Friday, June 30, 2023
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Monday, June 26, 2023
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Recently Read: Naruto Vol. 23: Predicament, by Masashi Kishimoto
For the second volume in a row the chapters are centered on close combat as a result of the rescue mission for Sasuke's body and soul. The combatants are Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru, in contention with Kimimaro, Tayuya and Sakon, respectively. While the battles themselves are tense, bizarre and suspenseful as always, the limited scope and missing longtime characters gives the feel of a series that's lagging and running out of inspiration.
I don't yet know whether the upcoming jump in time will benefit the series or harm it, but Naruto was a near perfect series for its first twenty volumes and its unsettling to see it start to falter.
Recently Read: Room to Dream by Kristine McKenna and David Lynch
Journalist Kristine McKenna and director David Lynch's 2018 biography-memoir Room to Dream utilized a novel approach: each of McKenna's well-researched, fact-based chronological chapters are paired with Lynch's memories, observations and anecdotes. I approached this book with a slight trepidation, believing that the work of great artists (and, by extension, the greatest artists) is best served by no explanations or commentary by the creators. After having finished the book, I still think the same. Simply put, art not stripped of its mysteries and origins is more magical. As Stanley Kubrick asked, wouldn't we enjoy the Mona Lisa less if Da Vinci had explained why she's smiling?
Having said that, I couldn't put Room to Dream down. Lynch's working process and his idiosyncratic (and often hilarious) ruminations are highly entertaining. For those who want more details about Eraserhead, Lynch's painting exhibitions,Twin Peaks, aborted projects and music collaborations I didn't know existed - it's all here. Dichotomies of human nature exemplified in his work are also here: in one paragraph Lynch will describe the peace inherent in Transcendental Meditation and in the next offer an offhand reference to another love interest (or wife) he left for someone new, not seeming to discern a contradiction in the two.
Room to Dream is liberally supplemented with unusual photographs and a complete, chronological appendix of works.
Saturday, June 17, 2023
Monday, June 12, 2023
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Monday, June 5, 2023
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Recently Read: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Hoppy the Kangaroo
The 8th volume of Gladstone's comic album series reprints a prime 1935 Floyd Gottfredson comic strip story, Hoppy the Kangaroo. While the coloring is not good and some of the artwork looks extended to fit the format, it's Gottfredson's genius at physical comedy that sells the story, one so early in the series that it's Horace Horsecollar who functions as the sidekick instead of Goofy. For those who just want a fun Mickey story about a pet kangaroo fighting a ferocious gorilla in the ring, this'll fit the bill. The volume is rounded out with an earlier (lesser) serialized story and also gag-a-day dailies from different time periods of the Mickey Mouse strip. An informative background essay by Geoffrey Blum is also included.
Friday, June 2, 2023
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