tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10933815830341674962024-03-13T10:13:05.341-07:00AIM ComicsDominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-89632701347429378892023-12-04T06:37:00.000-08:002023-12-18T08:35:46.318-08:00New Book Out Now! Bruno the Bandit 25th Anniversary Artbook!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbS3J41Dzd3dmWDaPHlLkdVXba-q5S5gaoQLWECb_iXPiUGwDGnlWz5XoakKhTGUHe3_I63pxbvpc4oyN7CorBeyPl64mh5teunOz5Rk7SB-wnsMzgUHghY2Ho4JN_zYaTmN5y89xKEa34uOXvgYVoQEsZHoel-BZfVm3fBcxpP6oRhgoX4SdjvlhBCCsw/s1250/25thanniversarybook.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbS3J41Dzd3dmWDaPHlLkdVXba-q5S5gaoQLWECb_iXPiUGwDGnlWz5XoakKhTGUHe3_I63pxbvpc4oyN7CorBeyPl64mh5teunOz5Rk7SB-wnsMzgUHghY2Ho4JN_zYaTmN5y89xKEa34uOXvgYVoQEsZHoel-BZfVm3fBcxpP6oRhgoX4SdjvlhBCCsw/s400/25thanniversarybook.jpg" /></a></div>
<p> Hot off the presses today, it's the Bruno the Bandit 25th Anniversary Artbook for Coloring! Celebrating 25 years of the Bruno the Bandit webcomic, it's a collection of some of the best pieces of art from Ian McDonald and friends (including your humble editor), with black and white reproductions of every cover from The Brutal Blade series, as well as some hidden gems from Ian and art from other contributors to the series. This book is formatted so that it can be enjoyed on its own as a retrospective of some of the best art in the history of the strip, or you can take your favorite coloring tools in hand and enjoy adding your own vision to the pages. </p><p>It's a project that was put together just for the fun of it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together. </p><p>Available now from Amazon and shipping in time for Xmas, you can get it <a href="https://amzn.to/3Ndh2ZR">here</a>:<br /></p><p>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=paladfreel-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0CPCVTQ9Y&asins=B0CPCVTQ9Y&linkId=089314c2bf2040c2ed3a213fea5bcb91&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> </p><p>Or if you're in <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Bruno-Bandit-Anniversary-Artbook-Coloring/dp/B0CPCVTQ9Y/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2F8M9716DLSYR&keywords=bruno+the+bandit&qid=1701700005&sprefix=bruno+the+bandi%2Caps%2C467&sr=8-4 ">Canada, order it here</a>.</p><p> Or search your own local variant of Amazon if you're outside of either of those regions. <strike>A digital copy will be coming soon from DriveThru Comics as well, so keep an eye on this page for more.</strike></p><p>Update: The book is now available as a printable digital download for only $1.99 USD, <a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/464231/Bruno-the-Bandit-25th-Anniversary-Artbook-for-Coloring?manufacturers_id=3463">only at DriveThruComics.com!</a><br />
</p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-77707807197578955962023-11-29T08:50:00.000-08:002023-11-29T08:50:58.876-08:00New Book Coming Soon!<p> Heads up, Brunatics! There's going to be a new book coming soon, and it's not going to be what you expect!</p><p></p><p>Relatedly, did you know that this year is the 25th anniversary of the first webcomic appearance of Bruno the Bandit? A quarter century of Rothland's favorite ruffian! Well, I'll be a son of a witch!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRtP0oN-IJKC9S3lRzQH_p0Nxg1iICw2jVZAv0wASUzPIFHt4cgb3VCwTHA08gCsQJWsEj7VxMxCyb86t2Xu_pIMwi_bU1v-JyWmwKyWU3x7o2U42xiDMCqbX4btaMh4XsgnpK4qZrKBA8Inswz6SHmUz5D2cTou5v1rXH_Q2kH4J1ovpwj3NchBlxAnb/s907/preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="601" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRtP0oN-IJKC9S3lRzQH_p0Nxg1iICw2jVZAv0wASUzPIFHt4cgb3VCwTHA08gCsQJWsEj7VxMxCyb86t2Xu_pIMwi_bU1v-JyWmwKyWU3x7o2U42xiDMCqbX4btaMh4XsgnpK4qZrKBA8Inswz6SHmUz5D2cTou5v1rXH_Q2kH4J1ovpwj3NchBlxAnb/w265-h400/preview.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-30751451788459515722023-09-06T09:33:00.000-07:002023-09-06T09:33:01.680-07:00New Work Published: Other Town by Ray Wennerstroem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZAVmK8JQXlSABzGawWw05x7XtkbQKQq8Vu5cxPsdQjnACj_YTkdeHVruPZnfUlj9rbxd45SjmoAZP5GPbLQvBxD3mEeKyhD1-SSJNztK13S2vsjrMfJ86cAQNxA-Q_zfJVHDYVnh7SwGSf1fWKesjI1Df5pebMPDp4f05pu6lvieN9vqvbUKUOvx2N8M/s500/OTHERTOWN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZAVmK8JQXlSABzGawWw05x7XtkbQKQq8Vu5cxPsdQjnACj_YTkdeHVruPZnfUlj9rbxd45SjmoAZP5GPbLQvBxD3mEeKyhD1-SSJNztK13S2vsjrMfJ86cAQNxA-Q_zfJVHDYVnh7SwGSf1fWKesjI1Df5pebMPDp4f05pu6lvieN9vqvbUKUOvx2N8M/w250-h400/OTHERTOWN.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> I kind of missed the boat on the publication date on this one by a couple of months, but this is another novel I have illustrated (including the cover). <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Other-Town-Ray-Wennerstroem-ebook/dp/B0C8V61T32/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IL51EYCX1URU&keywords=RAY+WENNERSTROEM&qid=1694017213&sprefix=ray+wennerstroem%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1">"Welcome to...Other Town" by Ray Wennerstroem</a> is a YA novel in the style of Clive Barker's "Thief of Always" or Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree". From it's Amazon description:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When Georgie Robinson falls off his bike and gets lost in the woods, a strange adventure awaits.</span></i></p><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div></i><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wandering through the forest, Georgie discovers an abandoned town that is not abandoned at all, but is filled with folks that are strange, wonderful, and frightening. While his dad and best friend, Pete, are searching for him, Georgie sees a Furliz, meets the Picklock Clan, and is guided through a strange town by a peculiar mayor with jellyfish skin and a very big hat.</span></i></div></i></blockquote><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: transparent;">But when a sinister plot is exposed, will Georgie find the help he needs before it's too late?"</i></div></span></i><div><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Aside from the cover, I've provided several interior illustrations for this project. This one was a bit experimental for me. Around the time I started on this, AI art was just beginning to hit big, with several tools becoming available to the public. I decided to play around with the tools and see if I could make an ethical use of AI generated images. So for some of the images in this book, I fed prompts into a couple of AI tools and had them generate images that I used to help nail the composition and perspective of the finished images I would eventually create. I printed out the generated compositions and traced over them on my light table, adding and changing details as I thought necessary, then scanned them back into my computer and digitally inked them on my tablet. I wouldn't say this is my best work (although there is one image in the book I am especially fond of), but it was an interesting change to my process that opened up some new possibilities.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">For anyone who has strong opinions on AI art, I'd love to know what you think of this use of the tool. Was it ethical? Is this a fair use of computer generated imagery, or just higher level cheating? Feel free to drop a comment and let me know what you think.</span></span></div>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-71274889999304634082023-09-05T11:44:00.003-07:002023-09-05T11:44:20.781-07:00Good Reading!<p>In an attempt to tidy up this site, I'm moving my Reading List stuff out of here. I'm still doing the reading, but I don't feel it's relevant to this site any longer. If I want to review something relevant, I may post it here, but otherwise, anyone interested in finding out what I'm reading or what I think of it can follow me on Goodreads at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/aimcomics">https://www.goodreads.com/aimcomics</a>. I've updated quite a few books there that I've finished, and posted my reviews on a fair number of them as well. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiE_7eKEA-leobKGZOERNe00ATGI3R8TMlByswKNT5UuFmxthaVUh5fq4JNJp9CGtGtxn4vVwGzZsNgsooEdXQoITHGWLdhaMAxYZGYw1l0TFb_o0QYf-aGBcUzO53ex-0yQfo9T8T2RkIxu59y11VbGijbpJRCPzHmTd4GtOudbxzqwt7hT6qVMvf5F_Y/s1280/books-1204029_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiE_7eKEA-leobKGZOERNe00ATGI3R8TMlByswKNT5UuFmxthaVUh5fq4JNJp9CGtGtxn4vVwGzZsNgsooEdXQoITHGWLdhaMAxYZGYw1l0TFb_o0QYf-aGBcUzO53ex-0yQfo9T8T2RkIxu59y11VbGijbpJRCPzHmTd4GtOudbxzqwt7hT6qVMvf5F_Y/w400-h266/books-1204029_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-14982538315006379712023-04-06T05:04:00.000-07:002023-04-06T05:04:41.015-07:00New Work Published: Traveling Through the Eye of Cygnus X-1<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=paladfreel-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0BZF7GQQT&asins=B0BZF7GQQT&linkId=5dc6d705828261e6d0cadd2052407bc6&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<p> Out now from author Mark Eden, "Traveling Through the Eye of Cygnus X-1" is a science fiction novel set "<span> just 70 years after the great war of 2112, a large federation
starship called the S.F.P. Hadron sits in dry dock about 390 light years
away from Earth, just inside the constellation Taurus on a planet
called Magadon." </span></p><p><span>I didn't design the cover for this one, but I have provided several interior illustrations for it, one of which is below.</span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYXIwHWPWVhPVKiu_rGj46M_Iu2KezcTd046BXkIS7Zf6L0ogUpU9fNpG53KZ_OyH45FQPrGdfjxqFEp74rm04namUOFX5tWLN0bAtz0D2OQDAU4NngNq79RcLiNTX3TXMT41y5QuuDDKhwuRBZ27D2S8I3957BixwCUC9KHYCxss1g9FfYt5AGdxeg/s2400/hadron2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2400" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYXIwHWPWVhPVKiu_rGj46M_Iu2KezcTd046BXkIS7Zf6L0ogUpU9fNpG53KZ_OyH45FQPrGdfjxqFEp74rm04namUOFX5tWLN0bAtz0D2OQDAU4NngNq79RcLiNTX3TXMT41y5QuuDDKhwuRBZ27D2S8I3957BixwCUC9KHYCxss1g9FfYt5AGdxeg/w400-h250/hadron2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span>From the book's Amazon description: </span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span>"</span><span>The Solar Federation of Planets has a traitor in its ranks and the
small crew of an excavation starship are tasked with uncovering the
traitors evil plot, warn the general, and survive traveling through the
black hole of Cygnus-X1. The information they discover can possibly have
huge ramifications for the planet Magadon along with the entire galaxy,
so they will need to depend on the experience of their young Captain
Jeffrey Scott.</span><br /><span></span><br /><span>The date is June 4th, 2182, just 70 years after
the great war of 2112, a large federation starship called the S.F.P.
