PooBahSpiel

The Hourly Comic

2012-02-01T07:21:00.001-08:00

Today is Hour Comic Day. The challenge is to draw a comic every hour, reflecting your life for that last hour, for every hour your awake. So, today you get a slice of my life. This blog posting will be updated throughout the day.

The Comic Critic Reviews Birthday Girl

2012-01-31T06:15:00.001-08:00

This movie, Birthday Girl, haunts me. When I drew this review in ’07, I found it a decent thriller and gave it a seven. Yet, other movies I’ve rated with a seven don’t have their scenes popping into my head at odd times. I’m thinking I might have been wrong, and this film deserves an eight. But giving it a new rating creates logistical problems for me. It’s currently featured in my book, “The Comic Critic Presents Seldom Seen Films.” When my book goes into a second edition, should I alter the rating? Should I alter the rating on my website? Should I alter my rating at all? Part of me wants to just forget the whole thing and leave the rating as it is. I’m wondering which part of me is struggling to bring further attention to this film, the movie reviewer or the guy who likes to tie knots.

The reason I did not post a new review is because this weekend was nuts. On Saturday I was a Moderator for a panel discussing Graphic Novels with Matthew Southworth (Stumptown), Megan Kelso (Girl Hero), Emi Lenox (Emitown), Brandon Jerwa (G.I. Joe) and Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics). We went for over three hours and it was well received. The event was put on by the SPGA/Seattle Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild with sponsorship from Fantagraphics, Emerald City Comicon and the Seattle Chapter of the AIGA. There was a reception afterwards at Fantagraphics and I got to sign some of my books. But the day was not over. My next stop was Ray Weisgerber's (Emitown) birthday party.

Since I was already so far north I spent the night at Joe Manfredini's house. On Sunday I helped him with a photo shoot. We were in his studio taking pictures of one of his dogs for use on a greeting card. I finally made it home in time to have dinner with my wife.

Monday my father came over. We spent most of the day on Facebook. Here's his page, be his friend.He's bound and determine to learn all the ins and outs. It was great to spend time with my dad and all of my friends, but it left me with no time to draw a new strip. I will have one next Monday, I promise.

The Return of Stickman #1363

2012-01-26T06:37:00.000-08:00

Here is the news story that inspired this strip.

The Return of Stickman #1362

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

This strip was inspired by this news story.

I get asked a lot of complicated about copyright and contracts. But I also get asked some very simple questions. This latest video covers one of those questions.

The Comic Critic Reviews Naked Lunch

2012-01-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

When Naked Lunch was released in 1991, I remember being struck by a barrage of imagery that kept testing the audience’s perception of whether or not the hero of the film was hallucinating, going mad, or being drawn into a bizarre world. The extremely weird scenes stayed with me over the years. They stuck in my head with such force that I was under the illusion that I could remember the entire film, an illusion shattered when I watched it again before writing this review. One scene in particular struck out at me. Back in 1991, I found the coffeehouse scene with men plucking away on their portable typewriters slightly humorous, but it wasn’t a visually startling scene. When I saw it again, I was hit by its “cinematic prophecy.” Once again, a vision of the future has become the mainstay. On my last trip to Starbucks, every table was filled with one or more laptops and people typing madly away. It may not have been a perfect representation of an Interzone coffeehouse, but it came oddly close. How great is it that one scene can reinvigorate a film? Since ‘91, I’ve thought Naked Lunch was a great film. This just reconfirms it.

The Return of Stickman #1360 and #1361

2012-01-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the news story that inspired this strip.

I didn't get this strip posted yesterday due to a trip to the car mechanic. Looks like the care will be in the shop for the duration of the snowstorm that's falling today in Tacoma, WA.

Here is the news story that inspired this strip.

The Comic Critic Reviews The Deathless Devil

2012-01-16T10:42:00.001-08:00

I never want to hear the words “Turkish Pulp Cinema” ever again. After watching Tarkan vs. The Vikings, I promised myself I’d return the DVD without spending even a moment on the second feature on the disk. But I was weak. Was I rewarded for my moment of weakness? No! Instead, I was bludgeoned with an endless stream of random fistfights strung together with random car chases, random rescues, or footage of cars, trains and planes. This film seemed to go on so long that every character’s costume kept aging, including the robot’s. And you know it was the robot that lured me into watching The Deathless Devil. What an apt name for a movie that just would not die.

The Return of Stickman #1359

2012-01-13T06:12:00.001-08:00

Woo Hoo! I was about to do a full week of cartoons on top of my regular workload. I think I'm getting back into the swing of things. I even went out to lunch with my neighbor the other day without worry that I was going to give him the plague. Oh, here is the news story that inspired this strip.

The Return of Stickman #1358

2012-01-12T08:39:00.001-08:00

Here is the news story that inspired this strip.

The Return of Stickman #1357

2012-01-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the news story that inspired this strip.

The Return of Stickman Returns from the Holidays

2012-01-10T07:15:00.001-08:00

After spending most of December, and all of the holidays, sick in bed with the flu, it feels wonderful to get back to the drawing board. One of the first things I did to climb back on the horse was to make some entries into The Marketing Awards. If you work in the industry of advertising and marketing in Seattle then you know that this by-invite only newspaper has its finger on the pulse of everything that is happening in the Northwest. And if you don't know, well, you're just not old-school.

There is a category for videos done under $5,000. I can guarantee that the video I submitted was done for well under that. My special thanks to Adam J. Manley and Joe Izenman who were the other creatives on the team. Wish us luck.

