Comics In Action

Here at Comics In Action, we try hard to stay on top of the latest technology. Yesterday, one of our agents came home with an iPod. Well, we couldn’t figure out figure out how to insert our 8-track tapes, but he insisted that this would replace the turntable, the cassette AND the 8-track tape. Well, to say the least, we were baffled. So, here’s our attempt at podcasting something compatible with iTunes. Here’s one of our radio station promos:

 

 Comics In Action: Jibberish [0:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As much as we would like, we simply cannot consider Riff Raff Theater a side-project. Although RRT’s staff consists of mostly Comics In Action performers, the format is so vastly different. But, never mind my drivel, let’s get on with the important stuff.

This Friday, June 27 at 8pm in the Englert Theatre in Iowa City, Chris Hanel, Todd Gutnecht and Dave Atwater will be performing their skewering of the flick that caused Sean Connery to go into early retirement: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

For those that don’t know what Riff Raff Theater is all about, let me give you the rundown (but, not in The Rock sort of fashion).

Riff Raff Theater takes their cues from the cult favorite, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K for short). But, they take the format one step further: the jokes are submitted by movie buffs around the world. This way, RRT does not have to rely solely upon their own joke-telling abilities. Let’s face it: the funniest material comes from the most unassuming places. To top it off, RRT gives credit where credit is due, thus placing the people whose jokes were part of the official script among the list of writers. It’s a win-win scenario.

Friday’s performance comes after the forever infamous Flood of 2008, so the Riff Raff Theater’s benefits will go to the Corridor’s Flood Relief Fund. So, come on out and enjoy the show. You’ll be doing not only yourself a favor, but helping your hard-hit neighbors in the process.

As a bonus, you’ll get a chance to hear our very own Agent Collateral Damage (aka Dennis Lambing) as RRT’s unofficial announcer. I know. It’s like icing on the cake.

This may be late, but our very own Agent Danuuc (aka Dave Atwater) continues to wade through the damage wrought by the Great Iowa Flood of 2008. For those that would like to assist, Dave and Heather will be spending the day at their house near Czech Village in an effort to clean not only their house, but their lawn of soggy junk (aka irreplaceable mementos). The 411 is as follows:

Saturday, June 21 at 120 Bowling St SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

They are starting at 8am and going until they are satisfied. Come whenever you feel comfy.
Bring gloves.

The flooding in Cedar Rapids is no laughing matter, especially for our best troupe member, Dave Atwater (aka Agent Danuuc). We had received word from Danuuc that it didn’t look good late last week, but now that Dave and Heather have seen the damage, we have proof positive that flooding around Bowling Street and Czech Village is serious business.

We recieved this email from Dave and Heather today. Unfortunately, they don’t have flood insurance and Comics In Action lost all of their PA equipment:

We were finally granted access, but it wasn’t easy to return to our home on Tuesday, June 17. It’s been a little less than a week and the mold and mildew smell in the house was overwhelming. So much of what we had worked for and all the effort in making this house our home was destroyed beyond recovery. The flood waters had risen from the basement into about the first 12-18 inches of the first floor. Most of the furniture on the first floor was not salvageable and had to be put on the curb for garbage pick-up. It was like trash amnesty day gone wild in our neighborhood. We also ripped up all the carpeting on that floor, which was still completely soaked. Hardwood oak flooring was underneath. We started removing some clothes we thought could be saved, and some family members were gracious enough to take them home to try and wash out the damage. Unfortunately, most of Dave’s clothes were located in the basement.

We haven’t been able to start removing anything from the basement, however, since there is still a couple feet of water there. Our home theater area down there was completely destroyed. Everything is in shambles and things ended up on entirely different sides of the room. We had just finished the theater room in early 2006, so definitely not enough movies had been viewed yet. Last Thursday before we left, we used everything we had to move all the furniture and equipment in the basement at least 4 feet off the floor. Who knew the flooding would extend WAY beyond that! Our house is out of the flood plain so no flood insurance. The street flooded a block and a half beyond us.

At this point, we are waiting for both a FEMA and home insurance adjuster to inspect our home. Hopefully, these will both occur by the end of this week but these agencies are extremely busy, as you can imagine.

So many of you have asked how you can help. Right now, we are just SO overwhelmed with all the devastation and are trying to determine how to proceed. Obviously, the inspections need to occur first. We know areas of need will be identified as we go forward, and we’re hoping to communicate all of this via email updates so you can stay informed on our situation as the weeks and months go on. In the meantime, a small group is planning on aiding us in some initial cleanup this Thursday.

Living out of a suitcase will certainly not be easy for this extended period of time, but we’re taking things step by step, little by little, day by day. We know we still have each other AND all of your support to help carry us through this very difficult time. If you have any pointers or resources you think would be beneficial to us, please feel free to pass this information on.

Again, thanks for your care and support and we’ll try to post some photos for the next update.

Heather & Dave