The Adventures of Dr. McNews

xXxTREEEMELY Important Holiday Shipping Deadlines!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:23:00 +0000

For this Christmas/Chanukah/Kwaanza/Festivus/Yule, if you are a Bad Enough Dude(tte) to bless your friends and loved ones with Raptor Bandit Industries brand art and apparel or Dr. McNinja brand books, then there are some DEADLINES you're gonna have to RECOGNIZE.

If you order by the following deadlines, your package should have plenty of time to get where it is intended to go.

USPS INTERNATIONAL FIRST CLASS = November 22 (Not Guaranteed. It SHOULD get there but there's a 10% chance it will arrive after Dec 25. USPS International First Class is HELLA flaky).

USPS INTERNATIONAL PRIORITY = December 8

USPS INTERNATIONAL EXPRESS and DOMESTIC FIRST CLASS AND PRIORITY = December 15

USPS DOMESTIC EXPRESS = December 21

Shipping times for UPS vary, depending on where you are located, but are guaranteed. For information please visit the UPS web site to calculate shipping times and plan accordingly.

Please keep in mind that we here at TopatoCo do a lot of things, but actually deliver your package is not one of those things. Once the package leaves our warehouse, it is up to the postal service to get it to you. Also, if you live outside of the US there will most likely be customs fees. Those are on you, dude.

For more info, check out TopatoCo. And thank you very much for keeping my goods in mind this holiday season. I really appreciate it.

The Brave Commissioner Presses Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:54:00 +0000

It's been announced today! Commissioner Gordon (the dog, not the actual police commissioner) has made it to the TOP 4 in the Million Dollar Cutest Dog Competition!

He couldn't have done it without all of your help. Thank you all so so much. You guys are the tops!

A panel of judges will choose the grand prize winner on Thanksgiving Day.

Podcasts and Plugs

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:57:00 +0000

This coming Wednesday night, I'll be a guest on Moonhawk Studio Presents! It's a LIVE show, so you can call in and ask questions if you want. I hope to hear you there!

In other podcast news, there was a Christopher Hastings who appeared last week on Tweet Me Harder. Now, this Christopher Hastings had a voice that sounded A LOT like mine (identical, actually), and he happens to have a pomeranian named Gordon. Also the hosts of the program, Kris and David are friends of mine. But I assure you that this Christopher Hastings who is trying to start up some sort of dog related podcast is NOT the Christopher Hastings of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja.

Now, speaking of dogs named Commissioner Gordon, you have to check out this hilarious illustration Becky from Tiny Kitten Teeth did. (Scroll down to the news post.)

And finally, just a fun little thing to share. Our colorist, Anthony decided to make his own take on the current goings on in Dr. McNinja.

The Slightly Askew Adventures of Ham and Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:19:00 +0000

I have written here before about the hilarious and amazingly drawn Ham and Eggs. I wrote nice things. And so I feel it is my duty to inform you that the first Ham and Eggs collection is now up for pre-order. All the info is here, and let your good taste guide you.

Also, a quick note on my own merchandise. For a limited time only, you can now get the Leaping McNinja t-shirt in MIDNIGHT BLUE.

Interview on Dr. McNinja and Cumberland

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Title says it all! Here you go.

Gordon Update

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:06:00 +0000

WOW.

WOW.

Thank you all so much! The voting is closed, and Gordon is ahead of all the other dogs by some 2500 votes right now. You have been so excellent to me and my ridiculous looking dog. Thank you very much.

Things were kind of intense there Sunday night/Monday morning! My understanding is that the top 4 dogs weren't originally to be voted on by the public. They were to be picked by the judges from the top 12. But then BAM, tiny window for the public to "influence the judges decision" with votes. And let me tell you, all of you DOMINATED that last second announcement.

And I know we're all dying to find out what's going on after that intense effort. Here's the news from the Cutest Dog site.

"Congratulations to each of the semi-finalists. The judges will vote based on the information they have in hand. There is no need to continue to influence their vote. Their choices for the four finalists will be published on the site November 12th per the contest rules. The $1,000,000 Grand Prize winner will be announced on Thanksgiving Day."