The Comic Critic Review Tarkan and the Blood of the Vikings

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I let the words “Turkish Pulp Cinema” lure me into watching Tarkan and the Blood of the Vikings, aka: Tarkan vs. The Vikings. Maybe I was hoping to capture some of my youth. I’d be stuck inside on a rainy Saturday afternoon, and because the T.V. didn’t have a remote, I’d end up watching (out of sheer laziness) some poorly-dubbed Italian film featuring some herculean he-man throwing his weight around. Now I’m an adult laid up with the flu and stuck with watching this DVD from Netflix. If I wanted to see something else on my queue, I’d have to pop it into the mail. The horror is that two weeks later I’m still recovering from the bug, and this was the first of a double-feature DVD. I’ve suffered enough. The disc is back in the mail—with the second feature unwatched.

The Return of Stickman #1355

2012-01-05T08:20:00.001-08:00

I think this will be the last strip I do about weasels for a while. I'm not making any big promises. I find weasels a funny topic.

The Return of Stickman 1354 - More Marten Madman

2012-01-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

I feel so inspired to beat this story to death.

The Return of Stickman #1353

2012-01-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not posting a comic to this blog for the last few weeks. I came down with the flu, which turned into pneumonia, which laid me out for the holidays. Thanks to modern medicine and lots of bed rest I’m finally feeling better. You can look forward to plenty of comics in 2012.

The Return of Stickman #1352

2011-12-20T15:21:00.001-08:00

This is a follow-up strip to one I posted last week.

The Comic Critic Reviews Brazil

2011-12-19T16:55:00.001-08:00

1985 is better known for small pop culture landmarks than it is for large historical events like Reagan meeting with Gorbachev. We are the World received the best album and best single Grammy, Coca-Cola introduced New Coke, and the top 5 grossing movies were Back to the Future; Rambo: 1st Blood, part 2; Rocky IV; The Color Purple; and Out of Africa. It was also the year I graduated from college. I was about to leave the cocooned security of campus life, filled with discussions of idealism and fantasy, and enter the real world. Maybe that’s why Brazil, a retro-futuristic black comedy about a totalitarian world filled with mind-numbing bureaucracy, appealed so greatly to me. It touched upon my optimistic aspirations and buried fears of what the world might hold for me.

The Return of Stickman #1351

2011-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks I've been overwhelmed with project. It is with great relief that largest one with the most immediate deadline is finally out there door. Now I can get back to drawing my stickman strips on a regular basis.

The Comic Critic Reviews Aeon Flux

2011-12-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

I’m behind the eight ball this week as I finish off a deadline. But I don’t want to leave you hanging with nothing, so I’m digging into the archives to bring you my review of Aeon Flux.

There are many obvious movie genres: horror, comedy, action, drama, etc. And naturally you are aware that there are movies that mix genres: romance-comedy, horror-comedy, etc. You are even aware of the genres that have developed specific names: silent, grindhouse, exploitation, etc. But then there are those film genres whose names have yet to be formalized. Aeon Flux falls completely into a category I’m calling Sexy-Violent-Babe.

Sexy-Violent-Babe movies always have a beautiful female lead, usually featured on the movie poster wearing skintight clothing, often in an exotic pose. Her strong presence, usually featured in a slightly futuristic and or fantasy setting, is augmented with weaponry, often as exotic as her poses, along with a high tendency to use them. On top of everything she is smart, and it is her wiles, along with her graceful strength, that wins the day against “the man.” The man can take as many forms as her weaponry as long it is linked to a visage of female oppression, of which there is an endless selection. The description, Sexy-Violent-Babe, might be a bit wordy. With all the leather, straps, spandex, skin and definite promise of violence,Dominatrix has a far more wonderful simplicity to it. Too bad the term Dominatrix doesn’t lend itself to a PG-13 rating, so I’ll settle for Sexy-Violent-Babe.

Now that I’ve defined this genre for you, I’m betting that you can easily think of a number of movies that fit this description. I know I have a list that ranges from poorly done schlock to international blockbusters. Here’s a few I can name just off the top of my head:

Aeon Flux
BloodRayne
Catwoman
Resident Evil
Ultraviolet
Underworld

Geeks of Doom Feature Metropolis T-shirt

2011-12-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Geeks of Doom is a great blog to which I subscribe. I like the emails they send out each day called "Geeks of Doom Invade Your eMail!" They keep me up to date on all sorts of cool stuff, including very geek-trendy t-shirt designs. I sent them an email yesterday showing them the Metropolis Bar & Grill design I drew up. They were very interested in the fact that my pre-orders allowed me to order sizes above 2XL as it is a complaint they often hear. I'm completely blown away that they decided to feature my shirt today in their Geek Gear. If your a geek like me, and enjoy seeing something fun and new every day, then I can't recommend their site enough.

Oh, if you do pre-order, I'm throwing in free shipping. So the shirts are only $20. Sizes over 2XL are just a little more. It's not so much the cost of printing, it's the cost of the cloth increases with the larger sizes. That might be why aren't carried very often. As a sole-proprietorship, every pre-order alleviates the financial burden or the press run. So, thank you for your pre-order. You can order a shirt here.

The Return of Stickman #1350

2011-12-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do a strip that would make sense to the long-term readers of The Return of Stickman, but would be weirdly funny to those just tuning in. Stickman's holiday adventures can be found in the archives.

The Return of Stickman #1349

2011-12-01T10:49:00.001-08:00

This strip is a response to the single fan who asked me why I've not done anything related to the occupy movement. I'm not sure if it will make him happy.

I know I've not been posting up strips as regularly as I should. Blame real work on that. To make up for it, here is a cartoon I did for The CLAW's White Elephant Gift exchange. My wife's comment: Why isn't the elephant white? My answer: Meh!

