excuse. Mayhem comics is, like, 15 minutes from my house
I know Scott gets flack for being controversial at times and a lot of people have grown to resent his popularity. But I’ll freely admit that it was his example that led me into starting my own web comic. I figured if he could do it, why couldn’t I? It’s only a matter of time before I get that big contract from Image Comics! Yeah, right… 🙂
Anyway, I wanted to thank Scott for inspiring me to start my own comic. I’m going to bring a couple of samples of the strip to him on Saturday and try and persuade him to visit the site. Who knows. He might like it! Stranger things have happened! If he’s not interested, then at least I can get my copy of PVP #1 signed. That’ll show those chumps paying $250 for original Kurtz artwork on eBay who’s boss!
Wish me luck and have a great holiday weekend!
[ No Comments ]
Nov07
Today’s comic is about 90% true to real life. I did spend a fair amount of time trying to convince Cami to see The Matrix Revolutions, but she wasn’t impressed with the last one and the bad reviews were keeping her away from the new one.
I actually threatened not to see Love, Actually as punishment for her not wanted to see a movie *I* was really excited about. You see, that’s how our system works. She goes to movies I want to see be she doesn’t and in exchange, I got to movies she wants to go to but I don’t. We take turns torturing each other.
Of course, when I made the threat, Cami had to mentally pull up a list of movies BESIDES Revolutions she knew I was excited to see. When she tried to barter a matinee of Elf for one Love, Actually, I told her it wouldn’t wash. She’s been just as excited for this movie as I have.
I don’t know what it is about Will Ferrell that we find so appealing. For me I think it’s his level of commitment. Whether it a skit on Saturday Night Live or a bit part in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, he’s totally there for all of it. Every scene. Every line. And he’s not afraid to make himself look like the fool. It’s that kind of selflessness in comedy that I respect.
Every review I’ve read on Elf so far has been positive. It makes me wonder that if Revolutions had opened today instead of Wednesday if Elf wouldn’t nudge it out at the box office…
Interpret that how you like. I’m probably not going to give my opinion one way or the other on Revolutions. It seems like people on both sides of the fence have too much invested in it for me to go too far into detail regarding my reactions to it.
While the last two movies were not executed at the level of precision that I would have hoped for, I still think The Matrix universe is one of the most richly detailed in all cinema. It’s still a great concept and will most likely live within the lexicon of our culture for the next few generations. Regardless of where it goes from here, anyone with even a passing interest in science fiction owes it to themselves to be familiar with all 3 movies.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Before I wrap things up, I wanted to thank everyone who voted for Theater Hopper at buzzComix this week. You guys really showed ’em what’s what. We cracked the Top 10 and found a cozy little spot around number 8. This, of course, blows my mind. Thank you so much for your support and keep up the great work!
[ No Comments ]
Jun04
Well, it’s the end of Harry Potter week here at Theater Hopper. So to get you really amped up for the last themed incentive sketch, I saved the big guns for last. If you want to see Tom as The Chosen One himself, you’ll have to click here first!
What else can I say about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that I haven’t already said this week? I guess it’s breaking all sorts of records in the UK. No surprise there. I think it’s pretty safe to say they’re proud of the franchise. Cami and I think we’ll see the matinee sometime Saturday afternoon, which I don’t know how smart that is. The theater will probably be packed with kids.
No other movie news to report, so I’ll get along with other business.
I promised you guys pictures of Truman when he had his staples taken out. Well, I followed through on my promise. You can check them out in the THorum. They’re some pretty nice pictures. You can see the incision and how he’s now up and around, back to normal! Thanks again to everyone for their support!
For those of you that ordered t-shirts way back in April, they came in last week and I shipped them out Thursday afternoon! With any luck, you should be getting them on Saturday.
We’re still taking pre-orders on this shirt, so if you want one for yourself, it’s not too late to put your money down before we restock our supply!
Lastly, I want to say thanks to our current advertiser O’Deer Comics. They’ve advertised with us once before and decided to do so again. Reward their loyalty with some much-deserved traffic. They have a really great comic on their hands.
That’s about it for me. I don’t know about you, but the holiday weekend really screwed me up. I’m all off on my days. I still think it’s Thursday! Somehow, it made the work week longer!
All I want to do this week is stay home and read, believe it or not. I want to brush up on my CSS and XHTML skills so I can tweak the site and make it faster somewhere along the line. Cami and I are also gearing up to start our own eBay business. So you never know! Someday you might be able to buy some of our used crap! Git’cher self a piece of Brazelton memorabilia!
Take care everyone! I’m out!
[ No Comments ]
I’m doing something a little out of the ordinary for an incentive sketch today. You won’t see one of the Theater Hopper cast members in any kind of costume. Instead, I took a stab at drawing a Dementor. This is my interpretation, inspired by the version in the movie, of course. I hope you like it. Click here to check it out!
As for today’s comic? I can’t tell you what inspired it. I suppose part of me really, REALLY wanted to draw a strip with a Dementor in it. Watching Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban on Friday, I was very taken with their design and wanted to re-create it.
