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Sunday, December 24, 2006

Minions #40 - Seasonal Work




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Happy holidays to you folks, whatever flavor you may chose to celebrate (even if it's only "Annual Go to an Uncrowded Movie Day"), and our best Minions wishes to you and yours.

Well, come heck or high-water, we managed to pull our special Christmas Minions at Work off. Yet another storm is blowing through, and the lights have been flickering, but if I can just send this post before the pow

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Monday, December 18, 2006

Minions #39 - Dancing in the Dark



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A Status Report from the Lair:

This could have easily been the week without Minions. While things have been quiet with the Gulf-coast's hurricane season, the global-warming demons seem to have moved over to the Pacific, where we're seeing our worst storms in over a decade. Last week, Minions Studios was lashed by 90+ MPH winds, cut from civilization by closed roads, and plunged into darkness and cold for seemingly endless days.

Well, the lights are back on here at the Lair, but just barely, and I wouldn't call things "back to abnormal" by a long-shot. We've got power, but many of our friends and neighbors don't. (One friend still has four 40 foot trees down across his driveway, and all his utility lines, plus his vehicle is trapped behind those trees. Of course, the trees could have landed ON his truck, or his house, so it could be worse.)

Obviously, Minions hasn't been foremost on my mind, the technology on which the Lair depends has mostly been down, and the inventory was looking pretty thin. But sitting here, trapped in the cold and the dark, you learn things. You learn to hang in there. You learn to make do with whatever resources you have. And there, in the black, sometimes inspiration will strike.

So here you go. Back from the black, Minions-style.

Next week (major acts-of-God aside) come back for a special Holiday Minions.

See you then.

- Steve, Minion-Master and Under-the-Weather-Overlord.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Cat got your email? You may be a WINNAH!


As promised, I'm happy to announce the winner for the brand new ALIAS novel signed by the author (and also my wife) Christina F. York. Sorry I didn't do this sooner, but there were technical issues extracting the list of names for me to work out. And then there was the matter of how to randomly pick just the right slip of paper. For help with this, I called on our Cat Sydney, named after ALIAS super-spy Sydney Bristow, and adopted just after Chris finished the book. Take it away Sydney!



And so, the winner is:

(cue the drum-roll Minion...)

WILDWOLFCAJUN!

Congratulations, my friend. If you haven't already answered my private email, please send me a mailing address, and we'll get that book right out to you!

Thanks to everyone who participated, and members of our weekly reminder list can look forward to other drawings down the road.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Minions #38 - Interstate Irony



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Join the Minions reminder email list. (I'll be announcing the winner of the drawing for the signed ALIAS book shortly. Sign up now for future prize drawings!

Today's Panel:
Okay, once more to the interstate. I know, I know, but this is probably my favorite of the series...

Given the weather here on the Oregon coast, and heavy book deadlines, this is probably the last outdoors Minions shoot you'll see until spring. Too bad, because I've got one all lined up that requires a nice day on the beach.

Minions #37 - Just Another Day at the Lair




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Join the Minions reminder email list. Just one more week to enter our free drawing for an author-signed copy of a brand new ALIAS novel. At that time, all list members (must be set to "individual email" delivery) will be eligible for drawing to win a signed copy of my wife's upcoming ALIAS (based on the cult TV series) novel, A TOUCH OF DEATH. Sign up today!

News Item:
Happy Feet leads the North American box office for the third week in a row. Ironically, the Minions penguin (he has a name, but I'll keep it to myself for the moment, in case there's a joke in the reveal somewhere) has been in the works for months, and this photo was shot and scheduled for this weekend long ago, with no thought of a certain then-obscure animated penguin movie.

Minions #36 - Accessories Not Included




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Join the Minions reminder email list. In two weeks, all list members (must be set to "individual email" delivery) will be eligible for drawing to win a signed copy of my wife's upcoming ALIAS (based on the cult TV series) novel, A TOUCH OF DEATH. Sign up today!

Minions #35 - Automation



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I'm traveling again this week, so I'm cutting this loose a day early (while the internet access is good).

