ItsJustSomeRandomGuy
Encyclopedia
ItsJustSomeRandomGuy is the alias of Michael Agrusso, an American
voice acting
teacher, writer, and performer working and living in Los Angeles
, California
. He currently hosts the channel of the same name with Brinna Li. The channel is the source of the YouTube
video
parody
series "Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC", which spoofs the Macintosh
"Hi, I'm a Mac...and I'm a PC" Get a Mac
television commercials.
characters The Flash and Wonder Woman
both lost their director
s due to creative differences with Warner Brothers on the same day. In contrast, comic book films based on Marvel Comics
had several future projects in production. He later saw a "Get a Mac" commercial, which gave him the idea to make a parody using Marvel and DC.
(Marvel) and Superman
(DC), as their companies' representatives. He and Li filmed action figure
s in real time against a white sheet using the iSight
camera on Agrusso's Mac notebook
. They filmed the first video in an hour, and did the editing and voice work in another hour. On March 6, 2007, he created the ItsJustSomeRandomGuy channel on YouTube, and posted the first video. After posting the first four videos throughout March 2007, Agrusso posted six more videos in the subsequent months, also introducing other Marvel and DC characters, as well as original characters Lance (the bartender), Lars (a.k.a. Lance 2.0) and an unnamed referee
.
Fearing the "Hi, I'm a Marvel" format would get old and repetitive, Agrusso and Li introduced a Heroes' Bar setting
for their characters in their sixth and eighth Marvel vs. DC videos. They later abandoned the "Hi, I'm a Marvel" format altogether and started a new video series: After Hours. The first three After Hours episodes allowed Agrusso to expand his cast with characters from other comic book movie adaptations. The ending of After Hours #3 revealed a plot and set up the rest of the 7-part series as a complex and serious storyline in which Lex Luthor
attempts to prevent Stan Lee
from creating the Marvel Universe
. Each subsequent episode
became longer in playing time. The last two of After Hours had to be cut up into two parts and posted separately. The saga
also explored new settings, most notably the wood-themed Villains Hangout.
Between After Hours #4 and #5, Agrusso informed fans that he was attending Comic Con 2007. There, representatives from Marvel.com approached him and Li and interviewed them. Afterwards, on August 14, Marvel.com posted the videotaped interview on their website. Concurrently, Agent M, an official Marvel.com blogger, also interviewed Agrusso and posted the channel's first video along with the interview transcript
onto his blog. Since then, Agent_M has posted six other videos from Agrusso's channel. Also, in the interim period between After Hours #5 and #6, Agrusso created a new spin-off for the Green Goblin
character. Titled Goblin Bloggin', it parodies Internet blog
gers, as the Green Goblin rants about his life and relationships, and responds to email
s. Agrusso set up a real hotmail
account specifically for fans to write emails to the fake blog: goblinbloggin@hotmail.com. He posted Goblin Bloggin' #2 between After Hours #6 and #7 on October 7, 2007, and Goblin Bloggin' #3 between Happy Hour #1 and #2 on July 6, 2008.
On December 2, 2007, the channel posted a holiday-themed video that strayed from the humorous tone of their videos with a theme of giving and receiving gifts. Based on Clement Clark Moore's poem, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," Agrusso originally wrote it as a Christmas
present to Li in December 2006. The video was featured on YouTube's main page for weeks.
More than two months after the last After Hours episode, which hinted at a second season with the Joker
, Agrusso posted a promo
video on January 27, 2008 for Happy Hour, the channel's second video series with a storyline. The promo has nothing to do with the real Happy Hour storyline. Three months later, on April 19, 2008, Happy Hour #1 debuted at the 2008 New York Comic Con and was posted on the channel hours later. Then the series would go on a five-month hiatus, as the summer of 2008 began. A month after the Happy Hour promo was released, Agrusso released news on the channel on February 19, 2008, that he was hired by the New York Comic Con to make promotional videos for their event in April 2008. However, he could not post them unless he got the rights from Marvel and DC. Two days later, he posted his first of three Marvel-centric promotional videos, indicating that Marvel supported and permitted him to post his videos with their characters. He posted the other two videos during the next two months before the event. On April 11, 2008, a week before the convention, Agrusso released more news that NYCC scheduled a live panel for him to premiere his first episode Happy Hour and talk with fans. The panel on April 19, 2008, called "ItsJustSomeRandomPanel", began with an opening montage, which compiled clips from his videos. (This video was posted on the channel later that night.) Agrusso officially started with a confession that he forgot to buy a second airline ticket for Li. Instead, he showed a video of her greeting to the fans, in which Li explains her important role in making the videos and guilt-tripped Agrusso in the process. This, too, was posted on the channel that night. Agrusso continued the presentation with the DC-centric promo videos he made for the convention. At the request of DC, he was not allowed to post them on the channel, and for the most part, the Internet public has not seen them. He then described Happy Hour as a series with actual sets, special effects and bigger storylines, but retaining the same humor. Then he showed the two-part Happy Hour #1. He later posted these videos as well, posting an unprecedented total 4 videos in one night.
