GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J CARR
March 17th, 2006 | by Tom- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(8 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)
Do you have any idea how tempted I was to title this guest strip "Brokeback Victor?" But I guess Brokeback Mountain jokes aren’t cool anymore since the Oscars are over… Oh, well.
Quick question. Did you know that this guest strip done by my good Boxcar buddy and creator of web comic The Kenmore – Brandon J Carr – is, IN FACT, awesome? Cuz, guess what? It is!
I love the lead in panel with the strip name between the characters. I adore that there is no dialogue and everything is communicated crystal clear. And I am jealous with envy that Brandon uncovered a facet of Victor’s character that I might have to steal for future installments! This is a Grade A guest strip.
But really, should we consider anything less from the genius behind The Kenmore? Brandon’s comic is on hiatus for the moment as our good man moves into a new place. But don’t be sullen. Don’t be downtrodden. Instead, look at this as an opportunity to check out Brandon’s work from the very begining and read all of his stuff before he goes back to producing new material. You won’t regret it!
Thanks again, Brandon! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
People who have been reading the site for a while know that traditionally, I like to do a little wrap up for each of the conventions I attend. Typically, I end up seeing a movie with whomever I’m with and I talk about it here.
The only problem with going to Wizard World Chicago this year is that there weren’t any good movies to see!
We toyed with seeing Rush Hour 3, but frankly, too many people were against it. If they went, they’d be going to rip it a new one. Myself likely included. The inside joke of this comic is that Gordon is the one suggesting we go see it. He was probably most against it of anyone.
Oh, and Brandon J. Carr’s wife really did make him swear not to see Stardust without her.
And for the record, the other two guys in the comic are Joe Dunn from Joe Loves Crappy Movies and Zach Miller from Joe and Monkey.
As always, it was a treat to attend Wizard World Chicago and exhibit on Artist’s Alley. I would have liked to have sold a little more merchandise, but I did about as much business as last year, so at least I’m not backsliding.
The Spoiler shirts are always a big hit at conventions. I have one of them pulled over a mannequin torso I stand up on my table. Invariably people stop to comment on it. Either they laugh and walk away saying “That’s a great shirt!” Or they laugh and say “I gotta get that shirt.” I suppose the third option is when I get to talk to the person and explain which spoilers come from which movies.
I’ve been selling the Spoiler shirt for the last three years. At times, I wish I could come up with another t-shirt design that would sell just as well. A t-shirt design that isn’t Spoiler II. But what can I say? They’re the breadwinners and you gotta stick with a winning horse.
I don’t know that I sold as many books as I would have liked to. But I think I hit on a new merchandising structure that I’ll probably employ in the store soon – everything will be $15 and you’ll get 15%, 20% and 25% discounts the more stuff you buy! I think it will be really attractive to you guys and will help me keep things organized on my side.
I don’t mean to harp on the money aspect of things so much. That’s really only a small portion of the exhibiting experience. I’m grateful that I’m able to sell anything at all! It always amazes me.
I did a lot of good networking at this convention. I got to meet Brandon for the first time and DJ Coffman from Yirmumah and Hero By Night as well. They couldn’t have been nicer. Really easy to talk to and a lot of fun to be around. We all kind of share the same sense of humor, so it makes things easy. For all practical purposes, someone like Brandon is a complete stranger. But within minutes I was joking around with him and having a blast.
I was interviewed by a few online and offline publications and that was pretty cool. I have a wallet full of business cards on stuff I want to follow up on. Professionally and socially, I would say it was a really successful convention!
That said, the last day of a convention is the worst. Part of you is counting down the hours until you have to pack up your stuff and ship out and that’s never fun. And then, for me, the car ride home is tortuous. I have no one to help me cover the 6 hours from Chicago to Des Moines, so I’m often left with my own thoughts.
We talked a little bit about this on Monday’s Triple Feature broadcast, but there is no way you can go to one of these conventions and NOT compare yourself professionally to the other artists in attendance. You end up looking around and asking yourself “What am I doing WRONG?”
Every convention is a good learning opportunity to see into other artist’s process and business practices. I constantly find myself taking mental notes for things to try when I get home.