Monday, November 13, 2006

Minions #34 - E Ticket Ride


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What, you don't know what an E ticket ride is? Okay, I admit, if you're even a little younger than I am, it's possible you don't. Well, I'm not going to tell you, but I will clue you that it has something to do with Disneyland and the early days of Disneyworld. This is the kind of vital question that Google was invented for. Go look it up your own darned self!

Don't miss out on another exciting mystery like this one! Join our weekly Reminder Minions Reminder Deja Vu Reminder list. No chic-chat. No spam (well, I plug our books once in a while, but only as part of your weekly update, so no extra messages in your in-box). Just a tap in the shoulder and a quick round up on what's happening with the Minions this week. It's free, it's easy, and it will improve your sex-life.

Okay, that last part is probably not true. The evil voices in my head told me to type it. I blame repeated use of the Concussion Beam.

But join anyway:
Click this if you want to live...
Damn those voices! Damn! Damn!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Minions #33 - Busted!



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No, I didn't screw up and post the same cartoon twice. I came up with this shot for one caption, and then came up with two more even better! So this won't be the last time you get deja vu all over again. And heck, I just love how this one turned out so much, I can't see it enough. Hopefully you will indulge me...

Speaking of the reminder list, JOIN!:
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Minions #32 - This guy walks into a bar...



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Posting (slightly early)remotely today from the Space Center at Huntsville, Alabama. Chris and I have done drive-by book-signings at Dothan, Montgomery, as well as here in Huntsville. Headed back west to Oregon tomorrow. If all goes well, I'll be back at Minions Studios Monday evening.

Note, I'm traveling for about two weeks with limited internet access, so if things fall a little off schedule, forgive me. The cartoons for the next few weeks are lined up and ready to go, but I have to get to the internet to set them free! This could disrupt the reminder list as well. What access I do have, getting the cartoons posted gets priority over everything else.

Speaking of the reminder list, JOIN!:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MinionsAtWork/

Minions #31 - Unsafe at any speed



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Note, I'm traveling for about two weeks with limited internet access, so if things fall a little off schedule, forgive me. The cartoons for the next few weeks are lined up and ready to go, but I have to get to the internet to set them free! This could disrupt the reminder list as well. What access I do have, getting the cartoons posted gets priority over everything else.

Speaking of the reminder list, JOIN!:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MinionsAtWork/

Minions #30 - Listen to your friends



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Please! Share Minions at Work with your friends, family, enemies, and perfect strangers on the street! Heck, even if they're imperfect. You know, like one eye is just a little bit higher than the other.

And a different color.

And on the back of their head.

Don't miss out on any Minions fun! Join the Mighty Minion Mulching Society by signing up for our weekly email reminder list. To join, visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MinionsAtWork/

Get that guy with the funny eye to sign up too.

Joelanta - The End

Well, we've pretty much run through the Joelanta material, so that's the end of the bonus stuff for now. Tom sent me the attached imaged as-is, and I thought it was a fitting end-cap to the series.

Thanks again to Tom for coming up with the idea, kitbashing the Minions, and taking the shots. Also thanks out to Buddy Finethy and the fine folks at Joelanta for allowing Tom to do his thing, and to Mike Gardner whose wonderful zombie diorama was the backdrop for many of these cartoons. Also additional thanks to Tom, who sent me the two Minions he created to add to my regular Minions crew. Thanks, Tom!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Bonus Joelanta Minions #9 - Security Leak



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Bonus Joelanta Minions #8 - Secret sauce



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(Note from Steve 10/14/06: I just spotted the typo in this. Siigh. I'll fix it at some point. Just not right now.)

Bonus Joelanta Minions #7



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As promised, I hope to squeeze a few more out of the photos Tom sent, but life has been busy this week.

Not my most tasteful joke ever. Not to pick on Koreans or Korean food. In some respects, it could have been almost any kind of ethnic or regional food, but I'm especially suspicious of a cuisine that includes rotten cabbage. Okay, I also wonder about people who soak perfectly good fish or corn in lye, or eat snails, or boil peanuts. (Okay, maybe you should be suspicious of people who boil peanuts, but I'm from Alabama and I love the darned things.) Of all the possible choices, Korean just sounded funny. Plus, it's newsworthy.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Minions #29 - Misdirection



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We should be able to manage a few more bonus Joelanta Minions panels this week, so keep checking back. Thanks again to Tom Brooks for coming up with this idea and executing the shots.