Hadron sits in dry dock about 390 light years away from Earth, just
inside the constellation Taurus on a planet called Magadon. The planet
Magadon can be found among the eight hundred stars that make up the
Pleiades star system situated inside the Milky Way galaxy. The Hadron is
preparing for a journey in search of a young planet called Vilium that
exists in the Triangulum galaxy. Captain Jeffrey Scott and his small
crew aboard the Hadron have been specifically trained to excavate the
cucial elements and minerals needed for creating a clean source of
energy for the planet Magadon and its two inhabited outer moons, but
their mission took them in an entirely different direction. The Captain
and his crew found themselves in a tangled web of deceit, murder, and
even love. It was up to the crew of the Hadron and the intelligent
beings they pick up along the way to help strengthen the federation and
to keep the malevolent creatures at bay."</span></i><br /></p><p><span> Eagle-eyed fans may be asking, and the answer is, yes, this book is inspired by the work of Rush. I've managed to work a few visual references to the band's work into the illustrations, so keep an eye out for that.</span></p><p><span>This was a thoroughly enjoyable project for me, not just because I get to work on something related to my favorite musicians, but also because the concepts that Mark came up with were completely fun to illustrate. I got to work in a lot of the kind of detail I enjoy using to make the illustrations interesting, and had a fair amount of creative freedom to design the characters and sets. I also got to challenge myself a little bit with perspective and composition. As I say, it was a fun project start to finish.</span></p><p><span> Check out the book on Amazon, and let me know what you think! </span> </p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-75355552137865258362023-03-31T05:21:00.001-07:002023-03-31T05:23:28.824-07:00The Reading List: Hugo Award Winner "The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester<p> </p>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=paladfreel-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00D2ITJLS&asins=B00D2ITJLS&linkId=e19531a2eb76a18b20dac5b4df7f0110&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div>The first Hugo awards, the preeminent science fiction literature award, were given out in 1953, with seemingly little vision of how big they would eventually come to be. With an odd lack of prescience, given the genre they celebrate, there were no rules laid down for the awards in subsequent years, and in fact the 1954 Worldcon skipped them altogether.</div><div>Nevertheless, in the intervening years, the Hugos have become a high water mark for science fiction. While the winners for best novel reveal a few authors that have hardly become household names for all but the most ardent science fiction readers, generally the list of winners reads like a literary pantheon of the genre, and for good reason. The works that have won this award have influenced not only the development of the genre, but in many cases affected the courses of literature, science and culture. From its pulp beginnings, science fiction quickly grew into a literary exploration of our ideas of possible futures, of problem solving, and of our relationships with technology and with our own and other species.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first Hugo award was presented to Alfred Bester for his novel "<a href="https://amzn.to/40LOfA4">The Demolished Man</a>". Referring to the judicial punishment of "demolition", the destruction of memory and personality in response to major crimes, the book is an exploration of psychology couched in a police procedural. <br /></div><div>The novel comes ahead of a long line of imitators that continue to this day to mostly fail at recapturing its formula. It betrays a certain influence from the noir fiction of the 40s in its use of detective tropes, but it largely remains its own thing due to its use of fantastic ideas such as "peepers", ESP talented people who are able to read minds and thereby prevent or solve crimes, and the aforementioned demolition. </div><div>In its use of these ideas and its integration of crime fiction with science fiction, "Demolished Man" at times seemed like an early indicator of the work of Philip K. Dick, particularly works like "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" and "Minority Report"; it is high concept work with a gritty, street-level perspective on the world in which the story exits. Like any older work of science fiction, it has to be taken in the context of its time to avoid direct comparisons with later works that play with similar ideas. With that in mind, it functions well as a futuristic crime novel that successfully provokes thought about the possibilities and dangers of the world it posits.</div><div>At heart, though, it is the psychology of the characters, especially the protagonist Ben Reich, that drives the story, and in that it gives the story a timeless appeal. The same set of characters could work in almost any setting, even without the benefit of the futuristic trappings. The story could have been told equally well by James M. Cain or John D. McDonald as a straightforward murder mystery with a few simple adjustments, and I think it may be that universality that made it deserving of the Best Novel award that year. It is a story that appeals and intrigues even out of its context because it is about the minds of its characters, and that psychology remains unchanged regardless of time and place.</div><div><br /></div><div>Apropos of nothing, the one line that sticks out to me most from the novel, one that I have copied into my digital commonplace book is the following: "Make your enemies by choice, not by accident."</div><div><br /></div><div>"The Demolished Man" is available to buy from <a href="https://amzn.to/40LOfA4">Amazon</a>, or you can <a href="https://archive.org/details/texts?query=the+demolished+man">read it for free</a> at Archive.org</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/40LOfA4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPtP1eKQciIaxfzKRFV3utYWD9LKuxB_QSUM50F9tqkOPomWyIaQgw08vWONswqYLAOqKPmVOd8QNDW4HInQTGpog4iObZ0W-546ZSr0T5pDiG_8Dc_dt9r4t1tsr1mEjvUjmBCHjhwUOhrdqNfX5HGwb3ZsPGhcs6gNrdJcQd55xiK-t5NsG4Ba1fw/s320/demolishedman.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-67642890635837681782023-02-28T05:27:00.005-08:002023-02-28T05:27:54.508-08:00The Reading List: Stoker Award 1987 - Misery by Stephen King<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=paladfreel-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B018ER7K76&asins=B018ER7K76&linkId=e5ec19b3b0f6ad16350b341af8a3503c&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<p> The Bram Stoker Award is presented by the Horror Writers Association for superior achievement in horror writing. It was first presented in 1987, and in that inaugural year saw two books take the prize for best novel, Stephen King's "<a href="https://amzn.to/3SrcCjJ">Misery</a>" and Robert McCammon's "Swan Song" (more on the latter at a later date). Since then, it sees to have reflected the very best that horror writing has to offer, and nearly everything King has written has managed to find its way onto the nominee list.</p><p>In the 1980's, Stephen King was arguably doing his best work. Some of his most iconic works, from "Firestarter" to "Cujo", "Pet Semetary", "It" and "The Dark Tower" originated in this decade, during which he prolifically proved his mastery of horror and dark fantasy. However, towards the end of the decade there seemed to be another thematic thread rising in his work, and I would argue that it began with "Misery". </p><p>One reason King's work has resonated so strongly with his fans is his handling of character. In the horror genre at the time, there were few writers who gave their characters such depth and believability, where most authors seemed to prefer to focus on the lurid or the grotesque. The terrible things that happen in King's novels have so much more impact because they happen to people, not just animated stick figures on the page.</p><p>Up until "Misery", the draw of King's work was definitely the monstrous; the vampires of "Salem's Lot", the ghosts of "The Shining", the devil dog of "Cujo", or any of his many deranged psychics. With "Misery", King seemed to be exploring a new direction, setting aside his supernatural beginnings in favor of a quieter, more psychological kind of horror. It was probably a gamble when his fanbase had bought in on the bloody promise of "Christine" and "Carrie", but it was clear that King wanted to explore new ground in his writing, and it was a gamble that paid off.