Hello and welcome to the new Heads That Shine website. Remember us? Well, if you don’t remember, didn’t know us or just want to relive our old adventures, here they are: every Heads That Shine comic strip and comic stories from long ago.
So, enjoy! Click here to start from the first ever Heads that Shine comic strip, or here to read our other adventures in comic book format.
We apologize in advance for the different sizes among the old comic strips. Through the years, the sizes and formats kept changing. We hope you enjoy either remembering the old stories or meeting us for the first time.
Also, as soon as we start adding the new content in the correct size for this site, the latest comic strip will appear in the homepage.
I searched around the web for nominations organized by movie instead of per category and found nothing. So, I decided to make my own tool to check the info. Feel free to share this with anyone you think would like to use it.
Also, all the movie titles are linked to their corresponding page on imdb.com so you can check every detail about each movie. I’m sorry, that it doesn’t look very good on mobiles. I couldn’t make it work. I mean, it works, but it doesn’t adjust to the screen size ?. So I recommend using a computer or rotating your phone. That might make it more comfortable.
And if you want to check where you can see each film, I recommend checking https://www.justwatch.com/. Just search fore the movie you want, and it will tell on which streaming service you can find it, if it’s available in your country.
Pick a movie to view its nominations, or an Oscar category to see the nominated movies.
Movie Title:
Nominations:
Pick a movie or a category to see the corresponding info in this area.
If you haven’t heard, the Barbie and Oppenheimer movies are premiering the same day (July 21), and it has sparked an online trend with fans mashing-up both movies, with the name “Barbenheimer”.
Celebrate with me! On May 19, 2023, I posted the 75thHeads that Shine comic strip after I restarted in 2019. This is the same number of strips I had done when I decided to stop in 2005. This had me reminiscing about the history of the characters, where they came from and how it all started.
Want to go down memory lane with me? (Please say yes).
Inspiration
Still here? Yay!
In 1995, while studying graphic design, I bonded with a classmate over our shared interests in comics, movies (especially Star Wars), and cartoons. We often joked, making up funny stories, and laughed about stupid things. Inspired by this friendship and my love for the Animaniacs, I made two short comics titled “Los Pelacables” (translated roughly as “The Nutcases”) with me and my friend as protagonists.
Page 8 of “Los Pelacables” done around 1997
These were old-timey comics, drawn on paper with a pencil in a notebook, so very few people saw them. Among those few, there were many that didn’t get that it was just a fantasy and joking around, and were always asking “When did that happen?” or “Did you really do that?”. So I decided to create new characters that had the same kind of interactions and adventures, but weren’t me or my friend.
Heads That Shine
Working on new designs (these must be from around 1998-1999)
For a few years, I worked on new designs, but got nowhere. Until after not seeing my friend for a long time, we met, we laughed when we saw we both had shaved our heads. Each on their own accord. It’s not like we had agreed to it or anything like that. So that’s when it clicked. That’s how I came up with these two characters VERY short, and with shaved heads. And since it all started with my friend and I talking about movies and TV shows, I named them after the biggest movie awards from the USA and from France; Oscar and Cesar.
This time, I wanted people to actually see the comics, so I put them on a website. From very early, I’ve wanted to write a Heads that Shine series, but because of time constraints, I started making comic strips. They were short, manageable mini projects that I could finish quickly and upload to the website. Over time, I added movie reviews and longer stories, including one that was meant to kickstart the series (read it here).
Life Happens
About six years later, in 2005, I stopped creating new content. Life happened — I started working, got into a relationship — and I felt like no one was watching, so I gradually lost interest and time for the strips. However, meeting strangers many years later who knew my characters and followed the comics let me know that there was someone watching!
I never forgot about those little guys, though. They always lingered in the back of my mind, with new ideas and crazy scenarios, nagging me to bring them back. Then, in 2018, I felt it was time. I slowly resumed working on the comics, creating new designs and crafting fresh stories. After about a year of preparation (yes, it took me a long time to get everything ready), I relaunched Heads that Shine.
I announced the relaunch with a series of comic strips (click the image to go to the first comic and read on).
And Sh*t Happens
But then, the world went crazy. Many things happened; among them, the pandemic, and I didn’t feel like making jokes. Yet, the hiatus was shorter this time, and I marked my return with the stand-alone comic “28 Months Later” (you can get it here with a special discount). I also sort-of acknowledged the pandemic with the comic strip showing Cesar cleaning the whole apartment with bleach.
“Bleach” comic strip. (click to read it)
In Conclusion
I am looking back now, because between September 10, 2019 and May 19, 2023, I’ve done the same amount of comic strips that I did between 1999 and 2005. If I don’t count the hiatus, it’s roughly 1.5 years versus 6. I can’t say if they’re better now than they were when I started (that’s for you to judge), but I’ve certainly created comic strips more consistently and maybe faster now.And I don’t plan on stopping. I’m still writing the series (who knows when that will be ready), along with a Halloween special and reviving two unfinished storylines from “the old days”. So, if you like Heads that Shine, don’t fret (and if you DON’T like them, I’m sorry) ‘cause there’s still a lot more Oscar and Cesar shenanigans coming your way.
