Up To Bat

2012-01-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

1/9/2012:

2012-01-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

1/3/2012:

2012-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Three and a half years after hanging it up, I'm bringing it back.

Look for new strips in the coming days.

(Knowing me, by "the coming days" I mean "the coming weeks."

2008-07-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

Done for now!

I don't really have the time or the drive to keep this comic going. Maybe I'll revisit it in the future, or take a swing at a new comic at some point. For now, it's time to abandon the cave.

-- Andrew

2008-05-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

Up To Bat: The Evil Twin Saga!

Recap, Part Two:

AND NOW THE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION:

So there! I'll try to get back to regular weekly updates now!

(Don't hold your breath.)

2008-05-07T13:32:00.001-07:00

Up To Bat: The Evil Twin Saga!!!

Recap, Part One:

2008-05-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

5/7/08:

This afternoon, I shall end the evil twin saga ... forever!

2008-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

2/6/08:

ANNOUNCING: The New Contest of Propitiation !

That's right! My lackadaisical, procrastinating tendencies once again pay off for you, the reader! Here are the rules: Print out a "Smart the Safety Owl Says ..." sign, fill in what Smart says, and post it somewhere in the office. Send me a picture, and the most creative saying and placement (as adjudicated by me) wins! But hurry, you only have until March 17th (St. Patrick's Day!) Multiple entries will be accepted. All entries become the property of me (i.e. so I can post the winner and runners-up on this blog with impunity.) The winner will receive his very own Up to Bat t-shirt!

The key to winning this contest is to capture what a psychotically wet blanket Smart truly is. Here is an example, posted at my office today:

"fax machines are VERY DANGEROUS! Don't lose a finger!"

Another example might be "toilets are dangerous! Be careful not to flush your tie!"
Submit your pix to me at andrewmoore_AThotmail.com (replacing "AT" with "@", natch."
Any questions? Hit the comments below!

2008-01-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

1/22/08:

I have learned that long, drawn-out plotlines do not work for me. Yes, I know where this is going. My attention span is too short, particularly when it comes to my comic strip.

This strip introduces a new character, Smart the Safety Owl. Smart is the first comic strip character I ever created, at the young age of five. He didn't have the crossing guard sash back then, and he wasn't called "the Safety Owl" but he was a little overly concered about safety.

Look for a contest coming soon, featuring Smart.

2007-09-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

So this is why I haven't posted any new strips in a while:

Come see it! I play Moonshine (nee "Robin Starveling.")

2007-08-14T23:16:00.001-07:00

8/14/07:

2007-08-05T15:58:00.001-07:00

8/5/07:

Congratulations again to Garrick for winning the last contest!
(I hope the fact that I drew you with an iPhone makes up for the Trek shirt.)

2007-07-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

Brief hiatus ... sisters in town.

Strip will be back up sometime around Friday - Saturday.

-- Drew

2007-07-03T20:41:00.001-07:00

7/3/07:

A huge "Thanks!!!" to everyone who entered my latest lame-ass contest!

And congratulations to Garrick -- although I suppose he should share the dubious honor of naming Belinda with his kid.

So what does Garrick win? He will be written in to a future strip!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

2007-07-02T21:02:00.001-07:00

LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES!

I am extending to midnight tonight!!!

Don't know what I'm talking about?

Read the last post!

2007-06-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCING: A NEW CONTEST!

NAME THE CAVE SNAKE!

I never really intended for the snake to become a recurring character. I just love the way Devil Dog and Vincent react to him/her! (Here, here, and here.)

"Him/her" is right folks. I never even assigned gender!

So I leave it up to you, the readers of this comic strip to NAME THE CAVE SNAKE!

Here are the rules:

1) Enter as often as you like.

2) The name must have some significance to the strip itself, the pop culture/politics the strip references, or in some personal way. (i.e., naming the Snake "Milla," "Shaun," or "Romero.")

3) You must explain the significance of the name as succinctly as possible in the comments section below. (i.e. "For some reason this strip references zombie movies every now and then. So I propose you pay homage to the king of zombie movies, George Romero, by naming the snake 'Romero.'")