</p><p>"Misery" has its share of the monstrous, but the thing that makes it work is that the monster is entirely human. It is an exploration of solitude, toxic fandom, creativity (and, by extended metaphor, addiction) that takes horrible shape in the person of Annie Wilkes. Behind her facade of adoration and support, she hides the face of the deadly consequences of the things we create. The thing that looks like it is helping you is, in the end, going to kill you. King lays out in very visceral imagery a picture of a writer who is bound by the persona he has created. He is literally bound and hobbled by his own work. Just as Paul Sheldon tries to escape from the restrictions that writing the chronicles of Misery Chastain has put him under, so Stephen King seemed to be trying to escape the limitations and tropes of his own work by creating a new monster that is so much more subtle, and so much more relatable, than the "famous monsters" cast he had played with up until now.</p><p>The proof of the value in this work, of course, lies not in the awards it won at the time, but in the way it has endured. Beyond the book, beyond even the admittedly excellent movie, "Misery" has had an influence down the line to the present day. It paved the way for many a psychopathic villain to follow and even, I would argue, set the tone for the recent trend towards "quiet horror" seen in the work of directors like Ari Aster and Ti West. Only last Hallowe'en, I was treated to a new stage interpretation of the novel, done with some very creative set design and rendered with nearly as much impact as the original work.</p><p>Since "Misery", King has of course gone on to master this more literary form of horror with ensuing novels like "Dolores Claiborne", "The Dark Half" and "Gerald's Game", and even woven the same kind of character development into more outright horror novels such as "Bag of Bones", "Dreamcatcher" and "Black House". It is in part that depth that has kept his work from becoming stale and repetitive. The supernatural elements in his work, when they are present, are often secondary to the character's arcs, and rightly so. "Misery" changed a lot in King's work, for both the writer and for the reader, and overall (for this reader at least) for the better.</p><p>"Misery" is available at <a href="https://amzn.to/3Z9hQCY">Amazon</a>, or if you prefer, you can <a href="https://archive.org/details/misery00step">read it for free at archive.org</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJqoQiHBc9447nGO2yxZVRBhZQVWJu_1VoMadCHjoldSeO245vDj2jKb-SL5tai31VTJFxxNeqG6RSQooXqxQ4IlutE_CiFksbZnkA9aoH3SVNCLXiTuMY4cBJB0E4InmEsYaiVkEFz0f9xT6w1pE62IupQZ9JKvjSboAQsbADPrj6QYWtdH9oT8yRg/s383/Stephen_King_Misery_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJqoQiHBc9447nGO2yxZVRBhZQVWJu_1VoMadCHjoldSeO245vDj2jKb-SL5tai31VTJFxxNeqG6RSQooXqxQ4IlutE_CiFksbZnkA9aoH3SVNCLXiTuMY4cBJB0E4InmEsYaiVkEFz0f9xT6w1pE62IupQZ9JKvjSboAQsbADPrj6QYWtdH9oT8yRg/w270-h400/Stephen_King_Misery_cover.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-50401246675075152082023-02-06T07:43:00.003-08:002023-02-06T07:45:51.849-08:00The Value of Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3Y9dACY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="232" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhK8giE8cf43MQ7xhDg2WxbolWE94BNT9ABX8zzsjacGbj2-NtFpMDgbkfMaqgOD7HL0TAjiM2ZZqBZgPCu776mzYfrsDOIAHPAv0l0CLYaTyoKGTF1osB05V-oZpw650-odSk-rfQGFot5dzD_nIr1gER5xca8vTsrbp2hfh3SPPKW9WJORw635bYZg/w309-h400/lasbravas.jpg" width="309" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Over a year ago, I was approached by a creator, Osmar Ramos-Caballero, looking for an inker for his book, Las Bravas. I was hesitant at first to take on the job. I've always tried to maintain a kind of realism in my work, having cut my artistic teeth on the artists of Conan and Master of Kung-Fu, and followed up learning from the work of artists as varied as Frazetta, Vallejo, Wrightson, Bart Sears and Frank Cho. The style of the pages he was offering me were very different from what I was used to and I wasn't sure if I could adapt to the work.</p><p>However, a job is a job, and to be honest, I needed the income at that time, so I took on the job and tried to do the best I could with it.</p><p>My first mistake was to try to adapt Osmar's work to my own style, layering a more realistic style of rendering over his simpler page designs, a style with lots of hatching, feathering and shading. It didn't work, and I'm glad I didn't try to show him those pages. </p><p>When it comes to inking, part of the challenge is always to try to respect the penciler's work while adding some of your own style. Osmar's work has a more cartoonish, grafitti-inspired style, with lots of large closed shapes, very stylized forms, and a dramatic sense of action. His pages are as much about design as they are about illustration; everything is not always technically perfect, but it always works. Stylistically, it reminds me of the early comic work of Alejandro Jodorowsky.</p><p>So, stepping back, I decided to back off on my attempts on interpretation and give his original work more room to breathe. I tried again, sticking more closely to his own sense of form and motion, and just allowing my use of line weights to bring out the depth of the panels. This time it worked much better. So much so, in fact, that Osmar asked me to follow up with lettering and coloring on this pages. </p><p>Osmar colors his original pages in marker, so there's lots of visible brush stroke and somewhat muted colors in the pages. However, I could see that he was aiming for the kind of vivid colors that you see in grafitti or in Meso-American art. So I decided that this was again a case of "less is more" and went for mainly flat color with some simple cut-and-grad shading instead of risking overwhelming his art with unnecessary subtle shading. And let me tell you that learning how to letter a comic in Spanish was no easy task. Lettering in any form has never been my strong suit, and trying to do it with Spanish characters only made it more complicated for me. Still, with the very handy lettering tools in Clip Studio Paint and the <a href="https://www.dafont.com/komika-text.font">Komika </a>font from Dafont, I was able to get the job done.</p><p>If I hadn't taken a chance on that first set of pages, I would not have had the successful collaboration with Osmar that I've had for the past year, and I would missed the chance to work on these very enjoyable pages. Sometimes it's helpful to ignore that nagging little voice that tells you not to do something and take a chance on expanding your creative horizons; step outside your comfort zone and see what happens. <br /></p><p>As of the date of this post, I've completed inking, color and lettering on three volumes of <a href="https://amzn.to/3Y9dACY">Las Bravas</a> for Osmar, as well as dozens of pages of pinups and character portraits. Volumes 1 & 2 are available on Amazon right now, while Volume 3 will be arriving shortly. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're free to read. If not, they're still reasonably priced. They're in Spanish, of course, but they do a Spanish-English guide at the end that may be very helpful. And besides, in any language, they're pretty to look at...if I do say so myself!<br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-13030594247480375572023-02-01T05:44:00.005-08:002023-02-23T06:31:18.894-08:00The Reading List: World Fantasy Award 1975 - The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=paladfreel-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B083G6HS76&asins=B083G6HS76&linkId=6214604931a6b65096d836dcb981cccc&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>In Stephen King's memoir, "On Writing" he recounts a conversation with Amy Tan in which he asked her if there was a question she was never asked in Q&A sessions, and her response was "They never ask about the language." </p><p>This line has stuck with me since I encountered it, and it has made me more mindful of my reading since then; I pay much more attention to the way an author uses language, and it is one of the criteria by which I determine the quality of an author or a work.</p><p>McKillip's book "<a href="https://amzn.to/3Dv8mcB">The Forgotten Beasts of Eld</a>" stood out to me like few others for its use of language. Written in the language of high fantasy (think Tolkien and C.S. Lewis), this story reads more like a poem than prose; her language has a lyrical idealism that is only found in the very best fantasy literature. Witness this piece of "dialogue" from the novel:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>"I thought of you with your hair silver as snow all through that cold, slow journey from Sirle. I felt you troubled deep within me, and there was no other place in the world I would rather have been than in the cold night riding to you. When you opened your gates to me, I was home."</i></p></blockquote><p>I cannot imagine many recent authors I've read even attempting a passage like that with a straight face, but McKillip carries off the entire book in that manner.