Remember (well, the whole point is, what if you don't remember) that you can sign up for our Minions reminder and newsletter email list. You'll get a reminder each week as we post new Minions, plus news and other bonus goodies. Visit here to join. It's free and easy.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Bonus Joelanta Minions #6



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Bonus Joelanta Minions #5



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Bonus Joelanta Minions #4



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Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Bonus Joelanta Minions #3



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This is the first of a series of panels shot in an amazing multi-room zombie diorama constructed by Mike Gardner. Mike was nice enough to allow Tom to actually place his Minions inside the diorama and shoot them there.

Mike and friends are apparently working to turn all this stuff into an epic photo-story called "The Final Outcome." You can find more information here (and see how Mike actually got one of his zombies signed by George Romero himself!).

Watch for more of Mike's amazing diorama through the rest of the week. You ain't seen nothing yet!

And a reminder, join the legions (well, several) folks who have already signed up for the Minions reminder and secret-handshake mailing list. Sign up here.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Bonus Joelanta Minions #2



Our Joelanta specials continue. Scroll down for this week's regular Minions at Work cartoon.

According to Tom, this tank appeared at the table of Toy Chest and Collectables. No information on who made it, or if this is a one-off custom or something that had for sale. Perhaps someone out there has additional information.

Tomorrow: those zombies I've been promising! Really!

As a reminder, we've just created our new Minions reminder and newsletter mailing list. Sign up and get email reminders when new cartoons appear. Members will also get access to exclusive Minions features you won't find anywhere else, and I'm planning some drawings down the line with the chance to win prizes. So sign up today. Join here!

Monday, October 02, 2006

Bonus Joelanta Minions #1



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If you're looking for our regular Monday Minons cartoon, scroll on down. It's there. But as promised, this is the first of our bonus Minions toons created by me using photos from Minons uberfan, Tom Brooks, taken at the Joelanta GI Joe show in Atlanta, Georgia last weekend. We'll be posting a new bonus panel every day this week, and maybe beyond, depending on how long the pictures, jokes, and my time hold out.

According to Tom, the happy fellow in the picture (no, NOT Minon No. 1A!), is Buddy Finethy, Joelanta's organizer, who was kind enough to allow Tom to shoot around the show.

Stay tuned, as Tom found us some fantastic stuff. Okay, one word to tease you with: Zombies!
Be there!

Minions in your mailbox!

By popular request, I've created a mailing list to provide weekly reminders about the latest Minions at Work cartoon, sent directly to your email box. Members of this announce-only list will also get exclusive commentary, the chance to win free books and other prizes, and more. To sign up, go here.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Minions #28 - Pick Up Line




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Be sure to check the previous post for some exciting news and some bonus Minions content, with more to come throughout the week! That's right, keep checking back for some extra-special guest Minion cartoons. No waiting till Monday this week! (Though we'll be back Monday anyhow.)

Remember, just click the booby-trapped envelope icon below (no, it's harmless -- really -- probably --) to send this week's Minions at Work cartoon to a friend! Or an enemy! We really don't care!

Minions Fan Art (and bonus Minions for you!)


From the beginning my philosophy has been that "Minions at Work" is a cartoon site that happens to use action figures, not an action-figure site that happens to have cartoons. In other words, my goal is to make this entertaining for anyone with a bit of pop-culture awareness, not just people who (like me) collect action figures. But given the unusual nature of our format, it's hard not to have things blur sometimes. For example:

Tom Brooks, who I know from my action figure discussion lists, sent me the attached cartoon and a suggestion. As you can see, Tom had followed my basic "recipe" and kitbashed (that's hobby-talk for combining existing parts to create something new) his own set of Minions characters. Let's just call them No. 1A and Number 13A. Tom was headed to "Joelanta" this weekend. Joelanta is one of the country's premiere shows for GI Joe and 1/6th action figure collectors, held in Atlanta, Georgia, and he wondered how I'd feel if he shot some photos of his Minions at Joelanta, in essence, providing some "on location" reports.

