Take a close look at an Oscar sometime. That’s not a letter opener he’s carrying!

Seriously, why does the mascot that represents the pinnacle of American motion picture achievement carry an implement of destruction? We truly are a violent society, aren’t we?

Hopefully you guys are checking the site for the second installment of our week-long story line. I had a big blog post explaining things on Monday, but apparently the message was devoured by the commenting system and I lost it. I feel like I’m saying this twice, but if you didn’t see it – It’s New To You!

The story behind this generous bit of extra comicry goes back to the inception of the site. Even though I take very little personal satisfaction from the annual Academy Award presentation, it’s pretty much the Super Bowl of the film genre. As such, I don’t feel I’ve ever written a joke or told a story that could somehow mirror the enormity (culturally) of the event. I was categorize previous attempts as sub par.

So I decided to sit down and really concentrate my efforts into doing an Oscar story line that had a little more meat on it’s bones. The result was yesterday and today’s comic and will continue into Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I’m really excited about it, so I want to get it out there and share it with you.

Honestly, I’m psyched about the last panel in today’s strip. It’s been a lot of fun playing with the chrome effects and shading. Li’l ole Oscar looks shiny and deadly!

I want to remind everyone of the two new shirt designs that are on sale in the store as well as the return of the fan-favorite "Spoiler" design. Pre-orders are being collected right now and will continue to be collected until Wednesday, March 8. That means you have a week and a day to get your order in! Don’t forget!

I also wanted to clue you guys in on the new front page layout we have going on. I went into more detail about it on Friday, but the big news is our new month-long sponsorships for $10. It’s a sweet deal. You give me $10 and I promote you for a month. If you want more specifics about the arrangement, you can read about them here.

You have to give props to No Offense Taken for being the first to take advantage of it. Of course, how can you be surprised when their business acumen is as intelligent as their comic. They had a really great Nothing Nice To Say cameo in the last few strips that I know fans of Theater Hopper will appreciate.

Not much news beyond that. I’m a little tired. It’s been a while since I’ve done a week’s worth of strips. Actually, not since January of last year – when I tried to jump start the Charlie-introduction storyline. Yikes!

But I think this one is going to be a good one. I’m really proud of the twists and turns I’ve written into it. I hope you guys enjoy it.