</p><p>Now, I'll make a confession...no surprise to anyone who knows me...I don't generally like fantasy fiction. Oh, sure, I enjoy the Lord of the Rings as much as any reader, but when it comes to most modern fantasy, I tend to shy away from it. For one thing, there's hardly such a thing as a fantasy "novel" any more. There's fantasy sagas, epic series, cycles and chronicles aplenty, thousands of pages requiring a major commitment of time to read with no guarantee that the story will ever even be finished (yes, I'm looking at you GRRM). On top of that, I can't seem to handle the names in fantasy novels; there's far too many hyphens and apostrophes in there for me to be comfortable with them. When an author starts telling me the saga of L'erin-Medd'ezzath, archmage of Tir Cinealta, I'm out and heading for a stack of Donald Westlakes.</p><p>It's very refreshing, then, when I find an occasional and rare fantasy novel that engages me the way this one did. "Forgotten Beasts" is not so much a read as it is an experience, like a fugue or a reverie. It stimulates the imagination with visions of high fantasy and removes the reader from their personal context into the ficton of the novel. It's characters are ideal figures, yet somehow still relatable, and still fantastic enough to inspire grand mental pictures of the kinds of world depicted by only the best fantasy artists. </p><p>This is a book for not only those who love high fantasy, but also those who love good literature. It is the kind of writing that much fantasy fiction aspires to be, and in achieving that transcends its genre in a way that echoes more popular authors whose work is considered more widely known.</p><p>"The Forgotten Beasts of Eld" is, of course, available to purchase on Amazon, or if you'd prefer to read it for free, there's <a href="https://archive.org/details/texts?query=forgotten+beasts+of+eld">several copies available to borrow at Archive.org.</a></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/texts?query=forgotten+beasts+of+eld" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinH1r6ZZd32ufIZEjlLWMKFbpSGyv4ognpPOVamvXLa_-Ifodlreaze0zdNhiQoRGaTswGjQAU782-KQkYKTCl8RsrHrT7V_eJI92BzqnrLUgnStKEP20X-HcCBsdL4hdYK87cirmz91HHzzSjCgrdP2uB3S-Z_XNibhZRSstlHdKd9NIHxm4Wmkh3WA/s400/fboe.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-74239859353175574782023-01-17T06:44:00.005-08:002023-01-17T06:44:36.715-08:00New Blog Feature: The Reading List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQwEruOXRLrZ4-rFZ02JZNIBK7dD7SWr3jluZm9s3Q_yy_pGUIjVfaJKR9KpMGEX4EKfkmYXPqaY050YiVHHshh_NoDAeyJZTmsLVFQ6G_uCL9b09EESH8JWxM_nWh73K3IZY-U2TEsl09g0JQuvlBQqc0iyXapFk0ERdAqBjtACOZu2k6i5ENz3wQg/s1280/books-gdc2777ae0_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQwEruOXRLrZ4-rFZ02JZNIBK7dD7SWr3jluZm9s3Q_yy_pGUIjVfaJKR9KpMGEX4EKfkmYXPqaY050YiVHHshh_NoDAeyJZTmsLVFQ6G_uCL9b09EESH8JWxM_nWh73K3IZY-U2TEsl09g0JQuvlBQqc0iyXapFk0ERdAqBjtACOZu2k6i5ENz3wQg/w400-h266/books-gdc2777ae0_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Readers who are paying attention will recall that this blog has been running a series of articles on the "Most Unreadable Books", where I'm slowly...oh, so slowly...working my way through a list of books considered to be the most difficult to read (at least in English). <div><br /><div>Since it takes so long to get through each one of those (I'm working on Infinite Jest at the time of writing, and expect to be for quite a while yet), it seemed like a good idea to break up the monotony a bit by bringing in notable works from other lists.</div><div><br /></div><div>With that in mind, there will be an ongoing series called "The Reading List" that will cover other notable books that might be of interest to AIM Comics readers, particularly focusing on those from the ranks of winners of the Stoker Awards (horror), the Hugos (science fiction), the Edgars (mystery) and the World Fantasy Awards (fantasy, obiously), with occasional diversions into anything else I find interesting. I think there will be enough variety in there to keep me and other readers interested. </div><div><br /></div><div>I will be sharing my thoughts on those books as I read them, but I welcome discussion on them or simply being told that I have missed the point of a book entirely. Leave a comment on the posts and let me know if you agree or disagree with what I have to say; I'd enjoy hearing from you. Literature is always best when it's shared.</div></div>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-10599230266216089742022-11-21T06:26:00.001-08:002023-01-17T06:27:53.440-08:00Reading List: "The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft" - Knickerbocker Classics Edition<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5icd4J7Zq4ALFrLNPQeGolDhKPKJ6whycaA_wrue0YCCYu9Lspug7X0FB3aNDONyYkQGDWImLAqdTcHKDvPpshWgs7Aec8kI6KED98FQe6RROm28uTxJjS4JGiiwoQpbOFef3dHsfU2-d_q3mUnid4dFFbo20tbcQglKqpousCd0LqgM7b_SILLN/s500/knickerbocker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="500" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5icd4J7Zq4ALFrLNPQeGolDhKPKJ6whycaA_wrue0YCCYu9Lspug7X0FB3aNDONyYkQGDWImLAqdTcHKDvPpshWgs7Aec8kI6KED98FQe6RROm28uTxJjS4JGiiwoQpbOFef3dHsfU2-d_q3mUnid4dFFbo20tbcQglKqpousCd0LqgM7b_SILLN/w400-h379/knickerbocker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=paladfreel-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1631060015&asins=1631060015&linkId=b613db0a0c00c7bfbde11836c41d68f4&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>
<p>I have read Lovecraft's fictional output in its entirety several times, in several formats. Whether it's for reference, or just for pure enjoyment, nothing competes with pulling out one of my favorite tales from old Uncle Theobald (among my favorites being Cool Air, Pickman's Model, and The Music of Erich Zann). </p><p>So it was inevitable that I would have to get a really good compendium of the complete works to give pride of place on my bookshelf. I was given an Amazon gift card a few years ago and knew that the stars were right to choose THE Lovecraft collection for my library. </p><p>There are many to choose from, some being garish, some being very expensive and some being woefully incomplete. There are electronic editions aplenty (including <a href="https://amzn.to/3TVgAjt">one very nice one</a> I found that also contained the complete collaborative works, juvenilia, poetical works and links to audiobooks of most of his fiction, all for under a buck!), and you can even read most of it for free online at <a href="http://hplovecraft.com">hplovecraft.com</a>. Still, it's hard to compare those with the tactile thrill of having a physical copy of the work that you can hold and admire.</p><p>After going through quite a few of the offerings on Amazon, the best one for my money ended up being the <a href="https://amzn.to/3gmmGvx">Knickerbocker Classic Edition of The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft</a>. For a very reasonable price you get a slipcovered hardcover edition that is beautifully printed on high quality paper with tasteful cover art that celebrates the pulp roots of the work while still being somewhat dignified. In fact, one of the things that drew me to this edition was that the slipcase art reminded me of Virgil Finlay's Weird Tales illustrations. </p><p>The stories are complete and appear to be printed in order of publication (I haven't fully verified this). Of course this means that the edition contains over 1100 pages. That, plus the hardcover and slipcase, means that this is a weighty tome that you could probably wield to fend off a shoggoth. It looks and feels nice and handles well. I've had my copy on my bookshelf for a couple of years and refer to it often, and it has yet to show any signs of wear. </p><p>For the ardent Lovecraft fan, this is a volume worth adding to that eldritch library; probably the next best thing to sporting a copy of the Necronomicon itself.<br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-19923087486363389032022-11-07T06:25:00.001-08:002023-01-17T06:26:40.599-08:00Reading List: "Fairy Tale" by Stephen King<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3Tu5Okh" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_oFw3m7Glu54Twt_x3pdFWkuSKlN8rRHIHv4eT0yzm6ivTk4P_sdObDF7ZHN9ZHkWICZGV9Ncxj8Jkw3IJZdLjndz0y52l8Xy06Rr4PDK1CLdBUxFhuvhFyS6Vnsvj5x3LbCOMGIksmvVR7tjdg8GAN7Hnrauewo2crO7Okp9LrhDuNDSSO6uNX4y/w260-h400/fairy%20tale.jpg" width="260" /></a></div> I am a long-time fan of Stephen King's work. I am one of those people who joke that I would enjoy a grocery list if it was written by King, and I think I've read just about everything King's ever published (the one exception being "Faithless", because even Stephen King can't make me care about baseball).