Last summer, there was a film crew shooting something or other in one of the apartments in the building where we live. Turns out it was a scene from Past Life, a TV show that’s debuting tonight at 9 eastern on Fox.
Our building is something of a magnet for Atlanta-area filming, also making an appearance in Zombieland.
The show has one of the worst premises I’ve ever heard: Detectives use the (completely debunked) method of past life regression to solve murders. Here’s the trailer:
For diehard NBA fans, there are certain players who reach a nigh-mythological status of “You have to see him in person.” For various reasons — be it amazing size, bizarre proportions, incredible skill, transcendent personality — they are even more appreciable when you’re at the arena, not just watching them on TV.
My list for those players includes LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash and a few others. Last night, at the Hawks game against the Clippers, a new player made the list: Marcus Camby.
Camby is a 35-year-old post player who has almost no offensive skill. He isn’t exceptionally tall or strong, though he does have long arms. I’ve seen him numerous times on TV, and he never really stood out.
Against a somewhat-undersized Hawks squad, Camby had a devastating game, captured only in part by the statistics: six points, six assists, one block, 20 rebounds. The guy just owned the interior when he was in the game, grabbing every loose ball that came anywher near and forcing Hawks players to shoot mostly from outside.
I would’ve sworn Camby had five blocks. The only one he was credited with was an absolute erasing of Josh Smith. Of course, the Hawks won and the highlights (see below) were dominated by those who scored the most points. Camby’s only cameo in the video is when he grabs a rebound and coolly lays it in — this after a great block by Smith.
But, for any diehards watching, the whole game was a continuous Camby highlight.
I was looking back through the graphic novels and comics I’d picked up in 2009 and realized what a stellar year it was. More on some of the other books later, but for now, I want to finally put down a few thoughts on what is easily (to me) the most memorable release from last year: David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp.
I remember talking to Matt Kindt at a convention and hearing him gush about the book, and it happened to be just after I had read Batman: Year One (ilustrated by Mazzucchelli) for the first time (I know, pathetic, right?).
Asterios Polyp resonates with me for two main reasons beyond the simple fact that it is very, very good. First, it marks a crucial point in the development of comics as an art form. Just as the medium is gaining mainstream appreciation, Asterios Polyp comes along and pushes our conception of what a graphic novel can be to a new level.
Mazzucchelli uses everything that makes up a comic — words, illustrations, color and even the book design (that dust jacket above is one of my favorites of all time) — to reinforce the ideas and themes of the work. It seems like a simple and obvious way to approach a project, but it’s rare to see such a singular vision, especially in comics.
For good analysis of the book, I recommend Douglas Wolk’s review in the New York Times and Scott McCloud’s post.
The second thing of note about Asterios Polyp is that, for a book that, to paraphrase Wolk, uses style as plot, the book actually has a good story. “Indie” graphic novels written by artists often sacrifice story for the sake of art. Mazzucchelli has put together an odd story, to be certain, but one that has clearly defined characters, clean story beats and an enjoyable plot. It’s a strange book, in that it is simultaneously massively pretentious and completely unpretentious. (Lest I sound rude, I’m using the second definition of pretentious.)
I do have one criticism of the book, and it was reinforced when I loaned it to a novelist friend. He raved about the book, but admitted to being put off by the ending. I won’t spoil it beyond saying the end is sudden, unsatisfying and comes out of the blue (literally, I suppose). There is an Act of God symmetry between the book’s opening and concluding pages, but it’s disappointing to have such a good story hit the brakes in that way, leaving so much without a hint of resolution.
“It doesn’t really conclude anything. It just ends,” my friend said.
“It doesn’t even end. It just stops,” I answered.
Despite that, Asterios Polyp really is a great book and one I’m sure I’ll read again and again in the years to come.
From the Diamonds of Sierra Leone remix, in which Jay-Z steps up and exposes Kanye West as a cut-rate emcee, we have this gem:
I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man. Let me handle my business, damn.
Maybe it’s because we’ve read so many “the universe is going to shatter, for realz this time!” comics from Marvel and DC over the years that the first inclination to new reading technology is to wonder if we (meaning the comics industry) are racing toward a new, totally different world.
So, Apple officially announced the iPad today. Do you feel the ground shaking beneath your feet?
The device is, essentially, half a laptop, with a touchscreen to replace the need for a keyboard (unless you want to get a keyboard dock). But, for our purposes, it’s perfectly sized to display a comic book page, and to do so in full color, unlike current e-ink readers like the Kindle and Nook.
A while back, I did some prognosticating that comics publishers could save some struggling monthly titles by publishing them digitally on e-readers. There’s a ton of uncertainty over whether that will happen, and that uncertainty remains despite the iPad’s release.
Everything I’ve read thus far is that the device offers a good reading experience (though I wonder about eye strain from the backlit screen, and whether people will be bothered to read on a device that offers video, Internet surfing, apps, etc.). But there will need to be a substantial base of users, and an effective distribution system, before we can start to see an answer to that question.
I wrote a story for the new PWCW about BOOM! Studios launching an imprint called BOOM! Town, which will publish more literary comics material. Read all about it.
Not sure how Calvin’s byline got on it. Guess he’s trying to steal my thunder! (Just kidding, Calvin.)
In case you’re wondering, no, this doesn’t mean I’m returning to comics journalism.
At Baltimore Comic Con I had the chance to chat with comics creator Bryan G. Brown, who had done an autobio comic about training for and entering an ultimate fighting competition.
It was a very different type of autobio comic than you usually see, because most comics creators were better at receiving punishment than dishing it out (myself included). It was also very nicely told and illustrated. Just a good book all around.
Very cool news came today that Brown received a grant from the Xeric Foundation. Congrats to Bryan. Do yourself a favor and go check out the preview of First Fight at his site.
Heidi has the complete list of recipients up at The Beat.
Rob Venditti points out on his site that the DVD of The Surrogates is out today.
The movie, starring Bruce Willis, was adapted from Rob’s graphic novel of the same name. There’s a mini-documentary on the DVD including a long interview with Rob, so be sure to check that out. You can buy the DVD right here, or in pretty much any store.
In case you haven’t read the original book or the sequel, Flesh and Bone, let me know so I can call you an idiot. To avoid that terrible fate, go right here and get both of them, or the awesome User’s Manual hardcover collection of both books.
The Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association that focuses on books for teens, just announced its newest list of great graphic novels for teens.
There are 73 books on the whole list, which you can view right here. Among the books selected is Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer, the book from SLG Publishing illustrated by Dustin Higgins and written by yours truly.
As if that weren’t cool enough, our little book that could also cracked YALSA’s top 10 list, which you can read about right here. The total list is:
I can’t say enough how flattering and humbling it is to be listed among these great books and insanely talented creators. Thanks to everyone on the YALSA committee and, as always, to our fans.
Many of the reviews of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer mention the story’s setting in the quaint Italian town of Nasolungo.
I suppose because Dustin Higgins and I were so meticulous about basing our book on Carlo Collodi’s original fairy tale, people seem to have assumed that Nasolungo was the setting for Collodi’s story (Here’s one such example).
I have to admit, though, that Collodi never mentioned Nasolungo. As far as I can find, he never named the home town of Pinocchio and Geppetto. What’s the source then of Nasolungo?
It’s not a real place, but rather a silly little joke on my part. Nasolungo is Italian for, you guessed it, “long nose.”
