I know that the comic is ending in less than a week and maybe now seems like an odd time to share some fan art. But, c'mon. Did you look at that thing up there? I HAD to share it.
The above piece of art comes from Jesse Guiher. You can learn more about him at his web site - Tiger Tail Art.
Jesse actually wrote me a few months ago asking me about some of my favorite movies. Bi-polar as I am, I remember suggesting both Vertigo and Anchorman. Little did I know that inquiry would result in this piece of fantastic art!
I don't know if there's more that I can say about it other than I am very appreciative to have fans like Jesse who pour their heart and their talent into pieces like this.
Jesse was very complimentary to me in his e-mail. "I am sorry to see Theater Hopper going away, it was one of a handful of comic sites that influenced me to try my own hand at starting a comic on the web after sending countless submissions to syndicates over the years," he said.
My reaction to that kind of praise is to almost shy away from it. I've had people over the years tell me I've been an influence to them - which I appreciate - but I've never doubted for a second that these talented individuals couldn't have made their dreams real on their own.
But then you look at a piece like this and it's kind of hard to ignore.
And I am humbled further.
Thanks, Jesse. And thanks to all of the fans that have kept me humble over the years. Cheers.
I realize that I was MIA last week and I feel pretty lousy about it. In some ways, I feel like I've completely lost my momentum, which sucks, because I'm still excited about the story I have to tell!
It's pretty much a problem with the process at this point. I knock out the pencils and inks no problem. But once I bring the comic into the computer for coloring, shading, background and lettering... everything s-l-o-w-s d-o-w-n.
Honestly, I've never been a fan of that part of the comic-making process. But lately, I've been fussing with it too much in an effort to make the last few comics good and I'm approaching burnout.
My mentality is that I don't want the last 10 comics to look like crap. Makes sense, right? But since I don't particularly enjoy the finishes, it's become a convenient excuse to draw out the conclusion of the comic. It's inefficient and a little selfish.
Although, honestly, things were much easier when it was just a couple of talking heads against a green background. These last few comics have been all fire, smoke, sparks, glowing lights, textures, different costumes, action, etc... a real challenge.
But enough about my whining. Let's take a look at this fantastic guest strip from my good friend Indigo! Indigo's imagining a time in the near future where Tom and Cami are pregnant (remember that was the genesis of this "good bye" arc back in January?)
Incidentally, she's not too far off from how I reacted when Cami was first pregnant with Henry back in 2007. 2007, people! Can you believe it's been almost 6 years?
Indigo is a classy lady, by the way. A great confidant and listener. We chat from time to time on teh Twitterz and she always knows what to say go get me into gear. Great resource for a reality check when I need one.
She produces her own comic as well. It's called Orchid Coloured Glasses and you should check it out. She pulls no punches. It's great stuff!
Looking forward, you'll be pleased to know that I have the pencils, inks and color flats down for this week's Theater Hopper. I hope to do the shading, background and lettering tonight.
Thanks again for everyone's patience. I'm trying to avoid limping across the finish line, but the last few months have been hard. You guys are very awesome for putting up with it!
You know when you say a word over and over again and it starts to lose meaning? I think Jackson Ferrell from Sketch Comedy managed to do that with this guest comic.
There's actually a subtle brilliance Jackson was able to communicate with this strip. I'm a big fans of comics that can deliver a joke using tone. Trust me, it's a hell of a lot more difficult that writing a fart joke. But Jackson managed to do it with facial expressions and a few expertly placed pieces of punctuation.
What's more, is that he pretty much encapsulated the 10-year narrative arc of Theater Hopper in just one comic. No mean feat.
If nothing else, I just love Tom and Jared in the background of panel three yelling "MOVIESMOVIESMOVIESMOVIESMOVIES." It rips me up.
Be sure to check out Jackson's comic Sketch Comedy as a reward for his hard work. I think you guys will like what you find there.
Remember last week when I was all, "I'm gonna turn up the heat on producin' these them thar comics and it's gonna be awesome!"
Then remember when I didn't do it?
Thank goodness for Neil Bryer's excellent guest strip. I think he really hit it out of the park with this one. Not only did he throw in a great callback to the dream sequence punchlines I use from time to time, but he made it as sweet and heartfelt as all get out.
I think what I love most about the comic is that Truman makes an appearance in the fourth panel. Good to know he'll still be with us in the future...
I've had the good fortune to meet Neil a couple of times while attending conventions in Chicago. He's always very cool and polite. We talk shop for a little while and then he always let's me get back to selling. Never intrusive. Always plays it just right.
Neil has a comic of his own called Wombat Comic that I encourage all of you to check out. It's obvious to me that Neil put a lot of thought into his guest strip and I think you guys should reward him for that with a few clicks, don't you?
Need proof that Neil put a lot of thought into his comic, check out his commentary, which he included with the image file he sent to me!
