Posts Tagged ‘door’
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This blog was lost when Theater Hopper moved to the WordPress archive management system in January of 2009
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I don’t know what it is about bad timing that I find so hilarious, but here’s another example for you.
What I find ironic about punch lines like this is how difficult it is to sometimes pull off a visual gag… in a visual medium. Especially when I don’t have complete faith in my abilities.
It’s really a catch 22. I become paranoid that what I’ve drawn won’t communicate with my intentions, but on the other hand, if I sit here and explain it to you, it ruins the joke.
I guess I shouldn’t dwell on it. After all, I usually get comments in the THorum like “I love so-and-so’s expression in panel three.” I didn’t even know I was capable of drawing expressions!..
By the way, if you want to see the aftermath of Jimmy and Charlie’s little run-in, vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix.
I know after reading today’s comic (the 22nd installment of a story arc that began here) some of you would try to ensnare me with a reference to this comic – the one where Jimmy explains how he doesn’t check the women’s restroom.
First of all, thank you. This means you’ve been paying attention.
Second of all, this reversal of status says less about Jimmy’s previous unwillingness and more about my need to tell a more economical storyline. Besides, if Jimmy thought someone was in trouble, OF COURSE he would come to their aid. Because that’s just the kind of stand up guy he is.
I’m over-explaining it again, aren’t I?
Hey, before I forget, be sure to place your bids on the little art auction I have going on. It ends this Friday. I’m hoping to take the profits from its sale to help pay my way to the Kansas City Planet Comicon comic book convention April 2-3. If you want to help me out and get some cool original artwork in the process… well, it’s a match made in heaven.
Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade went to Planet Comicon a few years ago. I decided to make the three hour drive from West Des Moines to Kansas City to meet them. Theater Hopper maybe had… 30 strips at the time? So I didn’t have a lot to say to them besides “Buh… guh… I like your comic. You inspired me to start my own.” Frankly, they probably get that a lot. They’ve probably stopped checking the links of sites that have cropped up in their wake.
But I guess I’ve talked to Tycho a few times since then over e-mail and he’s very generous. Not to sound like a fan-boy kiss up, but it’s very validating to exchange thoughts of an individual who was one of the crystallizing forces behind the popularity of your medium.
Anyway, Gabe and Tycho played Kansas City two years ago, so I thought it was worth it to make my own appearance.
Of course, they FLEW from Seattle to Kansas City. I’ll be driving. But why split hairs?…
That’s about it for now. Bye!
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I realized that as I was working on today’s comic, I hadn’t prepared an incentive sketch for everyone to view when the voted for Theater Hopper at buzzComix. By the time it had occurred to me, it was well past midnight and Tom’s sleepy-time.
So instead of drawing a whole new sketch, I half-assed it and reinterpreted panel 3 of today’s comic. Click on the link if you’re interested. It’s the first full color incentive sketch I’ve ever done. It’s a movie one-sheet for an upcoming action picture starring Cami and Charlie.
Gotta tell you it feels good to move the action outside of that bathroom. Now that Cami and Charlie are free from their confines, we’re one step closer to resolution and a return to more topical humor in the strip.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve enjoyed bringing Charlie into the mix. But just as I felt I was repeating myself at the end of 2004, I’m starting to feel like I’m repeating myself in this longer storyline. Look over the last three strips. There’s a dramatic dramatic Dragon Ball Z Super Sayin moment in all three of them. I guess in more highbrow art circles, they would call that “a triptych”, but I’m just ready to go back to fine-tuning my strengths.
Doing this storyline was like working a different set of muscles. Let’s say the deltoids. But I’m ready to start working my biceps again because that’s what gets the ladies talkin’! The biceps or the pectorals. Oh! Oh! Or the glutes! The glutes!
Anyway, we’re winding things up. I wanted you to know that.
I’ve been really excited for this weekend because Cami and finally buckled down and said, “That’s it! We’re seeing all the Best Picture nominees this weekend and that’s final!” We’ve already seen Ray and The Aviator. This weekend we’re planning to see Million Dollar Baby and Sideways.
