Posts Tagged ‘video’

8 items.

AN EXPOSED NERVE

by Tom on January 11, 2012 at 10:19 am
Posted In: Blog
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(3 votes, average: 8.67 out of 10)

On Monday evening I was feeling a little melancholy about my announcement to end Theater Hopper and decided to record a video to try and capture a moment in time. I had a couple thoughts in mind before I sat down to record it, but it kind of morphed into something a little more sincere. I uploaded it to the Theater Hopper Facebook page and eventually decided to share it here.

I spent all day Monday walking around, feeling like an exposed nerve. I think this video captures that. If nothing else, I hope it communicates how profoundly this decision has affected me and that your support has never EVER been taken for granted.

1 Comment

Related Posts ¬

TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT STAR WARS

by Tom on October 5, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Posted In: Bonus Materials
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)

This video was shared with me on the Theater Hopper Facebook page and it's too perfect for words. It goes along with what I was saying on Monday about introducing my son to Star Wars.

Watch this PSA and it will set you straight.

  Comment

Related Posts ¬

AMERICAN TALK 2

by Tom on July 14, 2011 at 11:00 am
Posted In: Bonus Materials
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (No Ratings Yet)

Remember last year when MTV Geek asked the cast of Harry Potter to do and say things "the right way - the American way?" It was pretty effin' hilarious.

The shine is a little bit off the apple the second go around. But still, it's nice they did a follow up.

1 Comment

Related Posts ¬

CARDBOARD CODA

by Tom on May 24, 2010 at 12:00 am
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(14 votes, average: 7.29 out of 10)
Iron Man 2, dress up, costume, announcement, video, art, auction, Whiplash, Victor, Black Widow, War Machine

So, here it is. This is the artwork I was threatening to do a week ago. A nice little cast portrait to commemorate my Iron Man 2 storyline. Apologies for the lack of color, but I think it looks better in black and white.

Yeah, I know it kind of ended with a thud. But I'm really proud of about 95% of it and thought it was worth celebrating. Goodness knows I burned up a lot of midnight oil putting it together for you guys.

As a special treat, I filmed myself drawing the artwork last night and sped it up for you in this delightful little YouTube video:

If you find that exciting, then I have even BETTER news for you!

I have decided to auction off the original inked illustration you see in the video on eBay. You can find it here. It's on a 9 x 12" sheet of Bristol board with a 1" border (so you can frame it if you want to!) I will make sure to mail it flat.

Bidding starts now and the auction will remain open for the next 5 days. I don't sell original artwork all that often, so if you're looking for a one-of-a-kind piece from yours truly, now is the time to snap it up!

BID TODAY!

Now if I can get serious for a moment...

I went to this extra effort with the video and the auction because I'm afraid I have some bad news and I wanted to let you guys down gently. There isn't a good way to say it other than to just come right out and say it...

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, I WILL BE SCALING BACK PRODUCTION OF THEATER HOPPER TO ONE DAY A WEEK.

This decision was a hard one for me but, ultimately, necessary. With the end of the Iron Man 2 story line, now seemed like the best time to make a change.

The primary motivation behind this cutback is actually very positive. A year after having been laid off, I have finally found full-time employment again! I start work in June and am very much looking forward to the opportunity.

But, as such, I recognize that I cannot continue to dedicate myself to Theater Hopper on a thrice-weekly schedule. The late nights spent staying up past midnight working on the comic have caught up with me. I don't bounce back like I used to when I was 24 years-old and just starting the comic. Add to the mix two children with irregular sleeping schedules and, well, the end result is that I'm not 100% like I should be.

There's been a lot that I've sacrificed for Theater Hopper. Primarily sleep. But my health, my attitude and my availability to my family have all suffered as a consequence. I don't blame anyone by myself for these choices. But, at some point, one has to recognize when enough is enough. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to be effective in all the areas I need to be effective in.

Part of me wondered if it was better to end the comic completely. But I didn't want to do a disservice to you, the fans, for supporting me. Nor did I want to perform a disservice to myself and the investment that I've made over the last 8 years.