Following the videos, there was a short Q&A session. The following is a summary of what Agrusso said:
In the summer of 2008, five superhero movie blockbusters
opened: Iron Man
, The Incredible Hulk
, Hancock
, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and The Dark Knight
. In response, Agrusso created a second "Hi, I'm a Marvel" series, this time with Iron Man
(Marvel), the Hulk
(Marvel), Batman (DC) and Hellboy
(Dark Horse) instead of Spider-Man and Superman. The series spanned across the duration of the summer as the new superhero movies opened.
On October 3, 2008, over five months since the debut of Happy Hour #1, Agrusso posted Happy Hour #2. The reason for the time gap was that Agrusso and Li went back to the "Hi, I'm a Marvel" format during the 2008 summer movie season, making seven videos in that time. On November 5, 2008, Agrusso posted Happy Hour #3. On January 15, 2009, Agrusso posted Happy Hour #4. In the video information section, he posted this message: "To Be Concluded at the New York Comic Con on February 7 at 4:00 on ItsJustSomeRandomGuy's Panel! Premiering online afterwards!" On February 8, 2009, Happy Hour #5 debuted at the 2009 New York Comic Con and was posted on the channel hours later. This concluded the Happy Hour storyline.
Agrusso was again hired by the New York Comic Con to make promotional videos for their event in February 2009. On December 18, 2008, December 31, 2008, January 13, 2009, January 21, 2009, and January 28, 2009, he posted five more Marvel-centric promotional videos, the second of which parodies the MasterCard
"priceless" television commercials. In addition to the promotional videos, NYCC again scheduled a panel for Agrusso and Li, this time to premiere the season finale of Happy Hour, more new videos, and hold a Q&A session.
In February 2009, Agrusso and Li took several intentional steps to connect with fans of ItsJustSomeRandomGuy. They created a Twitter
account so that fans could be more easily updated about their activities, they collaborated with another parody video maker, The Fine Brothers, by voicing Batman
in their Lost
parody series, and on February 24, 2009, they hosted a live Q&A session on blogTV
to answer questions from fans who could not be at New York Comic Con 2009. On February 24, 2009, immediately after their live Q&A session via blogTV, Agrusso and Li recorded a 10-minute video on blogTV, allowing for anyone who missed the session to view a sampling of it. As of March 28, 2009, the video has been viewed over 11,830 times. On February 26, 2009, Agrusso submitted a request to YouTube that ItsJustSomeRandomGuy be a YouTube partner channel, and it was promptly accepted. As a partner, Agrusso and Li now receive a share in revenue for advertisements seen during their videos, and they also have partner privileges, such as the automatic play of a video, the ability to post more than three playlist
s on their channel, and the distribution of their videos to "the largest worldwide online video community" via YouTube and its syndication partners. On March 26, 2009, Agrusso posted a short video announcing that he and Li would begin broadcasting weekly live chat sessions on blogTV, every Tuesday night starting on March 31, 2009.
2009 saw the opening of Watchmen
and X-Men Origins: Wolverine
. In response, Agrusso started a third "Hi, I'm a Marvel" series with Wolverine
, Sabretooth
, Deadpool, Cyclops
, and Gambit
representing Marvel and Rorschach
, Doctor Manhattan, The Comedian and Nite Owl representing DC. The first video was posted on March 4, 2009, the second was posted on March 13, 2009, and the third was posted on March 23, 2009. Also in 2009, Agrusso began spoofing the major summer blockbusters with his the Marvel/DC characters since no comic book movies from Marvel and DC were being released.
