For today’s incentive sketch, I tried to draw Tom as Obi-Wan Kenobi and I think it turned out a little more Obi-Wan and a little less like a merge between the two. That’s okay. I think it turned out fabulous.
In case you’re wondering who that strange, red-headed woman is next to Jared in bed, that his wife Patti. Patti has appeared in a few strips before this one, but not since I learned to draw women a little better.
I’ve actually been going through the archives lately attaching keywords to the comics as part of a larger initiative to make the archives more user-friendly (the full purpose of which will be revealed in time!) Going through them, I’m really amazed at how far the art has come.
I don’t mean to sound self-congratulatory. It’s probably better to be humble and not say anything. But the evolution of my style has been just that… an evolution. Looking back, there are very few CONCIOUS decisions I’ve made while refining my character designs. They just kind of happened and I think we’re all the better for it.
I wish I had the time that other artists have to improve their art. Jeph Jacques immediately springs to mind. It seems like every three weeks he pushes his style forward by a large margin. It’s very impressive. Meanwhile, more than three years later I went from this, to what you see today. Imagine where we’ll be three years from now.
Moving along, as today’s comic addresses, Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out on DVD yesterday. Not as much hype for this release as I recall for the first two parts of Lucas’ new trillogy. Maybe he’s saving up the advertising dollars for a big holiday push down the line.
I actually talked to Jared about buying it and he confessed that he was waiting for the inevitable, larger box set that collects all 6 films into one package. I alread bought Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, so I figured I’m just one of the lucky people screwed by their own avarice. Ironically, I never got around to purchasing the original trillogy when it came out on DVD last year. I don’t know what I’m waiting for…
In other news, we have a new sponsor. Everyone be sure to visit Less Than Lonely. It’s a new web comic and they have about 30 strips in the archive. So it’s a good balance of having enough material to give you a sense of things, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed by it. Check it out!
Also be sure to swing by the Boxcar Comics brand new store – The Hobotique! While there are several items for sale that will satiate your every desire, I especially recommend that you scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out the 2006 Boxcar Calendar we have for sale. It features artwork from Beaver and Steve, Bigger Than Cheeses, The Coffee Achievers, Hey Suburbia, HOUSD, Joe and Monkey, The Kenmore, Niego, Nothing Nice To Say, Rob and Elliot, Yirmumah! and yours truly. That’s 12 months of Boxcar awesomeness that you can hang up in your cubicle at work or maybe in your garage while you work on that custom Chevy.
I’m trying to come up with other applications for the calendar, but I’m coming up short…
You should know that all profits from the calendar purchase go toward Boxcar getting a booth at next year’s San Diego Comic Book Convention – the biggest convention of its kind and a huge opportunity for up-and-coming artists such as ourselves. Help alleviate the financial burden by making a purchase today.
That’s about all of my babbling for the moment. Here’s hoping you enjoyed today’s comic. Thanks for your support and May The Force Be With You!
I’m sure if the sky really did start to fall, it wouldn’t be as dramatic or as comical as Disney’s Chicken Little. It would probably be mildly annoying and barely funny at all – kind of like today’s incentive sketch.
I was actually amped at one point to see Chicken Little, but the reviews it’s been getting have been brutal. "Uninspired," "self-referential in substitution of wit" and "Pixar does it better" are some of the more harsh barbs that come to mind.
I guess I shouldn’t be totally surprised. I really haven’t had that much faith in Disney movies since Atlantis: The Lost Empire came out in 2001. It’s been downhill from there. Treasure Planet? Interesting concept, poor execution. Home on the Range? Did anyone even see that? I suppose not if Roseanne Barr is your lead actress.
Chicken Little seemed different. At least from outward apperances. Casting Zach Braff in the title role lends it geek credibility, but I don’t know if I’m going to pay good money and dumb myself down for 90 minutes just for Zach Braff.
