I just wanted to sent a quick thanks to everyone who placed an order yesterday as part of our special one-day $10 sale promotion. The response was OUTSTANDING!
To be truthful, I thought I was going to end up taking a bath with everything being so dramatically cut in price, but your support offset any losses and I think there are going to be a lot of happy people this holiday season!
I was really surprised how many of you ordered books! Obviously the lower price was an incentive. So I'm pleased to announce that Theater Hopper: Year One has dropped in price from $18.95 to $15.00 (plus shipping and handling). So if you missed yesterday's sale, you can still take advantage of reduced prices.
A quick note to those of you that ordered shirts - right now both Spoiler I and Spoiler II are at the printer. But I expect to have them back soon. I plan on shipping everything out before the holiday season so everyone will get what they ordered before the end of the month. Naturally, this excludes international orders. But domestic orders should be seeing their stuff soon.
Incidentally, shirts are still available for $10 because that's pretty much the price point they were at before the sale. It was the books that were the real bargin. I'm just pointing it out to let you know that you can still take advantage of great prices!
Stay tuned to the site in the near future. I'm going to bring back the bundle option so you can buy both books at the same time for a discounted price. I'm also planning on throwing t-shirts into the mix for greater savings. I'll let you know when that's all wrapped up.
Quick note... Has anyone been listening to Scott Kurtz's live, interactive podcasts he's been broadcasting for the last few weeks. I finally bought a headset a little while back and have participated in the last two shows. I think this technology is great and am starting to consider doing my own shows for Theater Hopper.
I've always wanted to do a podcast, but I was a little turned off by the one-sided nature of the conversation. I talk to myself for two hours, record it and you download it. Kind of vanilla.
With the TalkShoe application, you guys can listen to me live, send me text message in a chat room or call-in and talk to me directly using a calling program like Skype! It's really cool and it brings a whole new level of interactivty to the program. Imagine if I were talking about this week's new movie releases and you guys could chime in on the discussion! Just like talk radio!
Anyway, I strongly suggest that you investigate both Skype and TalkShoe. Maybe even listen to Kurtz's weekly broadcast just to get your bearings. Because this is something I want to bring to Theater Hopper very soon.
Archive for November, 2006
First things first. I need to get this out of the way.
To kick of the holiday season, I am sponsoring a special promotion in the store today. I'm calling it the Theater Hopper one-day $10 sale! The concept is really simple. Everything in the store is $10 for one day (plus shipping and handling)! Today! So that means both books are on sale for $10 as well as all of our baby doll tees and t-shirts.
So if you haven't bought Theater Hopper: Year One and Year Two yet, today is your lucky day. You could very soon be the proud owner of over 400 pages of full-color comic goodness for $20 (plus shipping and handling). That is an excellent deal! Maybe you have a friend or family member on your holiday gift list who loves movies. These books would be PERFECT for them! But you have to act fast! Because by the time Thursday morning rolls around, all the prices turn back into pumpkins!
To help kick off this promotion, I have also designed a new t-shirt! A sequel to our most popular offering, I bring you "Spoiler II!"
I can't tell you how long people have been asking for a follow up to the "Spoiler" shirt. I'm happy to make it available to you during the pre-order period for the low, one-day price of $10 (plus shipping and handling). I hope you guys enjoy it because it was very difficult to draw all the research together and think up new spoilers the second time around. I think I may have used up all the "classic" spoilers for the first shirt. So, in it's way, the sequel is somewhat inferior - just like REAL sequels! Y'see - we give you the authentic experience here at Theater Hopper!
At any rate, take your time and browse around the store. Take advantage of this offer because I don't know the next time I'm going to do something like this!
Oh, and speaking of taking advantage of things, you guys should really look into advertising in the sponsorship area below the comic and above this blog. I've made the switch and now Project Wonderful is managing these ads and it's pretty slick. On Monday, you could have your ad up on the site for free. It's Wednesday and ad prices are starting to climb. So you'll want to get in on the ground floor to take advantage of things before it get's out of your price range.
