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NO NEW COMIC MONDAY

by Tom on October 4, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Posted In: Blog
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Hey, guys. Sorry, I have some bad news. If you've been following me on Twitter, I've been stressing about it most of last night.

Basically, my desktop hard drive failed. This is the machine that has Photoshop, my scanner and everything else that makes Theater Hopper possible loaded on it. So, my hands are tied in terms of uploading anything new.

You might be asking how I'm uploading this blog post. Fortunately, our laptop still works and we're able to draw a wireless signal from our router. But everything else is pretty much off the board at this point.

The good news right now is that I have everything backed up. So all of my old Theater Hopper artwork, family photos and video, all of our music, my job application data has all been saved to external hard drives. So I haven't lost anything important.

Right now, it's just a matter of finding the time to purchase and install a new hard drive before loading everything back onto it.

I'm watching Henry all day today and I have to study for my accounting mid term for Tuesday. So there is definitely a lot on my plate right now. All I can ask for is patience while I try to get myself re-situated.

The timing of this hard drive failure is kind of serendipitous. Some of you might remember that I experienced a similar situation last year and launched a huge donation drive to help me recover all of the data I lost.

Well, things aren't as bad this time around, but there are still several of you that I owe artwork to as part of your donations.

Believe me, I'm embarrassed that it has taken me more than a year to get this artwork to you. But I want everyone that I still owe artwork to know that I haven't forgotten about them. I still have everyone's information and fully intend on completing my end of the bargain. All I can say in my defense is that 2009 has not been a very good year for me and it has been very, very difficult just to keep my head above water.

No one is putting pressure on me, or anything. So I have to say thank you for everyone being so understanding. But I'm putting pressure on myself and I want to get the work done. So I will do my best to deliver the artwork that I owe people in the near future.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding, follow me on Twitter if you want the latest updates and I will be in touch with everyone soon.

In the meantime, if you have suggestions or want to leave comments about how I can amend my hard drive situation, please feel free.

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NEW TWITTER BACKGROUND

by Tom on September 29, 2009 at 4:56 am
Posted In: Blog
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I don't know if this is something worth mentioning or not, but I put a little bit of effort into it yesterday and I want you guys to check it out.

After months of the plain, boring default background Twitter gives you for your account, I decided to put together some custom artwork for my page. I don't want to say much more than that because I don't want to ruin the joke. The artwork makes a very specific reference that I think you guys might enjoy.

You can see the new artwork on my Twitter profile at http://twitter.com/tombrazelton

Let me know what you think!

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ADDITION TO THE FAMILY

by Tom on September 21, 2009 at 11:37 am
Posted In: Blog
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If you read these blogs, you know that 2009 has not been a very good year for me. I've seen the lives of friends shatter and crumble around me - divorce, miscarriage and death. My own life has been beset by difficultly - my job being eliminated, emergency room visits. In general, 2009 has been tough to muddle through.

But I have something waiting for me in December that I think is going to make everything worth while...

Baby Brazelton

Cami and I are expecting our second child.

As you can see from the date on the sonogram - July 23 - I've been sitting on this information for a while. Not for any particular reason. Except sometimes it's hard to wrap my mind around the thought that we're having another baby. I mean, Henry keeps us so occupied already, the fact that Cami's pregnant sometimes slips my mind.

I would feel bad, but I've talked to friends who are also in the middle of their second pregnancies, and they admit to the same thing. You're so busy trying to keep the first one from stabbing his eye out with a fork, you kind of forget the second one is on the way.

Well, there is no avoiding it now. Cami is showing beautifully and thoughts of the pregnancy consume my thoughts every day. Sometimes those thoughts are "Holy crap, I don't have a job. How are we going to afford two kids in day care?" But most of the time, they are less panicked.

At any rate, for those of you wondering: Yes, we do know the sex of the baby and; Yes, we are sharing that information...

It's a girl.

As for the name? We're keeping that one close to the vest.

Having a girl let alone having a sibling for Henry to interact with is new territory for me. I'm not worried about the burping / feeding / rocking phase of development. I feel like I have those skills finely tuned. What freaks me out is what will happen when the kids are older and start bouncing off each other.

I never had a brother or a sister, so I understand very little about family dynamics. Cami has a younger sister, so she brings some experience to the table. But I'm coming at this with no idea if or how these two are going to get along.

This is my problem as a parent - I'm always thinking three years ahead of myself. Before Henry was born, I had all these big ideas about going to the zoo, playing catch and hanging out all the time. I gave no thought to the burping / feeding / rocking, etc.

I feel like I'm falling into the same trap with the new baby. "What's it going to be like when she comes home crying because another girl said she didn't like her shoes?" That kind of thing. What kind of advice can I give? Except for the highly acerbic kind?

Like anything else, I suppose I just have to play things by ear. All I know is that it will be a different experience for me.

Cami's due date is sometime around the middle of December. But since Cami is planning on having another C-section (after delivering Henry by Cesarean last time) we won't know the exact date until we meet with our surgeon.