On the other end of the pendulm this week is Jarhead. Sam Mendes from American Beauty is behind the lens and it looks pretty good. I’ve read reviews that say the movie is essentially about nothing. And not in that funny Seinfeld way. Nothing in the sense that the soldiers depicted on film fight absolutely no battles. They just sit on their hands waiting for action. A few critics have bristled at this, but Gulf War veterans are calling it the most realistic war movie ever made because that’s what actually happened. All this build up for war and then… nothing. The anticipation of what could happen eating away at you. Always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Politically, I don’t know how closely it’ll mirror our current situation in the MIddle East nor do I know if it has to. But you look at something like this and your mind kind of leaps to that conclusion – "What’s the secret meaning behind all this?"
In any case, Cami and I won’t be seeing either film this weekend. Steve Martin’s Shopgirl (which I dissected in this strip) and which was given a soft release in select markets last week finally comes to Des Moines on Friday. Both Cami and I were big fans of Martin’ s original novella. In fact, I also own his book "The Pleasure of My Company" and his collected essays – "Pure Drivel". Great stuff. I might actually have to read Pure Drivel again. It’s been a while since I looked at it.
I think casing Claire Danes as Mirabell is inspired. She does that world-weary, sad-sack-but-emotionally-mature-and-brilliant thing exceptionally well ever since My So-Called Life. Of course no one could play the detached, yet sophisticated Ray Porter better than Martin himself. I have to give extra points for whoever decided to bring on Jason Schwartzman as Jermey. Not only because I think he’s a very effective comic actor, but because he snagged the role from Jimmy Fallon after he dropped out. That version of the movie I don’t think I would have enjoyed as much.
I have some more thoughts relating to the new stuff I threw in the rotating top banner that I’ll come back and express later today. In the meantime, enjoy your Friday – whereever you are!
Hey, guys. It’s been a busy week, so let’s jump into it. I wanna give you some fun distractions so we can all go out on a high note.
This Monday I closed down the area of the store that features t-shirts, hoodies and baby-dolls. I’m busy collecting all the orders this very moment and prepping them to send to the printer. Hopefully we’ll have them turned around soon. Thanks to everyone for their support during this last drive.
Turns out merchandise orders aren’t the only thing keeping me busy this week. I’ve added a slew of links to the top banner that I want you guys to check out. Most of them are just for fun. Some of them are Theater Hopper related, some aren’t. But I think they’re all worth your time to investigate.
First, I have leads for you on two great comic notification systems. The first is Comic Junkie. A very handy application that you can download that will let you know when all of your favorite comics are posted. It’s packed with a slew of other features like subscription and rating services. I’ve added a whole page about it under the Resources tab. You should really check it out.
The second notification system is Comic Alert! You sign up for this one through their web site and they use Theater Hopper’s RSS feed to notify you by e-mail when all comics and blogs are updated! Very handy, especially if you forget to check the site every once in a while. Register with their service (it’s free!) and add Theater Hopper to your favorites!
Of course, if you have a LiveJournal account, you can skip that whole rig-a-ma-role and visit the Theater Hopper LiveJournal feed. It automatically posts new comics as soon as they are available. I’ve been pimping this one for a while, but there’s no reason not to give it a little more prominence!
Something else that could use a little more prominence are the Boxcar Comics 2006 Calendars. I’ve contributed artwork to the project and if you place your order now, you’ll enjoy it all through the month of February. Sure I got the shortest month, but I’m not complaining because the proceeds go to a good cause – helping the Boxcar crew reserve a booth at the 2006 San Diego ComiCon. Why, it’s only the largest comic book and small press convention in America, sillies! I think they’re just about done collecting pre-orders and they’re going to send it off to the printer. So make sure you have yours reserved when that happens!
And the last bit of Theater Hopper-related goodness I’ll share with you, the brand new Theater Hopper map brought to you by Frappr! Using GoogleMaps technology, this map can tag your location by zip code and display them together with everyone else. I thought it would be cool to see how far and wide Theater Hopper readership spans, so feel free to add your location to the global party! Don’t worry! It doesn’t ask for any addresses or personal information. Although you can leave your name, a photo and some commentary if you like. I totally stole this from DJ at Yirmumah!, but who cares?! It’s lots of fun! Check it out!
A few other items because I enjoy networking.
My recently established MySpace profile. Both Mitch and Zach wouldn’t shut up about it, so I got one, too. Won’t you be my friend?
My profile at Last.fm. If you’re not familiar with this service, it’s really cool. You download a little plugin for your MP3 player and it reports back what songs you listen to and which artists are your favorite. I love music as much as I love movies, so it’s really cool to build a network of friends and see what they’re listening to. A great opportunity to branch out and listen to new things!
Last but not least, my LiveJournal page. I know everyone and their sister has one of these and I’ve had one for quite a while myself. But I was kind of hungry for a few new readers so I thought I would pimp it out here a little bit. Right now I’m writing a lot about the 10 week fitness program I’ve been doing in an effort to change some bad habits and improve my overall health. I’ve also been writing a lot about the beard I’m growing in conjunction with the program. I’ve been posting pictures and everything. It’s a long story, but it’s pretty entertaining if you want to check it out.
Oh, before I forget! I want everyone to check out Robobo! Rusty, the creator, tipped me off to a fun cameo he did recently. Check it out!
Anyway, that’s it for this week. Beyond hooking you up with all these links, we’ve been busy revising the archive to make it easier for you to search in the future. I say "we" because Dave from Taking the Bi-Pass is really doing all the work. He’s doing an excellent job at that. Visit his web site and tell him you love him!
Hope everyone has a great weekend! Take care!
Related Posts ¬
Aug 3, 2005 | I WANNA BE THE CABOOSE! |
Nov 7, 2005 | MORE LINKS |
Jun 27, 2005 | DON’T FORGET THE FEED! |
Dec 30, 2005 | THE YEAR IN REVIEW |
Have you seen Claire Danes’ ass? Seriously, it’s fantastic.
It’s kind of difficult to do a joke like this and not come off as crass or objectifying women. So to any ladies upset by today’s comic, please know that it’s all in good fun. I think you’re all aware that there are just certain things – no matter the value of what surrounds it – that guys are just gonna focus on. It’s sad. We try to be good, but we can’t help ourselves.
It’s true that you get to see a bit of Danes’ goods in this movie. To me it came as a total shock. I wasn’t expecting it at all. Mostly because Danes’ doesn’t strike me as the kind of actress that might weild her sexuality in that way. She seems more sensitive. The scene isn’t exploitive at all. It’s brief and very tasteful. While exciting for the less sophisticated parts of my brain, my real higher-level opinion of Shopgirl is much closer to the thoughts expressed in the first panel than the fourth. Steve Martin has adapted his novella with a screenplay that takes the richest ideas and lets them breathe on the silver screen.
Being a big fan of the book, it was certainly through that prism by which I judged it. Did it feel true to the characters? We the actor’s interpretations accurate to what I had envisioned in my head?
Let’s put it this way: You know when you read a book and they make a movie of it, the movie never lives up to your imagination? Alternatively, when you see a movie based on a book that you haven’t read and then you go back and read it, the book doesn’t seem as vivid to what you saw on screen? Shopgirl is probably one of the few movies I’ve been to where I’ve read the source material first and preferred the filmed version. I don’t know what it is about it that I find so winning except that I just think it does a better job of capturing Martin’s overall idea of disconnect in a modern society and our larger search for finding someone to help us feel complete.
I don’t know who was in charge of the set and light direction in this movie, but hopefully they win an Oscar for their work. It’s subtle – almost subliminal – but the way they cast L.A. as a character from the gleaming channels of commerce to it’s dingy apartments makes you feel like the city these characters inhabit is alive. There is great use of light to reflect the mood and isolation these people feel over the course of the movie.
