PROM ON MARS®
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CHRISTO - New Strip!
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LOSERS - New Strip!
Prom:
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The
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The
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Earl
the Squirrel
Rhuby
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PROM BLOG
UPDATE - 12/29/04
Whew! Talk about long waits between strips! Too much Christmas shopping, not enough time spent making new strips... Oh well. To make up for it, I'm posting online this year's annual Christmas story, entitled "Come Home Soon." Every year I write a Christmas story for my wife. (A serious one, not a kid's one like Rhuby and Earl.) This year's is particularly sad and depressing...so enjoy!
12/14/04
Why the long wait between strips? I actually
had a completely different set of strips 14-16 in the can - but I decided
to go back and plumb the depths of the current sitch for a little more
emotional resonance. Stick around, it's going to be a bumpy ride...
12/7/04
So, what's up with the Thanksgiving strip? Okay, I know it's a little obtuse... Basically, I was up around three in the morning trying to put together something a little longer - a little more special - for the holiday strip. It was one of those moments where you write something that seems really funny at the time - and then the next day you just stare at it, going "wha - ?" As the thing came out to about 39 panels, I hated to just kill it, so I put it up - unfunny, surreal and everything.
The version on the Thxgiving page has actually been edited and is even shorter than the original. Not that it helps. My suggestion: try reading it at three in the morning after a night of heavy drinking. Maybe it'll make more sense...?
11/18/04
Whew...well that was a nice short rest. Thanks to all the folks who checked in for the Last Prom Strip...and the sites that posted notices for the Final Strip Event. (Tao of Pauley, the Pulse, Silver Bullet Comics, PopImage, etc.) Lots and lots of traffic!
Getting some nice comments on the Losers, too. I may re-jigger the site a bit to clarify what's Prom and what's Total Losers . But then again, hmm...I might just leave it the way it is. Ho hum. Any thoughts?
PROM/LOSERS Stuff for the Holidays
So, would anybody actually like to get some Prom or Total Losers merchandise for the holidays? (e.g. signed lithographs, t-shirts, caps, etc.) Let me know, and I'll see what we can do - abernstein@promonmars.com.
10/28/04
The End is Here! With today's strip, PROM wraps up its two year long journey to the stars! Those of you who have been following along - or read the screenplay - know that Prom had a very specific ending planned from the beginning. Yes, Prom may continue at a later date (somebody's got to help Bick out, right?) - but for now I'm giving the kids a well-deserved vacation.
Big thanks to Paul Horn, Alex Alam and Susan
Vosburgh who contributed triple-conch, rock-a-diggy-doggin' art to the
Remix Gallery!
I've heard there may be some other Remix pieces coming in the next couple
weeks - including more paper dolls - but we'll just have to wait and see.
Also, thanks to Jen Contino at the Pulse for pointing me out to the right
URL for the Prom interview - which is still online.
Most of all, thanks to all of YOU who have been reading and supporting
Prom for the last two years!
What's next? Well, just because Prom's ending
doesn't mean there won't be laffs-a-plenty at www.promonmars.com. Starting
next week, Marc and Sid take over with "Total Losers"! (See
the sneak peek on the homepage.) Is there a funnier strip out there with
two guys perpetually sitting on a couch?! You tell me!
Also coming up - more "Earl the Squirrel" and one-offs like
"The Bridesmaid's Dress" - insuring you of your recommended
weekly allowance of black-and-white online yuks.
Alex B.
10/18/04
My Goodness! The new Remix Art has started rolling in and it is awesome! The Gallery opens up next week along with lots more good stuff and - the LAST PROM STRIP! Sob sob boo hoo sniff sniff...
And coming up - news about the new strip!
10/6/04
THE END OF PROM!!
Or the end of the current storyline, anyway...
And I'm so pleased to announce that lots of artists have signed up for Remix #2! Artists on tap, so far, include: Susan Vosburgh, Paul Horn, Alex Alam, Nick Derington and a special guest return appearance by Danielle Corsetto! Anyone else interested in contributing art to Remix #2, contact me at abernstein@promonmars.com. But hurry - the Gallery is going up the third week of October!
