Posts Tagged ‘Victor’
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I knew sooner or later that I would have to explain Victor’s functional costume. I found it funny that he used electrified whips to discipline his employees before Iron Man 2 came out. That it happened to look like Whiplash’s power suit was merely coincidence.
I don’t know if the science behind Victor’s invention is sound. Stripping the casing from extension cords probably wouldn’t produce the effect illustrated in the last few strips. But I claim Artistic License. Ya’ can’t touch me with a ten-foot pole!
I’m probably going to wrap up this story line on Friday, but I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to do it. Having defeated Victor and explained his costume, there’s not much left for the crew to accomplish but actually go see the movie.
I suppose I could end the story line right here, but I have this obsessive compulsive thought that story lines need to end on a Friday so I can start fresh on Monday.
I talked about doing a “cast portrait” of everyone in their costumes in the comments section of Monday’s comic to serve as a book-end. Also as a way of saying good-bye to the story line in a way. It’s not a particularly funny solution, but I’m leaning in that direction unless something better pops into my head. We’ll see.
Not much else to say beyond that. Looking forward to maybe see MacGruber this weekend, but I have no firm plans yet.
“That’s what she said.”
Oh, Michael Scott.
GOOD DAY, EVERYONE!
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So instead of doing a “cast photo” like I hinted at on Wednesday, I couldn’t resist trying to tie a bow on this arc by explaining Victor’s actions and his new, “no costume” policy.
However, now I’m afraid that I’ve created more questions than I’ve answered by introducing Victor’s formal rival, Burian.
Who is Burian? What is his history with Victor? The world may never know.
But if you’re curious, Burian is Ukranian for “Near The Woods” or “God’s Child.” At least, according to this web site it is. So, as you can see, I’ve done a little research. That counts as an investment in the character, doesn’t it?
All I know is that Furry Vengeance is a ridiculous movie title and I couldn’t let it go without commenting on it somehow.
Seriously, is anyone watching out for Brenden Fraser these days? It’s one misfire after another with this guy. Extreme Measure didn’t do so hot and it had HARRISON-FRIGGIN-FORD in it. Fraser is like box office kryptonite. If he’s in a movie, I don’t want to see it.
I mean, I thought this little stunt from the Golden Globes earlier this year was embarassing…
…but to attach your name to a movie called FURRY VENGEANCE?… Brenden, take your meds.
That’s it for me today. Also, I haven’t forgotten the Iron Man 2 review I promised you. It’s still sitting on my desktop, half-written. I just haven’t had an opportunity to finish it yet. Hopefully I will soon. But now that the movie has been out for two weeks, I guess it’s a little anti-climactic.
Oh, well. I want it to be “on-the-record,” so I’ll get around to publishing it soon. Thanks for your patience on that one.
BTW – Anyone seeing MacGruber this weekend? I’m really excited to see it. I think it looks hilarious. I know Will Forte isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I think he’s probably one of the most undervalued performers on Saturday Night Live. I’m really curious how they’ve managed to stretch out a :30 second sketch into a full-length movie. I think sending up 80s action movies and asking all of the other performers to treat it completely seriously is the exact right way to go about it.
If you have dreams of making life-saving inventions out of household materials, leave your comments below.
Or maybe you want to talk about Furries and Ukranian baby names. I don’t know. HAVE AT IT!
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So, here it is. This is the artwork I was threatening to do a week ago. A nice little cast portrait to commemorate my Iron Man 2 storyline. Apologies for the lack of color, but I think it looks better in black and white.
Yeah, I know it kind of ended with a thud. But I’m really proud of about 95% of it and thought it was worth celebrating. Goodness knows I burned up a lot of midnight oil putting it together for you guys.
As a special treat, I filmed myself drawing the artwork last night and sped it up for you in this delightful little YouTube video:
If you find that exciting, then I have even BETTER news for you!
I have decided to auction off the original inked illustration you see in the video on eBay. You can find it here. It’s on a 9 x 12″ sheet of Bristol board with a 1″ border (so you can frame it if you want to!) I will make sure to mail it flat.
Bidding starts now and the auction will remain open for the next 5 days. I don’t sell original artwork all that often, so if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind piece from yours truly, now is the time to snap it up!
