-- TODCRA Productions

In other news: For even more of your TODCRA fix, check out our new LiveJournal Community! We're still working on the main site's big update, but in the meantime, we've got all sorts of brand new stuff that'll be popping up on the LJ Community, a lot more regularly this time! And we may or may not put that Brand New Weekly Feature there to begin with! Whoo! Also, lots of other TODCRA news will be posted there, like when we do a new album or whatever, so keep your eyes on that thing there, eh?

That's about it on our end -- the LJ is the main thing this update, but here, since you don't go away empty handed, here's a link to check out: Shinpad -- it's a pretty neato comic strip we're sure you'll all enjoy. So check it totally out!

-- TODCRA Productions

We've also got a new top-secret Robodog adventure coming for you very soon! And more Saturday artwork! Also, the main TODCRA site is being worked on -- as mentioned before, we're moving over to Moveable Type, and once the conversion is complete, we'll be updating regularly, perhaps with even a brand new weekly feature, which shall remain under wraps for now, but it will be pretty cool once everything's set.

Also -- for those in the Seattle area, this May 3rd, a really great band, Fluffy Kittens, is playing a show at ZOKA, 2200 North 56th Street, at 8:00 p.m. If you can make it, definately be there. They're wonderful, one of the best bands ever. There'll definately be a TODCRA presence there, although out-of-uniform, as to mingle with the crowd.

-- TODCRA Productions

In other music news, the new album "TV" has been recorded and mixed, and there's just a bit more work to be done on it, but as a preview: It's going to be 7 tracks (8 if you count "Yeah."), and the first 3 will be original new cuts with a bit of an ambient sound to them, and the remaining four are dub versions! Tracks 6 & 7 stand out especially, but they're all pretty sweet, and track 6 is probably the most commercial thing we've done, like, ever, so, who knows, you might start hearing that one at clubs and stuff on bootleg 12"s.

Anyway, that's about it. Just a short announcement.

-- TODCRA Productions

Seriously.

First off, we've got a new record available. It's a compilation of sketches from the second TODCRA radio program, this one titled "Radio Esoterika", and it's up at the mp3.com site. Full downloads, of course. There's a album in the works, currently titled "TV", that's more ambient/dub stuff, but more on that when/if it ever comes out.

Our contract is currently up between us and Dogkiller Industries, so it's up in the air on whether or not you'll see more ads from them on the site. But, well, you _never know_ what's coming up in the future. Except for the stuff we say.

Speaking of things that are coming up! We've got a few more Exquisite Corpses for you, including a RARE and ABORTED corpse between _FOUR_, count them, _FOUR_ TODCRA members. It was going pretty good, too, although schedules became crossed and it ended up just dying on us. But, well, we didn't want to let it completely die, so, hey, here it is. About 8 months or so after we started it. That's coming in November, and that'll take us through to the new year. Before that is another 3-fer corpse, and before that is a special Two-Week Feature called "Pepper (Two) Week(s)!" It was originally slated to run for one week only, but, well, the Peppers called. And they made it TWO WEEKS. With an option for MORE. MORE AND MORE PEPPERS. So, it's most likely not the last Pepper (Two) Week(s). But it's certainly the first.

And there's probably some more crap coming, too.

Also, we're working on an update for the main site, which involves turning it into something powered by Moveable Type, which should make it update much more often, because... it'll give us all accounts to post stuff or something. The details are blurry, but we're passing the savings on to you.

Anyway, figured we might as well spread a bit of the WebComicsWord around. So here's a list of comics, to be added to possibly in future newsposts, that some members of TODCRA have been digging. It's not at all unlike our "TODCRA Approved" list, except that it's pretty much all webcomics, and it's a bit newer. Also, there's a few that we read that aren't listed, because, well, uh, they're sort of assumed that everyone and their brother already knows about them.