As exhausting as it can be to constantly compare yourself, going to Wizard World Chicago has revitalized me. I think also having crossed the five-year anniversary milestone has inspired me make Theater Hopper stronger. Not just the comic, but the entire Theater Hopper experience.
I want to rid the THorum and the front page comments section of spammers and bring back the positive, excited atmosphere. I want to be seen more among my peers in online communities and talk more about comics with them. I want to do more guest comics – just because. I want my site to look better. I want to try new things. I want to advertise in unconventional places and spread the word about Theater Hopper.
I’m proud of what I do. Five years and two self-published books under your belt can do that for you. But it doesn’t mean there isn’t room to improve. I’m at the point now that I’m considering outside help to spruce up the site. In some respects, if Theater Hopper is going to be taken seriously, I have to treat it like a professional venture. This is much more than a hobby site we’re talking about. I’ve experimented with a lot of things. Now it’s time to make them stick.
GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J. CARR
May 21st, 2008 | by Tom- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(3 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)
Hey, guys. Thanks for visiting the site today. I really hope you enjoy today’s guest strip from Brandon J. Carr. I think it’s an excellent Indiana Jones parody and I love Brandon’s style. I’ll tell you – if I was one TENTH the cartoonist Brandon is, I’d be going places!
Brandon has a comic called Weird Adventures In Unemployment that you really need to check out. He also has a blog that he semi-regularly updates and the dude just celebrated his birthday! So wish him well!
Thanks, Brandon!
Thanks also to those of you who have sent their positive comments and prayers to me and my family as my Dad underwent open heart surgery yesterday. I tried to provide updates through the day with my Twitter account and it helped keep me sane. It also helped that the hospital staff kept us updated every step of the way. We knew what time he went into surgery, what time the first incision was made, what time he was on the heart/lung bypass machine and what time he was stitched up and moved to ICU. It made the wait much less agonizing.
I came back to the hotel room last night and wrote a complete recap on my LiveJournal. So if you want to read it, that’s where it’s at.
I wish I could talk more about movies. The Cannes Film Festival was over the weekend and Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull is creating a lot of buzz. I am peripherally aware of these things right now, but it’s just not my focus. Give me a week or so to get back on track.
Actually, I have kind of a funny blog post in mind about a Indiana Jones toy I received from Burger King last week. It’s about Shia LaBeouf. I took pictures and everything.
Anyway, that’s all from me this morning. I’m going to get ready and swing by the hospital for a visit. I’ll probably be there until the afternoon before I have to go home to Cami and Henry. I got a call from my Mom this morning. She couldn’t sleep and went over early. Dad is alert and awake. Uncomfortable, but doing well. The surgery really went as well as we could have hoped for. Now we’re focused on recovery.
Thanks again for your patience and support. I’ll talk to you again soon.
GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J. CARR
December 14th, 2009 | by Tom- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(16 votes, average: 7.56 out of 10)
When I started this who guest strip bru-ha-ha, Brandon J. Carr (formerly of The Kenmore and Weird Adventures of Unemployment) told me that inspiration had struck and he had an idea for a three-comic arc that parodied Avatar. He asked if that was okay. How could I say no? I have a diapers to change! A baby to burp! I haven’t slept in…! -SNNNNRRRZZKKKK! – Huh? What?! I’m awake!!
Yeah, man. Three comics. Sounds great.
So, anyway, buckle up, guys. Brandon is bringing the funny three times this week and it’s going to be infused with Avatar-goodness. Big thanks to Brandon for majorly stepping up to the plate. I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited to see what he comes up with!
I’ll probably talk more about Avatar later in the week. But for right now… HOLY LEGS!
Despite having a baby a little more than a week and a half ago, Cami and I actually were able to see a movie on Saturday. My in-laws watched Pearl for the afternoon as we took Henry see The Princess and The Frog.
We’ve been on quite the roll lately since we took Henry to his first movie – The Polar Express – about a month ago. At this point, we might end up seeing Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel!
I’m just kidding. That will NEVER happen. We’re trying to cultivate a child with taste, people!
We probably started talking up The Princess and The Frog to Henry about two months ago. Cami had it in her mind that this should be Henry’s first movie because A.) It’s Disney and B.) It was their return to hand-drawn animation for the first time since… man, I can’t remember their last hand-drawn movie? Was it Home on the Range?