Eventually, Theater Hopper will have to end - as all things do. But when it does, I want to make sure it goes out on a high note with a story that satisfies the long-term readers and appreciates them for their kindness and encouragement.

Until then, it will be business as usual content-wise. I'll continue to make fun of the latest releases, just not as often. I'll probably be playing around with the format a little until I strike the right balance. But from now on, you can expect a new comic here every Monday morning.

To aid the transition, I encourage you to follow Theater Hopper's RSS feed. I also encourage to to follow Theater Hopper on Facebook and my personal account on Twitter. They will be the best places for you to receive news and updates as well as links to the most recent comics.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them either here in the comments section or in the THorum. If you're not comfortable with that, e-mails are okay, too.

This is a large adjustment for me, as I'm sure it will be for you. I will miss updating the comic three times a week. But, in the end, I know that this is the decision that will benefit me and my family most. At this point, it's all about realigning my priorities. I will always enjoy producing the comic and interacting with the fans. But my family, my livelihood and my personal health must come first.

As the excellent, supportive and understanding audience you have always been, I know you will appreciate my reasons.

Again, I thank you. You have been much more kind to me than I deserve.

24 Comments

Related Comics ¬

KICKSTARTER UPDATE

by Tom on November 20, 2009 at 7:21 am
Posted In: Blog
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (No Ratings Yet)

Since I didn't mention it on Wednesday, I wanted to check in with everyone and remind them about the Kickstarter fund raising campaign for Theater Hopper: Year Three. Pledges have slown down a little bit and I want to make sure we haven't lost the momentum that we built up last week!

I notice that a lot of people have been pledging on Friday's. I don't know if that has anything to do with people getting paid, but I thought I would just float that out there. If you think you can pledge $5 from your paycheck today, that would be awesome. You can always increase your pledge later!

I've been trying hard to maintain a level of engagement surrounding the project by posting updates on the Kickstarter page. If you haven't been reading them, it's a good way to stay connected without me having to badger everyone on the homepage.

Most recently, I posted a video update where I discuss the mini grant I applied for from the Iowa Arts Council. I submitted my proposal before I heard about Kickstarter and I got my notification letter this week. If you want to know the outcome, you'll have to watch the video.

I'm also taking suggestions on topics to address with my Kickstarter updates. It's kind of hard to do actual "updates" because the book is already finished. So it's not like I can post something telling you how "I've written commentary for the first 50 comics and I only have 100 more to go!" All of that work is done. The book is ready. I could have it sent to the printer today, you know?

If you have questions about the book that you would like answered or have suggestions to help me promote the book, leave your comments on the Kickstarter page.

...or here, too. That'll work.

Someone had the simple suggestion that I need to be a little more aggressive about how I promote the campaign here in the blog section of the site. They advised that I need to put Kickstarter updates ABOVE the main blog post so you are at least giving the Kickstarter updates a cursory glance.

It's a good idea, but I don't want to do that if I don't have to. I'm trying not to be to overbearing. But at the same time, the closer we get to the deadline, the more paranoid about it I'm going to get.

There are 41 days left in the campaign. Please consider pledging today. Thank you.

  Comment

Related Posts ¬

NO COMIC FOR WEDNESDAY

by Tom on November 11, 2009 at 7:24 am
Posted In: Blog
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (No Ratings Yet)

Hey, guys. Small status update for you.

I don't know if you tried to access the site yesterday. But if you did, you might have noticed it was down. I have no idea what caused it and we may never know. Sometimes Dreamhost likes to stop displaying your web sites to see if you're paying any attention.

At any rate, you'll notice today that I am running a Blu-ray review of Up instead of a new comic. Two reasons for that:

One, the Up review was supposed to run yesterday and (as I previously mentioned) the site was down all day. So I'm making up for lost time.