The Return of Stickman #1347

2011-11-23T10:57:00.001-08:00

Here is the news article which was the inspiration for this strip. Part of me wonders where this young gentleman will be a year from now - aside from jail.

The Return of Stickman #1346

2011-11-22T09:33:00.001-08:00

This strip is a continuation of a strip I did on Nov. 10th 2011.

The Comic Critic Reviews A Very Harold & Kumar 2D Christmas

2011-11-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

My wonderful wife wanted to take me to the movies on my birthday. She’d take me to see anything I wanted, but I certainly didn’t mean to test her loyalty by taking me to see A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. Gullible, I truly held the hope that the magic of the first film would be recaptured; instead, I got something every bit as awful, if not worse, than the second film, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. (It was a crushing blow because it was such a disappointment.) That experience should have set my expectations lower. This one was filled with an homage to past Christmas films, crass toilet humor that left my shoulders aching from cringing, and a seemingly endless stable of obvious 3D effects constructed solely (and obviously) for the post-theater-release 3D TV market. This movie has me hoping that today’s 3D craze will follow the pitter-patter of past 3D fads and just fade way, taking this movie with it.

Here’s an odd side story: As we stepped out of our car in the theater’s parking lot, my foot came down on a baggie. I picked it up to find that it contained a bud of weed. I put it into my pocket because I was going in to watch a movie that heavily featured pot smoking and promptly forgot all about it. During the movie, a familiar aroma kept hitting me at odd times. It was confusing because, regardless of how interesting pot smoke may be, I knew 3D couldn’t broadcast a smell. Certainly the film wasn’t good enough to bring back old memories. Then I remembered the bag in my pocket and mentally let out a long, “Oh!” When we left the theater, I left the baggy behind—on the floor. I have not indulged in years; besides, there’s no way I’d ever smoke something that I found in a parking lot. Why did I leave it behind instead of tossing it away? I wanted the next person to sit there to undergo an unexpected odorama experience. Maybe it would make sitting through the movie a little bit more pleasant for them than it was for me.

The Return of Stickman #1345 and the Portland Comic Book Show Report

2011-11-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

I've drawn smoking before, usually for iconic or gag reasons. I plan on doing a few more strips about smokers and non-smokers without very much thought. Most of my stickman strips don't have a lot of thought behind them. They just pop out. I never was a smoker. Several of my friends and family members who were smokers managed to quit. Some are doing their best to stop right now. And I have some friends and family who continue to pound coffin nails. So before they and everybody else starts sending smoker hate or support letters I just want to say... (sound of footsteps running followed door slamming shut.)

The Portland Comic Book Show

My wife and I had a great time at the Portland Comic Book Show. My profits were double of what they were last year. I attribute this to the increased amount of merchandise I had available (Brains! t-shirt.) A few other members of The Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians also attended. I want to thank everybody who stopped by to say, "Hi."

The Return of Stickman #1344

2011-11-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

I'm not the only person who thinks this is a conspiracy.

If you like near Portland, Oregon you might want to check out The Portland Comic Book Show this Sunday. I'll be there selling my various merchandise.

The Return of Stickman #1343

2011-11-09T09:58:00.001-08:00

I've a client who wants me to do an animation. It's been a while, but I'm thinking it might be fun. Falling a little behind on my software tutorials. And I need to draw some coconuts today. It all beats being homeless.

The Comic Critic Reviews Breakfast on Pluto

2011-11-07T16:47:00.001-08:00

Growing up in religiously and politically divided Ireland has enough troubles of its own and has been used as a setting for a number of movie. Now add into that movie the hero as a boy orphaned as a baby. That’s not enough? Go ahead and make the boy transgendered. You think that would be enough for the writers of Breakfast on Pluto, but no. I’m not against writers adding in lots of details, but don’t focus those details on character development when the character is formed twenty minutes into the film. I can see the effort placed into Breakfast on Pluto, but I found some of that effort to be misdirected. The soundtrack was likeable, but I didn’t attach the soundtrack to the film since I wasn’t emotionally attached to any of the scenes.

p.s. For Dr. Who fans: There are no 'real' Daleks in this movie - just fanboys. Didn't I say in the first panel that this was not Sci-Fi?

The Return of Stickman #1342

2011-11-04T14:48:00.001-07:00

You might think that this is an urban legend, but no. It is a real story. And sadly it gets repeated every time there is an election.

The Return of Stickman #1341

2011-11-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Today's strip is inspired by all the relatives I expected to visit this summer, and didn't. And to all those relatives I didn't expect a visit who did show up out of the blue. Oh, yes. You know who you are.

The Return of Stickman #1340

2011-11-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

My brother Randy asked that I do a few strips using characters that a few of the older fans know and love. This won't be a huge saga. I'm going to try a formula of weird news bits along with a story arch. I'll be searching for feedback along the way.

I spent a few hours yesterday being couched by Adam The Alien on monetorizing my YouTube channel. I'm considering do the same to this blog.

The Return of Stickman #1339

2011-11-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

My wife was the inspiration behind this strip. I was driving down the highway and she was asking me, "Why? why? why?" And this strip popped into my head. She thought it was funny, which is a good sign that you might enjoy it too.

The Comic Critic Reviews Even the Rain

2011-10-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Even the Rain is one of those deep-message-with-social-commentary movies that I watch occasionally. The occasion this time was the Ellensburg Film Festival. Even the Rain was the festival’s opening movie. And it was really good, quite possibly one of the best-constructed movies I’ve seen all year. It had me thinking hard, deciphering all the different messages I’d received in viewing it. Still, I have a hard time putting socially relevant movies on my must-see list. They’re a lot like S&M: you feel both a little dirty and weirdly good afterwards. It’s just the right thing if you’re in the mood for it. So dim the lights, light the candle, and warm up the beeswax; this film is worth exploring.