Now if I can get serious for a moment…
I went to this extra effort with the video and the auction because I’m afraid I have some bad news and I wanted to let you guys down gently. There isn’t a good way to say it other than to just come right out and say it…
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, I WILL BE SCALING BACK PRODUCTION OF THEATER HOPPER TO ONE DAY A WEEK.
This decision was a hard one for me but, ultimately, necessary. With the end of the Iron Man 2 story line, now seemed like the best time to make a change.
The primary motivation behind this cutback is actually very positive. A year after having been laid off, I have finally found full-time employment again! I start work in June and am very much looking forward to the opportunity.
But, as such, I recognize that I cannot continue to dedicate myself to Theater Hopper on a thrice-weekly schedule. The late nights spent staying up past midnight working on the comic have caught up with me. I don’t bounce back like I used to when I was 24 years-old and just starting the comic. Add to the mix two children with irregular sleeping schedules and, well, the end result is that I’m not 100% like I should be.
There’s been a lot that I’ve sacrificed for Theater Hopper. Primarily sleep. But my health, my attitude and my availability to my family have all suffered as a consequence. I don’t blame anyone by myself for these choices. But, at some point, one has to recognize when enough is enough. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day to be effective in all the areas I need to be effective in.
Part of me wondered if it was better to end the comic completely. But I didn’t want to do a disservice to you, the fans, for supporting me. Nor did I want to perform a disservice to myself and the investment that I’ve made over the last 8 years.
Eventually, Theater Hopper will have to end – as all things do. But when it does, I want to make sure it goes out on a high note with a story that satisfies the long-term readers and appreciates them for their kindness and encouragement.
Until then, it will be business as usual content-wise. I’ll continue to make fun of the latest releases, just not as often. I’ll probably be playing around with the format a little until I strike the right balance. But from now on, you can expect a new comic here every Monday morning.
To aid the transition, I encourage you to follow Theater Hopper’s RSS feed. I also encourage to to follow Theater Hopper on Facebook and my personal account on Twitter. They will be the best places for you to receive news and updates as well as links to the most recent comics.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them either here in the comments section or in the THorum. If you’re not comfortable with that, e-mails are okay, too.
This is a large adjustment for me, as I’m sure it will be for you. I will miss updating the comic three times a week. But, in the end, I know that this is the decision that will benefit me and my family most. At this point, it’s all about realigning my priorities. I will always enjoy producing the comic and interacting with the fans. But my family, my livelihood and my personal health must come first.
As the excellent, supportive and understanding audience you have always been, I know you will appreciate my reasons.
Again, I thank you. You have been much more kind to me than I deserve.
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to kiss Victor? Click on this link, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics and find out!
As I’ve stated before, I’m kind of dragging all of the characters out of mothballs for this last story line to give them their time in the sun. Today it’s Victor’s turn.
Victor was a character that I created as an antagonist for “the gang” and he was supposed to be an imposing monster – a mountain of a man who said very little, but who had a very black and white view of the world. Most of that has been retained over the years. As you can see from today’s comic, I think I’ve drawing Victor larger than usual. Mostly because I just like toying with the perception of him.
But what gave Victor dimension was a guest comic drawn by Brandon J. Carr several years back that suggested that Victor was dangerously enamored with Tom. I thought it was an interesting wrinkle in the character and decided to carry it forward as far as I could.
I’ve always been very careful not to exploit Victor’s sexuality – especially when he’s depicted as aggressive or imposing in a different context. He’s an extreme character, of course. But that’s where a lot of interesting comedy comes from. Just know that it’s all very well intentioned and I hope to have depicted Victor with some dimension. I think you’ll see that as the aftermath of today’s comic plays out in later strips.
LIVE-BLOGGING THE OSCARS
I wanted to give everyone a head’s up that I, Brandon J. Carr and Joe Dunn from Joe Loves Crappy Movies will be live-blogging the Oscar’s Sunday night. We generally have a very effective comedic rapport with each other on Twitter, so we decided to try to apply it to something in real time that everyone else can enjoy along side us.
We’re running the session through Cover It Live, which is a fun little widget that allows moderators to talk and other people to submit comments in real time. Set your bookmarks now. The fun will take place this Sunday at 7:00 PM CST at http://oscars.alloftheawesome.com. You can enter your e-mail address into the widget today and be sent a reminder just before we go live. It should be a lot of fun!
THE FAREWELL TOUR
You might have noticed that I’ve put two banners at the top of the page. One of them is linking back to the announcement that I made back in January that I’d be ending the comic this August. It’s been about a month and I’m still getting messages from people who said they just heard the news. So I wanted to make sure the news didn’t get buried and people were up to date.
I’ll admit that it kinds of stings a little when people bring it up only because it throws me back to that moment in time when I was seriously questioning whether or not I was doing the right thing. That malaise was captured perfectly in the video I posted the day after I made the announcement, if you ask me.
The other thing I will mention is my Farewell Tour Fundraising Drive. I decided at the last minute that I need to try to go to as many conventions here in the midwest as possible before I close up shop in August. So I snagged myself a booth at the last minute and will be appearing at C2E2 April 13 – 15. I’ve also got my eye on Minneapolis Spring Con in May (if they’ll return my e-mails) and possibly Chicago Comic Con in August.
That last one is kind of funny, because it will actually take place 3 days after I end the comic. IRONY!
Anyway, going to shows costs money. Hotel reservations, table reservations, food, gas… it adds up quick. And since I wasn’t planning on attending any shows until just recently, I’m not sitting on very much discretionary cash.
That’s where you come in. I’m not asking for much. I’m just asking you to consider buying something in the store. If you already own a bunch of Theater Hopper merchandise or can only afford a dollar or two, I’m also taking donations.
Donate what you think is fair. Five dollars… one dollar. Whatever you can spare. All of it helps. If I’ve made you laugh at all in the last 10 years, now would be the time to kick in on that front. My goal is to get out and meet as many of you as I can before my time is up so I can thank you in person. You can help make that happen. Who knows? We might raise enough money that I can fly somewhere further than the Midwest! Somewhere I’ve never been before. That would be pretty cool, wouldn’t it?
I’m just asking you to consider it.
Thanks for your patience and support. I’ll see you next week!
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I’ve been having a hard time coming up with follow-up jokes like I normally do with the incentive images, so I drew a profile of Victor for this week’s comic. Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics if you’d like to see it.
Incidentally, last night I noticed I had a stack of incentive images – maybe 50 to 100 – and took a picture for the Theater Hopper Facebook page. I’m not quite as attached to these as I am the original artwork for the comics and was thinking about selling them through the Theater Hopper store.
What’s you’re take on that? Would you be interested? How much do you think I should sell them for? Should they all be the same price or should they be priced differently? Admittedly, the quality of some of these is much better than others.
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
While we’re talking about the store, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that I’ve still got my sale going on – buy two books and get the third one free, but two shirts and get the third one free!
I could really use your support. I’m going to C2E2 on April 13 and it’s coming up fast. I need to make a little money to help cover expenses. You can read more about it on the Theater Hopper Farewell Tour page.
If you already own all of the Theater Hopper merch you can stand, I’m also taking donations. Every little bit helps. We’re making progress toward our $1,000 goal! Thanks to everyone who has chipped in so far!
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about today’s comic. I don’t want to say that this is Victor’s “coming out” comic. We’ve all known for a long time that Victor’s gay. But he’s never really admitted it to the other characters. So, in a way, he’s actualizing himself here.
Granted, his answer to Tom’s question is slightly cagey. But it’s not exactly false, either. Don’t worry. It’s all going to get sorted out in the next comic or two. But I’m not going to make a big deal about it. Because, frankly, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Let me amend that statement. Coming out IS a big deal – especially if you’re the person that’s coming out. It’s stressful. You don’t know how the news will be received or if you’ll be accepted by your peers after that.
I’ve had friends come out to me in the past and I’ve found the best way to react to that news is to hardly react to it at all.
Not to be dismissive, mind you. Obviously I’m aware of the struggle these individuals have faced leading up to those moments. But, fundamentally, it doesn’t really change what you know or appreciate about that person. If you valued them before, news like that shouldn’t really change anything.