I should let you know that I made an effort to promote the all-day $10 sale around the web comic news sites today, so hopefully we'll see a little extra traffic from people hungry for a deal. All those extra eyes could be looking at YOUR ad, y'know!
Just sayin'...
Talk to you soon!
I'm aware that Emilio Estevez has been in a few things since last being upstaged by a pre-Dawson's Creek Joshua Jackson in D3: The Mighty Ducks 10 years ago. But I think if you polled a sampling of the American public, most people would be hard-pressed to remember any of them. The fact of the matter is that it's just plain weird to see the guy who played the coach in the Mighty Ducks make the creative leap into historical drama. It makes me question if Estevez thought he has some kind of unique perspective on the subject of democracy because his Dad played The President on The West Wing for nearly a decade. It's like C. Thomas Howell writing and directing a docu-drama about Martin Luther King because he played a college kid in blackface when he starred in Soul Man.
Cami and I didn't get to see Bobby this holiday weekend. I think we were too burnt out after seeing Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny and For Your Consideration. Cami had low expections for the Tenacious D movie and still left underwhelmed. I didn't think it was the best movie, but I thought it was goofy fun. For die-hard fans of the group, this movie will hit them right between the eyes. The climatic battle between The D and Dave Grohl as Satan is worth the price of admission even if there are a lot of fart jokes and pot references you have to waft through first.
Being big fans Christopher Guest's previous "mockumentaries," both of us had high hopes when we went to see For Your Consideration on Saturday. I hate to report that it was a bit of a let down. I like to think I'm pretty hip, but the movie-within-a-movie concept of "Home For Purim" doesn't really sell. Basically, the joke is that they family of this production is from the deep, DEEP South and oh-so Jewish. It's funny when Catherine O'Hara says "Oy gevalt, whut have I duhhhn?" in a deep Southern accent. But it's pretty much the only punchline for that set up and the keep trying to wring comedy out of it that isn't there.
Beyond that, there are far too many characters to keep up with and you don't end up caring about any of them. Sandra Oh and Richard Kind have cameos as a pair of marketers, but you see them once and that's it. You wonder why they were even in the film. Guest would be better served by going back-to-basics and parsing down his cast to his core players. He keeps tacking on actors in nothing roles that kind of hints at the desperate search for credibility that being in a Guest picture lends comedically.
I didn't laugh very much in this film and had a hard time remembering any of the funny lines afterwords - a bad sign. Fred Willard and Jane Lynch get laughs for their portrayal of a pair of ridiculous "entertainment journalists." But that's like shooting fish in a barrel and really not the best use of their talents. Jennifer Coolidge gets a few laughs as a ditzy producer. But again, she's done the same thing better in other movies.
I will give credit to Catherine O'Hara who manages to extract some real pathos out of her character who starts out as an actor very much in love with her craft and how she copes after being chewed up and spit out by the Hollywood hype machine post-Oscar season. There is some wry commentary on how films are produced and mangled by "the suits" to capitolize on that buzz.
Overall, the movie is very cute and a nice diversion. It just doesn't deliver in the way that previous Guest movies have in the comedy department. I can't decide if it's because Guest seems to be shedding the "mockumentary" format (less phony interview segments, more straight narrative) or if it's something else.
One thing I can say for sure is that the ending is just clumsy. The screen fades to black and you ask yourself "That's it?" It just... ends.
And it's a dissapointment.
Some site news... I want to call everyone's attention to the new sponsorship buttons below the comic and above the blog. I've wanted to let everyone know that I've stopped managing these ads and am no longer offering the $10 for 30 days deal that previously occupied that space. Instead, I've turned things over to Project Wonderful and things have switched to auction-style ad sale model.
I think this is going to work out better in the long run. People pay what they are comfortable paying and if they're outbid, then there's no bad feelings. It's good for Theater Hopper because I think you'll see a greater variety of ads in this space and I'll sleep a little better at night knowing that I'll be promoting a wider variety of comics. I'm excited because some of these comics I don't think I would have come across otherwise! More to read! Yay!
At any rate, if you're interested in advertising in this space, it's very easy to participate. Just sign up for an account, place your bid and the length of time you'd like to advertise and let the chips fall where they may!
