Archive for ‘Blog’
644 items.
I’m just putting this out there to see how many fish bite, but I think I need to hire a programmer to help me do some behind-the-scenes stuff with the site. I have friends who are resources who do great work, but there’s been some stuff I’ve wanted to do with the store and the archive that have been collecting dust for the last few years that I really want to get a move on.
If this has piqued your interest, e-mail me and we can discuss it. I don’t have a lot of money to spend, but money could be involved. Maybe a little free merchandise or a custom sketch. Whatever it takes. I’d like to throw in a couple of barter items if possible.
Basically, I need something to help me track inventory in the store as well as something that will display that same information on the front end.
In regards to the archive, I need a search engine that can help people find the comics that they’re looking for. People have asked me for this feature for a while. I kind of brushed it off because I was still able to find comics I was looking for when I would troll through there. Now, 450+ comics later, it’s not so easy.
I have a few ideas. Let’s talk it out.
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So I had a bunch of you guys e-mail me and ask how it was seeing Henry Rollins perform last Friday…
Okay. None of you asked that. But I took some pictures and feel like bragging so here’s a link to a post I whipped up in the THorum detailing my adventure.
Enjoy!
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Be sure to check out out latest advertiser, the web comic Chicken Wings. I’ve been to their site and was really impressed with how professional it looked. Very put together. The comic itself I think has a great premise. Chickens who fly charter planes? Genius!
Chicken Wings is actually a somewhat technical aviation comic, but don’t let the terminology scare you. They guys have provided a glossary of terms to some of the slang the characters use in the comic. These guys thought of everything!
Like I said: “Professional.”
Check it out!
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A couple of you have written in asking me what I thought about Just Like Heaven. I suppose I ∗did∗ mention I was going to see it Sunday. After a whole week of jokes about the movie, I probably owe you something, right?
I thought it was a very servicable film and did a pretty good job not overplaying its hand. For example, Mark Ruffalo’s character lost his wife a few years ago. It’s what colors his outlook, but they don’t hammer this point home so you realize “HE’S SAD! HE’S SAD! HE’S SAD!” Instead, they let the actors do their work and they craft the character very well. It’s very economical movie making in that respect. Both Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon are incredibly likeable and have great chemistry.
I don’t know if there was ever a point in the film that made me laugh out loud or feel like I was on the very of crying. It’s cloy, sure. But like I said, it doesn’t over do it. Instead you’re left with something very pleasant. When all was said and done, I enjoyed it.
I was kind of surprised that Jon Heder wasn’t in it as much as the trailers led you to believe. He pretty much makes an appearance at the beginning at the film and then pops up for a second at the end. I’m thinking the actress who played Reese Witherspoon’s sister was given more lines.
Most people are going to watch this movie and be a few steps ahead of the action in terms of where Ruffalo’s and Witherspoon’s relationship is going to end up. But it’s a fun, light-hearted diversion that won’t insult you. It’s a fun time.
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I didn’t really know where else to put this, so I’m just putting it out there as kind of a fun F.Y.I. blog post.
I was very tempted to do another comic about Serenity for Wednesday based simply off the amount of referral traffic coming in from Firefly and Serenity LiveJournals and fan sites. If Joss Whedon fans – Firefly fans, in particular – are anything, they’re dedicated.
I was actually kind of worried that you guys would read my musings and find them unfair, but many of the notes I’ve read and e-mails I’ve received have been very even-handed. Several of you appreciated an "outsider’s" perspective – curious yourself if Serenity would play beyond the initiated.
One thing that I’ve gathered from all this is that even the people who weren’t fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel got a heck of a lot out of Firefly. Usually being drawn in by a friend who was already hooked, they became hooked themselves. I can’t count the number of recommendations I’ve had just to sit down and watch the series. After all, there’s only 12 or 13 episodes, right? I’ve never been adverse to this suggestion, I just never made the time. Now might be the opportunity to do so.
A lot of people I know have seen advanced screenings of Serenity and speak highly of it. Most of these people are already fans, so you kind of have to take it with a grain of salt. I’ve yet to read a report or review from someone who wasn’t already familiar with the franchise, so it’s still kind of a question mark as to how it will go over.
But like I said, those who’ve seen it and are already fans say they love it. It doesn’t completely ostracize non-fans, but it doesn’t play so over their heads that they can’t appreciate its finer qualities.
That said, I’m more interested in David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. And no, not because my Google ads have been replaying that little flash advertisement about a million times. It’s actually getting really good reviews!
It’s essentially a meditation on the effects of violence in society. Does violence beget more violence? Is it a natural born tendency or something civilization can overcome? It’s getting great notices for Cronenberg’s direction. Not a wasted frame, they say. And the ending leaves things open for interpretation. It leaves the audience to come to their own conclusions. I love that kind of stuff. I’m sick of being spoon-fed answers. Thank goodness for fall movies! Besides, any film that features Ed Harris as a mysterious government spook gets points in my book.
Now here’s hoping that Cronenberg doesn’t pull out some sort of gross body revolting FX like he did in The Fly or Scanners. His thematic fascination with the body turning against itself creeps me out like no other. But then, it might be a little out of context in this film.
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Eagle-eyed regulars to the site will have noticed that I’m adjusting a few things in the space between the comic and the blog.
