Posts Tagged ‘War Machine’

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A RETURN TO FORM

by Tom on November 1, 2010 at 12:00 am
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(19 votes, average: 8.42 out of 10)
Halloween, Saw, boring, costume, Iorn Man, War Machine, trick or treat

Hey, everyone. Apologies for the delay on Monday's comic. I had it finished and uploaded, but the blog wasn't posting with it and I couldn't get things sorted out until late Monday night. I would have gotten to it earlier, but I had a bunch of house stuff to take care of first.

It's been a little more than a month since we moved into the new house, but it seems like we're constantly addressing issues inside the house. Nothing serious. But a lot of little things that cumulatively make us feel like it's not OUR house yet. So after we get the kids to bed, we work and toil and try to erase any trace of the former owners. We're installing light fixtures, door handles, painting rooms... everything.

But like I told Cami earlier tonight, "Every time we replace a light bulb or cook a meal in this place, the more it becomes ours." So, there's that.

Of course, on top of things, I'm wrapping up my Master's degree. I also had to do a little work this evening on an outline I'm putting together for a group project due in a couple of weeks. I have class this weekend and then finals on November 19 and 20 and then I'm done - DONE, I tell you! No more night classes. Free time unencumbered by thoughts of marketing initiatives and ethical practice. It will be a glorious day, I tell you.

Don't tell Cami, but with my Master's out of the way, I'm toying with the idea of bringing Theater Hopper back maybe twice a week at the start of the year. Don't hold me to that. Obviously I need to figure out a schedule that allows me to do that. But I kind of figured since it will be Winter and we'll be in the house much more, maybe that'll be a good time to explore my options.

I have to tell you, I haven't enjoyed updating the comic once a week. I'm the kind of guy that usually does better with a little momentum behind him. I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that sometimes Theater Hopper feels like a neglected chore.

I don't WANT it to feel that way, though! I like Theater Hopper. I want to continue doing Theater Hopper. After 8 years in the game, I'd really like to make it to our 10 year anniversary - even if that means hanging on by my fingernails for the last 6 months.

Anyway, this took kind of a weird turn into personal confession territory. But sometimes I like to paint a picture for you guys with where I'm at in my life and I feel like I haven't been communicating that very well lately. I want to re-establish myself. Not just for your benefit, but for my own. Like I said, once I have that momentum, it's easier for me to stay focused and get other things related to the comic accomplished. Until then, it's kind of a waiting game.

Lets talk about Saw 3D for a second, shall we? It's the 7th movie in the franchise, right? I can't even keep track anymore. They say it's the last one. I'm very "meh" about it. I mean, I guess it's good that they've tried to weave a narrative through the movies, but at this point, is anyone invested except the die-hards? I hope the ending was satisfying for them because the Saw franchise pretty much painted itself into a corner in terms of attracting new fans.

Who among you watched Saw 3D? Was it what you expected? Were you satisfied? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

If you didn't watch Saw 3D, tell us about your Halloween weekend? Go to any cool parties? Have any good stories? What was your costume? Share with us in the comments below!

If you want to know what I did this Halloween weekend, I walked Henry and the neighborhood and took him trick-or-treating. He wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. I decided to coordinate with him. It went over pretty well.

Pearl (Minnie Mouse), Tom (Woody), and Henry (Buzz Lightyear) - Halloween 2010
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YOUR MUTUAL NEMESIS

by Tom on September 21, 2010 at 12:00 am
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(24 votes, average: 7.50 out of 10)
Ben Affleck, The Town, Shia LaBeouf, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, War Machine, cardboard

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!

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CARDBOARD CODA

by Tom on May 24, 2010 at 12:00 am
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(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.

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RETURN FIRE

by Tom on May 17, 2010 at 9:12 pm
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(24 votes, average: 8.71 out of 10)
Victor, costume, dress up, Iron Man 2, Whiplash, bottle rockets, War Machine, Black Widow

Hey, guys. Sorry for another late comic. I know that this has been happening more and more frequently, but I feel like it's a by-product of the time that I'm putting in on this story line.

I'm pretty far out of my comfort zone on this one. I've been coming up with new character designs, trying new panel arrangements and posing the characters differently. I've been doing a lot of effects work and generally trying to make the action pop off the page. I know the last few comics have been kind of light on the jokes, but I hope you at least appreciate the effort that's going into the art.

That said, I think I'm about ready to wrap things up on this story line. It's just taking too much out of me and throwing me way off schedule. I hate being late with the comic. It's my number one rule and I keep breaking it over and over again. I want to get back on track.

I should mention that I was able to see Iron Man 2 again over the weekend and I think I had a better time watching it for a second time than I did the first time around.

I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the movie the first time around. I think I was just trying to soak it all in. Watching it for a second time, I could relax and let it unfold in front of me a little more.

I'm in the middle of writing my review right now and I hope to have it posted to the site soon. Maybe Tuesday, we'll see. The review is not 100% positive, which might surprise some of you. But I think I'm being fair about the films plot holes and shortcomings (of which there are a few).

In any case, it will be my definitive statement on the matter and hopefully we can move on to greener pastures soon.

Thanks again for your patience. Stay close to Twitter and Facebook for updates on the Iron Man 2 review when it's posted!

Talk to you soon!

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CRACKLIN’

by Tom on May 5, 2010 at 6:01 am
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(34 votes, average: 8.38 out of 10)
Iron Man 2, dress up, costume, Whiplash, Victor, Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow

I think most of you figured out pretty early on that this little dress-up adventure was going to bring Tom, Jared and Cami into conflict with Victor dressed up like Whiplash, the newly introduced villain of Iron Man 2.

It makes sense. Whiplash is a muscle-bound Russian scientist who wears orange pants. Victor is a muscle-bound Ukrainian movie theater manager who wears a red bow tie. The parallels are obvious.

The big question is why does Victor's costume appear to be a fully-functional and lethal weapon as depicted in the movie? We'll get to that later. But, for now, dig that crazy electricity! Looks good, right?

Iron Man 2 is only 3 days away and it is getting harder and harder to ignore coverage. TV spots are in full rotation now. Most of the footage I've already seen from earlier spots. But once in a while they'll throw in a shot of Iron Man swooping down out of the sky and I'll think to myself, "Dammit! Stop looking at the screen, you idiot!"

I don't know if it makes that much of a difference if I see 2 seconds more that I hadn't seen previously. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be over the moon for this film regardless of how pristine I manage to keep myself before walking into the theater.

In fact, I'm seriously considering buying tickets for the midnight showing - something I probably haven't done since Star Wars - Episode III

If I do decide to go to the midnight showing, Friday's comic will most likely be delayed. I'll try to work ahead on things, but it's usually my habit to work on a comic the night before it's due. I'm "No-Buffer Man!"

I seriously need to plan ahead better.

Switching topics, Cami sent me an interesting e-mail the other day. She said she wants to see the documentary Babies this weekend.

In case you aren't familiar with the plot of the film, Babies follows around four, well... babies from around the world - Tokyo, Mongolia, Namibia and San Francisco - essentially prompting replies of "Awwww" for 90 minutes. It's a perfect piece of counter-programming against the hype surrounding the testosterone and AC/DC-fueled experience of Iron Man 2.

Shamefully on her part, I had to remind her, "Honey, Iron Man 2 is coming out this weekend."

"Oh! Oh! I want to see that, too." But you could tell she had momentarily forgotten about it.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see Babies, too. The trailer for it is brilliant and it gets me every time. Watch it right now if you don't believe me.

But here's the thing... we have a 5 month-old at home. We're kind of LIVING this movie right now. So finding a babysitter so we can go and watch a documentary about babies seems kind of backwards.

Although maybe I shouldn't complain. If we manage to see two movies this weekend, that would be amazing. I should probably try to play the lottery if that happens, because I doubt I'll ever get that lucky again.

Are you guys getting worked up for Iron Man 2? Has anyone else entered "lock down" mode? How successful have you been.