Anyway, it was hard to argue with her.
Our only problem is that we thought the movie was coming out much sooner than it actually was. When we realized it was coming out the weekend after the date we scheduled for Cami’s C-section, we improvised and went with The Polar Express, instead.
Things worked out fine on that front. Henry enjoyed The Polar Express a great deal and we felt like super parents. But as the release date for The Princess and The Frog drew closer, Henry would see commercials for it on TV and say “We’re going to go see that!”
How could we NOT take him now?
Long story short, Pearl arrived a week early, Cami was feeling better and we had willing baby sitters. So we decided to take Henry to the movie.
Of course, 30 minutes before we were about to load up the car and take him to the theater, Henry asked his grandma “Is it going to be dark in the theater?” To which she naturally replied, “Yes” and, at this point, Henry decided he didn’t want to see the movie anymore. After weeks of anticipation and him talking about the movie, we basically had to cajole him into seeing the film before we tossed him in his car seat and say “YOU’RE GOING!”
Things were fine once we got to the theater. Even though he got a little bit antsy near the end of the movie, he actually does a pretty good job sitting still and paying attention for a certain length of time. The fact that the theater was dark didn’t even enter his mind once we were seated.
As for the movie itself, the whole family loved it. Cami loved the songs penned by Randy Newman and gave high praise to Tiana – Disney’s first African American Princess. “She has the best singing voice of any of the princesses,” she said. “And she’s the best-looking!”
Well, okay. It’s a cartoon, dear. But I see what you’re saying.
Henry and I both loved Ray the lightning bug. Based off the trailers, I thought Ray looked like a crude stereotype of a redneck, or something. But the character is much, much more.
I also really enjoyed the villain, Dr. Facilier – who I thought had the most style and the best musical number in the movie. I’m sorry – but Disney villains are infinitely more interesting to me than the protagonists.
I don’t know if anyone here is on the fence about The Princess and The Frog or not, but I strongly encourage you to check it out. After years of making cookie-cutter animated films that felt like they were designed to sell toys first and tell a story second, Disney is in grand form with this one. To me, the whole film just felt right. It didn’t hit one sour note.
Maybe I’m in a haze just because I’m glad to see Disney do what it does best with the hand-drawn stuff. Maybe I’m overlooking something. But if I am, I kind of don’t care. Bottom line, they could have hit us with another Atlantis: The Lost Empire or Treasure Planet. But, instead, they did the right thing and gave us a movie with both heart and soul.
Did anyone else see The Princess and The Frog this weekend? If so, what did you think? Who was your favorite character? What was your favorite song? Are any of you thinking about passing on this film? If so, why?
Leave your comments below!
GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J. CARR
December 16th, 2009 | by Tom- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(36 votes, average: 8.53 out of 10)
Here’s part two of Brandon J. Carr’s Avatar parody guest strips. I don’t know about you, but a Smurfs reference is an instant win in my book. “Project Azrael?” Yes. OH YES.
I don’t know about you, but I follow a lot of web comic people on Twitter, and it’s been a real delight reading their response to Brandon’s work with these guest strips. Clearly everyone misses him and wants him to return to illustrating RIGHT AWAY! *wink, wink!*
Hopefully Brandon is having as much fun putting these comics together as I am posting them to Theater Hopper. Thanks again to Brandon for another excellent comic. Can’t wait to see what he has in store for Friday!
Speaking of Twitter, a mini-controversy erupted there early Monday night when our favorite raconteur Scott Kurtz had some disparaging remarks to make about Kickstarter fund raising campaigns like mine.
At first he expressed uncertainty about the service Kickstarter offered and was wary about how Kickstarter would become the next “thing” that web comic people would descend on and ruin. A fair concern to have.
But when he categorized Kickstarter participants as “look(ing) like a string of goddamn hobos with your hats on the ground,” what he intended to pass off as humor was completely misunderstood and the shhhh really hit the fan.
Long story short, a Twitter war erupted and Kurtz launched a podcast later in the evening to discuss the topic.
