So Much Ado, So Little Time

Wil Wheaton and I got excited and made this “Fighting Time Lords” shirt for you! No, really. Specifically FOR YOU.

The man is a machine! And not the “rise up and destroy humanity” kind. He’s more the “I’m making the biggest super hero movie of all time, but I’ve got a weekend off so I guess I gather up all my geek actor friends and make a different movie” kind of machine. I’m not sure of which type I should be more afraid. I mean, as long as Joss Whedon has positive outlets in which to channel his remarkable drive and creativity, I think we’re more or less safe. But what if we have another writers’ strike or some kind of worldwide moratorium on filmed geekiness? What then? I’m talking doomsday devices, cyborg armies, skyscraper-sized monitors barking quipy dialog and cardigans… CARDIGANS FOR ALL! Can the humanity survive a ginger despot with endless supplies of both imagination and ambition? You know how he likes to kill off characters.

COMMENTERS: Whedon came up with the Buffy musical because he and the cast would sit around and play songs and have sing alongs. He made “Much Ado” because he would host impromptu Shakespeare readings at his home. What other “me and my buddies” hangin’ out activity do you think Joss should make a movie about next? Backyard BBQ with Neil Patrick Harris (OMGWTFBBQNPH)? Alternately, what other public domain work would you like to see Whedon adapt?

Alive In The Superunknown

CRUISE FUNDRAISER UPDATE: As of 10/27/11, all 100 print packs are sold out! I expected this to take weeks if not months instead of days. I have to escalate the production and shipping schedule accordingly. I will add the last couple of characters to the comic/print in the next few days. Thank you all so much for the support! If you didn’t get a chance to order before they sold out, I might make the 3 bonus prints available in a pack for $30 if there is any interest. Let me know in the comments.

HijiNKS ENSUE Holiday Cards are back!

Fulfilling a 16 year long dream, I saw Soundgarden live for the first time last night. Josh was supposed to go with me, but he bailed at the last minute and my friend Roger (HE Podcast listeners may remember him from “Roger Court”) stepped in to fill his dirty flanel and Doc Marten’s. They were always one of those bands that I regretted not seeing in their prime (being 15 years old and unable to drive 100 miles to a concert by myself, let alone get permission to see THE DEVIL’s MUSIC performed live), and had vowed to see no matter what should they ever reform. Well, reform they did and I jumped all over the chance to see them when tickets went on sale a few months ago.

Luckily, despite having a new album in the works, they just played the hits. It was a cavalcade of all of my favorite Soundgarden songs back to back with no filler, fluff or bullshit. They played extremely raw. Every amp was too loud, ever guitar was over distorted, the bass clipped for the entire show and the vocal mic squealed feedback constantly. They played like a garageband. It was perfect. I had forgotten that this is what music used to sound like. Unprocessed, unfiltered, agressive, emotional and genuine. And despite all reason and human comprehension, Chris Cornell is still able to hit every high note, ever scream with attack, power and sustain.

I know this isn’t the standard geek fare you are used to with HE, but 90’s rock music is something I geek out on almost as much as Star Trek, so please allow me momentarily to indulge my nostalgic music fetish.

COMMENTERS: What band from your glory days did you miss seeing live and have kicked yourself about ever since? What band will you drop everything for a chance to see live and why? Alternately, what music makes you instantly feel 15 again? I actually had tickets to see Nirvana when I was 11. I got grounded over some trivial bullshit (really just as excuse to keep me from seeing the show), and wasn’t allowed to go. Kurt Cobain died about 6 months later. I never have and NEVER WILL (honestly) forgive my mom for that mistake.

Fancy Bastards Assemble!

FANCY BASTARDS ASSEMBLE! Here’s your chance to help me do something very special for my family and in return get something very special of your own.

SHORT VERSION: For $35 you (and 99 other Fancy Bastards) will get the “Fancy Bastards Assemble!” 11″x 17″ print, plus an additional signed, large sized 11″x 17″ print of your choice (“The Doctor Is In,” “Winter Is Coming” or “Yatta Bub!”). For $55 you can get all 4 prints! As I get closer to the goal I will reveal more of the characters on the limited print HERE ON THIS PAGE.

~~CLICK HERE TO ORDER!~~ [SOLD OUT]

LONG VERSION: Being self employed has many rewards: no set hours, no boss, no commute, but it also has its drawbacks: no healthcare, no steady paycheck and NO VACATION! With your help I aim to do something about that last one. My wife and I haven’t been on a real, adult vacation since our honeymoon 7 years ago. We have set a goal of joining the Sea Monkeys of JoCo Cruise Crazy 2. Unfortunately this is AN INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE GOAL. We need to raise $3500 for the trip. To that end, I have created a limited (to only 100), signed and numbered print featuring the HE cast as a familiar super hero team.

EXPANDED VERSION: At least a dozen of my friends, and a dozen more people I greatly admire and would like to become friends with are going on this cruise. Last year they had such an amazing time THEY ALL STILL TALK ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY. I want to share in this communal geek experience at sea, and I want to share it with my family. If you can help me achieve this goal I will (continue to) be eternally grateful. Plus you get a some fancy wall art out of the deal. Everyone wins.