And speaking of Danielle, check out her montrose new strip (and website): Girls With Slingshots! (Yeah, this time the strip is actually about girls with slingshots ...although I don't think we've seen any slingshots, yet...) Danielle also created the double-conch PROM button that adorns the site!
9/26/04
Where'd strips 1-46 go?!
PROM' s first ever ad is in the October issue of Weird NJ promoting PROM: VOLUME 1. To coincide with the promotion, strips 1-46 are being taken offline. However, the strips might be available again - for one week only - during the week of Prom's final storyline... See below for more details.
9/20/04
Lots of nice responses to Earl's political diatribe a couple weeks ago, including a couple e-mails asking if Earl was going to become a regular strip...hmm... Well, it's something to consider, now that...
PROM IS COMING TO AN END!!
That's right, Prom's only got eight strips left (approx. strip 143 or 144) and then - it's all over! At least for the time being. But Prom's going out with a bang, so here's some stuff to look out for:
PROM KING & QUEEN
Now, is absolutely your last last last chance to Vote For Prom King and Queen! See those things floating in front of Lena and Mel in strips 134-135? Those are the crowns! Who will wear them?! YOU DECIDE! Vote now! Vote often! Skip the general election and vote, vote, vote! And by the way - you all don't have to vote for Cal and Liz all the time. Okay, they're the leads of the strip - but what about Mel?! Mel, who danced with Cal in the Chaise Lounge?! Mel who easily took over and ran the show when Liz was carted off to jail! Mel - the only character who's got more than one outfit!!! (Not including the prom formal wear, of course!) Not that I'm biased or anything, but c'mon - let's see some support for Mel out there! Whew... Okay...
NEW REMIX ART
Now, is also the last time to send in any REMIX art! I'm going to post some final Remix entries right when the strip ends (approx. 4-5 weeks from now). The REMIX GALLERY has far and away been the most popular feature of the site. The artists are still getting a lot of traffic - and sending a lot of traffic (Thx, Danielle!) - from this event. So, if you'd like to submit art just drop me a line at abernstein@promonmars.com - and we'll put your art and links in the GALLERY!
WHAT ELSE?
There'll probably be some other neat stuff for the last strip, too. I'll probably post Jen Contino's recent Pulse interview (which doesn't appear to be online, anymore). It gives lots of behind-the-scene tidbits about Prom, for those of you who didn't get to read it the first time. There'll be an updated FAQs section, including information on what happened to Bick in the Banana Republic. There might (or might not) be information on what's coming up here after Prom ends - i.e. a new strip - More Prom - something else? And, of course...
...THE LAST STRIP!!! Boo hoo sniff sniff! At least for the time being...while I sleep for a month or two....
Alex B.
8/17/04
As I'm running a little late here with new Prom strips, I thought I'd toss up something else that I've been working on. For Bravo's upcoming sitcom reality show I decided to whip up a pilot based on an old idea I had. Fans of "Star Trek" and "Black Adder" might like this one. It's called The Brilliant Endeavor. (Prom continuity fans - Lena - and Claire? - make appearances. Although, Wade is a different character.) If you like it (or even if you don't like it) drop me a line! - Alex B.
8/6/04
COMICON'S THE PULSE just posted a long interview Alex B. did with Jen Contino a couple weeks ago. For lots of behind-the-scenes dirt on the history and making of PROM, check it out!
San Diego update - Lots of cool PROM stuff happened down in San Diego. Fans and professionals alike responded very positively to PROM: VOLUME 1 and even Stan Lee and Joe Quesada got copies!
Alex B. had a particularly nice, long conversation with Jean Marc L'Officier (www.hollywoodcomics.com) who had a lot of interesting ideas about PROM. Hopefully, you'll hear more about that soon enough. In the meantime, JM's got extensive plans to bring very cool French comics (e.g. HOMICRON) to the U.S. A few of them have already appeared in the Image's STRANGERS comic. JM also wrote a long article about the french heroes in a recent issue of ALTER EGO. Check it out!