After some discussion about how we'd go about it and his getting an okay from the Joelanta organizers, I gave Tom the okay. We decided that he'd shoot some interesting shots, then send them to me for editing and captions. I wasn't sure what to expect, and I figured if the geek content was too high for the general audience here at Minions at Work,, I could post them on my hobby blog (pure action-figure geek content, visit at your own risk) One Sixth.

But as it happens, what I've gotten from Tom so far is really good stuff, and I think we can do some jokes suitable for general audiences. So come back here all this week for a series of special "Guest Minion" panels from Joelanta.

And as a preview, as a thanks to the Joelanta folks for their cooperation, I did a special Joelanta tribute Minions cartoon for them. You can find it on the Joelanta blog here.

So buck-up, Minions fans. In addition to your regularly scheduled Minions, you're going to get a whole bunch of bonus content this week! Thanks to Tom, Joelanta, and all the nice folks there who helped Tom get his shots (to be named later).

Monday, September 25, 2006

#27 - Minion Lore


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Share the Minions at Work link with a friend right now! Come on! You know it's the EVIL thing to do! Click the envelope icon below and just type in their email-address. Do it! Don't make us let loose the dinosaurs!



And Now, a Special Message from minion Number Two


(Note: The opinions expressed by Minion Number Two are his own, and do not reflect those of the staff, management, cast, crew, or anybody else remotely connected with Minions at Work.)



Hey! Can't you see I'm off the freakin' clock here!

But yeah, before you start your complainin', we freakin' know that the "All I need is a tall ship" line comes from the poem "Sea Fever" not "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner." Did you know it until you Googled it, you wussie? Probably not. I'll bet you thought it was from Star Trek! What a loser!

Anyway, this is "The Rhyme of the Ancient minion," not "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner." Can't you freakin' read?

I bet you've never even met the Ancient Minion, have you, freakin' moron? Now, get out of my face-mask. Geeze.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Minions #26 - Till the "Cows" come home


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Click the envelope icon below to share this Minions at Work cartoon with a friend! Keep sharing the link!

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Minions #25 - Two Minions Walk into a Bar


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Goofy jump-suits. They just seem to go with the job.

Note that we've added the little envelope icon to the bottom of each post. Clicking on these makes it easier to email your favorite "Minions at Work" cartoon to a friend. Try it now!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Minions #24 - Trickle Down

Special Labor Day, late-summer blockbuster!

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Monday, August 28, 2006

Minions #23 - Store Insecurity



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Sorry I'm so late this week. Actually, I had this week's panel done a week early, but internet connection issues have kept me from uploading it until now.

Please share the link with your friends.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Minions #22 - Mineralogy 101


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As always, please share this link with your friends...

Notes from Steve: Well, I hope the joke is worth it. Some of these are more trouble than others. I spent a ton of time cutting "shell casings" from brass rod to scatter on the floor, that barely show up in the picture, and manufacturing splintered bits of door-frame to toss around. Then there was the matter of tracking down an appropriate piece of green crystal. Thanks to my wife Chris for raiding her stash of craft-beads to find me something (and sorry honey, about the big glass bead I dropped and broke).



Next week: Evil Shopping! (Unless I come up with something else first.)

Monday, August 14, 2006

Minions #21 - Heel!


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Meanwhile, those with a taste for black, topical, humor are invited to check this new parody movie poster on my writing blog, J. Steven York's Multiplex of the Mind.

Next week: Something. The inventory is again depleated I think, so it's time to shoot some new panels. I've got ideas waiting. It's just a question of which one(s) I'll set up.

Please pass our link to your friends.
http://minionsatwork.blogspot.com/
or if that's too hard to remember, you can always link in through our web page at:
www.yorkwriters.com
Thanks!

Monday, August 07, 2006

Minions #20 - Admiring the Decor


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Remember to check the archives for previous "Minions" toons you may have missed. Keep spreading the link!

Next week:
More dinosaurs!

Monday, July 31, 2006

Minions #19 - Hands Up!



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All celebrity action figures are impersonated...

