I've had my Nook e-reader since November 2009, and my iPad since its April 2010 release, so let's round it out and say I've been reading e-books for a year. In addition to the Nook, and the Nook and Kindle apps on the iPad, I've got Nook and Kindle apps on my Droid phone, which are handy for pulling out a book when you're stuck somewhere.
In that time, I have read, to completion, around 14 e-books, mostly on the Nook. I haven't compared that to the number of non-work physical books I read in years past -- mainly because I usually don't keep track of such things. But my sense is that I am reading more now, in part because of the convenience: When I finish a book, I don't have to dig or shop for a new one; it's a couple of clicks away.
I've also switched from buying my family's books in physical format to buying them electronically. The tough part is getting them signed. Autographing electrons takes a very small pen . . . .
Friday, December 31, 2010
A Tron in a Much Larger Game
I'm diving into the holiday movie season, which is much like the summer movie season except with a little more lead-shot weighting at the bottom, Oscar noms being so close and all. As I write, I'm waiting at the Landmark Theater to watch the current adaptation of TRUE GRIT; and last weekend I saw TRON LEGACY at the Majestic Crest Theater.
What can I say about a sequel/reimagining of a 28-year-old movie that I didn't care for when I saw it? Well, I liked it better than I liked the original. The original came out at a time when Disney was trying for slightly more edgy live-action movies than the family fare for which it had become known. It had not yet formed its Hollywood Pictures branch; this was more the CONDORMAN era. TRON therefore had the feeling of a studio groping for a style and failing to really achieve it. I wasn't wowed by the graphics; and without the graphics there was just the novelty of people pretending to be computer programs, on dark soundstages in neon clothes.
The 2010 TRON seems to have more of a storytelling flow, although it, like the original, is choppy in places. Logic ebbs and flows, and a lot of the technology explored in the story has to be taken on faith (kind of like the tech in INCEPTION) because there's no effort to explain it that makes any kind of sense.
But what the movie does have going for it is some humanity in the tripartite relationship between Jeff Bridge's Flynn, his son (the protagonist) Sam, and CLU -- a computer avatar of Flynn who has captured Flynn's world view at a young age, and has not let it go. In contrast to the older Flynn, CLU does not learn with age. So we have a sort of family drama with son, dad, and dad's obnoxious brother. Oh, and there's Quora -- Olivia Wilde, buffed out, mascaraed, and sealed in a skintight suit -- who is the only female character with any depth and therefore must fulfill all the roles permitted to women in a boy's adventure movie: Little sister, warrior babe, foundling, victim to be protected, and love interest. She must be exhausted.
Since it's a special effects movie, the story devotes little time to exploring the family dynamic (and probably too much time, to the folks who want to see light cycles blow up). But it adds a bit of substance to the eye candy of the CG, and the delight of a world where you can leap into space and form a light-jetplane around yourself.
It makes for a fun time in the theater, and a pretty experience for your eyes. But not necessarily a best picture nomination.
What can I say about a sequel/reimagining of a 28-year-old movie that I didn't care for when I saw it? Well, I liked it better than I liked the original. The original came out at a time when Disney was trying for slightly more edgy live-action movies than the family fare for which it had become known. It had not yet formed its Hollywood Pictures branch; this was more the CONDORMAN era. TRON therefore had the feeling of a studio groping for a style and failing to really achieve it. I wasn't wowed by the graphics; and without the graphics there was just the novelty of people pretending to be computer programs, on dark soundstages in neon clothes.
The 2010 TRON seems to have more of a storytelling flow, although it, like the original, is choppy in places. Logic ebbs and flows, and a lot of the technology explored in the story has to be taken on faith (kind of like the tech in INCEPTION) because there's no effort to explain it that makes any kind of sense.
But what the movie does have going for it is some humanity in the tripartite relationship between Jeff Bridge's Flynn, his son (the protagonist) Sam, and CLU -- a computer avatar of Flynn who has captured Flynn's world view at a young age, and has not let it go. In contrast to the older Flynn, CLU does not learn with age. So we have a sort of family drama with son, dad, and dad's obnoxious brother. Oh, and there's Quora -- Olivia Wilde, buffed out, mascaraed, and sealed in a skintight suit -- who is the only female character with any depth and therefore must fulfill all the roles permitted to women in a boy's adventure movie: Little sister, warrior babe, foundling, victim to be protected, and love interest. She must be exhausted.