In 2010, Marvel released Iron Man 2
and DC released Jonah Hex
. Argusso created a fourth "Hi, I'm a Marvel" series to concide with the film's releases. He uses Iron Man
to represent Marvel and Jonah Hex
to represent DC. The first video released on May 5, 2010 and the second released on May 24, 2010. The video that premiered on May 24 was ItsJustSomeRandomGuy's 100th upload.
Characters from other companies make occasional appearances, such as Hellboy
(Dark Horse Comics
) and Woody
from Toy Story
(Disney). Spawn (Image Comics).
"We got hired to make a video for the Ontario PGA
Golf Merchandise Show! Check it out in my favorites!"
He then added a video to the "Favorites" section on the channel, which promotes the aforementioned event. Although the video was posted by the ONTPGA YouTube channel on August 27, 2008, the video is clearly Agrusso's and Li's work, as it is in the same format as his other videos (live-action figurines voiced by Agrusso). While he does not use any Marvel or DC action figures, there is a cameo appearance by Agrusso's original character, Lance M. Donovan.
called Agrusso "a genuine Internet superstar." In July 2008, q4music.com ranked one of the channel's videos as one of the top ten YouTube videos of the month.
Several online magazines such as Wonderland Stream magazine, Comic Book Resources
, Newsarama
, Comic Mix, and SpoutBlog have posted interviews with Agrusso, the channel's creator. Several others have reviewed, researched, and written articles about the channel, giving it even wider exposure. In fact, the channel has become so popular that Joe Leo, a columnist
for the Apple's advertising
strategic partner, PowerBook Central, took note and wrote an article
in his column about it.
Although Agrusso does not work for Marvel, Marvel.com has a featured blog that shows the videos and posts their interviews with him. In March 2008, Marvel gave him the rights to use their characters in promotional videos for New York Comic Con 2008. The channel re-invents the personalities of several comic book characters, including the Green Goblin
. On October 1, 2008, Iron Man
director
Jon Favreau
mentioned ItsJustSomeRandomGuy's work in a Los Angeles Times
live chat: "I LOVE the Marvel/DC YouTube bits on Iron Man and Dark Knight. Awesome. The Marvel guys love them too."
The channel primarily discusses comic book films from the two major comic book
companies (Marvel
and DC
) using humor. Agrusso writes, performs, and shoots his videos at home with Li's help.
Since the channel's first video in March 2007, several other successful Marvel/DC video series have been created, as well as promotional videos for a major comic book convention
, which also gave Agrusso his own discussion panel to talk about the channel. Several external websites have posted its videos on their own webpages.
. Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man combat Luthor's plot to destroy the Marvel Universe
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
teacher, writer, and performer working and living in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He currently hosts the channel of the same name with Brinna Li. The channel is the source of the YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
series "Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC", which spoofs the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
"Hi, I'm a Mac...and I'm a PC" Get a Mac
Get a Mac
The Get a Mac campaign is a television advertising campaign created for Apple Inc. by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the company's advertising agency, that ran from 2006 to 2009...
television commercials.
Background
In late February/early March 2007, Agrusso read the Internet news that the films based on the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
characters The Flash and Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
both lost their director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
s due to creative differences with Warner Brothers on the same day. In contrast, comic book films based on Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
had several future projects in production. He later saw a "Get a Mac" commercial, which gave him the idea to make a parody using Marvel and DC.
Marvel/DC parodies
Agrusso first wrote the scripts for four videos, using two characters, Spider-ManSpider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
(Marvel) and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
(DC), as their companies' representatives. He and Li filmed action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s in real time against a white sheet using the iSight
ISight
iSight is a webcam, both external and internal, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. The external iSight was sold retail for US$149, connected to a computer via a FireWire cable, and came with a set of mounts to place it atop any then-current Apple display, laptop computer, all-in-one desktop...
camera on Agrusso's Mac notebook
Notebook
A notebook is a book or binder composed of pages of notes, often ruled, made out of paper, used for purposes including recording notes or memoranda, writing, drawing, and scrapbooking....
. They filmed the first video in an hour, and did the editing and voice work in another hour. On March 6, 2007, he created the ItsJustSomeRandomGuy channel on YouTube, and posted the first video. After posting the first four videos throughout March 2007, Agrusso posted six more videos in the subsequent months, also introducing other Marvel and DC characters, as well as original characters Lance (the bartender), Lars (a.k.a. Lance 2.0) and an unnamed referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
.