UPDATE 10/26/11: HOLY EFFING ESS OUT MY AYY! 60/100 Print packs are already gone! I thought this was going to take weeks, not hours. I am completely floored. I have just revealed two more characters. The final 3 will be unveiled when we reach the 100/100 goal. Giant happy thanks to all those that have ordered so far!

UPDATE AGAIN: WOW! There are only 3 print packs left as of this writing. I have updated the comic with Josh in all his hulking glory and will add the last two after the final 3 are sold. Thank you guys so much for the wonderful support.

UPDATE 10/27/11: All 100 print packs are sold out! I expected this to take weeks if not months instead of days. I have to escalate the production and shipping schedule accordingly. I will add the last couple of characters to the comic/print in the next few days. Thank you all so much for the support! If you didn’t get a chance to order before they sold out, I might make the 3 bonus prints available in a pack for $30 if there is any interest.

UPDATE 11/2/11: The final two Fancy Bastards are revealed. Wil Wheaton and Mikey Neumann! Wil is just this guy, you know? And Mikey is the creative director of Gearbox Software (Brothers In Arms, Borderlands, Aliens: Colonial Marines). Mikey previously appeared on HE in THIS comic. He assumes the guise of Director Fury since, after surviving a stroke, he actually wears an eyepatch from time to time.

For those of you that didn’t get a chance to order one of the 100 limited prints, you can donate any amount and get a desktop wallpaper of this image in THE VAULT.

NYCC 2011 Fancy Photo Comic Part 3

Part 3 of 3.

INSIDE JOKES THAT YOU DON’T GET! It is during the times when you’ve been awake for 68 of the last 72 hours that you must cling to things like “Glove Hats” to keep a tenuous grasp on your sanity… on your humanity. This is when all that stands between you and sleep deprivation induced madness is the constant reminder that you share a pointless joke with other people. That there even ARE other people. That you aren’t completely alone in the universe with nothing to keep you company but your dwindling cognitive state. “Glove Hats” was the only thing grounding me to reality despite 4 sleepless nights, 4 days of constantly being “on,” dehydration, exhaustion and at least 4 other -tions that you really don’t want piled all on top of each other at the same time. Thank you, “Glove Hats.” You saved me.

“George Hurt You” shirts are in the store!!!

This comic stars Jennie, Kris, Rob, Matt and Dave of Cyanide and Happiness as well as Becky and Frank of Tiny Kitten Teeth. On the last day of NYCC I went around to everyone’s table and said, “Guys! I have the best idea! We’re going to get some beers, order some pizzas, stay in and go absolutely NOWHERE and do absolutely NOTHING tonight!” Upon hearing this revelation, most smiled as if I have just given them irrefutable proof that there was indeed a God and he loved them very much. Like a soothing calm washed over them and took away their fears. Some openly wept, overwhelmed with the knowing that there was a world where people could sit and talk and have fun without crawling from bar to bar, subway to cab, and without trudging mile after mile of a city that seemed to oppose their very existence. It was a fantastic end to a wonderful weekend.

Thanks to FB Kyle Corwin for the photo used in panel 1.

COMMENTERS: Have you ever shared an inside joke that you repeated so much that the words themselves started to lose all meaning? Something where you can utter two words to the right person and they involuntarily snort or choke to death on their beverage? Really? You murdered someone with humor? You monster. Feel free to confess your crimes in the comments.

NYCC 2011 Fancy Photo Comic Part 2

“George Hurt You” shirts are in the store!!!

Part 2 of 3.

This is where the weekend started to get drinky. During the 4 day convention I honestly got 8 hours of sleep. I’ve thought a lot about how I am able to go so hard and so fast for so long (heh heh) with so little rest, and the only conclusion I’ve drawn is that I (well, we) enter into survivial mode. Our brains know that we can’t stop going going going, so they tell our brains that if we stop we will die (when the opposite is likely closer to the truth). The other factor in this perpetual delirium equation is that many of my best friends and most favorite people are those I only see 3 or 4 times a year. When we all gather in an unfamiliar city, I think we try to cram months of living into mere nights. Sure, we could sleep, but those are precious hours I could be spending making memories (all be it hazy ones) with wonderful friends. Doesn’t the military have some sort of “no sleep, but your body doesn’t freak out and your brain still works” pill for Navy Seals or something? Why am I paying taxes if I can’t have access top secret, experimental brain drugs?

This comic stars Lar, Sohmer, and Becker of Blind Ferret, and Jennie, Kris and Dave of Cyanide and Happiness and takes place in a NY pub called The Blarney Stone. Earlier in that very establishment, a fan puked on Zach Weiner of SMBC. Had I been there, rest assured this would be a 4 part photo comic.

COMMENTERS: This evening started as a pub crawl with SMBC and Cyanide and Happiness fans. Have you ever partied with a creative type or celebrity that you really looked up to? Did your opinion change after meeting them? I had drinks with Jonathan Frakes once, and he was an absolute delight.