Posts Tagged ‘costume’
64 items.
Jul16
GUEST STRIP – DAN BEESTON
July 16th, 2005 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(6 votes, average: 5.67 out of 10)
I try to think that if this was a comic I would have written, I probably would have stopped at the domestic punchline of Cami ripping Tom out of his fantasy world to do some mundane chore and leave it at that. But Dan added the cherry to the Sunday when he included Truman (on leash!) in silhouette soaring high above Gotham City. Well played, good sir! I especially like the coloring. Kind of looks like watercolor, doesn’t it?
Dan has a regular web comic gig called Invisible Spiders, but he asked me to take a moment to tell you about his new project called Genesis 2. I said “Sure, Dan! Anything for a friend!”
…’cuz that’s how ∗I∗ roll.
Thanks again, Dan!
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Jul18
GUEST STRIP – DAVE BUIST
July 18th, 2005 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(5 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)
I know you guys were probably planning on a new comic from me today since that what I’ve been promoting since last week. But the move to our new house took more out of me than I anticipated and I have the Web Comic List incentive sketch to prove it!
Basically after five days of picking up heavy things and putting them down again, my hands are totally wrecked – not to mention the rest of my body.
It wasn’t just the physical move that screwed me up, but all of the little things you need to take care of as soon as you walk in the door. Installing the mailbox. Hooking up the washer and dryer. Reassembling furniture. Let me tell you – If I don’t see another cardboard box, hammer, screwdriver or flight of stairs in the next two weeks, it’ll be too soon!
My hands are in really weird shape at the moment because I think all the gripping I’ve done has screwed up the tendons in my thumbs. They’re very tight. It’s like my thumbs want to fold in and lay flush against my palm. Nevermind the inch-long blister on the underside of my index finger I got from using a lousy mallet to pound a stake. Or the dozen or so gashes across my knuckles from scraping them across door frames while carrying furniture…
Not to sound like a big crybaby, but holding a pencil isn’t the most comfortable feeling for me right now. Plus, just getting things set up in the house so we can find them when we need to go back to work on Monday… guys, I’m just drained.
Anyway, the plan is to go back to work on Monday and hopefully start to slip back into a groove. I would like to have a new comic ready for you on Wednesday. Partially because – as a means to escape, Cami and I saw both Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Wedding Crashers this weekend and I have ideas. The other half of this ambition is to get back into the habit of drawing so I don’t get rusty.
Switching gears, someone who certainly ISN’T rusty is Dave Buist, the nice gentleman who provided today’s guest strip!
Dave is actually the first person to do a guest strip for Theater Hopper ever! Normally that kind of thing would reside in the Bonus Materials thing – but lazy me, I haven’t set it up since I redesigned the site back in April. It never ends, folks.
At any rate, I thought Dave’s guest strip was very timely considering Charlie’s $50+ take at the box office this weekend. It would be a shame to waste it. Extra points for getting Jared into an Oompa-Loompa costume!
Dave has a comic called Taking the Bi-Pass that you guys should check out. It’s really great and has only gotten better with age. It’s been a lot of fun for me personally to watch Dave develop as an artist and storyteller. As I recall, Dave didn’t even have a full-time web comic until after he did his guest strip for me. So we kind of have a cool link that way. Check out his site!
Another site you should check out it is Farawayistan, our newest advertiser. The comic is kind of hard to explain, but they’re kind of single-panel non sequiturs. Fans of White Ninja Comics will probably find something to appreciate here. Tell ’em Tom sentcha!
A quick note of apology to all of the creators who had guest strips running last week without blogs telling everyone where to check out their regular strips! I had a bunch of pre-written blogs in the database, but an incorrect timecode (my fault!) prevented them from displaying. The blogs have since been re-instated and the links to the individual creators sites are functional. I suggest everyone click back a few comics in the archive and read up on these talented blokes!
I think I’m going to close for now because I need to get to bed. But I wanted to remind everyone that I will be at Wizard World Chicago this year August 4 – 7 hanging out with a bunch of my web comic buddies on Artist’s Alley. Click here for more information. I plan on promoting this pretty much every time I write a new blog, so I’m trying to get into the habit now. ;D
Talk to you all again soon!
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The punchline to this comic probably isn’t going to make a lot of sense if you aren’t a long-time reader of Theater Hopper. It actually references these comics from back in the day.