Fearing the "Hi, I'm a Marvel" format would get old and repetitive, Agrusso and Li introduced a Heroes' Bar setting
Setting (fiction)
In fiction, setting includes the time, location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may...
for their characters in their sixth and eighth Marvel vs. DC videos. They later abandoned the "Hi, I'm a Marvel" format altogether and started a new video series: After Hours. The first three After Hours episodes allowed Agrusso to expand his cast with characters from other comic book movie adaptations. The ending of After Hours #3 revealed a plot and set up the rest of the 7-part series as a complex and serious storyline in which Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
attempts to prevent Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
from creating the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Each subsequent episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
became longer in playing time. The last two of After Hours had to be cut up into two parts and posted separately. The saga
Saga
Sagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...
also explored new settings, most notably the wood-themed Villains Hangout.
Between After Hours #4 and #5, Agrusso informed fans that he was attending Comic Con 2007. There, representatives from Marvel.com approached him and Li and interviewed them. Afterwards, on August 14, Marvel.com posted the videotaped interview on their website. Concurrently, Agent M, an official Marvel.com blogger, also interviewed Agrusso and posted the channel's first video along with the interview transcript
Transcription (service)
A transcription service is a business which converts speech into a written or electronic text document. Transcription services are often provided for business, legal, or medical purposes. The most common type of transcription is from a spoken-language source into text such as a computer file...
onto his blog. Since then, Agent_M has posted six other videos from Agrusso's channel. Also, in the interim period between After Hours #5 and #6, Agrusso created a new spin-off for the Green Goblin
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
character. Titled Goblin Bloggin', it parodies Internet blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
gers, as the Green Goblin rants about his life and relationships, and responds to email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s. Agrusso set up a real hotmail
Hotmail
Windows Live Hotmail, formerly known as MSN Hotmail and commonly referred to simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. It was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith and launched in July 1996 as "HoTMaiL". It was one of the first...
account specifically for fans to write emails to the fake blog: goblinbloggin@hotmail.com. He posted Goblin Bloggin' #2 between After Hours #6 and #7 on October 7, 2007, and Goblin Bloggin' #3 between Happy Hour #1 and #2 on July 6, 2008.
On December 2, 2007, the channel posted a holiday-themed video that strayed from the humorous tone of their videos with a theme of giving and receiving gifts. Based on Clement Clark Moore's poem, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," Agrusso originally wrote it as a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
present to Li in December 2006. The video was featured on YouTube's main page for weeks.
More than two months after the last After Hours episode, which hinted at a second season with the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, Agrusso posted a promo
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
video on January 27, 2008 for Happy Hour, the channel's second video series with a storyline. The promo has nothing to do with the real Happy Hour storyline. Three months later, on April 19, 2008, Happy Hour #1 debuted at the 2008 New York Comic Con and was posted on the channel hours later. Then the series would go on a five-month hiatus, as the summer of 2008 began. A month after the Happy Hour promo was released, Agrusso released news on the channel on February 19, 2008, that he was hired by the New York Comic Con to make promotional videos for their event in April 2008. However, he could not post them unless he got the rights from Marvel and DC. Two days later, he posted his first of three Marvel-centric promotional videos, indicating that Marvel supported and permitted him to post his videos with their characters. He posted the other two videos during the next two months before the event. On April 11, 2008, a week before the convention, Agrusso released more news that NYCC scheduled a live panel for him to premiere his first episode Happy Hour and talk with fans. The panel on April 19, 2008, called "ItsJustSomeRandomPanel", began with an opening montage, which compiled clips from his videos. (This video was posted on the channel later that night.) Agrusso officially started with a confession that he forgot to buy a second airline ticket for Li. Instead, he showed a video of her greeting to the fans, in which Li explains her important role in making the videos and guilt-tripped Agrusso in the process. This, too, was posted on the channel that night. Agrusso continued the presentation with the DC-centric promo videos he made for the convention. At the request of DC, he was not allowed to post them on the channel, and for the most part, the Internet public has not seen them. He then described Happy Hour as a series with actual sets, special effects and bigger storylines, but retaining the same humor. Then he showed the two-part Happy Hour #1. He later posted these videos as well, posting an unprecedented total 4 videos in one night.
Following the videos, there was a short Q&A session. The following is a summary of what Agrusso said:
- Agrusso made no money from the videos because that "opens up a legal can of worms".
- He did get paid for doing the promos for NYCC.
- He was open to doing ads for action figure companies and going outside the Marvel and DC lines
- As to whether he's been asked to write any comic books, he would not comment.
