Posts Tagged ‘Tom Cruise’
15 items.
I tried to draw a picture of Tom Cruise in a business suit holding up a samurai sword based off a still I found from The Last Samurai. It didn’t turn out very well. So if you don’t feel like voting for Theater Hopper at Webcomics List today, I won’t hold it against you. After all, we ∗are∗ at the number one spot right now, so we can rest on our laurels a little bit!
Everyone seems to have an opinion about the romance he seems to have sparked with erstwhile resident of Dawson’s Creek – Katie Holmes. However, it seems that conventional wisdom dictates that the relationship is a sham. A shameless publicity stunt to help cook up interest in both Thespians upcoming June releases – War of the Worlds and Batman Begins, respectively.
Although I am largely a cynic, my greatest weakness is the notion of romantic love. So I find myself playing Devil’s Advocate and imagining reasons why the union of TomKat ∗isn’t∗ manically devised and orchestrated to be intentional ttabloid fodder.
Also, I hate siding with conventional wisdom.
For me, it’s all about motive. I can certainly understand why Holmes would want to hitch her wagon to Cruise. It’s what’s typically known in the industry as “dating up.” She has nothing to lose by being seen with him and it certainly raises her profile in relation to the other actors starring in Batman Begins.
Among the principal cast, you have Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman. Maybe co-star Cillian Murphy’s (as The Scarecrow) stock is among the same caliber and audiences certainly aren’t as familiar with Ken Wantanabe (as Ra’s Al Ghul). But ultimately, when people hear there’s a new Batman movie coming out, they aren’t saying “Hey, isn’t that the new Katie Holmes movie?” Now we’re thinking twice…
Now on the other side of the isle, what does Tom Cruise get out of this? Certainly publicity for War of the Worlds isn’t an issue. If Cruise’s name on the marquee doesn’t attract ticket buyers, than certainly Steven Spielberg as director will. It doesn’t hurt that the material they’re covering is a sci-fi classic.
So what possible benefit could there be for an A-list celebrity to date a B-list, or possible C-list celebrity nearly 16 years his junior? Why go on the Oprah Winfery show, act like a loon and have people start questioning your sanity?
Then again, the better question might be “Why would you ever leave Nicole Kidman in the first place?” But I digress.
Accessing the conspiracy theory corner of my brain, I imagine a situation where Tom and Katie met each other at some kind of ritzy Hollywood shin-dig, got to talking and realized how hilarious it would be if the two of them got together.
Realizing that the press and the majority of American’s would view their relationship as a stunt, they would play it up to the hilt. Lavish attention on each other at movie premieres, act bizarre with members of the press when questioned about it and even lob about rumors of marriage to really bring things to a boil.
Then after both War of the Worlda and Batman Begins premier in theaters, they would issue a joint press conference and admit to the world that – yes – their time together WAS a publicity stunt. It was all part of an elaborate scheme to expose the folly of “entertainment journalism” and the country fell for it hook, line and sinker.
But stepping away from that theory, I realize that the public backlash against being hoodwinked to such a degree would be enormous and the careers of both actors would probably be squashed immediately.
As such, I have to resign myself to the possibility that the TomKat relationship is not a stunt. Just another slight of hand by Cruise’s team of image manipulators to further convince the country that their client isn’t gay.
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In light of the revelation that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are now engaged, I feel as though my comic from last Wednesday is somewhat prophetic.
It certainly doesn’t seem strange that Cruise would propose the week Holmes’ movie opens and the week before War of the Worlds hits theaters, does it?
Please note heavy sarcasm.
If you’d like a little insight (or conjecture, based on where you stand) about how thoroughly creepy the whole TomKat affair has become, Jeffery Wells’ Hollywood Elsewhere column from this Wednesday is an interesting read.
And while we’re taking trips in the Way-back Machine, I thought you guys might get a kick out of revisiting this comic from September 15, 2003. It was a strip commenting on the announcement of Christian Bale being cast as the new Batman.
This is one of my personal favorite strips. Look how far we’ve come!
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Explosions really do make things better.
Are Cami and I really thinking about boycotting Tom Cruise and Stephen Spielberg’s newest sci-fi horror remake The War of the Worlds? Let me tell you – it’s crossed our mind.
