Posts Tagged ‘hell’
4 items.
I’ve been playing a lot of Prince of Persia on my PS2 lately, so today’s BuzzComix voting incentive sketch reflects that…
Today’s comic refers to the forthcoming travelog/sex romp Eurotrip landing with a *SPLAT!* into theaters this Friday. To me it looks a lot like the American classic (note:sarcasm) Road Trip except… y’know, in Europe! I guess it doesn’t help that this impression is re-enforced by the advertisements which freely proclaim that the same producers behind Road Trip are behind this pale imitator.
 |
Another thing the film seems to be freely proclaiming is co-star Michelle Trachtenberg’s sexual independence. Every time the ads come on TV, I do a double-take and say “Is that who I think it was?” And then Cami, in her indicate patience, explains that “Yes. This is the same girl who just a scant 5 years ago played Penny in Inspector Gadget.” At this point I crawl into a corner with a blanket I shake in terror at the prospect of raising a daughter who will grow up in this kind of culture.
I mean, this was the same girl who portrayed the precocious star of the children’s book favorite Harriet the Spy. Now she’s tramping it up across Europe!
 |
I know some of you are going to fire back that she was approaching more adult themes when she was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer playing Buffy’s long lost sister Dawn. Maybe. But to me, this is a much more aggressive maneuver. The Eurotrip poster is practically THREE DIMENSIONAL when you consider the pose they have her sitting in. What I really like about the poster is the guy who is pointing off into the distance totally oblivious to the miracle of modern science known as the Wonderbra taking place just beyond his periphery.
I don’t want to seem like a fuddy-duddy or, frankly, anything less than 100% American Stud – but these kind of attention-getting tactics are so transparent to me. It makes me sad. I mean, if that’s the route you’re going to take to get noticed, why not just sign up with Playboy and get it over with? This isn’t saying I probably won’t see Eurotrip this weekend. I’m in the mood for a dumb comedy right about now. But for God’s sake, Michelle. Cover up!
[ No Comments ]
There is only one appropriate response to Vin Diesel. Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics to find out what it is.
While exhibiting at Emerald City Comicon and subsequently feeling like I have been off-planet for the last four days, I admit to a certain amount of surprise to have learned that Fast & Furious earned nearly $73 million in a record-shattering debut.
It is the largest box office for an April opening ever, besting 2003’s Anger Management ($42.2 million) and it is also the biggest opening of the year. Bigger than than “the more-buzzed-about Monsters vs. Aliens ($59.3 million) and Watchmen ($55.2 million).”
Most significantly, it’s the “best opening ever for stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster, as well as for director Justin Lin.” Good for them. They all could have used a hit and it looks like their movie delivered. We should all be so lucky.
Moving on to more me-centric topics, of course I wanted to provide you with a recap of Emerald City Comicon!
First, everything you’ve read about the show is true. It is impeccably run by Jim Demonakos and his team of volunteers. Never before have I been treated so well at a con of this size. The staff was friendly and would bend over backwards to help ANYONE. And being on Artist Alley where you are typically ignored, that is significant.
The guy at the table next to me was complaining of a mild headache. One of the show staff overheard him and brought him Excedrin in no time flat. Any other show and he would have been on his own.
Secondly, the fans were WONDERFUL. I’m lucky in that my readers are pretty much awesome where ever I go. But a gold star for Seattle whose patrons seemed more than willing to explore Artist Alley and try new things. I sold more books in Seattle than probably any other convention I’ve been to. Seattle loves to read!
Thirdly, sincere thanks to Indigo Kelleigh who creates The Adventures of Ellie Connelly. Indigo and I split a room at the Hyatt and he did me A WORLD of favors when he both picked me up from and dropped me off at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. Not only that, but the guy is super nice and ridiculously talented. We had great conversations about the nature of our comics and our artistic pursuits. Indigo was also my unofficial tour guide – having grown up in Seattle as a kid. Be sure to check out the rest of his work at his art blog, Lunar Bistro.
One thing I wanted to mention was my participation on the Business of Webcomics panel on Sunday. As you recall, I was on-stage with Robert Khoo from Penny Arcade, Danielle Corsetto from Girls With Slingshots and Jeph Jacques from Questionable Content.