- All of his videos are done on his Mac computer.
- He does all the male characters' voices himself.
- He uses a ThorBuster Iron Man
Iron ManIron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
because "it was the best-looking Iron Man figure at the used toy store I shop at." He did not know it was Thorbuster armor. He told fans to wait for an upgraded Iron Man, once the movie-based figures are on sale.- Happy Hour is the future of his video production efforts, again citing his fear of a revisited "Hi, I'm a Marvel" format getting stale.
- His Green Goblin video blog, "Goblin Bloggin'" will also continue.
- As to how the videos are made, Agrusso used a movie analogy: "I'd be like a writer/director" (and voice actor). Li does everything else: cinematography, props, and costumes; deserving more credit than fans might realize.
- Batman
BatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Spider-Man make a great, unlikely comic duo: his Spider-Man is geeky, while Batman is everything Spidey hopes to be: "cool, rich and driving cars." Green Goblin and Lex Luthor have a similar dynamic.- As for ItsJustSomeRandomGuy leaving YouTube to start his own site: "I'd love to do the same thing with banner ads and get paid for this." However, it exposes him to legal issues if he makes a profit.
In the summer of 2008, five superhero movie blockbusters
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
opened: Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
, The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (film)
The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, Hancock
Hancock (film)
Hancock is a 2008 American action-comedy superhero film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize Theron. It tells the story of a vigilante superhero, John Hancock from Los Angeles whose reckless actions routinely cost the city millions of dollars...
, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
. In response, Agrusso created a second "Hi, I'm a Marvel" series, this time with Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
(Marvel), the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
(Marvel), Batman (DC) and Hellboy
Hellboy
Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
(Dark Horse) instead of Spider-Man and Superman. The series spanned across the duration of the summer as the new superhero movies opened.
On October 3, 2008, over five months since the debut of Happy Hour #1, Agrusso posted Happy Hour #2. The reason for the time gap was that Agrusso and Li went back to the "Hi, I'm a Marvel" format during the 2008 summer movie season, making seven videos in that time. On November 5, 2008, Agrusso posted Happy Hour #3. On January 15, 2009, Agrusso posted Happy Hour #4. In the video information section, he posted this message: "To Be Concluded at the New York Comic Con on February 7 at 4:00 on ItsJustSomeRandomGuy's Panel! Premiering online afterwards!" On February 8, 2009, Happy Hour #5 debuted at the 2009 New York Comic Con and was posted on the channel hours later. This concluded the Happy Hour storyline.
Agrusso was again hired by the New York Comic Con to make promotional videos for their event in February 2009. On December 18, 2008, December 31, 2008, January 13, 2009, January 21, 2009, and January 28, 2009, he posted five more Marvel-centric promotional videos, the second of which parodies the MasterCard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
"priceless" television commercials. In addition to the promotional videos, NYCC again scheduled a panel for Agrusso and Li, this time to premiere the season finale of Happy Hour, more new videos, and hold a Q&A session.
In February 2009, Agrusso and Li took several intentional steps to connect with fans of ItsJustSomeRandomGuy. They created a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account so that fans could be more easily updated about their activities, they collaborated with another parody video maker, The Fine Brothers, by voicing Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
in their Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
parody series, and on February 24, 2009, they hosted a live Q&A session on blogTV
BlogTV
blogTV is an online video service. blogTV began in June 2004, in Israel, and was a pioneer in the webcasting industry. Its goals were to supply anyone and everyone, with internet access, a way to express their talents & ideas to the world and to socially network with people face to face. In 2006...
to answer questions from fans who could not be at New York Comic Con 2009. On February 24, 2009, immediately after their live Q&A session via blogTV, Agrusso and Li recorded a 10-minute video on blogTV, allowing for anyone who missed the session to view a sampling of it. As of March 28, 2009, the video has been viewed over 11,830 times. On February 26, 2009, Agrusso submitted a request to YouTube that ItsJustSomeRandomGuy be a YouTube partner channel, and it was promptly accepted. As a partner, Agrusso and Li now receive a share in revenue for advertisements seen during their videos, and they also have partner privileges, such as the automatic play of a video, the ability to post more than three playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
s on their channel, and the distribution of their videos to "the largest worldwide online video community" via YouTube and its syndication partners. On March 26, 2009, Agrusso posted a short video announcing that he and Li would begin broadcasting weekly live chat sessions on blogTV, every Tuesday night starting on March 31, 2009.