This is kind of a weird thing to proclaim. Particularly in the light that I am a fairly large Spielberg fan and had begrudgingly come to respect Cruise as an actor in the last few years. I enjoyed what he did with the character of Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia. I thought the intensity he brought to Vincent in Collateral was layered and made a lot of sense. Hell, I was one of like, FIVE people who really enjoyed The Last Samurai.
But in light of his progressive meltdown taking place in front of any camera he gets in front of, Cruise has repulsed me to the point that I don’t much feel like supporting his latest effort.
I know, big deal, right? As if my paltry 8 bucks is going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things? War of the Worlds is one of THE tent pole flicks of the summer. A sure-fire blockbuster that brings together one of America’s most popular actors and one of its most popular directors.
At this point my disgust really has nothing to do with his laughable “engagement” to Katie Holmes. It has nothing to do with his beliefs as a Scientologist. It has nothing to do with the highly misinformed sparring matches he’s having with the press over the practice of psychiatry. At the end of the day, it comes down to one thing: Cruise is a smug bastard who DESERVES to be taken down a few pegs.
There seem to be very few people who can break the meniscus of Cruise’s very small world and let him know what everyday people think about him. His level of denial is deeper than a Nuremberg war criminal. It doesn’t help much that most people in the media continue to kiss his ass because he’s “Mr. Hollywood” and is good for ratings.
I think the other shoe dropped when Cruise appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman last week and Dave crawled so far up his ass I could barely see that gap-toothed grin.
It all had to do with the recent events in London where Cruise was squirted with water from a disguised microphone while at the UK premiere of War of the Worlds. Letterman applauded Cruise for not beating the crap out of the offending prankster and showing true composure.
Okay, points there. Because if he had taken a swing at the guy, it would have looked bad. But in all honesty, I got a real kick out watching it all go down. In turn, watching Letterman effuse his admiration of Cruise resulted in me losing a lot of respect for him. This was the guy who is ALL ABOUT taking celebrities down a few pegs with a few cutting remarks when they’re sitting right in front of him. All of a sudden he goes soft?
Then I realized it wasn’t Letterman’s fault. It’s the Culture of Celebrity. Cruise is high-profile right now and not just because of the movie. If you can snag him while he’s on his promotional rounds, that’s gonna bring great ratings because you don’t know what he’ll say or do next. Don’t piss him off or else he might not come back next time. NBC should FTD Cruise a basket of flowers for all the attention he brought to The Today Show after his spat with Matt Lauer.
But kissing Cruise’s ass doesn’t solve the problem, it makes it worse. Because it continues the notion that his public outbursts are acceptable. Getting sprayed in the face with water was the public saying “No it’s not.”
Don’t get me wrong. The implications of the water-squirting incident are really scary for a public figure. Because if someone can get that close to you and humiliate you that thoroughly, what are the odds the next guy will be a real nut who might try to take you out?
By no means do I wish any harm to befall the guy. Because despite how loony tunes he appears in public, no one deserves to have their safety threatened.
But at the same time, you can’t jump on couches, deride psychiatry, get engaged to someone after 10 weeks under questionable circumstances and not expect some kind of backlash.
The water-squirting incident was benign enough as to not frighten people while simultaneously being the utmost effectiveness tactic in knocking Cruise down a few pegs. It’s like throwing a cream pie at Ann Coulter or Bill Gates. It clearly communicates, “We don’t like what you’re doing. You’re abusing your status as a celebrity/commentator/entrepreneur/whatever.” It’s a way to punctuate the contrary opinion that isn’t being absorbed within the target’s circle of influence.
And, in its own way, reserving my entertainment dollar and saving it for something other than War of the Worlds is my cream pie in the face of Tom Cruise.
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Oct07
Tom is all man, baby. Borderline offensively so!
I was going to do a comic today about the new Ryan Reynolds movie Wating… but the news of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes pregnancy was too good to pass out. Odd, isn’t it that Tom and Cami can only seemingly have discussion about Tom-Kat’s love life in public?
That aside, I know that I’m kind of skirting the line of good taste with today’s comic, but felt the need to shake things up a little bit.
I also want to make it clear that today’s comic is not a swipe against homosexuals. So it’s understood, I do not consider the relationships of consenting adults any of my business.
