Posts Tagged ‘fire’
26 items.
I realize that I’ve probably run my course with these Back to the Future comics. After all, there’s only so many times I can substitute a reference for a punchline. But I just had to bring things full circle after Friday’s comic. After all, who doesn’t want to see Doc Brown crash through a window? Now if only my Christopher Llyod caricature could have been better…
Cami and I saw You Don’t Mess With The Zohan yesterday afternoon and I had a pretty good time. I was surprised because Cami didn’t like the movie much. Typically she’s all over Adam Sandler films. But I think this one was too juvenile and weird even for her!
You have to expect a certain level of mental handicap when walking into an Adam Sandler movie, but I had a much better time with this one than most because I think Sandler really lets the thing run it’s course and he looks like he,himself is having fun for once.. He’s not reaching for THE BIG MESSAGE – which is weird, considering how the plot is primarilly centered around the conflict between Israel and Palistine.
Typically Sandler’s protagonists are about finding their way to maturity. Whether it’s the slacker who becomes a Dad in Big Daddy or the hectic family man who realizes what’s truly important in life in Click. But in this film, Sandler’s Israeli counter terrorist (an apparently super hero?) Zohan is a character who is TOO mature – a warrior who has seen too much and wants to escape all the fighting by becoming a hair dresser in America.
Considering just how complicated the conflict between Israel and Palistine has become, I thinkZohan does the right thing by making a complete mockery of it. Any attempt to frame it within a real world context would have fallen flat on it’s face. Although, in fairness, the movie tens to make the Palistinian side a little more ludicris than the Israeli side. In fact, any scene featuring Rob Schneider as a cab driver / wannabe terrorist is cringe-inducing in more than the typical Schneider-esque way. Some of it borders on complete cultural insensitivity.
But I don’t know if it’s fair to weighZohan in these terms. The film iscompletely stupid with no long term geo-political ramifications. Just… just go with it, will you? You’ll have more fun if you do.
If you saw Zohan over the weekend and want to talk about it, be sure to tune in LIVE to The Triple Feature podcast tonight at 9:00 PM CST over at TalkShoe. We’ll be talking about You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Kung Fu Panda and Sex and the City.
I know I promised we’d talk about Sex and the City last week (and we did, a little bit), but none of us had actually seen the movie. Well, I saw it last week and I know for a fact that Joe did as well. So we’ll have a little more to talk about this week. Be sure to tun in and listen to my anecdote about the parade of gay guys who joined us in the screening we took part in!
Also, we’ll probably take a little time to talk about The Incredible Hulk coming out this weekend. Personally, I wasn’t that amped up to see the movie until just the last week or so. Early reviews from press screenings are coming back strong. Some are saying it’s just as good as Iron Man. There’s even a rumored cameo from Captain America. Is this Marvel setting the stage for an Avengers movie down the road? It sure looks like it!
I’m psyched because I have a friend of a friend that has the hook-up at a local theater. He’s going to let us in for a special midnight screening on Thursday and I’m really looking forward to it.
Heck – even without all of that extra stuff, there’s still this to consider:
Geeks have known about the Iron Man cameo for months. It’s damn-near marketinggenius to confirm it in the television advertising. Watch out. This weekend will be all about HULK!! SMASH!!
Join us this evening on The Triple Feature podcast to discuss it. See you at 9:00 PM CST!
[ No Comments ]
Due to the fact that I am currently suffering from a head cold that makes me feel as if someone has injected my cranium with rubber cement, I had a hard time coming up with a joke for today’s comic.
Having covered Gamer on Wednesday, Extract and Something About Steve were the only new movies left this weekend worth discussing.
Since it would appear from the trailer that Something About Steve is a joke unto itself, I was really only left with Extract. And since I couldn’t think of a good joke to go with it, my mind turned to the most visible piece of marketing for the film – a short video of Beavis and Butthead introducing a clip and then talking about the inequity of prostitution (I.E. no one wants to pay men for sex)
Extract director and Beavis and Butthead creator shared the clip with David Letterman on The Late Show Tuesday night and made the rounds online shortly thereafter.