2009 saw the opening of Watchmen
Watchmen (film)
Watchmen is a 2009 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. It is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons...
and X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 American action film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. The fourth installment in the X-Men film series, it was released worldwide on May 1, 2009...
. In response, Agrusso started a third "Hi, I'm a Marvel" series with Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
, Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
, Deadpool, Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
, and Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
representing Marvel and Rorschach
Rorschach (comics)
Rorschach is a fictional comic book character and antihero that was featured in the acclaimed 1986 DC Comics miniseries Watchmen...
, Doctor Manhattan, The Comedian and Nite Owl representing DC. The first video was posted on March 4, 2009, the second was posted on March 13, 2009, and the third was posted on March 23, 2009. Also in 2009, Agrusso began spoofing the major summer blockbusters with his the Marvel/DC characters since no comic book movies from Marvel and DC were being released.
In 2010, Marvel released Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...
and DC released Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex (film)
Jonah Hex is a 2010 post-Civil War antihero Western film loosely based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward and stars Josh Brolin as the title character, Jonah Hex, and also stars John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender,...
. Argusso created a fourth "Hi, I'm a Marvel" series to concide with the film's releases. He uses Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
to represent Marvel and Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
to represent DC. The first video released on May 5, 2010 and the second released on May 24, 2010. The video that premiered on May 24 was ItsJustSomeRandomGuy's 100th upload.
Characters
The characters within these parodies are mostly based on characters from DC or Marvel Comics.DC
- SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
- shown to feel that he is being forgotten due to the amount of new superheroes all over the place. All of the mutants especially Wolverine have hateful feelings about him because apparently he stole their director (Brian Singer) and to have to be contended for the "Rush HourRush hourA rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
guy" (Brett RatnerBrett RatnerBrett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
) - BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
- acts like he doesn't care about anyone except for Spider-Man who he considers an "acquaintance" and is constantly confused as to why everyone finds him "Cool". Instead of saying "I'm a DC." he says "I'm Batman". Seems to be the smartest of all the heroes as Professor XProfessor XProfessor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
telepathically communicates with him to help him beat Magneto in chess. - Green LanternGreen LanternThe Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
(Hal JordanHal JordanHarold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
) - has been shown more often. Deadpool shows resentment toward him since they're both played by Ryan ReynoldsRyan ReynoldsRyan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
. His film has to compete with three Marvel movies in the 2011 summer: ThorThor (film)Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, X-Men: First ClassX-Men: First ClassX-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
, and Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
. - Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
- Mother figure to the DC heroes and comforts them by assuring them they will eventaully get a movie and it won't just be Superman and Batman. - Jonah HexJonah HexJonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
- upset because of how his movie sucked and Megan FoxMegan FoxMegan Denise Fox is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a regular role on Hope & Faith. In 2004, she launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen...
playing a prostitute didn't help. Iron Man offered him a spiked milkshake where he dreamed the trailer with the characters replaced with those of Toy Story 3Toy Story 3Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
. - RorschachRorschach (comics)Rorschach is a fictional comic book character and antihero that was featured in the acclaimed 1986 DC Comics miniseries Watchmen...
- Tough talker. Frequently annoyed by Deadpool. - The Comedian - annoyed that people mock his little part in his film.
- Dr. Manhattan - believes in peace and harmony and doesn't understand why people laugh at him because he has no clothes on.
- Nite Owl - annoyed that the tough, mean heroes are the ones that get all the credit.
Marvel
- Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
- Looks up to Batman. Some characters point out that he is no longer married and has no memory of it as referenced by his storyline One More DayOne More Day-Music:* One More Day , an album by Diamond Rio** "One More Day" * "One More Day" * "One More Day" * "One More Day", a song by the pop rock band Stellar*...
. Always given spiked milkshakes so he could create dreams of parody trailers of the year's upcoming movie. Blames himself for losing the TransformersTransformersA transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
and G.I. JoeG.I. JoeG.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
comics franchise from MARVEL with no apparent reason. - WolverineWolverine (comics)Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
- Snarky and ill-tempered. Believes Superman is against mutants because he stole his directorBryan SingerBryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
. - Iron ManIron ManIron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
- Mostly portrays an alcoholic personality. Often shows jealousy towards other comic character, particularly Batman and Spider-Man. Admitted to have slept with a LMD with a female design and is insulted by both heroes and villains on contracting sexually transmitted diseases which he denies. - HulkHulk (comics)The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
- Likes to remember the "old times" of his TV series. Security guard at the hero's bar. - DeadpoolDeadpool (comics)Deadpool is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and...