Was I nervous about it? You bet. Was I intimidated? As much as one can be when Khoo showed up wearing a suit! Was I visibly shaking in my chair? A little. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
I had a great time talking on the panel. And while the questions were maybe a little business-light, it felt good to answer questions from people just getting started with their comics, exposing a little bit of our methods and outlining what they can expect if they want to profit from their comics.
I think web comics are a little different now than they were when I started Theater Hopper almost 7 years ago. While there was certainly a lot of competition back then, there is A LOT of competition right now. So it’s very difficult for a new comic to rise up and make a name for itself.
Conversely, I think people look at the success of larger comics and see more and more creators being able to make a living off their comics and ask themselves “Why isn’t it happening for me?” There was a little bit of impatience in tone of the questions we were receiving. A few people point out “there’s a reason you’re ‘up there’ and we’re ‘down here’.”
I fully admitted to dumb luck having a lot to do with my placement on the panel, but I knew where they were coming from.
It sounds simplistic to suggest (and counter-intuitive to the purpose of the panel), but we were forced to suggest that anyone getting into webcomics exclusively to make money was probably doing it for the wrong reasons. Fans see right through it! You have to love what you do, work to improve you craft and be a little bit shameless when it comes to networking. Once those things line up, the audience will come. Maintain your trust and the audience will grow. Word-of-mouth works to some extent, but you have to produce quality work consistently and strive to put it in front of new audiences. Opportunities will spring up from those efforts.
If you’d like to see some photos from the panel, be sure to check out Jonah Gregory’s Flickr page (starting with this classic shot of Jonah, Jeph Jacques and myself). Jonah was also the moderator of the panel and the creator of his own webcomic, Here There Be Robots. I thought he did an excellent job of running the show.
I want to reiterate what a wonderful time I had at Emerald City Comicon and I also want to tip my hat to the webcomic creators I had a chance to meet over the weekend. Kris Straub, Danielle Corsetto, Holly from TopatoCo, Jeph Jacques, Dave Kellett, Chris Yates, Malki!, Sam Logan, Meredith Gran and Alina Pete – it was a pleasure to meet you all.
If I left your name off that list, no disrespect. There was just a lot going on and I was meeting a lot of people at once! 🙂
I think it goes without saying that I would love to attend Emerald City Comicon again in the future. With any luck, I’ll be able to get a cheap flight back to Seattle next year so I can go. Seattle is a wonderful city. I felt comfortable there immediately. I can’t wait to go back.
Thanks again to the show organizers and all of the fans that made this experience so wonderful!
[ 11 Comments ]
Continuing my exploration of all things Up, today’s sketch is of Russell, of the Wilderness Adventurers. My version of Russ seems a little more awkward than what’s presented in the movie (if that’s possible). Consider this a version of Russell that’s maybe a few years older than his on-screen counterpart. I tried to stay loose with the sketch, but didn’t quite get the proportions right. To see the sketch, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.
Incidentally, Theater Hopper has been slipping down the list a little bit over at Top Web Comics and I’m wondering if it has any relation to the kind of sketches I’m doing.
In the past, I would draw sketches that were a continuation of the joke in the comic. Lately, I’ve been drawing more stand-alone pieces. Renderings of characters from movies. Is this a factor in your voting? Let me know in the comments below and be mindful of Monday, June 1 when the Top Web Comics counter resets. If we can get in the Top 10 early on, there’s a greater likelihood we can stay there! I’m going to need everyone’s help, so I’m putting the idea in your heads now.
As you know, both Up and Drag Me To Hell come out today. During Monday’s recording of The Triple Feature, Joe pointed out that the family-friendly film in competition with director Sam Raimi’s return to horror was great counter programming.
I felt like I was onto something when I commented that not only were the two movies at the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their content, but also in terms of the geography they explored. Up floating among the clouds and Drag Me To Hell lurking in the depths of the Underworld.
I shared my observation to Cami and she said it was “quite profound.” She may have been humoring me, but it was enough for me to try and figure out a way I could work it into the comic.
