Posts Tagged ‘father’
3 items.
He’s dodged meat cleavers, exploding popcorn kernels and strangulation by 35mm film. Let’s face it – The Movie Gods want Tom to live! Either that, or Cami’s ESP needs a tune-up.
I know some people get confused about where the line blurs between real-life Tom and comic Tom. So that I don’t have to field a bunch of questions about it later, my real-life Dad is very much alive and well and was not strangled by any film that crashed through the projection booth window. That probably sounds silly to most of you, but you’d be amazed at how literal some people can be. Yup, today’s punchline was a tip of the hat to The Naked Gun. Nothing more, nothing less.
I don’t have much more to say about this weekend’s movie offerings, but I am curious if anyone saw Andy Barker P.I. on NBC last night? Tony Hale from Arrested Development is a video store clerk in the strip mall where Andy Richter’s character works. He shows him a Sandra Bullock doll from Miss Congeniality he made himself to make fun of the movie. "Oh, Sandra. Why do you make such confusing movie choices? he asked.
Too perfect.
Anyway, I have some site news to share and I’m also looking for a little bit of help.
I’m finally starting to get around to adding back some of the links that have been missing since the redesign. It’s been almost three months and it really should have happened sooner, but the advertising page and the press page are now in production. If you’re interested in advertising in either one of the huge ad bars on the site, the advertising place is where you can get set up. Incidentally, my friends from Alma Mater stumbled onto the page on the server, even though there was no direct link to it and made a purchase. So you should check out their comic and reward their ingenuity.
The press page pretty much speaks for itself. It has links to all the interviews I’ve done along with all the profiles, site and book reviews related to Theater Hopper. I like to consider it my little digital Fortress of Solitude where I keep all my trophies. I thought you guys would get a kick out of reading some of that stuff if you missed it the first time around. It’s also a way to say thanks to the publications that actually gave me the time of day.
The tour page has been in production a while and is also fairly self-explanatory. I’m just reminding you of it because it’s been floating out there by itself for a while and you might not have checked into it. I had to drop Kansas City’s Planet Comicon. No one else I knew was going to be there and that’s too long to be away from Cami and Henry. So, your best bet this year is going to be seeing me at Wizard World Chicago. I wish I could go to some of the bigger shows like the San Diego Comicon or whatever. But I just don’t have the money to fly anywhere. Oh, well.
Anyway – the part I need your help with!…
I’m working on the FAQ page and I’m curious what you guys want to know about me or about the site? I don’t want to slap a bunch of fake “questions” onto the page and answer them in some kind of removed, third person fashion. I’d really like to include you guys in the process. So, if there’s something you want to know about Theater Hopper – how long it takes me to make a comic, what materials I use – or anything about me, like how long I’ve been cartooning, what my favorite movie is or how do I come up with strip ideas – leave them in the comments section of this blog. I’ll take the best questions any build the page out. Hopefully in the next couple of days, you’ll see your question answered and will have provided a great service to the other readers!
So, fire away and have a great weekend!
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Today’s comic is a continuation of last Monday’s and it’s a little bit weird to attempt a storyline now that I’m only updating once a week. We’ll have to see if I can’t expedite things a little bit. Stay tuned.
I guess I had always planned on doing a follow-up comic for Tron: Legacy (considering it comes out this week) but aping the movie’s plot device wasn’t originally in the cards. The suggestion to receive correspondence from the cardboard factory actually came from Phil “Frumph” Hofer on Twitter last week.
You probably don’t know Phil, but you should. Phil is the programmer that took over development of the comic archiving system ComicPress about a year ago and he’s been rocking the code ever since. He’s helped organize the back end of Theater Hopper in ways I can’t even describe. In fact, he made some changes to the site yesterday while we were IM’ing each other and I’m pretty sure he’s a wizard.
You may have already noticed it, but it was Phil who added the handy Facebook “Like” button you see to the right of the comic’s navigation. I’ve been looking for something like this that I could integrate into the site for weeks, but I could never get it to look right. Phil took care of it in about 15 minutes.
Incidentally, I hope the button’s placement of that button results in more people “liking” the comic so it can be shared with others on their Facebook profile pages. It would be a great way to help spread the word about Theater Hopper. Let’s face it: You’re already on Facebook 12 hours a day anyway. Is clicking my “like” button really taking that much skin off your back?
I should also mention that the Theater Hopper fan page is within striking distance of 900 followers. So if you’re not already a fan, check us out over there. I keep the account fairly active, share movie news and trailers there as well.
Last night, I tried something a little different and posted a video thanking a fan for the generosity they showed me recently. Reaction to the video seemed to be positive. I might post more videos there in the future if they appears to be an interest in that kind of thing.
Anyway, I got sidetracked. Bringing the conversation back to Phil for a minute, the man is doing fantastic work behind-the-scenes for the webcomics community and I wanted to make sure that he gets the recognition he deserves. Phil is a fantastic resource that is raising the level of professionalism for everyone. Even if you don’t have a comic of your own, you probably owe him thanks for helping to improve the interface of the comics you read.
Incidentally, coding development takes time and money. So if you want to help Phil out by donating, I’m sure he would appreciate it.
Anyway, not much more to add to today’s post. But stay tuned this week for extra comics. I’m going to see if I can’t kick things up a notch to help move this storyline along before the glut of holiday films start filling up theaters.
Cheers!
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After the idea was introduced that Tom’s Father was calling to him from beyond, I started to think about the father/son themes in Tron: Legacy. It wasn’t long before I transposed that exploration over to The Empire Strikes Back. Thus, a sci-fi mash-up was born. I hope you like it.
I went a little gonzo with the double-sized comic. Mostly because I knew there was no way I could fit all of it into four panels. Or, more accurately, inside the digital same real estate my average comic takes up.
So I went for broke. Decided to do a larger comic. Of course that meant the comic was a little bit late. But when you think about it, you’re kind of getting two comics this week instead of one. So that shakes out, right?
Working on this strip last night, I definitely had a sense that I had bitten off more than I could chew. But I could see the goal line on the horizon. I knew even if the joke didn’t go over, I would at least be happy with the results. Visually, the comic is pretty much everything I envisioned – and that’s a pretty satisfying feeling.
I haven’t yet managed to see Tron: Legacy yet, but monitoring the response to it on Twitter this weekend was interesting. Reactions seem to be split into two camps – people who thought the plot and dialogue was stupid while appreciating the special effects and everyone else who seemed to say “C’mon, guys! Tron: Legacy wasn’t THAT bad!”
An airtight argument to be sure.
It sounds like there’s enough about Tron: Legacy to admire from an effects standpoint, but I’ve also hear that if you’re not a tech geek, it can kind of leave you cold. I’m not worried. Tron: Legacy looks like it fits directly in my wheelhouse.
I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to see the film. A friend of mine wants to organize a “guys night out” with a bunch of friends to go check it out together. With the holidays in the way, it might be a while before I’ll finally get my chance.
Here’s something I haven’t heard people talking about… the 3D. Seems like Disney was push Tron: Legacy in 3D and IMAX pretty hard, but I’ve not heard anyone’s opinions about it.
I’m kind of against the idea of seeing it in 3D. Aside from the glowing suits, the film already looks dimly lit. Why do I want to throw on a pair of 3D glasses and drop the brightness on the picture another 20%?
If you saw Tron: Legacy in 3D, what was your take? Worth it or not?
That’s all for me. Feel free to leave your comments below. If you liked today’s double-comic, click that little Facebook “Like” button to the lower right. I’d appreciate it.
Cheers!
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