Posts Tagged ‘job’
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Back on the clock again. Hope everyone is well.
Drawing today’s strip was weird. I was thrown all off my schedule. My wife was having this party Tuesday night at our house. And since Tuesday night is usually when I draw Wednesday’s strip, I need to put it together a day earlier.
It’s got me all messed up. I feel like this week is moving in reverse.
If there has every been a weird point of pride to being an Iowan, knowing someone like Ashton Kutcher can make it in Hollywood makes me feel a little better about being from The Hawkeye State.
I mean, you can kind of tell by looking at him that this is the kind of guy who probably coasted through high school on his looks and maybe isn’t all that bright. Really not too different from the character he plays on That 70’s Show. I mean, he dropped out of college to be an actor and was sweeping Cherrio’s dust at the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids before being discovered. And this to me makes it all the more marvelous.
Keep in mind that Elijah Wood is also from Iowa. In fact, I think he came from Cedar Rapids, too. The talent scouts in that town must have it going on!
Regardless, you may be some backwater tyke with freaky big eyes and a disproportionate head, but one day, you could be the bearer of THE ONE RING. Something to think about.
I’m stepping out early on the blog today. Take it easy, everyone.
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For any of my co-workers that might check this site, I don’t want them to think that today’s comic is an autobiographical reflection of how I view the workplace. On the contrary, I really like my job – so my take-home stress is marginal. I just wanted to do a comic with Cami in it where she had a chance to play a more positive role. This, as opposed to the more scolding archetype I’ve cast her in of late. She’s more nurturing in real life and I wanted to focus on that.
Plus, it’s fun just to do a quiet character piece from time to time!
This week’s new movie releases look pretty thin. Did they really need to make a sequel to Agent Cody Banks?
Not sure what I’m going to do with myself this weekend. Cami will be out of town visiting The Mall of America ™ in Minnesota with her Mom and her sister. Jared is going out of town visting friends and my parents are skipping town for a brief visit to Kansas City. I wish I could say I had more people to hang out with, but that’s pretty much it. I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands this weekend.
I have a haircut and an oil change for my car lined up for Saturday, but after that, who knows.
I noticed that Schindler’s List came out on DVD yesterday. Is it shameful to admit I haven’t seen it? I was 13 when it came out in theaters, and no one would take me to see it. By the time it was out on video, everyone I knew who *had* seen it said it was too depressing to sit through again. A great movie, no doubt. But too painful to experience repeatedly.
It’s probably time for me to right the wrong of never seeing Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece. I should look into that for Saturday night…
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So since today’s comic was about unemployment and also since the season premier of The Apprentice 2 was broadcast last night, I decided to do a little homage to that narcissist we all love to hate – Donald Trump! It’s today’s buzzComix incentive sketch. Click here to view it.
So Jimmy has lost his job. This is part three of the potentially 9 part story. Depends how well it’s being received I suppose. It’ll go on at least until next Friday. If you have thoughts about it, you can always share them in the THorum.
Jimmy’s always been the optimistic one of the bunch. You can see it reflected in Monday’s strip and the third panel of today’s comic. Kinda sucks that he’s getting the short end of the stick, don’t you think? All he wanted to do was work hard!
Where will Jimmy go? What will he do next? Check back on Monday for the exciting… continuation!
Still not much to talk about movie-wise. The theaters aren’t serving up much that I’m interested in. Pretty much the only new films of interest this weekend are Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Cellular.
I know a lot of people are probably going to hate me for this, but I think the RE franchise looks pretty stupid. I haven’t seen the first one all the way through. I caught part of it on cable and had to turn it off because it was so dumb. The sequel doesn’t look that much better to me. I’m not bolstered by the fact that the original’s director and writer Paul W.S. Anderson came back and wrote the sequel (it’s being lensed by first-time director Alexander Witt). Anderson should just have the work “HACK” tattooed across his forehead and be done with it.
I don’t really care much for star Milla Jovovich, either. Model-turned-actress isn’t one of the more inspiring job transitions in my book. I think she’s pretty effective in comedies like Zoolander and Dazed and Confused. Maybe because her screen time is limited to a few minutes.
But for most of you, it won’t matter. She’s hot, right? And it’s all about hot babes killing zombies with big explosions. I’ve never been a fan of zombie flicks (Romero’s Night of the Living Dead notwithstanding, of course) and the whole Eastern Block, sunken-eyed model look of Jovovich doesn’t light my fire, either.