Since it's a special effects movie, the story devotes little time to exploring the family dynamic (and probably too much time, to the folks who want to see light cycles blow up). But it adds a bit of substance to the eye candy of the CG, and the delight of a world where you can leap into space and form a light-jetplane around yourself.
It makes for a fun time in the theater, and a pretty experience for your eyes. But not necessarily a best picture nomination.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
'Tis the Season
Here are my recommended gifts for the season:
-- Charity gift certificates. Literally the gift for the person who has everything. You give the recipient a certificate he or she can use to give a charity of the recipient's choice. My favorite provider is Seattle's Tisbest (www.tisbest.org).
-- Books. The bookselling industry (and, by extension, the book publishing industry) is in trouble. Buying from independent bookstores is good, but even giants like Barnes & Noble and Borders are suffering.
-- DVDs/Blu-Rays. Video sellers are also in trouble. Blu-ray discs are an especially appropriate gift for folks who have PS3s or one of the blu-ray players that have gone way down in price.
-- Charity gift certificates. Literally the gift for the person who has everything. You give the recipient a certificate he or she can use to give a charity of the recipient's choice. My favorite provider is Seattle's Tisbest (www.tisbest.org).
-- Books. The bookselling industry (and, by extension, the book publishing industry) is in trouble. Buying from independent bookstores is good, but even giants like Barnes & Noble and Borders are suffering.
-- DVDs/Blu-Rays. Video sellers are also in trouble. Blu-ray discs are an especially appropriate gift for folks who have PS3s or one of the blu-ray players that have gone way down in price.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Warriors. Way.
There's nothing new or innovative about the peanut-butter-and-chocolate melding of westerns and eastern martial arts. The cultural cross-pollination between westerns and samurai movies starting in the fifties, the contribution of asian immigrants to the building of the west, and the ubiquity of westerns during the time that kung-fu became popular in Hollywood, have all contributed to a half-century of martial arts westerns. Certainly anyone who watched TV in the seventies -- or who has watched reruns from that era -- recalls "Kung Fu," the most popular martial arts western in the U.S. And Asian countries have contributed to the subgenre, with works such as the 1985 anime movie "Dagger of Kamui" in which a gold hoard from Catalina Island funds the overthrow of the shogunate.
So there's nothing new about "The Warrior's Way" in terms of theme. What's new are the technological innovations that make what would otherwise be a cheap B-movie into something that's visually entertaining -- sort of a live-action anime -- particularly the scenes with the ninja-like warriors dropping from the sky like black rain. And what would otherwise be a matte-painting background is now a digitally-painted background, unreal and real at the same time.
There's not a lot of brain power in "The Warrior's Way." The filmmakers don't bother to give most of the killed bad guys any personality. Neither do they explain what country the protagonist or his opponents come from (Korea? China? Japan? Some mythical amalgam of them?) or how literal armies of warriors can be brought across the desert or across the ocean. (How are they billeted? Provisioned? Paid?) But it's a fun weekend afternoon of martial arts, six-shooter entertainment.
So there's nothing new about "The Warrior's Way" in terms of theme. What's new are the technological innovations that make what would otherwise be a cheap B-movie into something that's visually entertaining -- sort of a live-action anime -- particularly the scenes with the ninja-like warriors dropping from the sky like black rain. And what would otherwise be a matte-painting background is now a digitally-painted background, unreal and real at the same time.
There's not a lot of brain power in "The Warrior's Way." The filmmakers don't bother to give most of the killed bad guys any personality. Neither do they explain what country the protagonist or his opponents come from (Korea? China? Japan? Some mythical amalgam of them?) or how literal armies of warriors can be brought across the desert or across the ocean. (How are they billeted? Provisioned? Paid?) But it's a fun weekend afternoon of martial arts, six-shooter entertainment.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Hey Kids! Free Books!
For those who have just obtained Kindles, Nooks, or iPads, and are looking for ebooks to put on the devices, I heartily recommend the Baen Books Free Library of ebooks. (http://www.baen.com/library/) These are science fiction books that the authors or right-holders have elected to offer for free, either as the initial books in series or as examples of the authors' work. And these authors aren't z-list; they include some of the biggest names in science fiction -- such as Larry Niven, Andre Norton, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Keith Laumer. They're available in a variety of formats, so that you can read them on most devices. You can even read them online without downloading them, if you choose.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Desert Trip
Today, we took a road trip down to Rancho Mirage to visit Dad and Regina, along with my brother Steve and my sister-in-law Dawn. Along with a great dinner at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, one of the highlights was Dad reading aloud from his book, while Steve and I took turns videoing him.