The Return of Stickman #1338

2011-10-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of old time radio shows. You can listen to a lot of them on AM 1710 Antioch, which I find under iTune's radio in the eclectic selections.

The Return of Stickmna #1337

2011-10-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I had a table at ZomBcon. I had a blast. I took several photos of Zombies which you can see on my Flickr photostream. If this strip doesn't make much sense, then it is a perfect reflection of how tired I was yesterday when I drew it. Below are a couple of snapshots if you're too lazy to click forward to the photostream.

The Return of Stickman #1336

2011-10-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm getting very excited about ZomBcon. Yesterday I picked up a collapsible cart that perfectly holds the bins I keep the t-shirts. I also picked up an additional tablecloth. I've got my booth buddies lined up for each day as well. I just need to accept another receipt book.

The Return of Stickman #1335

2011-10-19T15:22:00.001-07:00

I want to thank all those who sent me twitters when I asked the Internet to help me with this one. I got so many submissions that I will be able to run a few more along this theme.

The Return of Stickman #1334

2011-10-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

I actually meant to post this strip last Friday. It is a continuation of last Thursday's strip. I wanted to tell my wife about these two strips but she stopped me. We were going out to dinner and she didn't want to loose her appetite.

Now it's time to call my printer and see if my new batch of Brains! t-shirts are ready.

The Comic Critic Reviews Bellflower

2011-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Bellflower was shown at the Ellensburg Film Festival, otherwise known as EFF7. Because I’ve been bragging about it endlessly, some of you might know that I drew the festival’s poster this year. The art from my poster was used on all promotional materials, from the ticket stubs to the website. I spent the weekend attending (and giving) presentations at the festival. If you follow The Comic Critic Facebook page, you know that I try to post movie trailers of new and old movies. Bellflower was one of the previews I posted a while back and I was very excited to see it at the festival. This review is one of the few I’ve been able to draw before the mainstream release because I saw it at the festival. I’m hoping that my enthusiasm for the festival has not bled over too much in my rating of Bellflower. I should also say that this film has a dog in it. If you are familiar with my rating system, you know that a dog in a movie automatically adds an additional point to the tally.

The Return of Stickman #1333

2011-10-13T09:31:00.001-07:00

This strip was inspired by two things:
1. The increase of bedbugs in the United States.
2. This Vlogbrothers video.

I'm a fan of John and Hank Green's channel on YouTube and have a subscription to it. If You can click here if would like to see my YouTube, which is filled with all sorts of videos from me giving advice to freelancers to movie reviews with my friend Joe Manfredini.

The Return of Stickman #1332

2011-10-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to hear that none of the zombies were mortally wounded in this on set accident.

The Return of Stickman #1311 and the Ellensburg Film Festival

2011-10-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

My apologies to the overly perverse Internet surfer in search of beastiality and instead found this strip. I almost didn't draw this strip for fear of related SPAM appearing in the comments. Still, I do my best to cover the articles my fans send me. While the dialog in Stickman might be rated R I try to keep the visuals down to a PG rating.

I spent a long weekend in Ellensburg, Washington attending EFF7 (Ellensburg Film Festival.) I had the chance to take in a lot of movies, whose reviews I'm currently working on for The Comic Critic. It was my first time attending a film festival from start to finish. I wish I could have taken a few more films but I was busy doing presentation on Licensing and Freelancing. I also had the opportunity to set up a table and sell my books, shirts and posters to attendees. Many thanks for the sponsors and committee for getting me involved. Thanks!

The opening party at EFF7.

The Return of Stickman #1330

2011-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm off to attend the Ellensburg Film Festival where I will be giving presentations on Licensing and Freelancing. I'd hoped to put together some new elaborate presentations. But I had some real jobs pop-up that required my attention and so I'm going to have to rely on the presentations I have in the laptop already. Below the poster I did for the event.

The Return of Stickman #1329

2011-10-06T11:50:00.001-07:00

I'm looking for suggestions for this new category. Please send them along.

Stickman's Tips for having a Table at a Comic Book Convention

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

As I promised yesterday, here is the comic I drew for the 24 Hour Comic Challenge at Comic Book Ink this year.

The Comic Critic Reviews Nosferatu

2011-10-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

I just can’t get past how blatantly the creators of this film stole from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. When I started writing this review I did know that Bram Stoker’s widow took the studio that created this film to court for copyright infringement and won. But I did not know that part of the settlement was that every reel of Nosferatu was to be burned. The film only survived because another form of infringement occurred during international distribution.

The image of Count Orlok, the vampire in the film, remains a cinematic icon that still fascinates audiences. Directors know this and have paid homage to Orlok in a number of films over the years. But none is greater than in the movie Shadow of the Vampire from 2000. We’re treated to a scenario where, while doing research for his film, the director discovers an actual vampire and entices it to play the role of Orlok. I’ve always found it ironic that so many acts of derivation would follow the first unlawful one done by the creators of Nosferatu. But to see a movie about the making of the original film in which the inspirational source of the vampire was not Dracula, but an actual vampire, brought irony to a whole new level.

Nosferatu is just one of many films that will be showing at the Ellensburg Film Festival. If you live over in Eastern Washington I hope to see you there next weekend.