The Geek Truama Center was always a concept I wanted to explore further. It seems people are always doing stupid things to injure themselves. It stood to reason that geeks – being more devoted – would go to further and more bizarre lengths to do so. Plus, the character of "Mad-Eye" Moody from Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is already so visually striking, it would seem a shame to cover the movie and not mention him. Plus, I thought it sounded really funny to have Tom try to extract his eye with a toilet plunger.
Incidentally, the hospital staff at the Geek Trauma Center is VERY happy that Tom is up to his old monkey shines…
I don’t have a lot to say about the fourth movie in the Harry Potter cannon. I haven’t read any of the books, so I don’t know what to expect. Cami has read them all and says this one is her favorite.
I guess I’ve been doing SOME digging around on-line and it sounds like there were a lot of sub-plots they had to let go. For example, Hermione’s efforts to liberate the indentured house elves was totally cut. I don’t know if that kind of political strike – if you can call it that – would have fit that well into a holiday blockbuster anyway. Oh, well…
A funny thing happened in regard to my esteem for this franchise. The first couple of movies I kind of begrudgingly liked. I say "begrudgingly" because it was erstwhile Home Alone director Chris Columbus who lensed the first two installments. His predeliction is to make movies with kids sacchrine-sweet, but I felt he did an okay job reigning that instinct in.
Relenquishing the directors seat to Alfonso Curon for Harry Potter and The Prisioner of Azkaban, I was very impressed by the overall shift of the mood into darker territory as the children entered their tumultuous teenage years. Hearing that director Mike Newell plans to continue in that direction with Goblet of Fire gives me hope that the franchise will mature alongside the audiences expectations.
Piecing it all together now, I can more clearly see the tonal arc of the films and I’ve actually come to appreciate the first two more.
So, yeah. I’m excited to see this on Friday. There will be more Harry Potter goodness in the coming week here on the site.
Two links to mention:
Don’t forget to sign up for the Theater Hopper map. Don’t worry, we’re not collecting information to spam you with. All it does is plot your position based on your zip code. You don’t have to give your real name and you don’t have to give your address. But feel free to add a fun message or picture.
I stole the idea from DJ over at Yirmumah! and Joe from Joe Love Crappy Movies took off with his own version. I gotta stay competitive with these guys! If you used our map to judge the readership, you’d be led to believe there are only 80 of you who come back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I know for a fact things are a little more robust than that. Raise your voice! Let me know you’re out there!
Secondly, Threadless is having a $10 on a large variety of their designs. You might remember that I designed a shirt for sale there called "Ask Me How I Became A Pirate." It’s out of stock at the moment – or at least at the time I wrote this message. But there are several other designs to choose from and ten bucks is a steal for some of these original tees.
If you plan on buying any, just be sure to use this link when you do:
http://www.threadless.com/?streetteam=Tom%20Brazelton
I get referral points for everyone one of you I send over there who buys a shirt. I wouldn’t mind stocking up on a few items myself this time around!
Talk to you all soon!
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Nov23
Our good buddy Leatherface wants you to enjoy his holiday feast. No, it’s not what you think. He’s honestly turned over a new leaf! Isn’t he the happy host!
For our international readers, tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States. A holiday born from the symbolic brotherhood between the indigenous people of the Americas and their future white oppressors from across the ocean. But no one talks about small pox blankets anymore.
Perhaps I’m being glib. Really Thanksgiving is a good excuse to get together with family and eat a big meal. I’ve been looking forward to this year’s festivities since about September.
Coming up with a comic that was both holiday-related and movie-related is no small order. I’ve managed to pull it off in years gone by. But it’s getting tougher and tougher to conceptualize something. Seems like every Hollywood offering that has to do with this time of year centers around an excentric family that someone just can’t manage to get along with! Darn!
Take the upcoming The Family Stone, for example. Sarah Jessica Parker (or SJP to her fans) plays an uptight urban dweller brought home to meet the quirky family of the favorite son. There are several awkward exchanges, terse glances, and wacky hijinks ensure. I’m sure there will be a food fight in there somewhere. And, in the end, grand reconsiliation. Because, hey! We’re FAMILY, right?!
:: fade to black ::
At any rate, when I do a Thanksgiving strip, it’s my goal to reach a few steps beyond the whole "families are crazy!" cliche. But then again, if Tom stomping around in a Leatherface costume isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is!
To our America readers, if I don’t catch up with you sooner, have a safe and happy holiday. More wacky hijinks in this spot on Friday!
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Mar20
GUEST STRIP – MIKE MORGAN
March 20th, 2006 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(5 votes, average: 7.60 out of 10)
Greetings, campers and happy Monday!