So there you have it. I hope I'll have good news on November 12th! And you know, even better news on Thanksgiving Day. Thank you all again, so much!

Here is a video of Gordon and I chatting with each other.

Commissioner James Gordon, the only police commissioner running for Cutest Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:03:00 +0000

EDIT: Thank you all so much! Voting is now closed. I think we did good!

Friends and readers, you may or may not know this already, but here at Dr. McNinja HQ, I have a little studio intern who goes by the name of Commissioner Gordon. It is my belief that he is cuter than evolution actually allows. Scientists are coming in next week to check it out, you know, do some tests.

My fiance, Carly and I have entered Gordon in The Cutest Dog Competition, which offers a grand prize of one million dollars. And here's the crazy thing. Gordon is in the top 12. Thanks to your votes back in August, he actually could win this thing.

So Gordon is in the final round. The contest judges determine who the top four are out of the twelve, but they've opened it up for voting to help them decide. This is where my widdle fellow and I need your help. Please vote for Commissioner Gordon.

Things have changed since the last time we spoke fondly about the creature whose new food blesses him with droppings that smell fouler than a sasquatch's. You have to register to vote now. I know that seems like a big deal, but it seriously takes 30 seconds.
Please only vote from one email address once a day! The guys who run this site are like DEMENTORS, and they will KNOW. Also, the competition has gotten a lot tougher. Every dog has it's own community rallied behind it.

Here's a video of Gordon reading a book on how to make delicious barbecue.

Now, here is what I think is whack. As of this writing, the Commish is nowhere near the number one spot. He's actually in sixth. Tough competition, guys. I need your help.

I make this comic for you for free. I don't ask for donations, and I only offer you books and t-shirts that you are free to buy or completely ignore. Most of you don't buy any of it, and that's fine. That's how capitalism works, friends! And I'm genuinely happy that I'm just entertaining folks! But if you were to take just a SECOND to vote for Gordon (and maybe even pass it on to others?), it would be a great way to return the favor. If every single reader were to vote just ONCE, let alone the once a day they allow, we'd destroy the competition.

LOOK AT THIS FRIGGIN GUY!

In fairness, if you look at the contest, and don't actually think that Gordon is the cutest dog, then vote for another dog! But I feel confident in Commissioner Gordon's Government Rated Cuteness.

What will we do with the money if we win? I don't think this is something that needs to be put out there, but some of the other dogs have made it that way.
A) Carly and I have got a wedding to pay for. Weddings in NYC are EXPENSIVE.
B) Carly and I want to buy a house! Houses in NYC are EXPENSIVE.
C) We talked about the causes that we regularly donate to, and both of us are proud supporters of public radio. Winning a boat load of money, you know you should pay some of it forward. So a portion of our winnings will go toward supporting public radio. Most notably, PRI, and WNYC.
D) You better believe we are gonna throw a big old party for Gordon and everyone is invited. (There has been some controversy over bribing for votes with other dogs, so I'm going to make this clear. You might be invited to the party, and I would surely be happy to see you there, but I surely ain't gonna pay for you to get there.)

In closing, here is Gordon eating an apple.

If you want to see a couple other pics of Commissioner Gordon, as well as comics by some pals here is the original call for votes.

Short Dr. McNinja Fan Video

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:12:00 +0000

The end kills me every time. Go look!

Upcoming APEarences

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Guess what, fools! C. Hastings is going to be at the Alternate Press Expo in San Francisco! Because I'm so ALT. YEAH.

Anyways, I would be pleased as heck to see you there! Here's the info.

