Okay, so as resident doorQ from the Texas area, it is my duty to shine light upon all that is magical and doorQy in this great state! What? You say that Texas is filled with crazy people? Now, just because I’m the only Texan you know doesn’t mean you can judge the rest of the state based off of my actions!

After all, Houston is just about to elect the first openly gay mayor of a major US city ever ^_^ Plus, all of our major counties voted blue in the presidential election. Yeah, we have uber-conservatives hiding out in the country and scattered about our cities (and an insane governor...), but a lot of us are just friendly ol’ folks who want nothing more than ride a cowboy- errr... horse through the open plains!

Okay, maybe we’re not even that. Bah, I give up! If you ever come to visit, just stay away from Waco and spend most of your time in Dallas or Austin and you’ll be fine!

ANYWAYS... I’d like to share a bit of local doorQy flavor with everyone today. The Variants is a Clerks/The Office style Web series based on the adventures of the owner and employees of Zeus Comics in Dallas, Texas that has a little something for just about everyone.

The idea came from the owner of Zeus Comics, Richard Neal, who approached Ken Lowry and Joe Cucinotti to help him put together and execute the concept.

The group of main characters consists of:

Richard AKA Ginger Snap - the owner of Zeus comics and provider of giddy enthusiasm, charming optimism and the vast majority of silliness.

Barry AKA Baz (and Care-Bear!) - the snarky cashier whose comments tend to ooze sarcasm and even loathing. He has a vast knowledge of comic book art and the 90s Britpop scene.

Keli AKA Mary-Jane - the cute and bubbly girl of the bunch, but that doesn’t mean you should underestimate her! She can squeeze a sale out of anyone with her masterful skills.

Joe AKA the Conquistador of Love Pedro Garcia - the witty straight guy of the bunch and often provides a foil for Barry. His nerd rants are some of the most fun ^_^

Vlad AKA Stockroom Guy - the mysterious dweller of the stock room that is rarely seen or heard from.

Arturo AKA... Arturo - Barry’s smoking buddy and likes to chime in on Barry’s rants.

There have been four episodes released so far, the fourth just premiering today, with each episode topping out around 9 to 10 minutes long. Each provides a new story line with plenty of quirky, silly, doorQy fun =)

One of my favorite things about the series so far is the continuity nods back to previous episodes. With only one episode coming out per month, it’s fun to be rewarded for watching the previous episodes and paying attention.

I might be somewhat biased though, as this is the shop that I get my comics form... Nah, it’s just good =)

The acting is a little cheesy, but most of the actors either work at the comic shop or are customers there and don’t do acting full time. Honestly, the acting has gotten better since episode one (practice makes perfect), but I think cheesy acting actually adds an extra element of character to the series.

All of the writing is really fun and provides shout-outs to comic artists, comic characters, gay icons and Kurt Russell (trust me, you’ll lol). The fourth episode is a parody of zombie films and reminds me just a little bit of the South Park’s “Night of the Living Homeless.” 

The camera work and editing is on par for a Web series. Ken, Joe and Richard do an excellent job for an amateur production.

The only thing I can really complain about is some of the sound editing. One scene will have really soft sound, while the next scene is really loud and harsh. At home, this is okay, but when I’m trying to watch them in secret at my desk at work, I have to keep my hand hovering near the volume dial =P

Other than that, I think it’s a fun watch and I really do look forward to the new episodes that come out each month! The little teasers and specials in between episodes are fun to check out as well.

For all the Twitter peeps out there, you can follow Zeus Comics here, and be sure to check out The Variants Web site here and Zeus Comics Web site here!

Now git on wit’ yo’ bad self and roffle! (Okay, I promise I’ll never do that again (But don’t hold me to it... =P))

Episode 4: