Friday, November 26, 2021
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Recently Read: Daisy Miller: A Dark Comedy of Manners, by Daniel Mark Fogels
Unlike the routine study guide for Henry James' Daisy Miller I was expecting, Daniel Mark Fogels' Daisy Miller: A Dark Comedy of Manners is packed with insights and well-researched observations. I especially appreciated Fogels' thoughts on the novella's point of view(s) and the excerpts from travel guide books of the 19th century "selling" the various locales used in the work. It was interesting to discover that James himself used such guidebooks in his own initial European tours. This is, all in all, a well-rounded guide to Daisy Miller and I'm interested in reading the Twayne guide to The Portrait of a Lady after I've read that novel.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Monday, November 22, 2021
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Recently Read: Golden Age Captain America Vol. 2
As with Vol. 1, Golden Age Captain America Vol. 2, reprinting issues 5-8, pairs Jack Kirby penciled stories with various and lackluster backup series (the most ludicrous being the scythe-bearing Father Time, who stops crime in the nick of..you know). As the issues progress, Kirby's attention (or the time he had to devote to the stories) begins to diminish. He's most strong on the book's covers and especially the splash pages and story openings (including at least two double-page spreads) which are expansively cinematic in nature, and utilize more careful, elaborate inking. Though the stories are often rote, some single images powerful in their nascent form stand out. A full-page diorama drawing of a submarine shaped like a sea-dragon could be mistaken for a page from Nick Fury, Agent of Shield twenty-five years later. In the book's first tale, "Captain America and the Ringmaster of Death" (the Ringmaster being one of two Marvel villains of the same name and temperament), Cap is knocked unconscious, his head banging into a brick wall. The fury shown in his bruised and battered face when he awakens ("Captain America's eyes gleam with a strange light. His face muscles tighten as his words hiss from between his bared teeth") is a prototype of Kirby's 1970s Orion, when his Apokoliptean nature takes hold. Kirby was at his best when he tapped into his own real emotions and I'm feelin' it here.
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Friday, November 12, 2021
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Recently Read: Naruto Vol. 17
The narrative gets slowed down a bit in Vol. 17, to the story's benefit. The first half pits the evil Itachi and Kisame against Sasuke, Naruto and Jiraiya, with a disturbing flashback involving the senseless murder of Sasuke and Itachi's parents. The remainder of the book involves Jiraiya's training of Naruto, with scenes of the reckless, gambling-addicted Tsunade on the side. Along the way, Orochimaru tends his wounds and plans revenge. Sakura seems to sadly be getting shunted to the side in the current storylines; she's relegated to three small panels in this volume.
Monday, November 8, 2021
Recently Read: Naruto Vol. 16
Operation Destroy Konaha comes to an end in this volume and, for the first time, creator Masashi Kishimoto seems rushed in the construction of the plot (and also the art; Panel 4, Page 89 - when read right to left - is the most slapdash illustration to appear in the series so far). The story jumps from scene to scene and time to time so often and abruptly that the storytelling borders on confusion in places. Still, this is Naruto. His and Gaara's battle culminates with Gaara getting a glimpse of understanding about sacrifice and love. An important leader also puts that idea into action and pays for it with his life. The volume also introduces Sasuke's older brother Uchiha Itachi, a malevolent threat to Naruto and Sasuke; even Kakashi is no match for him. Hurried execution aside, this is another exciting episode in a grand epic.
New Microcomic, Time's Up, Now Available!
You can order a copy of my depressing new public domain mashup microcomic, Times Up, at this handy location, on NenoWorld, your resource for sweet zines:: Time's Up (nenoworld.com)
Jack Kirby's Balletic Violence
Jack Kirby was known in the '60s and '70s for breaking down pages into six panels of balletic, propulsive action/violence. Here's an early template for the method (maybe the first example) from 1941. So much of what Kirby did later in his career was there in nascent form right from the beginning.
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