Today’s comic comes from Mike Morgan. Or, as I’ve come to know him in the THorum, KiltyAsCharged (great name). Mike has his own comic called The Vinyl Groove that I think all of you should check out. I dig Mike’s style. It’s very relaxed and almost painterly. Like watercolors. Am I making sense?
Mike actually sent me a guest strip to use a while ago, but it didn’t work out for me to place it on the front page. It was sort of timely and I had basically finished running, like, three weeks of guest strips and I needed to get back in the swing of things. I put that comic in the fan art section and you can check it out here.
Although the ads in the THorum are advertising it non stop, I know very little about Silent Hill. Neither the movie or the video game it’s based off of. I guess I’ve seen the trailer and I like it’s atmospheric bent. But I probably won’t see the film because I’m not much for horror.
I dunno? What do you guys think? Are you going to see it? Maybe you should talk about it here…
I’ll catch up with you guys soon. Have a great week!
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Jimmy Olsen is supposed to be "Superman’s Pal." Let me tell you – a REAL pal would clue you in to the bubble butt issue! Maybe Jimmy just hasn’t worked up the nerve yet.
Are you like me? Do you debate the practicality of comic book storytelling methods? The whole "costume under the civilian clothes" thing never worked with me when it came to Superman. I mean, okay… the skin-tight body suit I can kind of understand. Except, how does he go to the bathroom when you’re wearing three layers of clothes? Or does Clark Kent have a super bladder to hold it all in?
Anyway, I can let the suit underneath slide… but where is that cape hanging out? Back pocket? Does he stuff it down the legs of his pants? Maybe that’s why he’s so clumsy? I had kind of forgotten about my pet theory until we went to see Superman Returns this weekend. That shot where Clark steps into the elevator and then flies straight up the elevator shaft, shedding his street clothes behind him, I started asking myself again… "Where did that cape come from?"
Another thing – is Clark just leaving clothes all over the city? In elevator shafts, phone booths, alleyways…. You’d think the Daily Planet would be reporting about a serial streaker in Metropolis! Wouldn’t he be leaving his wallet and ID behind everytime he soars into action as Superman? I imagine Clark Kent’s new clothes bill must be astronomical.
Heh, heh… I’m shattering the whole illusion for all of you, aren’t I?
Okay, enough of that crap. Onto Superman Returns. What did I think? Well, at risk of appearing lazy, I would say this recent strip from PvP sums up my opinion quite nicely. When we left the theater, I actually told Cami "I want to be Superman when I grow up." Dear God… Who doesn’t?
Something about that John Williams theme song just makes you want to leap in front of an out of control frieght train and stop it with your bare hands. All that zipping and zooming around the stratosphere makes me want to fly home.
The effects in Superman Returns were stunning. Absolutely seemless. Everything The Man of Steel did on screen was something I had been aching to see. Sure, the other Superman films showed him in flight, but not at 700 miles per hour. Amazing stuff.
Complaints? Nothing you probably haven’t read before. It’s a little long. It takes a while before we see Brandon Routh in costume. Kate Bosworth is nothing like any version of Lois Lane you’ve ever read about or seen performed by any other actress – and that’s not a compliment. Kal Penn is given NOTHING to do as Luthor’s henchman. NO SPEAKING LINES! Why is he even in the movie? He probably doesn’t care. Residuals from this flick will pay out for the rest of his life.
Good things about the movies? I felt both Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey were right at home in their respective roles. There was never a moment where I didn’t believe in Routh as Superman. He put an element of grace and calm into his portrayal that I found very comforting. Sure, he could stand to have been a little older to get that fatherly vibe that Superman exudes, but that’s a quibble. Really, excellent casting all around, except for Bosworth. Parkey Posey hits a home run as Luthor’s arm-candy, Kitty. She does a lot with a role that could have been one-note or insignificant.
The concept of a world without Superman is a great idea in terms of "re-introducing" the character, but it’s never fully explored. He went to see if Krypton was still around. It took him five years to find out it wasn’t. Bummer. They gloss over his exploration, but spend a little too much time in other areas.
The whole question about Lois’ five year old son? Probably not best for me to go into it here. But I have STRONG opinions about it. Trust me on that one.
Poor James Marsden. He should change his name to "James Marginalized." Get’s screwed over in the X-Men franchise, plays the guy that Rachel McAdams DOESN’T pick in The Notebook and he just shuffled to the side here again. The shame of it is, he continues to play increasingly more likeable characters. He just can’t end up with the girl on-screen.
Overall, I left the theater on a high note. Cami and I saw the movie on IMAX which kind of screwed up some of the composition of a handful of shots, so I wouldn’t mind going back and seeing it again on a "regular" screen so I can soak it all in a second time. Other than that, I can’t recommend the movie highly enough.
Hope you guys had a great weekend. I’ve got the day off today, so I’m going to work on a new design for Theater Hopper. It’s something I’ve been wanting to try for a while, but it’s been difficult to find the time to take a swing at it. Wish me luck!
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Ghost Rider comes out today and I’m excited for it. I would go so far to say that I’m looking forward to it.
I know that this is the unpopular opinion. People have been ragging on this movie for months now and who can blame them? Everything about it seems to have been bungled in some way. It was originally slated to be a big summer tent pole release in 2006. Then it was pushed back to the studio dumping ground during the latter part of February.
Bad sign.
There were rumors that star (and unrepentant comic book nerd) Nicholas Cage was doing bizarre improvisations on set, even adding sections to the script he wrote himself. People complained he was too old or too much of a fanatic for the material. Don’t get me started about that IMDB item that reported that it took 3 hours every day to apply Cage’s hair piece.
There was a botched marketing campaign that inexplicably centered around an overweight goth girl being interviewed about the Ghost Rider and a movie poster that showed a burning motorcycle tire tread and nothing else. What’s this movie about again?
And, of course, there is fanboy punching bag director Mark Steven Johnson at the helm. The man who ruined Daredevil. The critics were licking their chops.
I recognize all of these incredible missteps, but here’s the thing: I don’t care. I am genuinely excited for this movie.
You know me. I’m a comic book nerd. So right there, this movie gets a pass. But added to that, Ghost Rider was one of my favorite comic book characters when I was coming up in the world. I didn’t read Ghost Rider in the ’70’s when Marvel was trying to capitalize on Evel Kinevel’s cool factor. I read it in the ’90’s when it was all angst and supernatural doing’s. Trust me – when you’re 12 or 13 and still carving out a niche for a personality, an authentic biker from hell leaves an impression. Skull on fire, bad-ass motorcycle, spiked leather jacket and gauntlets, sentient chains swirling around – Ghost Rider looked like a prison tattoo come to life. Visually, I always he looked as cool as Spider-Man, The Punisher or Iron Man. I was infatuated.
Fast forward about 15 years or so and I still don’t have a motorcycle, or any tattoos or even a length of chain lying around my garage. But I still think Ghost Rider is awesome and I can’t wait to see this movie.
The only thing that matters to me is that they got the look of the character right. And, from the stills I’ve been seeing, it appears pretty spot on. The look of his new “hellcycle” leaves a little bit to be desired. It looks like a left-over from Spawn’s garage sale. But so long as they keep G.R. on screen, they’ll be fine. I know Nic Cage is the star, but I don’t care. This is a film where I don’t mind looking at CG effects for the majority of the running time. If Nicholas Cage is on screen more than 40% of the time, THEN we can call the movie a failure!
I want to give a quick shout out this week to David Buist for his guest strip on Monday and Jerry Holkins for his guest essay on Wednesday. From the sound of it, you guys got a kick out of both of their efforts this week. It means a lot to me that they would both take the time to contribute, so thanks guys!
By the way, how is this working out for everyone so far? Two guest strips and then a new comic from me on Friday? I think it’s been a good compromise. Let me know you’re thoughts in the comments! BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! You guys remember those 5 samples of a new t-shirt design I was working on from earlier in the week, right? Well, I made a decision and there is a new shirt available in the store:
The shirt is currently available for pre-order through February 28 and all current bundling discounts apply. So if you want to pick up this shirt with one of our other shirts or maybe one of our books, you can!
To place your pre-order for “Junkie” click here!
Oh, and for those of you who are on “Baby Watch ’07,” no news for you yet. Cami is extremely uncomfortable, but that’s about all. We have our fingers crossed for a baby this weekend! I’ll be sure to let you know if it happens!
Have a great weekend, everyone. SEE GHOST RIDER! Piss off one of your movie snob friends!
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That’s what it feels like to be internet famous sometimes – getting hit in the nuts by a costumed third grader wielding a bo staff.
And it never stops hurting.
I don’t know what it is with me punishing Tom’s junk this week, but if there’s anything I’ve learned from America’s Funniest Home Videos, images of people getting hit in the groin are comedy gold.