THE CATCH: I will reveal the winner of this contest in THE NEXT "UP TO BAT" STRIP! And I'm planning on uploading the strip on Monday of next week. Holy cow! That's not a lot of time!

TO THE WINNER: I'm not sure. Maybe the warm satisfaction of besting others? Don't worry, I'll come up with something lame.

Get cracking! The snake won't name him/herself!

2007-06-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

6/29/07 -

BONUS! Two strips in one week!

I don't know about you, the readers, but I am having fun with this episodic storyline. I have the next few strips written, I just have to do the art.

2007-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

6/25/07:

Whoops! I meant to show what happened to Vincent this week, but I needed to "tie up" Devil Dog's side of the story for a bit.

How are you liking this so far? I hardly ever do continuing storylines. Let me know what you think!

2007-06-18T13:32:00.001-07:00

6/18/07:

The "Evil Twin" storyline continues! But ... if 'Evil' Walter is in the cave, where is Vincent?

2007-04-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

4/16/07:

2007-02-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

Gone Fishin' ...

I'm taking some time off from this.

Check back in April.

2007-02-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

The T-shirt CafePress Wouldn't Let Me Sell

Apparently Disney has leaned heavily upon CafePress, a company infamous for the number of unauthorized designs they host (try searching for "Coca-Cola," "McDonalds," "Spiderman," etc. and then search for "Disney" or "Mickey Mouse." Hmm.)

These graphics are quite clearly parodies of the doofy optimism and cartoonish lameness that we all know and love. As parody, it's covered under the "fair use" doctrine of the U.S. Copyright law.

I understand the position CafePress is in. Disney has obviously plastered CafePress with cease and desist orders. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" as they say.

Hmm. Maybe I'll just have to use Zazzle.

2007-02-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

Here it is!

Thank you all so very much for your patience. I'm a lousy blogger, but hopefully this experience will put me firmly on the road to being a master updater. Pun intended.

(Here's the original poster upon which I based the above "parody."

2007-02-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

2/20/07:

2007-02-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

2/14/07:

[Number two of two strips posted today!]

2007-02-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

2/14/07:

[This is number one of two strips today!]

2007-02-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry. I promise to update this with an actual "Up To Bat" strip soon.

In the mean time, maybe this will help make you like me again:

Garfield, without words.

It's so funny ... it's sublime.

2007-01-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

1/30/07:

I'm one to bitch, huh? Hell, maybe I should go to work for Marvel! I have a great idea for a "Howard the Duck" story arc ...

2007-01-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

1/23/07:

WHOOMP!

2007-01-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

Still experiencing Technical Difficulties.

2007-01-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here's the skinny -

I won't be able to upload the next "Up to Bat" strip until some time Sunday.

So to make it up, I will create a special piece of "Up to Bat" art. I'll give some options, and the idea with the most votes wins!

The options:

a) Vincent and Devil Dog as members of Blue Man Group
b) "Fight Club" Vincent and Devil Dog (I think I know how Shana will vote!)
c) Disney-esque Vincent and Devil Dog (remember this strip?) in a mock movie poster

Vote!

2007-01-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

HEADS UP!

I'm having scanner issues. I'm not sure if I'm going to have them resolved before Monday.

But check back: I will post a new strip as soon as possible next week!

-- Andrew

2007-01-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

1/8/07:

2006-12-30T21:43:00.000-08:00

1/1/07:

Posted early for New Years Eve! I just want to thank all of you for checking me out week to week! Have a great year!

2006-12-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

12/26/06:

2006-12-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

12/22/06:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Next update will be about the middle of next week. Have a GREAT WEEKEND!

2006-12-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

12/11/06:

2006-12-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

12/4/06:

Well, I won the NaNoWriMo ... challenge? It's not really a contest. Anyway, I wrote a little over 50,000 in a month! But before you congratulate me, please bear in mind that about 30,000 of those words are absolute rubbish.

With my insane novel writing obligation now fulfilled, the bat and the dog are back on a weekly basis! Enjoy!

