3 MILESTONES FOR MIDTOON

The Midtoon Herald, May 1, 2009

In what seems a very convenient coincidence, the Midtoon Comic strip reached three milestones on the same day. The milestones are as follows:

1) 4 Months of continuous publication (January to April 2009)

2) 1600 Hits on Midtoon.com (from February 2 to April 29)

3) 50 Strips (May 1)

We tried to interview some of the characters, but most were not available for comments.

Jennifer Rhodes, walking from the market to her house, said that clearly, the success of Midtoon in due "in no small measure" to her good looks and "impeccable acting".

Erik Campos, who has not been seen on the strip for a while did not want to comment on the milestones, but told us in an aside that he will be "coming back" to his strip "soon enough" because he could not allow Javier to steal the strip.

Mabel Campos, who was busy writing her memories that will be published soon in printed form in a work titled MIDTOON LIFE STORIES: MABEL stopped to talk to us and confided that she does not know why people want to know about her, but they do, and "in Midtoon, when the people speak, we obey".

This reporter wishes all the characters of Midtoon great success, conflict and comedic situations in the next four months, 500 hits and 50 strips, but seriously doubt that the three milestones will come together again.

Copyright (C) 2009, Disassociated Press.

World of Peacecraft Released

The Midtoon Herald, April 22, 2009

Snowstorm Software celebrated yesterday the release of their anticipated game World of Peacecraft. In the release ceremony, attended by three people, two of which were company executives and the third was this reporter, the company announced that the new game will be on the shelves today at 6:00 am.

World of Peacecraft is a Massive Multiplayer Online Game where the players can connect with others to discuss ways to keep the world in peace. It features an advanced option called Cold War, where the players take the roles of Hobbits and Draconians trying to dominate the world with politics.

"We expect that the servers will be really busy, with people vying to earn the awards of the most peaceful player, best political team and Conservative Playing Award. The winners of such honors will be mentioned in the World of Peacecraft Forums".

This reporter is going to play, because the company gave her a complimentary copy of the game and a 90-day game card, valued in $489.95

Pirated versions of the game and hacked infinite cards were available yesterday on yBay.

Copyright (C) 2009, Disassociated Press.

SPECIAL FEATURE: ASK ERIK

The Midtoon Herald, April 20, 2009

Veronica, a six year-old from California submitted the following question to our ASK ERIK feature:

HOW COME JAVIER NEVER CHANGES HIS SHIRT? SHIRTS TEND TO GET DIRTY YOU KNOW?

ERIK ANSWERS:

Hi Veronica,

I'm glad you asked. I am going to give you two answers, the short one and the long one. Since you seem to be a very perceptive girl, and to force the rest of the readers to read through the entire article, I'm going to give you the long one first:

LONG ANSWER:

Midtoon is a Comic strip (duh!) and as such follows on the tradition of other (older) comic strips. Apparently, back in the day, comic strip authors did not think that readers would be sophisticated enough to recognize their characters unless they always looked the same, so you had characters that never changed their look for years and years. This of just how many plastic surgeries these poor characters must have undergone to keep their looks unaltered, some of them for 50 years!!!

In recent days, however, comic strip authors are a little bolder in making changes to their characters. Midtoon, a modern comic strip, allowed one of it's characters (Mabel) to change her looks recently, just because she was tired of her red hair. Others, like John (the dad) and the New Guy, whatever his name is, have been changing shirts for a while. I love to wear black, but the shirt I have been wearing recently (the one that says THINK) is not the same one I had before. Characters like Jennifer and Mr. Green have never changed their clothes. Javier wears a very characteristic T-Shirt and he loves it. Of course, you can expect that if he wears it every day, it will not last forever, will it? Soon he will have to change it, I guess.

SHORT ANSWER:

Because my little brother is a little pig.

Thanks again for your question, Veronica.

Your good friend, Erik

Copyright (C) 2009, Disassociated Press.

To ask questions to Erik, send your email to Author@Midtoon.com and write ASK ERIK in the subject line. If selected, your question could appear here

April 15 IRS Operation

The Midtoon Herald, April 15, 2009

In what can only be called a catastrophe of major proportions, the IRS initiated a sting operation to rid Midtoon of tax evaders.

