Does Whatever an Iron Can

WOW! Sorry for the late comic guys. This one took way longer than expected and I used last night to reset my sleep schedule. One of the caveats of working from home is you can stay up drawing until 3 am and sleep until 11 the next day. A week of that and I’m all screwed up. Looks like I’m back on track for the rest of the week.

The special preview of Iron Man during the Battlestar Galactica premier was almost as exciting as BSG. It looks amazing. Hell, they could show that 2 min trailer over and over and over in the theatre and I would pay to see it.

What do you think? Is Iron Man going to be a Spiderman 1, Spiderman 2 or Batman Begins? Or is it a Spiderman 3, Ghostrider, Elektra or Fantastic 4: ROTSS?

My vote is John Faverau is a comic geek and will do right by all of us.

What were the best and worst comic book movie adaptations since, let’s say, 2000.

UPDATE:

Check out the “Run before you can walk” clip.

I’m going to ask Battlestar Galactica to Homecoming

SciFi Channel has been running a Battlestar Galactica Season 3 marathon for the last week or so. I learned about it yesterday and basically haven’t been productive since. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say BSG is the best show that’s ever been on television. I don’t mean the best SciFi. I mean the best SHOW. In ALL categories.

I don’t really want to write a thesis for why I believe this, because it’s really more of a belief than a theory. I FEEL it in my soul. I have reasons and they are many, but faith isn’t about reasons. It’s about… well, faith. It is also about robots, and space and being totally awesome.

I watched “Exodus” today and I cried (a little). No joke. There were tears. If you can watch that episode without getting misty eyed then I need to check your spine while you have sex because you are probably a Cylon. If it is at all possible I want Bill Adama (not E.J. Olmos) to deliver my eulogy. I want him to deliver it into the receiver end of an old telephone while my friends and family listen from tiny speakers in distant, cramped rooms. I want him to say what an honor it was to have served with such a man as me. And close it with, “Good hunting.”

If none of this means anything to you, then I have a gift for you. That gift is called happiness. Real, lasting happiness. And brotherhood. You will receive this gift when you watch the first 3 season’s of BSG on DVD (don’t forget to Tivo season 4 which starts TODAY (4-4-08).

I watched 1-3 through Netflix. Sometime 4-5 episodes a night. It was like delicious cocaine. This will be the first season I see on SciFi and in HD. The bad part of that equation is the HD quality on SciFi through DirecTV is balls.

I also hear there is a special 12 noon viewing on SciFi.com today if you are so inclined. Once the first half of the season is over and we don’t any new episodes until 2009, I think I’m going to rewatch the series from the beginning. Then I’m probably going to repeat that process from then until infinity. So say we all.

Tragedy + Irony = April Fools Comedy!

Multiply that equation by “orphans” and you have a recipe for hilarity.

Josh is basically a monster. More like Charlise Theron (in that movie), than say like Mothra or Nancy Grace. I don’t think he would actually burn orphans alive, but I doubt he would go out of his way to stop it from happening. Like if he saw the orphanage a blaze, but the phone was “all the way over there.” Well, then you got yourself some teriyaki orphans. Oh, forsaken children, when will you STOP being funny? My sides can’t take it.

Experiment Update:

I’m into my second week of full time comic’ing. This is the first Wednesday strip I’ve ever done, and with promise of a Friday strip, this will be the first 3 comic week for me ever. I’m already behind on pretty much everything I had planned for the week, including THE STORE, THE DONATIONS PROGRAM, MORE SITE ENHANCEMENTS, THE MANIFESTO, THE PODCAST and THE VIDEO BLOG.

That’s a lot of items. If I am slow to respond to comments this week, don’t feel bad. I read EVERY SINGLE COMMENT that you post. You guys have been so encouraging since my announcement. I really do appreciate it.

Expect the Podcast later today (in 2 parts!). We have an interview with someone who worked with Joss Whedon on “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog” for your geeky ears to devour.

Assignment 1: Name “The Experiment.” I’m fine with calling it just that, unless you have a better idea.

Assignment 2: Name yourselves. What are HE readers called? I’m leaning towards “The Fancy Bastards.” I am absolutely making a shirt for GYFB.

Out.

