Asterios Polyp
- Written and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, published by Pantheon. Again, I'm a little late to the party on this one, but then again, aren't I always? Asterios Polyp was released in 2009 and won three Harvey awards (best lettering, best OGN, best single issue or story) among many others awards across the board. Oftentimes it was competing neck and neck with Darwyn Cooke's Parker: The Hunter
for best release of the year, but the books are so vastly different that I can only say that they are both two of the best releases of 2009 and both deserve to be proudly displayed on peoples' shelves. Asterios Polyp is the story of Asterios Polyp, a world-reknowned award-winning architect. The problem is that he has never had a single one of his designs built, and he remains a "paper architect." Asterios is arrogant, selfish and lost to the needs of others, primarily his good-hearted and brilliant sculptor wife, Hana, and as a fire destroys his apartment and belongings, he sets out on a journey to understand his life and what has led him to the events prior to the fire.
Beautifully written, and remarkably illustrated in an abundance of differing and oftentimes intentionally conflicting styles with a vast array of lettering, this book has it all. I loved it. You will love it. Buy it.
 |
| Asterios Polyp...just buy this amazingly beautiful book. |
Comics Experience Comic Creators Workshop - Alrighty, I am well aware of the fact that I mention this workshop that I am involved with often enough, if not every single week that I post FSH/SIW, but the group continues to be an immensely inspiring venture. Prior to this month's meeting I finished the first draft of my fourth short comic script and have received vital feedback I can apply to the second draft that will help me improve not just the script but my comics writing as a whole. During the meeting, we listened to and commented on another writer's script, and listened to a critique of five beautifully drawn pages of pencils from an artist. This was only the first hour.
The second hour was led by Panda Dog Press founder and Comic Creator Workshop moderator Rob Anderson for a question and answer session with Nathan Edmondson, writer of The Light
, Olympus
and the soon to be released Who Is Jake Ellis. I personally found Edmondson's story immensely inspiring and he provided much to think about. I cannot express enough the honesty and willingness of Edmondson to answer questions and provide a history of the steps he took to become noticed. *note - Immediately after the workshop, I downloaded all five issues of The Light from ComiXology. The TPB should have a ton of extra info and will be available at the end of December...I just could not wait a month to get it.*Overall a great night and if you are at all interested in creating comics from any aspect of the medium then you should give this a try or take one of the classes that will be offered next year. Taking the writing course and signing up for the workshop are two of the best decisions that I have ever made.
Thanos Imperative #5 - Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda, pubished by Marvel Comics. Finally! I waited for two weeks for this series concluding issue that was left out of my pull to finally show up. Good things come to those who wait. I can't say anything about this without giving away anything, so let's just say the shit goes down in this issue. I will be rereading the entire series again to see if I missed anything...primarily, what the hell happened to Adam Magus/Adam Warlock. Huh...yeah, where did one of my favorite Marvel characters of all time go. Weird. In January, there will be an epilogue issue titled Thanos Imperative: Devastation that I cannot wait to get my hands on, and here's to hoping that I don't have to wait an excessive amount of time to get it. I'm looking at you LCS!
 |
| Thanos Imperative #6 - Definitely worth the wait! |
Secret Avengers # 7 - Written by Ed Brubaker, illustrated by Mike Deodato, Jr., published by Marvel Comics. Yup. Still loving this series. All it needs is for Iron Fist to show up and I will be a happy camper. Shang-Chi, John Aman the Green Mist, Steve Rogers, Black Widow and another surprise--and effectively utilized--character try to research the reasoning for a mysterious groups' attempt to raise Shang-Chi's evil father from the dead. Still a great book.