What about Babies? Is anyone else kind of excited to see it. I'm curious what the reaction to the film is between people with kids and people who don't have kids. I probably would have rolled my eyes at a film like Babies a few years ago. But watching the trailer now actually kind of makes my heart swell with pride. I can't tell if it's because the trailer is well made or if it's just pushing the Parent Button.

Leave your comments below.

Also, don't forget about the recently reintroduced THorum! If you're interested in having more long-term conversations and talking to other readers from the site, create an account and submit a topic! Let's get talking!

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BUS RIDERS

by Tom on May 3, 2010 at 12:00 am
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(31 votes, average: 8.77 out of 10)
BUS RIDERS

I apologize for the delay on Monday's comic. I was absolutely stymied by how to draw the interior of the bus in the last panel. Paralized, almost.

I kept telling myself "This is a good thing" because, as I explained to myself, this kind of fear meant that I was operating outside of my comfort zone. I'm evolving my style - if only incrementally. You have to embrace it. I think, so long as people are reacting favorably to the recent story line, I might as well go for broke.

Although, I worry that it was a lot of stress and effort for not a lot of payoff. I wish the joke could have been stronger. I think the crazy guy barking at Cami is cute, but not laugh out loud funny.

Oh, well. I suppose if push comes to shove, it's the nesicary transition piece to move the story from the exposition to the action. Look for more of what you loved about the first three strips in the next few strips.

The good news is that I have everything plotted out at this point and envision this arc going on for at least two more weeks. I don't want the story to wear out its welcome, but I think I have some good gags coming up, so stay tuned for that.

Switching gears, you might have noticed that the site has undergone another redesign. It's not quite finished, yet. There are some tweaks to make here and there. But the functionality is in place and that's what matters most.

The design is all mine, but you have to give credit to Tyler Martin and Phil Hofer from ComicPress for stringing up all the bells and whistles. Phil has been especially invaluable these last few weeks. Be sure to visit his site at Frumph.net

Along with the new coat of paint, there is a TON of functionality behind the scenes that I think is going to make your experience more entertaining. I haven't even explored all of the options yet, but a few I can tell you about off the top of my head are things like the new "RANDOM" button in comic navigation as well as links to similar comics at the bottom of the blog. Hopefully, you will use these to explore more of the site and maybe take a trip down memory lane.

Other advantages of the souped up back end will be a special members area for people who donate to the site and also the option to BUY PRINTS of you favorite comics.

Selling prints is something I've wanted to do for a long, long time. So I am very excited by the potential of this. I plan to keep the cost low (and hopefully the quality high) and really push that in the future.

But, like I said, there a few things I need to put in order first. The Theater Hopper storefront chief among them. I'm testing out store management systems like Magento and Open Cart and will hopefully have something put together soon. There are also pages under the ABOUT, LINKS and CONTENT areas that needed to be added back in.

If you have thoughts or ideas about what features or improvements YOU'D like to see on the site, now is the time to suggest them! We're cleaning house, so anything you can suggest that would make your experience better, please let us know.

You can either leave your comments after this blog or on the recently reintroduced THORUM.

This is the third time around for our little forum community. The first two utilized the phpBB software package and were taken down by relentless spamming. This time around, we have a far more simplified system utilizing bbPress - which is kind of an extension of WordPress. Hopefully, it will be a lot less buggy and allow us to carry on the kind of sustained conversations that comment under the blog do not.

Anyway, lots going on right now. I appreciate everyone's patience waiting for today's comments and I can't wait to read your comments, feedback and suggestions about the new look and feel!

Cheers!

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WOLF WHISTLE

by Tom on April 30, 2010 at 12:00 am
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(73 votes, average: 9.14 out of 10)
Iron Man 2, cardboard, costume, War Machine, Black Widow, whistle

I have to say right now that the response to the last few comics has been phenomenal and I really wanted to thank you guys for the comments and suggestions you've been leaving.

A lot of you have been trying to guess where the story line might be going and I LOVE that. It tells me you're invested in what's going to happen next. That's good, because this week was pretty much all exposition - getting all of the characters "in costume," so to speak, so we can kick the action into high gear next week.