I’ve only ever been on one side of that conversation. I can’t imagine what goes through the mind of someone who is coming out. But what matters is that the person coming out knows that they’re supported, that nothing will change and they can go about their life without carrying that horrible weight on their shoulders.
That’s pretty much how you can expect things to play out in the comic as well.
I’m not trying to lecture or impart some kind of wisdom. I’m just sharing my experience. I know there are people out there who are uncomfortable and even outwardly hostile to these issues. All I’m saying is that’s not my perspective.
Anyway, that’s my little moment for the day. Thanks for checking out the comic. Share it up through social media using the links below if you’re so inclined. I’ll see you next week!
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In nearly every appearance he’s made, Victor has been depicted as a scowling monolith – a permanent frown on his face.
For this story arc, I thought it was important to see him smile – if for no other reason than for being recognized as another human being. I decided to make Victor smiling my Top Web Comics incentive sketch as well. If you’d like to see it, click on the graphic to the left and vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.
Something I was concerned about writing this strip is that people would think I was depicting Tom as the hero for being accepting of Victor. The somewhat purposeful stride in the last panel might lead people to that conclusion, but that’s not my intent.
Victor just took a REALLY BIG RISK by kissing Tom on the mouth. Knowing that Victor is a prideful person who maybe just overplayed his hand, Tom’s trying to be delicate about the situation.
I don’t want to examine it too much because the point was that there’s now an unspoken understanding between these two – and life goes on.
In fact, I think that’s a good place to stop for now. The comic is shifting it’s focus to Jimmy and Charlie next week. But don’t worry. This isn’t the last we’ll see of Victor.
Have a great week, everyone!
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When last we saw Victor, he was in a pretty good place, emotionally speaking. He had let his feelings for Tom be known and Tom let him down easy.
Seeing Cami on his turf, however, stoked competitive feelings in Victor. Feelings, as you can see in this comic, he finally decided to let go of.
For those of you worried that I’m dipping back into melodrama, don’t worry. This is a momentary lapse. But I needed to bring Victor back on the scene to usher in the last act.
I would have like to do more comics about The Avengers, but with only two months to go, I need to move things along a little faster. Jokes will have to be sacrificed for plot progression. Although there will be some call-backs to a few things along the way that I think you guys will find amusing.
Sorry the comic is a little late, by the way. Cami and I had a huge multi-family garage sale over the weekend and it left us wiped out on Sunday. We got rid of a lot of stuff, but we still had to clean up, sort and organize what was left to take to Goodwill. It was over, but it wasn’t really over, y’know? It was a lot of work.
Anyway, a quick announcement to make…
CALL FOR GUEST STRIPS
Seeing as there are only a few more weeks of Theater Hopper, I thought it might be fun to give some of you the opportunity to join in the fun.
Theater Hopper has had a long history of guest strips and fan art that has been displayed on the home page. All of these pieces are still available in the archive and I’ve always been proud to share them. So as things wind down, I thought it would be fun to put an open call out for guest strips.
There are very few criteria to participating. Images need to be 525 pixels wide, but can be as lengthy as you want. Keep the subject matter clean. No swearing, no over sexual stuff. Use your best judgement. Beyond that, do what you like.
Send whatever you put together to me at theaterhopper@hotmail.com and I’ll add it to the site. It’ll be a nice way to send things off and you can get your artwork in front of a few thousand people before the curtain call. It’s a win-win.
If you have any questions, send me an e-mail. Or you can write me on Twitter or Facebook. I’m pretty easy to get a hold of.
Thanks for your consideration and for your support. I’m looking forward to what you create!
That’s all for now. See you soon!
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To follow up a little bit on the blog post from yesterday, I wanted to let all of you know how Pearl was doing.
Apparently, after being very cranky and moody at day care all day, she was telling us that her ear was hurting. Fearing an ear infection (and another night without sleep), Cami took her to our pediatrician and – sure enough – she had an ear infection.
This is the second ear infection Pearl has had in a month. She had one for Mother’s Day. Looks like she’ll have one for Father’s Day. Parenting is fun!