DER LISTEN:

• A Short and Happy Life/Works of K. Thor Jensen -- It's got the occasional comic, but it's not necessarily a comic site. Therefore, it is the best to start this list that is in no particular order at all. Anyway, KThor Rocks. AND! It's BACK! It was on hiatus for a while, but.. it's back now, and different. Very, very different. But also the same.
• Robot Stories -- Pretty cool comic about Retail. Also check out Limited Space from the same guy. There's a link through on Robot Stories. It's digable.
• Maakies -- This should _really_ fall under the category of "stuff you should already know about by now", but in case it doesn't, it should be here.
• DFC -- A comic of sorts. It's ACTUALLY the "Psycho Circus", but, if you're familiar with the Dysfunctional Family Circus, it's more or less the same thing. Just not shut down by King Features.
• phancy -- Again, not a comic, but one of the only Blogs I check, _AND_ he used to to Floating Henry Rollins Head Haiku (which ruled), _AND AND_ he's got a bunch of strips by Adrian Tomine, and you can't beat that with a goddamn stick. Again, they're linked on the main page. You find them.
• Homestar Runner -- It's not really a comic, per se, as it's animation, AND everyone and their brother's been linking it lately, but... it rocks. So check it totally out.
• Bob the Angry Flower -- Another you've probably seen, but just in case.
• ? -- That's the name of the strip. Actually, it just changed to "Tiny Fool" for the Monday-Friday strip, but on weekends, ? is back.
• RMCS -- A build-yer-own comic site, of sorts. Based off of Red Meat, which if you haven't seen, uh, you should get your eyes checked or somethin'.
• Ted Rall -- One of the few mainstream Political Comics that's worth a damn.
• Tsuduku -- There's been a little bit of trouble with the updating sometimes, and it has CHANGED DOMAINS -- THIS LINK IS CORRECT IF YOU'VE WONDERED WHERE TSUDUKU WENT!, which caused it to take a hit in readership, but, hey, if you've left because you couldn't find it, there it is. If you haven't ever seen it, well, then, check it out.
• Avalon -- Shouldn't need to plug that much -- it's cool, popular, Josh and has allowed TODCRA to do a couple guest strips. Really strong strip for drama. It's been updating again reasonably well, which is good, so if you left because of the lack of updates, check it out again. Otherwise: See Tsuduku's blurb.
• Fat Jesus & OWLIE!!! -- WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS?! Apologies if you are. Also, there's been a bit of trouble with the domain name, so, if fat-jesus.com doesn't work, fatjesus.keenspace.com always does. Or at least always does as of this writing.
• Hound's Home -- Again, WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS?! Actually, I'd assume you already are. Since it's one of the strongest strips out there. It rules. Also, like Fat Jesus, it has also accepted TODCRA Fan-Art! So there you go!
• Penny Arcade -- Only mentioning because a couple of TODCRA members got to meet Tycho and he _RULES_. Also, it's an excellent strip, but I'm sure everyone already knew that.
• PvP -- We don't really need to state how cool PvP is, do we?
• Road Waffles/Max Panic & Bloodlark -- Both by Eight, both pretty cool. Sometimes updating, but, some downtime of late from various and sundry crises in 8's life. But he _DID_ put up a proper ending to RoadWaffles, so check that out.
• Megatokyo -- Some of the best art I've seen in a strip. We did a guest strip, but it wasn't used. It currently resides in a big archive of other rejected guest strips.
• Exploitation Now -- Also really great art and story, but will die very, very soon. _And_ we've actually done a lot of fan art for EN. So check that out too.
• BUNNY! -- Not a Comic, but GODDAMNED IF YOU DON'T NEED TO SEE THIS. This is the WAY TO LIFE and LOVE and all that HAPPY HORSESHIT.
• You Damn Kid -- Amusing and often surreal. The YDK Fun Club is also recommended, but.. erm, it's a little late for that. But.. who knows, if you email him and beg to give him money for it, he _MIGHT_ let you. But I don't know.
• Exploding Dog
  -- Not so much comics, per se, as just artwork. Brilliant Artwork. His book is _HIGHLY RECOMMENDED_.