APE: San Francisco
TopatoCo: Table 254
You can find me if you follow this MAP! And this SIGNING SCHEDULE!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17
11 am - 1 pm: Jeffrey Rowland, Jon Rosenberg, Joey Comeau, Emily Horne
1 pm - 3 pm: Chris Hastings, Matt Boyd, Zach Weiner, Meredith Gran
3 pm - 5 pm: Jeffrey Rowland, Jon Rosenberg, Joey Comeau, Emily Horne
5 pm - 7 pm: Chris Hastings, Matt Boyd, Zach Weiner, Meredith Gran

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18
12 pm - 2 pm: Jeffrey Rowland, Jon Rosenberg, Matt Boyd, Meredith Gran
3 pm - 5 pm: Chris Hastings, Zach Weiner, Joey Comeau, Emily Horne
-------------------------

Also coming up, Kent will be at Boston Comic Con, October 24-25. He'll be nice to you!

TopatoCo Tag Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:21:00 +0000

This weekend, TopatoCo is opening it's massive warehouse doors to YOU, the PUBLIC, all in the name of GREAT SAVINGS! I'll let David Malki, director of marketing and t-shirt gun defense grids explain in greater detail.

The thing about running a T-shirt manufactury is that you end up with a lot of merchandise. Everything's gotta be printed in all these different sizes, and there are different color options, and even a small number of designs can permute out into irrational numbers of actual product.

And we ain't no second-rate ham-shop runnin' T-shirts out the back of an off-label methadone distillery either - we're the world's largest graphical internet entertainment licensing firm, and we got literally twenty dozen different designs that we throw away on a daily basis. We are straight-up and down-low professional and the side effect of all this legitimate-businessin' is that we got tee-shirts in every orifice and stacked up to reach the danged rafters.

Solution? TAG SALE. We've got bins, crates and barrels (curiously, no boxes) full of limited, discontinued, overstocked and/or clearance merchandise that we want to get rid of. This Saturday, September 26, we are opening our doors and urging you, a bunch of strangers, to come paw through a giant stash of our clean cotton miscellany. That's right - the TopatoCo offices will be open to the discount-loving public for a one-day bargain-basement housecleaning hootenanny.

Everything will be marked down to prices that may make us cry - but as our intrepid leader Jeffrey continually sneers, "We have to give them bargains so they will like us!" This is an important step in our social development so we just ask that you please not bring any airhorns or we may become spooked and bolt.

So join us on Saturday from 10 AM till 7 PM. The address is: 116 Pleasant St., Ste. 203, Easthampton MA 01027. Google's got a map of it right here. It'll be great bargains on a pile of great stuff for you, and maybe finally clearing enough space to meet the fire code for us. Sounds like a win-win.

Some pretty sweet fanart

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:06:00 +0000

Hey, check out the Dr. McNinja characters done up at Ewzzy's Freedom Force! I think my favorite might be Marty.

Robocop Comics!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Just for fun, I wrote a Robocop comic, and Anthony Clark drew it! Now you go LOOK AT IT.

And thank you very much to Carly Monardo and Alex Blasioli for having a good time with me and brainstorming stupid Robocop funnies so I had something to go write.

Archive Binge

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:22:00 +0000

Good news, everyone! Dr. McNinja is part of the newly launched RSS service, Archive Binge. What is Archive Binge? Why here, let me just have it tell you itself.

Have you ever found an interesting looking webcomic, looked at the archive, and thought:

I can't start reading this! There are hundreds of strips to catch up on!

At Archive Binge you can create a custom RSS news feed for a webcomic, which will take you through the archive, at a rate faster than the new comics update. This lets you get up to date on comics with large archives, without spending hours or days trawling the archive in one go.

Rather than spend a whole day or more bingeing on a comic archive, set up an Archive Binge feed. You can start from the beginning, or wherever you're up to. You can set your custom feed to deliver a strip every day, 4 strips every weekday, or whatever you want, up to 10 strips a day. Anyone can read 10 strips a day! If you get a spare hour and read the next 50 strips, you can update your position in your feed. You can even pause your feed if you go on vacation, and turn it on again when you get back.

And before you know it, you'll have completed the archive and be up to date.

Give it a shot if you like! (And I swear, an RSS feed for new comics will come soonish.)