I don’t know what it is with Brazelton kids and ear infections. Between Henry and Pearl, I’ve lost track of how many they’ve had. They’ve both had tubes put in their ears. Henry’s ear infections were so bad, he eventually had his adenoids removed! I don’t know if we’re on the same path with Pearl or not. She just went to the ENT for a checkup last week and was given a clean bill of health. Just goes to show how fast these things knock the little ones out, I guess.
Anyway, I won’t bother you with that stuff anymore. Just wanted to give you a little background information.
I’m trying to move the ball up the field a little bit with today’s comic, getting closer to the finale. Feeling rejected, Victor takes out his aggression in the closet where he kept all his photos of Tom. This was a concept that was introduced in a guest strip by Brandon J. Carr back in 2006 and it totally changed the direction of the character for me.
I decided to adopt what Brandon had played off as a joke into the comic. Originally, I intended Victor to be a standard authority figure for Tom, Cami and Jared to play off of. But his secret infatuation with Tom made him more interesting. Can’t thank Brandon enough for that idea!
Incidentally, I’m still accepting guest strips from anyone who wants to say “goodbye” in their own artistic style. Keep it clean, 525 pixels wide and in a JPEG format and we should be cool. You can send it to me at theaterhopper@hotmail.com.
I’m trying my darnedest to increase the production schedule on the comic. I have the last few weeks plotted out in my head and I’m starting to worry I won’t make my self-imposed August 6 “deadline.”
I suppose if I go a little over, that’s not the worst thing in the world. But when I’ve been making the rounds since January telling everyone “I’m ending the comic on August 6! I’m ending the comic on August 6!” failing to hit that mark is kind of embarrassing.
I guess we’ll see how it goes! Keep your eyes on the site and I’ll talk to you soon!
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Apologies for another late strip. If you’re following me on Facebook, you know the reason why – bedtime troubles. We’re having a little difficulty keeping Pearl in her “big girl” bed. As such, Cami and I have to take turns being warden and staying in her room to keep her from leaving. The other night it was my turn and I fell asleep in her room. Basically been playing catch up on the comic and sleep ever since.
Not much to tell you about this comic except that maybe Victor shouldn’t have kept all those oily rags and other obvious flammables together in one box. At least they were labeled appropriately? Best laid plans, I guess.
But what happens now that Victor’s Infatuation Closet is on fire? And why is he walking away?
The answers to all of these questions and more… NEXT WEEK!
The action really starts to pick up from here, so you’re not going to want to miss what happens next. I mean, there’s fire and people running around dressed like superheroes. So what do you think is going to happen.
And Victor… green and so full of rage? Does he remind you of anyone? He’s so misunderstood… and only wants to be left alone.
More to come! Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoyed today’s comic!
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You know, it’s funny. When I announced that I was ending Theater Hopper back in January (which feels like a lifetime ago), one of the things I highlighted was how I was finding it difficult to advance my art forward in a way that was not so time-consuming.
Well, I would say this final arc is certainly pushing my art forward, but it is no less time-consuming.
Things were so much easier when all I had to do was come up with a joke and draw a couple of characters facing each other to deliver it. Toss in the occasional visual gag to break things up a little bit and we had a formula for success!
With this last arc, I’m drawing fire, splatter, characters in different costumes – COMPLICATED costumes – and drawing 2 to 4 additional panels per comic. It’s madness!
Maybe there’s some truth about art and suffering. I’m punishing myself a little bit for ending the comic. Or maybe I just want to try to end things as best I can?
Either way, I appreciate everyone’s patience as we head into the last month. July’s pretty much it and then NO MORE THEATER HOPPER! Can you believe it? I can’t.
Actually, I’m not sure I can wrap this up in 4 or 5 more comics. I’d like to produce more, but the way I’m going, that doesn’t look feasible. Am I gonna have to break my August 6 deadline? I might…
I’m embarrassed that I might not hit deadline I set for myself almost 7 months ago. Maybe I should have planned better. But maybe I don’t want to say goodbye just yet, either?
Hell! It’s my comic! I’ll do what I want!
And I have! A theater engulfed in fire? Victor engulfed in rage? What does this mean for Tom, Cami and the rest! Stay tuned, true-believers! You’ll find out soon enough!
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