I worried that the joke in the comic played a little too inside. If you hadn’t seen the video, you would have no idea what Tom was talking about. I also hate to make you read the blog in order to understand the joke.
But then I figured if you weren’t a teenager in the 90’s, you probably wouldn’t get the joke anyway. So let’s have a little fun with things and have Jared pull his shirt over his head and announce “I AM CORNHOLIO!”
You can’t please everyone, so you might as well please yourself, right?
Switching gears for a moment, I wanted to give everyone a head’s up that I’m taking next week off.
As you may or may not know, I’ve been unemployed since June and, frankly, my severance is starting to dry up with no strong job leads.
I’ve made the decision to position myself as a freelance web and graphic designer. To do that, I need to design and build a web site where I can show off my portfolio and attract clients.
So I’m taking next week off partly to get the freelance business off the ground and partly to give myself a break from the grind of the comic. I haven’t taken any time off (I don’t think) since the beginning of the year and I need to recharge my batteries a little bit.
I’ll be sure to point everyone to the new site once it’s up and running. I might actually try a little networking with you guys to see if you know anyone who needs a site designed in the next few weeks. Thank goodness web design is the ultimate telecommuting job.
I have two guest comics already lined up and I’m asking around for one more. If anyone out there is interested in trying their hand at a guest comic, there’s no reason I couldn’t publish it on Tuesday or Thursday. So send me what you have to theaterhopper@hotmail.com and we’ll see what happens.
That’s it for now. Thanks for checking up on me this week and be sure to check out the site next week for some guest comic mayhem!
Have a great weekend!
[ 12 Comments ]
In the mid-90s, you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting a disaster movie of some kind. Subsequently, the movie would explode in a giant, slow-motion fireball.
You have Rolland Emmerich to thank for that. The success of Independence Day in 1996 led to other big budget disaster movies like Twister, Dante’s Peak, and Armageddon. 15 years later (and Wolfgang Petersen’s remake of Poseidon aside) Rolland Emmerich seems to be the only guy left making disaster movies.
And now he’s back with 2012 where literally the ENTIRE PLANET is the cause of the wanton destruction of cities, landmarks and monuments.
I’ll admit being somewhat impressed by the visual of a tidal wave crashing over the top the Himalayas. But cool visuals do not a movie make. And, frankly, I’m a little worn out on disaster movies. In what way does is this destruction supposed to be entertaining? The world is pretty much in the crapper as it is. Will watching California break off from the continent and sink slowly into the sea make me feel any better about things?
Okay, maybe that will make me feel a little better. But you get what I’m saying.
What bothers me most is watching John Cusack waste his considerable talents pinching his butt cheeks together and reacting to nothing. I understand WHY Cusack is in a movie like this (Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeffery Wells calls Cusack “the mother of all genius paycheck whores”), but it sucks to watch your heroes debase themselves.
Exhibit A: There was an extended scene from 2012 shown at Comic Con earlier in the year. Someone had the brilliant idea to take the scene and remove all of the special effects from it. The result is a bumper car ride with Cusack and his co-stars that reveal exactly how flashy CGI obscures ham-fisted acting. Enjoy.
Watching things like that, I have to remind myself that for every 2012 or Con Air he shows up in, it affords him the opportunity to do things like High Fidelity and War, Inc. (which, by the way, I just caught on IFC and thought was hilarious)
Cusack will appear in Hot Tub Time Machine next year, so I suppose we have THAT to look forward to…
With that jokey title in mind, I kind of wish Emmerich would go whole-hog with the absurdity of his films. Here’s a recut trailer made to make 2012 look like a 70s-era disaster film. I think I would much rather see this version:
All I can hope for is that people don’t take 2012 seriously – the movie OR the Mayan “prophecy” that’s been tainted by Western apocalypse fears. One, because I think it’s absurd. But two… because the day the world is supposed to end – December 21, 2012 – will be my 34 birthday. And it would be a real bummer to die in the apocalypse on your birthday.
So tell me, who here is interested in seeing 2012 this weekend? What’s the attraction for you? Mindless popcorn fun? How do you feel about disaster films in general? Leave your comments below!
[ 24 Comments ]
It was important to me to make Tom look as cherubic as possible in the third panel to offset the twisted imagery of him chasing his Mother with a pitchfork and setting all of her underwear on fire.
For the record, this comic is not based on real life. 😉
I will maintain, however, that I think “the crazies” still sounds cute to my ears. Like “bedbugs,” or something. A gentle way of describing something disgusting or worrisome.
The Crazies comes out this weekend and I guess you could say I’m not impressed. Since the film is supposedly set in Ogden Marsh, Iowa, I guess I’m supposed to feel some cultural affinity for it. Unfortunately, there’s no such town by that name anywhere in the state. SORRY TO BURST YOUR BUBBLE, OGDEN MARSH FANS!
While it is true that the movie shot some scenes in Winterset and Lenox, Iowa (REAL towns, mind you), it doesn’t exactly trump the sense of déjà vu I get from this movie. A mysterious toxin in the water supply turns the citizens into violent psychopaths. It’s a subtle spin on the zombie genre and one I’m not really interested in seeing.
Timothy Olyphant is a draw, though. I’ve always found him to be an interesting actor and he’s pretty much earned a free pass from me after his work in Deadwood. But otherwise? The Crazies looks like another genre yawner.
Of course, take my opinion with a HUGE grain of salt because I didn’t even know that The Crazies is a remake of a 1973 George Romero flick. Clearly I am not the target audience. I think, by now, you guys know about my aversion to horror movies.
Not much else for me to say today other than I’m glad it’s Wednesday. Thanks for swinging by the site and I’ll see you here on Friday!
If you have an opinion about The Crazies or just want to yell at me for not knowing the Romero connection, fire it up in the comments section below!
[ 19 Comments ]
Apologies for another late strip. If you’re following me on Facebook, you know the reason why – bedtime troubles. We’re having a little difficulty keeping Pearl in her “big girl” bed. As such, Cami and I have to take turns being warden and staying in her room to keep her from leaving. The other night it was my turn and I fell asleep in her room. Basically been playing catch up on the comic and sleep ever since.
Not much to tell you about this comic except that maybe Victor shouldn’t have kept all those oily rags and other obvious flammables together in one box. At least they were labeled appropriately? Best laid plans, I guess.
But what happens now that Victor’s Infatuation Closet is on fire? And why is he walking away?
The answers to all of these questions and more… NEXT WEEK!
The action really starts to pick up from here, so you’re not going to want to miss what happens next. I mean, there’s fire and people running around dressed like superheroes. So what do you think is going to happen.
And Victor… green and so full of rage? Does he remind you of anyone? He’s so misunderstood… and only wants to be left alone.
More to come! Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoyed today’s comic!
[ 6 Comments ]
You know, it’s funny. When I announced that I was ending Theater Hopper back in January (which feels like a lifetime ago), one of the things I highlighted was how I was finding it difficult to advance my art forward in a way that was not so time-consuming.
Well, I would say this final arc is certainly pushing my art forward, but it is no less time-consuming.
Things were so much easier when all I had to do was come up with a joke and draw a couple of characters facing each other to deliver it. Toss in the occasional visual gag to break things up a little bit and we had a formula for success!
With this last arc, I’m drawing fire, splatter, characters in different costumes – COMPLICATED costumes – and drawing 2 to 4 additional panels per comic. It’s madness!
Maybe there’s some truth about art and suffering. I’m punishing myself a little bit for ending the comic. Or maybe I just want to try to end things as best I can?
Either way, I appreciate everyone’s patience as we head into the last month. July’s pretty much it and then NO MORE THEATER HOPPER! Can you believe it? I can’t.