THE END IS NEAR! (The end of PROM, anyway.) We've been saying that PROM was going to run about 140-150 strips - and we've only got about 10-20 strips to go! Look for info about upcoming events to coincide with the end of the strip - including New Remix Art!
7/14/04
Item! PROM Creator, Alex Bernstein will be attending the San Diego Comic Con next Thursday through Sunday! (July 22-25!) Okay, he won't have a booth - he'll just be wandering around bothering people - but he will be passing out lots of FREE copies of VOL. 1 - and will probably be wearing the incredibly double-conch POPIMAGE t-shirt he got from Ed Matthews at MoCCA! (Or maybe one of the PROM t-shirts Sarah Newman designed last year.) He might even have a couple copies of the original PROM screenplay on hand. So, if you see him tossing out copies of VOL. 1: ASK FOR ONE! Heck, he might even sign it for you!
If you already know you're
attending the convention - feel free to drop us a line at promcomics@promonmars.com.
7/8/04
More reviews! Heath Shelby over at The Comic Fanatic just gave a very nice (and that's an understatement) review to PROM: VOL. 1! Check it out!
7/2/04
So, here's the Big Free Comic Book Day News: send an email to PROM - this Saturday only - and you'll get a free - FREE! - copy of PROM: Vol. 1 - sent directly to you! Woo Hoo! Simply send an email to PROMCOMICS@promononmars.com - and include your shipping address - and we'll send you your free copy! (Limit one per shipping address.) And if you live in Jersey and don't feel like waiting for your copy in the mail - remember, you can always stop in at Rogue Comics in Cranford and get a copy there.
Met lots of great people this past weekend at MoCCA including PopImage Chief Ed Matthews and Remix artists Monica Gallagher (Eat Your Lipstick) and Tim Fish (Young Bottoms in Love). And Jasen Lex (The Gypsy Lounge) promised he'd definitely have some Remix art ready by the end of the summer!
6/22/04
Anyone attending the MoCCA expo this weekend, at the Puck Building in NYC, might see PROM creator Alex Bernstein walking around with a stack of VOL. 1 in his hands. And chances are pretty good that he'd be happy to sign a copy for you! Check it out!
PROM:
VOLUME 1 got some ink this week! Two very nice reviews -
Nick Smithson at Sci-Fi
Online gave Vol. 1 a seven out of ten and compared
it to "American Pie" meets "The Jetsons." Over at
Comics
Worth Reading Johanna Draper Carlson said Prom was "amusing and
creative." (Not sure we agree that the book is "a bit pricey"
at $3.95, though! What about all those enhanced backgrounds! What about
the terrific feel of that American processed paper!? Sigh...) Limited
copies of Vol. 1 are still available! Get 'em
while they're hot!
And speaking of Free Comic Book Day, you can officially get YOUR FREE COPY of PROM: VOL 1 at Rogue Comics (102A N. Union Ave., Cranford, NJ)! (If you don't know by now, FCBD is Saturday, July 3rd.) Look for more FCBD info comin' up...!
Finally, Strip 119 is in the
can! Should be up tomorrow - and then maybe we can get back on schedule!
6/18/04
More technical difficulties... In an attempt to load up spyware, we had a hardcore technical meltdown and lost a number of the original Prom artwork files. Very very bad news here at the Prom homefront. We've still got the original files for all of Vol. 1 and the image files for everything. But the original art for 70 of the strips is just...gone. Oy. We were just about to throw up strips 119-120, too. Oh well. At least we have our health. (Knock wood.) Look for new strips sometime next week after all the crying, mourning and finger-pointing has passed.
And - as soon as we get our act together - look for news regarding Free Comic Book Day and appearances at the San Diego Con this July!
6/04/04
Well, the Prom Festivities event is over. Sadly, we hardly received any prom pictures! So, we won't be opening up the Prom Couple Gallery any time soon. (Unless, of course, everyone reading this suddenly sends in a truckload of pictures.) You'll just have to borrow your friend's photo albums to get your prom pix fix.
We did get quite a few nice comments on the new strip "The Bridesmaid's Dress" (which is still posted on the homepage). Thanks!