All I know is that I'm very much looking forward to meeting Baby Brazelton and as I know more, I will be happy to share details with you.

In the meantime, I just wanted to put the good news out there and share a little bit of my life with you.

Thanks and take care.

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PIMP TOM / GOTH JARED

by Tom on September 18, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Posted In: Blog
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Back in 2004, I created a comic that introduced an alter ego for Tom who went by the name "Pimp Tom." Reaction to the character was so positive, I created a shirt in his honor.

As part of the massive fire sale I have going on now in the store, I sold the very last shirt christened with his image. It seems unlikely to me that I will ever produce another Pimp Tom shirt again.

I was thinking about the character, though and I don't know why I haven't used him more often. I break out Jared's alter ego "Goth Jared" usually two or three times a year. He even has his own entry on the Cast page!

I don't know. I don't have anything especially insightful to say. Maybe I'm just feeling a little nostalgic. I could bring back Pimp Tom any time I suppose. Maybe have Pimp Tom meet Goth Jared! Who knows?

I'm just making observations, I suppose.

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UNLOCK’D

by Tom on September 18, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Posted In: Blog
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I was reading a tweet from Joel Watson - creator of HijiNKS Ensue - and he was talking about how he enjoyed watching new readers plow through the archives, commenting in reverse as they go.

It got me thinking about how that's not something you can do on Theater Hopper because, in a fit of paranoia, I instructed WordPress to shut off the commenting feature after 14 days. I guess I don't remember what I was afraid of. Probably spammers. But truth be told, we haven't had a problem with spammers in months (knock on wood). So I decided it was time to let go of the leash.

Starting today, anyone can comment on any comic in the archive. That might not appealing to those of you who have been with the site for a while. But who knows?

I guess I'd rather leave the option open for conversation rather than put a cap on it before it can start.

Just thought I would let you know!

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DISNEY BUYS MARVEL

by Tom on August 31, 2009 at 6:33 pm
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Mickey + Spidey = $

Unless you've been completely cut off from the internet today (in which case, I'm glad Theater Hopper was your first stop after being plugged back in to The Grid), then you might have missed the news that Disney has acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.

There aren't a lot of details at the moment, but the news pretty much set the internet on fire this afternoon. Since I'm a bit of a movie nut AND a bit of a comic book nut, I feel a responsibility to comment.

A lot of people are responding to the news Chicken Little-style. They swear up and down that the sky is falling and that the House of Mouse is going to ruin their favorite super heroes by flattening their appeal, making them more mainstream and toothless.

As much as I have enjoyed portraying Disney as the Evil Empire in the past (and it is likely I will continue to do so in the future), I'm optimistic about this deal with Marvel.

People forget that roughly 15 years ago, Marvel declared bankruptcy. Getting in bed with Disney means the likelihood of that happening again are slim to none. Anything that protects Marvel's solvency at this point is a-okay in my book.

Some people claim that Disney can be careless with the properties they acquire - citing Mirimax and The Muppets as examples. I don't know if I see a lot of evidence supporting that. If anything, Marvel being associated with Disney gives them far more opportunities to cross-pollinate their characters into other media outlets than they would have been able to do otherwise.

Never mind the distribution advantage they now have with their movies. What other studio besides Disney can put a movie on 3,000 screens opening weekend every single time? Not many.

I guess I'm trying to be more pragmatic in my response to the acquisition rather than gloom and doom. If Spider-Man could survive The Clone Saga, he'll survive this.

What are your thoughts about the Disney / Marvel merger? Are you a fan of the comics, movies or both. How do you think this will affect Marvel's output in the coming years? What was your first reaction to the news?

Leave your comments below!

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THE FRIDAY FIVE

by Tom on August 21, 2009 at 7:13 am
Posted In: Blog
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Back in the day, something we used to do in the THorum every Friday was play a game called The Friday Five. The game was introduced to us by the LiveJournal community of the same name and the goal of the game was simple - to learn more about each other.

I was Twittering the other day, and someone who used to frequent the THorum reminded me of the fun they had playing The Friday Five. So I decided to introduce it to the blog.

The way it works is simple. I ask you 5 questions and you answer them! Since this is on the home page, I'll ask that everyone keep their answers clean of language. But you guys do a really good job of that anyway, so I'm not too worried.

Anyway, since Inglourious Basterds is in theater this weekend, I thought we'd play a Tarantino-themed version of The Friday Five. Here are your questions!

  1. What's the first Tarantino movie you ever saw?
  2. How old were you when you saw this movie?
  3. Tarantino has a resuscitated the career of several Hollywood actors. What down-and-out actor would you like to see him cast in his next movie?
  4. What's your favorite line of Tarantino dialogue? (keep it clean, if you can)
  5. What's your favorite Tarantino film?

There you go! Leave your answers in the comments!