Also, don't feel that you need a web comic exclusively to advertise in this area. If you have another kind of web site or maybe even want to send someone a birthday message, this is an easy and affordable option.
Bidding started at $0 and some people are really taking advantage of it! You could swoop in there right now and offer to pay .10 cents a day and win the spot. See how it works?
If you have any questions, let me know. In the meantime, don't forget that Wednesday is our $10 Sale. Everything in the store will be $10 for one day only! A great chance to buy a few items for loved one's this holiday season!
Talk to you soon!
Hey, guys.
I'm writing this after a particularly large, gut-busting Thanksgiving meal and I am looking at Cami and Truman both sound asleep on the couch and I desperately want to join them. So I've decided that there will be no comic for Friday. Sorry to flake out on you like this - especially for those of you outside of the States who don't celebrate Thanksgiving day. But the fact of the matter is that this is one of the last holiday's Cami and I will have - just the two of us - before the baby comes in February and, well... I want to take advantage of it without the threat of deadline over me. I just need a day off.
I appreciate your understanding.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the good ol' U.S. of A. and that means we get to celebrate our national passtime - eating! We're really good at it, too. Have you seen to obesity rates in the kids these days. Lookin' good!
Thanksgiving also means I get to bust out a special holiday-themed comic as I have been known to do in the past. This one is my personal favorite...
At any rate, today's comic hits close to me because I certainly feel a time pinch with all the new releases this week. I suppose I could be equally concerned about spending time with family or fighting the crowds at the mall, but really all I want to do is watch movies. For Your Consideration and Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny are high on my list. But I admit being attracted to The Fountain and Bobby, too. Perhaps the latter are a little to heavy for post Thankgiving consumption, but they have my attention none the less. I think we're going to try and see Tenacious D: tonight so we can scratch at least one off our list. I'm looking forward to all of them.
I mentioned in Monday's blog that I was planning on have a $10 one-day sale in the near future. I've decided to go ahead and make that day next Wednesday, November 29. So that means all day next Wednesday, everything in the store will be $10 (plus shupping and handling) That includes both books, our remaining inventory of t-shirts and the forthcoming sequel to the popular Spoiler shirt. It'll be a great opportunity to pick up a few things for yourselves or to get the jump on presents for the movie-lover in your family this holiday season.
I'm cutting things short tonight. Friday's comic might be a little late due to the holiday. But I hope to have something whipped up for you as soon as possible.
If you're celebrating Turkey Day - all the best to you and yours. Travel safe and say "Hi" to Grandma for me!
Apologies for the delay with today's strip. I had the blog written out last night, but forgot to upload the comic.
My mind has been somewhat fractured recently. I've been having some job issues that have required my focus. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Thanks to everyone for their patience. I hope you enjoy the comic!
If you didn't see Casino Royale this weekend, today's comic isn't going to make much sense to you. But the fact of the matter is that this was a conversation I had in real-life with Cami literally minutes after we finished watching the film and I thought it was simply too cute NOT to use in a strip.
If you didn't see Casino Royale this weekend (and it's shocking second place finish against Happy Feet) indicates there were a few of you with cold feet - I strongly suggest you make time to check it out. It is - without question - the best Bond movie of the modern era. Easily in the top 5 Bond movies of all time. Maybe even the top 3. I loved this film and I can't stress that enough.
I've always been a sucker for the James Bond franchise, so take my praise with a grain of salt. I've been watching these films since I was in my early teens and was always facinated by them. Not just for all the macho trappings - the girls, the gadgets, and whatnot. But I also appreciate it from a historical perspective. One could argue that before Bond, there really wasn't an action genre in film. I also think it's cool that the character can be handed down from actor to actor.
To that end, anyone with reservations about the casting of Daniel Craig should get over themselves. Craig knocks it out of the part and he is the perfect choice for this rebooting of the franchise. Craig's Bond is very rough around the edges. Compitent and lethal, but still making mistakes. What the filmmakers do is strip Bond down to his essense. There's no Miss Moneypenny to flirt with or Q to show off the handy gadgets. As for romantic interests, we're not stuck being asked to believe in Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist but treated to a very plausable Eva Green as a representative of the British treasury. Everything is far less complicated and that leaves room for three fabulous action sequences to breathe on their own.