2006-11-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

Friends, I would like to take a moment here to address something that may seem non sequitur. But believe me when I tell you it is of the utmost importance that you read these words and truly take the time to weigh their meaning.

Wired is currently taking nominations for the sexiest geeks of 2006. It is imperative that you consider putting your support behind Garrick T. Pass.

But don't just do this because I asked you to. Get to know the man, the legend the geek himself.

See, I know what you are saying now, what makes Garrick so f--king good? I don't f--kin' know, and I don't like it! I stay up going F--K! Why can't everybody f--kin' have it?

Cause this is the thing... Some people learn it on the streets. Some people learn it in the schools. Garrick was f--king born with it, homes... Check it out.

This is a man who put his life and kidneys in desperate peril only to snag a free Playstation 2. Did he stop drinking Diet Coke once he had accumulated enough points? No sir. He stayed on the path. This is a man who plays a werewolf/underwear model in Werewolf: The Forsaken!

But he's no poser. No sir ... he got the goods. He's a tech extraordinaire, dispensing useful hacks on his blog, as well as cutting diatribes about the state of I.T. The man debugged a Windows issue via e-mail from two thousand miles away! He is indeed a tech ninja ... nay, a tech Jedi.

All those smarts, and he's got a great wife and kid.

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

We will keep in mind and remember that Garrick Pass has faith in us. He has faith that you and I have the ability and the dignity and the right to make our own decisions and determine our own destiny.

Thank you very much.

-- Andrew Moore

[Please note that this blog entry contains passages from "Cosmic Shame" by Tenacious D and Ronald Reagan's 1964 speech to endorse the candidacy of Barry Goldwater.]

2006-11-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

Vincent's wings have been bothering me for some time now.

They're wrong. So wrong. I didn't do any research whatsoever when I first started drawing this thing back in high school, and although other aspects of the design have improved (posture, expression, line of action, etc.) his wings remain fixed in the original, crappy high school design.

Well, no more. When Vincent returns in December, I will have taken those broken wings and learned to fly again! (Sorry. It was either going to be Mr. Mister or Bette Midler. I stand by my choice.)

BEHOLD!

Note that these wings do not suck. Also, they look pretty cool. Vincent essentially has hands now. The way bat anatomy works, what would be his index finger is short enough he can use it as an index finger.

When he folds up his wings, they look much more different than before. They look better. They give his body nice mass and shape.

See what I mean? Now this is a bat who can fly.

In the second illustration above, you may notice that I tried pushing his nose out to give him more of a muzzle. It just doesn't work. So I'll keep his nose where it is. There are some pug-faced bats, after all.

So there. Something to look forward to as I continue to slog my way to the finish line of this stupid NaNoWriMo thing.

2006-11-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

Folks, I'm taking the month off.

I've been doing this strip weekly for a while, and I feel comfortable enough in my productivity to say "screw it!" for a few weeks.

There is a nice, deep archive of strips now, so hopefully that will help take the sting out of this brief hiatus. If you desire something fresh and new, I recommend Thingpart by Joe Sayers.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go write a novel.

Peace out!

-- Andrew

2006-10-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

10/23/06:

2006-10-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

10/19/06:

BTW - Happy 20th Anniversary to JENNIFER'S COFFEE CONNECTION! "Up to Bat" resurrected from a crappy comic strip I did in high school to a crappy comic strip I do as an adult during my stint as a coffee slinger at this wonderful little coffee house. If you're in the area and find yourself jonesing for a caffeine fix, head on over. I recommend the Costa Rican Dark.

2006-10-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

THIS IS IT!

for dudes:

and dudettes:

Available NOW at www.cafepress.com/dalmotion

2006-10-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

10/9/06:

T-SHIRT UPDATE: The artwork has been completed! More on this in the next few days ...

2006-10-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

10/5/06:

Andrew is on vacation this week. His five year-old foster child is filling in for him:

2006-09-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

9/25/06:

REGARDING THE T-SHIRT:

Quick poll (answer in the comments section below):

Would you prefer COLOR ART or BLACK AND WHITE?