Since the advent of shows like Jackass and the immediacy of YouTube, it feels like we’re living in the Renaissance of people getting hit in the groin. It’s been elevated into some kind of competitive performance art. Well, consider my hat in the ring.
Now watch as someone posts a clip of themselves taken a sledgehammer to the nuts.
As you can tell, I’m not particularly full of insights today. But I’m excited none-the-less. My folks have offered to watch Henry this weekend long enough for us to get away and watch a movie. I’m super psyched because Reign Over Me comes out this weekend and both Cami and I have been looking forward to it.
I know, I know. Our first social outing without Henry and what do we choose to do but watch a delightful little movie about 9/11 and coping with grief. Should be a fun time!
Now if we can somehow persuade Cami’s folks into babysitting next week so we can go see Blades of Glory!
Some good news for those of you who ordered Junkie shirts a little while back – they’re FINALLY back from the printer. So this weekend I’m going to sit down and package up all the orders. Hopefully I can get them in the mail over my lunch hour on Monday and you’ll be seeing them in the next few days after that. Sorry for the delay. Apparently my printer had a stick up his butt.
For those of you who haven’t ordered the new Junkie shirt and maybe want to see it modeled before you plunk down your hard-earned money, here’s a glamor shot for you:
Would you buy a used car from this man?If you guys like what you see (and honestly, how could you not?) swing by the store and place your order. Keep in mind that Junkie is also available with all of the special bundling discounts. So if you want to grab a shirt along with a copy of one of our books, you’ll save a little extra dough in the process. Everyone wins!
That’ll do it for me. See you guys next Monday!
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Sorry today’s comic was late. Like, REALLY late. I didn’t get a chance to post it until after 11:00 PM. The reason for the delay is that Henry has come down with a wicked cold and has been running a fever. So, we’ve been watching him pretty closely. As such I don’t have much of a blog post for you today. Sorry. But, hey! Harrison Ford! That’s cool, right?
If you’re interested, be sure to check out my review of Ratatouille which came out on DVD yesterday. Or you can keep yourselves busy by downloading Monday’s broadcast of The Triple Feature. We’ve really been on fire these last few episodes. I’ve been really proud of how they’ve turned out.
I’ll have another review on the site tomorrow – The Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 – so be on the lookout for that.
Thanks for your understanding. I appreciate it!
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Dec03
Tom has always been somewhat folically challenged.
I know the punch inline in today’s comic is a little anemic, so I tried to fancy things up a bit by making Tom and Cami’s dialog more quippy. Maybe that makes up for it, maybe not.
Apologies if I’m not focused on the funnies this week. Henry came down with a case of chicken pox last week and we’ve basically been staving off cabin fever as he’s been confined to the house for the next few days. We kept ourselves busy with copies of Waitress and Futurama: Bender’s Big Score over the weekend and those were good times. But obviously this was only after Henry had gone to bed. So the waking hours were a little tougher.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End comes out on DVD tomorrow and I know it’s kind of a weird thing to bring up in the comic. I don’t do DVD release comics quite like I used to. Nor do I slap the characters in costume that much either. But looking at the crop of new releases this last weekend, I wasn’t very inspired. Awake? A suspense thriller about Anakin Skywalker feeling everything during an operation where he’s put under the knife? Lots of comedy there! Ugh.
If you’re not feelin’ the PotC 3 reference, I’m going to give you a reason to care at 9:00 PM CST tonight. That’s because I’m giving away a copy of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End to one lucky listener LIVE on tonight’s Triple Feature broadcast!
We’re shaking things up a little bit with this contest. Tonight, I want PARTICIPATION!
In the past, I would ask you to listen to the show, write down a clue and then come back here to get the second part of a clue. Too complicated! Tonight, I’m making it easy. Here’s how you can win:
- If you don’t already have an account at TalkShoe.com, create one now!
- Carve out an hour to listen to our show LIVE at 9:00 PM CST
- Using your computer and connection through Skype (or other dialing program) CALL IN when we announce the contest!
- Answer a trivia question or two and you might WIN!
The goal tonight is to get people to listen to The Triple Feature. And, of course, give away some cool free stuff! I think once you’ve given us a chance, you’ll really like it and maybe you’ll add us to your weekly listening! Wouldn’t that be grand?
Be sure to listen in tonight at 9:00 PM CST. Not only will we be running the trivia contest, but also congratulating Joe Dunn on his 300th Joe Loves Crappy Movies! Lots of fun for everyone!
See you there!
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