Dr. McNinja at the Brooklyn Book Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:33:00 +0000

I will be signing books with TopatoCo at the Brooklyn Book Festival! Here are the directions! I hope to see you there.

It's time to read some PATRICK ALEXANDER COMICS!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Hey, so I think Patrick Alexander is a great cartoonist, and for some reason (laziness, forgetfulness, wanted to post pictures of my dog instead) I've completely neglected to share that with you, the reader, ever hungry for more comics.

Let me just link you to a couple of my favorites, and then if you enjoy them, you can explore around. WARNING. THERE ARE SOME ROUGH CHUCKLES AHEAD. (Genitals and bad words will find you through these links.)

Have you played the video game, Animal Crossing? Well then you might like THIS COMIC, from Hilarity Comics on Eegra, Patrick's spot for video game based humor.

Secondly, there is Raymondo Person, Patrick's other comic, perhaps his MAIN comic. I was going to go and find a favorite in there to link you too, but man just check out that most recent page. THAT IS SWEET.

Finally, Patrick makes funny videos. Here he is trying out to be a children's program host or something.

Commissioner Gordon for Cutest Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:26:00 +0000

EDIT: Gordon won the round, and is moving on to the semi finals in a couple months! Thank you all so much for your support! You are all very awesome. Here is the video announcing his win.

And here is a sweet comic by Rebecca Clements about Gordon!
And here is one by K.C. Green!

Thank you all again so much for the support.

Have you met my dog, Commissioner Gordon? This is him and me.

Commissioner Gordon is running for the office of Cutest Dog, and your vote would mean very much to him. If you don't vote for little Gordon, he'll get sad, because he'll think he is too ugly to feel love.

EDIT: Took down the link cause he won!

Perhaps you'd like to see a portrait of Gordon with his favorite novels? Or a video of him eating an apple?

More things!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:32:00 +0000

I went and did another interview!? Clearly I will talk to anyone who shoves a mic in my face. Fun questions on this one!

New Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Hey guys, I just finished up an interview with Lots of Interviews! Be forewarned! There is a BIT of a spoiler in the last question.

San Diego Comic Con and Volume 3 Launch Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:59:00 +0000

First off, if you're coming to San Diego Comic Con, you can find me in the webcomics section with Dayfree Press at table 1231. I'll be in the same row as Questionable Content, Wondermark, Sam and Fuzzy, White Ninja, Tiny Kitten Teeth, Cyanide and Happiness, Halfpixel, PvP, and Blatant Comics. Clearly the place to be!

SECOND OFF we're throwing a party to celebrate the release of Dr. McNinja Volume 3, and you are invited! It's in San Diego after Comic Con Preview Night ends. Here is a map, and here is the facebook event page! (And of course if you can't make it, you can still order the book online here.)

YES you can come if you are under 21. You just can't drink.

I am very excited because we get to show off our sick mixology skills in the creation of several assuredly delicious Dr. McNinja themed cocktails. AND the brewery let me rename all their beers.

So come and have a Ninjas Can't Drink This, maybe win some prizes, and get me to sign a book for you! Good times!

Operation Dracula! From Outer Space

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Holy crap, our third book is finally on sale!

You can go ahead and pre-order it, and you'll get a free print, and some stickers, and the opportunity to get me to draw IN the book for you.

OR, if you're going to be at San Diego Comic Con, you can come to the book launch party! Check back soon for details...

New interview!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:40:00 +0000

I just did an interview over at Wired for Geek Dad! CHECK IT.

Kent will draw for you!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:14:00 +0000

Hey guys, just another reminder that our inker Kent does up some very pretty pictures for you if you like. Check out his work over at DeviantArt, and if you like, send him an email! kentarcher10@gmail.com

MoCCA

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:52:00 +0000

Hey dudes! I'm going to be at MoCCA in NYC this weekend! I imagine you can find me somewhere near the hulking beacon that is Ryan North.

How Dr. McNinja gets colored

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Anthony posted an informative and entertaining guide to coloring the comic! You should read it!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Hastings) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:31:00 +0000