I’m letting you know right now that this isn’t the blog for today’s comic. I have some specific thoughts about the Americanization of Nick Hornby’s novels and will be back later to extrapolate those thoughts.
In the meantime, if you find a certain glee within the premise of physical violence befalling the criminally OVERrated Jimmy Fallon, then vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix and be treated to a small slice of celebrity abuse.
I’ll be back soon.
I didn’t really have time to prepare this morning’s blog. The detail work on today’s strip took me longer than I anticipiated. After a week of doing the comic in Frank Miller’s Sin City style, it took a little for me to get back into the swing of things!
Anyway, in the meantime, if you’d like to vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix, I would greatly appreciate it. Last month we maintained a strong showing around the number two position. Let’s see if we can repeat that!
Your reward for voting is a fun little sketch that further explains Mitch’s side of the story from today’s comic. I’ll have all the details a little later…
I think the sleepiness was less an indicator of the quality of the movie, and more an indicator of the joys of happy hour at the hotel.
True story.
Jared makes a good point. I totally forgot about those “wine-shooters” we were doing before we got something to eat and then see the movie.
Guess you boys can’t hold your liquor like “Mr. Bloated Kidney”.
That’s me, by the way.
I remembered some of the other things I wanted to talk about.
Seeing comic book movies at comic book conventions is starting to become a kind of mini-tradition among our ilk. You guys might remember this comic I did regarding Aliens Vs. Predator when Zach and I went to see it during Wizard World Chicago.
I guess the next big comic book movie to hit the screen will be Fantastic Four. It comes out a month before Wizard World Chicago this year (August 5-7), but since I plan on avoiding the movie like scurvy when it’s unleashed upon an unsuspecting public, maybe the radioactive half-life on the film will have expired and we can snap it up in a dollar theater when we all assemble again.
Another couple notes of interest: Yes, Zach ∗did∗ in fact wear that very same Homestar Runner shirt. And yes, Mitch ∗did∗ in fact wear a very similar Jawbreaker shirt.
I’m nothing if not a stickler for the details!
I just wanted to mention that buzzComix finally got around to resetting their list (4 days late, but beggars can’t be choosers), so if you’d like to vote for Theater Hopper, that would be great! You’ll be treated to another sketch of Jimmy as That Yellow Bastard for your trouble.
This is probably something I should have thought of sooner – because I’m ALL about abusing my “power” as an internet quasi-celebrity to advance my position – but the promotion is almost over, so I’m going to give it a shot.
Okay, you know how Pepsi and Mountain Dew have that thing going on where you have a 1 in 3 chance of winning a code you can input on iTunes for a free song?
Give me your codes.
I’m serious. If you don’t want them, I do. I’m an iTunes ADDICT and I can use all the free schwag I can get. If the whole digital music scene doesn’t trip your trigger but you’re a hard-core Mountain Dew drinker, then we need to talk.
Anyone willing to part with any of their codes can forward them to me at theaterhopper@hotmail.com. I wish I had something I could give you in the return, but a comic that’s updated three times a week in full color for free is a pretty good start, right?
Much obliged.
Hey, kids. Wanna meet Mr. Happy? Well, you’re in luck because I decided to draw him in all his glory for todays buzzComix incentive sketch. Just vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix and meet your new best friend!
Is this drawing work safe? I AIN’T TELLIN’!
MU-HA-HA-HA!
Wow! From the number 5 slot to number 3 at buzzComix in just one day! I should leave you guys hanging more often!
Just kidding. Sorry about the lack of blogage yesterday, but when I finished the comic Sunday night, I just wasn’t up to it. Come Monday, I barely had time to ∗look∗ at a computer. So it got shuffled off until this morning.
I didn’t see The Ring Two this weekend nor do I plan on ever seeing it. I loved the first movie. It was so much more than just a horror flick with cheap thrills. It was genuinely creepy. LOTS of unanswered questions and a gloomy atmosphere that clings to you like a cold, wet sheet.
And even though the Japanese director of the source material Ringu was behind the lens of the American sequel, from what I’ve read, he severely overestimates the effect of trickling water to spook American audiences.
Incidentally, Monday’s comic was less a commentary on the movie itself, but more a general stab at sequelitis – the horrible affliction of Hollywood studios to recycle the same concepts over and over. In order for Naomi Watts’ character to be sucked in again by this haunted video, the script – by default – is going to force her to make some really stupid decisions.