I've known Tom and "Theater Hopper for a few years now. I was late to the show, sure, but I quickly became a fan and jumped on each new strip as they were posted. So when Tom announced a few months ago that he was ending the strip, it of course made me sad. I mean...it's one less webcomic for me to compete with, so sure, I wasn't too sad...but still. You know? Anyway, when Tom said he was accepting submissions for guest strips, I knew I had to jump on this. It took me a while to come up with a concept that fit both the current storyline and stayed true to the tone of the strip overall, but hopefully I've managed to do just that. So without further ado, I present "The Dream".
Panel 1: Why does Jared have a beard?...and a wife?...AND KIDS? Oh, it must be some time in the future. That would also explain why Tom has a receding hair line, a bit of a gut, and looks just generally worn out. I imagine this is taking place about 10 years out from where we are right now.
Panel 2: Henry and Pearl are the names of Tom's real life children. I figured since the characters in the strip are based on Tom and his wife, then his kids should also be based on reality. I asked Tom if it was cool to include their names and he said it was alright.
Panel 3: In 2016, right on the heels of the highly successful "Jones 5: The Adventures of Mutt", Shia was tapped to play Atticus Finch in a remake of the classic film "To Kill a Mockingbird". To the surprise of everyone, this instantly became Jared's favorite movie. Also, in the future, movies are shown on little metal cubes (Actually, the cube is just the player. The files are stored on tiny crystals, but they're so small that they often get lost when you try to transport them, so most people just bring the whole player along with them when they go anywhere).
Panel 4: Why the heck did I put so many characters in this story?! By the time I was done drawing in the kids, my hand was ready to fall off.
Panel 5: The reveal, it was all just a dream. I guess Tom is more ready to start a family than even he realized. And, of course, who hasn't had the Scarlett Johansson "initiation" dream?
Panel 6: Cami has good reason for the look of concern on her face...I mean, better than the Scarlett Johansson dream? Her mind reels with the possibilities.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this flight of fancy of mine. It was fun to play in someone else's sandbox for a bit, but I should get back to work on my own comic (http://www.wombatcomic.com (shameless self promotion)). Pleasant dreams!
-Neil Bryer
Thanks, Neil. I loved this comic!
Incidentally, I think I figured out a simple solution to the content problem I've been experiencing lately.
Certainly there's a bit of foot-dragging going on at a subconscious level. I don't want the comic to end! But, also, I'm making the production of the comic MUCH harder than I need to.
I have it in my head that if I'm going out, I want to go out with a bang. So I'm trying to make each comic as good as possible before I post it - and it's causing delays.
Then I remember something one of my art teachers told me: "Stop fussing with it." Sometimes, you just gotta let these things go, you know?
The thought occurred to me when I was putting together this week's comic. In an effort to give you "more," I was setting myself up for an 8 panel comic. Then I realized, "This could easily be split into two comics." Problem solved! I work faster, suffer less burn out and you get two comics this week instead of one.
So that's the goal. Be on the lookout for two comics this week starting tomorrow. Thanks again for your patience as I cross the finish line with the comic.
In my 10 years of producing this comic, I have been very fortunate to have friends like David Buist.
David, in addition to producing his excellent comic Taking the Bypass, was INSTRUMENTAL in creating content management features for Theater Hopper that carried it through some of its most prosperous years.
So imagine my extreme pleasure to receive this guest strip from David in my inbox. I was really touched. And he did an EXCELLENT job of capturing the spirit of the "real life Tom" punchlines I've done from timeto time.
Working on this week's comic and I'l almost done. It's another extended strip. I seem to have forgotten how to write four panel comics. Then again, I'm not really writing jokes at this point - it's all story. So I tend to go on a little bit. Oddly, though, I'm not using and dialogue. Chalk that up to it featuring Victor.
I promise there will be lots of action after this week's comic. So stay tuned for that!
I thought his guest comic was appropriately sweet and actually very close to a strip I planned on doing later on feature Truman.
People keep asking me if we'll see Truman before it's all over and I calmly reassure them, "Yes, he will be back."
It's one of the great mysteries of my "career" how much people love Truman. I get requests for comics with him in them all the time. I can't figure it out. He doesn't do much. Mostly just sits there. We'll, accept for that time he piloted a bi-plane, which Jesse cunningly references the fourth panel of his comic. You can see that what he's referring to here. In fact, here are the other two Truman comics he references: "Sexybark" and "Legally Stoked."
People used to love that gag with Truman in a purse. That drawing was actually one of our first t-shirts back in 2003! Wow, man. Time flies.
One parallel between Truman and Theater Hopper I can think of is how close both came into my life. We brought Truman home in April of 2002. I started Theater Hopper a few months later in August. So, in many ways, he grew up with the comic. I know I wrote my fair share of blog posts about him. Maybe that's why he resonates with fans? You grew to love him the same time I did? It's kind of cool when you think about it.
