Love crappy movies but are too ashamed to admit it? Are you a big Rob Schneider fan but you're tired of being burned? Not sure if you want to waste your money on the same old movie? That's why you have Joe.
Joe Loves Crappy Movies is by Joseph Dunn. Joe willingly goes to see the very worst that Hollywood has to offer. Whenever a crappy movie comes out Joe will be there to see it, make fun of it, and actually review it. Nothing is safe, and nothing is sacred. From the big budget action disasters to the low brow fart based comedies, to anything starring Martin Lawrence? Joe will tear it apart.
With each entry you'll get not only a comic poking fun at the movie, but also a detailed review. Joe's not educated in film or cinematography or acting, he's just a guy that draws comics and likes movies. So if you're looking for the everyman perspective and a little joke in comic form... you're in the right place.
A Sweeter 2011
I spent a lot of time thinking about what the first comic of the New Year should be. That’s not entirely true. I kind of decided on this one and then spent a lot of time reflecting on what that meant. Asking myself why THIS is what I settled on. Searching, perhaps, for a hidden reason I may have subconsciously started the year with a safe, cute and arguably “bad” joke. While reflecting I decided it would be better to embrace the comic’s positivity over its joke’s poor quality.
Before I go on I’m going to defend that poor quality. In a perfect world this plane Jane wordplay joke would waver more towards cute than stupid though I think it could be classified as both. Whenever I see a joke like this I think about a scene in the (Iwannasay…) 1st season of True Blood where one character is making their first trip to the vampire bar “Fangtasia” and they comment on how silly the name is. The vampire walking them in explains how in the past this kind of wordplay was the height of humor and that the patrons of the bar being hundreds of years old would appreciate the humor far more than us silly humans. If only Tron existed hundreds of years ago. This joke would have killed!
When I came up with the joke I thought to myself, “Oh well isn’t that delightful? But is it delightful EOUGH!?” Spoiler alert: Barely.
There were options. I could have gone with crowd pleasers like the “product placement” gag: TRONald McDonald, the “pop culture reference” gag: Anchor User TRON Burgundy, (Stay classy) or the “probably would have been the way to go” gag: TRONvestite hooker, but there’s something about those jokes that’s very different than this one. They all come with a harder edge, an air of cynicism, something that I frankly lean too heavily on in my jokes.
Product placement would have fit perfectly in this film and it’s not like they didn’t have any Transvestites running around (A lot of people are saying Michael Sheen stole the film) but the opportunity to start off the year with something sweet and simple and honestly, something I could show to people under the age of 13 without fear they’d ask me questions I’m not prepared to answer, was oddly appealing. It’s not to say I’ll never visit these ideas at some point but depending on how sick of my own sarcasm I am at the time, it’s more likely going to be something like a Light Piecycle. Come on – Light pies would have been epic!!
I’ve also been reflecting a lot on my artwork. Something I think has sort of slipped in the past years. I was scrolling back through some of the other strips I work on and I wasn’t in love with what I was seeing. It was devastating in a way. It’s hard to know what to do; what to change. I decided that I would just make an effort to do it right. To not give up until I’m satisfied. A dangerous approach in terms of time suck but if I’m not proud of something that what’s the point? You can see the results of that effort in this past week’s strips for Another Videogame Webcomic and Matriculated. These were not perfect efforts but I did my best to put some extra spit polish on them as I did here with Elephant TRONk. Baby steps. Wish me luck.
So here it is. The first comic of a year that yearns to be positive and happy. I’m sure I’ll spiral into and abyss of sarcasm before too long but try and enjoy Shiny Happy Joe while it lasts.
P.S.: If you have any “Things That should exist in the TRON UNIVERSE” suggestions please tweet em up - @joedunn721
P.P.S.: In spell checking this article I misread the title of the essay as “ASS TWEETER” which was so awesome it made me want to completely rewrite the write-up to reflect that. Maybe tomorrow…
Joe – The creator of the strip who has embraced giving crappy movies the chance they deserve. Like the majority of the cast he’s obsessed with boobs.