Most of what has plauged Bond in his most recent adventures is cartoonish characters and over-the-top scenarios. While Casino Royale skirts the line with the villianous Le Chiffre who cries blood when he gets a good hand in poker, the pursuit of a bomb-maker in Madagascar seems very plausible. The high stakes poker game the film concludes with also feels exotic and daring but still somewhat tethered to reality.
If you're a fan of the Bond mythos on any level. I strongly suggest you check out Casino Royale. You won't be dissapointed.
In addition to seein Casino Royale this weekend, Cami and I also saw The Queen with Helen Mirren. An amazing performance as HRH Queen Elizabeth II. The film is a very economical retelling of the events in the week surrounding Princess Diana's death in Paris in 1997. It focuses on The Royal Family and their botched handling of Diana's sad demise by refusing to return to London while on holiday or making and public statements to aid the British people in their grief.
I'm not a big Royal-watcher so it was very interesting to get a glimpse inside the mechanics of a monarchy. I recall thinking that The Royal Family had totally gone about things the wrong way when it took Queen Elizabeth almost a week to say anything about what had happened. Certainly, for the first two-thirds of the movie, that rings true. But near the end, before she gives her speech, there is a very profound moment that leaves you feeling somewhat sad for the monarchy and what it has come to represent in modern Britian. Queen Elizabeth is cut as a somewhat tragic figure. A ruler who has sat on the throne for over 50 years and is not equipped emotionally to see through the transition between the role she believes has been ordained by God and the role her subjects expect her to play as a media figure that they somehow "own."
I watched the film and was very curious how people in the UK might have reacted to it. I also left thinking about what will become of the monarchy once Prince William becomes King. Facinating stuff.
In site news, I was hoping to have "Spoiler II" done over the weekend. But, truthfully, my day job has been keeping me away from the site somewhat and I spent the weekend playing catch up on e-mails. It's probably for the best. With Thanksgiving this Thursday, I'm not thinking people will have that kind of thing on their mind.
Just a head's up: Cami gave me a great suggestion to have a special holiday sale very soon. We're calling it The $10 Sale and everything will be on sale for $10 for one day only. That's books, t-shirts, everything. A great opportunity to maybe buy a copy of our books for a family member who loves films. Just a thought.
At any rate, The $10 Sale will probably take place sometime next week. So get your pocketbooks ready.
Talk to you guys soon!
I realize that the comics are a little out of order. I should have posted this one about Stranger Than Fiction on Wednesday. It would have been the better follow up to my first Stranger Than Fiction strip over a week ago before I had guest strips fill in the blanks while I was away at Wizard World Texas. Concordantly, it would have been a better strip to lead in with in order for me to do my Wizard World Texas recap. After all, Stranger Than Fiction was the movie I went to see with Mitch Clem and Zach Miller last Saturday. As per convention tradition, we see a movie together while we're all in one place and then I do a comic about it.
It also does not escape me that Casino Royale comes out today and Wednesday's comic would have been a better fit to kick off the weekend.
Well, I can tell you that I was pretty wiped out after last weekend and the strip I had up on the site Wednesday was actually compelted a week prior so I could meet my deadline for the local youth publication Juice (remember when I was talking about that a few weeks ago?) Incidentally, you can check out my blogs on the Juice web site here. Bookmark 'em. Goodness knows I could use the traffic!
Today's comic marks the second occassion that I have photographed myself and placed my ugly mug in the comic. The first occassion was back in the summer of 2004. I figure after 630 comics, appearing two times isn't really all that bad. Besides, the quasi-meta fourth wall breaking fits in very well with the central plot device of Stranger Than Fiction. That an author is writing the imminent demise of the character in her book, but is stopped cold in her tracks when the physical, real-world manifestation of her character contacts her asking her to stop. Her telepathic narration having driven him into action.
Similarly, as with today's comic, what happens when a semi-autobiographical character calls you from out of the ether? You think I would have recognized his voice over the phone, but you know how that is. If you've ever listened to a recording of yourself, isn't your first reaction always "Is that what I sound like?"
In regards to Stranger Than Fiction, I think it's probably been one of my favorite movies of the fall. Will Ferrell gives a brilliant, restrained performance that feels much more natural in it's earnestness versus... say Jim Carrey's first foray into "serious actor" territory with The Truman Show.
I already mentioned this in my LiveJournal account (bookmark that one too, while you're at it) that Stranger Than Fiction totally inspired me to try to learn the guitar again.
I have a bass guitar and am self-taught. I can play a few songs by ear and I have fun when I pick it up every now and again. The problem with playing the bass is that no one is impressed by someone who can play the bass. So I've been dancing around the idea of learning a more melodious instrument for years now.
I actually have an acoustic guitar. It's one on loan from my Mother In Law. At one point I bought software to teach me how to play, but I lost interest. It took a Will Ferrell movie to stoke the embers again.
Ferrell's character undergoes a transformation when he learns that his narrator is plotting his demise. So he sets out to do all the things he always wanted to do. One of them was learning to play the guitar. He goes to a store to find the exact perfect guitar that will make the statement he wants it to make. He practices and eventually woos the object of his affection with a spontaneous performance of Wreckless Eric's Whole Wide World.
A few days ago I broke out my Mother In Law's acoustic, went online and found an application to help me tune it up, found another site that showed me chord configurations and then went to yet another site and found the tabulature for Whole Wide World." It's essentially the A and E chords back and forth. Nothing complicated. But within five minutes I was playing the song, singing along and feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
It's funny where you find your inspiration. I say take the ball and run with it. Similarly, that's the message behind Stranger Than Fiction. It's a simple lesson. One you probably already know. But the movie does an exemplary job of teaching you that lesson in a fresh and interesting way. If you've been dragging your feet at all on this one, I strongly suggest you check it out. It's quirky, it's light and it's entertaining. It has a killer soundtrack to boot.
Tonight I think Cami and I will be seeing Casino Royale. I've been surprised by the number of positive reviews for it so far. I have high hopes. I think that they've stripped the James Bond character down to the essentials has been a long time coming and I'm actually very intrigued to see what Daniel Craig does with the role. A lot of people complained when he was picked to be the new Bond. Personally, I think anything that shakes up the franchise after 20 installments is a good thing. Have you guys heard the statistic that something like 23% of the world has seen a James Bond movie at some point in their life? Scary.
Another movie we have our antennae up for is The Queen. Cami has been itching to see this for a while. It hasn't been a priority for me, but I'm still excited to see it. Anything Helen Mirren is in is bound to be good. I think we're seeing that one with friends on Saturday. I'll have to tell you what I think of it later.
Until then, I hope everyone has a great weekend. Rest up, kids. Next weekend there's a ton of new releases to kick off the holiday season. Busy days ahead!
Take care. Oh! And before I forget, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who sent wonderful words of support regarding the break in that happened to me in Wizard World Texas. I feel good knowing you guys are looking out for me.
Incidentally, I plan on bankrolling the stolen inventory with a sequel to my most popular t-shirt design - "Spoiler." I already have a list of new movies I'm ready to ruin. Expect an announcement about when a pre sale will become available in the comic weeks!
As much as I would love to talk about Casino Royale right now, I'm afraid I have another story I want to tell. This has nothing to do with movies. It has to do with something personal that happened to me. So buckle up, because it's a long story.
As some of you might recall, this weekend I went to Wizard World Texas. Originally, I wasn't going to go. But after the success I had with the launch of "Theater Hopper: Year One" at Wizard World Chicago back in August, Cami sweet-talked me into fast-tracking "Theater Hopper: Year Two" and premiering it at Wizard World Texas. When I learned my good friends Mitch Clem, Zach Miller and Taki Soma were planning on going as well, it was a done deal. I was excited. I felt like we had some momentum behind us and we were riding the wave.
We left Des Moines last Thursday and it took us about 12 hours to get to Arlington. We made it to the hotel, gathered up our stuff and checked in. A little later we went to the nearby Bennigan's where we ran into Zach and Taki. I took Cami back to the hotel room to hit the hay after a long day on the road and then went back to Bennigan's to catch up with Zack and Taki. We had a great time sharing stories and telling jokes. I went to bed that night really looking forward to exhibiting the next day.
Despite the fact that we had been on the road for so long the day before, I woke up with a ton of energy. I was bouncing around the hotel room getting ready. I was eager to meet the fans and get going. Cami and I spilled out onto the parking lot a little bit later ready to head out to the convention. I was carrying a bag with Cami's books in it and popped the trunk to throw in the back.
Then I noticed something was wrong.
"Uhh... where are those two big Tupperware's with all the shirts in them?"
"What?"
"The Tupperware's. Where... ohmigod, we've been robbed! Someone broke into our car!"
Here it is - the first day before the convention, I'm amped up and ready to go and the rug has been completely pulled out from under us.
In a dash, I went to the front desk of the hotel. "You've gotta call the cops! Our car has been broken into!"
"Tsk," said the hotel clerk, dejected. "That's, like, the four or fifth one today!"
I was put on the phone with the Arlington Police Department and gave them my contact information. Within a few minutes, I was contacted on my cell phone by an officer who helped me file my report. Here's what they stole:
- Two Tupperware containers containing the following items:
- 25 brand new Spoiler t-shirts that had been delivered to me earlier in the week.
- Roughly 25 t-shirts of various designs. The last of my shirt inventory that I had planned on selling off.
- All of my promotional materials including about 250 fliers that I had printed up so I could hand them out to people who visited my table.
- Various display-related tools and materials. This includes a movie-themed table cloth I use to dress up my space, flashing lights I put on the PVC display behind me to attract attention and things like scotch tape, string, a pocket knife, stands for me to prop copies of the books on, sharpies to sign the books and recently created cardboard signs to make things on the table more engaging. For example, a sign that says "You laugh at it, you buy it!" to put on the Spoiler shirt.
The also stole a cell phone from the glove compartment. It's actually my old cell phone that I threw in there after it was replaced last month. It doesn't work. So I guess the joke's on them.
They stole a ring that cost me about $10 that I left on the dash when I was trying to get into my pockets to pay a toll, but didn't take the loose change also left scattered.
They tried to yank out the auxiliary cable and charged for my iPod that I have mounted into the dash. It was stretched out all over the place, but they couldn't get it free. Miraculously, it still worked so we had something to listen to on the ride home.
What pissed me off most is that they took my Game Boy DS and every single Game Boy game I had ever collected since I was about 12. I had brought it with us to give Cami something to do while I worked on the convention floor. I probably wouldn't have brought it otherwise.
Here's a list of things they DIDN'T steal:
- My two-wheel cart that I use to load in with.
- My mannequin torso wearing a Spoiler shirt that I use as part of my booth display.
- A 56" long tripod bag containing all of the pieces of PVC I use to hold up my 4' x 2' Theater Hopper banner and price list behind me.
- A folding chair for Cami to sit in and be comfortable.
- My sunglasses.
- Four boxes of books - two for Year One and two for Year Two.
The last item on the list is what really surprised me. Besides the Game Boy, the books were the most valuable items in the car. I don't know how to feel about that. Either we're dealing with illiterates or they just didn't think the books were very funny.
As devastating as it is to be stolen from, at least they didn’t break a window to get in. That would have made the car ride home ESPECIALLY difficult. Apparently they must have had a slim jim, shimmied it in the door and popped the lock that way.
More than anything, the theft was just bad timing. I'm convinced I could have used the shirts to sell more books. I bundle the two together for a discount at conventions and people seem to really like it. I can't tell you how many people came up to my booth, saw the Spoiler shirt on the mannequin and asked "How much is that? I have to have that shirt!"
I would tell them it was $10, but that I actually didn't have any with me because my car was broken into the night before. People were sympathetic. Some people told me "Welcome to Dallas!" I had one girl tell me car theft was really common in the area because it's very touristy. She worked at a restaurant in the area and her car was broken into three days after starting her job. It figures. In between our hotel and the convention center was Six Flags over Texas. Ameriquest Field where the Texas Rangers play is also right next door.