Those whose senses are keener will notice that I have forgone my membership with Dayfree Press and joined forces with the good people at Boxcar Comics.
If you tend to make the rounds in web comics circles, this is already old news. I just made the switch today and already word has traveled fast. Feels like I’m playing catch-up to my own decisions. It’s flatting, I suppose. It means you guys are still interested.
>Why the big move? It’s nothing against Dayfree. I’ve been with those guys since the beginning and I think they are all wonderful, creative, hard-working people. I have learned from them in a myriad of ways. How to communicate with you guys better, for example. How to set up a store. How to set up a forum. What resources to explore. Basically every question I ever had about publishing on-line, odds were strong that someone over there had the answer to your problem.
Boxcar offers a very similar community environment, similar traffic-sharing opportunities and support. What makes this group more appealing when they’ve been around less than 6 months versus Dayfree which has been around for two years?
It wasn’t an easy decision, I can tell you that. I knew about Boxcar from the very beginning. Zach from Joe and Monkey would talk to me about it all the time. I kept it at arm’s-length because nothing had materialized yet and I didn’t like the idea of turning my back on the creators at Dayfree.
But as the months progressed and things took shape, I knew it was a matter of time before I switched sides. It’s not because Boxcar was able to assemble a stronger roster of comics. Not that at all. In fact, I think both Dayfree and Boxcar are equally strong. What turned the tide was really quite simple.
After nearly three and a half years of making this web comic, I wouldn’t have gotten twice as far without friends. Zach from Joe and Monkey, Mitch from Nothing Nice to Say and Joe Dunn from The Coffee Achievers. These are all guys I know personally. We’ve been to comic book conventions together. Shared meals and had drinks. Laughed our asses off and told stories. Some of them I’ve been e-mailing since we started this crazy racket. We came up together. They’re close friends. People I never thought I would meet in my lifetime and they’re some of the most sincere confidants one could wish for. I tore me up to see these guys ∗over here∗ and there I was ∗over there∗
So I had to make the switch.
My leaving Dayfree is not and indicator of their quality. I have come to know and love each of the comics that are stabled there and plan to continue supporting them through words and deeds. Like I said before, they all do great work. I plan to keep reading every one of their comics.
But sometimes opportunity knocks and you have to answer.
Godspeed to Dayfree. Thanks for all you’ve done.
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Does anyone know how to reduce the height of a form input field? Maybe through cascading style sheets or other means? The default is too high and I need to squeeze everything down in the little mailing list section to a height of 75 pixels.
E-mail me if you have the answer.
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Okay, I mentioned in the earlier rant-heavy blog that there was some important news regarding the store. No reason to beat around the bush, so here it is:
At midnight Monday, October 31 I will remove t-shirts, hoodies and baby doll tees from the store. At which time "Truman in a Purse," "Under Construction" and "Emerging" will be discontinued, never to be printed again. Sales on the remaining designs will be suspended for an undetermined amount of time. When these areas of the store are re-opened, the remaining shirts might end up redesigned, so if you want a shirt in this style, now is the time to buy. Sales of posters, buttons, and the DVD will continue during this time.
The motivation for this is two fold. The first reason is because I am currently behind on fulfilling orders. Of the items I have in stock, everything has been sent out. However, there are still many orders left over where I do not have the right size in the right design or what have you.
I am in the situation where I have these several orders left over, but not enough to warrant a complete restock from the printer. It is my hope that with this final push I will accumulate enough orders to raise my position so I can meet the printer’s minimum order requirements.
The second reason is because I want to burn through what inventory I have left and start fresh with the store. That means retiring some designs and coming out with new ones. So if you ever wanted "Truman in a Purse," you have until October 31 to order it. After that, it will be gone forever.
I realise that there are many of you who are perhaps younger and don’t have access to PayPal or a credit card. If that is the case, please send me an e-mail and we can discuss alternate methods of payment. I’m fairly receptive to whatever works for you and want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to get the shirt they want.
That’s pretty much the long and short of it. Hopefully this will generate some interest and we can get these shirts out the door!
As always, thanks for your support. I never expected that I would be able to sell t-shirts that featured my ideas or my artwork and it has been a certain joy to bring this to you.
Best wishes, all.
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So you know, today’s comic is also not supposed to be any kind of commentary about myself and Cami not having kids in real life.
Since there are no kids in the comic, I thought this would be a funny, sarcastic way to address that. It’s not indicative of anything going on in our personal lives.
I ran today’s punchline past Cami first and she’s cool with it. Where kids fit into our future is something we’ve discussed and are secure with. No lame-ass Tom Cruise rumor is going to change that!
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Do you guys remember last Wednesday’s comic where I was talking about Wallace & Gromit and how cool it would have been if I could have made a short stop-motion animation film for you guys to enjoy?
Well, I didn’t have the resources at my disposal, but I’m lucky to have well-connected and creative friends.
After reading my blog on Wednesday, my good buddy Jared took it upon himself to create his own stop-motion picture for you guys and it’s totally awesome. I didn’t ask him to do it. He just had the itch to do something really cool for you guys.
It must be seen to be believed. Ladies and gentlemen, "A Clay In The Life" by Jared Brinkmeyer.
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