Then, at some point in the creative process, the phrase “Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes” crept in and it was “Good night, Gracie!” I’m sorry. It just sounded funny in my head!
Maybe I’m tapping into some kind of old-school sense of humor here, because there seems to be a kind of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein thing going on here…
Maybe it’s best not to dwell on it. They’re just silly pictures. I hope you enjoy them.
As for the movie on everyone’s minds, I really don’t have anything more to contribute that hasn’t been said in a hundred reviews. The tone is darker, more grown-up. The actors are really stepping into their roles. There’s some great black humor in it and it’s definitely the best of the three Potter movies so far.
I can say that Azkaban has stuck with me longer than the other two movies have. Four days later, I’m still thinking about it. After walking out of the theater the first two times, I couldn’t remember what I saw. Azkaban has several striking moments. Go see it. Even if you don’t like Harry Potter, it stands on its own two legs. It’s an enjoyable film.
Wanted to give a quick shout out to two recent advertisers. Be sure to investigate both Nihilism and Stickman Ltd. They’re worth a look.
That’s about it for now. Take care!
[ No Comments ]
Nov03
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU PUT YOUR WIFE IN SPANDEX?
November 3rd, 2004 |
(15 votes, average: 8.33 out of 10)
Let’s just get this out of the way right now. I’m not going to talk about the Presidential election today. I’ve been watching news coverage all night long and as I write this, they STILL haven’t declared a winner. My mind is baked, so I’m just going to assume you all went out and did your civic duty and go about my business promoting Theater Hopper.
To that end, I wanna ask you to vote in another kind of election, the goal of which is to get Theater Hopper to the number one spot at buzzComix. It’s been a really close three-way tie and I’m looking to break away from the pack. Remember, every time you vote, you’re treated to a special reward sketch that’s related to the comic on the main page.
For example. How does Tom propose this embarrassing situation be prevented in the future? BOWFLEX!
So now you click on the link and you figure out what I’m talking about! See how easy that works?
By the way, in case you missed it, there was an extra comic yesterday. It was a really humdinger, too. In an effort to boost our position at buzzComix, I’m doing a WHOLE WEEK of strips. So that means there will be an extra comic Thursday, too. Don’t forget to come back then and check it out.
Now onto The Incredibles!
A member of the THorum recently posted a very interesting link to the Disney Japan web site promoting the release of the movie across the Pacific. It included a very different teaser trailer than what we’ve been exposed to here in the states. Besides the interesting narration (“MEEESTAH INVINC-AH-BULE!”), the trailer shows several scenes we haven’t been treated to yet.
It’s very interesting to watch because it really puts the focus on the characters internal struggles as opposed to the WHAM! BAM! action of the American trailer. For example, Mr. Incredible misses his glory days as a super hero. His son is wrestling with the advice to “do his best” when he’s not allowed to do his best by hiding his powers. His daughter meanwhile just wants to be normal and his wife is trying to keep them all together. As per usual with Pixar movies, it reveals a very meaty emotional core to the movie and it only makes me want to see it THAT. MUCH. MORE.
Friday can’t get here soon enough.
[ No Comments ]
Nov10
Another Star Wars comic? Why not? It’s in the news right now and it’s good to kind of dust off some old nerd jokes before we’re deluged with Star Wars coverage next May. I thought the idea of a Star Wars fan club sounded funny and ran with it. Expect a continuation of today’s strip on Friday.
I’m kind of trying something new with how I’m rendering the background and the environment the characters reside in When Theater Hopper started, it was pretty much just a couple of characters in front of a colored background. Eventually, I moved up to gradients. Then evolved toward putting two gradients together to form the illusion of two walls meeting at a corner. Sometimes I would toss in a window to complete the effect.
But I’ve always felt that that background should be more realistic. Or, at least as realistic as the characters in the strip to create a wholly realized situation. So I’m experimenting a little bit.
I took digital pictures of my kitchen and family room last night and used them as a point of reference when drawing Tom and Cami. Later, I went into Adobe Illustrator and used the pen tool to create the shelves, cabinets and walls in the background. It didn’t really turn out the way I wanted to. Everything looks slightly skewed. Not as tidy as I hoped. I think it was a mistake to outline everything in black. The colors should look more natural, like its part of the bigger background piece. I ended up blurring it to try and create depth, then scaled back the colors because it was competing too much with the foreground.
Obviously all of this is a learning process, but I need to find a way to create more realistic backgrounds more efficiently. I know some of you are saying “Why don’t you try drawing them by hand, Tom.” And in the past, I have. But it’s often too time consuming and not as clean as I would like it to be.
I know some people have complimented me for the use of photos in the backgrounds, but that’s always felt like a cheat to me and lazy. Plus, it becomes inconsistent with other comics in the archive. Sometimes within the same comic!
