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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)