The Comic Critic Reviews District 9

District 9 has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Film, no big surprise given the political and moral undertone of the movie. I was very excited to see it and rather bummed that I missed it when it was up on the silver screen. My friend and movie buddy John Draper has been after me for weeks to review it. While he loved the way the film was shot as a mockumentary, the only time I didn’t feel distant from the characters was when it broke away from its mockumentary style. Its content more than encouraged me to feel engaged, but that deeper connection I wanted to feel with the characters came only at the end of the film.

The Return of Stickman #1109

Yes, I know this is an old gag. But I have to drag it out at least once a year.

The Return of Stickman #1108

I belong to a group called The CLAW. Last night our theme for the evening was bowling. Thus I was inspired to do some bowling strips.

The Return of Stickman #1107

I'm having a lot of fun with this theme.

The Return of Stickman #1106

Each year this same story pops up a couple times. I thought I would do my own version of it.

The Return of Stickman #1105

I remember first hearing this question being asked of a volunteer teacher when I was young and in Sunday School. The volunteer teacher was doing a good job of responding with stern silence, until another kid asked, "What's porn?" at which point the teacher lost it and couldn't stop laughing. I thought, "Gee, porn must be really funny."

The Comic Critic Reviews The Wolfman (2010)

I don’t blame Universal for wanting to reinvigorate our interest in its classic horror holdings, but it is surely no easy task. The remake of The Wolfman is an admirable effort. If anything, I wish it had contained even more elements of the original movie. And I have to confess my fond memories of watching the original and my enjoyment in taking my dad to see the remake have strongly colored my impressions and judgment. I had a great time, but does that mean it is a great film? All I know is that for the rest of my life, I will doubly enjoy viewing both versions.

The Return of Stickman #1104

The circus was in town and while exercising something spooked our striped hero and he went for a little jaunt. Police had a fun time rounding him up on the highway.

The Return of Stickman #1103

The news article I read about this show then went on to give a recipe from the 16th century. It involves garlic, olive oil and a spit.

The Return of Stickman #1102

I stumbled upon the webcomic Alone In A Crowd this morning. This Pollyanna estrogen festival could use a few male characters in my humble, male opinion. That didn't stop me from reading all the strips before breakfast.

The Return of Stickman #1101

Happy President's Day. If you have the day off you might as well sleep in.

The Comic Critic Reviews "Rubin and Ed" (1991)

After reading this strip I’m sure many of you want to ask, “What’s with the fez?” Well, about a year and a half ago, a few cartoonists in Tacoma got together for a brainstorming session, the goal of which was to start a local group for cartoonists who live in the Southern Puget Sound Region. We decided that most of our meetings would be dedicated to sitting around and drawing with each other, just for fun. We also decided that it should be a secret society filled with silly ceremonies, arcane references to pop culture, and, of course, fezzes would be involved. Thus was born the C.L.A.W. (Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians). And this strip captures a brief moment from one of those gatherings.

If you are wondering why RR Anderson had me at “A frozen, but quickly thawing, dead cat,” then you might want to check out another true-life adventure captured in comic moments that I drew as the subject matter for a 24 Hour Comic Challenge, “The Infamous Dead Cat Story.”

The Return of Stickman #1100

When I went back on the Internet to find this exact story I found a slew of stories where firehouses caught fire. Bonus point to you if you can find this story.

The Return of Stickman #1099

I got this idea from John Markuson, my copy editor. It was him, not me, that discovered the story.

The Return of Stickman #1098

Long-time fans of this strip will recognize the Hitler's Head Cookie Jar from strip #0193.

The Return of Stickman #1097

The duck is a long running gag in this strip. He makes his first appearance early on in strip #0025

The Return of Stickman #1096

This ends the guest strip marathon provided by Jake Morris. I want to thank Jake for his fine contributions, and for giving me those extra ten minutes in the morning I take to draw this strip to do something else.

The Return of Stickman #1095

Yet another glorious guest strip by Jake Morris. Thanks for making this week a lot easier on me Jake!

Cover Art for the soon to be printed “The Comic Critic Presents Seldom Seen Films”

My first book is almost ready to send to the printer. I thought you would like to see the process I went through on developing the cover art. First I did a concept comp.


Then I did a pen and ink.


Then I added color.


Of course there was a lot more to it then that. Lots of little changes along the way and lots a queries to friends on their valued suggestions, many of which I applied. I will let you know when it is sent off to the printers and becomes available.

Another Thank You to Jake Morris for another guest strip for The Return of Stickman. This is #1094.

The Comic Critic Reviews: The Last of Sheila. And The Return of Stickman #1093

I remember seeing The Last of Sheila on Showtime a few years after it was released. I recalled a number of scenes, but not the full storyline. Watching it again a few days ago, my faulty memory wasn’t helped by the series of sudden twists the plot takes. Viewers are lulled into a perspective on events that proves to be false. Whether or not you enjoy this film depends on how much you can tie clues together. I’ll give the director credit for not pointing to each clue with a neon sign, so viewers actually have to use their brains.


And another guest strip by Jake Morris. Thanks, Jake.

The Return of Stickman #1092

I love it when fans send in guest strips. Here is the letter that came with the five strips I will be featuring this week from guest cartoonist Jake Morris.

Hello you guys over the pond,
My name is Jake Morris and I discovered 'The Return of Stickman!' about mid November. Since then, i have subscribed and have been fascinated by all of your creations. The additional inspiration to my already fanatic obsession about drawing stickmen and comics made me create these 5 comics. I would have sent them in one by one, but i have been a bit busy and have sent them in all at once.
Hope you enjoy and hope you would like to see more!
Thanks a lot,

Jakey

Thanks again for sending in these strips Jake. I look forward to more guest strips in the future.