Several people joined in the conversation. The comments section on uStream was a swirling hornet’s nest. Scott, to his credit, allowed different points of view into the conversation. Spike from Templar, AZ, Gordon from Multiplex, Ben Paddon from Jump Leads and myself were all given a turn at the mike.
Scott made some pretty loaded conversations during the podcast. His contention was that if you aren’t able to raise the money yourself through pre-orders on your site, you shouldn’t be begging for money through Kickstarter. In his words, he felt the practice made the rest of web comics look weak.
Fundamentally, I think Scott’s problem with Kickstarter was a semantic argument. Scott continuously referred to the money participants give to projects as “donations” or “charity” – something people in the uStream chat field protested vigorously.
When I got into the conversation somewhere around the hour and a half mark, we all looked at my Kickstarter page and Scott said “I see the word ‘pledge’ 18 times on your page.” To him, “pledge” means the same thing as “donation.”
To me, it’s not the same thing. To me, “pledge” means “I’m giving you money now and expect something in return.” To me, “donation” means “I’m giving money to you now an expect nothing in return.”
Part of what Scott also didn’t understand were the personal circumstances that lead people like myself, Gordon and Spike to utilize Kickstarter as a tool.
In my case, I have been trying to raise money for the book through pre-orders since January. I got a lot of pre-orders, but not enough to publish the book.
Now, by Scott’s logic, if my business can’t support the book, then I shouldn’t publish it. Or, rather, I should direct my efforts toward growing my audience so the site can support the book in the future.
I see his point and I don’t disagree with him. But when I started the pre-order campaign on the site, there were two things I didn’t count on. 1.) The state of the economy driving up printing costs (compared to my first two books) and 2.) The state of the economy driving down ad revenue on the site.
With the first two books, I published them utilizing a combination of pre-orders and ad revenue. When ad revenue took a hit, it would still be theoretically possible for me to use ad revenue to publish the books. It would just take much, much longer.
While searching for solutions, I was getting e-mails from people who pre-ordered in January asking me, “Hey, when is Year Three going to come out?” People have been patient, but waiting over a year for a book is puts strain on my credibility. Kickstarter became a solution that could help me organize the pre-order process, build buzz around the release of the third book and manage pledge amounts in a convenient way.
I didn’t take the move to Kickstarter lightly. If I had my druthers, I would have MUCH preferred the pre-order process through Theater Hopper. But circumstances being what they are (compounded by the fact that I lost my job in June) made Kickstarter the most viable option.
The most important thing to remember about Kickstarter is that if I don’t make goal, I don’t get ANY of the money that’s been pledge so far. If that ends up happening, then I have to assume what Scott is saying about the strength of my business not being able to support a third book is true and I will probably hang up my hat. I’m not going to keep bombing Kickstarter again and again trying to raise this money.
Kickstarter is an experiment. Either the experiment will prove successful or it will fail.
But in the meantime, I make no apologies for utilizing a tool to help me meet a specific objective. I do not believe it tarnishes the reputation of web comics as a whole. I do not believe it makes web comics look weak. I do not believe that using Kickstarter reflects some level of “entitlement” on my part. It is simply the means to an end.
My biggest concern with Scott at the time was that he was spreading misinformation about Kickstarter because he didn’t understand the service completely. Scott wields influence and I was worried that if his negative impression of Kickstarter took root, I could not only potentially jeopardize my fund raising efforts, but the fund raising efforts of others as well.
Of course Scott is free to have his opinion. I don’t deny him that right. But there is a difference between having an opinion and having a well-informed opinion. From my perspective, Scott was not informed well enough to make a sweeping generalization that characterized Kickstarter participants as “hobos” and I felt a need to stand up for myself and others.
If my explanation did not change Scott’s opinion and he still went on to disparage Kickstarter, then there’s nothing I can do about it. But at least I could say I tried.
At the end of the podcast, tempers cooled and I think everyone understood with a little more clarity where the other was coming from. Scott made good points from a businessman’s perspective. Ultimately, I think his concern came from a good place. I think, for him, it’s about self-respect and never giving an inch to outside influence. He wants to maintain the integrity of web comics as a medium.
I’m paraphrasing, but directed to me he said he raises these issues out of concern because he believes someone like myself SHOULD be capable of raising the money through pre-orders. I’ve done it before. Obviously there is something substantial about Theater Hopper that allows it to happen. It was a nice compliment.