 |
| Secret Avengers #7 - Still great! |
Slice Into the Woods
Getting Sick God Damnit - I really shouldn't be surprised that I'm sick. For the past 30 years of living in Santa Barbara, every single Thanksgiving and/or Christmas I have been sick with the exception of one of those years. Why should this year be any different? For the past week, without fail, I have woken up between the hours of 2:30 AM and 3:15 AM. The odd thing is that I don't wake up sneezing, or coughing, or in pain, or anything like that, I just wake up. Then I lay there. "Humpty hump, I'm a lump, why the fuck can't I go back to sleep?" I then toss and turn until I finally pass out in a deep sleep...15 minutes before the damn alarm goes off. *sigh*
Thanksgiving Day Ruckus - This year we stayed in town for Thanksgiving and avoided the whole busiest traveling day bullshit, but unfortunately we were unable to avoid some of the other bullshit that tends follow this "joyous time of year." Amy and I met my mom, her husband, Grandma and Jeff at Harry's Plaza Cafe for Thanksgiving dinner and apparently so did everyone else in the city. The place was packed, but after a half hour wait, despite our reservation, we were seated and having Blue Moon Martinis and dinner. Everything was progressing along nicely and we had just paid our bill when we heard some sort of ruckus over near the entrance, and then the children started screaming. Someone who looked to be in his sixties was physically fighting someone else. I'm not sure if it was "Drunken asshole #1" vs. a family member or vs. the staff of Harry's, but the whole event was a nightmare for everyone else in the restaurant and doubly so for the poor children who will forever hate Thanksgiving going forward. What happened exactly I do not know, but I did hear someone say, "...we have had problems with him in the past."
Here comes Donist's heartless side...I don't understand why people feel the need to put themselves, and in this case complete strangers, through crazy amounts of torment because we are told that Thanksgiving is the time of year to tear down walls and fences and reach out a helping hand to those less fortunate. That's fine, but what about the rest of the fucking year? "Oh they'll be fine, just be sure to invite them for Thanksgiving, that's when it matters most." Last night, I suspect that Uncle Dickwad is an unpleasant person to be around and I am certain that he's sure to make everyones' lives as miserable as the life that he actively pushes upon himself. "But what about Uncle Dickwad? He's family! You can't just leave him at home alone! It's Thanksgiving for god's sake!" Well, you leave Uncle Dickwad alone for most of the year because...well, because frankly he's a mean spirited dickwad who makes everyone miserable. I can see this guy doing this kind of thing every year. Simple solution, don't invite him back and tell him why. He's the one who needs to make the effort not the family.
Such a mean, mean ol' Donist, but I did not need to see that, my family did not need to see that, and Uncle Dickwad's family did not see that, especially the children did not need to see that. I hate what the holidays do to people. Up next...Christmas, aka how to go broke in 30 days!
Accidentally Hurting Tulip's Toe - Look...I'm sorry, alright. Shit, it's not like I did it on purpose? I love you, you know that right? Seriously, it was totally an accident. I would never knowingly hurt you. Fuck! Why don't you believe me? I mean...I'm not mad or anything, but in case you forgot, I was sitting calmly on the couch when you came flying out of nowhere, with that...that...sopping wet plush bone that is as big as you are. Do you remember landing on my nuts? Twice for god's sake?! You totally pushed that thing, what do you call it, "Fuzzby" right in my face. Did I shoo you away? Did I call you a bad dog? No, no I didn't. I stopped what I was doing, cupped a protective hand over the ol' twig and berries and got down to the tug of war.
Then you bumped your toenail on my hand and yelped. Sure, I don't doubt that it hurt, I'm not saying that, but why would I ever do that on purpose? I raised you from a puppy, losing massive amounts of sleep in the process. I also feed you, come home everyday at lunch to be with you, and play with you. It...was...an...accident, for fucks sake. Now you skulk over to Amy and climbing into her lap grumbling the whole while, turning your back on me and only looking over your shoulder to be sure that I can see your ears routinely flattening against your head. I get it, okay.