I know, I know. If you comb through the last few blogs and were given a nickel for every time we said we were going to see these films, you’d
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I’ll be frank and tell you that today’s comic is pretty much just me screwing with you. It’s fun to kind of hint that the arc might be ending and then pull the rug out from under you.
I know that we’ve been going with this storyline for a while (since January 3, to be exact), but the fact that we’re only two comics away from the big 400 should be a clue as to when things will wrap up.
You know what will be really cool when this story line ends – I will have started it on #375 and ended it on #400. I wish I could say I planned it that way, but I didn’t. I just love when these little milestones are book ended so well.
Oh, and another reason why the arc has to end on Friday is because the Oscars are being broadcast on Sunday. Which in turn means that I will OFFICIALLY have something worth while to comment on in the world of movies. Hey, when they’re dumping steaming turds like Are We There Yet? and Son of the Mask into theaters, I’ll take anything I can get!
As I mentioned previously, I watched a virtual butt-load of movies this weekend.
We started out Friday night by trying to go to Sideways, but the movie started at 7:05 and we got there at 7:20. Everyone I was with said “So what? We’ve only missed the trailers.” But of course, as a completionist, I threw a big fit and we went to see Million Dollar Baby instead.
What can I say about this film? It’s probably my favorite dramatic piece this year and I think it should win Best Picture for sure. I think Academy voters will give it to The Aviator for its sheer spectacle, but that’s a mistake. I don’t think I have ever been as emotionally invested in a movie like this for a long time.
I had read advance reviews that explained how the movie is set up one way for the first two acts, but totally turns you on your ear in the third act. So I knew there was a twist, but I didn’t know what.
As the movie gained a wider release, people started writing about the third act and tried to stir up controversy around it. I deliberately avoided these articles and, actually, I’m kind of proud of myself for it. Usually I gobble up every bit of advance press I can find, but this time I exercised a little willpower. I’m happy that I did. The third act wouldn’t have as much emotional power if you knew what was coming.
All I can say is that if you haven’t seen this movie, please, please, PLEASE see it before Sunday. You won’t regret it.
Anyway, after seeing Million Dollar Baby Friday night, Cami and I caught a matinee of Sideways on Saturday. One of my co-workers told me that he had seen the movie and didn’t think much of it. He commented that all of the characters were pretty miserable and unlikable. But I’m an Alexander Payne fan, so I kind of knew what I was getting into before I checked it out.
Although I imagine I could have gotten more out of the film if I were perhaps middle-aged, I really liked Sideways. The ending really did it for me. I thought it was note-perfect, and that goes a long way toward leaving a favorable impression in my book.
I think a lot of people can recognize Paul Giamatti’s character from their own experience. Devastated by a divorce, he becomes sad, defeated, damaged and intent on destroy himself in small increments – he becomes everybody’s burden. You sit there and watch him and hope for him to overcome his struggle. You want him to hook up with Virgina Madsen’s character. You want him to be happy and dispose of that voice in his head that says he doesn’t deserve it.
Giamatti’s character represents this grand struggle I found very relatable. He wants to be more than he is but feels held back by life or circumstances. When really, he’s the only one holding him back.
I know that sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, but that’s what I got from it.
The only movie I didn’t see this weekend that I wanted to was Constantine. Cami read some negative reviews and signed off on it. I wasn’t surprised. Her interest in it was tenuous at best. It’s a comic book movie about demons and stars Keanu Reeves. It doesn’t exactly have “chick flick” stamped all over it.
But despite my better instincts, I still want to see it. I think I’ll go see it by myself tonight while Cami is at her night class. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to the theater by myself, but I’ve missed too many crappy comic book adaptations to let one more slide. Oh Blade: Trinity and The Punisher! I hardly got to know you!
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Feb23
So it’s settled. Cami and Charlie’s triumph over adversity has cemented a bond between them and they are now friends. Deal with it, homies.
But the surly theater owner seemed to let them off the hook without much fuss. Be sure to check back on Friday for an epilogue of sorts. After that, the story that took nearly two months to tell will be OVER!
I made another full-color incentive sketch for you to look at if you vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix. That could be a dangerous habit for me to get in to, but it just felt right for the Lifetime Movie of the Week send-up I was making.
I saw Constantine by myself Monday night and have some thoughts on it, but I want to tie it in to what I finally accomplished with the donator desktop wallpaper. Expect a recap later today. Right now, I want to tell you a different story.
If you came to the site on Monday, you would know that the buzzComix incentive sketch was one of my beagle Truman wearing a birthday hat and blowing a noise maker. I drew it to commemorate his third birthday, which was Tuesday.
I came home Tuesday after work, particularly jazzed from a good day at the office and ready to celebrate with Man’s Best Friend.
Imagine my horror when I went to let Truman out of his crate and discovered this scene:
It’s insane, right?
I don’t know how many of you out there own dogs, but this was a first for me. You can’t tell it from the pictures, but Truman’s crate was right up against the corner of that wall. He had either clawed or chewed a hole about a foot wide and about 6 inches tall through our dry wall!
Needless to say, I was pretty pissed and we didn’t quite get around to celebrating Truman’s birthday properly.
Now, to be fair, we recently moved Truman’s bed into our dining room, out of the kitchen where he had been for three years. So maybe that’s what upset him. Perhaps it was the air vent next to his crate. Who knows? When he was in the kitchen, his crate was no further from a wall or an air vent and he never tried this, so it’s a mystery to us.
It’s hard to be mad at the little guy because he’s just a dog and he doesn’t know better. He’s totally forgotten about the damage he caused when you come home to find about half a pound of drywall all over the carpet and inside his crate. It’s not like you can discipline him two hours after the fact.
Incidentally, I called the veterinarian as a precautionary measure. I didn’t know how much of this dry wall and paint Truman had ingested, if any. The vet told me over the phone that he should be fine, but look for signs of vomiting or diarrhea. If he starts pacing in circles or acting funny in any other way, you know he’s eaten something that disagrees with him.
Well, I’m proud to report that Truman has not fallen ill, so he probably didn’t eat any pieces of the wall. He also ate an entire bowl of food for his dinner, so he’s probably fine.
But it’s when the animal you share your space with commits gross property damage that you start looking at old photos and wish you could have kept him this size forever…
Oh, Truman. What am I going to do with you?
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Oct12
So here’s the follow up to the cliffhanger I left you with on Friday – the continuation of Tom’s misadventures after sharing spoiler information about Zombieland on Twitter.
Friday’s comic was based on real-events. Things from this point on are entirely fictional. I felt compelled to share that just in case anyone was confused.
In case you happen to be new to the site, this isn’t the first time the Nerd Police have slapped the irons on Tom. Their first appearance was WAAAAYYYY back in 2005 when Jared rats him out for confusing Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy with Doctor Who. Much hilarity ensues.
I had been looking for an excuse to bring the Nerd Police back, even though the characters undergo no development in any way, shape or form. They’re just a couple of nameless thugs with horn rim glasses and I like ’em that way! The concept is funny, at least. Well, funny to me, I guess.
Anyway, not much else to talk about with this comic except to say stay tuned for Wednesday’s comic and watch where the story line goes.
In the meantime, be sure to listen to The Triple Feature movie podcast live tonight at 9PM CST over at TalkShoe.com
We took last week off after my hard drive crashed and Gordon had a biopsy taken off his tongue which left 5 stitches in his mouth. Good times!
But this week I know we’ll at least be talking about Zombieland and probably more. Also, I know that Joe just got back from Baltimore Comic Con this weekend, so maybe he has some stories to share about that.
So be there to listen LIVE at 9PM CST. Participate in the live chat, ask us questions and even get on air with us (if you are so inclined.) We hope to see you there!
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