Posts Tagged ‘Dracula’
3 items.
I guess the problems going on over at buzzComix has yet to be resolved, but with the help of forumite JClark, we were able to work around the issue. That means you get a BRAND NEW incentive sketch when you vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix!
The top list was reset on Saturday, so Theater Hopper is no longer in the Top 10. To help motivate you a little bit, I’ve added this handy dynamic graphic that tells you EXACTLY where we stand.
Since you guys went all of last week without an incentive sketch, I wanted to make today’s offering extra special. So I drew a picture of a dog with my head on it. I figure it’s just surreal enough to believe. Check it out!
I plan on talking about Van Helsing all this week, so buckle up. I find the film very polarizing (as illustrated in today’s comic) and rich for mining comic-wise.
I think the premise is good. Take Dracula’s resident monster-killer Van Helsing and put him on the tails of other Universal Studio owned creepy crawlies like Frankenstein and The Wolf Man. If it’s a hit, he can go off to kill The Mummy or The Creature From The Black Lagoon! Really, the possibilities are endless.
But I cringe when I’m reminded that Stephan Sommers is the director. I know a lot of people liked The Mummy and The Mummy Returns (the first one at the VERY least), but as good as some of his shots look effect-wise, his movies lack any real creative soul. I look at all his spectacle splashed across the screen and think “HACK!” I hope Van Helsing proves me wrong. Hugh Jackman is too interesting an action hero to do him wrong.
For those of you who ordered t-shirts, I placed my order with Brunetto over the weekend. No E.T.A. on when they’ll be shipped, but I would like to think by the end of the month.
For those of you who missed the first round of pre-orders, the shirt is still available for those who would like to pre-order by May 31st. At that time, I’ll send out for another batch. I’m sorry that there isn’t a better system for me to utilize, but I can’t afford to sit on a bunch of product that may or may not sell. Pre-orders are the best way for me to produce shirts that I KNOW I’ll get paid for!
More later if I think of it. Sleepy now.
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I’m gonna come right out and say it. I love to use Victor in these comics. He’s an utter joy to write for. Not so much because he’s exceptionally witty, but because everything we’ve come to learn about him has been information delivered by the other characters. So, by extension, anything he’s capable of seems amplified to it’s worst conclusion by the audience because he has yet to be defined. Beyond his introduction, he hasn’t had one word of dialogue. If I could take that back, I would. He much more imposing as a mute. I get a kick setting him up against comic Tom.
Good for Fox Studios animation shingle for raking in over $70 million with Ice Age 2 last weekend, but I’m not impressed. I haven’t seen the sequel, but I saw the original and I thought it was a plodding, grating affair. Listening to John Leguizamo lisp for 90 minutes is something I can do without. I doubt the follow-up iimproves on this concept.
The success of Ice Age 2 is chalked up to every family who tossed their 5 year-old into the back seat of their minivan with that annoying flip-down television screen in the back. They made the first one, released it on DVD and now every time little Timmy won’t sit still in his car seat, now he has something to watch that will shut him up long enough for Mom to drive him to the grocery store. Rinse and repeat for the next three years until they make a sequel. Dump said sequel into the theaters and watch the 8 year-olds drag their parents kicking and screaming for more cloying adventures! Yay, money!
I know this makes me sound like a curmudgeon or anti-kids. Not the case. I love animation. I love illustration. I think that’s been proven in my choice of hobby. I have about 550 comics under my belt that can attest to that.
But this… Ice Age 2? Seems pretty soulless to me. Not much magic to it. I mean, honestly – can you think of ANY animated sequel besides Toy Story 2 that was able to enchant period? Nevermind that the first Ice Age was a rote exercise to begin with.
And Scrat? Don’t get me started on Scrat. What the hell is that thing? He’s in all the advertisements, but barely in the movie! That’s deceptive advertising, folks!
:: deep breath ::
That’s it for now. Come back to the site later in the day when I announce the winners of The Long Good Friday contest – which, by the way, is out on DVD today. So if you didn’t win a copy or were too lazy to enter, I strongly suggest that you look it up the next time you’re shopping. It’s a really great film.
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This comic is a little bit mean. I don’t think it’s exactly fair to bust on Cami for wanting to see Twilight with the argument it’s for teenage girls. Look at all the dumb crap I’m into! I really just wanted an excuse to show Gary Oldman in that crazy wig from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Man, that was a messed up movie.
In real life, Cami doesn’t have an interest in seeing Twilight. Although she has read the book for her book club. Incidentally, they’re talking about it tonight, I think! Small world. But she is not swayed by Edward Cullen’s charms (or his off-putting trapezoidal head). She’s taking the day off work Friday, so I asked her if she planned on seeing the film. She described such activity as “a waste of time.” Ouch.
My wife’s indifference to the movie aside, Twilight is one of those phenomenon like Pokemon or Queer Eye For The Straight Guy that caught me completely off guard because I’m not the target demographic. I had no idea how popular the books were or even that a movie was being produced because I am not – as pointed out in the second panel – a teenage girl. That’s fine. I’m just saying that I’m a little bit ashamed of myself for being so unaware. Call it willful ignorance, I suppose.
We were talking about a recent crop of videos that popped up on YouTube featuring a bunch of screaming girls losing their minds in Philadelphia last Thursday when Cullen showed up to promote the film in a mall appearance. I don’t understand this. They can’t be going so crazy for Cullen? What has he done. Nothing. The movie isn’t out yet. He could be totally awful in it. I guess they could be responding to his looks or maybe just excited that the lead character from their favorite book now has a physical form they can direct that energy toward. Whatever it is, it’s scary.
Joe made the point on Monday’s Triple Feature that Twilight is posed to become the next Harry Potter. That makes sense considering the supernatural aspects of their stories. But at the same time, I kind of doubt it’ll be around that long because Twlight doesn’t appear to work on the myriad of different levels that the Harry Potter movies do. I feel they touch on more universal themes and the more complicate politics of the adult world as much as they do on budding teenage romance and fantasy elements. I guess we have to wait and see.
Quick sidebar, today is the 900th Theater Hopper strip. Nine hundred. I say that out loud and I hear Jeffery Jones as Principal Ed Rooney from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in my head. “Nine tyyyyyymes.”
I’m not going to make a big fuss about it beyond the fact that I appreciate a nice, round number like 900 and that it makes me excited to cross that 1,000th strip milestone. It’s not far off now. After that, I’ll really feel like I’ve accomplished something.
Then, nothing. Not until Theater Hopper celebrates its 10 year anniversary. Speaking of which, congrats to Mike and Jerry for reaching the big 10 over at Penny Arcade yesterday!
One last thing before I forget: To celebrate the release on Wall-E on DVD yesterday (c’mon – how many of you bought the film and ran home to watch it last night?!), I’m passing along all kinds of fun stuff from the movie that you can check out online.
Today it’s Space Fun Facts!
Just who is this Wall-E? And what is an Axiom? The Character Guide gives the low-down on all of the bots and even the human Captain! Wall-E and Eve take an adventure across the galaxy. Go beyond the Earth’s atmosphere with these Space Fun Facts!
I’m linking to the document as a PDF, so you’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. Click here to check it out!
That’s all for now. Have a great Wednesday!
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