Performance-wise, I think all three leads hit the mark. As I mentioned before, Danes effortlessly exudes the quality of a very intelligent and sensitive person quietly dissatisfied with her surroundings. Martin’s character as the dry, sophisticated Ray Porter was tailor-made for him and it shows. You wonder how much of Martin’s own personality he wove into Ray. Jason Schwartzman totally walks away with the picture as it’s focal point for comedy relief as Jermey. Sweet-natured if maybe a little unorganized, he so perfectly symbolized the frantic wandering that are your twenties. I’m so glad Jimmy Fallon walked away from the role. No doubt his performance would have been too winking, coy and knowing. Not an honest expression of that fuzzy logic that motivates the male imperative at that age. All the dumb moves you’re making that you think are right. Trying your best, but not having the social where-with-all to communicate properly.
I can’t recommend Shopgirl highly enough. I’m already talking about going back to see it again. The movie has a very comfortable feeling that I enjoyed and is probably one of my top 10 this year.
Things have been pretty grim in movie theaters this year. Shopgirl gave me an injection of hope right when I needed it.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to enjoy a mohito!
I know last Friday I totally bombarded you guys with links. But there was one in particular that I forgot which was important to me.
Last week, Michael Lalonde’s Orneryboy celebrated its 200th strip. I’m a big fan of Mike’s work. I think Orneryboy has been one of the most consistently entertaining and most richly designed comics on the web. I also think Mike has one of the sharpest looking sites in web comics.
Swing by the site and give Mike your best. He’s worked hard and he’s earned it.
Additionally, I’m still pimping my recently minted MySpace account. I have now become addicted to adding people to my friends list. It’s like Pokemon! Gotta catch them all!
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May 10, 2004 | GOOD NEWS IN WEB COMIC LAND |
Feb 1, 2006 | INVESTIGATE |
Sep 25, 2002 | LANDMARK |
THE PLOT WASN’T THE ONLY THING REVEALED
November 9th, 2005 | by Tom(13 votes, average: 8.38 out of 10)
I think you’d hate to run into this version of Patti in a dark alley. She means business.
Kind of stretching my legs a little bit and doing a short storyline this week. I saw the opportunity after Monday’s comic, so I’m just going to see the arc through Friday. I love writing about how stupid men can be sometimes. If anyone needs proof of my own arrested development, they need look no further than this web site.
Good news for those of you that ordered shirts. I was able to send out a batch of orders from what was left in my standing inventory on Monday. Hopefully, you guys will be seeing your items by the end of this week or the beginning of the next. If there are any problems, be sure to let me know.
Unfortunately, those of you who have waited the longest – some of you placing orders shortly before my move in July! – probably won’t see your items for another few weeks. If you’ve been waiting a while, odds are strong that I was out of stock. Part of this last push with the store was to rack up enough orders on some designs to meet the printers minimum requirements. Now that the last push has concluded, I have sent the orders to the printer and should hopefully see them turned around in a week to two weeks. I already have everyone’s envelopes addressed. Now it’s just a matter of stuffing them and dropping them off at the post office.
I appreciate everyone’s patience in this regard. I learned a valuable lesson this year regarding merchandise and that is to not bite off more than you can chew. I thought it would be cool if I took some of my own money to invest in the t-shirt designs and try to build a standing inventory. The idea was to be able to turn around orders faster because I would be able to grab the item from the shelf and put it out the door the same day.
This worked okay for a little while, but what I quickly realized is that this kind of on-demand service is beyond my means. I would need a full warehouse or storage facility to meet the different demands.