• Montrose Academy -- The people who brought you The Jar (deceased... with any luck, it will show up at their new site... otherwise, the world will weep a single tear) bring you a BRAND NEW COMIC. About a guy who rents a DVD and then becomes a girl. It's actually much, much better than it sounds. It's actually funny and very well drawn!
• President Ass & Eagle-DNA -- The former is a joint production between Mike Leffel and Bob Scott, and the latter is solo Bob Scott. Very similar in style and production, but both are very, very good. President Ass! is currently on hiatus (although rumors abound of its upcoming revival), but Eagle DNA is still going strong. Also, President Ass! is _not_ based on any particular President, and was concieved of way before the one you're thinking of even ran for the office. So there you go.
• Chopping Block -- The art on this is incredibly impressive. Also, the humor's great if you enjoy the macabre.
• Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles -- Honestly, haven't seen a whole lot of this one around being mentioned and stuff. So here it is. Not if you're easily offended, but it's still amusing.
• Bee Comix -- A Graphic Novel by Jason Little. Very, very well plotted out and done, and the first volume's gonna wrap up here pretty quick-like. So, now's the time to hop in if you like being able to sit down and read a huge chunk of comics at one time.
• Fancy Froglin & Kochalka's Sketchbook Diaries -- James Kochalka is, quite possibly, the greatest thing to happen to recent comics. He's got tons of books out, and, if you don't get them all, "Kissers" is a great place to start (make sure your copy comes with the CD! Not all do!), and, well, there's talk about it being the best graphic novel ever. Mainly from the TODCRA camp. That's what we're sayin'. If not, it's way, way, way up there. The rest of his stuff rules, too. But "Kissers" especially. AND he's a Rock Star. Can't go wrong with that.
• Slow Wave -- Cool strip taken from readers' dreams. Runs in some papers, but the web is the best way to get it. Cause then you get the ARCHIVES! Also, check out his comic books and minicomics!
• The Grimbles -- For some reason, this has a tendency to be grouped with Chopping Block, comics wise. It's not an entirely unwarranted comparison, but the comics are both very different from each other, although, if you like one, there's a good chance you'll like the other. The Grimbles has a tendency to be much lighter in tone, and sometimes a bit more philosophical, but there's usually a darker edge to the strips as well. So check it out.
• WIGU -- There's a lot of strips on this list that vie for the title of Best Strip Ever. We're not gonna say which one IS, because it's so damned hard to, but, well, this one's up there.
• Lizard & Living In Greytown -- Dave Kelly's Lizard is great. It's a serious strip, but not afraid to be silly. He's probably best known for Living In Greytown, which is no longer, but _does_ act as a portal to the BILLIONS of other comics that Dave Kelly is currently doing in addition to Lizard. How does he do it? Perhaps he has a decanting tank full of Dave Kellys, doing lots and lots of strips. It's not so much remarkable that he's so talented (tho' he _IS_ -- and each _STRIP_ is _REALLY GOOD_), just that.. how he finds so many hours in the day to draw so many without phoning them in.
• Achewood -- Achewood is both Rad and Frikkin' Awesome. Check out the Book! It's worth every penny. By now, everyone's probably linked Achewood, but.... it's JUST THAT GOOD.
• Journal Comics -- Really good Diary Comics in the vein of James Kochalka's Sketchbook Diaries. If you like those, you'll probably like these -- but don't get us wrong, it's not a ripoff or anything. It's its own thing, and it's A-OK by us!
• Pupkin -- CONTROVERSY! Hell, there's even controversy among the members of TODCRA on the merits of Pupkin. But it's getting posted anyway. MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION, and we're sure, or at least some of us are, that you will come to the correct conclusion and be thanked for loving "Pupkin".
• Bobzilla -- A newcomer to the scene, but very amusing! If you want to talk to him, he hangs out on the Hounds Home boards a lot, but you can read his strip right there! It's very good! Recommended especially if you like Eagle-DNA! Also, his britishness causes his strip to update earlier in the day than most strips! Dig that! It's good AND it's early! Can't beat that, no sir!