Someone wrote me on Twitter the other day asking if Cami would show up wearing a cardboard Black Widow costume. And while I think the visual gag would have been hilarious (if somewhat difficult to pull off), I decided to play it straight and put Cami in the sexy catsuit instead. I honestly believe this is one of the best renderings of her I've ever drawn.

Besides, I think the contrast of a hot babe running around with a couple of dorks in cardboard costumes is still an effective visual gag. It gives you some eye candy, at least!

I was writing on Facebook about how much I've been enjoying this story line. Both in terms of what I've already accomplished as well as what is lying in store for the weeks ahead. I'm feeling really enthusiastic about it and I hope that enthusiasm is translating for you guys.

I think it boils down to authenticity. I'm a crazy Iron Man fan in real life, so now it's working it's way into the comic. I actually consider it a point of pride that I've haphazardly "branded" myself as the crazy Iron Man fan. It seems like there isn't a week that goes by that I'm not talking about Iron Man to someone on Twitter, trying to convince them to pick up Matt Fraction's recent run on Invincible Iron Man.

When the first movie came out, things were so crazy because people were sending me Iron Man cups from 7-11, stickers, theatrical posters... One guy even sent me a full-sized Iron Man theater standee! It was wild!

All I'm saying is that I appreciate all that stuff but what I appreciate more is that you guys are zeroing in on my passion for the character and are echoing that same enthusiasm. It's personally very satisfying for me. So, thank you.

As a side note, I'll mention that a few of you living outside of the United States have already seen the movie and are talking about it. That's fine, but I'm in total lockdown mode now. I'm not reading any reviews and I'm not watching any more clips. I saw a clip with the briefcase armor and I felt like I had already seen too much. I don't want to accidentally ruin something else.

That said, I do know some things about the general consensus regarding the film as a bi-product of simply being online and absorbing things. I've seen a few headlines raving about it and a few headlines saying its a disappointment.

In my mind, that brings me back to an even keel. It's not important to me that the critics or blogosphere unanimously love the movie. What is important to me is that I control my expectations walking into the theater and - for once - just enjoy the film while freezing out all of the hype.

I don't do this very often because, typically, I find the marketing of a film as interesting as the movie itself. But this one is for me to savor. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Not much more for me to say at the moment. If you have thoughts or reactions about today's strip or the developing story line, feel free to leave them in the comments section. I always welcome your feedback!

Have a great day and enjoy the weekend!

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BUDDY BOX

by Tom on April 28, 2010 at 12:00 am
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(60 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)
Iron Man 2, cardboard, War Machine

Perhaps it was a foregone conclusion that if Tom was destined to return as Cardboard Iron Man a Cardboard War Machine wouldn't be far behind. Really, can you blame me? It's friggin' War Machine. I don't even care that the comic character was created in the mid-90's to make Iron Man darker and more "extreme." HIS NAME IS WAR MACHINE. It's literal AND fun to say. Instant win, right there.

The first Iron Man did a good job hinting at War Machine's inclusion in the franchise after Terrence Howard looked at the Mark II suit in Tony Stark's garage and said "Next time, baby."

Of course, now that the sequel is here, it isn't Howard that will be in the suit. After contract negotiations fell through, Howard has been replaced by Don Cheadle.

For the sake of consistency, I would have preferred Howard kept the role. But it's hard to complain about Don Cheadle stepping into his shoes. That's like going to a restaurant and having the waiter take away your hamburger while you're eating. Then, five minutes later, he comes back with a replacement burger that has cheese and bacon on it.

I'm a little mad you took away my burger while I was eating it. But you gave me cheese and bacon on this new burger. I'm starting to forget about the first burger altogether. Damn, this is a tasty burger!

What I'm saying is that Don Cheadle is awesome.

And a major contributor to heart disease.

That's all I have for today's blog. Be sure to check back on Friday for more Iron Man 2 related goodies! Who will show up in costume next? Will the briefcase armor make an appearance? Stay tuned!

