The Return of Stickman #1567

This strip was inspired by a pet project I'm working on in which I'm drawing obscure horror movie monsters and aliens. Check out the true origins of Kang and Konos.

The Return of Stickman #1566

This is another strip inspired by true life events. I was going for the we're-all-in-the-same-boat laugh. This joke is intimate because getting sleep is a very person experience. Also, this kept happening for like a week straight. I was worried that I was training myself to wake up to the neighbor's car door.

The Comic Critic Reviews This Is Spinal Tap

Mockumentaries have been around for a long time, since the ‘60s. The earliest music-themed one I can think of is “A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles. This is Spinal Tap breathed new life into the genre in the ‘80s. The movie created a set of memorable scenes and enduring lines of petulant behavior, making it an immediate sensation. A flood of mockumentaries, followed, each seeking to make its own mark on the genre. But few would break away from the formula of success blazed by Spinal Tap. Decades later, in a world filled with found-footage, reality-footage, and YouTube videos, Spinal Tap remains at a pinnacle that other faux attempts still attempt to achieve.

The Comic Critic Reviews Exit Through the Gift Shop

I avoid documentaries because most that I’ve seen have been incredibly depressing environmental or society snuff films that leave me feeling I just spent too much money for the privilege of consuming some bland, ethnic-fusion cuisine destined to attack my toilet in thirty minutes. And most documentaries last much longer than thirty minutes. So, I get excited when I learn something truly interesting in a unique way. In Exit Through the Gift Shop, we’re thrown all the questions revolving around art, its meaning, its creation, and the motivation of its creators that we traditionally expect, but they are delivered seductively. A key component to a documentary’s success is its ability to virally spread its information. I was inspired to tell others about Exit Through the Gift Shop not because I was feeling guilty or concern over the subject matter, but because I found it wonderfully interesting.

The Return of Stickman #1565

Insomnia is not something I deal with. Yes, I do have the occasional night where sleep eludes me. But for the most part I'm gifted with the ability to fall asleep quickly, practically anywhere. That doesn't mean I look forward to the alarm clock. Like most of the world, I'd like to roll over and go back to sleep. This morning I woke an hour before my alarm went off and I was extremely grateful that I could lay back down and quickly fall back into slumber for a while longer. It's mornings like today when I remember a quote from George Orwell, "Sleep is the poor man's narcotic."

The Comic Critic Reviews CUBE

Cube goes a little farther than your standard horror movie. Its grim setting takes on a science-fiction edge when you realize there is a larger puzzle at work. It also makes you ask questions. Who are these people? Why are they here? What’s the point of it all? These are very existential questions. Most people try not to think about them while they go about their daily lives. But with its combination of repetitive tasks and mental hoops to jump through, Cube forces you to ask these questions. You might start watching Cube because you heard that there was some slice-and-dice action, but you will find yourself engaging with the characters on a deeper level than you anticipated. When that engagement turns on you, that’s when things get scary. Is it considered a horror movie or a science-fiction movie when you’re challenged to remember that every moment you’re alive is a game of life and death?

It feels great to be drawing movie reviews again. The layout and cover for my next book is done. I've got an email to the printer trying to get it into production. I'm worried it won't be done by ECCC but I can say that it's on its way. I'm also working on another movie project that won't take as long. I think I will do a Kickstarter for it. I'll let you know.