Shirts like the "Spoiler" design were easy to keep stocked because there was only one color to print and it was a popular design. "Truman in a Purse," on the other hand, was difficult to keep stocked because it was printed with four colors and was less popular. In other words, if I ran out of medium-sized "Truman in a Purse" tees and had orders for 5 more, I would find myself up the creek because the minimum order amount was 30 for a four-color design versus 12 for a one-color design like "Spoiler." I ended up eating up a lot of the profit I made ordering a handful of shirts to fill orders and then being stuck with inventory I couldn’t move. Eventually, things came to the point where I needed to stop being so foolish with my money and force the situation where I could try and burn up the extra inventory I accumulated before discontinuing a few designs.
It worked to a degree. There is still some stuff I’m sitting on. But I can take these things to conventions if I have to. Or maybe I can use them in conjunction with promotions on the site. I haven’t decided yet.
What I DO know is that next time I do shirts, I’m setting up a schedule and sticking to it. Two weeks for pre-orders, two weeks for printing and delivery. Wash, rinse, repeat. Because in addition to learning not to bite off more than I can chew, I’ve learned that if a reasonable timeline is established, you guys are much happier. I totally understand why. If I were in your shoes, I would get impatient waiting for my order, too. You guys have been more than understanding in this regard, but in terms of timeliness, I’ve failed you. Anyone who is cool enough to buy a shirt and show their support for the site deserves better than this. That is my goal for next time.
When will next time be? Can’t say at the moment. Right now I’m working on something behind-the-scenes for Theater Hopper’s 500th strip. Then after that I’m working on laying out a book and commentaries for the first year of Theater Hopper strips. After that I’ll come back to shirts with some new designs I know you guys are gonna love.
Thanks again for your support. It means everything.
Punches to the head shouldn’t tickle and people shouldn’t expect them to. The juxtaposition is too jarring.
Today’s Web Comics List incentive sketch is actually a “two-fer” – as in, “two fer the price of one.” I drew one sketch and wasn’t really communicating what I wanted it to, so I drew a second one. Still, I thought the first one was a good drawing and thought it would be a treat to share both. So I did.
At any rate, so ends this weeks Shopgirl extravaganza. I hope you enjoyed it.
Can I be candid with you a minute? Right now I’m working on an archive application that will make using the site much easier for you in the future, but it requires me to go back and touch every page and look over every comic I have. It has put me in a very reflective mood.
Sometimes I think about how far I’ve come with the comic and I’m really amazed. Three years. MORE than three years of my life I’ve wrapped up into this. I can’t imagine a day where I don’t do it.
But sometimes after taking stock and looking back at these old comics, I think “Man, even though the art wasn’t any good, some of these jokes are much better than what I’m doing right now.”
I don’t know guys. I think I’m in a slump.
It’s been a long one, too. A few months at least. Used to be, I’d enter into a slump and rebound after a month or so. In my mind, at least. These days, I can’t seem to snap out of it.
I can make excuses for myself. Tell myself that it’s been a rough year. It has. Moving to a new house, losing a grandparent, general job and life stresses. It gets to you.
Sometimes I look at the competition and I’m really envious of the guys who gave something up to do this full time. The five days a week guys. That’s something to aspire to. I’m sure it’s hard work – and although their comics are supporting them – I’m sure it’s not much money for the effort. But I imagine them to be very happy people. They get to do this all the time. What an honor.
I’ve expressed this before, but I often wonder what would have become of Theater Hopper had I started it during college and not 3 years after graduation. Would I have gone for it? Hard to say.
I want to make this the best comic for you that I can. I want to make it so as many people as possible can see the work I’m doing and hopefully get a kick out of it and become fans.
Sometimes it seems no matter how much hustling you do, no matter how many connections you make – at some point, things have to level off. I’m worried that right now is one of those times.
I think I know the answer to this problem and most of it to keep your nose to the grindstone and keep putting out work. I think the other half of the problem is to do something new or stretch artistic muscles I haven’t used in a while.
I don’t want this interpreted the wrong way. Theater Hopper is a hobby for me. A successful one at that. I see the traffic that comes through my site and I’m stunned that so many people make this web site part of their daily routine. I think about all the cool people I’ve met and talked to. These are wonderful rewards. But I want to keep growing.