I'm sorry. Please, forgive me. What? Well, yes I suppose I was giving you a bit of guilt trip, but I went on the defensive. You know how I get. Can, I give you a chicken Zukes? Would that make you feel better? Okay, FINE. Sit there on Amy's lap looking all dejected. See if I care...ummm...can I see your paw? I'm sorry. C'mon, let's go get those Zukes.
 |
| Donist, your a dick. |
 |
| Whoa there, cowboy...did you say Zukes?! |
. Yes I would have preferred to be listening to The Cure, Love and Rockets or the Pixies, but Jeff was frothing at the mouth to go to this show, so I went. Thank god I did. It ended up being an amazing performance. Connick had incredible stage presence and passion for his music and honestly seemed to be thrilled to be performing for everyone. During the encore, he and his live band rotated instruments during the song until Connick had played a solo on every instrument before finishing out the set. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would gladly see a performance of that caliber from Harry Connick, Jr. again. Bring it!
album and all in all it was a decent show. It would have been better if two things did not happen:
and 
albums and the really cool 
album. Faithful readers (Mom and my friend's dog) please understand something. This was before Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was severely overplayed to the point where if I heard that damn song "Ice Cream" I would collapse in a fit of anger, then become overwhelmed with a sense of despair and abandonment from which I could only escape by listing to Nine Inch Nails's song "
." She did, however, put on a great show and she was exceptionally charming and beyond talented and this was before the release of 
which is probably not a bad album. But, the god damn radio station at my payroll job would years later end up playing that fucking song "Adia" every hour all day long for two years straight. I can no longer listen to Sarah McLachlan because of that stupid radio station which is probably still playing the same Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, Chumbawumba and that fucking "Closing Time" song to this day. Oh shit! Oh god no! I said Paula Cole! Crap cakes. Now I'll be hearing "I Don't Want to Wait" in my mind all day long. Oh the humanity! *Oh yeah, Paula Cole opened for Sarah McLachlan. *sigh*
album tour, but we were and still are, huge Adam Ant fans. Mr. Ant put on an energetic show that touched on some of the newer songs and hit almost every one of his greatest hits. I lost my marbles when I heard "Stand and Deliver," "Friend or Foe," and "Desperate But Not Serious." Marco Pirroni was in the house to rock the guitar and he was a massive guy, towering in all ways over Mr. Ant who danced and strutted his way to a great show. One thing I could not help but notice was a slight pervading sadness from Adam Ant over the lack of response to his newer material with the exception of "Wonderful" that had throngs of radio listeners, who barely knew any of his other hits, making out in unison. "Marco, Merrick, Terry Lee, Gary Tibbs and your truly. In the naughty North and the sexy South, we're all singing I have the mouth."
. I remember the show being fairly short, but how could it be anything but short with only one album under their belt? Addictive pounding energy flowed through the crowd and even though things wrapped up quickly, everyone left happy. Isn't that what everyone wants?
- Written by Christos N. Gage and Mike Costa with illustrations by Antonio Fuso, published by IDW. Alright, alright. Simmer down class. I said simmer DOWN. Okay. Yeah G.I. Joe: Cobra is on here, hell it's at the top of the list. First thought would be that I am going for a nostalgia-ridden, retro-type, reclaim-my-rapidly-dying youth sort of trip on this one, but that could not be further from the truth. This book is good. Really fucking good. This is not the G.I. Joe with silly guys with red and blue colored lasers who could not hit the side of a barn if their life depended on it. No, this book is deeply serious, very heavy on the intrigue and in a few instances severely harsh and wicked. 
, too. 