What today’s comic is really about is nothing more than outrageous reactions based on rumors. The whole "Tom Cruise is gay" thing isn’t anything new. It’s been floating around Hollywood for years. Don’t ask me why.
I can see why maybe Cruise was defensive to the insinuation back in the 80’s when the spectre of AIDS was looming about. After Rock Hudson died, people weren’t very sympathetic to gay people in the public spotlight.
And even though I think we live in (slightly) more enlightened times, I can kind of understand why Cruise would take to suing each and every person or publication that says he’s gay because now that the lie has gotten so big, coming out of the closet now would significantly damage his reputation as an action star. Plus any good will he’s racked up with audiences over the years.
For the record, I don’t even know if he ∗IS∗ gay. Really, it’s not my business. But ever since that awkward "love" scene he did with his then wife Nicole Kidman in 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut and there were rumors Cruise had to hire a coach to learn how to be passionate on screen with his real-life spouse, the din of speculation is getting louder and louder. All the suing he did didn’t help, either.
Fast forward to the middle of the first decade in the 21st century and he’s engaged to an actress 16 years his junior after 4 months of courtship. She now pregnant with his child – something not accomplished with Kidman as the two children from that relationship are adopted – and the delivery date coinciding with the release of Mission Impossible III on May 17, 2006… Well, excuse me if it all looks a little suspicious.
Maybe it’s just a run-of-the-mill string of publicity stunts. Maybe it has nothing to do with Cruise being gay or not gay. Honestly, it doesn’t make any difference to me. I wouldn’t care if Cruise were gay any more than if you were gay or my cousin were gay.
What I ∗don’t∗ like is the idea that being labeled "gay" to Cruise is as defamitory as being called a murderer or a kidnapper. His proclivity to sue represents the notion that there is something inherently wrong with homosexuality which I do not agree with.
Don’t bother arguing me on this point. With all sincerity, you could talk to me until you’re blue in the face about why homosexuality is wrong or why racism or sexism or ageism are acceptable modes of thinking and I would do my best to listen and to understand where you’re coming from. But no amount of conviction on your part would get me to change my mind about the immutable, simple human rights that I believe everyone should be afforded. You have your beliefes, I have mine. We don’t have to be on the same page, but we can at least respect each other’s ability to come to our own conclusions.
This has been an old-school rant brought to you by the letter "R." I hope you enjoyed it. If you have thoughts about the controversy or lack thereof, please take it into the THorum rather than e-mail me. I’m putting some pretty strong views out in public and would prefer the chance to address them publicly should the need arise.
Come back later today for some important news about the future of the Theater Hopper store.
Thanx.
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Kind of ironic that a comic titled "Avoidance Plan" didn’t see a blog post until nearly 10:00 the night of the strip, eh?
Sincere apologies for my tardiness. It was just one of those days where life got in the way. It seemed to take a really long time to put together the comic last night and by the time I was done, it was 2:00 in the morning and I wasn’t in the shape to write. Work was crazy hectic, so I didn’t have time to write a blog over lunch. Then, when I got home, Cami needed the computer to write her final paper in her accounting class. So I haven’t been near the site all day!
So, again – my bad and thanks for your patience.
I have a bunch of site things I wanted to talk about. First things first – as always – the book pre-order. Sales are somewhat steady, but not exactly where I would like to see them at this point. So I’m extending this offer:
ALL ORDERS SUBMITTED DURING THE PRE-ORDER PERIOD WILL BE REWARDED WITH A BOOK SIGNING AND A NUMBERED, ORIGINAL SKETCH.
I understand that the whole pre-order thing is kind of scary. I know some of you are holding out because you don’t know if the book is going to get produced. It’s a totally "chicken and the egg" argument. Without your support and the money you pledge through your pre-order, I can’t produce the book. So it’s up to you guys to help me make this happen.
For those of you who have already pre-ordered, don’t worry. The offer is retroactive. And since the original sketches are numbered, that means those of you who ordered first get the lower numbers! Pretty cool, huh? That’s your reward for lining up first.
Original sketches will be available for as long as the pre-order is being conducted on the site. How long will that be? I’m not saying. Because that means I would have to tell you exactly how large the pre-order number has to be and I don’t want to reveal that. Some of you might see that number and think, "Oh, that’s not very many books. I’ll wait." I don’t want you to wait. I want you to order now because I need you to realize that the pre-order could end at any time.
