Gladys Hardy on Ellen

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Sorry about the blog ad on there but it was the best quality I could find.

Booklist

I'm afraid to report that my comic phase is continuing. I'm not sure when I'll get back to novels but, to be truthful, I haven't found any novels worth reading lately.
The Goon: Rough Stuff and Nothin' But Misery by Eric Powell
I discovered the Goon by accident when I was buying cheap comics for my art. I decided to check out the graphic novels from the library and give them a go. The Goon is basically a rough and tumble monster fighter. The setting is a sort of depression era, zombie-ridden town. It's quite fun and fairly graphic so no faint-of-hearts allowed. What drew me to the Goon was the art. Eric Powell is an amazing artist. He's kinda like Mignola, Kirby, Wrightson and Jeff Smith all rolled into one.
Batman and the Monster Men by Matt Wagner
I've never seen what the big deal over Matt Wagner has been. Ever since his Grendel books debuted back in the 80's, I've never been impressed. I found this at the library and decided to give him another chance. I needn't have bothered. The story was okay but I just don't like his art. He seems to draw okay but his inking seems bad. Perhaps it's an intentional style thing but I don't like it.
Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola and John Byrne
What can you say about Hellboy that hasn't been said? It's just great. This isn't my favorite story but any Hellboy story is head and shoulders above most of the stuff that's out there. In re-reading these I've begun to really pick up on the differences between comic Hellboy and movie Hellboy. They are different entities but both are fun in their own way.
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Since Whedon wrote it, I thought I'd give it a try. I don't read too much new X stuff because I'm a really big fan of the stuff that was done in the late 70's/early 80's and have the curmudgeonly attitude that nothing done since is as good. It seems that ever since the movies have come out, comic creators have been keying off that universe and not the ones created by the comic legends such as Cockrum, Claremont, Byrne, etc. Whedon at least pays tribute to the past but I'm not sure I like the direction he's taken. The art is fine. It's really, really good and that's a problem for me too. I like the way comics used to look. I don't know how to describe it. The word that pops into my mind is comic booky but perhaps cartoony would serve better. Today's artists are trying to make all our heroes look too real. Perhaps that's another by-product of the movies. Whatever it is, I'm not a fan. I am nostalgic for the way comics looked in the past with Kirby, Adams, Kubert, Ditko, Byrne and the like.

Andrew Wyeth: 1917-2009

Playing the Beatles Backward: The Ultimate Countdown

Since I recently purchased and am watching Beatles Anthology I found this interesting.

To most Beatles fans, choosing between the songs of the Fab 4 is a bit like choosing between children. But, on the JamsBio exclusive, Playing The Beatles Backwards, one intrepid fan dares to rank the original songs of The Beatles and give his reasons why in a worst-to-first countdown. Prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites, and follow the countdown all the way to Number 1.

Hipster Olympics

I don't care where this was filmed, this is soooooo Seattle!

House Prices in Our Neighborhood

Want to see how expensive houses are in our neighborhood? Go here. I love the 640 square foot condo for $225K. That's how ridiculous it is here, folks.

Ricardo Montalban: 1920-2009

KHAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!

1000 Journals Trailer

This is available on DVD now. I added it to my Netflix queue but it's not available to rent yet. My online friend Julie from Collage Clearinghouse is in the film. I can't wait to see it.

Booklist

Hellboy: The Chained Coffin & Others by Mike Mignola
I decided to re-read all the Hellboy comics that the library has. The best compliment that I can pay these collections is that one day I'd like to own them all. Mignola is one of the most talented writers and illustrators in comics and Hellboy is one of the greatest characters ever created. I especially love how Mignola weaves ancient myths and faery tales into the stories. Really great stuff.
Superman: For Tomorrow Vol. 2 by Brian Azzarello, Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Volume 2 was no improvement on 1. The whole thing left me cold.
Batman: The Joker's Last Laugh by Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty and others
This collection had too much going on. It's like they tried to throw everything in there...including the kitchen sink. The whole story revolves around the Joker being told he's got a tumor and is going to die. He then sets out on a final rampage, involving a ton of other heroes and villains. The story was too shallow and yet too dense all at the same time. They tried to do too much. The art was uneven and, due to the story, way too busy. The best thing about the collection is the cover art by Brian Bolland. Speaking of Bolland, if you ever want to read a great collection, get Camelot 3000. Great stuff.

Blogapalooza

Check it out. I'm one of over 100 guest bloggers over at Middle Zone Musings. And...it's not too late for you to get involved. Robert is still looking for a few good bloggers. He'll be running these guest spots thru Jan. 25th so if you're interested in participating, go here and find out how.