At the end of the day, I believe Kickstarter is a self-policing venture. Fans like YOU determine what is successful and what is not. A thousand web comics could descend on the Kickstarter tomorrow and I think projects without merit would quickly be weeded out.
Hopefully the fund raising drive for Theater Hopper: Year Three is not one of them. We are $1,300 away from goal with 15 days left to go. If you haven’t pledged already, please consider pledging today.
For those that have, I continue to appreciate your support.
I’ll see you here on Friday.
GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J. CARR
December 18th, 2009 | by Tom- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(23 votes, average: 8.61 out of 10)
Well, there you have it! Brandon J. Carr’s smurfing last contribution to his series of guest strips. I think it turned out pretty smurfing good, don’t you?
Actually, I’m a little disconcerted at how well Brandon can draw a Smurf…
BUT NO MATTER! Brandon really came through for me and I can’t appreciate it enough. Thank you, Brandon, for your excellent work.
I think everyone should visit and bookmark Brandon’s site so they can stay current on what our dear chap is working on next. Yes. I think that will do nicely…
As you know, Avatar comes out today. But, for me, it’s almost been an after-thought. I haven’t really been anticipating the movie like I’m being told I should. I don’t know. Neither the concept or the visuals have hooked me just yet. When the comparisons to Delgo and Fern Gully cropped up with the first teaser images of the film, it left a bad taste in my mouth. If Cameron is supposed to be one of the most innovative filmmakers in the business, these comparisons to kids films shouldn’t be at the front of everyone’s mind.
I’ve given a few reviews a cursory glance and the majority of them are overwhelmingly positive. People are really tossing around the “IT’LL CHANGE MOVIES FOREVER” praise. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t.
I guess I’ll say that I’ve been half-purposefully keeping my head in the sand on this one. Because I do have faith in Cameron’s vision and I think I’d rather be surprised by what I see on-screen than what is being described to me in a review.
Despite the fact that I’m not entirely enthusiastic about the film, I still want to see it. Does that make sense? Keep in mind Cami and I just had a baby two weeks ago and I think my brains are leaking out of my ears.
If anything about Avatar has surprised me, it’s that Cami told m that she was excited to see the film. I don’t know if that’s because she’s at home with Pearl, is watching more television and has been exposed to more commercials for the film than I have. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth! I fully expected seeing this one by myself a few weeks ago!
Speaking of Avatar Cami and gifts, it’s likely I will see the film on Sunday with Cami as my parents watch over Henry and Pearl. We’re going over to their house this weekend to celebrate my 32nd birthday – which is actually on Monday, December 21. The Winter Solstice, baby! Shortest day of the year!! Woo?
If you’d like to get me anything for my birthday, boy would a pledge to the Kickstarter fund raising campaign for Theater Hopper: Year Three would be nice. I mean, really, really nice!
As of this writing, we’re 66% funded with 13 days to go. I’m getting VERY nervous about the time we have left in the campaign. I’m approaching it mentally as if we only have 10 days because I’m really afraid that the holidays are going to negatively affect fund raising efforts and people will forget to pledge.
Take this opportunity to pledge today! Right now you can get a copy of Theater Hopper: Year Three for $15, signed and numbered by your truly. The important thing to remember is that YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET THE BOOK FOR LESS. If you pre-order the book by pledging to the Kickstarter campaign, you don’t have to pay for shipping! If (and when) the book is published and put up for sale here, shipping becomes a factor.
So take advantage of this offer while you still can! And if you’re feeling extra generous, just look at all the other rewards for pledging larger amounts. Lots of great stuff!
I’ll leave it at that. I don’t want to push too hard.
In the meantime, let’s talk about Avatar a little bit in the comments section below. Who is excited to see it? Who is skeptical? Will it really “change movies forever” like they say? Leave your thoughts below!
Thanks again to Brandon J. Carr for an excellent series of guest strips this week and thanks to you for coming to the site and checking them out!
Have a great week!
Join web comic celebrities Tom Brazelton, Joe Dunn and Brandon J Carr as we live blog the 84th Annual Academy Awards in real time! Follow along or feel free to join the conversation!
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