Here's some footage of Dad reading about his parents' courtship:
Watch "Dad reads a story from his book." on YouTube
Update: Dad's book is now available on Lulu.com as a paperback for $9.02 (http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/a-barer-blog-posts-2006-2009/13049205?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1) and as an ebook for 99 cents (http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/a-barer-blog-posts-2006-2009/13049206?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/2) We are making the book available at cost.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Here's some footage of Dad reading about his parents' courtship:
Watch "Dad reads a story from his book." on YouTube
Update: Dad's book is now available on Lulu.com as a paperback for $9.02 (http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/a-barer-blog-posts-2006-2009/13049205?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1) and as an ebook for 99 cents (http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/a-barer-blog-posts-2006-2009/13049206?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/2) We are making the book available at cost.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Loscon 2010
This afternoon, we wrapped up our three-day attendance at Loscon, the annual science fiction convention of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, the oldest science fiction club in the world. Although we've attended many Loscons in the past, the 37th one was marked by Amy's local debut as a dealer in the dealer's room. She ran a table for her embroidery company, Heart of the Star. She set up one of her computerized embroidery sewing machines at the table, along with a laptop and monitor so folks could see the designs take shape on the screen. She also sold patches and pieces of lace. Most important, she gave out business cards inviting people to give her commissions. And a lot of people showed interest in the prospect.
Naturally, I helped set up and break down the table, and worked the table along with her. Working a convention as a dealer solo pretty much guarantees you won't be able to see any of the convention's daytime events, so a partner is invaluable. You must still pick and choose the events you will attend, since only one of you can attend at a time. That meant about one panel per day for each of us.
The success of a convention depends largely on the caliber of the guests. This con had excellent luck in that department. The themes for this year's Loscon were steampunk, urban fantasy, and SF Noir. Writer Guest of Honor Emma Bull covered the urban fantasy ("War for the Oaks") and SF Noir ("Bone Dance") categories, while art guest of honor Phil Foglio ("Girl Genius") handled the honors for steampunk. Ms. Bull's services as a GOH came with a bonus, since her husband, writer Will Shetterly, came too and appeared on several panels. Further, the programmers did not repeat the mistakes of past Loscons, which did not know what to do with their art guests. Aided by Foglio's talent as a writer and entertainer along with his artistic skill, the programmers put him on multiple panels.
The convention themes were also well-chosen. Due in part to LASFS's venerable status, the convention attendees tend to skew older. (A telling comment from one participant to another during a first-day panel: "Will I be as bitter as you when I get old?") But since steampunk is au currant with younger fans, the theme brought in some fresh blood as folks who never attend Loscons descended on a dealer's room stuffed with top hats, goggles, pocket watches and gears.
The conventions I enjoy most are those at which I can talk to people. At this con, I had the chance to hobnob with folks that span the multiple decades I've spent attending California conventions. That's particularly nice when spending a lot of the convention behind a dealer's table.
We've reserved a table for next year, so we'll be doing it again in 2011.
Naturally, I helped set up and break down the table, and worked the table along with her. Working a convention as a dealer solo pretty much guarantees you won't be able to see any of the convention's daytime events, so a partner is invaluable. You must still pick and choose the events you will attend, since only one of you can attend at a time. That meant about one panel per day for each of us.
The success of a convention depends largely on the caliber of the guests. This con had excellent luck in that department. The themes for this year's Loscon were steampunk, urban fantasy, and SF Noir. Writer Guest of Honor Emma Bull covered the urban fantasy ("War for the Oaks") and SF Noir ("Bone Dance") categories, while art guest of honor Phil Foglio ("Girl Genius") handled the honors for steampunk. Ms. Bull's services as a GOH came with a bonus, since her husband, writer Will Shetterly, came too and appeared on several panels. Further, the programmers did not repeat the mistakes of past Loscons, which did not know what to do with their art guests. Aided by Foglio's talent as a writer and entertainer along with his artistic skill, the programmers put him on multiple panels.
The convention themes were also well-chosen. Due in part to LASFS's venerable status, the convention attendees tend to skew older. (A telling comment from one participant to another during a first-day panel: "Will I be as bitter as you when I get old?") But since steampunk is au currant with younger fans, the theme brought in some fresh blood as folks who never attend Loscons descended on a dealer's room stuffed with top hats, goggles, pocket watches and gears.
The conventions I enjoy most are those at which I can talk to people. At this con, I had the chance to hobnob with folks that span the multiple decades I've spent attending California conventions. That's particularly nice when spending a lot of the convention behind a dealer's table.