Actually, I’m not sure I can wrap this up in 4 or 5 more comics. I’d like to produce more, but the way I’m going, that doesn’t look feasible. Am I gonna have to break my August 6 deadline? I might…
I’m embarrassed that I might not hit deadline I set for myself almost 7 months ago. Maybe I should have planned better. But maybe I don’t want to say goodbye just yet, either?
Hell! It’s my comic! I’ll do what I want!
And I have! A theater engulfed in fire? Victor engulfed in rage? What does this mean for Tom, Cami and the rest! Stay tuned, true-believers! You’ll find out soon enough!
[ 4 Comments ]
Cardboard Thor! I bet you didn’t see THAT ONE coming, didja?
Well, maybe you did. You guys are a pretty perceptive lot.
Although I’m sure some of you are wondering why Jared didn’t got with Tom and Cami to see The Avengers at the same time. I actually thought up a reason for that. I was going to make a comic about it, but then I realized it wasn’t funny.
Basically, it involved confusion about what time they were supposed to me. Tom said 7:15 and Jared thought it was 8:15. Y’see? Not really funny? Besides, I got the whole “casual conversation inside a burning building joke” done with this comic. No need to drag it out.
I have to apologize for there not being a new comic from me last week. It’s inexcusable, but allow me to explain.
Cami and I went on a little vacation the week before last to Chicago. We got back last Tuesday. Then last Wednesday was July 4. Then I pretty much spent the rest of last week getting caught up on work and life. So, no comic.
I’m starting to wonder if I’m self-sabotaging a little bit. I’ve been producing Theater Hopper almost 10 years and for 98% of that time, I never missed deadlines. If I did, I always made it up with an extra comic or at least a better explanation than “We went on vacation! Hurrr!”
Now that the comic is supposed to be ending in a month, I’m blowing deadlines left and right. It’s not acceptable and it’s not the way I want to go out.
I’ve been trying to hit a Monday deadline each week and that hasn’t been working out so great. The comic ends in a month and I think I have WAY more than 4 comics left in me in order to bring this last story across the finish line.
So here’s the thing: I’m throwing the Monday “deadline” out the window and I’m going to try and update as often as I can leading up to August 6. If I make it to August 6 with the story completely told, that’s great. All’s well that ends well. But if I go a little long… well, there are worse things that can happen, right?
The point is, from today forward, be sure to check the site frequently. With any luck, updates are going to be coming a lot faster. And don’t forget the guest strips I’ll be tossing in from time to time!
By the way, if you still want to get in on that action, I’m still accepting guest strips. Feel free to e-mail me what you’ve got to theaterhopper@hotmail.com and help me send Theater Hopper out in style!
In the meantime, make sure you don’t miss an update by following me on Twitter or Facebook. I know that sounds a little counter-intuitive since I’m ending the comic soon, but I intend to keep updating those accounts.
The Twitter account is my “main” Twitter account anyway and I’m pretty likely to continue sharing movie news, thoughts and reactions on the Facebook page.
That’s it for now. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoyed the comic!
[ 3 Comments ]
Thor has a big hammer, right? Breaking a giant pane of glass shouldn’t be a problem for the God of Thunder.
We’ll see.
I don’t know why, but I’m still amused by people in cardboard costumes having a casual conversation while a roaring blaze nearly engulfs them. It’s basically the height of hubris. The “we’ve got this” attitude Tom is wearing right now… I dunno. I’m just really enjoying it.
I’m going to try and get another comic done this week, but I’ve been lousy about holding up my promises so far. So let’s just say if I get it done, everyone will be pleasantly surprised.
SIDEBAR: I received an e-mail from Amazon last week notifying me that they were closing my vendor account due to “inactivity.”
My vendor account is what I used to put my books up for sale through Amazon. Right now I have two copies of Theater Hopper: Year One and Theater Hopper: Year Two in their warehouses.
In their e-mail, they said I could either request to have my books sent back to me (at my expense) or they would destroy them. They were really black and white about it and it kind of bummed me out.
