You want to know how long I’ve been writing this storyline? It started before The Avengers was in theaters and continues now that The Avengers has come out on Blu-ray. That’s a long time!
I received my copy of The Avengers in the mail yesterday and I was pretty psyched about it. I haven’t watched it yet partially because I was still working on this comic. But also because Cami has been eager to rewatch it and this week has just been hell.
Do you ever have one of those weeks where your professional commitments keep you from seeing your spouse or loved ones? Yeah, that’s the kind of week we’re having. Cami had two events she had to go to on Monday and Tuesday night, I have an event I have to go to this evening. At this point, we’re tasking the kids with relaying messages to one another like carrier pigeons.
Looking over the 4-disc copy of The Avengers I got, I was pretty impressed with all of the extras. Not only do you get the Blu-ray, but you get the 3D Blu-ray, DVD and digital version. If you go online and register a code, you can also download the soundtrack for free, get a copy of a digital comic and send away for a free 18 x 24″ poster.
This is what the poster looks like, by the way:
And people are complaining about Marvel getting into bed with Disney??
At the time Amazon was offering preorders, they were charging $30 for the whole thing. But I found a coupon online that shaved $5 off the price. I thought I was pretty smart grabbing the whole thing for $25. I mean, that’s a lot of content!
Although yesterday evening I saw that Amazon was now selling the 4-disc set for $19.99 and that pissed me off a little bit. Heard from a reader, though, that Amazon was going to refund the difference under the lowest price preorder guarantee, or whatever.
Look, I’m just saying that for $20, you could do a hell of a lot worse. If you haven’t ordered your copy of The Avengers yet, use my link. I get a kickback. 😉
It took me way too long to produce this comic, I realize. I spoke about it on Monday when I published Indigo’s guest strip. Basically, the details I’m trying to force into this arc are killing me. I literally spent an hour last night trying to figure out what the wall Victor broke through was going to look like. I was getting so desperate, I was considering buying a stock photo. Finding reference shots for this kind of stuff is HARD.
In the end, I untangled the knot of Christmas tree lights in my head and produced a solution. Although, in hindsight, I don’t think all of that fussing necessarily produced the best result. But, hey! I’m trying, right?
So, is Victor alive? Is he dead? Did he use his last ounce of brute strength to break through a cinder block wall to escape the fire? Find out soon in the next exciting episode of… THEATER HOPPER!
So, last week, there was no comic. And this week is more than half way over and… well, here’s the comic.
Uggggh.
I’m sorry, you guys. I really am. When I set out to wrap the comic up, I vowed to myself I wasn’t going to become “that guy.” You know the guy. The guy who does 3 comics a week for 8 years, then once a week for a couple of years and then updates comics on a “whenever” basis. I hate that guy and I’m slowly becoming him.
I hate it.
Part of the delay has been life stuff. Things I just can’t get around anymore. Part of it is the complexity of the comics I’m putting together in the home stretch. It’s just not talking heads anymore. And with all the texturing and effects… it’s taking a lot of time.
But I thought of something else this week – something lurking in my subconscious – that I failed to recognize until now.
I’m starting to think that the closer I get to the end of the comic – and believe me, we’re getting very close now – something in my subconscious is making me put things off. I talked about it a little bit on Twitter and a few people wrote me to say “Then don’t end it!” But that’s not the real issue. The comic has to end. I’m just making excuses and getting in my own way.
At any rate, the next comic is a large single panel and will likely be the last appearance of Victor. Having realized the damage that he’s done, Victor is now on the run. Get your hankies out. I’m a little bit sad thinking about it.
Hopefully, it won’t take me nearly two weeks to produce.
Thanks again for your patience, everyone. We’re almost to the finish line.
…and with that, Victor bids adieu – back to his home in the Ukraine.
Thanks, Victor – for all the laughs and threats of physical violence.
What are some of your favorite moments? Share them in the comments below. I’d love to read them!
GUEST STRIP – JESSE GUIHER
December 27th, 2012 | by Tom- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(4 votes, average: 10.00 out of 10)
I know that the comic is ending in less than a week and maybe now seems like an odd time to share some fan art. But, c’mon. Did you look at that thing up there? I HAD to share it.
The above piece of art comes from Jesse Guiher. You can learn more about him at his web site – Tiger Tail Art.
Jesse actually wrote me a few months ago asking me about some of my favorite movies. Bi-polar as I am, I remember suggesting both Vertigo and Anchorman. Little did I know that inquiry would result in this piece of fantastic art!
I don’t know if there’s more that I can say about it other than I am very appreciative to have fans like Jesse who pour their heart and their talent into pieces like this.
Jesse was very complimentary to me in his e-mail. “I am sorry to see Theater Hopper going away, it was one of a handful of comic sites that influenced me to try my own hand at starting a comic on the web after sending countless submissions to syndicates over the years,” he said.
My reaction to that kind of praise is to almost shy away from it. I’ve had people over the years tell me I’ve been an influence to them – which I appreciate – but I’ve never doubted for a second that these talented individuals couldn’t have made their dreams real on their own.
But then you look at a piece like this and it’s kind of hard to ignore.
And I am humbled further.
Thanks, Jesse. And thanks to all of the fans that have kept me humble over the years. Cheers.