I know you are all excited to see what I drew at the 24 Hour Comic Challenge. I will be posting the results tomorrow. In the meantime I encourage you to check out James Stowe's work from the 24 Hour Comic Challenge. He and I had a gentleman's bet going on who would finish first. And it was very close this year. Very close. But Stowe beat me by posting his comic (done in full color, writer Kevin Freitas) on the Internet just a few moments before I plopped my 24 pages down and announced I was done. Way to go, Stowe!

The Return of Sticklman #1328 and 24 Hour Comic Day

2011-09-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Now wonder our jails are full with masterminds like these.

Tomorrow I will be at Comic Book Ink participating in the 24 Hour Comic Day. If you want to be inserted into my comic, just bring me a meat dish, or make a donation to The CLAW Student Scholarship Fund. I'll be sending out regular posting on my twitter if you want to follow the progress. Here is the comic I completed last year, a mash-up of Copyright Facts and a Zombie Apocalypse.

The Return of Stickman #1327

2011-09-29T09:30:00.001-07:00

The folks at Victoria Secret have some interesting ideas of what's sexy.

The Return of Stickman and the 24 Hour Challenge

2011-09-28T08:52:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my good friend James Stowe, fellow founder of The CLAW, and all around fantastic guy, asked me if I would draw Stickman participating in the 24 Hour Challenge - in 24 panels naturally. He would then apply the art to a fantastic poster design so that we might be able to promote the event at Comic Book Ink. I think he did a great job on the poster. So here is the poster as today's Return of Stickman strip.

By the way, Stowe and I have once again renewed our yearly bet as to who will finish the contest - first (or if at all as the case may be.) Please stop on by to provide us with meat dishes or donations to the CLAW Student Scholarship Fund and you will end up in the cartoon.

The Return of Stickman #1326 and Jet City 2011

2011-09-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

It's hard to ignore news stories like this one when they happen in your town. This is not the first time I've heard of somebody asking their neighbors or friends who to get rid of a body. All I can think is that these folks were never in the Boy Scouts.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you might have noticed that there was no movie review posted yesterday. I never got around to drawing a review last weekend because I was busy attending the Jet City Comic Show. This is the second year I've attended the show and I will be in it again next year. Here are a few shots I took at the event.

My first sale of the day!

Jet City's mascot is Bomber Girl and this year she was played by Sierra McKenzie. You might have seen Sierra in some of my other photos. She is part of a modeling group that convention and trade shows hire to promote events or products.

My last sale of the day. The Brains! t-shirt was a big hit.

The Return of Stickman #1325

2011-09-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here the follow-up strip to yesterday's strip. Here is the corresponding news article.

Tomorrow I will be at the Jet City Comic Book Show. Last year was their first year and there was a line at the door when they opened at 10am. I know that the first folks through the door get a free Jet City poster featuring Bomber Girl. Also, between various highways and bridges closed down, and all the events that are happening throughout the city, traffic is going to be a bit thicker than normal. Plan according.

The Return of Stickman #1324

2011-09-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I write these strips a few weeks in advance to give myself a buffer. Since the original news story there has been an update. You can look forward to a follow up strip tomorrow.

The Return of Stickman #1323

2011-09-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

There was no new item that inspired today's strip. I just live close to Puyallup, WA. And the Puyallup Fair is the largest fair in the state of WA, even though it is not the State Fair. Since I live so close I usually go to the fair every year. Sometimes I don't make it to the fair because I forget when it starts and ends. I'm definitely going this year.

The Return of Stickman #1322

2011-09-20T10:13:00.001-07:00

About the only think I left out of this strip from the news article is the involvement of the weatherman.

The Comic Critic Reviews Kentucky Fried Movie

2011-09-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

There was so much I wanted to put into this strip about Kentucky Fried Movie, but couldn’t. I wanted to touch on how Saturday Night Live started in 1975 and how that show must’ve influenced the creators of this film. I wanted to say how I thought Kentucky Fried Movie obviously led to other successful movies like Airport and the whole Naked Gun franchise. And how those movies in turn led to an ongoing outlet of parody movies, even parody movies of parody movies.

And as I was mulling all of that over, I just couldn’t help but remember my own experience in the theater watching this film. I had no idea what the film was about. I’d snuck into R movies before with my friend and was confused as to why he made sure to bring his mom along as a chaperone this time. My friend’s family didn’t own a television, and to my knowledge they never went to movies. But maybe my friend thought a nice little comedy would be just the thing to loosen his mother up.

It wasn’t until the first blatant sex scene (one of many) that I realized he’d planned the whole scenario so that we would definitely get into the show, and that I would be a body buffer between him and his mom. As I once again thought over the evening (for I’d thought about that mortifying night many times over the years), and the lengths my friend went to accomplish his scheme, I had to admit the whole story was just as funny as the movie itself. So it made sense to work my personal story into the strip.

The Return of Stickman #1321

2011-09-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Why is it everybody has moose troubles but me? While this strip was inspired by this news item it's not 100% factual.

The Return of Stickman #1320

2011-09-14T08:38:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's easy to tell when somebody's elevator doesn't go all the way to the top, are not playing with a full deck, have a screw loose, or are just plain bonkers. And while the general public has to put up with them during in-face-time I feel for those poor immediate relatives that have madness as part of their daily routine. And, yes, this was inspired by a real news story.

The Return of Stickman #1319

2011-09-13T09:23:00.001-07:00

Today's strip was inspired from a friend in Australia. She'd been corresponding with an American stationed in Nigeria and had a question for me. "In the USA do you use the word Movies or Cinema?" I responded that I personally found the word Movies was the more frequently used word. But that might be solely a regional thing. Oh, by the way, I just inherited $20 million dollars and it would be a huge help if I could get it out of the country for 24 hours.