We've reserved a table for next year, so we'll be doing it again in 2011.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Hallow Hallow
I'm positive that a certain percentage of the massive moviegoing crowd descending upon theaters to watch HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS has neither seen any of the previous movies nor read any of the novels, and will wander out of the theater wondering, "What the hell was that?"
Because the filmmakers aren't wasting any time trying to orient folks watching this for the first time. It's too late for that, so you either grab on and enjoy the ride or get flung off.
The DEATHLY HALLOWS is one of the best of the film series. Not only has director David Yates (who directed the previous two movies as well) found his storytelling tone for this movie, but the film benefits greatly from three developments. One is cutting the final Potter novel into two parts, allowing time for this movie to actually tell a cinematic story rather than be consumed by the labrythine plot. Another is that the characters and cast have become young adults -- which makes some of the plot developments and scenes a lot less creepy (in the non-entertaining sense) than they would otherwise be. And finally, the story breaks away from that damned school, allowing Harry, Ron and Hermione to traipse and apparate over the length and breadth of England, from the heart of London to the cliffs of Dover, as they become a guerilla band of resistance fighters, sort of Harry Potter and His Hogwarts Commandos.
Another great touch is a scene in which Hermione tells a folk story integral to the plot, which the filmmakers depict in animation which recalls shadow puppets and El Greco art.
And the production values are stunning. Little expense has been spared, with a cast of thousands including lots of characters from previous movies.
Unfortunately, the slow, depressing segment of the novel -- in which the characters wander around, accomplishing nothing but getting on each other's nerves -- is here in its entirety, just as slow and just as depressing. True, there's some quality character development in the segment (one scene with Harry and Hermione, added for the movie, is just delightful). But it's a bit of a slog. Fortunately, the action scenes more than make up for the slow sections. (The segments with Voldemort's giant snake pal, Nagini, are truly cringeworthy.)
We saw the film at a 9:30 a.m. Imax presentation. The presentation was sold out. To me, that indicates the film is going to make a huge chunk of change this weekend -- as will the final film this summer. But the folks watching this won't care. They'll just enjoy a well-made fantasy adventure.
Because the filmmakers aren't wasting any time trying to orient folks watching this for the first time. It's too late for that, so you either grab on and enjoy the ride or get flung off.
The DEATHLY HALLOWS is one of the best of the film series. Not only has director David Yates (who directed the previous two movies as well) found his storytelling tone for this movie, but the film benefits greatly from three developments. One is cutting the final Potter novel into two parts, allowing time for this movie to actually tell a cinematic story rather than be consumed by the labrythine plot. Another is that the characters and cast have become young adults -- which makes some of the plot developments and scenes a lot less creepy (in the non-entertaining sense) than they would otherwise be. And finally, the story breaks away from that damned school, allowing Harry, Ron and Hermione to traipse and apparate over the length and breadth of England, from the heart of London to the cliffs of Dover, as they become a guerilla band of resistance fighters, sort of Harry Potter and His Hogwarts Commandos.
Another great touch is a scene in which Hermione tells a folk story integral to the plot, which the filmmakers depict in animation which recalls shadow puppets and El Greco art.
And the production values are stunning. Little expense has been spared, with a cast of thousands including lots of characters from previous movies.
Unfortunately, the slow, depressing segment of the novel -- in which the characters wander around, accomplishing nothing but getting on each other's nerves -- is here in its entirety, just as slow and just as depressing. True, there's some quality character development in the segment (one scene with Harry and Hermione, added for the movie, is just delightful). But it's a bit of a slog. Fortunately, the action scenes more than make up for the slow sections. (The segments with Voldemort's giant snake pal, Nagini, are truly cringeworthy.)
We saw the film at a 9:30 a.m. Imax presentation. The presentation was sold out. To me, that indicates the film is going to make a huge chunk of change this weekend -- as will the final film this summer. But the folks watching this won't care. They'll just enjoy a well-made fantasy adventure.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Bay Area Vacation Photos
As promised, here are photos from our trip -- including the ones I took during our boat trip out to the Farallon Islands.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38694&id=100000277390964&l=6fac2eb774
Tron Shop
This afternoon, we had lunch at Royal/T Cafe, the maid cafe/art space in downtown Culver City. The cafe was abuzz because Disney had opened a sleek TRON LEGACY pop-up store (http://nerdreactor.com/2010/11/19/tron-legacy-pop-up-shop-grand-opening/) there.
