Only minus a few people, this Movie Night started a little later than usual - in fact, I was getting a little nervous about anyone showing up at all.  As the time got closer to 10pm, and I continued to watch the last two episodes of Alias, Justin finally arrived - quickly followed by just about everyone else. 

Thankfully, it was still an enjoyable night. 

Well, I threw this page together - which, although it looks kind of crappy, is very necessary to explaining where the story is going from here.  Also, it explains why Susie "powered down" when she came to attack me earlier. 


Charlie has just established himself as a villian.  Also, as he's gaining power by you reading the comic (yeah, I know how to reward someone for readin, right :P) and by Susie noticing him, he's becoming more tangible.  Perhaps a little easier to see.   Perhaps...inked.  Friday's comic will show a little more of what he can do, which will be a cliffhanger issue, lead into guest strip week, and then start off with a new story arc the following Friday.

I'm a little nervous, as I was scanning in G-Man comics over the weekend, and my scanner stopped working.  I'm hoping that the humidity just over heated it (it's an old scanner), and by shutting the computer down and unplugging / replugging everything scanner-related, it will fix itself.  However, it's also possible that the bulb blew out, in which case I need a new scanner.  The good news in all this is that I have the next 3 @$$hole strips already scanned in.  The bad news is, I don't want to cough up the money to buy a new scanner right now....

Exile 3 had a new page go up today (Monday), done by Scott.  Exile 3's ending has been scripted, and most of the pages have been claimed already - but if you're interested in helping out, there are still a few openings available.  Also, there's an Exile 4 around the corner.  Plenty of time to participate, if you so desire.

In any case, that's about it for now.  Sorry the post is so late, but I've had quite a difficult / jam-packed weekend, and still plenty to do this week.  No worries though, as @$$hole has been updating on time and will continue to do so for at least the first year (my goal to myself) at least.  Here's hoping this scanner issue doesn't set me back a bit, though....

T

So, I'm an idiot.  I have a comic done for tomorrow, Friday, but it's not the right comic.

See, I told everyone that's participating in Guest Strip Week (Shane, Laura, Erin, Jeremy, Kevin) that they were due to me August 1, with the intention that they would go live the following week.  I would premiere a cliff-hanger comic on that Friday (August 3).  However, I miscalculated - I have the cliffhanger comic queued up for tomorrow.

Truthfully, this is a great opportunity for me.  It allows me to make a comic that connects the current story with the cliffhanger, and explain some character motivation a bit.  The issue here is time.  Can I get a comic done in 4 hours and post it with storms all night?  Only time can tell.

Suffice it to say, I can't comment on the quality of the comic that goes up tomorrow.  It might be just as bad as the first Fantastic Four 2 comic I did.  Hopefully not, but we shall see. 

In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's reaction to the cliffhanger, which is kind of shocking more so than funny.  But it leads into several pages of pure comedy gold - well, for me anyway.  I guess for those of you unfamiliar with a certain 1958 British television series, you may not get all of the jokes.  We'll see. 

T

Trying to recall everything that happened this weekend is like trying to count the number of times a humming bird flaps its wings.  After all the work I did this last week on my project at work (almost half way done with part of it), I was so tired that I almost fell asleep during Movie Night.  Ultimately, we started later than usual, and had a smaller group than normal (several people were doing art fair related activities, or standing in line for a certain four-eyed wizard's final book).  

Suffice it to say, after the flick was over, Laura was already passed out on the floor and I was well on my way. 

You may have noticed my uncharacteristic silence over the past week or so, and it's not because I haven't been doing things - quite the opposite, actually.  I've been tasked to do a HUGE project at work, and it's taking up a lot of time both at work and at home.  Despite my lack of announcements, however, pages have been going up and new content is available.

@$$hole 19 has Susie living out her lifestyile from the American flicks - and basically, I'm poking fun at Hollywood for ever having a ghost couch potato.  What a lame concept.  Someone had to have been high and sitting around their apartment, trying to come up with a "scarey" concept for The Ring 2 that had nothing to do with the source material, and just wrote down what they were doing:  sitting on their ass.  At the time, I'm sure it was terrifying to them - I'm also sure that they thought the police were going to knock down their door at any second.  Seriously, don't ever watch The Ring 2.  Ringu 2, however, is definately worth your time.

Friday the 13th was just begging for a horror movie, perhaps one with an antagonist sporting a hockey mask and killing camp counselers, but sadly the only one of those flicks worth owning is the first one - and I don't own any of them.  Therefore, with Laura being our resident horror movie lover, I let her pick the flick.