As for the answer to Tom’s quandary in today’s comic, I don’t think it would surprise anyone that I’m more interested in seeing Up. Cami and I are seeing it tonight. But my interest has been piqued by the strong reviews Drag Me To Hell has been getting. I guess Joe from Joe Loves Crappy Movies saw an early screening of it and was over the moon about it. Critical response has been strong, too. 95% positive at Rotten Tomatoes. I guess Raimi still has the old horror touch!
I’m not a big fan of horror, but I respect Raimi a great deal. It goes without saying how awesome the Evil Dead trilogy is. But those films have a low-tech charm. I don’t know if I could stomach full-blown Raimi sitting in the middle of a booming surround-sound theater.
One thing Raimi is particularly adept at are “loud noises” scares – frightening reveals you can see a mile away, but punctuated by piercing musical shrieks. I HATE those kinds of scares. I do better with movies that employ this tactic when I’m at home and can control the volume.
I’m very curious to know what Raimi has up his sleeve, but I think this one is going to have to be a rental for me. I’m too much of a weenie otherwise.
What about you guys? Are you feeling up to the challenge of seeing Drag Me To Hell in a gigantic booming theater without peeing your pants? Or are you like me and going to chillax with Pixar and Up for two hours instead?
Leave your comments below!
[ 21 Comments ]
I was sitting around last night thinking about the juxtaposition between Clint Eastwood’s fuzzy, feel-good, “Hey, you’re gonna die, but it’s okay” Hereafter and the money-grubbing “INVISIBLE DEMONS ARE EATING YOUR BABY” Paranormal Activity 2 and felt that it was a potential comedic goldmine.
So I wrote this comic, penciled it, inked it, colored it, added shading and lettering… and then became immediately self-conscious about the punchline. In not fishing for compliments or anything. I’m just pointing out the weird tinge of instant regret I experienced after uploading the comic. Usually the anxiety needs a little time to marinate first.
I don’t feel too bad about the comic, though. Because the original punchline was Tom bolting upright from a bad dream in the fourth panel – and I’ve done THAT joke to death. So instead of doing what was safe and predictable, I decided it was okay to throw logic out the window (So, wait. Cami’s not a demon, then?)
And besides. I just really like the pie punchline.
As far as the movies themselves go, I really have no interest in seeing either of them.
Hereafter seems like Eastwood’s attempt at confronting his own mortality. Based on reviews, it kind of sounds like he failed the test by making a film with a sappy “I’m okay, you’re okay, you’re never alone message.” I don’t fault him for it. I think that’s exactly the kind of message an octogenarian would WANT to promote. It brings comfort.
But I don’t buy it.
Maybe experience hasn’t beaten cynicism out of me yet. But sometimes death is abrupt, meaningless and confusing. Frankly, whenever you try to attach religious dogma to death in an effort to explain it, you’re not really addressing the absurdity of it.
Maybe I should reserve judgment until I see the movie. Maybe Peter Morgan’s script answers some of those concerns. I don’t know. But based on what I’ve seen of the film and the reviews I’ve read so far, it doesn’t sound like something I’m ideologically aligned with.
Paranormal Activity 2 was the big box office winner this weekend, taking in $41.5 million. I never saw the original because I TOTALY buy into the conceit that your mind can always come up with something far more terrifying than a filmmaker could ever show. The original Paranormal Activity – with it’s locked-down, single camera aesthetic – played that to the hilt.
From the sound of it, Paranormal Activity 2 didn’t fall into the same trap that Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows fell into. But at the same time, I’m wondering why Hollywood can’t leave well enough alone.
Part of the reason the original Paranormal Activity did so well because was because of the innovation it inspired due to a limited budget. Unknown actors, minimal effects, AMAZING concept and execution. Hollywood should be making more films like this rather than repackaging experiences we’re already familiar with.
I understand that making movies requires a large investment and producers are looking for a sure thing to recoup any potential financial losses. But creativity doesn’t grow when you do the same thing over and over again.
Look at me. Should I have used a tired “startled awake from a dream” punchline that I’ve used a dozen times before or a zinger from out of left-field about pie?
On second thought, that’s not a very good example.
Did anyone see Paranormal Activity 2 or Hereafter2 this weekend? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!
[ 18 Comments ]