After eating a couple of "Reco Burgers" (buffalo burgers with fried onion rings, and circuitry drawn onto the plate) we toured the shop. The store and the merchandise look very sleek, all black surfaces and blue neon lights. We didn't buy anything, however. I kept in mind that stuff that looks shiny and slick on the shelves may not look as nice a few months or years after it lands in your closet. Besides, I saw the original TRON in theaters back in the eighties, and was unimpressed. It's possible that this sequel, despite all the buzz, won't reach its full charge when it comes out. And if any merchandise looks especially tempting, it may be available on eBay for pennies on the dollar.
Nevertheless, I was happy to see the business and publicity the store generated for Royal/T. It's a great place, and I don't want to see it fade away.
After eating a couple of "Reco Burgers" (buffalo burgers with fried onion rings, and circuitry drawn onto the plate) we toured the shop. The store and the merchandise look very sleek, all black surfaces and blue neon lights. We didn't buy anything, however. I kept in mind that stuff that looks shiny and slick on the shelves may not look as nice a few months or years after it lands in your closet. Besides, I saw the original TRON in theaters back in the eighties, and was unimpressed. It's possible that this sequel, despite all the buzz, won't reach its full charge when it comes out. And if any merchandise looks especially tempting, it may be available on eBay for pennies on the dollar.
Nevertheless, I was happy to see the business and publicity the store generated for Royal/T. It's a great place, and I don't want to see it fade away.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Back from the Bay
We are back from our shark vacation to the Bay Area. Alas, we saw no sharks -- apart from the ones at the Fisherman's Wharf aquarium. During our Saturday trip to the Farallon Islands, we saw whales, seals, jellyfish, and amazing scenery; but the sharks were laying low. And our second trip (on Monday) was canceled due to high winds at the dive site.
Still, we had plenty to do during our trip. We were blessed with lots of sunshine (which, in true Bay Area style, occasionally turned to fog or pouring rain in the afternoon). We relived some of the experiences of my law school years in San Francisco by taking outings to the Wharf, Japantown, and the Haight. We met Walnut Creek cousin Steven Barer and his family. We had a dinner at Chez Panisse, the home base for California Cuisine. We encountered multiple persons with altered mentation.
I'll put up some photos soon.
Still, we had plenty to do during our trip. We were blessed with lots of sunshine (which, in true Bay Area style, occasionally turned to fog or pouring rain in the afternoon). We relived some of the experiences of my law school years in San Francisco by taking outings to the Wharf, Japantown, and the Haight. We met Walnut Creek cousin Steven Barer and his family. We had a dinner at Chez Panisse, the home base for California Cuisine. We encountered multiple persons with altered mentation.
I'll put up some photos soon.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Goodbye to Jan
My cousin Jan Curran was laid to rest this past week. I was always impressed with her sophistication and wit. To my knowledge, she was the first author in our family to have a book published. I remember my excitement when I attended a book signing she had in Walla Walla in the mid-70's for her self-help book about coping with divorce, "The Statue of Liberty Is Cracking Up." Incredibly, each of her four children grew up to become published authors. In fact, the last time I saw Jan was at another book signing, this one held for her son Tod's latest book. And at that signing, Jan was grieving over the passing of her own mother earlier that day.
I've been watching the Japanese animated series "Tegami Bachi," in which one of the underlying conceits is that a person's humanity, or "heart," is a quantifiable and finite energy, and that letters or other writings are like batteries that store within them the "heart" of the person who writes them -- an energy into which the reader taps. Jan undoubtedly poured a lot of her heart into her writings. And her writings remain -- on her blog, in her Facebook posts, in the two books she wrote, and in her children's writings. The ability to preserve the energy of humanity through writing is one that should never be taken lightly. It allows portions wonderful people like Jan to remain after they themselves have left us.
http://abarer.blogspot.com/2010/11/reflecting-on-passing-of-cousin-jan.html
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I've been watching the Japanese animated series "Tegami Bachi," in which one of the underlying conceits is that a person's humanity, or "heart," is a quantifiable and finite energy, and that letters or other writings are like batteries that store within them the "heart" of the person who writes them -- an energy into which the reader taps. Jan undoubtedly poured a lot of her heart into her writings. And her writings remain -- on her blog, in her Facebook posts, in the two books she wrote, and in her children's writings. The ability to preserve the energy of humanity through writing is one that should never be taken lightly. It allows portions wonderful people like Jan to remain after they themselves have left us.
http://abarer.blogspot.com/2010/11/reflecting-on-passing-of-cousin-jan.html
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, November 05, 2010
Vacation, Had to Get to Bay
I'm finishing up Day 2 of our Bay Area vacation. Yesterday was spent kicking back and walking around the waterfront near our Berkeley marina hotel. Today we picked up a wetsuit for Amy in San Francisco, which she'll use tomorrow when we go out on the first day of our two-day shark-watching adventure.
