Well folks, here's my attempt at political satire - and I fear it may fall flat on it's face.  This is actually a very watered-down version of what I originally wanted to do, because I was (wisely) advised to tread carefully on the subject of politics these days.  Suffice it to say, I think you can figure out from this comic that I'm no supporter of our current president, or any of his programs and initiatives. 



Unfortunately, because the comic had to be edited, I fear that the joke was lost.  Originally, the character was going to be contemplating the legal ramifications of attempting to "screw" the president.  Recognizing that it is illegal in this country (despite our freedom of speech) to talk about / plot assassinations - and rightly so - of our country's leader, but then asking if it would be illegal to attempt to "make love" rather violently to our country's leader - you know, not unlike whate he's done to everyone in our country since he "took office."  Although I'm fairly certain that such an act would be illegal, hence why the lead character (who resembles myself, but is not necessarily me) winds up in jail on the last panel. 

I won't turn this post into a political debate - as I could go on and on about how I feel Bush Jr is doing and how much I obviously disagree with him (and I'm sure someone could argue the other side, though I can't really see how) - but I do think the comic is still somewhat funny and worth promoting.  It raises a question that I don't think anyone is asking about this "war" in the middle east - and I'm not sure if no one's intelligent enough to think of these questions, or no one's been honest enough to give an answer and so the media simply ignores that the question was ever asked. 

"How do you define victory in this conflict?"

I'd love to rant about history repeating itself, and how ignorance and patriotism are no excuse for incompetence and a lack of common sense, but I'll attempt to restrain myself.  In any case, check out the comic and let me know what you think - whether you side with Bush or not. 

I know what you're thinking:  what a dated flick, and therefore a dated joke.  I mean, that movie came out last year for chrissakes.  Well, I still think it's funny, damnit!  I mean, come on - you can't tell me that the word "super" doesn't look like an after-thought in that poster. 

I was opposed to this movie from the beginning, mostly because I think Uma kind of ruined her image in my mind after making those atrocious Kill Bill movies (even if you like Tarentino, you have to admit that his blatent "theft" of classic martial arts movies was a hack move.  My suspension of disbelief wasn't ready to accept that Uma could walk yet, much less wield a sword and take out a room of masked goons.  And why put the order of the hits out of order?  There was no startling revelation, and therefore no point in doing that).  I could go on about Tarentino all day, but I'll try to restrict my comments to my comic. 

In any case, I imagine that at some point this was pitched as a romantic comedy, but then they spun in superheros because the X-Men movies were racking it in - and in Hollywood, nothing gets a movie green-lit faster than bank rollers, and the possibility of profit, no matter how much the concept of the flick might suck.  Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this movie - I'm just making fun of Hollywood and the processes that they go through to green-light movies.  If you don't know the "25-words or less" bit, then this comic might be lost on you. 

Also, the transition between the exposition and punchline (which in this case is the poster title for the flick) is a little weak.  However, I think that some of my later strips will be much stronger, and therefore more funny. 

But what are your thoughts? 

It's Friday people, and you know what that means:  MOVIE NIGHT TONIGHT!

That, and it's time for Trevor (that's me) to update his comic strip, @$$hole.  Page 2 is a much stronger page, I think, and shows more of what I'm trying to achieve with this strip.  The dialogue is quick, whitty, and the joke isn't necessarily a punchline - which is something that I've admitted to being bad at coming up with.  The conversation flows from one character to the next, and comes off as natural.  What's funny is that I had a dream with this conversation in it, and that's the inspiration for this strip.  The character is based off what some people wear to the club, and my girlfriend's favorite colors. 



If I had more time, I would have added some background details (lighting, people dancing, goth clothing, etc).  As it stands, I don't know where I'm supposed to be standing in this picture.  It was intended to be the bar at Necto, but it could also be a railing or something over-looking the dance floor.  This is what I wear to Goth Night (or "Factory Night" as they like to call it) every week, though:  black a-shirt and black pants.  Not so much "goth" as it is "artsy." 

However, with the fact that I have to work early the next morning, I usually only stay until about 11pm.  I know - I'm such a baby.  :P

Technically the premiere of @$$hole as I originally invisioned it, this strip isn't very funny...but, it was very necessary for 2 reasons: 

1)  To motivate me into making comics again on a regular basis, and
2)  To top Laura on her binary code comment that she left me all those months ago on MySpace.



Next week's strip will be much more funny, and more in line with what I'm trying to do with this comic: Weekly comedy, not necessarily connected into a singular story, with emphasis on the funny. 

The early comics are always difficult, as you have to introduce your characters and the world in which they exist.  Since I don't often draw backgrounds, it's extra difficult for me to establish this.  I'm trying to limit myself in the beginning, so readers can become familiar with the world in which @$$hole takes place - as well as the people in it.  And there are a LOT of people in my world.

This comic is also technically the 30th page for @$$hole, if I count the guest strips.  However, I'm not going to start bragging about maintaining a weekly schedule until I've done it for a years straight...and then maybe I'll think about increasing the number of weekly strips to 2 per week, assuming I can maintain this level of productivity. 

In any case, enjoy the comic and let me know what you think by going to the forums or my MySpace blog.  Later!

Joe Dunn, acclaimed artist of Coffee Achievers, and regular writer / artist on the Digital Pimp website (including Free Lunch, Matriculated, and Joe Loves Crappy Movies) has done a follow-up strip to Project: October for his guest strip this week, and it is AWSOME!

Joe has to be one of my favorite artists on the internet right now, as his style is unique and toony, yet realistic and believable.  I love his colors and expressions, and the characters and his sense of humor.  The guy is even kind enough to tollerate me posting on his forums all the time.  He even let's me have my own thread on there until the Exile forums are back up and running - feel free to leave feedback there. 

Basically, Joe's an awsome guy and everyone should go visit his website and check out his comics, and even buy some merchandise from his store!  Joe Club Rules!

Next week Friday will see regular updates of @$$hole, so stick around.  Until then, have a great week!

I swear that Justin Gibson is the funniest person that I know, and this guest strip helps to prove it. Having written / illustrated countless issues of The Justin League of America for the Western Herald, Justin had become a trademark on WMU campus while he was submitting these "funnies" for the school newspaper...and even to this day, people remember his comics.

After having graduated from college, Justin was no longer invited to submit comics for the school newspaper - so he stopped working on them all together. Instead, he was acting in a few short films that Carl was posting on his website. I've been trying to get the man to work on comics again, because - as stated above - I believe him to be the most funny person that I know.

That's another reason why this guest strip is so special: I finally got Justin to do a web comic, after having been out of the game for about a year. Not only that, but that kid knows me too well, so his jokes are spot-on!

Check it out, let me know what you think about it!