The only other new movie to mention this week is Cellular. I think the advertisements for this flick make it look incredibly dumb, but I guess it’s been getting good reviews. Both Ebert & Roeper seemed to like it, although I don’t know how much faith to put in them. Supposedly they keep that action moving at a fast enough clip that you don’t stop to think about the glaring plot holes.
I just find it funny that writer Larry Cohen’s last writing credit was the Colin Farrell thriller Phone Booth. I’m beginning to think this guy must be on the payroll of the telecommunications industry…
So, anyway. That’s what the weekend looks like. I’m probably going to avoid the theaters altogether this weekend. I’m just pretending that the same world-ending zombie virus has infected all the movie houses in town. It makes them easier to avoid and dulls the heartache just a little bit.
See you here on Monday!
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Today’s buzzComix incentive sketch really has nothing to do with today’s comic. It’s just a bit of still life I did while watching Truman sleep. Click here to view it.
I don’t know why I was compelled to draw it. I guess I’m trying to evolve my style a little bit. Looking at stuff like the Sketch Dump over at Penny Arcade is pretty good motivation. Incidentally, congratulations to Mike and his wife on the birth of their son Gabriel. The pictures are great and I thought Jerry’s introduction was very heartfelt and mature.
But back to the comic at hand…
We’re in the middle of a storyline right now. If you’d like to go back to the beginning of the arc, just click here and it will whisk you a way to a week ago when all this tomfoolery first started. Do you have any opinions on the story so far? You know you can always leave your comments in the THorum. I hang out there quite regularly, so I’m pretty sure to see them.
As things are shaping up, I don’t think I’ll be able to cap off this arc by Friday. So it’s likely that the story will extend into next week. I know that might divert my coverage of up-and-coming movies, but I’ll still talk about the new releases in the blog. So watch this space for updates.
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If you’re noticing a slight refinement in the look of the strip, that’s intentional. Over the weekend, I bought Ben Caldwell’s Action! Cartooning and I’ve been putting some of his tips to good use.
If you’re an artist working in this medium (web comics, print comics, napkin doodles, what have you) I strongly suggest picking up this book. Unlike most “How-to’s”, Ben’s book actually SHOWS you how to with some very helpful instructions. This as opposed to showing a picture and saying “Copy this.” He really does a good job walking you through it. The book is less than ten bucks, so it’s well worth the money.
I originally had my eye on the book over at Amazon.com, but came across it at my local Barne’s and Noble, so you should be able to find it there in case you’re the immanent type and can’t wait for something to be shipped to you.
I guess I picked up Ben’s book to try and introduce a little more polish to my artwork. My overall goal is to start getting the characters to look a little less like each other and more like individuals. I think it’s going to be a slow transition. Partially because I’m still learning and partially because I don’t want to make any design changes so jarring that it sours your taste for Theater Hopper. I’ll leave that to the clumsy writing and occasional political grandstanding.
At any rate, it’s the direction that I’m going…
In slightly movie related news, Cami was channel surfing last night and came across a documentary on A&E called Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. Incidentally, this is the same documentary that will be appearing on the supplemental disc when the Star Wars trilogy is released to DVD on September 21.
I have to admit, the documentary was really good. They spend the first 45 minute detailing the difficulty bringing A New Hope to screens in the summer of 1977 and a little less time on the subsequent movies. But they did a really good job uncovering some facts that I wasn’t already aware of as well as getting interviews with the entire cast and high profile figures on the production side.
I was excited that the original trilogy was finally making its way to DVD, but I wasn’t planning on being the first in line September 21. I mean, I still haven’t picked up the Indiana Jones trilogy yet!
But now I’m kind of rethinking my position. Part of my apprehension was the cost, the hype and the fact that I’ve seen these movies dozens of times. I’m ready to see a cut with better picture and sound of course, but I was in no big hurry.
Seeing this documentary on Sunday night has lead me to believe that the supplemental materials could be worth the price of admission alone. If the other goodies they’ve packed into the boxed set are half as good, I’ll be satisfied.
You should really keep an eye on A&E in the coming weeks and try and catch a repeat Empire of Dreams. If you were a little on the fence about things like I was, it’ll definitely remind you about why you fell in love with Star Wars in the first place.
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The Des Moines Register – Iowa’s largest daily newspaper – is looking for applicants for a new team of community movie reviewers.
I am totally gunning for this job.
The initial requirements are kind of tricky. They want you to submit a review of 100 words or less before they select the best reviews and post them online for readers to vote on. The most well-received reviewers get a spot on the team.