<p></p><p>Given my history with King's work, I think you'll understand that it's especially disappointing when I have to say that there's something he's written that I just don't care for. It's happened before...I am know for my dislike of the novel "<a href="https://amzn.to/3E4GThx">Pet Sematary</a>", and I found myself utterly indifferent to some of his more recent books such as "<a href="https://amzn.to/3t51PzE">The Institute</a>." I am aware that no writer can hit them all out of the park, but King has written so many great books that I find it hard to believe he could ever write something that doesn't hit home with me.</p><p>Unfortunately, that was the case with "<a href="https://amzn.to/3Tu5Okh">Fairy Tale</a>", a rare occasion where I actually had to force myself to finish the book, under some kind of sunk cost fallacy. Even the chapter illustrations by Gabriel Rodriguez and Nico DeLort weren't enough to get me invested in this story.</p><p>I mean...it's not a BAD book, objectively speaking. Even the worst Stephen King story is better than most modern fantasy and/or horror literature. It's just that it's not up to the standard King has set for himself with his own body of work. </p><p>King is, of course, best known as a horror writer, and while this story contains horrific elements, it is chiefly a fantasy novel, as the title would suggest. Similar to previous King works it contains a youthful protagonist whose adventures take place across multiple realities. Unlike previous King works, the story is largely flat and lifeless without many of the signature narrative tricks and techniques that make his work so appealing. There's nearly none of the dramatic foreshadowing that make his stories so suspenseful, and none of the Dickensian character exploration that bring his figures to memorable life. Like far too many fantasy novels, it's just a straightforward dungeon-crawl of a novel where "this happened, then that happened, then the other thing happened" and so on until the end.</p><p>There were some good moments to be found in the book, of course. It IS Stephen King, after all. I enjoyed the nods to Lovecraft (how could I not?) and I like the fact that, like most of his work, this story could be tied in to his Dark Tower mythology. There were a couple of moments in the book that were genuinely touching. Overall, though, it was a lackluster effort that explored narrative territory that I thought was better handled in books like "Eyes of the Dragon", "Talisman" and the Dark Tower stories.</p><p>I supposed it's possible that this was a deliberate experiment on King's part to see if he could tell a story without falling back on his typical writerly tricks. If that's the case then, at least for this reader, it didn't work. </p><p>There are some readers, perhaps those who steep themselves in high fantasy more than I do, that will enjoy this book, and fans of that genre will probably find lots in here to appreciate. For my money, it is just a plain story that lacks any resonance beyond the initial reading, nor even functions as the agent of moral instruction that characterized the traditional fairy tale. Oh well...they can't all be winners.</p><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-86082538037047475832022-10-31T06:23:00.001-07:002023-01-17T06:24:53.783-08:00Reading List: "The Vessel" by Adam Nevill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3SPCC6W" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VqUFNcL2YhBTplxk_L7VGg3a6B5z4VPYXJ1mTEdAFDZ9diAiadGi0yCQ2FjIqcwWrJoiaygLg_yDKdT3YYxHmDKEJJ4ZmEZ1qH2I41FS9MHP5zsPP9HtGo19M1vfpcjCdAChi6c2-wwcoeKUf7r_2RY6D51K5BWVUevPNJsHz785K28FxhxSyPkN/w250-h400/vessel.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>
It's Hallowe'en, which must mean it's time for a new Adam Nevill
novel!
</p>
<p>
In the past few years, one of the best things about this time of year has been
the release of a new book by Adam Nevill. From the cosmic horror of
"Wyrd and Other Derelictions" to the rural terrors of "Cunning Folk", October
always seems to bring round another Nevill-authored treat just in time for
some great Hallowe'en reading.
</p>
<p>
Nevill writes in the weird fiction tradition of such greats as Lovecraft,
Blackwood, Barron and Ligotti, and he certainly deserves a place among that
pantheon. His works are as imaginative and distinctive as they are dark
and disturbing. He puts in the work to avoid the tropes that mark even
his own corner of the genre, instead devising horrors that are new and that
arrive in unexpected ways.
</p>
<p>
With "<a href="https://amzn.to/3SPCC6W">The Vessel</a>", Nevill seems to be promising us a good haunted house
story, territory he's explored previously with books such as "Apartment
16". However, as with that book, which went into insane territory by the
end, I'm sure that what will be delivered here will a story that reaches well
beyond the predictable form of that classic genre and will resonate in newly
disquieting ways.
</p>
<p>From the book's description:</p>
<p>
<span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">"Struggling with money, raising a child alone and fleeing a volatile ex,
Jess McMachen accepts a job caring for an elderly patient. Flo Gardner – a
disturbed shut-in and invalid. But if Jess can hold this job down, she and
her daughter, Izzy, can begin a new life.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Flo's vast home, Nerthus House, may resemble a stately vicarage in an
idyllic village, but the labyrinthine interior is a dark, cluttered warren
filled with pagan artefacts.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">And Nerthus House lives in the shadow of a malevolent secret. A sinister
enigma determined to reveal itself to Jess and to drive her to the end of
her tether. Not only is she stricken by the malign manipulation of the
Vicarage's bleak past, but mercurial Flo is soon casting a baleful influence
over young Izzy. What appeared to be a routine job soon becomes a battle for
Jess's sanity and the control of her child.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">It's as if an ancient ritual was triggered when Jess crossed the threshold
of the vicarage. A rite leading her and Izzy to a terrifying critical mass,
where all will be lost or saved.:"</span>
</p>
<p>
Give yourself the treat of some great reading this spooky season, and be sure
to check out Nevill's other offerings while you're at it. I strongly
recommend "Wyrd and Other Derelictions", a personal favorite, which does
things with the cosmic horror genre that no one else, as far as I know, has
ever tried.
</p>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=paladfreel-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0B6C4DYVT&asins=B0B6C4DYVT&linkId=81f3fda53eb0bdc019b60eb479365d5d&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-18427950801369529452022-10-21T05:05:00.004-07:002022-10-21T06:43:03.256-07:00Now Available: Lovecraftian Horror Coloring Book!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TGIzUp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2LnTsiWuT8WSgKRDU0HjMWp6GR-uIHuds4y0iZa0J-PeKNBz6TXg7vz507wL5n0mEUNduTJJ6kiJJuDdmruojgbKOM0ccWITcnpsBis0rbwsKpPibBdXSmRM5VXo9QFMCyXX3QXTssHEM9iA4iP5rEj4L-VgqjMja0jZKRSjlVXN2qYzPXfxeJmCPw/w304-h400/413893.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><p> Available now In print at <a href="https://amzn.to/3TGIzUp">Amazon </a>and digitally at <a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/413893/Lovecraftian-Horror-Coloring-Book">DriveThru Comics</a>, it's the Lovecraftian Horror Coloring Book!</p><p>Over the past few years, I've created a fair number of Lovecraft-themed illustrations, whether it was for the Lovecraft eZine, for the <a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/291197/Lovecrafts-Monsters-Playing-Cards">Lovecraft's Monsters playing card deck</a>, or for other projects. In this book, I've finally collected them all together in their original black and white glory. The pages are designed single-sided so they can be colored and even removed for display. </p><p>I've even set up a special email address (find it in the book's introduction) where you can send me photos or scans of your color work and share the fun!</p><p>I'm a hardcore Lovecraft and cosmic horror fan, so this has been a real labor of love for me; I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I put into making it. <br /></p><p>From the back cover:</p><div class="alpha omega prod-content">
<div class="grid_11 alpha omega prod-content-content"><p style="text-align: left;">"A monstrous
compendium of art based on the creatures of Lovecraft's Mythos. The
stars are right and the Old Ones wait...wait, that is, for you to add
the colors that will bring these cosmic horrors to terrifying life!<br /><br />Lovingly
created by a fan of Lovecraft's work for like-minded fans who want to
explore their own artistic visions, this book contains illustrations
based on descriptions in the original texts. From Cthulhu to Herbert
West, the best of the Mythos is represented here in distinct artistic
interpretations.<br /><br />Each page is single-sided for coloring, but
backed with relevant quotes about the creatures being illustrated.