Booklist

Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
In this graphic novel, the Superhuman Registration Act has become a reality. Superheroes must register with the government, reveal their secret identities and receive training to continue as a government sanctioned crimefighter. Some heroes agree to comply, others don't.
I didn't think I'd like this but I did. It was quite entertaining. It's not perfect. It sucks seeing some of your fave heroes selling out but it's only fiction and pretty gimmicky at that. Both DC and Marvel come up with these gimmicky premises to shake up the their respective universes and sell books. It's just another Secret Wars or Crisis on Infinite Earths. I look at it this way, as long as I'm getting them out of the library...I'll pretty much give anything a go.
Batman: Broken City by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
Yet another dark, noir Batman comic. Frank Miller's influence continues to shape the Dark Knight's stories. This one wasn't too bad. The art was very cool even though I hated the way the artist interpreted Killer Croc. I loved the characters Fat Man and Little Boy. I see a lot of potential there. I wonder if they are in any other stories?

Snow Kidding

Unbelievable. It's snowing again. We've gotten 4-5 inches since late this afternoon. They say it's supposed to warm up and rain but they also said we would only get 1 inch at the most so they are unreliable. At this point who knows what we'll wake up to in the morning.
I stepped out a few minutes ago and took these shots. Crazy weather, man.

Booklist

Superman: Last Son by Geoff Johns, Richard Donner and Adam Kubert
This one intrigued me since it includes Donner. I've always loved what he did with the Superman movie and am looking forward to seeing his director's cut for Superman II. This story continues in that particular universe as if Donner had never stopped. It's an interesting next step and certainly more interesting than Bryan Singer's lackluster treatment of Supes. I can't talk about it much more or I'd spoil it for you.
Superman: For Tomorrow Vol. 1 by Brian Azzarello, Jim Lee and Scott Williams
This one was pretty boring. I usually like Jim Lee's art but it looks too sterile here. I really liked it in Batman: Hush when he darkened up a bit. I guess Supes can't go too dark. Anyway, the story was uninteresting and the writing seemed herky-jerky to me. I suppose I'll see if the library has the second volume but volume 1 didn't really make me want to continue.
Doctor 13: Architecture and Mortality by Brian Azzerello and Cliff Chang
This is a weird graphic novel. It makes use of crappiest characters ever conceived in the DC universe all pulled together in a story by the character of Doctor 13. In the story, "the Architects - shapers of the universe - don't have room for these misfits in their new world order. Can professional debunker Doc 13 unmask their secret? And if he does, will even he believe it?" So, it was enjoyable enough. Good art. Not much else to say, really.
The Dark Horse Book of Monsters by Keith Giffen, Mike Mignola, Al Milgrom and others
This one is part of an anthology series put out by Dark Horse. I'm hoping to find the rest via the library. Of course, this one is filled with short stories dealing with monsters. Some are good (like the Mignola and Giffen stories) and others are not. Mignola's Hellboy is always a treat. Giffen's story is interesting in that it deals with the advent of superheroes and how that affects scientist/adventurers like the Challengers of the Unknown. After these two stories, the rest are only so-so.

Art in 2009

We just got back from picking up some money from art sales so I thought I'd fill the blogosphere in on my plans for 2009.
- I will not be doing as many shows as 2008. If I can plan one for every other month, that will be enough. Last year I had a show nearly every month and it was hectic. So far, I am booked thru the middle of the year.
- I will be more particular about shows in the future. The show I had lined up for Dec. was cancelled at the last minute and I have heard nothing else from the person in charge. I am out a few bucks and I feel as though I was scammed.
- I hope to start selling my work online. I will checking into that as soon as finances allow. I think this is the next step for my art. We'll see.
- I sent my stuff in for the book my work is going to be in. The book will be called Masters: Collage published by Lark Books in spring of 2010. I'll provide more info as it's available.
I guess that's about it. Not much on the horizon right now. Not sure where to go except for the possibility of selling on the internet. I do know that I will continue to produce art no matter what.
The business stuff is secondary to the creative process.

3 Parks in 1 Day

Yesterday, I visited 3 parks that I've never been to. I took about 250 pics between the 3. In the morning I went to Gasworks Park. After running errands for the rest of the day I ran over to Sunset Hill Park to catch the sunset (duh) and then raced over to Kerry Park for it's famous view of downtown Seattle. (It's one of the first shots in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You)There were tons of people there and about 15 photographers with their tripods and such. I felt like an amateur with my dinky digital. One day, one of those fancy SLRs will be mine.
So, a fun day of snapping pics. I'll post more when I have the time. Make sure you check my photo site and my Facebook for more pics.