Friends of Prom news: According to Rumor Central at www.popimage.com Danielle Corsetto's 24-Hr. comic was accepted for the new 24-Hr. comic anthology! Congrats, Danielle! And check out the comic itself at Girls with Slingshots.
Also - Congrats to Paul McGuire of Tao of Pauly fame who just got asked to write an article for the new poker magazine "All In"! TOP gets a plug in the inaugural issue of "All In", to boot. Check out Pauly's excellent blog for more info (as well as in depth coverage of Phish breaking up!).
5/12/04
ITEM! We're extremely proud to say that PROM: VOLUME 1 just got it's first official online review over at Movie Poop Shoot! Marc Mason gave PROM a very nice review in his "Should It Be a Movie" column. Check it out! (And check out the other mini-comics Marc suggests, while you're at it!) And see below for a special offer on Volume #1 for the month of May, only!
PROM SEASON IS UPON US!
Well, it's Prom Season again - and that holds some very special meaning for us here at PROM. To celebrate things right we're going to have a whole bunch of conch stuff going on - hopefully, by the end of this week! We've got special features planned including the PROM PHOTO GALLERY, special prom site links (links to other prom sites, that is), a special discount on Vol. #1 for the rest of the month of May, and an all-new strip: THE BRIDESMAID'S DRESS! More info to come...
5/4/04
If you're reading this - CONGRATULATIONS! - the new server's working! Woo Hoo! Actually, we've got a whole new host for PROM - and we're more excited than ever to be back. We've already streamlined our archives section - and we've got even more conch plans just around the corner! And - new comix to boot!
4/28/04
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - PROM will be down for a couple days due to a change in our server. Hopefully, this will clear up some of the tech issues we've been having for the last few weeks. We're also going to be doing some streamlining while we're down - so the site should be better than ever when we return! Look for new strips the first week of May! For those of you who can't wait - get your PROM fix this week over at www.popimage.com!
24 Hour Comic Day went great at Wild Pig Comics this past Saturday. Check out the results of Danielle Corsetto's excellent 24-hour comic over at Girl's With Slingshots!
4/22/04
Isn't that the way it always works? You have a huge event with more people coming to the site than ever before - and then the whole system goes down! Argh! Like everyone else, it seems, PROM has had major server problems for the past 2.5 weeks - and we've been completely without stats the entire time. Yes, we're trying to clear it all up, asap. And it's taking time away from creating new strips to boot...
The biggest info we wanted to pass onto you is that one of our excellent Remix artists Danielle Corsetto is going to be taking part in 24 Hr. Comic Book Day at one of favorite local stores, Wild Pig Comics in Kenilworth, NJ! (24 Hr. CBD is Scott's McCloud's brainchild event - challenging comic artists to create a 24-page comic soup-to-nuts in one 24-hour period. ) The event happens this Saturday, April 24th - so go bring Danielle (and the other three artists doing their thing at WP) some brownies and Jolt! Wild Pig's having a 1/2 off sale all weekend, so even more reason to go!
And check out the 24 Hr. website for more info on that! PROM may be doing a 24-hr. strip, too online...more on that later...
3/28/04
Wow! Lots of very nice responses to the 100th strip shindig. Thanks to everyone who checked us out (especially for the first time). And BIG BIG thanks to the Remix artists who posted links at their websites. If you're coming here from one of those sites - Welcome! For everyone else - go check out the Remix artists' sites - and most are available right over there to the left in neon green!
Prom's going to be running the 100th strip all of next week as well - as we catch up on sleep and cobble together some new strips. New strips should be on schedule by the following Tuesday. To fill the gap, we've decided to post the infamous PROM SCREENPLAY right here at the Blog. It does give away the ending of the first set of strips (going to approx. 150). So, here's your chance to find out the ending early, if you're so inclined. FYI - it's a pdf file (750kb).
3/26/04
The 100th STRIP! At last!
Woo Hoo!
Well, here we are! Welcome to the 100th Strip Celebration of PROM ON MARS!