I struck back at LincM and Bats last night, hitting them where it hurts (their comment section).  LincM was first, since his post was so awful that I had to delete it:



And then I moved onto Bats.  Bats likes to smoke, and I'm allergic to the ash (you may even say that it kills me, so I've decided to turn the tables):



Unfortunately, I got his hair wrong:  it's dark, and he has longer side burns.  Oops. 

Keep in mind that I have nothing against either of these groovy gents, but this is what the MySpace Comment War is all about.  It's all in good fun.  Next I'll strike against Jon (from Little Terrors), and then hit Pogues where it hurts the most:  his Collective Comics MySpace page!  Mu-ha ha!

Well, I lost track of the time and find myself at the end of my first story arch...without a cliffhanger.  Oops.  Oh well, no biggie.  I do have more stories with Susie up my sleeve, but I fear that people may be getting sick of seeing her.  I still think she's funny, though, but I was going to put some buffer comics between the last few strips and the ones that went up this week.  I ran out of time to get them done, unfortunately, so you'll just have to endure the next 3 strips about her. 

Then comes another guest strip week!

Alright, everyone that talks to me on a regular basis knows that I like movies, and I'm a sucker for my classic 80s animated shows that I grew up on as a kid.  I would love to see a revitalization of some of those properties in film, or a new series, but unfortunately Hollywood seems to only know how to reinvision them. 

They've been doing this for years, and failing miserably.  This was encouraging to me, as I thought that maybe they would learn a thing or two and eventually switch up the formula or give up.  Sadly, since Transformers will soon be the #1 movie in the country, this will not be the case.

Like Godzilla, I know that I would enjoy Transformers more if they had simply changed the title.  I mean, there hasn't been a movie about giant robots kicking the crap out of each other since Robot Jox.  And like Godzilla, I would love to see a big budget version of my favorite robots in disguise...but, I want it to stay true to the source material.  I don't want the character to be indistinguishable and unidentifiable from each other, and I don't want to be confused by their motivations (what the fuck is the AllSpark?  They never talked about that in the G1 Transformers...and it makes me sad that I have to refer to it as "G1").  I don't want Starscream to look like a monky, I don't want Bumblebee to be a Comero, and I don't want Optimus to be a blue truck with red flames (could you combine Optimus and Rodimus any more, people?)  And I simply hate their designs.

I won't go into more detail here, but reinvisioning classic properties isn't something that gets me excited enough to cough up the dough to go see them destroy my childhood on the big screen.  Apparenlty, some people feel the same way as I do.  The Penny Arcade gang posted this comic today, and it sums up how I feel pretty well:


Now, I had a good chuckle at this comic, and moved on.  However, I was taken aback when I visited my faovrite forums, and discovered that they were making yet another property that has no business being redone:

My allergies kicked in full-force last night, and I have been miserable ever since.  I had thought that I was coming down with something over the weekend, due to lack of sleep and increased stress, but apparently that is not the case - it was allergies. 

Sorry to everyone who called me last night and invited me out to the club - I would have loved to hang out with you guys, but I had enough problems breathing in my smoke-free apartment, and cringe to think what I may feel like today had I gone out last night.  Also, I was able to get some productive work done instead of going out, so I feel pretty accomplished.


As promised, the next Exile 3 teaser poster is finished and placed in my Sketches section.  I don't think I'm going to do the final poster idea, since I hate all of the designs that I've been working on for it.  It was going to be the King of the Cosmos being destroyed, and the headline would read "A King Will Fall."  Truthfully, I think the quality of the posters has gradually decreased by each one that I've done - but since the original one was going to be the only one, I don't see the harm in flexing some of my artistic muscles and playing a bit. 

Keep it a secret, but the Exile 3 page that I was working on (which kicks off the start of the series - I always seem to be kicking off the series again after a hiatus) is already posted.  I'll link to it later, but it exists somewhere on the internet already - which had to happen, so Carl and Scott could work on their pages.  I'm going to be working on page #37 next, but wanted to see their designs for the preceeding pages first.  Once all the pages are done, they'll go live on the Exile site, so check them out.

In the meantime, I'm going to try to fight off these allergies so I can have an enjoyable 4th of July - instead of blowing my nose every 3 seconds, like I'm doing right now.  Gross. 

New @$$hole on Friday.  Be sure to check it out. 

T

So, despite the fact that I was out of the state on Friday, the new @$$hole strip did go live on time.  Since I was out of town, however, I was unable to promote it.

