Chapters: HijiNKS ENSUE Classic

A Visceral Reaction

You only have a couple of days left to get HE Book 1 as a personalized artist edition. After that they will move to my Topatoco store and personalized AE’s won’t be available again until the holidays.

If this comic doesn’t make any sense you should probably go see Inception. It’s worth your time.

MOSTLY SPOILER FREE COMMENTARY BELOW:
I do not understand why I am hearing the phrase “mind fuck” tossed around with regards to this movie. Inception actually makes a clear, concerted effort to explain exactly what’s going on during the film. At no point are you questioning what is reality and what is a dream (well, sort of…). My point is that while there ARE dreams within dreams within dreams, the plot spells each “level” and it’s purpose out very clearly. There really isn’t a Fight Club or Sixth Sense moment where you think “this movie has been PLAYING ME ALL ALONG!” Again, that is only my reaction to some of the chatter I am reading about Inception from my perch high atop the Twitmosphere. It is not a judgement on the film, nor am I suggesting the story would have been better served by some sort of twist ending. Far from it, in fact.

Inception is an original story, expertly acted and beautifully shot. If we still only had 5 best film Oscar slots, it would certainly take one of them. Christopher Nolan is a fantastic story teller, though he has almost exclusively been telling other people’s stories. Inception was his baby and it shows. The fact that it took him 8 years to write also shows. The plot is complex without being hard to follow. There is a balance that leaves you thinking long and hard about what you’ve just seen but not questioning it.  I will suggest that you take a bathroom break during the previews because Inception is two and a half hours long and there really isn’t a good time to leave the theater.

Share your thoughts (without revealing specific plot points) in the comments.

Protestlytizing

Leaving on a plane for San Diego Comic-Con in 6 hours. Please post your “geek protest sign” slogans in the comments.

I will have this comic as a special print available at The Topatoco Booth (#1231) in the Webcomics Pavillion. One of the signs is left blank so that I can personalize a slogan for you when you buy the print. It looks like this:

SDCC Protest Print

I’m not going to comment on the WBC protesting comic-con (because it promotes false idol worship) since it will just lead to them getting more attention. Dumb, hateful people are predictably hateful and dumb. Something kind of neat is happening as a result of the protest, though. Check out #godlovesbatman on Twitter [more info here]. Thanks to @melsh for titling the comic.

[skip the rest if you’ve read Monday’s blog post. just some SDCC updates and reminders]

Comic-Con 2010

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON!

I will be at the Topatoco booth (#1231) in the Webcomic’s Pavilion (just around the corner from Penny Arcade).

I will have a few shirts, my book, various comic prints, a few left over large prints, the special print mentioned above, and a new item:

Sketch Cards! For $5 I will do a quick sketch for you on a nice card that looks like this:

HijiNKS ENSUE Comic Con Sketch Cards

Pretty neat, huh? Sketches in HE books (that you buy) are free, and larger commissioned pieces are priced depending on complexity.

COMIC-CON EXCLUSIVE “Browncoat vs. Red Shirt” SHIRTS!!!

I did a couple of shirt designs for Quantum Mechanix, fine online retailer of various Firefly/Serentiy, Dr. Horrible, Battlestar and Star Trek Merch, that will be exclusively sold at Comic-Con (booth 3251, which is mid-hall, toward the back wall, near the break area) and likely never again. Pick a side and display your colors proudly.

DO YOU WANT A SAN DIEGO FANCY BASTARD MEETUP?

FB’s JustChristine and JonnyAce wants to organize a meetup for sometime during the con. Thursday night I will be at W00tstock. If you are interested make a comment. Follow me on Twitter for minute to minute updates as to what’s going on while I’m at Comic-Con.

I Am Edward Norton’s Inflamed Sense Of Rejection

Comic-Con 2010

This comic was actually intended to run last Friday (when this story was still fresh) but I had to preempt it to make fun of Apple’s “Antennagate” press conference.

In other news: COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON!

I will be at the Topatoco booth (#1231) in the Webcomic’s Pavilion (just around the corner from Penny Arcade). I will have a few shirts, my book, various comic prints, a few left over large prints, [maybe a secret special print… more on that later], and a new item:

Sketch Cards! For $5 I will do a quick sketch for you on a nice card that looks like this:

HijiNKS ENSUE Comic Con Sketch Cards

Pretty neat, huh? Sketches in HE books (that you buy) are free, and larger commissioned pieces are priced depending on complexity.

COMIC-CON EXCLUSIVE “Browncoat vs. Red Shirt” SHIRTS!!!