Yes, I know, I know. There are several sequels in Japan. Even a Ring 0 (natch). But that doesn’t always make things right.
Switching gears – I don’t know about you, but since The Incredibles came out last Tuesday, I’ve been in full-on Pixar mode all week. I instantly devoured the bonus materials on DVD and have watched the movie twice already. I don’t know what it is about Brad Bird that I find so magnetic, but I respect the hell out of that guy. He’s like this patriarch of creative nerds. Something you could aspire to be.
The film is more visually arresting every time you watch it. And like and great film, you keep catching little details in every viewing. Anything from a side glance one character throws to another, to the astonishing level of detail they put into the jungle environments. The movie is grade-A level filmmaking and there is a lot to be learned from it.
I’m so wrapped up in all things Pixar at the moment, I even went back and watched Toy Story 2! Now THERE’S an example of a sequel done right!
Something I didn’t get a chance to mention earlier, but am making up for now was the guest comic I did for Zach over at Joe and Monkey. It was posted on Sunday. If you want to check it out, click here.
Be sure to skip backwards through a few of the other guest comics that were posted last week. A lot of them are real winners.
Actually, you know what? You should be familiar with the Joe and Monkey archives just as a rule. It’s a brilliant comic.
Something else I’ve been negligent to do is to point out the good people who have chosen to advertise with Theater Hopper in the last few weeks.
I totally missed the boat when it came to highlighting Split Reason Clothing. Their ad is no longer running on the site, but I strongly encourage you check them out. These guys sell a whole bunch of cool t-shirts and other apparel. I’ve always really liked their designs. Secretly, I’m jealous I can’t come up with visuals just as good for ∗this∗ site.
I don’t know why there aren’t as many one-panel gag comics out there as their should be. Maybe it’s a lack of sussinct wit on behalf of most writers. I think it’s a pretty specific talent. In any case, Basketcase Comix does a great job with the format and you should check it out.
Our newest advertiser is Rumf Adventures. For some reason, it reminds me of Pogo by Richard Davidson or maybe Bone by Jeff Smith. It kind of has that old-world design that is very economical but very effective.
You’ll also want to be sure and check out Kendara. They’re advertising both on the front page and in the THorum. It’s a really well-illustrated fantasy comic.
At the other end of the spectrum is Whisky Sours, which is also well-illustrated, but the fantasy elements are completely alcohol-induced. It really lives up to its name! Check out their site. Wonderfully designed.
Speaking of site design, I’m undergoing a little site redesign of my own for Theater Hopper. Progress has been slow-going, but once I get some of the templates in place, I think I will be able to start introducing in a little bit at a time to you guys. Some parts of the site will be inaccessible for a little while. Obviously the comic and the blogs will be revised first. I’ll probably follow up with the store, and then the rest of the pages should fall like dominoes.
Anyway, just letting you know what’s going on in my life. Thanks for reading all this gobbely-gook!
Later!
We have a thing in the THorum called The Friday Five. It’s a little tradition we’ve developed that started about a year ago. Actually, it was March 19, 2004 that we kicked things off – so this is good timing.
The process is extraordinarily simple. We ask the group 5 questions each week. You answer them. Every Friday, you get 5 new questions. Sometimes we use questions submitted by the group. Sometimes I use my own questions. Overall, it’s a great way to indoctrinate yourself into the THorum and a good way to learn a lot about the people who have already established themselves. Think of it as a primer for people who aren’t entirely comfortable in online communities.
The Friday Five is open to anyone who wants to sign up for the THorum and participate. I strongly suggest you do. It’s a lot of fun, and it exercises some different thinking. We have a lot of fun with it each week and I feel that it’s gone a long way to forging the pleasant, understanding, relatively drama-free community we have.
Talking with the good people in the THorum inspired me to make a t-shirt based off of Friday’s robot comic. I thought I would share it with everyone here, in a more visible place.
I want to know what you think. Send me a e-mail and tell me if this is something you would buy.
Don’t underestimate the weight your voice carries in this matter. I am so on the fence when it comes to introducing new merchandise that one negative comment could keep me from doing it altogether.
But on the other hand, I feel the itch to start selling shirts again (including the spoiler shirt and professional movie goer shirt) and when they come back, I want to give you guys another option.
