I think for a lot of you, panel two will be worth the price of admission alone. But let’s keep our eye on the ball here, people! Kangaroo Jack was the number one movie in the country last weekend! WHAT HAPPENED?!
I swear, you go away to Minneapolis for ONE weekend…
Honestly, I about dropped a stone when I read how this dung heap stole the top spot in box office. $17.7 million dollars in three days. That’s pretty good by anyone’s rule book. Just think of all the quality films that will never see that in an entire theatrical run. The Pianist, for example. Right now, Jerry O’Connell is somewhere laughing at all of us.
I’d like to think people paid good money for this dreck because there was some sort of national amnesia that prevented consumers from remembering other celluloid turkey’s from “Down Under”. The faint recollection of any Paul Hogan movie should have jolted any sensible movie-goer into screaming out of the theater.
Maybe ol’ George Dubya is spiking the water supply in preparation for war with Iraq. This weekend was just a test run to see how well the masses follow orders. Just now I can picture television sets across the nation broadcasting hidden subliminal messages behind an episode of Friends.
“You will see Kangaroo Jack. You will enjoy this fine piece of cinema.”
At this point, all I can muster is a sick shudder.
In other news…
I decided to update the poll there in the upper right hand corner of the blog. In our previous poll, I asked “What Do You Like Most About Theater Hopper?” Of the 153 of you that replied, a whopping 73% like the strip the most. 8% like the blog, 7% like the consistency, other 7% liked the writing, 3% enjoy “other” (care to elaborate?) and about 1% like the art – which is kind of redundant if you like the strip.
The remaining options – the reviews, bonus material and about page – all raked in a fraction of a percent. Meanwhile, the lonely links section scored a big goose egg.
I wasn’t really expecting anyone to say that the links section was their favorite part of the site. So maybe it would have been more scientific to inquire what you like LEAST about the site. It would also seem to make sense that I would run that poll today so I’d know where to trim the fat off of the site. But I’m not doing that, because that would be predictable.
What I was most surprised by was how much writing and consistency was valued. To say you like “the strip” sort of implies that you like the whole package. But to say you appreciate the writing or the consistency says “These are specific aspects of the strip that I value. I want more of this!” So that’s something I’m going to stick to over the long haul.
In regard to the new poll, I’m beginning to explore revenue-earning options. The site is at the stage now where I feel we have a pretty strong following. I’ve exhausted just about every available resource in terms of making the site known to the public (trading links, crossovers, making my presence felt on message boards) and am thinking about producing some extra material for the fans.
How this will shape up, I don’t know. I can say that I like the way Penny Arcade does things with their Club PA promotion. Donate what you think is fair, and we’ll send you something extra. At this point, I’m just asking if you could donate, what would you like in return. Click the link beneath the poll for more information.
Thanks again for making this all worthwhile.
First things first. Can’t forget to feed the monkey. Please vote for Theater Hopper at BuzzComix. We’ve slipped down the list a little ways after being in the second spot on the list for a short while. I know we can rally the troops! And I think you’ll be extra-pleased with today’s incentive voting graphic!
Not much going on with this comic other than how I’m still flabbergasted that such a ridiculous movie like You Got Served could claim the top of the box office this weekend. It’s like I said in Monday’s blog, it’s the Kangaroo Jack of 2004. A film that has no business being foisted upon a mass audience and here it is raking in the dough.
I think the only reason You Got Served did any business is because of the lousy winter weather across the country affecting people’s judgment. I know I’m a little loopy after shoveling my driveway 8 times in 8 days. My forearms are screaming in pain.
Hopefully Barbershop 2 can knock it off it’s perch this weekend. I never got around to seeing the original, but it looks funny as hell. I hope the sequel doesn’t disappoint.
Everyone should take a moment to visit our newest sponsor Exterminatus Now! Using character models from the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, it has a great hand drawn style – very cartoonish, but sharp and detailed. It’s a web comic I think is well worth your time. It updates every Friday. Check it out!
That’s it for now. Sorry I don’t have more amusing anecdotes, but I think all the Excedrin I’m taking for muscle pain is thinning the blood going to my brain.
Sorry for the lateness of this week’s comic. Originally the comic was delayed because I was clubbed upside the head by a killer cold that I picked up from Pearl. I guess being around a sick baby for 5 days will catch up with you eventually.
Pearl’s been a challenge for us lately because she keeps getting ear infections. Last week, she was waylaid by double ear infections and some kind of bronchial issue that resulted in her being prescribed a nebulizer. On top of that, we’re pretty sure she was cutting a few molars.
So she couldn’t hear, had trouble breathing and wasn’t eating. It was a blast. Add into the mix Henry’s fourth birthday and a trip to the germ farm known as Chuck E. Cheese and it all caught up with me.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my kids. Sometimes it’s just hard to keep up, y’know?
We are particularly motivated to get Pearl well because this Friday she is having tubes put in to deal with her chronic ear infections. So the gauntlet has been thrown down in front of me to be a helpful, engaged parent while simultaneously staying out of my daughter’s face out of fear we’ll get her sick before the operation. Stressful.
Anyway, I hope today’s double comic makes up for all the drama in my life. It actually would have gone up late last night, but the Theater Hopper server kept returning 500 errors. Such is life.
The path to this comic was kind of an interesting one that started on Twitter. Thinking about I Am Number Four, I came up with a comic rather quickly. Specifically, I intended to make some kind of poop joke or allude to how childish making a “number two” reference would be – similar to what Cami does in the second panel here. “Number Four,” “number two…” It writes itself.
Anyway, I alluded to my punchline on Twitter and people pretty much predicted right away what I was planning on doing. What unfolded was a unique bit of crowdsourcing that transformed today’s comic into the monster you see today.
Originally, my webcomic buddy Brandon J. Carr chimed in with the Riker reference from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He quickly followed that up with a Johnny Number Five reference from Short Circuit.
A little latter, Phil Hofer – otherwise known as Comicpress genius Frumph – tossed out the idea to include 9 from the movie 9. The rest, as they say, is history.
I’ll give myself a little credit, though. The “Disassemble?” punchline – that was all me.
Yeah, so what if other people practically wrote 90% of the comic?! THAT PUNCHLINE IS MINE, BABY!
Anyway, credit where credit is due. Thanks to Brandon and Phil for the assist. It was a lot of fun going back and forth with them last Friday on Twitter. I don’t work in a big fancy studio with a bunch of creative types that allows me to brainstorm genius ideas. Twitter is the next best thing.
As for I Am Number Four… well, I guess you can discern from the comic that I really have nothing important to say about it. Sometimes it’s just more fun to go out on a tangent. But if YOU saw the movie this weekend, please feel free to leave your comments below!
Thanks again for your patience and understanding regarding the tardiness of the comic. Be sure to check the Bonus Materials blog during the week for more movie-related updates!