We couldn't have gotten to 100 without a tremendous amount of support
from friends and fans! So, thanks to everyone! Special thanks to www.popimage.com
and all the Remix Artists! If you haven't checked out their art yet -
go check it out right now! We've still got two or three or four pieces
of art checking in within the next couple of weeks - so please check back
for updates!
Here's what's going on (and you can get to all of it from the home page):
- Strip 100!
- The Remix Gallery with art by Danielle Corsetto, Michael G. Sivak, Monica
Gallagher, Tim Fish, Adam Ford, Liam Johnson and Jason Thompson!
- A brand new strip starring Marc, Sid and Bick - "Total Losers!"
- The long-awaited PROM: VOLUME 1 - which is getting rave reviews - and
is available for a limited time only!
- Vote for Prom King and Queen
- Updated FAQs
and finally...
- Links! Right here on the Blog page!
So, drop us a line and
let us know how you like all the 100th Strip festivities! We love bringing
you PROM!
3/18/04
100th STRIP UPDATE - SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
Due to the recent server problems with www.popimage.com, we've decided to hold off on our festivities until this coming Monday - and give PI a chance to catch up. To tide you over until then, we're making a few of the 100th Strip features available now, including the King and Queen voting polls, the updated FAQs - and the new strip: "Total Losers." Coming up Monday will be Strip #100, Prom Vol. #1 and the incredibly excellent Remix Gallery!, with work by Danielle Corsetto, Tim Fish, Michael G. Sivak, Monica Gallagher, Adam Ford, Liam Johnson, Jason Thompson and others!
And check out the 300th Strip Extravaganza of Tim Fish's "Young Bottom's in Love" this week at PopImage!
3/5/04
100th STRIP UPDATE
PROM: VOLUME 1 is off to the printers (and it looks pretty good, too!) Not only do you get the first 46 strips in their original printed glory (and with enhanced backgrounds) but - there's a special, bonus section: "The True History of Prom On Mars!" For the first time ever - it's revealed how the PROM strip came to be! - hints about where it's going - and what might be coming up at the website! This material is exclusive to the printed comic ONLY! Vol. 1 is 50 black and white pages (what else?) for only $3.95! More details to come...
And - we've gotten the first of the Remix pieces in and they look excellent! We can't wait to post them!
More 100th Strip news coming soon...
2/27/04
PROJECT GREENLIGHT PRESS RELEASE
In case you haven't heard, TAO OF PAULY and PROM collaborated on a way conch press release for Project Greenlight. Check it out!
2/24/04
PROM ENTERS PROJECT GREENLIGHT
Like we didn't have enough to do with all the 100th Strip hubbub - a screenplay version of PROM's been entered into the PROJECT GREENLIGHT screenplay contest! That's right - the well-known screenplay competition hosted by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. So, anybody wanting to know ahead of time how PROM ends (there are still about 50-60 strips to go in the first storyline) - all you have to do is sign up as a reviewer (or screenplay submitter) in PGL! Okay, the odds that you'll get PROM as your review script are low (9 in approx. 3,000) - but then again you might get to read "SWEET NOTHINGS" by our good friend Tevin McGrupp over at the world-famous TAO OF PAULY blog. (Which raises your chances to 18 in 3,000! How about that!?) Any other friend-of-PROM PGL submitters out there let us know and we'll give you a plug here, too. How about that?
Want to see the screenplay version of PROM up at the site? Let us know...
2/20/04
100th STRIP UPDATE
Well, you heard it here first - as part of our 100th Strip Celebration, we're going to release:
PROM ON MARS - VOLUME #1!
Yes, it's an actual comic book! 50 pages in glorious black and white! (What did you expect?) PROM Volume #1 collects the first 46 strips, completely enhanced with new backgrounds (on most of the pages), plus - added bonuses! See the strips the way they were meant to be seen! In all their lush, original glory! PROM Volume #1 will be available March 18th and you can only get it (for the time being) right here at the PROM website!
More 100th Strip news coming soon...
2/17/04
REMIX UPDATE
Danielle Corsetto ("Ramblers") and Alex Alam have joined the Remix! More to come...