Things will be different after we celebrate our 500th strip on November 25. Maybe a larger storyline is in order. Maybe a crossover. But I’m on the hunt. I want that spark back. I want to light it up for you guys.
Sincere thanks for all your support. I appreciate it. Everyone have a great weekend.
Writing today’s blog last night while I was feeling wistful and reflecttive wasn’t necessarily a bad decision, but it precluded me from mentioning something important and that is for all of you to visit our latest sponsor Yirmumah!
I love Yirmumah! but I’m proabably the last person in the world to get on the bandwagon. I mean, I knew the comic was out there, but I never really explored it until after I joined ranks with my brothers at Boxcar Comics. Now I’m in up to my eyeballs with it and loving every second of it!
Although I’m sure DJ would appreciate the compliments, I’m afraid heaping too much praise onto his wholly original and hilarious comic will reveal me for the noob I am. But I’ve already kind of admited it as much, so what’s the shame in giving kudos where kudos are due?
Yirmumah! is the kind of comic that I would like to write if I weren’t locked into the timeliness and the thematic perameters of the genre I chose for Theater Hopper. DJ can really go all over the map with his stuff. Everything ranging from fights with his wife to Bill O’Reilly being spit on by a venomous cobra. Always great energy in his strips and I can’t think of a single one is his archive that didn’t make me laugh or at least smile. It’s very clever and you need to check it out.
In reference to the little pity party above, I have to say thank you to those who have already send letters of encouragement. I was actually kind of surprised that anyone would take the time to write, but I shouldn’t have been because you guys are always awesome.
Sometimes you get so close to your work that you have trouble envisioning what it must look like through someone else’s eyes. I think it’s important to note that I don’t write my comics in terms of what I think will go over well. I don’t go for that "creativity by committee" thing and I don’t assume anyone else with a creative outlet would stand for it, either. I try to write for myself first. If I can make myself laugh with a concept I’ve come up with, then it should go over fairly well on the site. On the days when I don’t come up with something that makes me laugh, I try to push it as far as I can and hope it goes over. I think the disparity of this situation is that there have only been a handful of comics that – for me – really worked well. But it never occured to me that the pressure I put on myself is not something that factors into your enjoyment of the strip. By that I mean, people have written in and complimented me on stuff that they thought was brilliant and I thought was par for the course. So it goes to show that not only am I my own worst critic, but I have crappy taste in my own material!
At any rate, thanks to everyone for their support. I’m still very much excited about Theater Hopper, I just want to be able to do more. I have a lot of stuff in works for the site, but how awesome would it be if I could do this full time. I think I would find the work very fullfilling.
Here’s to doing what we can with the time we’re given. Cheers.
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Feb 24, 2006 | NEW AD SCHEME |
The punchline to this comic probably isn’t going to make a lot of sense if you aren’t a long-time reader of Theater Hopper. It actually references these comics from back in the day.
The Geek Truama Center was always a concept I wanted to explore further. It seems people are always doing stupid things to injure themselves. It stood to reason that geeks – being more devoted – would go to further and more bizarre lengths to do so. Plus, the character of "Mad-Eye" Moody from Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is already so visually striking, it would seem a shame to cover the movie and not mention him. Plus, I thought it sounded really funny to have Tom try to extract his eye with a toilet plunger.
Incidentally, the hospital staff at the Geek Trauma Center is VERY happy that Tom is up to his old monkey shines…
I don’t have a lot to say about the fourth movie in the Harry Potter cannon. I haven’t read any of the books, so I don’t know what to expect. Cami has read them all and says this one is her favorite.