First Appearance - The Introduction
Yeo – Yeo is Joe’s wife and often the voice of reason in the strip. Having her act rational allows the rest of the cast to embrace being in a comic strip which primarily involves randomly punching people, interacting with fictional characters and talking about boobs. Yeo is smart, beautiful and way too good for Joe. Don’t tip her off.
First Appearance - Fever Pitch
Irv – Joe’s movie-going sidekick who’s always down for watching Jason Statham crescent moon kick some thug through a plate glass window and getting some drinks before after and during a Vin Diesel movie. Like the majority of the cast he’s obsessed with boobs.
First Appearance - Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
Agent 337 George Jones – A government Agent that took over for Joe after he was bad-mouthing President Bush in the V for Vendetta strip. George ran the show for over a month bring a much needed sense of patriotism and justice to both the strips and reviews. He eventually got too attached to his work, empathizing with Joe’s plight to give crappy movies a fair shake. In a way he came to love crappy movies as well and was pushed out of the position. He spiraled out of control and ended up in prison. His adventures will be told in the limited series JLCM Presents: 337 Locked Up which is set to début Christmas of 09.
First Appearance - V for Vendetta
Other Notable Appearances: Stay Alive, Ice age 2, Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Slither, Here Comes Guest week, Let’s Go To Prison
Leonidas – The former king of Sparta who has traveled into the future and is having trouble coping with the modern times. Yelling loudly and kicking people into giant holes doesn’t really work the same way it did in the olden days. As time as gone by he’s adjusted but it’s a safe bet that he’s always one bad message away from throwing a spear through someone.
First Appearance - 300
Other Notable Appearances: Four Brothers, Strip# 300, The Golden Compass, Rambo, Untraceable, The Ladies of Max Paybe
Palpatine – Former Senator, Emperor of the Galactic Empire, Sith Lord... He shows up in the Joe Loves Crappy movies galaxy on occasion to let people know that they’re being stupid. No one’s really sure how he shows up in this universe but chances are it breaks all kinds of copywrite laws.
First Appearance - Episode III: The Dark Side
Other Notable Appearances: Four Brothers, Night Watch, Saw 3, Are We Done Yet
Slow Billy – Billy is a sweet kid but he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. If you’re watching him for the day be prepared to explain to him the plot of the movie or how popcorn works or, not so much where babies come from, but what babies are. He’s a complete moron.
First Appearance - Four Brothers
Other Notable Appearances: The Chronicles of Narnia, The Da Vinci Code, Vantage Point, Journey to the Center of the Earth
Kyle the Movie Snob – Be careful what fun facts about movies you tell your friends at a friendly gathering or in line for the latest blockbuster, because if you’re even slightly wrong, Kyle will be more than happy to let you know. He usually gets what’s coming to him though. Poor guy has cracked three ribs since joining the JLCM cast.
First Appearance - Ultraviolet
Other Notable Appearances: 16 Blocks, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Transformers, Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jean-Luc Picard – Another lawsuit waiting to happen is Jean Luc Picard who, towards the end of the strip’s first year, became the go-to background character. If there was ever a seat to fill or a random person to place wandering around in the background, nine times out of ten it was Picard. While Picard has crossed paths with Irv he and Joe have never met. Perhaps they will some day but for now just can an eye on the background.
First Appearance - The Producers
Other Notable Appearances: I’m not telling you, that’s no fun. It’ like Where’s Waldo – go find him!
Ice Cream Sandwich – Delicious and… deadly? Usually when you see someone eating an Ice Cream sandwich, someone else is experiencing a substantial amount of pain. Still, how nice is an ice cream sandwich on a hot summer day?
First Appearance - Saw IV
Other Notable Appearances: Bee Movie, Run Fatboy Run, Saw V