2/11/04
Big Welcome to all the Mars fans coming our way from www.axonchisel.net. Look for Axon Chisel as an excellent resource for all things Mars (including Mars comix, our favorite!), along with our friends at Martian Soil. (...we've gotta get that links page set up, already!)
REMIX UPDATE
Jasen Lex ("The Gypsy Lounge"), Jason Thompson ("The Stiff") Michael G. Sivak ("The Trilobyte Saga") and Monica Gallagher ("Eat Your Lipstick") will all be contributing to the Remix! Check out their strips at the links above! There's still time to sign up! See below for details...
1/29/04
THE REMIX PROJECT
Here's YOUR chance to be a part of PROM history! In celebration of PROM's 100th strip (in March) we're going to be opening up The Remix Gallery. The idea of the Remix is different (better?) artists submitting their take on: previous PROM strips (i.e. 1-90), characters, off-screen bits, etc. Everyone (this means YOU!) is invited to submit artwork (jpegs, gifs or pngs, please). All material will be exhibited both here in a new gallery section and at PROM's other venue - www.popimage.com. And we'll include links to your site, too, if you'd like. Artists who've already signed up for the Remix include: Adam Ford, Tim Fish (both fellow PI comics creators - check 'em out!), Chuck Porter and Susan Vosburgh! For more information on submitting work to the Remix drop us an e-mail.
STRIP #100
And speaking of the 100th strip - we've got tons of stuff lined up, including: the Remix Gallery, updated FAQs, a links page, "Vote for Prom King and Queen" (finally!), the 100th strip itself - and more! We're not letting everything out of the bag just yet. But it's going to be a double-conch celebration. More updates to come...
ALSO...
Well! Seems everyone's "chuckling" about PROM! Somebody finally pointed out to us that the New Jersey Star Ledger gave PROM a very nice plug in last Sunday's Business section. (In the article ""Comics find themselves drawn to the Internet" by Allan Hoffman.) Allan's article gives a nice overview of the internet comix world and mentions a couple of PROM's fellow sites: Keenspot.com and ModernTales.com. Check 'em out! And everyone renew your Star Ledger subscriptions! Thanks Allan!
1/25/04
Thanks to Hero Realm, Digital Webbing and Gemstone Publishing's new SCOOP column for sending quite a bit of traffic our way these past few weeks. All three sites are excellent resources for the comics industry. (And of course AB is quite preferential towards Gemstone's Uncle Scrooge books.) SCOOP lists PROM as one of it's "Savvy Sites" this week. Say no more!
1/14/04
WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO MARS AFTER ALL!! But 2015!? 2030!? Who can wait that long?! Especially when you can get to Mars that much faster right here at Prom.
For the latest information regarding the Mars Rover, plans by President Bush for another moon landing and sending men to Mars, and other up-to-the-moment cool Mars info, don't forget to check out Joost Schuur's www.MartianSoil.com!
1/13/04
Well, if you've been to the homepage already, you've probably noticed that we've made a few changes here at PROM. We've tried to streamline the site a bit to make it a little easier to read. For those of you coming in late, Prom is a self-contained story runnning approx. one year (till about strip #150). It reads best as a complete story - but who's got the time to do that, huh? For those of you who'd like a faster, more condensed version - we're now offering pop-up synopses on the homepage. First up is Liz' story. (The main story.) There'll be a pop-up for Marc in a couple weeks, too. And maybe some others, depending on response...
MORE CHANGES - We've added a CONTACT page. Right now it's just for main emails and the free strip delivery. But we're going to be doing a Prom Newsletter soon. If you'd like to be on the mailing list, sign up now - and when it's ready you'll be first in line! The Newsletter's going to have all the latest Prom news and updates!
Upcoming stuff: The Remix Gallery, The long-awaited Mystery Page, Vote for the Prom King and Queen! and possibly a spin-off strip, starring one of the Prom characters! (Guess who?) Any other features you'd like to see at PROM? A Message Board? More flash animations? A Guest Blog? Prom caps or mugs? Let us know at the Contact page.