Gas prices have been going up steadily for quite some time, and it always pisses people off - yet they do nothing about it, and they continue to rise.  The truth of the matter is, we will eventually run out of petrolium and fossil fuels, because they are a limited resource.  People say that hybred cars help, and I'm sure there's some truth to that, but they're not solving the problem - they're only prolonging the inevitable. 

"Why don't we just switch over to an alternative," you ask.  Well, the answer is simple, and it involves this thing we call an economy.  Whenever you think about gas, you think about your car, and maybe gas stations.  But you problem don't think about the people who made the barrels that the gas was shipped in, much less the people surveying for the gas (I believe they're called "geologists"), the people mining the petrol, the people shipping the petrol over seas and on trucks.  There are so many jobs and so much industry tied into this limited resource, I don't think our economy could function if we stopped using it tomorrow - the change would have to take time, unfortunately. 

Back to the topic at hand: the comic.  I remember a time when I first started driving (back in the 90s) when gas went up to 89 cents per gallon.  "Outragious!" I screamed.  "No one will stand for this!"  Years later, it sky-rocketted passed a dollar.  "Horseshit!"  I ranted.  "People will surely boycott this kind of action soon!" 

Now we live in an age where gas costs almost $4 a gallon (over a 400% increase in just under a decade), and the price isn't going back down.  We are thankful when we find it for under $3, and thank our lucky stars.  Well, I'm still of the mindset of "Horseshit!  Where's my 89 cents?"  Better yet, where's my alternative?  Although it's not technically a monopoly (since there are different oil companies), there isn't really an alternative mode of transportation available for traveling long distances that doesn't involve fossil fuel consumption in some way.  And no one seems to be batting an eye about it. 

Another interesting point is that despite the "increased cost of petrol-related industry," the oil industry has reported record-breaking profits every year for the last 8 years...in fact, ever since Bush got elected into office.  Coincidence?  I mean, he did bankrupt 2 oil companies in Texas before following in his father's footsteps and starting another war over...oil?  Hmmmmmmmm.....

But I digress, this joke was made to be multi-layered, and also pokes fun at my (least) favorite industry, Hollywood.  The entertainment industry has, in my opinion, lost touch with what their audience wants to see - referring back to formulas and focus groups to write a movie for them, to maximize butts in seats (ie: profits).  Hollywood is a business, and they have to make money.  Unfortunately, they blame their lack of money-making on piracy, and sue any and everyone out there trying to get their hands on entertainment that they may not be able to get at (or, like in my case, be willing to pay for). 

I am a strong advocate of "support what you like," with the idea that more of it will get made.  I encourage everyone I meet to do this.  If you don't like it, then don't pay for it - but understand that you may not be able to keep it, consume it, view it, or experience it. 

However, I digress.  I believe that since Hollywood has lost touch with their audience, and they blame them for their financial troubles (oh boo-hoo, no yaht this year for me), they have furthered the rift between them.  They say that it's all the fault of piracy, but that's not true.  Sometimes, since I don't want to support something, I'll wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it.  It's cheaper, and I don't have to put up with those rude idiots that believe that the theater is their living room (hint: it's not, so shut the hell up).  It's comfortable and less expensive to view a movie in my home than it is in the theater, and often I enjoy the experience more. 

Increased movie ticket admission prices, increased quality of home-theater entertainment systems, decreased costs of owning a quality entertainment system - these should be included in your equations, Hollywood.

...

Sorry for the rant, I'm all over the place today.  In summary, gas and movie prices are too high, so I made fun of them.  Originally, the guy with the beard was going to say something much more nasty than what he ended up saying, but I censored myself because some people from work read this comic - and I would hate to offend them.  If you want to know what he was going to say, send me an e-mail and I'll let you know - just know that you've been warned, so don't be offended when you find out. 

New Exile 3 stuff in the works, and I have guest strips coming up soon.  Guest strips are due in to me on August 1, and Kevin has already turned his in.  I am still waiting on Erin, Laura, Shane, and Jeremy (you have plenty of time, guys and gals). 

Until next week, enjoy this comic! 

T

Friday was an absolutely crazy day, as I returned from North Carolina around 6pm, went out to dinner with the family, and made it back to the apartment around 9pm.  Thankfully, people were calling to confirm Movie Night, and I was able to tell them to "come late."  This gave me some time to shower and relax a bit, after my crazy 18 hour trip and long week of work.  However, the night did not go exactly as expected (more on that later).