We indulged in touristy stuff in San Francisco: We BARTed into town and took a cable car to and from Fisherman's Wharf. Since I lived in SF during the late '80's, and my last couple of visits have been for business purposes, I found doing the tourist thing in the city amusing.
Tomorrow: The sharks.
We indulged in touristy stuff in San Francisco: We BARTed into town and took a cable car to and from Fisherman's Wharf. Since I lived in SF during the late '80's, and my last couple of visits have been for business purposes, I found doing the tourist thing in the city amusing.
Tomorrow: The sharks.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
"A Barer" Blog Posts Collection Now Available
"A Barer: Blog Posts 2006-2009" -- a collection of excerpts from my dad's blog -- is available at:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/a-barer-blog-posts-2006-2009/9199980
We haven't put any markup on the book; Lulu.com is the only party making money on it. A hard copy of the book (perfect-bound trade paperback) is $9.02; an ebook version (pdf) will set you back the princely sum of 99 cents.
Obviously, I'm biased; but when I pick a copy up and read it, I find it hard to put down. It's filled with anecdotes about our family; about Dad growing up in Walla Walla, Washington; about the famous people Dad has known; about the various personalities who have worked at the family business; and about life in general, from someone who has lived it.
For samples, see Dad's blog at www.abarer.blogspot.com
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/a-barer-blog-posts-2006-2009/9199980
We haven't put any markup on the book; Lulu.com is the only party making money on it. A hard copy of the book (perfect-bound trade paperback) is $9.02; an ebook version (pdf) will set you back the princely sum of 99 cents.
Obviously, I'm biased; but when I pick a copy up and read it, I find it hard to put down. It's filled with anecdotes about our family; about Dad growing up in Walla Walla, Washington; about the famous people Dad has known; about the various personalities who have worked at the family business; and about life in general, from someone who has lived it.
For samples, see Dad's blog at www.abarer.blogspot.com
The Mystery of Muscle
I'm a sucker for the COMIC BOOK LEGENDS REVEALED column on the Comic Book Resources Website, which inquires into the truth or falsity of various urban legends about comics. (Those do tend to proliferate in the age of the Internet.) The current installment at
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/10/29/comic-book-legends-revealed-284/ explores the legal fallout from Flex Mentallo, Man of Muscle Mystery, Grant Morrison's sly parody of the Charles Atlas ads which appeared in DC's Doom Patrol comic in the early '90's. It amused me when it came out. It did not amuse the Charles Atlas company.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/10/29/comic-book-legends-revealed-284/ explores the legal fallout from Flex Mentallo, Man of Muscle Mystery, Grant Morrison's sly parody of the Charles Atlas ads which appeared in DC's Doom Patrol comic in the early '90's. It amused me when it came out. It did not amuse the Charles Atlas company.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, October 17, 2010
My Father Makes (a) Book
In the benign sense of the phrase.
I've been working on compiling posts from my father's blog (http://www.abarer.blogspot.com/) into a paperback book, published on Lulu.com. An initial edition was not formatted to my tastes, and so I spent this afternoon reformatting the manuscript and uploading it.
If this edition is satisfactory, I'll post the URL for purchasing the book. We will be making it available at cost, with no markup.
Just a few years ago, putting together this sort of project would require paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to a publisher or "vanity press"; and the result would be an ungainly-looking pamphlet. Today, a service such as Lulu.com provides the software tools for putting together a professional-looking perfect-bound paperback, with a color cover, for no money upfront. Money is paid only when a book is ordered and printed.
In an era in which the entire traditional book publishing and distribution industry is in jeopardy, I'm glad that services such as this are available to help people preserve history via the written word.
I've been working on compiling posts from my father's blog (http://www.abarer.blogspot.com/) into a paperback book, published on Lulu.com. An initial edition was not formatted to my tastes, and so I spent this afternoon reformatting the manuscript and uploading it.
If this edition is satisfactory, I'll post the URL for purchasing the book. We will be making it available at cost, with no markup.
Just a few years ago, putting together this sort of project would require paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to a publisher or "vanity press"; and the result would be an ungainly-looking pamphlet. Today, a service such as Lulu.com provides the software tools for putting together a professional-looking perfect-bound paperback, with a color cover, for no money upfront. Money is paid only when a book is ordered and printed.
In an era in which the entire traditional book publishing and distribution industry is in jeopardy, I'm glad that services such as this are available to help people preserve history via the written word.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Releasing the Unreleasable
Warner Communications is a conglomerate that certainly doesn't need my endorsement. But I do want to plug one of their little-publicized projects: Warner Archive.
http://www.wbshop.com/Warner-Archive/ARCHIVE,default,sc.html
The Archive takes movies and TV series from the Warner Archives that have never been released on DVD (presumably due to lack of perceived interest) and offers them as print-on-demand DVDs, complete with professional packaging. So far I've obtained from them the 1975 Doc Savage movie ( which I had to watch to confirm my memories of how bad it was) and a complete collection of the Thundarr the Barbarian cartoon from the early '80's, which featured character designs by Alex Toth and Jack Kirby and scripting by Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas and other comics writers. A DVD of Hammer's version of SHE, with Ursula Andress, is on its way. Check it out and see if there's some half remembered treasure you'd like to own on DVD.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
http://www.wbshop.com/Warner-Archive/ARCHIVE,default,sc.html
The Archive takes movies and TV series from the Warner Archives that have never been released on DVD (presumably due to lack of perceived interest) and offers them as print-on-demand DVDs, complete with professional packaging. So far I've obtained from them the 1975 Doc Savage movie ( which I had to watch to confirm my memories of how bad it was) and a complete collection of the Thundarr the Barbarian cartoon from the early '80's, which featured character designs by Alex Toth and Jack Kirby and scripting by Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas and other comics writers. A DVD of Hammer's version of SHE, with Ursula Andress, is on its way. Check it out and see if there's some half remembered treasure you'd like to own on DVD.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Drawing Batman
As someone who has read and collected Batman comics for decades -- and who has read many Batman comics stories published before he was born -- I have to say that many current comics artists simply do not "get" Batman. The Batman is one of the best-designed superhero characters of all time. That's plain from the number of consumers who have never read a Batman comic, and perhaps have never seen the character's 1960's TV show or all of his various animated incarnations over the last 45 years, yet are drawn to T-shirts or toys or other merchandise bearing his image. Batman, when drawn right -- with the right balance of shadow and light, fluidity and solidity -- looks cool. No matter that a Dick Sprang Batman from the mid-fifties is drawn in a completely different style from a Marshall Rogers Batman from the mid-seventies, or that a Jerry Robinson Batman from 1942 does not look exactly like a Carmine Infantino Batman from 1967. When the artist gets it right, you know it's Batman.
Unfortunately, many artists these days don't get it right. They have the necessary costume elements there; but it's not Batman. It's a character in a Batman suit. That doesn't mean the art is necessarily bad. They just don't get the character right.
What a treat, therefore, that the week of October 7, 2010 brought two new comics from artists who know how to draw Batman -- artists who first became known for drawing the character around 40 years ago.
One of the comics was issue #4 of BATMAN ODYSSEY. ODYSSEY is an extraordinary monthly series written, pencilled, and in its first two issues inked by my favorite Batman artist, Neal Adams.
Adams intends ODYSSEY as his definitive take on the character. I take some issues with his vision of Batman: Chatty, somewhat smart-assed, and wearing his emotions on his sleeve. That's particularly true in this issue, in which he thinks a criminal has killed a little girl that he was protecting, and he proceeds to pound the guy into hamburger while Commissioner Gordon and his cops try to talk him out of killing the man. (And I won't get into Adams's mulleted Aquaman.) But I have no complaints about the art, which not only equals the work Adams did from the late '60's to the early '70's on Batman but surpasses it. Even more extraordinary -- both for Adams, given his track record, and for modern comics in general -- is that each monthly issue has come out on time.
The week also brought a nice presentation of an inventory story (from an unspecified year -- although, from the art style, I believe it would be the early '90's) by Bernie Wrightson, ably inked by Kevin Nowlan.
This treat is accompanied by a reprint of Wrightson's first Batman story, a 1973 issue of his and Len Wein's SWAMP THING series, with an appreciation by Wein at the end. In this case, the art in the earlier story is better, in my opinion, than in the later Wrightson tale. But that does not lessen the fun of reading a comic in which the artist gets Batman right.
Fans who have read the character only in recent years may take issue with my preferences. That's fine. Batman is a resilient enough character to accommodate many artistic visions. But I'm glad that I can occasionally see new comics featuring Batman.
Unfortunately, many artists these days don't get it right. They have the necessary costume elements there; but it's not Batman. It's a character in a Batman suit. That doesn't mean the art is necessarily bad. They just don't get the character right.
What a treat, therefore, that the week of October 7, 2010 brought two new comics from artists who know how to draw Batman -- artists who first became known for drawing the character around 40 years ago.
One of the comics was issue #4 of BATMAN ODYSSEY. ODYSSEY is an extraordinary monthly series written, pencilled, and in its first two issues inked by my favorite Batman artist, Neal Adams.
Adams intends ODYSSEY as his definitive take on the character. I take some issues with his vision of Batman: Chatty, somewhat smart-assed, and wearing his emotions on his sleeve. That's particularly true in this issue, in which he thinks a criminal has killed a little girl that he was protecting, and he proceeds to pound the guy into hamburger while Commissioner Gordon and his cops try to talk him out of killing the man. (And I won't get into Adams's mulleted Aquaman.) But I have no complaints about the art, which not only equals the work Adams did from the late '60's to the early '70's on Batman but surpasses it. Even more extraordinary -- both for Adams, given his track record, and for modern comics in general -- is that each monthly issue has come out on time.
The week also brought a nice presentation of an inventory story (from an unspecified year -- although, from the art style, I believe it would be the early '90's) by Bernie Wrightson, ably inked by Kevin Nowlan.
This treat is accompanied by a reprint of Wrightson's first Batman story, a 1973 issue of his and Len Wein's SWAMP THING series, with an appreciation by Wein at the end. In this case, the art in the earlier story is better, in my opinion, than in the later Wrightson tale. But that does not lessen the fun of reading a comic in which the artist gets Batman right.
Fans who have read the character only in recent years may take issue with my preferences. That's fine. Batman is a resilient enough character to accommodate many artistic visions. But I'm glad that I can occasionally see new comics featuring Batman.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Identity-Less
I've been enjoying Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series of steampunk novels quite a bit. I've read the first two entries in the series (SOULLESS, released in 2009, and CHANGELESS, released in 2010) and have the latest, BLAMELESS, sitting on my Nook ready to read. The books take the approach (interesting if done right) of analyzing a fantasy conceit through the science fiction lens, and conveying it all in a tongue in cheek, hyper-Jane-Austin style that is a lot of fun to read. So much so that I don't even mind that it incorporates one of the current fantasy cliches, vampires vs. werewolves (although here, the conflict is more in manners than in tooth vs. claw combat).
So I found the interview with "Ms. Carriger" in the current Locus magazine interesting. Not only did the author create Gail Carriger as a pseudonym (due to her involvement in academia when formulating the series), but she has created an entire persona around the nom de plume. When she makes appearances as Carriger, she dresses in more vintage clothes, and adopts a more Anglicized and mannered conversational style than normal. Her stated goal is to create Gail Carriger as a brand. And it is working. CHANGELESS debuted on the NY Times bestseller list, as did BLAMELESS last month.
It's no secret that an author's public persona can be an effective marketing tool, particularly when the author is an entertaining bon vivant or a fun curmudgeon. To what extent can a persona be created as an advertising tool -- particularly where, as here, the author's true identity and the persona's creation are open "secrets?"
So I found the interview with "Ms. Carriger" in the current Locus magazine interesting. Not only did the author create Gail Carriger as a pseudonym (due to her involvement in academia when formulating the series), but she has created an entire persona around the nom de plume. When she makes appearances as Carriger, she dresses in more vintage clothes, and adopts a more Anglicized and mannered conversational style than normal. Her stated goal is to create Gail Carriger as a brand. And it is working. CHANGELESS debuted on the NY Times bestseller list, as did BLAMELESS last month.
It's no secret that an author's public persona can be an effective marketing tool, particularly when the author is an entertaining bon vivant or a fun curmudgeon. To what extent can a persona be created as an advertising tool -- particularly where, as here, the author's true identity and the persona's creation are open "secrets?"
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Stephen J. Cannell
Perhaps the most graceful way to deal with a death is to write with joy about that person's life. That is what my cousins Lee and Tod Goldberg have done to address the passing of Mr. Cannell.
http://leegoldberg.typepad.com/a_writers_life/2010/10/remembering-steve.html
http://todgoldberg.typepad.com/tod_goldberg/2010/10/stephen-cannell.html
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http://leegoldberg.typepad.com/a_writers_life/2010/10/remembering-steve.html
http://todgoldberg.typepad.com/tod_goldberg/2010/10/stephen-cannell.html
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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