Hey, guys. Sorry for the late comic. This is the second deadline in two weeks that I’ve missed and I am NOT PLEASED with myself. Part of doing the comic once a week was to help take the burden of production off my shoulders. It hasn’t worked out that way.

Please understand, however, that these are unusual circumstances. Right now, my life is a maelstrom of activity with a dollop of crazy on top. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that we recently closed on our new home and will be moving on Wednesday. Why I even attempted a comic this weekend is kind of beyond me, especially considering I had a weekend class for my Masters degree on Friday and Saturday. Shoot me?

I’m still not 100% certain that I will be able to bring you a comic NEXT Sunday because I’m not too sure how long it’s going to take to set up the rest of the house once we get there. Obviously the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen are first. After that, I don’t know what comes next. I imagine the office falls somewhere in the middle of the priority list.

So I guess you can take that admission as an opportunity to submit a guest comic if you like? I haven’t really reached out to anyone about it, but I would happily run one or two in order to give me a little breathing room. I would think – at the latest – I would be able to provide you with a new comic by Wednesday. Let’s just play it by ear. If you have a guest comic for me, you can send it to theaterhopper@hotmail.com, okay? Thanks!

Truthfully, this move couldn’t have come at a worse time. Between Ben Affleck’s The Town being number one at the box office last weekend and Shia LaBeouf’s Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps coming out THIS weekend, it’s like the perfect storm for me.

In days of yore, this would have been a PERFECT jumping off point for a new storyline that I could have stretched into a 6-comic arc easily. But, now, updating once a week has kind of left me neutered. If I weren’t moving to a new house, I totally would have bucked the system and cranked out a bunch of new comics for you guys.

I don’t know. We’ll see. This confluence of events has given me lots of great ideas. It’s the perfect opportunity to shake off the late-summer doldrums. We’ll see if I can’t play a little catch-up once things settle down.

Frankly, I was so excited by this Affleck/LaBeouf box office sandwich, that I couldn’t decide what to do at first. That’s why I want to extend a tip of the hat to Mike Brinkman who gave me the EXCELLENT idea on Facebook to have Affleck and LaBeouf LITERALLY face off before throwing a certain cardboard Avenger into the mix…

Mike’s original idea was to have “Tom swoop in, in his Iron Man costume and kick the crap out of both of them,” which was good. But it ignored Jared’s mutual dislike for both actors. So I made a last minute switch. Y’know, for continuity’s sake. But thanks to Mike for getting the ball rolling when I’m under so much stress.

Last thing I’ll mention, the movie sale that was going on in the Theater Hopper store has been concluded. The store has currently been disabled to allow me to catch up on orders and reset prices.

If you have an outstanding order, it will most likely be sent out next week. I tried to get as many of them out the door as possible before packing up, but life gets in the way. But you’ll get your orders soon, I promise.

I have to take a moment to thank EVERYONE who either purchased or helped promote the sale. The response was phenomenal and it really helped me to get rid of a lot of merchandise that was weighing me down. I still have a lot of inventory left over (and it’s very, very heavy) but we’re better off now than where we were before.

When the store returns, there will be a few new options – including Artist Editions of each of the three books and a few bundling options to help you save a few extra bucks on pre-packaged items. The holiday season isn’t far away! So if you’re looking for a unique gift in the coming months, keep us in mind.

Once again, thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy your books and t-shirts!

So, let’s stop talking about me for a minute and let’s talk about you. Did anyone see The Town this weekend? What did you think? I heard it was a serviceable crime thriller, but not better than Affleck’s previous directorial outing Gone Baby Gone.

Did anyone see Easy A? Cami was asking me if we could see that movie this weekend, but there was no way we were getting out of the house. I was kind of surprised that it was on her radar. Talking to a few female friends, they seemed very interested in the film as well. Personally, I’m a huge Emma Stone fan. I think she’s whip-smart and hot as hell. Her talent seems very effortless.

Easy A almost took down The Town for the top spot at the box office this weekend, so there must be something to it. If you saw it, leave your comments below!

Thanks again for everyone’s patience. I hope to be up to full-strength soon! Remember, if you have a guest comic you’d like to share, feel free to send it to theaterhopper@hotmail.com!

LATER!

↓ Transcript
Yes! My movie The Town was number one at the box office this weekend! Ben Affleck is BACK!

Don't hold your breath, Affleck!

Wall Street 2 is going to wipe the floor with your movie next week!

How about I wipe the floor with BOTH of your RIGHT NOW?!

WHA?!

It's me - Jared? Your mutual nemesis?

Oh.