Every page is scanned from the artist's original drawings. Grab your
colors and enjoy bringing new life to these classic horrors!"</p><p style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OfUYbpxqY5Jo8285ZM_RowLAyDZun6zEYFNB7rmA4l6l7q2AjCYkDJqAel891InU769iZvST_JTrRV0IMNZGFM68n77kgQw4XkhxB2dOzK_2nvcxVNjPDME5O9aDshhuIhUaBDZRyk7I9yxlIAlJ5Z_Ag2UZIKEDJiRq7HLHvS5QJjlm3iom8vVpag/s2048/elder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1831" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OfUYbpxqY5Jo8285ZM_RowLAyDZun6zEYFNB7rmA4l6l7q2AjCYkDJqAel891InU769iZvST_JTrRV0IMNZGFM68n77kgQw4XkhxB2dOzK_2nvcxVNjPDME5O9aDshhuIhUaBDZRyk7I9yxlIAlJ5Z_Ag2UZIKEDJiRq7HLHvS5QJjlm3iom8vVpag/s320/elder.jpg" width="286" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq_ZjdVv22mABS32CpcpQqqxjibWG-XqDJKRSzZJ3HiFH3td6ADFVE0NxLIvQ6rbGAbJtOpqfksPaAo5GYCtDOSfJ6CAicTg_ZrYJOnvnJr_urowLpUhjFVhnFtpMiKgt7X_12u6UVzijqe1XgPIdKqLn4RQ_BqlklFikcUFgtVlIsVyp1khyR93FrQ/s2048/shub.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq_ZjdVv22mABS32CpcpQqqxjibWG-XqDJKRSzZJ3HiFH3td6ADFVE0NxLIvQ6rbGAbJtOpqfksPaAo5GYCtDOSfJ6CAicTg_ZrYJOnvnJr_urowLpUhjFVhnFtpMiKgt7X_12u6UVzijqe1XgPIdKqLn4RQ_BqlklFikcUFgtVlIsVyp1khyR93FrQ/s320/shub.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YEWTHmDrXKDfl2Uphfv6H6gPTrkKO-PrWkdi-ZRue3j-q_NfVasER-8uW2UolJ_zi46p7k2kVSPf2uhgdsn_aVtk1q5DR_eN1sikf3EJ1Q0YbZdoeu2G_LJzXN6bPVFvl2hZ3cBmGFFQFLfPOcNmIScOb4n_ridu4nPGcBxUeahfHTmJ5Z--M1OJ8g/s2048/dagon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YEWTHmDrXKDfl2Uphfv6H6gPTrkKO-PrWkdi-ZRue3j-q_NfVasER-8uW2UolJ_zi46p7k2kVSPf2uhgdsn_aVtk1q5DR_eN1sikf3EJ1Q0YbZdoeu2G_LJzXN6bPVFvl2hZ3cBmGFFQFLfPOcNmIScOb4n_ridu4nPGcBxUeahfHTmJ5Z--M1OJ8g/s320/dagon.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzMF7NWy72b23fjpM3S7vjnNrGNbVjy99sRK4mPev35FTly8IIlff22AH0qxQZZOiadgrMWS7nxcEOoiXm_VVzcbELsnPfXosRgILp7ZcqDk-zY0OiyyDY-X2XYs_s9WJ3lWEI_C7cQOJ1u-x9PKOLsCf8ipQCpUYGRBPDuriJBNHRwU9VOK8QNming/s2048/cthulhu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzMF7NWy72b23fjpM3S7vjnNrGNbVjy99sRK4mPev35FTly8IIlff22AH0qxQZZOiadgrMWS7nxcEOoiXm_VVzcbELsnPfXosRgILp7ZcqDk-zY0OiyyDY-X2XYs_s9WJ3lWEI_C7cQOJ1u-x9PKOLsCf8ipQCpUYGRBPDuriJBNHRwU9VOK8QNming/s320/cthulhu.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_O4dlaxcHhEM1b6p2LB5PyoNr9vGxFMLFmz46qycVYO58-qRXJ8qSiq7yG2meLhRx6DEFskl9m6fHGhHOTlhHb37h2D3ZMKz8VjK7DipV3bq3fTizRZA8v_GOqyOJjE4TL9aHPQ6m-DyrYKNwg9y1Eay7uDl1LlKDtFyCdivfAPd3K5vTe0ujlKfCw/s2048/brown.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_O4dlaxcHhEM1b6p2LB5PyoNr9vGxFMLFmz46qycVYO58-qRXJ8qSiq7yG2meLhRx6DEFskl9m6fHGhHOTlhHb37h2D3ZMKz8VjK7DipV3bq3fTizRZA8v_GOqyOJjE4TL9aHPQ6m-DyrYKNwg9y1Eay7uDl1LlKDtFyCdivfAPd3K5vTe0ujlKfCw/s320/brown.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p></div> </div><p> </p><p> </p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-50213594734445334012022-09-29T04:32:00.003-07:002022-09-29T05:30:18.784-07:00Now Available: The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 8!<p> Long overdue, but worth the wait, The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 8 is now available! Gaze in wonder at the cover by <a href="http://clinthollingsworth.com/">Clint "Wandering Ones" Hollingsworth</a>! See Bruno tie the knot! Cringe shamefully under the reproachful glare of the Passive Aggressive Pirates! Tremble as the ground shakes to the marching feet of the Syndicate going to war!</p><p>All this and more awaits you in the latest collection of Ian McDonald's classic webcomic Bruno the Bandit! Available NOW in print from <a href="https://amzn.to/3rgKNxD">Amazon</a> and in digital format from <a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/411701/The-Brutal-Blade-of-Bruno-the-Bandit-Vol-8?affiliate_id=200733">DriveThru Comics</a>! Get yours today!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6BKP24zbZ2IQEVOvCVfyISqW0J_EKCSLkFA_KXA-2lunWguSw4_DYqptABOrpjIu4LjpwQ95LtQA0A7cEIHBI2vEU85_7uAfiC2shtCRDsg2icWfOz6w_FXU-O99bWDdixNwk9hyyoU6980V6Ix--EVzDl3FIxvj1VWRxx1HLhQEPMeeGLh75iiDLw/s1125/bbobtbv8%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6BKP24zbZ2IQEVOvCVfyISqW0J_EKCSLkFA_KXA-2lunWguSw4_DYqptABOrpjIu4LjpwQ95LtQA0A7cEIHBI2vEU85_7uAfiC2shtCRDsg2icWfOz6w_FXU-O99bWDdixNwk9hyyoU6980V6Ix--EVzDl3FIxvj1VWRxx1HLhQEPMeeGLh75iiDLw/w320-h400/bbobtbv8%20cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-16713221993722151612022-05-31T07:15:00.005-07:002022-05-31T07:16:21.863-07:00Reading the Unreadable #8: Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ53Dc0sLg_bNBD_ulgdqx5pvc-tzi9L8py-Fmd4Toc1MxtCv10BzZhfW41uKyd9GHX6FzBNDMv5KMskx6Ed5S-_FMYMt6oQOF32PKxxc-6edXjuaXvlwGDmy3aUNeNcJcgNWQiHy0aWB0jFJyG-SaISbkyxtyVqcuxuDRVz7g-T9hrv6DidRnzKCxA/s935/ourlady.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ53Dc0sLg_bNBD_ulgdqx5pvc-tzi9L8py-Fmd4Toc1MxtCv10BzZhfW41uKyd9GHX6FzBNDMv5KMskx6Ed5S-_FMYMt6oQOF32PKxxc-6edXjuaXvlwGDmy3aUNeNcJcgNWQiHy0aWB0jFJyG-SaISbkyxtyVqcuxuDRVz7g-T9hrv6DidRnzKCxA/w256-h400/ourlady.webp" width="256" /></a></div><p></p><p>By a fortunate accident, I read Genet's "Our Lady of the Flowers" directly after finishing Camus's "The Stranger" and Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago", and those directly after reading Heidegger for this reading project. As a result, I came to it in a metaphysical state of mind, and ready to analyze the different views of incarceration presented by these authors.</p><p>Camus, being the most overtly philosophical of the bunch, uses his protagonist's prisoner status more allegorically, presenting it (at least to my eye) as further proof of the objective lack of intrinsic meaning to existence, and simultaneously the natural result of Meursault's failure to draw his own meaning from existence, falling back as he does on a kind of nihilism. Camus, not having been a prisoner himself, was able to take a more abstract view of incarceration, using it as a vehicle to convey his ideas of absurdism without getting bogged down in the practical details.</p><p></p><p>Solzhenitsyn's work, on the other hand, draws its power from his depiction of those practical physical details. It was his status as prisoner that drove his fame as a writer, and it was through his depictions of prison life that he made his political statement. "Gulag Archipelago" is more prosaic in its approach and more accessible in its writing style, and it is in that approach that the reader finds the horror of the situation - that people can live and force others to live under such conditions. Oddly, while being the least overtly philosophical of these books, in its depiction of the subjective way punishments and rewards are applied in such a system, it eventually serves to prove the same metaphysical conclusion reached by Camus - that existence does not have intrinsic meaning aside from what the individual decided to assign to it.</p><p>The expression of that subjective mapping of meaning onto existence is immediately obvious in Genet's "Our Lady of the Flowers". By far the most poetic of these works, Genet seems to acknowledge the, at times, sordid details of existence and yet to strive for a sort of transcendence by seeing in those details a manifestation of something more sublime. Through his controversial depictions of the life of his characters, their relationships, their actions and their crimes, Genet takes what could be considered tawdry and at times brutal events and elevates them with his language and perspective to the status of poetry. As he says, "the artist is a God who had need of human beings." Genet seems to recognize that god within himself the art in his characters. The more squeamish reader might turn aside from "Our Lady of the Flowers", but in so doing would miss the opportunity that Genet provides to recognize the transcendence possible in any life simply by the fact of choosing to assign meaning to existence.</p><p>It is that idea of "choice" that forms a common philosophical thread to all three books. Camus's Meursault fails to choose, and is condemned for it. Solzhenitsyn, chose to see both the absurdity and horror in his situation and depict it with the eye of a naturalist. Genet chose to assign a spiritual greatness that supersedes the immediate, through that making even an ordinary existence more bearable. As Victor Frankl stated, "He who has a why, can bear any how."</p><p>Up next, David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest'. This one's going to take a while.<br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-57683451330818162312022-04-20T09:42:00.003-07:002022-04-20T09:42:11.525-07:00Attention All Comics Creators!<p> Here's something interesting....DriveThru Comics, one of the main distributors for AIM Comics, is having a "<a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/sale.php">How to Make Comics</a>" sale, offering great prices on a bunch of handy reference guides and how-to books for the prospective comic book artist, writer or publisher.</p><p>There's some great stuff in there for just about every aspect of creating and publishing comics of all sorts, including our own humble offering "Why Comics". This book reprints my attempt at a 24-Hour comic and the Sketch Magazine-published article, "Comics on the Cheap". As always, "Why Comics" is absolutely FREE! So...what's stopping you from going there and getting it right NOW!?!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/sale.php" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="176" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNeY5ZiA7Hxjls_f0Vei4thJWJfrdB-ZSrLgQLYhm4a4p7dFeTvgsT2F-cUGPCCABtW8DsVy0vPm3YasZ6EPAT3ksQAA0p7djewjNPIX5IDJ1L4WbJ-x9O8ZNbkS0I3LpPU70x3G1nQnioVh13ZPQmkEURKq_iL_VZ2bIL7TDaj0wePf6kC4JbfxXNg/w289-h400/whycomics.