The Comic Critic Reviews Metropolis

2011-09-12T14:32:00.001-07:00

Part of me wishes I could have been there for Metropolis’s debut. It was a time of explosive imagination. It was at the very start of film. No rules had been set to govern it; no preconceptions were available to hamper it, even the definitions of new words to describe it were in flux. And into this brand new media came this extravagant science fiction drama, filled with cultural, philosophical, ideological, and artistic references, some old and others just entering public discussion. It’s no wonder that nearly all of its imagery has become iconic. Yet, because Metropolis’s influence on the science fiction genre was so enormous, part of me is grateful that I wasn’t there in 1927. If I were, I couldn’t help but compare everything that came afterward to that first awe-inspiring viewing experience.

A little personal note here. I have a tremendous love for movies. But if I collected a DVD of every movie I enjoyed, there wouldn’t be any room in my house for furniture. So, it was a strictly survivalist decision to limit it, using personal nostalgia as my guiding factor. After a lot of thought, I realized two qualifiers that would allow a movie to enter my collection:

1. Any pirate movie.
2. Movies in which robots are the primary focus or are heavily featured.

You might think that the first thing I did was pick up a copy of Pirates of the Caribbean, but you’d be wrong. I established my video collection rules two years before Pirates of the Caribbean was released. No, the very first was Metropolis.

The Return of Stickman, guest strip by Bart

2011-09-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Bartosz Solodkowski for sending in a guest strip for Stickman. It made my life easier today. Thanks, Bart! Fame and fortune will soon be knocking on your door!

The Comic Critic will be at Jet City

2011-09-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, September 24th 2011, The Jet City Comic Book Show is going to be held in Seattle at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall located at 299 Mercer Street from 10am to 6pm. Tickets are only $8. If you pre-order your tickets you will receive a free Bomber Girl print by Matthew Clark. This will be the second year I’ll be attending the show. You can find me in the Artist’s Alley at table AA25.

I will be doing drawing/signing for those who buy my book. Almost everyone who subscribes to this blog knows what my book’s about. But, if you don’t, then check out this video.

It’s one in a series of reviews that tag into my book, “The Comic Critic Presents Seldom Seen Films.”

Special thanks to Adam the Alien for producing this and the other movie review videos for me, to Joe Izenman who created my jingle, and of course my good friend Joe Manfredini whose been my right hand man at so many conventions.

The Comic Critic Reviews Wristcutters: A Love Story

2011-09-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

I thought that Wristcutters: A Love Story would be a small, slightly sad art-house film. The initial setting lures you into thinking that you’re watching a purposefully dismal story. Then you get surprises. They aren’t big surprises, more like hints of surprises. And you can’t tell if they are dark or light surprises. Either way they are piling up and engaging in ways you didn’t expect. And the next thing you know, you’ve had a perfectly delightful experience.

I’m still mulling over how a dog ends up in a world inhabited by suicides.

The Return of Stickman #1317

2011-08-30T09:53:00.001-07:00

My friend Larry Erhardt asked on his Facebook page today whether if it's ethical to euthanize a dying insect? First I remembered that Larry is an atheist and a vegetarian. Next I briefly thought about euthanasia, then about a commonly reported dying experience, and lastly I thought about the ironically named Circle of Life. And that, that right there, is the moment when today's strip completely formed in my head.

The Comic Critic Reviews Skyline

2011-08-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

My friend Chuck Messinger, comic book writer, owner of Comic Evolution, co-founder of Creator’s Edge Press, likes Skyline. I can’t tell you why he likes this movie because that would be a spoiler. I go out of my way not to drop spoilers. I’d love to describe this alien invasion movie by referring to other movies, but even those hints would be spoilers. The plot is so thin that if it were paint being applied to a wall, it would need a second coat. Let’s just say that this is meant to be a good movie and ended up being one of those bad movies that’s fun—that’s how bad it is. I finally found a few obscure, yet more-or-less accurate references to use. Oh, and I hear that Skyline 2 is in development.

My friends Gordon and Paul are part of the Norman Tweeter Productions. When they hit the movies they are merciless with their raw spewing of spoiler-filled comments - usually done in the back of their car in the theater parking lot while emotions (or other things) are high. Here is their video review of Skyline. By the way, Paul and Gordon are puppets.

The Return of Stickman $1216

2011-08-26T09:40:00.001-07:00

Here is the news story that inspired this strip. What I want to know is what nine-year-old walks around with $300 dollars on them? I’m a full-grown man and whenever I have that much money on me it’s in a money belt. This kid needs a bank account. Of course the last time I lost my wallet it had $86, and if you factor in inflation it would probably be around $300.

The Return of Stickman #1315

2011-08-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

The news story that inspired this strip had a wealth of gags within it. I went with the the gag that made me gag.

The Return of Stickman #1314

2011-08-24T10:39:00.001-07:00

I hate riding buses. When I was a teenager I'd rather mooch a ride or ride my bicycle than take public transit. It might be one of the reasons I enjoy taxis. It might also be one of the reasons I've always worked from home.

The Return of Stickman #1313

2011-08-23T08:16:00.001-07:00

Today's guest strip was done by Sam Day. My friendship with Sam goes back a couple of decades. Like me he is an freelance illustrator, and there have been many times when we've operated as a team on projects. One of his specialties is doing live wedding and event paintings. You should check out some of his work.

The Comic Critic Reviews Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

It took me over an hour and looked like a rough draft of a college thesis, “Why I’m So Completely Fascinated with The Planet of the Apes Franchise.” I got so wrapped up describing my deep Ape-Man love that I totally forgot my goal was to write a movie review. There wasn’t one word about the movie. That was when I realized I needed to step away from my fanaticism to find a way to address one of its core messages without getting overly mushy. Then I remembered a conversation I had with my friend John Draper about Rise of the Planet of the Apes and wrote a much shorter review: thus, this strip.

The Return of Stickman #1312

2011-08-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the news story that inspired today's strip. I made up the bit about the wallet.

You might recall that I did the poster for the Ellensburg Film Festival. Well, they liked the poster so much that we decided to use elements from it for passes, tickets, and the like. You can see those designs on their festivals Facebook page. I finally got part of their movie list and am drawing up some reviews for shorts as well as full length features. I'm trying to decide whether or not to go with a single panel, or a three panel for my reviews of the shorts. Your thoughts?

The Return of Stickman #1311

2011-08-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

Today's strip was inspired by this news story.

I want to thank the recent wave of new subscribers for following my blog, strips and cartoons. My goal each week is to have a freshly drawn movie review for you each Monday. Whether or not the movie is fresh is a different matter. Tuesday through Friday I post new Stickman strips. Sometimes I don't achieve this goal due to an increased work schedule, travel or sick day. Please forgive the lapses when they do occur. In the meantime, feel free to send in your movie review requests and interesting news stories that you run across as fodder for my strips. They are a big help.

The Comic Critic Reviews Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-08-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

I’ve been dismally disappointed with previous Captain America movies. The 1990 version I referred to in the strip wasn’t even the worst of the lot. The 1979 made-for-TV version and the even more atrocious sequel, Captain America II: Death Too Soon, didn’t die quickly enough. That year, I was a foreign exchange student in Japan and might have forever been spared the agony of watching such hackneyed bilge. But some television programmer had the bright idea to use them for a double feature in 1980, and this little fan-boy was completely blindsided by the awful treatments. (Steve Rogers as a Commercial Artist? That’s just salt in the wound.) Thinking back on that evening still makes me a little nauseous. So, while I was excited to see what Marvel would come up with for this part of their carefully constructed Avengers franchise, my expectations were less than high, having received the scorched-earth treatment of disappointment once before. Thus, as I watched Captain America: The First Avenger, I felt grateful, pleasant relief. It’s a respectful treatment complete with top-of-the-line set designs, special effects, choreographed fight sequences, and Easter Eggs up the wazoo that will lure me back again and again to see what I missed.

The Return of Stickman #1310

2011-08-05T07:59:00.001-07:00

I should have known that stress can cause amnesia. That would explain why I can never find my checkbook, wallet, keys, hat, shoes or file my taxes on time. I find short term memory loss very annoying. The thought of waking up and loosing a few decades is frightening. I think I should make a contribution to the Alzheimer's Association. Now were did I put my checkbook? My inspiration for this strip was this news story.

The Return of Stickman #1309

2011-08-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

The mother was not mentioned in the new story, but I'm sure she made her presence felt. That's why I wanted to put her in the strip.

The Return of Stickman #1308

2011-08-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today's strip is a continuation of one from last week. There are several news articles floating around about it. I thought one of them said this was a pet kangaroo that got out. Now I can't find that story.

The Comic Critic Reviews Rubber

2011-08-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

My editor John and I get into arguments over the use of the words “film” and “movie.” I want to use the word film very liberally. He wants me to use it very literally. Sometimes I have a hard time following his arguments or logic. When I do I create simple rules for myself, their sole function is not to follow understandable logic, but just keep me in John’s good graces. Thus, I only use the word ”film” if the viewing material involved is shorter than 90 minutes or could be considered art-housey. I’m going to call Rubber, the story of a rubber tire going on a rampage in the Southwest, a film. If all of this sounds slightly confusing, just roll with it.

The Return of Stickman #1307

2011-07-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Do me a favor and don't do a search for this news item yet. I've got another strip that follows this one up.

The Return of Stickman #1306

2011-07-27T12:58:00.001-07:00

Why is it that so many men think they can solve problems with a muscle, and a butter knife? Here is the story which inspired this strip.

The Return of Stickman #1305

2011-07-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

This strip was inspired by this news story. Part of me can't help but wonder if this is an accident, or an extremely well thought out murder.

The Comic Critic Reviews A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

2011-07-25T14:05:00.001-07:00

I hope the musical makes a comeback. I grew up at the tail end of movie musicals’ popularity and was lucky enough to see them cycle through on television. It was disheartening when the airwaves were taken over by newer films, and then (gag) reality television. The small resurgence of musicals in the late seventies and again in the nineties wasn’t enough to return them to their former lofty heights. It’s my hope that with the increasing popularity of Bollywood (lots of spontaneous singing and dancing there), the success of Chicago and the Producers, along with Glee, musicals will be again produced on a regular basis. Naturally, this would mean remakes of those that showed success in the past. I’d be a little sad to see the original A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum remade, but very happy to see a larger audience discover what I’ve always considered to be some magically entertaining material.

The Return of Stickman #1304

2011-07-21T01:03:00.000-07:00

Here is the news item that inspired today's strip. I made up the bit about the koala.

The Return of Stickman #1303

2011-07-20T15:58:00.001-07:00

The news article that inspired this strip had a photo with it that had me laughing. I had to resist using the same imagery as the final scene gag.

The Return of Stickman #1302

2011-07-19T17:07:00.001-07:00

This stickman strip was inspired by bunnies - nothing else.

The Comic Critic Reviews The Towering Inferno

2011-07-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Towering Inferno wasn’t the first disaster movie ever made, but it became an icon representing that tsunami of ‘70s disaster films. I loved how the studio used not just a couple of big names for this film, but an avalanche of them. Because the actors were so well known, audiences immediately felt empathy for them. A small part of me wonders if an audience completely unfamiliar with the actors would have the same reaction. A big part of me doesn’t care because watching The Towering Inferno is like taking a familiar roller coaster ride with an old friend.

I'm sorry that I've not posted a review in a while. I took a much needed vacation one week, and the next week I found myself in Cedar Rapids on a project. You will be happy to know that I'm well on my way to getting the next one completed. Thank you for your patience.

The Return of Stickman #1301

2011-06-30T11:52:00.001-07:00

This strip was actually inspired by the previous strip. One of the visual elements of the previous strip was inspired by a tattoo I saw a girl receiving at Crypticon and not from a cheese induced dream.

The Return of Stickman #1299

2011-06-28T10:04:00.001-07:00

No news article with this one. Well, you might be able for find some information to support this if you look hard enough.

The Comic Critic Reviews Magic

2011-06-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

I still remember the long, cold shiver that went down my spine when I saw a 30-second teaser preview for Magic. What’s driving me nuts is I can’t remember where I saw it. It might have been at the theater or maybe on Showtime. All I know for sure is that it wasn’t on broadcast television. The studio pulled that spot immediately after parents’ complaints that a ventriloquist’s dummy reading poetry was scaring the living daylights out their children. Although it might not have been the first movie to use a ventriloquist’s personality to make an audience jump, Magic still holds the crown. This is in no small part to the fine acting of Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, and Anthony Hopkins.

The Return of Stickman #1298

2011-06-24T15:45:00.001-07:00

This is what my life was like before my iPhone and GPS.

The Return of Stickman #1297

2011-06-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Did you read about the sinkhole swallowing up an oil rig worker? My wife pointed out that the street name where it occurred could be considered slightly ironic. While I was trying to figure out how to make a strip from the article my mind wandered and I came up with a couple of strip ideas. This is the first.

The Return of Stickman #1296

2011-06-22T08:50:00.001-07:00

Can you figure out this strip without doing a Google search?

The Return of Stickman #1295

2011-06-21T17:17:00.001-07:00

It think the details of this news item kept changing every time I looked it up. And, yes, I know that a mink is also part of the weasel family.

This weekend I'm going to be participating in two events. I'm doing a fundraiser on Saturday for the CLAW and on Sunday I will be at the Urban Art Festival in Tacoma selling my book and merchandise.

The Comic Critic Reviews Bitten

2011-06-20T12:17:00.001-07:00

The next time I get a movie recommendation from Netflix, I’m going to make sure that it’s not a straight-to-video production before I commit to watching it. I’m not saying that I dislike straight-to-video movies (most are crap); several of my friends have made straight-to-video movies (most are crap). I’m just saying that I need to do my due diligence so I know what I’m getting into. I had to stop watching Bitten five minutes in because my wife, a lover of vampire movies, couldn’t take watching another minute of it with me. I rescheduled it for a time when I could enjoy its, um, unique qualities all by myself. The part I liked most was the end of the movie. It had a lot of unmet potential. And I’m not talking about the script.

The Return of Stickman #1294

2011-06-16T07:56:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I wonder how many references would pop-up if I did a keyword search in this comic strip for the word 'rabies', or for 'Georgia' for that matter.

Ha! Made you look.

The Return of Stickman #1293

2011-06-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Is it sad or nice that I didn't know what the phrase 'teabagging' meant until just a few years ago.

The Comic Critic Reviews X-Men, First Class

2011-06-13T16:21:00.001-07:00

A special thank-you goes out across the universe to my friend Randall who lived in the same dorm I did in college. His collection of Marvel and Heavy Metal magazines was outstanding. I spent endless hours delving through his highly prized comic book collection. Through him I learned the way of the plastic sleeve and other tips on archiving. He also gave me perspective to see how much fun it was for comic book readers to follow twisting storylines, always waiting, sometimes unwillingly, to be sent in a whole new direction. I think X-Men: First Class does a great job of doing that for comic fans while still entertaining those completely unfamiliar with the franchise. My goal here was to share the fun feelings I had of geeking out over X-men; also to remind you that Disney bought Marvel last year.

The Return of Stickman #1292

2011-06-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be funny to take one pop culture happening and pair it with another. However, I want to make it abundantly clear that I've never seen a single episode of The Jersey Shore. I find it irksome that those appearing on the show have oozed into pop culture. God Bless You if you did not catch the reference from the show in today's strip.

The Return of Stickman #1291

2011-06-08T16:29:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I write these strips and toss them into a queue. I never know when one of the small news story that inspire my strips will turn into a national story. This story came and went with all the fury of a 25¢ bottle rocket.

The Return of Stickman #1290 and Crypticon sketch

2011-06-07T10:20:00.001-07:00

I got a few queries from folks asking about the sketches I did at Cryticon. When fans buy my book at shows I will often do drawings inside them. I completely forgot to take any pictures of the sketches I drew for fans. Here is one I drew on a clipboard when everyone went over to watch the make-up demonstration.

The Comic Critic Reviews Silent Running

2011-06-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

There are two camps when it comes to Silent Running. The first camp sees the movie as an overly simple story, drastically different from the one that inspired it, with laughable inaccuracies. The second camp sees it for the iconic, startling, pure science fiction which indeed holds a message within. Perhaps it’s the fact that I saw it when I was ten and easily impressionable (I was crying during the end scene) is why I’m with the latter camp. Keep a cinematic timeline in mind. Star Wars was still five long years away. And even if you don’t care for Joan Baez’s singing, I still say that Silent Running is well worth a first-time viewing. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it over the years. Once you do see it, you can’t help but realize the effect this film had on so many Sci-Fi and space operas that followed it.