Monday, July 24, 2006

Minions #18 - MinionMobile



Special thanks to my daughter, Lynette, who suggested the idea of Minion Drivers Licenses.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Minions #17 - Walking the Dinosaur



Notes from Steve: I'm especially pleased with how this one came out. You may have noticed that I've started adding titles to the panels, so you can find your favorites more easily. I'll be retroactively adding titles to all the earlier panels as I get round to it.

As always, please share our address with your friends!

Monday, July 10, 2006

Minions #16 - Warning Label



(Note from Steve: I hate to revisit "The Machine" so soon, but my recent vacation has left my Minions cartoon inventory a bit thin. Hopefully, I'll find time to shoot some new stuff this week and bring a little more variety to the party! We aim to please.)

Monday, July 03, 2006

Minions #15 - Lunchtime



New here? You can view any toon full-sized by clicking on the image. Additional panels can be found in previous monthly archives. Locate them in the sidebar to your right.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Minions #14 - Evil Machine




See you after vacation...

Update from Steve: After this was posted, somebody asked, "is this generating email, or luncheon meat?" I answered: "Why not both? Tasty and annoying!"

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Minions #13 - Bed Check


Unlucky, or not?

I'm going on vacation for about 10 days, so the next Minions post will take place on Wednesday of this week. Then a new panel won't be likely be posted until the following Monday. Same number of new toons, just a different schedule.

As always, if you like the Minions, please share the address with your friends. Minions love company!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Musical Minions


The Minions don't have a theme song (yet, anyway), but until then, I have something that will do. My friend Sean Prescott recently introduced me to singer/songwriter Jonathan Coulton. How have I never heard this guy before? Imagine you mixed the DNA of Weird Al, Tom Lehrer, plus everyone in Smash Mouth, then throw in South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, then ran it all through the blender, you might produce a mutation that sounds a little like Jonathan Coulton. This guy is officially (I'm not making this up) the Contributing Troubadour for Popular Science magazine.

Anyway, drop by his web page and check out the (currently free) MP3 download of the song "Skullcrusher Mountain" from the album "When Tradition Meets Tomorrow." (You can also listen to it directly on the web page.) There's also an alternate acoustic version on "Other Experiments," that you can listen to for free, but it will cost you a buck to download. Hey, it's a buck well spent.

I'll go so far as to suggest you grab some of his other music while your there. Go on. Spend a little money. You won't regret it. (My favorites include "Code Monkey," "re: Your Brains," "Millionaire Girlfriend," "Betty and Me," and "I Feel Fantastic."

Be warned that a few cuts ("The First of May" comes to mind) may not be considered family/office friendly, but they're in the minority. Have fun!

Monday, June 12, 2006

Thursday, June 08, 2006

New Book from Minions creator J. Steven York



Greetings, comrade-dudes!

I am totally cutting into my vital pretzel-break time to bring you the important news of a new novel just released, written by Minions creator J. Steven York! Is called "Trial by Chaos," which pretty much describes the morning I've, I will tell you! This is his second novel in the Mechwarrior Dark Age series, set in the ever-popular Battletech universe.



I am totally urging you to run right out and buy this book on Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Powells, or ask for it at your local book retailer.

No. Wait. I must totally be thinking like management if I am ever to be promoted. Do not ask. Demand this book.

You will be all like: "if you do not order this book from the nearest distributor, I will use my orbiting solar-death-mirrors to reduce your world to a blackened ball of carbon!" And they'll be like: "But we have it on the shelf right over here." And you'll be like, "oh, I never know if books like this are shelved according to series or author name." And they'll be like, "yes, different stores do it different ways, but there it is." And you'll be like, "well thanks for your help. Sorry about the solar-death-mirrors thing." And they'll like rip off their rubber disguise mask and shout, "but we've tricked you into revealing your evil plan! Now you can never succeed, Minion No. 1!"

I have just been busted in my own, imaginary scenario. That is so lame.

Just buy the book, because Steve pays the bills here, and without your support, you know what this means: mustard-cutbacks. Buy it for me. Buy it for my pretzel.

Later, dudes. Salty-buttery goodness totally awaits.

Monday, May 29, 2006