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-8847611289467292082021-10-21T05:17:00.000-07:002021-10-21T05:17:08.653-07:00Cut Price Cthulhu!<p> It's Hallowe'en month, which means that it's time for DriveThru Comics annual Halloween sale! For a limited time only (step right up!) you can get the <a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/291197/Lovecrafts-Monsters-Playing-Cards">Lovecraft's Monsters Playing Card </a>set, fully illustrated in color with loving portraits of H.P. Lovecraft's most iconic cosmic horrors, for 30% off! The stars are right! The Old Ones have awakened...and they're slashing prices! Run...run screaming if you must...to DriveThru Comics and order yours today!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/291197/Lovecrafts-Monsters-Playing-Cards" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="475" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9kU5Uc883OY/YXFZ2sRNKQI/AAAAAAAAVpg/O7gRRXgBxM40vErweluz4P4kT6t0RMvxgCLcBGAsYHQ/w298-h400/cthulhu.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-9762475433481973432021-09-10T09:50:00.001-07:002021-09-10T09:50:40.085-07:00We're Moving!!!<p> Moving domain registrars, that is. This is a change that most people will not notice, but it was necessary. Our previous host, GoDaddy costs about twice as much per year, and have recently decided to give me less for my money by forcing email users to transfer to an Office365 subscription plan. Since I object to this kind of shrinkflation and don't see the use in paying for an email address that I barely use, I have decided to dump the domain registrar and move it elsewhere. </p><p>If you're a reader who has ever contacted us at info@aimcomics.com, please note that this email address will very likely stop working very soon.</p><p>That is all.<br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-17721027275105213092021-08-09T06:33:00.001-07:002021-08-09T06:33:47.988-07:00Reading the Unreadable #7: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SF0NS1wrQSg/YREo5CAPSpI/AAAAAAAAVU4/TdIiMcWAjIcGs7ma6-dygpEhLqnwhHxEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/being%2Band%2Btime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SF0NS1wrQSg/YREo5CAPSpI/AAAAAAAAVU4/TdIiMcWAjIcGs7ma6-dygpEhLqnwhHxEwCLcBGAsYHQ/w256-h400/being%2Band%2Btime.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Anyone who's known me for a long time knows that I enjoy reading books on philosophy, both classic and modern. Although I've studied logic and philosophy in university, I consider myself more of an enthusiastic amateur than any kind of serious student of the subject. </p><p>My personal preference in philosophical schools has always tended towards the "can you eat it" variety, meaning the grounded sort of philosophies that can be of some practical use in daily living. I'm aware that there are people who consider philosophy as a purely theoretical exercise, but it always seemed to me that from the classical times on down, the main thrust of the subject has been to find ways to live life better, more fully and more in harmony with the world. I have, therefore, always tended towards schools of thought ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Confucious and Lao Tzu down to Ayn Rand's Objectivism and (my current philosophical crush) Marcus Aurelius and the Stoics. The philosophers I consider more esoteric, such as Epicurus, Nietzsche and Proust, I have read for enjoyment but without any serious expectations.<br /></p><p>So it was that I approached Heidegger's "Being and Time" with the mindset that I have a grounding in this sort of writing and, despite it being on the list of the most difficult books to read, I thought I would navigate its content skilfully if not easily.</p><p>Hoo boy, was I wrong.</p><p>One of the most annoying things about the study of philosophy is the tendency of some thinking and authors to get caught up in semantics and ontology to the extent that the work loses any useful meaning and becomes self-absorbed to the point of being unable to express ideas clearly. It's what led me to conclude at one point that philosophy is the most roundabout way of ending up exactly where you started. Heidegger takes that problem to an extreme, with an absorption in a highly specific use of language that either a)almost immediately loses any practical meaning for the reader or b) is couched in a language that is understandable only to Heidegger and his two closest friends. Probably cats.</p><p>Reading "Being and Time" is an exercise in literacy and a test of patience. <span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381">Ideas
and sentences recur and are reiterated in new contexts in so many ways
that one is not sure if one has actually made any progress in the book,
or if the publisher just reprinted early chapters later in the book. It
is the literary equivalent of "The Song That Never Ends". Without the
entertainment value. It is the quintessential existential work, in that
by the end of it, if one endures that long, the reader questions whether
anything outside the book, including the reader themselves, does, can
or should exist. </span></span></p><p><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381">I mean, what can you say about a book that contains passages like this:</span></span></p><p><i><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381"> </span><span id="freeTextreview3677176381">"In understanding a context of relations, Dasein has been referred to an in-order-to in terms of an explicitly or inexplicitly grasped potentiality for being (Seinkonnen) for the sake of which it is, which can be authentic or inauthentic. This prefigures a what-for as the possible letting something be relevant which structurally allows for relevance to something else. Dasein is always in each case already referred in terms of a for-the-sake-of-which to the with-what of relevance. This means that, insofar as it is, it always already lets beings be encountered as things as hand."</span></span></i></p><p><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381"> </span><span id="freeTextreview3677176381">Still awake? Good. That's from early in the book, before things get complicated. From there, it slips steadily off the linguistic rails and ends up ultimately as meaningful (for the standard reader) as the content of an ASMR video. And just as sleep-inducing. </span></span></p><p><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381">If I gleaned anything useful from "Being and Time", aside from the joy of knowing that I need never pick up a copy of Heidegger again in my life, it is the origin of the the idea that 'horror is seeing something approach" that I know from William Friedkin. I could probably find you a chapter and verse reference for this, but I think it would be more fun to let you test your own patience in attempting to read this thing. Otherwise, the only use I can think of for this book is propping up a table leg.</span></span></p><p><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381">Up next, "Our Lady of the Flowers" by Jean Genet. Things can only get better from here, can't they? <br /></span></span></p><p><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381"><br /></span></span></p><p><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview3677176381"><br /></span></span></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-90907556051721881902021-02-04T04:22:00.003-08:002021-02-04T04:22:28.702-08:00AIM Comics: Ten Years Later<p> </p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_ev"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Wow, how time flies. It was 10 years ago today that we published the first volume of Ian McDonald's "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit", featuring not only an all-star lineup of webcomics artists and a ton of Ian's work, but also praise from renowned Conan author Roy Thomas and arguably the last published art by Savage Sword of Conan legend Ernie Chan.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">It's been an interesting ride since then, with many changes both personal and professional. Sales on the books (7 volumes so far!) have been up and down and for a sales neophyte like me, it's still proving hard to find the presence in the market I think this work deserves.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">However, it's also been nice having these books as a constant presence in the background, a pivot point for me to return to when my schedule allows. I've been working with Ian in one form another since 1988 and his work continues to bring me great enjoyment. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Volume 8 is due to be released soon. We're well past the midpoint and on the way to reaching the end of this strip; after that, who knows? Until we reach that point, I'm going to continue enjoying the work of compiling and publishing these books and will continue looking for ways to bring them to the readers' attention.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Thanks, Ian, for letting me play around with your work for the last decade. I'm grateful for the opportunity and for the lessons I've learned as an editor and a publisher. We've still got a ways to go, so let's see what we can do with this thing!</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYuUIKd8jGY/WHUdVbX36rI/AAAAAAAAItA/gK-zw51W4ZUKDfANpNAEs23Hj44LZxF6QCPcBGAYYCw/s324/bbotb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="260" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYuUIKd8jGY/WHUdVbX36rI/AAAAAAAAItA/gK-zw51W4ZUKDfANpNAEs23Hj44LZxF6QCPcBGAYYCw/w321-h400/bbotb1.