In the meantime, why don't you add your two cents to the conversation about Terrance Howard being replaced by Don Cheadle in the comments section? Good decision? Bad decision? YOU MAKE THE CALL!

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COMING SOON

by Tom on December 2, 2009 at 12:00 am
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(48 votes, average: 8.42 out of 10)
Iron Man 2, poster, War Machine, Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, nerdgasm, yelling
Kickstarter

First things first. The Kickstarter fund raising campaign for Theater Hopper: Year Three. You know the drill. I really, really, REALLY need your support! We have less than a month to raise $2,000, so please pledge today!

As an extra incentive, I am giving away my DVD copy of Monsters, Inc. along with some custom artwork to one lucky person once we cross the $1,500 milestone and right now we're $50 away from that goal! That means if you pledge $50 right now, you have a 1 in 40 chance of winning! Those are good odds!

If you would like to see what the finished artwork looks like, check out this update I posted on the Kickstarter campaign site. I also threw a camera over my shoulder and shot a time-lapse video of me creating the artwork. So, if nothing else, you can spend a couple of minutes watching that. I threw in some very relevant, very peppy music with the video to help keep you entertained!

Again, I can't stress this enough, I REALLY need your support on this book. Even if it's a dollar. If everyone who visits the site each day pledged one dollar, we'd have this campaign in the bag. Please pledge today!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog!

Yesterday, Paramount Pictures released the teaser poster and four publicity stills for Iron Man 2. If you haven't seen them yet, let me get out of your way so you can take a look.

Iron Man 2 teaser poster

Scarlett Johansen as Black Widow

Mickey Rourke as Whiplash

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark

Niiiiiiiiice.

I'm loving this teaser poster. It's such an improvement over the teaser poster for the original Iron Man. Which, if you remember, kept much of the armor in shadow to whet our appetites for what we would see on screen.

Well, now we have a pretty good idea what the armor looks like from the first movie, so why not put it front and center in glorious color on the second one?

Oh, what's this? You've brought a friend? He's a little bit shy, isn't he? We're only going to get to see the side of his face? That's okay! I know who you are, War Machine, you rascal!

I can't tell you how excited I am to see War Machine on the poster for this movie. It let's you know right off the bat how prominently the character will be utilized in the second film. That's good news for die-hard Iron Man fans like myself. I just hope the focus stays in that realm. Because, frankly, I'm a little worried that they might be packing too much into the sequel.

Between Scartlet Johansen as Black Widow, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and Sam Rockwell as Tony Stark's business rival Justin Hammer, I hope there is enough time left over for a big throw down between Iron Man and War Machine. This, of course, before the eventual team-up that takes down the big bad guy.

As a director, I think Jon Favreau has a pretty keen sense of what fans want to see. I'm optimistic. But Sam Ramii knocked it out of the park with Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 before the major let down that was Spider-Man 3. So anything is possible.

Paramount releasing these images now lends strong support to the rumor that the teaser trailer for Iron Man 2 will appear in front of Sherlock Holmes when the movie is released December 25. Things will be crazy for me around that time since the baby will be born on the 10th. But I'm hoping maybe Cami and I can leave the kids with grandma and grandpa for a couple of hours so we can sneak out to see it.

If we manage to do so, my next concern will not be succumbing to a lack of sleep in a darkened theater!

Speaking of the baby, as I said, she'll be here in a little over a week. Obviously, we're over the moon about it. Originally, the idea was that I would take all of December off to give us time to prepare and then (of course) attend to the baby once she's born.

I have a bunch of guest strips ready to go, but I think I'm going to put off posting them for just a little while longer. We're pretty much ready to go on the home front and it makes more sense to build in a little extra time off after she arrives. So look for those guest strips in the next couple of weeks!

In the meantime, let's talk about Iron Man 2! Are you guys as excited for this film as I am? Since the movie doesn't come out until May 7, how long do you think you'll be able to tolerate the marketing push before going insane? Does anyone have the number for a psychologist that can help with unhealthy obsessions?

DISCUSS!

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