- Written by Jason Aaron with art by Yanick Paquette and C.P. Smith, published by Marvel Comics. The first four issues in this graphic novel deal with an insane doctor, who has abducted Wolverine and messes with his mind. I liked the story arc just fine, but the real gem of this TPB is the final one-issue story wherein Wolverine "seeks" out advice about a woman from his women friends. It was refreshing to see how even a man who is over 100 years old can be at a complete loss over what to do with a woman he actually cares about. His reluctance to just say what he wants, and the dancing around the subject is realistic for the character and touching at the same time. My favorite "advice" that he receives is that which he gives to himself while talking through his problem with Rogue, who never says a word on the subject. An incredibly well-written story and well worth the price to buy the whole graphic novel. Hmmmm...I wonder what kind of girl it would take for Wolverine to seek out advice from his male friends...it would probably be someone like Emma Frost or some other wild Marvel lady he should not be around messing with. Great read.
and 
on blu-ray. I need to mention that 
tour. I was still with my first girlfriend back then and we had both spent a ridiculous amount of time pouring over Depeche Mode's appropriately titled Catching Up With Depeche Mode video, which in all likelihood is sitting somewhere in the scary storage unit. We loved the Mode and made the trip to LA to see our favorite band. Parking took forever, getting to the gate took forever, getting inside took forever, and getting to our goddamn seats took forever as well. We ended up only seeing the last couple of songs for opening band Nitzer Ebb, who I really loved--"Control I'm Here" is my favorite song from them. 
himself eventually hit the stage--very late--and shit went nuts...seriously nuts. For years, I have complained that Santa Barbara concert audiences are comprised of a handful of super-fans who ruin the show for everyone, or for the most part medically sedated drones who won't dance or sing or enjoy themselves. This was not the case at this show. People were losing their fucking marbles. A steady stream of flowers and carrots (???) were flying onstage to the point that it looked like Morrissey was singing in the middle of a big salad. People were singing, dancing, screaming, and a four-eyed fat kid (not me) jumped on stage to hug him. 
. Although TWC is great filmed in muted color, I am curious to see if black and white version would add extra creep-out factor to the show or not. We'll see.
, which contains issues 1-48 of this intensely engaging series in one large volume. Warning though, it, like the show, is not for the faint of heart.
; yup, I'm not saying who. I really enjoyed the return of Brubaker to some of the coolest of the martial art characters. Now, if only Iron Fist would show up...
playing in the background a great time overall.
album, primarily on the popularity of the song "Tiny Meat". At times delving into then popular trip-hop and mixing in a semi-industrial tinge, I remember having a pretty good time at this show. I also remember seeing a guy practically boning his girlfriend from behind, on the dance floor during Ruby's set. Hell, come to think of it, "practically" might need to be changed to "actually," as it was dark, crowded and you know...it's not polite to stare. At least the couple was attractive, unlike what I had to witness going down at the TV On the Radio concert in Ventura last year*. I wrote about that ages ago when I talked about 
and the concert blew me completely away, especially when they played my favorite songs of the moment such as "Shining Road," "Reverie," "Lilies," and older tracks like "Jewel," "Everywhere," and "Starblood." The venue was completely packed. At times powerful and driving and then calm and wistful. One of my most favorite shows of all time.
" tour at the El Rey and although the band had changed many of the members and their music had evolved to a quieter and more complex sound, the show was almost as amazing. A hypnotic light show dazzled the audience and coupled with the music succeeded in pulling everyone from out of their thoughts and worries for a night of intensely beautiful music. This would have been the second perfect Cranes concert for me had I not parked the goddamn car next to a "Parking By Permit Only" sign that happened to be hidden behind a bushy tree in the surrounding neighborhood...this still seems kind of Dukes of Hazard/Rosco P. Coltrane to me. Stupid city parking tickets.
was right when their debut album had just been released and they were playing tiny venues. As luck would have it, they played at Revival here in Santa Barbara. For god only knows what reason, the evil music corporation that I worked for had convinced Revival to allow them to have a table at the show and to sell CDs and cassettes (yeah, remember those?) in the back. I think I sold four items, but I honestly had one of the best seats in the house, except that there were rumors that Shirley Manson went alfresco or panty-less. If that was true, then I missed out for sure.
album at the Santa Barbara County Bowl and again, great show. They played everything that I ever wanted to hear, including a B-side or two and Amy and I were dancing maniacs on the general admission lawn area.