Today’s guest comic comes to us from none other than Michael Lalonde of Ornerboy. It’s an alternate ending to the most recent Pimp Tom strip and I laughed out loud after reading it! Michael was a worried it was a little too dark. I thought it was the perfect way to get your attention on a Monday morning! It’s also the perfect blend of bright colors and macabre humor that is Ornerboy’s trademark. If you aren’t reading Michael’s excellent comic, check it out now!

As I mentioned in Friday’s blog, I will be running guest strips on Monday’s and Wednesday through the month of February as Cami and I prepare for the birth of Baby B. He’s due on the 15th, so I’m trying to free up my schedule as much as possible in case Cami goes early. Plus, maintaining this schedule through February will give me time to be with my son after the fact.

You can expect new comics from me every Friday as well as blogs throughout the week.

Posting today’s guest strip and recognizing what it means for the future of the site leaves me feeling a little untethered. I have no idea how this baby is going to impact the site. Obviously, my family is my priority so my attention will go to them first. The question is how much free time will be left over to work on the site. I can’t say for certain if I’ll still be able to keep up with three full-color comics a week or if I’ll have to cut back.

I find myself flip-flopping on the issue a lot. Sometimes I think I can draw the comic at work over my lunch break and take in my laptop to color it. That way, I’m not taking any time away from Cami and the baby at home. Other times I think I shouldn’t take on more than I can handle and maybe I should just do one full color comic a week. Other times still I think I should hang up Theater Hopper completely and do a black and white journal comic. Who knows? Maybe it’s time to go in another direction?

I don’t think the last option is all that likely. The thing I think about most is maintaining the momentum I’ve managed to build up over the last year. I would hate to lose what I’ve worked so hard at. So, I have to cross my fingers and hope you guys stick around during this transitional phase.

Oh! I wanted to tell you guys something that I’m super excited about! I did some work on the store this weekend and I am proud to announce MERCHANDISE BUNDLES!

The concept is very simple: The more you buy, the more you save. I am currently offering six different combination of shirts and books. I really want to start selling off some of this inventory – especially the books, which are taking up A TON of room in the house – so that I can introduce some new and different items. So take advantage of these deals! I introduced bundling at some of the conventions I went to last year and it was a hit. I’m hoping it’ll translate here.

By the way, don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list. Because the next feature I introduce in the store will be coupon discounts and the ONLY way you’re going to get the code is if you’re signed up on the mailing list. One e-mail a week to tell you what’s going on with the site. That’s all you have to put up with in return.

Last bit of site news – Don’t forget to check out tonight’s Triple Feature talkcast featuring myself, Joe Dunn from Joe Loves Crappy Movies and Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex. Since there really aren’t any good movies to talk about lately, I think we’re going to be discussing movies that changed our lives. So there will probably be a good opportunity to get on the line and talk to us while we’re broadcasting live. Remember – that’s TONIGHT at 9:00 pm CST. Join us!

By the way, I started a thread in the THorum about the future of Theater Hopper. If you guys are interested, you can leave your two cents there or here in the comments section of the blog. I appreciate your feedback!

Talk to you soon!