Two, I forgot my pens at the place where I'm freelancing. I left them there yesterday after attempting to be proactive and completing the comic over my lunch hour. That didn't happen and then I forget my pens. So I wouldn't have been able to draw a new comic if I wanted to.

Not resting on my laurels, however, I made SEVERAL significant updates to my Kickstarter fund raising campaign page for Theater Hopper: Year Three.

Read the updates page where I address questions about the book's eventual availability, the amount of flexibility regarding the custom illustration reward (available at the $20 pledge level) and you get a close look at this:

3D glasses

This is the image that's going on the t-shirt available at the $65 pledge level. Eventually I will sell the design in the Theater Hopper store. But people who pledge to the Kickstarter fund raising campaign at the $65 level or above will get first crack at it.

I know committing to something like that is difficult if you don't have a sense of what the shirt will look like. So I wanted to put the image out there to whet your appetites a little bit.

By the way, you can leave comments on any one of these update posts. If you something you'd like to say about the direction of the campaign or the information you're receiving from me, I would appreciate your feedback!

Lastly, the most important reason to check out the Kickstarter fund raising campaign is because I finally uploaded my project video last night!

I took the time I would have otherwise spent working on the comic and used it to film and edit the video. I'm very happy with the final product and I think it's worth watching even if you think you already know all of the project details. Hopefully you'll find it at least a little bit entertaining.

Again, I ask that you pledge whatever you can to the project. It's very important to me that the book be published this year and your involvement can make that a reality!

Thanks to everyone who has show their support so far. I greatly appreciate your help!

2 Comments

Related Posts ¬

NIC CAGE – ACTOR

by Tom on March 23, 2009 at 9:11 am
Posted In: Blog
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (No Ratings Yet)

Just because it's impossible to do a comic about Nicholas Cage without referencing it, here it is once again...

The best scenes from The Wicker Man.

"How'd it get burned? HOW'D IT GET BURNED! HOWDITGETBURNED?!!"

11 Comments

Related Posts ¬

INTERNET FAMOUS

by Tom on March 23, 2007 at 12:00 am
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(5 votes, average: 7.40 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, YouTube, internet, video, camera, phone, kid, dress up, costume

That's what it feels like to be internet famous sometimes - getting hit in the nuts by a costumed third grader wielding a bo staff.

And it never stops hurting.

I don't know what it is with me punishing Tom's junk this week, but if there's anything I've learned from America's Funniest Home Videos, images of people getting hit in the groin are comedy gold.

Since the advent of shows like Jackass and the immediacy of YouTube, it feels like we're living in the Renaissance of people getting hit in the groin. It's been elevated into some kind of competitive performance art. Well, consider my hat in the ring.

Now watch as someone posts a clip of themselves taken a sledgehammer to the nuts.

As you can tell, I'm not particularly full of insights today. But I'm excited none-the-less. My folks have offered to watch Henry this weekend long enough for us to get away and watch a movie. I'm super psyched because Reign Over Me comes out this weekend and both Cami and I have been looking forward to it.

I know, I know. Our first social outing without Henry and what do we choose to do but watch a delightful little movie about 9/11 and coping with grief. Should be a fun time!

Now if we can somehow persuade Cami's folks into babysitting next week so we can go see Blades of Glory!

Some good news for those of you who ordered Junkie shirts a little while back - they're FINALLY back from the printer. So this weekend I'm going to sit down and package up all the orders. Hopefully I can get them in the mail over my lunch hour on Monday and you'll be seeing them in the next few days after that. Sorry for the delay. Apparently my printer had a stick up his butt.

For those of you who haven't ordered the new Junkie shirt and maybe want to see it modeled before you plunk down your hard-earned money, here's a glamor shot for you:

If you guys like what you see (and honestly, how could you not?) swing by the store and place your order. Keep in mind that Junkie is also available with all of the special bundling discounts. So if you want to grab a shirt along with a copy of one of our books, you'll save a little extra dough in the process. Everyone wins!

That'll do it for me. See you guys next Monday!

  Comment

Related Comics ¬