Movie Review: The Artist

Let's talk silent. I took in The Artist today. I wanted to see it before it left the local theater. I had to see why this thing won Best Picture on both sides of the pond. Surprisingly enough, this B&W non-Talkie kept my interest for the 100 minute run time. It was a bit foreign at first to view a movie that relied more on visual nuance and gesture than the glut of sensory effects we've become accustomed to as a society. I really believe the film triumphed internationally because it drew a sharp contrast to the usual fare. Was it clever enough to garner Best Picture nods? I'm not sure of that. But I will say it was worth the matinée ticket price. And it was refreshing to see a simple story "eloquently" delivered. "B+"

Yarns Progress

Okay, I'm bringing up the rear as we close in on our final deliverable for YARNS. Here's a sample of my “pencils” (actually they're a mix of ink and a motley patchwork of tracing paper and scotch tape). I love the hands-on feel of “Frankensteining” the composition in analog. Right now I’m moving into the inking phase. That actually goes fast for me. I scan these sample pages in, convert them to light bluelines, output them on Clearprint vellum, then ink directly on them. Then I'll rescan them RGB and blast out the bluelines in Pshop (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation: Activate the blue and cyan channels and crank the Lightness slider to 100) and I'm ready to flat and paint. Colorizing will happen in bulk (and earnest) this week. I'm pretty excited about the story, though. It ended up being 18 pages. Phew!

Movie Review: John Carter

I caught the matinée of John Carter today. I found it reminiscent to Stars Wars in its epic-ness and humor; the story was interesting, the characters entertaining. My only critique concerns the actor who played the main character. Taylor Kitsch, though effective in his action segments as John Carter, needed more screen presence. Kitsch assumes the role of reluctant hero in the story, but comes off a little too unassertive and timid in his delivery. Ironically, though Mar's low gravity gives the Earthling Carter super strength and Hulk-like jumping ability, it seems to also rob him of the gravitas needed to pull off the job as male lead. (Marc Wahlberg in Planet of the Apes comes to mind). My advice to Kitsch: Rent Dirty Harry and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and take notes from Sensei Clint. Beyond that, an entertaining film. "B+"

And I'm Back

After a 3-year hiatus from my personal blog, I've returned. Partly because I'd like a central hub outside of Facebook for design and illustration topics. And partly because I just want a place to park my arcane thoughts now and then. For those who are unfamiliar with my activities, I'm working on three different things right now:


YARNS: The Yowling Anthology of Random & Neato Stories
This is a compilation of short graphic stories written and created by six other friends and myself. It's due to come out this spring and there will be a show/reception at the CSUS University Union Gallery in late April. I'll post dates up in the next month. Check out work in progress here.


Peck, The Man Without Neck
Our one-armed hero, Dent, is a young man with a mysterious and sketchy past. He's a dumpy Sactown garbage man by day and a freakish, fledgling crime fighter by night. Mentored by Cornelius Bacon, the resident landfill recluse, and his teddy bear confidant, Billy Trudare, Dent learns the ancient discipline of Gar Bag Do. Together this unlikely trio attempt to take back a tattered city held hostage by greed, corruption and villainy. Keep up with the action here.


Incompatibles

This is my weekly web comic panel that chronicles the awkward intersections of the inanely bizarre and occasionally true. Check it out here.
The majority of the activity will be on Yarns in the near term. Stay tuned.

Sorry

I apologize blogger. It's my fault. It all started off very innocently, but it soon got out of hand. I flirted here and there ... I was thrilled by the rush of it all. I didn't mean for this to happen, but ... here we are. I'm leaving you for Facebook. I'll send someone to pick up my things next week.

Happy New Year.

Spoiled, Not Stirred

Argh. Casino Royale set me up for a fall. Not that the newest Bond installment is bad. It's good; just not great. I give Quantum of Solace a firm B. No doubt it had all the action of its gritty predecessor, but it again proves that stunts, chases and fight scenes cannot make up for a plot with too many flat spots. Oh my wife and I had high hopes for it, especially after seeing the Batman upgrade (Dark Knight) earlier this year. Daniel Craig is still awesome as the new double 0. But we were just expecting a little more umph in the storyline and villains. I know I shouldn't be so hard; he just lost his true love for goodness sake. Perhaps this is a valley we had to tread through with him, to snap the old boy out of his melancholy over Vesper. Okay, Bond, shake it off, stiff upper. We anxiously await your next mission.
PS>> Mini spoiler alert: I was sad to see Mathis come and go so quickly. It was almost as if the put him in a red Star Trek tunic, how long was he on? Ten minutes? He was the only one we felt a bit of an attachment to from the last film, aside from Bond and M. I guess that actually helps me identify my overall feelings about the film: I felt a bit detached myself because there seemed fewer individuals and causes to root for. "B-"

A Little Shuffle

Time for a little rearranging. I will be be moving all things about The Peck over to http://www.themanwithoutneck.com/ from here on out. It is at this address you will find weekly comic updates on Dent, Cornelius and Billy as they fight to clean up the tattered streets of Sactown.

That being said, I will still continue here with my personal blog, cluttering the cybersphere with more rambling on movies, books, mishaps and errata.

Stay tuned!

Going APE

I will be peddling my wares down in SF this Saturday at APE, the Alternative Press Expo. It's my first time being on the other side of the table at a comic book convention, so it should be a learning experience. I plan on meeting many of the comic book artists there and soaking it all in.

Currently I am readying my comic site, themanwithoutneck.com, for launch on the same day. Won't have all the bell sand whistles I want this weekend's debut, but the low res of chapter 1 of The Peck will be up for viewing. The comic will also be on sale at Lulu.com. I will be migrating the publishing and online sales to another printer very soon. This will greatly inprove the cost of the book (as Lulu is way pricey). I'll let you know as soon as it's up and running.

MeOw

Here's a sneak peak of one peck spread. Cornelius (Dent's mentor) narrates as the Peck sprints through the Sactown night ...

Final Peck Cover

Okay, here it is. The official cover of The Peck. Click on the image to get all the venous detail.

I'll be selling this 24-page comic book at the Alternative Press Expo on Saturday, November 1st in San Francicso. You'll find me at booth 534A. And once the convention is over, I will be displaying all of chapter one online as a continuing webcomic with updates every week at http://www.themanwithoutneck.com. Every 20-30 pages I'll be compiling chapters for print. The anticipated graphic novel will be aproximately 140 pages, so I will be putting out roughly a 5 comic arc to finish the book.