I was flirting with the idea of having them be destroyed. Mostly because I’m cheap and I didn’t want to pay the shipping. But also because it kind of felt like a failure to send your books to Amazon and for them to say “Yeah, we don’t want these anymore.”
Of course, in the end, I opted to have my books sent back to me. I don’t know what the cost will be yet, but it’s the right thing to do. I’m not big on destroying books – especially books I put my heart and soul into.
Selling my books on Amazon was never really a moneymaker for me, anyway. It was more a point of pride – a way for me to look at the accomplishment of self-publishing and saying “See?! SEE?! It’s in a store.”
Okay, yeah. An online store. But still a store.
It doesn’t matter. I always sold more books through my store and at conventions anyway.
Anyway, long story short… we all know the comic is ending soon and I’m still sitting on, like… A LOT of inventory.
I have mostly odds and ends when it comes to the shirts, but I’d like to get rid of everything, if I can. I have many more books to get rid of, though. And, frankly, they take up way more space.
I don’t have inventory numbers right now on the books. I’m hoping to count them out sometime this weekend. I can say that of the three books, I probably have less than 100 of Theater Hopper: Year One. Maybe less than 75. If you want one, now’s the time to get it.
Don’t forget that I’m offering a BUY TWO, GET ONE FREE promotion. That applies to books, shirts and books and shirts together. Buy a Spoiler shirt, Theater Hopper: Year One and get a third item of your choice absolutely free!
Get your holiday shopping done early this year. You’ll be helping out a struggling artist and you’ll look very sharp and ahead of the game at the same time.
I’ll leave it at that for now. Just wanted to remind you guys that this merch was out there.
Again, thanks for your support and I’ll follow up with you soon!
[ 1 Comment ]
I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of eager to get Tom, Jared and Cami out of that burning theater. Not just because they’re my characters, or whatever. But because I’m sick to death of fire, smoke and lighting effects! I takes a fortnight to put these comics together!
I’m not kidding, people. I’ve been working on this comic in fits and starts since Thursday. I hope it shows, but I honestly can’t tell anymore.
I’ve had a few people ask me if we’d get another chance to see Truman again before the comic ended. This comic is my response to that.
Is it unreasonable to assume that a dog can dress himself in a Hawkeye costume, learn archery and saves three people? No less unreasonable than a dog who can fly a bi-plane.
That Truman. He’s full of secret talents.
After today, things will start winding down for the comic in earnest. I’ve got the last few strips plotted out. Maybe 5 or 6 left. Depends how desperately I cling to them. Next week was SUPPOSED to be the last comic. That’s not happening because I didn’t plan things out right. But that’s okay. Consider it bonus material.
I just thoroughly bummed myself out. I think I’m going to leave it there.
But, hey! Dog in a Hawkeye costume! Nothing more adorable than that!
See you in a week or so!
[ 6 Comments ]
After several weeks, Tom, Cami and Jared have finally escaped the burning theater. It looks kind of bad, doesn’t it? That’s a lot of fire.
One thing that I enjoyed most about this part of the store is that Jared and Tom are walking around in a building ENGULFED by fire, wearing cardboard boxes and being completely casual about it.
The truth of the matter was, having the costumes catch on fire during those strips seemed like an unnecessary pit stop. I thought it would be funnier if I used it to punctuate their escape.
Tom has a pretty poor record record when it comes to maintaining these cardboard costumes of him. So far he’s three for three. You think he’d pick a better construction material.
Things are starting to wind down now. We’ll deal with the ramifications of the theater fire in the next few strips. After that, who knows?
Sorry for these persistent delays. I keep trying to add more to the comics and they’re taking longer and longer for me to do. As I noted on Twitter earlier in the week, if this comic was in black and white, you would have had it on Monday! Funny, right?
As it is, I stayed up until 2:00 am last night putting the finishing touches on this strip. The shading, the lighting, the effects. I had to figure out what the outside of the theater looked like for a background shot that will never be used again.
Efficiency at it’s finest!
More comics to come. Thanks for your patience!
[ 8 Comments ]