Part of me thinks I have the inside track on this. Theater Hopper already appears in Juice – a weekly youth publication put together by members of the The Des Moines Register’s existing staff. Also, I know the guy who is accepting submissions. I actually used to write for him on a freelance basis a few years ago reviewing concerts for The Register. The devil you know, right? How can they overlook me?
But the real ace in the hole is going to be you guys. After Cami and I see Reign Over Me this weekend, I’m going to burn lean tissue putting together a tight review so it’s a lock for the online voting round. When my review is posted, I’m going to call on your support to put me over the top. I know we can do it together.
Keep your eyes peeled!
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As you can probably tell from today’s comic, I kind of have something against Rush Hour 3.
Okay, maybe not the movie. It’s unfair to pass judgment on something I haven’t seen. But I feel I can certainly pass judgment on the antics of it’s cast and director.
There’s something inherently wrong about Chris Tucker being paid $25 million (that’s a $20 million payday with back end percentages) in a deal that makes him more valuable than proven A-listers who have been in the business 20 years or more. Tell you what, Chris – do a movie OTHER than a Rush Hour film, and we’ll talk. Until then, you’re still firmly on the B-list in my mind.
I guess more power to you if you can fool the studio into thinking you’re worth it, but will audiences fall for it? The first Rush Hour was fine. The second one was a little better. But that was six years ago! Does anyone still care?
What I find most distasteful are the trailers with Roman Polanski as a French detective. If you’ve seen it, then you’ve seen the whole rubber glove/cavity search bit, then you get the gist of it. Apparently Polanski’s character is supposed to be “comically sadistic” and performs “terrible acts” on Tucker and Jackie Chan.
If you know anything about Polanski and his troubles with the law here in America in the late 1970’s, you know that he was indited for rape and fled to France where he has avoided extradition. I won’t go into the details of his charges, but you can read about it here.
My point is any movie lowbrow enough to cast Roman Polanski in this winking manner is a movie that is giving me less and less reasons to see it.
That’s a very specific thing to be outraged by and I recognize that the dichotomy will be lost on most people. To the general movie-going audience, it’ll just be another action-comedy romp. But to me, it looks like nothing but a fast grab for cash.
Switching gears, I’m busy getting ready for Wizard World Chicago this weekend. If you’re going to be in the area, I’ll be exhibiting on Artist’s Alley at table 3704 B. I’ll be hard to miss because I’ll be hanging out with my web comic buddies Zach Miller from Joe and Monkey, Joe Dunn and the rest of the Digital Pimp Online Crew and our mutual friend, Taki Soma. Rumor has it that Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex and Brandon J. Carr formerly of The Kenmore will be hanging around, although not exhibiting in an official capacity. I think Joe, Gordon and I are going to try and record an impromptu Triple Feature podcast to post to TalkShoe next Monday. So keep your eyes peeled for our little con report!
You’ll want to swing by my booth because I’ll be giving away free DVD’s to anyone who buys $50 or more in merchandise. So that’s a nice little incentive!
Speaking of buying things, as you guys are aware, Theater Hopper celebrated it’s 5th year anniversary on Sunday. So, in honor of the fans, I’m slashing prices on the Theater Hopper: Year One and Theater Hopper: Year Two books. Now, instead of buying them for $15, you can get them for $10. And if you bundle them together, you can save a buck and get them both for $19.
The promotion only lasts until Friday, so if you want to take advantage of the deal, act now!
As a side note, it’s been interesting to see the slight uptick in t-shirt sales this week. That’s smart thinking, savvy shoppers. Because I’m taking my entire shirt inventory to Chicago. So I can’t make any promises that I’ll have the design you want in the size you want once I get back. If you’ve had your eye on any shirts, now is the time to place your order. I’ll set them aside for you.
Remember, you can always bundle t-shirts together with books or other shirts for more savings!
That about does it for me tonight. There will be a guest strip from my good friend Rex on Friday since I will be “out of the office,” as it were. Rex does a great comic called Make with The Funny that you should check out if you want a little preview of the action that’s to come.
Real quick, thanks to everyone that have sent messages of congratulations and support on the five year anniversary and also thanks to those of you who have been sending in suggestions on how we can fight spammers in the comments section! I would really hate to see the comments section go, so we’re going to do what we can to try and salvage it.
If you have any thoughts about how we can fend off the spammer horde, send me an e-mail and have a great Wednesday!
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