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /> </div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-8328030015452316822021-01-14T04:31:00.002-08:002021-01-14T04:31:43.072-08:00Kicking Off 2021<p> 2020 is receding in my rearview mirror; 2021 lies ahead. There were no new publications from AIM Comics in 2020 for one reason or another, but that doesn't mean that nothing's been happening. Looking ahead very quickly, here's what we've got:</p><p>-Volume 8 of The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit is in progress and well on its way to being finished. I've had the cover by our guest artist delivered to me within the last week, and once I finish coloring it and address a few formatting issues in the book itself, we should be ready to go! The next one's going to be a bit bigger than the previous volumes, just because of the length of the stories that Ian was writing during this period.</p><p>-Just started work on a new personal project yesterday. It's one that's hopefully going to play out over quite a long time, but I will be able to release it incrementally. It's something I've been promising myself I will address for years now, and I finally decided it's time to get started. Watch this space for more updates.</p><p>-Sketches are moving along on another project that I have had contracted for a couple of years now. I've had to put it aside due to the need to take on a lot of commission work, but I think I may actually be making some real progress. <br /></p><p>Not a lot of detail in there, I know, but it looks like AIM Comics will be showing some signs of life again in 2021. Here's hoping for the best, for us and you!<br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-11439888566030731812020-12-29T04:37:00.002-08:002020-12-29T04:38:02.188-08:00New Work Published: Pocketwatch Pixie and Safyre V2: Unfinished Business<p> I've been working with author David Brzezinski for several years now, ever since I did the cover for his book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Berridor-Return-Firebreathers-Book-ebook/dp/B00FDYNRPS/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=david+brzezinski&qid=1609244201&sr=8-8">Battle for Berridor</a>". Since then, I've done at least one cover a year for him, as well as some interior and design work.</p><p>One of the things I like about David is that he makes publishing a family affair, getting his kids to co-author books with him turning out some good stories in the process. Children Caleb and Faith Brzezinski have co-written such books as "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Origins-Safyre-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00EPSJ5NQ/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=david+brzezinski&qid=1609244201&sr=8-10">Safyre</a>" and "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Angelina-Egg-David-Brzezinski-ebook/dp/B013Z8KRYC/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=david+brzezinski&qid=1609244201&sr=8-6">Angelina and the Egg</a>", all of which are worth checking out.<br /></p><p>This year, David and family have published two books at the same time, one with Caleb and one with Faith. I have had the honor of doing covers for both, as well as interiors for one of them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2WUjH00" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Our9N_M8cJc/X-sgFHrnRBI/AAAAAAAAUTg/silDDGfVvA8QL2qAKqkp9Tfo1B6PjmsigCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/pocketwatch%2Bpixie.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://amzn.to/2WUjH00"><br /></a><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2WUjH00">"Pocketwatch Pixie"</a> by David and Faith Brzezinski is a young adult tale of a girl who finds a magical pixie trapped in a pocketwatch. A good story for readers who like a little magic with their heroism, with a strong female presence in both the authorship and the story. The cover for this one was a bit of a stretch for me, with some inspiration by the DC "Superhero Girls" series of novels. I also did a few black and white interiors that were fun and I hope will be charming.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/38GoJTv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VoJ_7e86Jdo/X-shIzwDYhI/AAAAAAAAUTo/77--0Hc4GUYs0Z8pcin6mMW-_QWjpbeWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/safyre2.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://amzn.to/38GoJTv"><br /></a><p><a href="https://amzn.to/38GoJTv"><br /></a></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/38GoJTv">"Safyre 2: Unfinished Business"</a> by Caleb and David Brzezinski is a followup to 2013's "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Origins-Safyre-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00EPSJ5NQ/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=david+brzezinski&qid=1609245011&sr=8-10">Explosive Origins: Safyre Book 1</a>". It's the ongoing story of two super-powered teens and their fight to save their home, Titanium Falls from nefarious villains. Somehow a peanut-shaped car and a portable black hole get involved. Look, you're just going to have to read it.</p><p>For the cover for this one, I tried to tap into some Kirby vibes to get that "comin' at ya!" feeling, with some of Kirby's trippy sense of color. No cinematic movie grading here, darnit! <br /></p><p>These are fun books authored by people who are just enjoying the process of writing and publishing, and aside from the fact that I worked on both of them, I can't recommend them enough...this is the kind of stuff that young people...or just the young at heart...should be reading when they're reading just for the fun of it.<br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-88387934581693439232020-11-03T06:34:00.002-08:002020-11-03T06:34:30.626-08:00Bedded & Jess: A Kickstarter Project!<p> </p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_if"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'd like to bring your attention to a great Kickstarter project I'm involved in. </span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> For the past couple of years, I've been inking a comic book called "<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/724103126/bedded-and-jess">Bedded & Jess</a>" by artist Nick Woll. Nick is autistic and has some difficulty communicating, but has some decent chops as an artist. I find his work has a great energy and stylistic elements that remind me of some of the classic Disney artists such as Carl Barks and Floyd Gotfriedson. He's especially good at packing a page with lots of frenetic detail and unusual characters, and has a talent for being creative with panel borders.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> With help from his brother, Nick has put together a series of adventures starring his creations, the titular "<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/724103126/bedded-and-jess">Bedded & Jess</a>". Simply put, it's a continuing story of their characters getting into one unusual situation after another and meeting a host of strange characters along the way.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They've got a lot of work done (over 300 pages so far!), but to get this thing off the ground, they're going to need a bunch of support, so they're running a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/724103126/bedded-and-jess">Kickstarter campaign</a> to get the first 8 issues published.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">To help support their project, I'm donating an orignal watercolor painting based on one of Nick's drawings for someone generous enough to buy in at the $350 level. Even at the basic levels they've got some fun rewards that I'm sure comics fans will enjoy, and at the top levels there's some truly amazing stuff.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Do me a favor and check out their campaign, even if it's only to see all the cool art they've got posted. Be sure to watch the "About the artist..." video featuring Nick himself.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> This is a campaign for a worthwhile cause, but it's also a fun book that I've really enjoyed working on, so please support them if you can!</span></p></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/724103126/bedded-and-jess" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="750" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cwVrRb88Lqo/X6FqKzr5DxI/AAAAAAAAT2E/cZsgGuWGOj8f3E6u9H3KmCzDGpy5iqwHQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h208/beddednjess.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> </div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093381583034167496.post-32461797259723970432020-09-10T06:23:00.004-07:002020-09-10T06:23:44.039-07:00Art on Instagram<p> I have been slowly building my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paladinfreelance/">Instagram </a>feed over the past few months, mostly populating it with old art pieces and sketches that I've created. Followers can expect to see things that have not been widely published or may have never been published at all. There's some fun stuff in there, and I'm enjoying rediscovering some of my own work that I'd forgotten about. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paladinfreelance/">Check it out</a>!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FN0Ietmy8s8/X1oovqEi0hI/AAAAAAAATJo/VlU2c0mt-RQUhCvXoi1kia9_CIiz2P6EQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1135/ig%2Bscreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1135" height="313" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FN0Ietmy8s8/X1oovqEi0hI/AAAAAAAATJo/VlU2c0mt-RQUhCvXoi1kia9_CIiz2P6EQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h313/ig%2Bscreen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dominichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15939068947847657244noreply@blogger.com0