I guess I’ve been doing SOME digging around on-line and it sounds like there were a lot of sub-plots they had to let go. For example, Hermione’s efforts to liberate the indentured house elves was totally cut. I don’t know if that kind of political strike – if you can call it that – would have fit that well into a holiday blockbuster anyway. Oh, well…
A funny thing happened in regard to my esteem for this franchise. The first couple of movies I kind of begrudgingly liked. I say "begrudgingly" because it was erstwhile Home Alone director Chris Columbus who lensed the first two installments. His predeliction is to make movies with kids sacchrine-sweet, but I felt he did an okay job reigning that instinct in.
Relenquishing the directors seat to Alfonso Curon for Harry Potter and The Prisioner of Azkaban, I was very impressed by the overall shift of the mood into darker territory as the children entered their tumultuous teenage years. Hearing that director Mike Newell plans to continue in that direction with Goblet of Fire gives me hope that the franchise will mature alongside the audiences expectations.
Piecing it all together now, I can more clearly see the tonal arc of the films and I’ve actually come to appreciate the first two more.
So, yeah. I’m excited to see this on Friday. There will be more Harry Potter goodness in the coming week here on the site.
Two links to mention:
Don’t forget to sign up for the Theater Hopper map. Don’t worry, we’re not collecting information to spam you with. All it does is plot your position based on your zip code. You don’t have to give your real name and you don’t have to give your address. But feel free to add a fun message or picture.
I stole the idea from DJ over at Yirmumah! and Joe from Joe Love Crappy Movies took off with his own version. I gotta stay competitive with these guys! If you used our map to judge the readership, you’d be led to believe there are only 80 of you who come back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I know for a fact things are a little more robust than that. Raise your voice! Let me know you’re out there!
Secondly, Threadless is having a $10 on a large variety of their designs. You might remember that I designed a shirt for sale there called "Ask Me How I Became A Pirate." It’s out of stock at the moment – or at least at the time I wrote this message. But there are several other designs to choose from and ten bucks is a steal for some of these original tees.
If you plan on buying any, just be sure to use this link when you do:
http://www.threadless.com/?streetteam=Tom%20Brazelton
I get referral points for everyone one of you I send over there who buys a shirt. I wouldn’t mind stocking up on a few items myself this time around!
Talk to you all soon!
Here’s a question for you guys.
I’ve been doing this comic three years, right? Why in all that time has no one representing a movie studio or some kind of marketing group for film ever contacted me?
Look at these sites. See all those ads floating around? I’d be happy to run something like that on my site. Indie flick or big-budget blockbuster, I don’t care. It’s entirely relevant to what this audience is interested in and I think they would score some nice traffic from it. How do these other sites get the hook-up? Is it all in who you know? Do the studios approach them? Well, nuts to the waiting game, I’m bringing it straight to you.
I understand if you haven’t considered advertising with a web comic before. You stick to what you know. Advertise within your own industry. It’s smart. Hey, I totally understand. Most of us web comic guys only advertise with other web comics! But I’m telling you – if you want to diversify the audience that you reach, tap into the web comics genre. I know my audience. They are a motivated and dedicated bunch. If your movie looks good, they’re going to see it. Look at Penny Arcade or PvP. When was the last time you saw these guys advertising other web comics? They advertise for the gaming industry and things are coming up roses!
My prices can’t be beat, guys. These are the rates that I’ve been giving to everyone else. I’ll give the same deal to you.
If you represent a studio, some kind of movie-related web site or even just know a guy who knows a guy that can put me in touch with someone in movie-making circles – drop me a line so we can discuss some advertising possibilities. What I have going on to the right of the comic isn’t a permanent method of ad delivery. In other words, you don’t have to cram it into that tiny area. We could run an ad down the whole length of the comic. I can adjust things. You ad will stay above the fold and that space right next to the comic is prime real estate.
I don’t know if being so blunt with this request will actually yeild any results. But I figure after three years, it’s high-time I put the concept out into the universe. CONTACT ME!
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Jun 7, 2005 | BUY SOME ADS, WOULD YOU? |
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