The Architect’s Dilemma

I’ve spent most of the last week rebuilding the site using the new design that my friend Mikey created. I think he did a fantastic job and the site looks 100 times better for it. I am still doing upgrades and tweaks here and there, so if you see anything weird let me know.

The comic pretty well illustrates what my week was like. I COMPLETELY finished the site before digging a Windows PC out of the closet so I could check it on IE 6 and 7. As soon as it came up in the browser window, it asplode. This might only be funny/sad to web designers and CSS junkies, but it’s a heart break that we all share. Cross browser compatibility is the bain of many an existence.

So…uhh… check out that banner… it doesn’t so much say “Update’s Monday and Thursday” as it says “Mon – Wed – Fri.” No, this is not new slang that I learned on the mean streets. This actually means that I’m going to be (attempting to) update the site with 3 comics a week.

How is this possible? Where did I get the sudden influx of free time? I lost my job! My day job, that is. Yes, I was laid off a week ago. So about all the big plans I’ve been hinting at?

Here’s the short version:

I am giving myself 4-6 months to try and make a living as a cartoonist through this website (or at least carve out a path towards that goal). I am going to put my all into this site and NOT look for another day job. At the end of 4-6 months I’m going to evaluate the progress and decide whether or not to proceed as a full time cartoonist, or quietly slink back into the workforce.

I say this is the short version because this is NOT the “Manifesto” I’ve been promising. That is coming this week. I want you to know why I am doing this and what this site, and you readers mean to me. I want to be very open and transparent about the whole situation and the “experiment” that I will be running.

I also need your help. Each and every one of you. If you are interested in helping… in making this lifelong dream a reality, then stay tuned. Instructions will follow. Expect something new on the site every day this week. Here’s a bit of what I have planned:

Continued site overhauling and graphic improvements
Rewriting the sections of the site to give more and better information about myself, the comic, the process etc
A video blog – I am going to document my progress through out the experiment on YouTube
3 COMICS A WEEK! – Come back Wednesday for sure to see if I can do it!
More frequent blog posts
A ENTIRELY NEW STORE WITH NEW SHIRTS and such!

As always I want your feedback. You can either post your thoughts and feedback in the comments now or wait for the more detailed version of the announcement.

I want to add that the 11 months I’ve spent on HijiNKS Ensue have been the most fulfilling and meaningful work I’ve ever done. You readers are 100% responsible for that. Even if it all ended today I would be eternally grateful to you for this happiness.

Thank you,

Joel Watson

He’s a maniac, a maniac on the floor

Despite the fact that we know almost nothing about Joss Whedon’s internet musical (they have those now?), “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog,” it now has it’s own fan blog. That may be a little “putting the fan-blorg before the actual blorg” but that’s how the kids roll these days. Ideas that Whedon hasn’t even had yet already have fan forums, erotic fan-fic, crossover slash with “Veronica Mars” and “Save Joss’s Future Idea from Cancellation!” petitions.

His followers (of which I certainly am one) are quite devoted. I can only assume that all 7 season’s of “Buffy” were laden with subliminal messages that will allow Joss to activate us in his time of need. Look out world. If a zombie-like hoard of kids with ironic tee shirts and even more ironic haircuts come lumbering at you, GET OUT OF THEY WAY! It could only mean Joss Whedon is in trouble and rest assured they will kill you to get to him. They might eat you. Depends on what kind of suggestion he implanted.

So anyway, say we (the Whedon Zombie Hoard) are called and we march to his rescue from… an IRS audit or something. Does he say the secret Mandarin Chinese word and deactivate us like so much River Tam, or does he keep as his personal militia of devout killing machines? I, for one, would gladly live out my days as one of his elite death squad. Why do I assume Whedon has so many enemies?

Based on Joel’s wardrobe and Denise’s comment, what guilty pleasures do you indulge in. Mine is typically watching TV shows I hate until they are cancelled. It’s like once I start something I have to see it through to the end despite loathing ever god forsaken minute of it. Past and current offenders include “Dawson’s Creek”(i know), “Enterprise,” and “Smallville.” I’ve come clean. What about you?

UPDATE: Whedon filmed in this guy’s personal super villain lair! He was a home owner from the show “Monster House” that had his home transformed into an evil dungeon. Everything about this story is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.