2006-09-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

9/17/06:

NOTE: I haven't forgotten about the t-shirt design. It's coming!

2006-09-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

9/10/06:

2006-09-04T11:59:00.001-07:00

9/4/06:

But seriously . . . congratulations to Shana! This is the first time I've done a sort of interactive contest-type thing. I really appreciate all the entries you guys submitted! Stay tuned: there will be more contests in the future!

2006-08-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

8/28/06:

THIS IS IT!

11:59pm, 31 August 2006 is your deadline to enter the BIG, IMPORTANT, HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL YET CUTTING EDGE t-shirt design idea contest!

Don't let it pass you by!

2006-08-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

8/21/06:

THE END IS NEAR . . .

. . . for the BIG, IMPORTANT, HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL YET CUTTING EDGE t-shirt design idea contest! Contest ends August 31st! Enter now!

2006-08-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

8/14/06:

Don't forget the BIG, IMPORTANT, HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL YET CUTTING EDGE t-shirt design idea contest! Contest ends August 31st!

2006-08-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

8/7/06:

NOTE: Don't forget to enter the BIG, IMPORTANT, HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL YET CUTTING EDGE t-shirt design idea contest!

2006-08-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

8/2/06:

2006-07-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

7/23/06:

2006-07-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

UPDATE - CONTEST EXTENDED TO END OF AUGUST!

Submit your ideas in the comments field below!

ANNOUNCING
THE BIG, IMPORTANT, HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL YET CUTTING-EDGE
UP TO BAT T-SHIRT CONTEST!

So here's the deal: It's just not a webpage these days unless there are CafePress items for sale. In the spirit of Web 2.0 I'm opening this up for suggestions. What do YOU want to see on an "Up to Bat" t-shirt? I don't know, maybe . . .

Vincent in a white-powdered wig, quoting George Washington in a humorous way
"Devil Dog for President"
Vincent fawning over Milla Jovovich in a humorous way
Your favorite comic strip
Vincent quipping about some aspect of pop-culture in a humorous way

Whatever . . . You tell me!

So here's the cool part. I'll select my favorite, and the winner will receive a matted and framed original strip! Yes, I am that egotistical that I consider one of my own strips to be a worthwhile prize! The more specific your idea, the better! Go for broke!

Submit your suggestions in the comments below! Let the games begin!

2006-07-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

7/16/06:

2006-07-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

7/2/06:

2006-06-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

6/25/06:

2006-06-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

6/18/06:

2006-06-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

6/11/06:

2006-06-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

6/4/06:

2006-05-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

5/28/06:

2006-05-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

I work at a coffee shop.

On Sundays, I sometimes manage to work loose enough gumption to put pen to paper and attempt to make funny. The vehicle for this funny is "Up to Bat", a strip I first did for my high school newspaper. It gives me a chance to playfully vent about politics and pop-culture.

I've uploaded just about every strip I've drawn over the last two years. I may or may not scan in my high school strips (they're painfully bad, but part of the canon. Also, they show the first version of Vincent, and I really like how the character evolved.)

I will attempt to keep this comic-blog weekly, but I make no promises.

NOTE TO ALTERNATIVE, SMALL, AND CAMPUS NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS: If for some reason you're starved for content and have empty column-width that's going to waste, feel free to reprint any of the strips posted here. My only requests are that you reference the URL of this blog (www.uptobat.blogspot.com) and that you drop me a line so we can arrange for you to mail me a gratis copy of your paper (andrewmoore_AThotmail.com). I reserve the right to revoke this permission at any time.

2006-05-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

5/21/06:

2006-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

5/14/06:

2006-05-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

5/07/06:

2006-04-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

4/30/06:

2006-04-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

4/23/06:

2006-04-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

4/16/06:

2005-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

10/30/05:

(10/31/05 was the TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Oingo Boingo's farewell concert at the Universal Amphitheater. I keep hoping for a reunion tour.)

2005-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

10/23/05:

(Sometimes the answer is right in front of you.)

2005-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

10/16/05:

(I should really try to stay away from autobiographical strips ;-)

2005-10-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

10/9/05:

(This was the Sunday after Good Night and Good Luck debuted.)