I know other artists sometimes use 3D rendering programs to help them grasp the clean lines and perspectives of walls, buildings, windows
[ No Comments ]
May18
So like any nerd worth my salt, I will be seeing Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith later this evening at 12:01 A.M. on the dot. I have a really cool oversized commemorative ticket the theater issued to me on Saturday. I should remember to post a picture of it before I go to see the show.
I’m sure there are more practical tips one could share in regards to the brutal waiting period one must endure for these midnight showings.
For example, here in Iowa, it’s been raining most of the day. If chances are you are waiting outside, an umbrella might be appropriate.
Or, considering that you might be ricocheting from work, to home and out to the theater in a short time span, you should be mindful not to overlook dinner and bring a sandwich with you because concession prices are sure to be inflated.
These are helpful tips to be sure. But certainly not as helpful as the advice to be on guard against errant, airborne plastic lightsaber replicas.
The wait tonight will be Herculean and I’m stressing to invent ways to pass the time. I thought about bringing a couple of my own lightsaber to monkey around with, but I don’t want to be responsible for them inside the theater.
I thought it might be fun to buy one of those Darth Vader voice changer helmets they sell at Target. But again, it’s a peripheral I don’t want to tend to. Plus, if the little voice box goes off inside the theater, I’m sure angry nerds will fillet me six ways from Dagobah.
I may bring some comic books. I may bring my iPod. Who knows? Although indulging in those pastimes might be a little offensive to the people I’m seeing the movie with. So odds are we’ll partake in good ol’ fashioned face-to-face conversation instead. ∗GASP!∗
I’ve done a pretty good job so far protecting myself from spoilers to the movie. I haven’t read any reviews. Not at full-length, mind you. Mostly just snippets.
For example, the brief nugget I was exposed to visiting Hollywood Elsewhere. Writer Jeffery Wells quoted Anthony Lane, movie reviewer for The New Yorker, as saying “The general opinion of Revenge of the Sith seems to be that it marks a distinct improvement on the last two episodes, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. True, but only in the same way that dying from natural causes is preferable to crucifixion.”
That’s not a very nice thing to say about the movie, but I felt it was a pretty funny dig none-the-less. I’d like to read more of his review, but… y’know. No spoilers.
I don’t know why I’ve been so on guard against spoilers this time around. For both Episode I and Episode II, I devoured every last nugget of information I could get my hands on. I even started down that path for Episode III in the beginning.
For example, that web page that culled together images from advanced magazine articles and the trailers to piece together the plot of the film. Yeah, I saw that. But beyond that – I’ve imposed myself into exile when it comes to all things Sith-related.
I suppose it has something to do with protecting myself from any dashed expectations. This is the last chapter, folks. Well, “last” in the sense that Grand Poobah Lucas won’t be bringing us any more celluloid adventures from a galaxy far, far away. There will always be comic books, video games, television shows and whatever else Skywalker ranch pumps out for the next 20 years.
But in terms of pure movie magic, this is the curtain call for the franchise. This is the last time you’ll gladly suffer a midnight showing. This is the last time you can be in a room with 800 people who feel the same way you do. This is the last time you’re going to see this… thing, this mythology that you fell in love with plastered across the big screen and it will still be fresh to you. This is the last time.
So why not be selfish? Withdraw yourself from the know-it-all posturing that avid spoiler consumption positions you toward? Why not go in clean. Honest. Take in the movie for what it is. Clunky dialogue, wooden acting, Jar Jar… the works.
Be a fan again.
[ No Comments ]
Jul12
GUEST STRIP – VIC TAPLIN AND DING
July 12th, 2005 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(11 votes, average: 5.82 out of 10)
Big-ups to Vic Taplin and Ding for writing a Fantastic Four joke that ∗I∗ wish I would have thought up!
There’s is guest strip numbero dos in a full week of guest strip offerings while I am relocating headquarters to a new house about five minutes away from where I am typing this now.
Thanks to Vic and Ding for their contribution. I got a real kick out of their comic.
Hey! It just occurred to me that maybe YOU should thank Vic and Ding for their help this week by visiting their web comic! It’s called Blues and Twos and they’re just getting it off the ground. But bookmark it now so you can check it out later. I think their efforts today prove that what they have cooking will be good!
I didn’t have a chance to see Fantastic Four this weekend, but I was very impressed by it’s $50+ take at the box office this weekend. You have to assume that the aggressive marketing campaign had a lot to do with it. The reviews have certainly been less than kind. But with an opening that strong, a sequel will surely happen. Maybe they can find a different director and tweak the problems that so many have been grousing about. I’m eager to see it, but keep my expectations cautiously reserved.
The movie I’m REALLY looking forward to this week is Wedding Crashers. From everything I’ve heard, the dialogue is whip smart and Vince Vaughn knocks it out of the park. This seems to be a role written specifically for the charming schemer persona he’s been grooming since Swingers.
But I imagine there will be plenty of time to discuss the film in the next coming days. I have strips lined up every day until Sunday, so be sure to come back for more!
[ No Comments ]