"All the town is in hiding," said the major from an undisclosed location. "Until we can figure out what is going on, we will have to suspend all public appearances."

What? No Midtoon this Wednesday?

This reporter was getting used to it.

Disassociated Press.

Contest: Become a Character of Midtoon

The Midtoon Herald, April 5, 2009

Would you like to see your likeness become a resident of Midtoon? What about designing what YOUR character would look like, his or her personality, fears and relationships? How many people you know can say that a comic strip character was created by them? If this appeals to you, keep reading, for we are about to give you the opportunity to do just that.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?

1. Take a picture of yourself, wearing an outfit appropriate to your character.
2. Make your picture available to us either by email, or by sending us a link to your picture online. We will be receiving entries until April 25.
3. In addition to the picture, we will need some information from you and your character. Please see below for needed information.
4. Depending on the number of characters received, a number will be included in a special web page and a special two-week poll (dates in May to be determined) will be conducted to let the readers decide who will become the new character of Midtoon.
5. After the special two-week poll is finished, the winning character will be announced. The winner will receive notification as well.
6. The character will appear in Midtoon. The date for this appearance will be a surprise. After the character appears, the individual who submitted the winning character will receive a link to a high resolution version of the first strip where the characters appears with a special dedication. The author will grant the rights to that particular strip (and only that one) to that person so they can print it, distribute it or do as they please with it.
   

REQUIRED INFORMATION:

1. Your picture or a functional link to it.
2. The name of your character
3. Any physical description that you think the picture does not show.
4. A brief description of your character's personality.
5. A list of two or three things your characters does well.
6. Two or three things your character does NOT do well. Fears or Phobias can be included here.
7. Proposed association to other Midtoon characters. (cousin to so-and-so, coworker, teacher, fellow student, friend, etc)

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR INFORMATION

You can send your information through email, to AUTHOR (AT) MIDTOON (DOT) COM, or you can post a comment on the blog entry that announces this contest by clicking the comments link below this article.

SPECIAL RULES (the fine print)

• Pictures, or the sites you direct us to them must be family-friendly, any pages or pictures that contain adult material will not be reviewed.
• Although reasonable effort will be made to evaluate all materials sent, we cannot be responsible for files that are corrupted or not compatible, if your link or page contains a virus, your material will not be considered.
• The decision of which characters to include in the Special poll will depend on various factors, including, but no limited to the ability of the author to draw the character well, how well the character fits the Midtoon concept, how rich the character is etc. This will not be a random drawing, but a personal choice of the author.
• Your submission to this contest does not grant you any rights or ownership over the character that looks like you. By submitting your picture to Midtoon, you acknowledge that the fictional character derived from it becomes the property of the author and will be used as the author and the readers through their votes deem proper for the story.
• The Author reserves the right to suspend this contest at any time without previous notification to any participants. Although a reasonable effort will be made to conduct the contest, factors beyond our control may make it impossible for us to do so.
  

Copyright (C) 2009, Disassociated Press.

Seminar on Stupidity

The Midtoon Herald, April 3, 2009

The famous philosopher Ilaften Arevir is going to be visiting Midtoon soon to teach a seminar on the subject of stupidity. The seminar, entitled "I am not stupid and so are you" after a soon to be published book, will take the listeners on a mystical trip though the philosophy of the author. I am not stupid recounts the life of Master Arevir as he grew up in the Himalayas until he immigrated to the US.

"It is basically a journey of self-discovery," said Arevir via telephone. "After the seminar, you will feel empowered to buy several copies of my book for your family and friends. You will totally understand stupidity in the greater scheme of things".

We asked Master Arevir to give us a preview of his seminar and he graciously complied.

"We will talk about several theories of Stupidity," he told us. "Only to give you an idea, some of them are the Theory of Relativistic Intelligence, The Theory of Oscillating Intelligence and the Mechanics of Ideas."

This reporter is feeling a sudden urge to purchase the book, but it has not been published yet...

Copyright (C) 2009, Disassociated Press.