- Often makes jokes and breaks the fourth wallFourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, very much like his comic book counter part - he even knows his true nature as an action figure. Has resentment towards Green Lantern since they are both portrayed by Ryan ReynoldsRyan ReynoldsRyan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
. Often paired with Rorschach, who often gets annoyed and then shoots him. Hates his portrayal in X-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 American action film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. The fourth installment in the X-Men film series, it was released worldwide on May 1, 2009...
. - CyclopsCyclops (comics)Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
- Determined not to be another "goody-two-shoes" hero that is either forgotten about and usually killed off in the films. - The Fantastic Four - Not usually shown, but, ThingThing (comics)The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
sometimes appears in part-time jobs (e.g. Security guard) - Nick FuryNick FuryColonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
- Often shows resentment and jealousy towards Ultimate Nick FuryUltimate Nick FuryGeneral Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. A reinterpretation of the character Nick Fury, one of the most notable differences between the two is that the mainstream Nick Fury is an Italian American colonel with graying brown hair, while this Nick Fury...
, who appears in feature films and is played by Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
, while he just got a TV movie where David HasselhoffDavid HasselhoffDavid Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
plays him.
DC
- Lex LuthorLex LuthorLex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
- The owner of the villain's bar, likes monologues and isn't trusted by any of the other villains. He has a tendency to create new grammars that doesn't make sense. He installed cameras all over the Heroes' and Villain bar to spy on everyone, commented to have bought Google EarthGoogle EarthGoogle Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
. - The JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
- Mistreats Harley and plans to make Batman's life a misery. - Harley QuinnHarley QuinnHarley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
- Completely loyal to the Joker, even though he mistreats her, but, starts to develop feelings for Green Goblin. - Poison Ivy - Annoyed that most girls in comics are portrayed as being completely gaga over the guys, but, is herself desperately in love with SandmanSandman (Marvel Comics)Sandman is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A shapeshifter endowed through an accident with the ability to turn himself into sand, he eventually reformed, and became an ally of Spider-Man...
.
Marvel
- Green GoblinGreen GoblinThe Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
- Has a crush on/on-and-off relationship with Harley Quinn. Hosts Goblin BlogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
gin and has a devotion to Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
. Mostly shown to have an idiotic personality. He is loud and sarcastic, and enjoys alcoholic beverages. - MagnetoMagneto (comics)Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
- Sometimes is allowed into the hero's bar and plays chess with Professor XProfessor XProfessor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
avier. - Dr. DoomDoctor DoomVictor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
- Mistrusts Lex Luthor - SabretoothSabretooth (comics)Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
- Hangs out at the villain's bar a lot - VenomVenom (comics)Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
- Constantly mocked about his small part in Spider-Man 3Spider-Man 3Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man... - JuggernautJuggernaut (comics)The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
- drinks a lot at the villain's bar - PyroPyro (comics)Pyro is a fictional character in Marvel Comics and an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 ....
- hangs out at the villain's bar
Characters from other companies make occasional appearances, such as Hellboy
Hellboy
Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
(Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
) and Woody
Sheriff Woody
Sheriff Woody Pride, or simply Woody, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Toy Story franchise . He is voiced by Tom Hanks in the films, and by Jim Hanks in most other media.-Toy Story:...
from Toy Story
Toy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...
(Disney). Spawn (Image Comics).
Ontario PGA Golf Merchandise Show
On October 16, 2008, Agrusso posted this message on the ItsJustSomeRandomGuy channel:"We got hired to make a video for the Ontario PGA
Professional Golfers Association
Professional Golfers' Association, , is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA...
Golf Merchandise Show! Check it out in my favorites!"
He then added a video to the "Favorites" section on the channel, which promotes the aforementioned event. Although the video was posted by the ONTPGA YouTube channel on August 27, 2008, the video is clearly Agrusso's and Li's work, as it is in the same format as his other videos (live-action figurines voiced by Agrusso). While he does not use any Marvel or DC action figures, there is a cameo appearance by Agrusso's original character, Lance M. Donovan.
Reception and popularity
As of July 6, 2011, 158,516 YouTube users were subscribed to the channel and its videos had been viewed over 67 million times.; the channel's first video has been viewed over 3.8 million times. An official press release by New York Comic Con via Comic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
called Agrusso "a genuine Internet superstar." In July 2008, q4music.com ranked one of the channel's videos as one of the top ten YouTube videos of the month.