-- TODCRA Productions

Also, the second corpse is nearing the end, and we've got a bunch of other stuff in the queue for you to look at, including some stuff from a new sponsor, but that's gonna be in a while. Then after that, there's probably gonna be a new corpse, because those are really fun to do.

As for the current RoboDogZ, it was done as a tribute to Ben Schumin, although he declined to host it at his site, offically because it was "too violent", to use his words. So, we must respect his decision not to host the first full length Robodog Graphic Novel, and so, we're running it here, every Sunday. A page runs every week in 2002, and there may be a little overage into 2003 as well. Is it too violent? That's for you to judge. But whatever your decision, don't hold it against Ben.

Also, there's a new member of TODCRA, but you'll be able to find out more about that at the main site once the information comes in. Any more, and we'll have to rent a sublet.

And Ghost World comes out on DVD Feb. 5th. So, get it. Now. Well, then. Or now for then. And in the mean time, check out the Blue Jam Series 3 mp3s up at Cook'd And Bomb'd.

And that's about it.

-- TODCRA Productions

Second off, we'd like to thank Scott R. Kurtz of the kickass strip PvP for being such a good sport a couple of weeks ago and all around really nice guy, when we did the PvPFunnies segment! We here at TODCRA Productions have a great deal of respect and love for PvP, and that was just our way of saying thank you for doing such a great strip! Nary a day goes by where we don't check PvP several times a day to re-read the day's strip just to keep us chuckling throughout the day. So, anyway, Scott, just keep on knockin' 'em dead! It's rare that you find someone so genuinely nice in comics, and well, entertainment in general, who's so open and responsive to his fans! Scott, you rule!

Anyway, right now, we're in the beginning of the second Exquisite Corpse comic, which is actually a pretty long one, and will go for a while... after that, we've got a bit of a change up, some of which you've seen some teasers for between weeks, just so PvPFunnies and the Corpses didn't bleed into each other. But, well, those were just sorta proto-strips in that style, and we actually figured out how to do it much better, and the later you go, the better they get. So, there you go. I think we actually went through all of the text based ones -- if not, there's just a handful more, and then we get into real life pictures, borrowed from the Library of Congress, but of course, with that TODCRA Productions spin... and, coming up, we also have a new sponsor, so, check that out.. sometime around January or so. Perhaps later. We're still waiting on the contracts to be finalised and everything, so there may be some delays.

Hm. This really should have been mentioned MUCH LONGER AGO. But anyway, if you haven't already, you MUST see Ghost World, the new movie from Terry Zwigoff, director of Crumb, and Daniel Clowes, Cartoonist Extrordinare, behind Eightball (which sprung forth Ghost World, Like A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron, Pussey and the exquisite David Boring (WHY haven't you bought that yet?!).) So, hm. Yeah. See that movie. Or you shall surely die.

There was going to be a new album coming out soon, but technical difficulties have postponed it. So, hopefully it will be in the near-but-not-quite-as-near-as-before future. But it still probably won't be for a while. One of the things we'd like that we've been talking about before is actually getting a book published of some of the Film Funnies, and perhaps some other stuff too, and maybe with this new advertising deal, we'll be able to get it to go. So, if that ever comes through, you'll be the first to know by checking this site. It'll be in a newspost or something, and keep checking the forums. Just because, y'know, hey. At times there will be Newspost Errata -- small stuff that's important, but not enough to warrant an actual new newspost. So, there you go. At any rate, check it out, there's always room for discussion as well.

Anyway, that's about it for us. Keep on rockin'. And again, Scott, you _rule_. If, for some reason, some of our readers don't read PvP... they're insane, and they _really_ need to go check it out. Right now.

-- TODCRA Productions