2005-10-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

10/2/05:

2005-08-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

8/14/05:

(I remember this week vividly! "Thunderbirds are Go!")

2005-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

7/17/05:

(Seriously. I would gladly have the geniuses at Scholastic handle Homeland Security. And FEMA. And the Social Security Administration. And the CIA. Actually, let's put Willy Wonka in charge of FEMA. Just imagine: Oompa Loompas cleaning up after natural disasters with a song and dance!)

2005-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

7/10/05:

(Not particularly funny. I was moved by what Deepak Chopra said in an interview I read in one of the local "alternative" papers. The interviewer was belittling Chopra's viewpoint [if you can believe that!] I think Chopra's spot-on. It's what John and Yoko were trying to do with their "bagism" and billboards. Citing Yoda is just my weak attempt at a punchline.)

2005-07-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

7/3/05:

(More basketball humor, this time at Kobe Bryant's expense.)

2005-06-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

6/26/05:

(David Geffen infamously claims the public beach adjacent to his multi-million dollar house as his own private property. He's put up signs, fences, etc. It's absolutely crazy. Almost as crazy as the lady who came in, read this strip, looked up at me and said "Those damn conservative judges!" Yeah, right. Souter, Kennedy, Ginsberg, Breyer and Stevens. The "conservatives" on the bench.)

2005-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

6/19/05:

2005-06-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

6/12/05:

(Cheap? Yes. But effective!)

2005-05-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

5/29/05:

(Yikes. I got some icy stares that day! For the record, I'm glad they didn't change the rule [the shoe will be on the other foot eventually -- probably this November!])

2005-03-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

3/27/05

2005-03-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

3/20/05:

(I may have the date wrong on this one . . . it was around the time of George W. Bush's second inauguration. That's what I was riffing on. I love trivializing politics by equating it with pop culture. People take it so damn seriously. "You could say I lost my faith in our politicians/They all seem like game show hosts to me" to quote Sting. Too true.)

2005-03-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

3/13/05:

2005-03-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

3/6/05:

(Seriously.)

2005-02-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

2/27/05:

(Mayor Hahn was the incumbent. He was whooped by fellow Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa, or as I liked to call him at the time "Hahntonio." It was like chosing between Vanilla Bean and French Vanilla ice cream. I hate local elections.)

2005-02-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

2/20/05:

2005-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

2/13/05:

2005-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

2/6/05:

(I introduced Devil Dog to the strip thinking I could get away from the topical stuff (read: politics) and instead make funny about non-controversial things. As it turns out, Devil Dog usually has the last word, and he tempers Vincent's sarcasm and makes my conservative/libertarian viewpoint easier to swallow for my overwhelmingly liberal audience.)

2005-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

1/30/05:

(Ahhh . . . Life in Hollywood!)

2005-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

1/23/05:

2005-01-16T00:01:00.001-08:00

1/16/05:

(I like goading Los Angeles sports fans, especially the ones who bemoan St. Louis "stealing" the Rams)

2005-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

1/09/05:

(This is what happens when I listen to too much left-wing agitprop on the radio.)

2005-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

1/2/05:

2004-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

12/19/04:

2004-12-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

12/12/04:

(See related strip here. This is Beanman, as I draw him. Jimmy loved this strip, and talked about doing a real "cross over" of our two strips. I vaguely remember the idea ... something about Vincent trying to order a cup of coffee. Jimmy was a fun collaborator. He'd tell me what he thought (He flatly rejected a Beanman strip I did once, saying that the customer looked too much like a crazed witch) but at the same time he was willing to let me contribute. A couple of times edited his dialogue (for brevity, if you can believe that I'd be concerned about brevity!) and I was worried he'd get pissed. Instead he'd laugh and say something like "yeah, I thought I put in too many words.")
(Jimmy was one of the few people I really clicked with out here. We had similar tastes and senses of humor. I looked forward to future collaborations, and to be completely honest, thought I had found a life-long writing partner. His death is still unreal.)

2004-11-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

11/7/04: