I can’t tell if my rendition of Samuel L. Jackson looks authentic or if I’ve somehow confused him with Scatman Crothers. And if you’re old enough to remember Scatman Crothers, then you get a gold star for the day.

In any case, vote for Theater Hopper at Webcomic List for a detailed shot of the coveted “Backslappy!”

I seriously have no idea where the idea for today’s comic came from. We’re kind of in a weird limbo in the moment when it comes to new movies. Labor Day has come and gone. Summer is officially/unofficially “over” and there are no more blockbusters choking up the multiplexes.

However, instead of being treated to the bountiful harvest of early-Oscar contenders, studios are dumping off their duds in hopes that no one will notice.

Scanning the list of new releases this weekend and seeing Jackson co-star alongside Eugene Levy and Eugene Levy’s eyebrows in The Man, I kind of rolled my eyes at the thought of Jackson playing ANOTHER tough-talkin’ – but smooth as silk – heavyweight in another sub-par movie.

Don’t get me wrong. Jackson’s been in a lot of great movies. But he’s been in his fair share of stinkers, too. Basic, anyone?

But then it kind of occurred to me. No matter how many times Jackson delivers a variation of the same performance – you know the one where he tilts his head down and gazes with laser-like intensity under his brow before growling his lines and then exploding like a volcanic torrent – we LOVE that stuff. We NEED that stuff. Samuel L. Jackson is the bomb.

Jackson is like De Niro was maybe a decade ago. Delivering these totally compelling, simmering performances and each one barely distinguishable from the last. But it’s okay because despite the fact that he’s hammering that one note, what a sweet note it is.

Or maybe I’m talking out of my ass. All I know is that I wish someone would award me with “The Backslappy.”