So, anyway – that’s the new deal. Pre-order your book today and not only will I sign your copy, but I throw in a numbered, original sketch. It’s a hard deal to beat.
The next bit of site news I would like to address are our new sponsors! Say "hello" to each and all!
Random Pirate Comics – Is it really as random as it seems? It can’t be. This web comic is too funny. Check it out!
Digital Entertainment News – One of my most favorite video-game review sites. Seems like they’re adding content hourly! Lots of great game reviews and not just the big titles. Obscure stuff, too. And a lot of next-gen coverage, which is nice for someone like me who still can’t pronounce "Wii."
Big Pond – They’re not talking about the Atlantic Ocean, are they? Okay, they’re not. But I’m really enjoying this unique journal comic. The Devil Duckie is a nice touch.
The Uber Bean – College classes and online gaming. Is there nothing better?
Font Garden – Mary, Mary quite contrary – how do your fonts grow? If you’re looking for new and unique fonts like I am, check this site out. It’s the bee’s knees!
So those are all the latest sponsors. All the ad spots are filled for the moment, but we don’t have anyone waiting in the wings. So be sure to check the ad calendar to see when a spot will become available. Or reserve your spot now and claim it before anyone else does.
That’s about as much site stuff as I’m going to cram down your throat for one day.
Thanks again for checking back for the blog. I’ll try to do better on Wednesday!
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I couldn’t really figure out what somone with cynicism oozing from their pores might look like, but in this comic, I look positively diseased! I think this has to be the most unattractive rendering of myself in three and a half years of comics. What can I say? I’m under a lot of stress right now and I’ve decided to deal with it through the comic.
I’ve already been highly vocal about my suspicions surrounding the life-events of one Tom Cruise and the movies he’s promoting. How can you look at the birth of his child with Katie Holmes "premiering" three weeks ahead of Mission Impossibe: III a happy accident? It certainly gives him something to talk about when he makes the talk show promotional rounds!
Mark my words, there will be another big Tom Cruise announcement sometime this fall or winter to coincide with the DVD release of this picture. Divorce is the hard-line, hyper-cynical view. You’d have to have a Level 12 tollerance for that kind of cynicism. But I digress. I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced that they were pregnant with a second in time to hype things up a notch.
I have more thoughts about how we’re being marketed to on this one, but I want to save some thoughts for Friday’s comic.
One quick note about the book pre-sale – Since I announced the addition of a free numbered and original sketch for all pre-orders, you guys really perked up! I’m repeating it today in case anyone missed it due to my extreme late posting of Monday’s blog.
I’ll also mention that I am accepting guest strips. Cami and I will be on vacation from May 18 – 31 and I need a lot of comics to cover the gaps! So if you’re interested, please let me know!
Gonna close for now. Talk to you again real soon!
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This isn’t really the first time Tom has consulted religion (or at least his limited understanding of it.) Nor is it his first brush with existentialism. But when it comes to the matter of pop culture, it’s serious business and sometimes you need to look to a higher power.
I’ve personally been reading Entertainment Weekly since 1995 and I can remember the first issue I picked up. I was in Iowa City over the summer attending a two-week art camp at the University of Iowa. I was 17 and still in high school. It was great. We got to sleep in the dorms and we took classes ranging from photography, to oil painting and pottery.
But I digress. I picked up the magazine at the university bookstore and it had Val Kilmer on the cover in full costume for Batman Forever. I devoured the issue. And no, not because of the bat-nipples on the costume. Here was a magazine that was catered very well to my interest in the myriad of pop culture. Not just movies or music but television and books as well. I thought it was written exceptionally well and in a voice that spoke directly to me. 11 years later, I’m still reading it. If I had saved each of those issues, I surely would have become one of those people you read about who was found buried alive under all the garbage in their house that toppled over on them.
At any rate, I didn’t mean for this to be a giant endorsement of Entertainment Weekly. I’m not getting any kickbacks (but if anyone has connections!…) Just kidding. I’m just telling stories.
The pre-sale for the book is still going on. I’m feeling a little better about things. People seem to really like the idea of me signing the book and including a numbered original sketch with their orders. Of course, I would feel better if I could tell you I have all the orders I need and I was sending the artwork to the printer – but were still a ways off from that. So if you’re thinking about pre-ordering a book, do it today!