At any rate, that's it for today. Thanks again to Jesse for the very sweet guest comic and everyone be sure to visit Tank-Monkey. It's got tanks, it's got monkeys... DOOOOO IT.
By the by, if you'd like to contribute to the fun, I'm still looking for guest strips to put up on the site. Feel free to chip in by sending your comics to theaterhopper@hotmail.com. They need to be 525 pixels wide, JPEG format and relatively free of obscenities. Nothing your Mom would be embarrassed about. If you're down for that and would enjoy a moderate bump in traffic as Theater Hopper ends its run, we'd love to have you!
Until then, hang tight and stay tuned for a new comic tomorrow!
I was really hoping to get a new comic to you today, but the responsibilities of fatherhood got in the way.
I had just finished penciling and inking the last panel of what's supposed to be a new 7-panel strip for you guys and Pearl was crying her head off. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. We tried rocking her, consoling her, reading stories, laying down with her - everything.
Eventually, we decided that we'd let her in our bed with us, but even that didn't work. She didn't have a fever, she didn't need a drink, she had a clean diaper... we couldn't figure it out. She kept writhing around and crying all night.
So, yeah. The comic didn't get finished.
Thank goodness for this guest strip from Bob Dahlstrom!
I've known Bob a good long while. He used to have a comic called Think Tank that I used to really, really enjoy. These days he's got a new comic called Egomaniac; an journal comic which... I think I enjoy more!
It had kind of been a while since I checked in with Bob, so I was really surprised by his work. His line work has really improved. His inking, too. It's always really cool to watch how people's techniques evolve.
Bob actually hit on something I wanted to discuss, kind of by accident by bringing up Adam Sandler and That's My Boy.
First, take a look at the trailer.
Shamefully, I'm going to admit that looks kind of funny to me. Although I think a lot of this film's success is going to be attributable to Andy Samberg.
Oh, I know exactly what Sandler is doing here. Irresponsible man-child shows uptight square how to let loose a little while learning something about responsibility on the way. Pepper the script with a couple fringe members of society and add a liberal dash of butt jokes. Step 4: PROFIT.
But here's the thing... I think Adam Sandler might be this generation's Jerry Lewis.
Hear me out.
Both of them started in nightclubs before moving up to venerable comedy institutions. Martin and Lewis and Saturday Night Live, respectably.
Both of them went solo, starring in a string of successful films heavy on slapstick. The Delicate Delinquent, Cinderfeella and The Bellboy for Lewis. Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer for Sandler.
In later years, their popularity waned and the both took several hits from the critics. But both continued to be box office successes. Lewis' film Hardly Working made $50 million at the box office in 1981 despite being panned by critics. That's almost $120 million today.
Sandler continues to be a bankable movie star today. His last movie, Jack and Jill swept The Razzies last year and had a 3% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes but it still made almost $75 million at the box office.
Both men are philanthropists. Lewis' name is synonymous with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. His annual telethons have raised over $2.6 billion to fight the disease. He hosted those telethons for 44 years. Sandler is just getting started in this arena. In 2007, Sandler donated $1 million to the Boys and Girls Club in his hometown, Manchester, New Hampshire.
Look, all I'm saying is that Sandler is about 15 years away from the French calling him a genius. Wait and see if I'm right.
Anyway, that's it for now. Thanks again to Bob for the fantastic guest strip! Keep your eye on the site in the next day or two. I should have my comic finished shortly!
And, by the way, if you want to submit a guest strip to me in the last few weeks the site is up, feel free. I'm basically opening the flood gates and giving everyone the chance to contribute. Think of it as a big going away party!
If you're interested, send your comic to theaterhopper@hotmail.com. 525 pixels wide, JPG format, and no swears. Other than that, feel free to come up with whatever you like!
Wow! When I announced on Tuesday that I was looking for guest strips to help flesh out the last few weeks of Theater Hopper, I didn't think I would receive a comic the very same day.
But that's exactly what Josh Anderson from Worsted for Wear pulled off - and it's hilarious!
If you're kind of new to the site and don't remember David, I encourage you to check out his first appearance from back in 2006.
What follows is a short story arc that takes to task the interesting phenomenon in webcomics at the time where household appliances were gaining sentience and becoming full-fledged cast members. I always thought the idea was kind of dumb, so I wanted to poke at it a little bit. I did that by quickly killing David off four strips later.
I wrote David back into the strip briefly in a story line where Shia LaBeouf used him to attack Tom. It was a case of mistaken identity.
The story line was actually a fabrication on Tom's part to explain how he had damaged his hand and had to go to the emergency room. That was my funny way of incorporating a real-life injury I had inflicted on myself back in 2009. So David's appearance was more of a cameo than an actual reappearance. I assure you, he's still dead.
