Is it the end of the year already?

Since the Stumblebum Universe will be completely consumed next week with our collaborative effort to bring you our best of 2005 edition, this will in essence be the last article of the year. It seems like the perfect time to take a look back at what we have accomplished over the past year, the year that saw this fledgling little website poke it’s head out of its shell and make it’s first “peep” to the rest of the internet world.

The articles and the website:
The original concept for Stumblebum Studios and indeed it’s first incarnation in October of 2004 was as a platform for the five issue comic book series Twilight and Paul Milligan’s graphic art. In order to get more attention to the site, the original owners, Paul Milligan and Aaron Hall asked Kevin Steele and I if we would be interested in putting together weekly articles together for the site. The initial series of articles, Bum’s Rush, The Weigh In, Sketch of the Week, Ring Psychology, and the now defunct online conversation between Paul Milligan and Aaron Hall, Knock-Down Drag-Out, made it’s first appearance the week of April 11th 2005. Since that time, Aaron Hall has left us, Drew Clements has opened up fans of our site to great comics of yesteryear in “Down But Not Out”, Dave Sherrill has brought his unique brand of humor originally to the weekly strip Your Biggest Fans and most recently to his Suckerpunch Spotlight, Sam Milligan has brought his years of experience to the weekly article Punch Drunk, and most recently we have Dave DeGrande with weekly works of art in Brain Goop. The new year plans to bring more of the same informative and off-beat articles you have come to expect from Stumblebum Studios.

Getting the word out:
Our first appearance as Stumblebum Studios was with a six page preview of the first Twilight comic in November of 2004 at the Dallas Sci-Fi Expo. After our first experience, we decided we needed something more. So Paul Milligan created, and Kevin Steele illustrated, a dime novel based on the ongoing Twilight comic series which debuted during our 2nd appearance (and first with Stumblebum Studios version 2.0), on Free Comic Book Day on May, 7th 2005 at Titan Comics. Between May and the November Wizard World Texas show, Paul, Kevin and I officially became the general partnership known as Stumblebum Studios in August, watched as the website grew in contributors and visitors, put together the Stumblebum anthology, and a comic flipbook featuring Paul Milligan’s “Der Wundervolle Bean” and Dave Sherrill’s “Cultural Void” web comics. Since Wizard World Texas, we have been working with the contacts we have made at each of these conventions to get our name out there, with pretty positive results.

The future of Stumblebum Studios:
At Stumblebum Studios, we are continually working on ways to make this more and more entertaining for our visitors. We have set up a site on myspace.com to network with various small press comic companies, other fans, artists, and writers in the hopes of branching out and bringing the best possible entertainment to the site. We have plans to attend a small press convention in March and the Dallas Sci-Fi con in April, all in the hopes of meeting people with the same goals we have. We are working on a new comic strip that will hopefully premiere in the first few months of the new year that we hope you all will enjoy. It has been a great year, and I have totally enjoyed being a part of the experience that this little website has become, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for all of us here. We definitely hope you follow along with us.

This weekend at your local multiplex (12/21, 12/23 and 12/25)

(12/21/05)
Fun with Dick and Jane: Comedy
(Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni)
Plot: Based on the 1977 movie of the same name, an upper middle class family resorts to crime after they lose their source of income.
Buzz: With Jim Carrey and written by the Cohen brothers, this movie looks to be the breakout comedy of the season. But with the rumor of numerous re-writes, a skyrocketing budget, re-shoots, and overall unhappiness with the finished product, we’ll just have to see if Jim Carrey’s name is big enough to lift it above it all, especially in a weekend full of comedies.

Cheaper by the Dozen 2: Comedy
Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff, Piper Perabo, Tom Welling, Eugene Levy
Plot: A sequel to the hit comedy, the Bakers decide to take a family vacation to the lake, only to realize that Tom’s (Steve Martin) arch nemesis is also there. A relaxing weekend turns into a cutthroat contest to prove who has the better family.
Buzz: The original made a ton of money so you knew there had to be a sequel coming. Judging from the trailer, this one looks horribly bad.

(12/23/05)
The Ringer: Comedy
Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, Brian Cox
Plot: A man tired of losing at life decides to work on the one thing that he may be able to win at. He decides to rig the Special Olympics.
Buzz: A Farrely brothers movie starring Johnny Knoxville. This movie will have a cult following but could get swallowed up in a big comedy weekend.

Munich: Thriller
Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush, Matthieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Ciar an Hinds
Plot: The story of the hunt for the 11 men responsible for the 1972 Olympic hijacking of the Israeli team and the toll it took on the people asked to hunt them down.
Buzz: People who have seen this are calling it Spielberg’s best work to date. This is a film he has been talking about for years, and from what people are saying, he is putting everything into it.

Casanova: Drama
Heath Ledger, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Lena Olin, Oliver Platt
Plot: The famed character fails to woo a woman and decides to find true love.
Buzz: A pretty great cast, but it seems that this one is just meant to slide in under the radar. If you are looking for a nice romantic chick flick, this seems like your only chance this weekend.

Rumor Has It: Comedy
Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacClaine, Mark Ruffalo, Richard Jenkins, Mena Suvari
Plot: Sarah Huttinginger (Jennifer Aniston) comes home after she starts questioning what she is doing with her life. She meets a friend of the family and he helps her sort out an old family secret.
Buzz: Just another comedy about what happens when you come home. But with a twist, what happens if the movie
The Graduate is based on your family. Haha. Uggh.

Wolf Creek: Horror
John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Andy McPhee, Kestie Morassi
Plot: A group of friends head to Wolf Creek National for summer vacation when their car stalls and they are dependant on the help of a stranger with a tow truck. Things aren’t what they seem as all hell breaks loose.
Buzz: This is the only horror movie coming out this weekend, and if you are looking for a break in the regular holiday fare, check this out.

This week on DVD: (12/20/2005)

As always if you have any questions or comments, please drop me a line at DPlace76@yahoo.com, check out my random thoughts at www.livejournal.com/users/bigdpimpin, or let us know how you think we are doing in our forums section.