This latest comic takes place at one of my favorite Austin landmarks, Starseeds. This is also the first comic featuring my thick-framed glasses which I've worn for about a year but never included in comic form.


And here's the latest promo I made for the Alamo Drafthouse, co-directed by Will Elliott. This came out well, and I hope to work with Will more in the future.



Here's one of my non-art related projects. My awesome friends Amanda and Zach helped me reapulster some diner booths I picked up from the craigslist. Here's how they came out. Thanks again, guys.

eek! I didn't mean to neglect the site so much lately. It's been waaay too long since my last update. Basically the animated short that I've been developing has taking more time then I ever thought it would. Good news is that it's looking great. Bad news is that at my current rate it'll still take another month to get it all finished. In the meantime I'll be a bit better about adding comics every now and again.

I don't want to talk too much about the short, but here's a still:



And a new comic, featuring my 2nd favorite quantum physicist:



-j

I've started pre-production on an animated short that I aim to finish next month. Hopeful it won't interfere too much with the comic but we'll see. I've never made a film like this before and I can easily see the stop motion bringing the rest of my life to a stand still.

Over the course of SXSW i was able to catch the premiere of Harold and Humar 2 (during the Q&A Neil Patrick Harris started removing his pants) and Forgetting Sarah Marshal. Both were excellent and I can hardly wait for the theatrical releases so I can see them both again. I also caught a zombies-invade-the-senior-prom horror flick called Dance of the Dead which premiered at the Alamo Ritz. I'll concede that my zombie snobness may have gotten in the way of a fun movie but I was pretty let down. WIth a premise like that I was expecting nothing short of my new favorite film but the combination of running zombies, tongue-in-cheek humor, and a total lack of characterization doomed that film for me. Still worth it on DVD if you ever get the chance, however.

New comic up:



more this week...

I saw the Be Kind Rewind last week and have to sadly admit I was pretty disappointed. I enjoyed it more than Gondry's last film, Science of Sleep but not nearly as much as Eternal Sunshine. I think Be Kind is a perfect example of how important the 3rd act of a comedy film is. Even if the story has exhausted the premise and it's jokes, people need some sort of emotional climax from it's characters to feel satisfied. I loved Jack Black and Mos Def in the film, but if the story had just closed one of the 5 character arcs it opened about them I would have left the theater with a much better taste in my mouth. Right now the ending leaves me with the taste of watered-down-diet-soda-sugar-substitute which has a way of hanging with you and mucking up an otherwise enjoyable experience.

I got a gig as Final Cut crew chief for this year's SXSW festival here in Austin which means the fest pretty much owns my life for the next week or so. I would say it's safe to not count on any updates until the following week.

new comic:

new comic up.

this will be my last update before I take off for New Zealand this weekend. I got some big things planned for the comic when I get back though. I've been writing a lot of strips that are pretty dependent on the characters being settled so once that happens I'll be able to let loose a bit with the zaniness and a more frequent update schedule.



-j

Typically I watch less then an entire football game a season, and this year was no exception. Until today I'd watched a combined 45 seconds of football, and I'm struggling to think of the names of more than 8 teams. For one reason or another I felt compelled to watch today's Game. Maybe it's the fundamental resentment I feel towards any sports teams hailing from Massachusetts, or the persistence from my parents and a vocal minority of friends who feel football is a sport worthy to cathect, but I finally gave in. I set up a small TV next to my computer on which I expected to casually glance but within minutes I was glaring at like a lemur. What a game! It felt ripped straight from from the 3rd act of an inspirational sports movie. Needless to say, I came away from the Game not with an appreciation for the latest high budget advertising (the ads, I felt, sucked this year) but instead with a newfound respect for football, specifically for the NY Giants. Next year, I'm resolved to watch more than the 3rd act.

I give the Superbowl 5 mini-Eli Mannings out of 5. Eli who, judging from his MVB Superbowl speech, may or may not be autistic.



In other news, my good friend, roommate, and favorite canadian Zach has a pretty awesome blog he's started updating more frequently called The Melbourne Method. Zach uses his blog to discusses his love for old movies and to review Migas, which, for those of you who sadly live somewhere less cool than Austin are a breakfast plate made with eggs, jalapenos, and shredded corn tortillas. The only warning I'll give is that reading Zach's blog on an empty stomach will make you crave the stuff.

A new comic for the week, another is 50% done, so I'll say expect it Wednesday.



-joe

So it's been a while since I've had an update but I figured better late then never. Truth is I thought about abandoning the comic for some new video projects. I still might throw it on hiatus if I get in over my head with something animated, but until that something comes along I'll continue Weird Points back on it's old schedule of 2x a week. I hope you enjoy the new one, it marks the beginning of a new long-term story arc, a new color palate, but most of all... new giant sized zach loeb sideburns.



I also saw Cloverfield recently, which I enjoyed immensely. I thought it was smart and innovative and everything a monster-movie fan has been waiting for. I give it 4 out of 4 little godzillas



-joe