Also, don’t forget that I still have an open call for guest strips. I have a few people that have expressed interest and are working on things, but so far I don’t have enough to cover me while Cami and I are gone. I’m gonna need about 3 weeks worth of stuff, so if you have anything, send it in! Really the only limitation is to keep the artwork 525 pixels wide. Anything larger breaks the template of the site. But if you want to go longer, I’m okay with that! Black and white or color is okay. Just keep it tasteful (nothing worse than you might see in prime time network television) and I’ll roll with it!
I consulted my Magic Eight Ball and asked it if I see Mission Impossible 3 this weekend. I turned it over and it said "My sources tell me ‘No’." Part of the reason is because we’re having a big party at our house on Saturday to celebrate Cami earning her Master’s degree in Public Administration. A two-year struggle that’s finally come to a close. The other reason is that I’m pretty much over all of the hype and don’t feel like supporting Tom Cruise in any way, shape or form.
I’m not the only one. Tracking figures released Wednesday cite Mission Impossible 3 has 98% general awareness, 43% definite interest and 13% first choice. So, in other words, the marketing is doing it’s job by putting the film out there – but it doesn’t look like the majority of the audience is going to bite. There have been some initial good reviews. Some are calling it the best of the series. That’s good, I suppose. But it makes me wonder if the interest level in this film would be much more positive if people weren’t burnt out on the details of Cruise’s private life.
I like J.J. Abrams. I like Phillip Seymour Hoffman. If I see the movie, it’ll be for their talents. But from what I’ve read, Hoffman isn’t given very much screen time and the film seems to be edited in favor of Cruise. So, essentially, we end up with a movie abou a hero fighting a villian with no screen time. Sounds like cutting of your nose to save face. Which maybe what I’m doing by shunning the talents of those I like over those of one I don’t. But what can I say? I’m petty.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!
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Whether or not one could truly categorize at $48 three day take as "underwhelming" is probably subjective. For most movies, that would be an impressive haul. But I am happy to report with little shame that the media is already starting to pick appart Tom Cruise’s ability to draw a crowd at the box office with articles about Mission Impossible 3 failing to perform this weekend. As a sidebar, Entertainment Weekly has a cutting article questioning if Cruise is really worth what he’s being paid. Ouch!
Like I said, $48 million isn’t a bad take. But when compared to $58 million take of Mission Impossible 2 and the $65 million take of last year’s War of the Worlds, it’s not encouraging. If you factor inflation into the six-year period between Mission Impossible 2 and 3, it’s actually more like a $40 million take – which is even more sobering.
Since this percieved "failure" will strongly be making the media rounds for the next couple of days, Paramount Studios already has a few facts and figures thrown out to quell the storm. According to them, Mission Impossible 3 is Cruise’s third largest opening and it’s world-wide take was somewhere north of $118 million – up from Mission Impossible 2.
Personally, as much as I like to read about how Cruises antics has caused him to suffer in the minds of audiences, I think it’s probably a lot of hullaballo over nothing at this point. Reviews for Mission Impossible 3 have been positive. Some have called it the best of the series. So, who knows? Maybe positive word of mouth will turn it around.
Even if it doesn’t and the media succeeds in dropping Cruise to his knees, it’ll only serve to make a more remarkable comeback later on down the road. Would Cruise stop making films if Mission Impossible 3 became the financial indicate of his weakening draw? Of course not. He’d fine smaller movies. Bounce back. Maybe even win some awards.
In a perverse way, I’m wondering if this whole public erosion of audience confidence in Cruise as an action star wasn’t pre-meditated. Maybe I’m giving him too much credit, but can’t you picture Cruise hatching a plan to "kill" his action star persona so that he might re-invent himself as a different kind of actor? I think he’s dropped clues in performances from Born on the 4th of July and Magnoila that he’s capible of more than just running from explosions in slow motion. I think he’s trying to avoid becoming Harrison Ford – the guy who stuck around doing action pictures slightly past his prime. Maybe we’ve all been played for fools.
Then again, maybe not. I mean, Tom went on BET’s 106 & Park to promote Mission Impossible 3. Check out those dance moves!
WHAT?