Christmas Adventures – First ever Heads that Shine storyline. Unfinished ?
Hello! Since 2023 is over, I thought it would be fun to look back at the comic strips I did last year and pick the ones I like the most. It’s really hard to evaluate one’s own work, and since I know all comic strips almost by heart, it’s even harder to grade them according to “funny-ness”. So, this is my very personal selection of what I think are the best Heads that Shine comic strips of 2023. They either made me smile, I like how the drawings turned out or I just had fun making them.
I decided five would be a good number. So, without further ado, here they are (in no particular order).
1 – The Heads visit Jean Luc Picard.
Even though this is not a very good caricature of Patrick Stewart, this is one of those strips that made me giggle when I thought of it, while I was drawing it, and almost every time I read it.
2 – HBO Max
I suppose it’s no secret that I enjoy making fun of streaming services and that I use my comics to vent what I don’t like about them. If there’s one thing that makes me lose patience is the speed of the HBO Max app. That’s how this one came to be.
3 – Disney+ price
Ok, since we’re on the streaming subject, here’s one about Disney+. I don’t condone downloading or streaming shows in websites of questionable reputation, but sometimes it does feel like they’re pushing us to do it. (And no, I am not cancelling my subscription to D+ … yet).
4 – Bob Iger (Disney’s CEO)
I didn’t realize there were so many comic strips on the subject of streaming services and the Disney company until I reviewed last year’s strips. It must be because I’ve always liked Disney and it makes me sad to see what it has become… I also picked this one because it does make me smile a bit when I read it, and I like Bob Iger’s likeness.
5 – Oscars 2023
I personally enjoyed very much writing and drawing this whole storyline. The caricatures, the appearance of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Tom Cruise… it was hard for me to just pick only one strip from this storyline. I also feel like this is the kind of story and style of story I want to tell with Oscar and Cesar. I hope in the future I can do more like this (but funnier ???? ).
Honorable Mention
I know I said I would pick only five, but I couldn’t leave out Star Wars Celebration 2023. This is another storyline I’m very fond of, but I’m aware it’s not the most funny. Since I like Star Wars (well, liked; before Disney ruined it. Sorry! I had to say it) this one was also one of my favorite to make in 2023.
And that’s it! My five (well six) personal favorite Heads that Shine comic strips of 2023. Thank you for getting to the end! I really appreciate you reading the whole thing.
Anyway, I would VERY MUCH like to know which ones are your favorites. If you click on each image, it will take to that specific comic strip, except for the Oscars and Star Wars Celebration comics, which will take you to the storyline. I added a way for you to rank each strip. You can either rank each strip or tell me in about your favorites in the comments below.
Hello! Are you a cinephile like me? Are you planning on watching all the Oscars 2024 Nominees before the ceremony on March 10? Well, I am, and I thought it would be fun to make a printable checklist to keep track of what I’ve already watched and what I’m missing.
But I didn’t want to just make a checklist. I also researched where you can watch each movie (legally) and added that to the list too. My main source of information for that has been justwatch.com. I recommend it if you want to keep on top of what to watch on streaming.
Here it is. Oscar’s Oscars 2024 Checklist. Just click the image to open the PDF and then save it.
I also made a very narrowed down and to-the-point list if you want to keep track of what you’ve watched and share it on social media. You can click on the image below to open it and then save it, or right click and save it directly.
That’s it! Now let’s talk about movies! Have you watched any of these? What did you think?
HEADlines are simply news from Heads that Shine. Once a week, I’ll be posting about what’s new and what’s coming to for Heads that Shine, be it comic strips, one-shots, updates to the website, and blog posts.
Valentine’s Day comic strip coming Wednesday, February 14
Of course I wouldn’t miss posting on Valentine’s Day! Be on the lookout for the new comic strip this Valentine’s Day! Instagram might not show it to you, to make sure you see it, you can visit the Heads that Shine website on February 14 starting at midnight (PST), so you make sure you don’t miss it.
Best of 2023 – Blog Post available on Friday, February 16
I’m working on writing blog posts for the website, I’ve already posted the story of how Oscar and Cesar were born, and also the checklists for the Oscars 2024 nominees. On February 16, you can see MY choices of what I consider the best Heads that Shine comic strips of 2023. I’m really curious about which are YOUR favorites, so please check the article on Friday and let’s talk in the comments..
New One Shot comics format
I updated the plugin for viewing the Heads that Shine one-shots. With a more user friendly interface and a page flip effect that makes you feel like you’re reading a real comic. Check it out here!
That’s it! Remember to check the new comic strip this Wednesday and tune in next Monday for more news. Have a great week!