I can now announce that I did a couple of shirt designs for Quantum Mechanix, fine online retailer of various Firefly/Serentiy, Dr. Horrible, Battlestar and Star Trek Merch, that will be exclusively sold at Comic-Con (booth 3251, which is mid-hall, toward the back wall, near the break area) and likely never again. Pick a side and display your colors proudly.

DO YOU WANT A SAN DIEGO FANCY BASTARD MEETUP?

FB’s JustChristine and JonnyAce wants to organize a meetup for sometime during the con. Thursday night I will be at W00tstock. If you are interested make a comment. If enough people are interested we can make an event on the Fancy Bastards Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter for minute to minute updates as to what’s going on while I’m at Comic-Con.

First World Problems

<sarcasm>My heart really goes out to everyone who bought a brand new magical internet computer phone and isn’t 100% satisfied with their purchase. Sometimes life just takes a shit right on your face, doesn’t it?. It’s like you’re a helpless little seagull and the universe is just this unfathomable geyser of foul, viscous sludge that’s constantly spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of hate-pudding into your home each and every day for months on end… ya’ know… because of the bars… on your phone… and how there aren’t enough of them when you hold said phone a certain way.

“CURSE YOU GOD!” And right to curse him you are, gentle consumer. For it isn’t enough to simply have the sum total of all human knowledge instantly accessible from a device that fits in your shirt pocket. Nay! That device must also be flawless in it’s aesthetics as well as it’s every function! To suffer anything less would be like being forced to skip a meal… or two meals… or go for some greater period of time without food of any kind… or potable water… or being made to live in constant fear of the rape gangs and drug lords that steal children in the night. It’s just like that.</sarcasm>

All silliness aside, Apple knew about the antenna problems WELL before the iPhone 4 launch. The only evidence you need is the Bumpers. Apple has never released an Apple sanctioned case for ANY Apple portable device since the inception of the iPod. In fact, Papa Steve has always taken a staunch, “Cases? We don’t need no stinkin’ cases,” approach to the issue. In fact again, the one and only time Apple came close to offering a case was when they started shipping 5G iPods and 1G Nanos with a simple stitched slip cover to appease the 1000’s of customers (including me) reporting all-t00-easily-scratched screens.

So OF COURSE they knew about the problem. They had enough time to design and manufacture the Bumpers, and hope to high hell that more people bought them than not. I guess that plan failed. So what are they going to announce today? My guess is that a full on recall would ruin their profits for this quarter/year. I bet they offer free bumpers too all iPhone 4 customers. They F’ed up, they got caught and they need to make it right. Though I really have to give Steve props for the “you’re holding it wrong” line. That took some brushed aluminum balls.

Comic-Con 2010COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON! COMIC-CON!
I will be in the Webcomics Pavillion (handy/shittily made map) at the Topatoco booth (#1231) with many of your other favorite internet-style cartoonists.

FB’s JustChristine and JonnyAce wants to organize a meetup for sometime during the con. Thursday night I will be at W00tstock. If you are interested make a comment. If enough people are interested we can make an event on the Fancy Bastards Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter for minute to minute updates as to what’s going on while I’m at Comic-Con.

Help a brother out…
Money is VERY tight at the HijiNKS household right now so if you want to support HE and see it continue for hundreds of years to come, please MAKE A DONATION or BUY SOMETHING FROM THE STORE.

Thanks!

~Joel

Wicked Deeds

Don’t have any idea what GaGa is gogoing on about in panel 3? Have a watch/listen or a read.

Comic-Con 2010OMGPANICWTFWWJDCOMIC-CON!
It’s only a week away! This is my first year exhibiting and I humbly ask that you Fancy Bastards come out and say hi (specifically to me). I will be in the Webcomics Pavillion (handy/shittily made map) at the giant Topatoco booth (#1231) with many of your other favorite internet-style cartoonists.

FB’s JustChristine and JonnyAce wants to organize a meetup for sometime during the con. Thursday night I will be at W00tstock, so it will have to be one of the other days. If you are interested make a comment. If enough people are interested we can make an event on the Fancy Bastards Facebook page. Since I expect a meetup will get planned at the last minute (thats how these things work) make sure to follow me on Twitter for minute to minute updates as to what’s going on.

ANOTHER THING!
In all seriousness, money is VERY tight at the HijiNKS household right now so if you want to support HE and see it continue for hundreds of years to come, please MAKE A DONATION or BUY SOMETHING FROM THE STORE.

Thanks!

~Joel