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TRANSFORMERS 2 – OCTOBER 20

by Tom on August 20, 2009 at 7:11 am
Posted In: Blog
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Uh oh, guys. Look what's being released on October 20!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

As much as I ragged on the theatrical release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I'm actually kind of excited to see it on DVD. I think there's a better chance of me kind of understanding the action on a smaller screen. At least, that was my experience with the original Transformers. I hated it in the theater, but it's fun to watch at home. I just skip chapters to the scenes with all the robots. Takes about 15 minutes.

Here's a list of all the bonus features available on the two-disc special edition, plus features exclusive to the Blu-ray edition:

Disc 1:

  • Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

Disc 2:

  • The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen—This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew:
    • Seeds of Vengeance - Development and Design—After the overwhelming success of 2007’s Transformers how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?
    • Domestic Destruction – Production: United States—Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
    • Joint Operations – Production: Military—No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast.
    • Wonders of the World – Production: Middle East—You can’t really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor.
    • Start Making Sense - Editing—In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.
    • Under the Gun – Visual Effects—Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM’s total render farm capacity.
    • Running the Gauntlet – Post-Production and Release—Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timin and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.
  • A Day with Bay: Tokyo—An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.
  • 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS—Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro’s most successful and popular franchises.
  • NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.
  • Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto—A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film’s most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.
  • Extended Scenes
  • Music Video: Linkin Park’s “New Divide”

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE:

  • The ALLSPARK Experiment—Viewers get their chance to unleash the power of the recently recovered ALLSPARK shard on Earth vehicles. Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Then apply the ALLSPARK to this creation and watch what happens. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise.
  • NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot’s confidential file including:
    • Innovative 3D spin galleries of each robot
    • A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films
  • Giant Effing Movie—A very personal look at the making of the movie.
  • The Matrix of Marketing—An archive of the film’s promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.

Despite my problems with the movie, I'm looking forward to the Blu-ray release. No matter what your opinion might be about the story, characterization or editing - the technical aspect of this film was a Herculian effort and I'm very interested in learning more about the behind-the-scenes details.

So mark your calendars for October 20!

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PLEASE TELL ME WHICH MOVIE BLOGS YOU READ

by Tom on August 19, 2009 at 6:21 am
Posted In: Blog
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Right before I went to Chicago Comic Con, I put together a media kit I hoped to hand out to any media representatives wandering down Artist Alley. It's not the most proactive strategy, but when I do these shows, I'm petrified to leave my table lest I miss a sale.

That's why I've decided to step up my game a little bit and send my information directly to the powers that be.

That's where you come in.

In the past, I could get by through networking inside the web comic community. But after 7 years in the game, I kind of feel like that well has tapped out. So now I'm branching out and looking to expose movie fans to my work and not just web comic fans. I want to send my media kit to some movie blogs in hopes of getting a little coverage.

I have a handful of blogs in mind. Some of the big guns and some of the mid-level guys. But I want to hear from you. What are the movie blogs you read? What are some of the movie blogs you've heard of?

Leave your suggestions in the comments below. I'm going to gather up all the contact information and run a media blitz. Hopefully, it will attract new readers to Theater Hopper. People who would have otherwise never found us.

Thanks again for your help! I appreciate it!

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FORUM FUTURE

by Tom on August 17, 2009 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Blog
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Long-time readers of the site are probably familiar with our online community, the THorum. When I started Theater Hopper, it was a great way to interact with fans and we had a really good run of civility and fun for a couple of years.

Unfortunately, time commitments prevented me from visiting the THorum as often as I would like and the time I did spend there was directed toward fending off spambots, who were swarming the forum by the dozen, daily.

When I relaunched the site in WordPress earlier in the year, I decided to take another stab at the THorum, this time upgrading to phpBB3.

Unfortunately, the same maintenance problems reared their ugly heads and the THorum is now inaccessible.

I was pretty much ready to pull the plug and rely on feedback from the blog comments when I received an interesting offer from Halforum.com.

First, a bit of history. About a year ago, Scott Kurtz from PVP closed the doors on his forum. Halforum was founded by a couple of people from the PVP forum in an effort to keep the community together. I was a semi-regular on the PVP forums before they shut down and have been casual acquaintances of the group since.

Recently, the administrators from Halforum have reached out to me with an interest to establish a partnership. Basically, I link to a subdomain within their forum from Theater Hopper. They obtain access to potentially new members and I have the burden of forum maintenance lifted off my shoulders. It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

I'm mentioning this to you guys because I'm trying to build some consensus. I know most of you who respond in the comments filed will probably say that the comments are suffice when it comes to community building or feedback. But I'm curious if there are any of you out there looking for something more?

Generally, I just want to know your thoughts. Is partnering with Halforum a good idea or a bad idea. Do you think you would check it out? If not, why?

The original THorum went a long way toward helping establish Theater Hopper and make it a success. So I still find value in using forums as a communications and networking tool. I just wanted to take everyone's pulse on the matter. What do you think?

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