I made an executive decision to watch a movie I've been pushing for a while now, and no one seems to have seen (much less heard of) - as I was in a social rebellion kind of mood.  And if you want to watch a movie with a lot of good quotes in it, then check out -


     Movie Night #55:  Pump Up the Volume (1990)
     Director:  Allan Moyle
     Cast:  Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis
     Plot:  Mark Hunter (Slater) has just moved from New York to Arizona, and switching schools can be hard for any high schooler.  However, to deal with his change in environment, he decides to start a pirate radio show called "Happy Hary Hard-on" and make fun of his new school and environment.  However, when one of his listeners writes in and asks for advice about whether or not he should commit suicide, Mark's put in a not-so-comfortable situation.  Suddenly, the FCC is hunting him down, and the students are ralleying to his cause.  Torn between the world he sees and the world he's creating, Mark must discover the courage in himself to overcome his social anxiety and lead the students against their school.

In high school, I did a 3 hour presentation about censorship and the FCC, and this movie was quoted on several occasions - including clips used.  If you've ever been prone to ranting and teenage rebellion, this is the movie for you.  It's all about doing what's right, which isn't always what you're necessarily told is right.  The parents in this movie are clueless to be comical, but it's also a social commentary about how clueless most adults can be.  And how the illusion of the importance of high school can drive people - both teenagers and adults - to extreme measures.  I could relate to this movie on so many levels, and although it's a bit dated by now, the message is still solid and true. 

See this movie. 

So, after Movie Night ended and everyone left (except for Lauren, who was kind enough to stay behind and help me wipe down the kitchen table for my parents, who were coming over for dinner the next night), my roommate and her 2 girlfriends brought home 3 guys from the bar (at the time, I believed that they were not random pick-ups, and had I known sooner I would have acted very differently).  They were all intoxicated, but I was willing to let them crash for the night (apparently, they thought I was going to be gone all weekend, even though I expressed said that I would be gone for less than 24 hours - this was pretty disturbing to me, as you will come to see).  We made sleeping arrangements, and I made my usual line about "no sex unless I get to watch," which is a comical way of saying "don't do it on my furnature."

One of the girls crashed on my futon with a guy, another guy was on the futon, another girl and guy went into my roommate's room, and my roommate crashed with me.  About 40 minutes after going to bed, I hear a noise from the living room and come out to discover the two on the futon having sex.  This furiates me, and I go sit next to them and announce, "What was the one thing I asked you not to do tonight?"  They went stiff at that point, as though by not moving it would make it like I couldn't see them anymore. 

"I know this is much more embarassing for you than it is for me, and apparently I was not clear the first time I said it.  You've both earned a black mark in my book tonight - I can't trust you ever again.  This is a blatant slap in the face - a sign of disrespect that cannot be undone.  Now, put your pants on and go to bed.  If I hear you again, I'm kicking you both out."

They didn't make any noise after that, but I was so pissed that I couldn't sleep.  My roommate's friend came out of her room about 30 minutes later, and I told her everything that happened - she at least appologized, her friend did not.  I then discovered that the guys were random pick ups from the bar, and this sent me off.  I had half a mind to kick the lot of the guys out right then and there, and lecture the girls about trust violations and that I'm legally responsible for everything that happens in that apartment - whether I'm in it or not. 

Suffice it to say, I'm still fumming and I didn't get any sleep that night. 

I finally confronted my roommate about it on Sunday, and like most times I have to do this, she did not seem to take it well.  I can only hope that she comes to understand my fears and concerns about this issue, and know that I don't blame her for anything that happened (even if I do have to wash the blankets and sheets from the futon, because someone has poor night vision and coordination - as well as a sloppy technique).  I assured her that her friends are welcome back in the apartment, and I encourage them to come over- but discourage people from "hooking up" in my apartment, especially if that means doing it on the blanket that was a gift from my girlfriend's mother. 

Movie Night goers know that I try to make sure it's a safe place, where people are free to walk around in the nude and not fear being harassed or judged.  However, the sanctity of that had been violated by this one stranger.  Although I have no qualms with the other two, I would tell this this if I ever saw them again:  the company you keep is a reflection on you, and currently you keep poor company. 

That said, I would not mind seeing them (minus the dude I caught with his pants down) at a Movie Night or something, where I could get a chance to know them better.

Also, despite what I know she's feeling towards me currently, I do not harbor any ill feelings towards my roommate or her friends.  It was a bad call that had a consequence, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  And thank goodness for that.

So, that was my weekend in a nutshell...how was yours?