At any rate, please keep in mind that the book pre-order is still going on. We’ve gotten a lot of orders, but we still need several more to raise the money for production costs! The faster you get your order in, the faster you’ll get your books!
In case you forget what you’re getting when you pre-order your book, it’s 200 pages in full color. 156 comics from the first year of Theater Hopper bring in production. BRAND NEW commentary on each comic that reflects on the evolution of the strip and how I got started. You won’t see this content appear anywhere else. This if for the book only! There are also 11 guest strips from that era and a six-part crossover I did with Movie Punks, as well.
DON’T FORGET! Each pre-order comes with a signed, original and numbered sketch from yours truly! Only a limited number of these sketches will be produced!
Additionally, I’m still taking guest strip submissions for a three week period that Cami and I will be out of the country. I plan on running the strips starting next Monday, May 12. At the very least, I need 9 strips to run with. Right now I have 4. So I need 5 more. If I end up with more than 9 strips, I’m going to run them along with the others. Maybe a full week of guest strips the last week we’re gone. Don’t worry – I give full credit plus links to any web sites to those that contribute, so it’s a good publicty opportunity for you up-and-comers out there. Anything you have, feel free to send along to theaterhopper@hotmail.com
Last, but not least, I just wanted to send out a quick "Hello" to the readers coming over here from Real Life. I know I dropped you on the book order page (it’s a bit of a priorty right now, as you can see) but hopefully you found your way to the front page. If you have time, be sure to check out our archive! Type in any movie you can think of. Chances are we’ve made fun of it!
Take a look around. If you like what you see, please consider buying a book. I know it’s a lot to ask if you’re new to the site, but Greg told me you guys are really good about supporting web comics in print – what with the book he had out for a while.
Thanks for giving Theater Hopper a chance!
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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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I don’t know how one starts a comic about Beowulf’s 3D glasses and wraps it up with a joke about mopping and waxing a wood floor, but by Jove I’ve done it!
Originally, my joke for this comic was about the warning on the package of the 3-D glasses handed out to the audience at the Digital 3-D or “Real D” (ugh) screenings of Beowulf. It instructed us not to wear the 3-D glasses as substitutes for sunglasses. The practical reason is because they wouldn’t offer and protection against HARMFUL U-V RAYS!!! But in the comic, I was going to make a joke about the glasses that they reveal something horrible about an individual that only the wearer could see. You know, like a reference to They Live. Very timely.
Of course, I don’t know if I’m winning any points in the timeliness department with my reference to Risky Business in today’s strip. But at least it’s slightly more well-known than They Live. I told Cami about the set up to this comic and she said “Will your readers even know what Risky Business is?”
I’m assuming if you’re here, you’re movie-savvy and if you haven’t seen the movie itself, you’ve at least familiar with the scene where Tom Cruise skids across the foyer in his tube socks, underwear lip synching Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock ‘n Roll.”
He doesn’t wear his Ray Ban’s in that scene, but he does in the movie poster.
That said, do the 3-D glasses from Beowulf really look like Ray Ban’s? You be the judge!
Okay, so maybe not. But it was the first thing I thought of.
(Man, this argument is crumbling all around me!)
Just ignore the glasses for a second and focus on the delightful banter between Tom and Cami in today’s strip. That’s probably what I’m most proud of. There’s always been a relationship angle to Theater Hopper that I like to think plays a little higher since Tom and Cami are married (just like in real life!) and that’s been something missing from the comic for a while. I always enjoy it when Tom and Cami can flirt a little with each other, so I hope you got as much of a kick out of it as I did.
Sorry for not posting a Beowulf review yesterday. But as I predicted, we pretty much exhausted all there was to talk about on Monday’s Triple Feature talkcast. In fact, we may have over-estimated the amount of stuff we were going to talk about because we kind of lose it in the last 10 minutes. Fun for a listen while you’re spacing off at work – download a copy for yourself today TOTALLY FREE!
That’s all I have for now. I’m going to try and shoot for one more comic on Friday, but I’m not sure how the Thanksgiving holiday is going to screw that up. We’re hosting this year and now we have a 9 month-old to add a little spice to the mix. I suppose he has enough relatives to keep him out of our hair for a little while. Should be fun!
Enjoy the holiday and if you’re traveling, be safe!
See you back here again soon!
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