Several online magazines such as Wonderland Stream magazine, Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
, Comic Mix, and SpoutBlog have posted interviews with Agrusso, the channel's creator. Several others have reviewed, researched, and written articles about the channel, giving it even wider exposure. In fact, the channel has become so popular that Joe Leo, a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for the Apple's advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
strategic partner, PowerBook Central, took note and wrote an article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
in his column about it.
Although Agrusso does not work for Marvel, Marvel.com has a featured blog that shows the videos and posts their interviews with him. In March 2008, Marvel gave him the rights to use their characters in promotional videos for New York Comic Con 2008. The channel re-invents the personalities of several comic book characters, including the Green Goblin
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
. On October 1, 2008, Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
mentioned ItsJustSomeRandomGuy's work in a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
live chat: "I LOVE the Marvel/DC YouTube bits on Iron Man and Dark Knight. Awesome. The Marvel guys love them too."
The channel primarily discusses comic book films from the two major comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
companies (Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
and DC
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
) using humor. Agrusso writes, performs, and shoots his videos at home with Li's help.
Since the channel's first video in March 2007, several other successful Marvel/DC video series have been created, as well as promotional videos for a major comic book convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
, which also gave Agrusso his own discussion panel to talk about the channel. Several external websites have posted its videos on their own webpages.
Round One
| Episode | Title | Starring | Premiere |
|---|
Round Two
| Episode | Title | Starring | Date added |
|---|---|---|---|
Round Three
| Episode | Title | Starring | Premiere |
|---|
Round Four
| Episode | Title | Starring | Premiere |
|---|---|---|---|
Round Five
| Episode | Title | Starring | Premiere |
|---|---|---|---|
After Hours
"Characters from Marvel and DC movies drink, chat, and feud with each other at a "heroes' bar." It is revealed that Lex Luthor is plotting something with Lance M. Donovan, the bartenderBartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
. Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man combat Luthor's plot to destroy the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
| Episode | Title | Starring | Premiere |
|---|
Happy Hour
- Batman, Spider-Man, and the Green Goblin team up to combat a plot by The Joker to turn all Marvel and DC superheroes into dark, homicidal vigilantes.
| Episode | Title | Starring | Premiere |
|---|
Zero Hour
| Episode | Title | Starring | Premiere |
|---|
- These videos premiered at the New York Comic Con 2008 and were added hours later to the YouTube video channel.
- These videos premiered at the New York Comic Con 2009 and were added hours later to the YouTube video channel.
Trailer Parodies
- Videos that parody the trailers of upcoming movies, featuring Marvel and DC characters. Most of them are a drugged Spider-Man's dreams, which seem to entertain the heroes with an exception for Batman.
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Goblin Bloggin'
- A video blog featuring the Green Goblin, concurrent with the events of After Hours, Happy Hour, and Zero Hour.
Episode Title Premiere
2008 promotional videos
Episode Title Starring Premiere
2009 promotional videos
Episode Title Starring Premiere
2010 C2E2 promotional videos
Episode Title Starring Premiere
2010 New York Comic Con Promotional Videos
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Messages and Updates
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Trailers
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Marvel / DC Holiday Specials
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Ontario PGA Golf Merchandise Show
- ItsJustSomeRandomGuy was employed by ONTPGA to make this promotional video where two golf fans act like golf commentators.
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Rorschach and Deadpool
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Specials
Episode Title Starring Premiere
Original music
Agrusso uses the GarageBandGarageBandGarageBand is a software application for Mac OS X and iOS that allows users to create music or podcasts. It is developed by Apple Inc. as a part of the iLife software package on Mac OS X.-Audio recording:...
program on his computer to create much of the background music for his videos. He has composed a few pieces of music:- The major theme behind most of Agrusso's videos is a simple three-chord progression that utilizes a synthesized piano and imitates the background of the "Hi, I'm a Mac" commercials.
- The opening music for After Hours #4 is techno piece that Agrusso composed. He later released a full version with audio snippets from past videos on YouTube.
External links
- ItsJustSomeRandomGuy was employed by ONTPGA to make this promotional video where two golf fans act like golf commentators.
- A video blog featuring the Green Goblin, concurrent with the events of After Hours, Happy Hour, and Zero Hour.