So, now that we're all up to speed on David, take a minute to thank Josh for his excellent work and check out his comic Worsted for Wear!
So here it is. The last guest strip before I come back on Monday, January 4th. I want to thank Avi for putting it together for me. I gotta give it up to Avi. No web site to promote. No agenda. Just wanted to draw a guest strip and did. No matter which way you slice it, that's awesome, folks. So big thanks to Avi. May your New Year be everything you hope for!
As for the rest of you, I hope last night's festivities treated you well. Since we have Pearl now, Cami and I had a low-key evening at home. We had some good food and a little bit of bubbly to ring in the New Year. My sister-in-law came over and we played games on the Wii. All in all, a good time.
Frankly, I'm just happy to have survived 2009. It's been a stressful year for me personally. Lots of ups and downs.
Things started off great. We found out we were going to have Pearl back in March and we were excited about the future.
But bad things started happening to the people around me. One friend lost his job, another friend's wife decided to divorce him out of the blue and yet another friend died in a car crash with his wife. Horrible, horrible stuff.
Not long after that, I lost my job - which is about as scary as it gets with a baby on the way. We kept our head above water with freelancing jobs I picked up here and there. Then I carved up my hand with a router and took a trip to the emergency room. That sucked.
Of course, when Pearl was born, that wiped a lot of negativity off the slate. But if I look back, I wasn't incredibly fond of 2009.
Things could have been SO much worse. I KNOW that. So it's not good to focus on the crappy things that happened because I could be living in a box somewhere. As bad as things get, someone always has it worse.
One thing that I'm really, REALLY happy about is the funding of Theater Hopper: Year Three. As you know we met goal, but the campaign officially ended yesterday. We ended up collecting $3,966.77 in pledges through Kickstarter in 60 days time. That's AMAZING and I want to thank everyone that pledged.
There will be more to say about the project in the next coming months. But suffice to say that the book has been laid out and is ready to go to the printer. So everyone who ordered a copy of the book should see one in their mailboxes in the next couple of months.
As for the immediate future, I'm back in the saddle starting Monday, January 4. I'm a little less nervous about producing comics again then I was when Henry was born. But I'm not entirely sure that I'll be doing 3 full-color comics a week yet. I WANT to. I'm just not sure if I'll be able to.
Pearl's not sleeping through the night yet. Once she does, it'll be easier to do the comics. Until then, I'll have one foot in the studio and one foot in the nursery taking care of the baby. We'll see how it goes.
Thanks again to everyone that continues to support Theater Hopper year after year. Come August, it will be 8 years since I started and I'm amazed that I've been able to stick it out this long. It's all because of you. You give me the support and encouragement to continue and it means the world to me. Thank you.
May 2010 bring happiness and prosperity to us all!
In the meantime, how did you spend your New Years Eve? Tell you tales of debauchery in the comments below!
A comic about Sherlock Holmesshould come from someone British, don't you think? I do. That's why it worked out so perfectly for our friend Jon Scrivens to provide us with one!
Jon is the creator of a macabre web comic called Little Terrors! and if you want to see how they do thing across the pond, then you should check it out!
Thanks, Jon!
Part of me wonders how British people feel about American actors playing classic characters of British literature. I know there was a lot of hub-bub about using ANY American's in the Harry Potter films, but I've heard no such uproar about Sherlock Holmes. Weird. Movie producers would catch hell if some British production company had Kenneth Branagh play Davy Crockett.
I didn't get a chance to see Sherlock Holmes over the Christmas weekend, but hopefully I'll get to see it in the new year. Critics kind of seem to hate the idea of taking a literary character known for combating his enemies with his intelligence and turning it him into a squalid brawler. But of all the friends I know who have seen it, most have come out of the film feeling very positive about the experience.
I was kind of disappointed that I didn't make it to the theater this weekend for another reason. Apparently it was the largest box office weekend in history with $270 million in tickets sold and I missed it. What really astounded me is that Avatar only lost 2% of it's business from the previous weekend and since that time, it's been bringing in $15 to $20 million daily. That's nuts. That's pure blockbuster right there.
I was kind of suspicious of Avatar's ability to be a long-term earner. But this thing has a "gotta see it on the big screen" vibe stamped all over it. Certainly an event.
Not much else for me to talk about today. Due to New Year's there's nothing really interesting coming out in theaters this weekend.
As you know, we've met goal. So I'm not aiming for more money. But if there are any rewards you would like to take advantage of by pledging, this is the 11th hour. I won't be offering these incentives in the future. So if you want to take advantage of them now, this is the time to do it.
That's all I have for now. Has anyone here seen Sherlock Holmes? What did you think of it? How was Robert Downey Jr. in the role? Would you recommend it? Leave your comments below!