I told people that if they really liked the shirt that I would take down their mailing information and send them one when I got back home. Surprisingly, I actually sold a few that way. Only one guy balked when I asked for the money up front.
We were able to sell a few books and make some money. Friday was actually a good day, sales wise. We couldn't match it on Saturday, though - which was a busier day on the floor. We had a goal in mind, but we only made about half that. So it was frustrating to suffer a wasted opportunity. We didn't even make enough money to cover the cost of the trip.
Still, as unnerving as it is to be stolen from, I'm actually pretty thankful that it wasn't worse. They could have stolen my iPod or my laptop which I thankfully had the common sense to take out of the car. If they had taken that, I would have been much more upset.
More importantly, we’re safe. They could have tried carjacking us while we were driving around or kidnapped us. Who knows? That’s the bad thing about being stolen from. It makes you crazy paranoid. I thought I was getting over it at one point until I opened up the trunk on the way home and saw a used cigarette but in the back. It makes you feel violated all over again.
It’s hard to be too upset. You start to think about the reasons why someone would steal. Was it for monetary gain? Boredom? Who’s to say? Apparently they needed my stuff more than I did if they wanted it bad enough to steal.
And you always have to remember that no matter how bad you think you have it, someone else has it worse. When I told Mitch what had happened, he told me about the time someone broke into his house and stole all of his CD’s! Dave Sherrill, an artist with Stumblebum Studios who I was really looking forward to meeting at the con came down with a bout of bacterial meningitis! If you want the full story on that one, you’ll have to check out his Live Journal page.
So what can you do? You could be angry about it, I suppose. You could be afraid. For a while I felt stupid and ashamed. I felt like a failure in front of Cami because this was her first time coming to a convention with me and it turned out so horribly.
But at the same time, I thank goodness she was there because she really pulled me through it. She kept me from flying off the handle. She kept me sane.
Am I annoyed I was stolen from? Of course. But you have to move on. I choose to think about some of the happier memories like getting to spend the weekend with great friends, hanging out and talking for hours just to see who could make the others laugh. I think about going to see Stranger than Fiction that Saturday night and feeling totally moved. I think about visiting Cami’s family and how gracious they were to have us spend the night on Sunday before we faced another 12 hours in the car driving home. I’m thankful for the restorative powers of a home-cooked meal.
At any rate, that was the bulk of my experience at Wizard World Texas – warts and all. At this point I think it was almost good it happened this way. I guess I don’t have to worry about getting rid of the rest of my shirt inventory anytime soon! It’s an opportunity to start over. I think I’m going to circle the wagons and do exactly that. When it’s all said and done, Theater Hopper is going to be better than ever!
That said, don’t ever stay at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Arlington. That hotel sucks!
This is the third guest strip I've been given by my good friend and creater of Joe and Monkey, Zach Miller. The funny thing about it is that he drew this years ago and thought he had already given it to me. This weekend, the two of us have been exhibiting on Artist's Alley at Wizard World Texas and he handed over the hard copy to me. "Here, I brought this for you!" Of course, I thought it was excellent and thanked him. "I'll have to put this up on the site on Monday," I said. "Wait, you've never seen this before?..." Comedy ensues.
We saw Stranger Than Fiction last night and it was really good. I have a comic for Casino Royale already prepared for Wednesday, so discussing it will have to wait until Friday.
My trip to Arlington this weekend has been very... interesting. Lots of ups and downs. I don't know how much I want to get into it with this blog. Maybe it's something more for me to talk about on Wednesday when things settle down. I can tell you that you won't want to miss what I have to say about the experience. Some weird stuff went down this weekend. Stay tuned.
Tonight we go and visit Cami's family and I'm really looking forward to it. Originally we were going to stay in Arlington an extra day and leave from here on Monday morning. After the last day of the show, there's nothing left for us. It'll be good to be around family we haven't seen in a while.
I'll catch up with you guys soon.
