john and jana

Molasses!

More half-way done workings from the Food Book…

The Best American Comics 2008

When you name a book “The Best American Comics,” you expect it to at least try to give you what it claims. The 2008 edition compiled by Lynda Barry and series editors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden makes up for the less than stunning 2007 volume. It’s a marvelous collection that makes a good argument that many of the works included are, in fact, the best America had to offer.

This year’s volume gets right down to business with Barry’s forward, done in the style of her memoir/guide to storytelling, “What It Is.” Barry puts down a gorgeous and complex explanation of what has influenced her decision-making in choosing for the volume. She goes over the history of her influences in the world of comics and the varied experience of what comics have to offer, according to who is reading any given work. It’s a great presentation of what is to follow, a colorful tightrope walk between objectivity and passion. Continue Reading…

Godzilla strikes back - in court

I’ve heard about it from Elvis and George Lucas, but I never knew Toho was so proactive in protecting their Godzilla copyright. In fact, I probably will have to pay a fee just for using that terrible lizard’s name in this post!

I feel sorry for the band they mention in the article. They probably can’t use Rodan, Mothra, or Ghidrah as a replacement. Hmmm, what about Gamera?

more auditions for the Foodies Kids

here’s another one- a sketch!

i like these guys

john and i are playing around with some little folks that will be acting as narrators for The Food Book. so far we’ve come up with these…

i like them all, but will be coming up with more before we make our final decision. this is fun!

Tiny People

“Relative to my current position on the matter, I have no idea, I have no ground to stand on, I am not in the loop, and I really have to step back from the entire matter in order to take a nap.”

Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle

Travel is such a natural topic for graphic novels that it’s surprising there aren’t more collections of graphic essays or just travel memoirs littering the landscape. Or perhaps it’s for the best, since I imagine few could live up to Guy Delisle’s mastery of the form. The Quebecois cartoonist previously recounted his work in Asian animation studios in “Shenzhen” and “Pyongyang” — his new book, “The Burma Chronicles” takes him into different territory at the mercy of his wife’s job, administrator for Doctors Without Borders.

Delisle’s main job and purpose during his year in Burma seems to be to raise his son, do some work and to wander around and get to know the country in the name of curiosity and another graphic novel. The latter purpose twists its way through the former two — managing to include peeks into his wife’s work along the way — and creates a multi-faceted look at an expatriate community in a mysterious and troubled country. Continue Reading…

Doctor Who Series 4

With the fourth series of the revived “Doctor Who,” the BBC brings the series’ unique tone into its most perfect realization, a playful kaleidoscope of comedy, goofiness, horror and tragedy, all working as multiple sides to the same story. It’s a presentation that is as smart and varied as its lead character, perpetuating the notion that adventure need not be either funny or dark and characters who fight for the greater good don’t have to be boringly pure. Continue Reading…

Moresukine: Uploaded Weekly from Tokyo by Dirk Schwieger

With packaging designed to look like the popular and prevalent Moleskine sketch books — and a title derived from the Japanese mispronounciation of the brand name — Dirk Schwieger’s “Moresukine: Uploaded Weekly from Tokyo” is a casual, amusing travelogue that hints at a far bigger project for the talented cartoonist.

Schwieger spent seven months in Tokyo and as a creative time-passer, he started a blog that would allow readers to give him assignments. Each week, he would do what was requested and create a four-page comic story about his investigations. This book collects the work on that blog and adds in some guest assignments that Schwieger gives to other web comic creators, including James Kochalka. Continue Reading…

Other People’s Lives

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie by Norton Juster and Chris Raschka

There are two sides to every coin — that’s a simple way of expressing duality to a kid, but it doesn’t get to the subtleties. And these things are only really of concern in regard to people. There are times in life when you find out for the first time that people you think are one way are also another and that other way of being is a part of them you are not privy to. The worst realizations in this regard revolve around parents and peers and feelings of betrayal are the gravest hurt these moments can inspire. At times, they can also inspire self-reflection as you begin to understand that you, too, have more than one side to you.

The little girl in “Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie,” the new children’s book by the Caldecott-winning duo of Norton Juster and Chris Raschka, has a head start — her grandparents have made clear the two sides to her personality. Sometimes she’s Sourpuss, who doesn’t want to go anywhere, do anything, eat anything or be nice to anyone. Other times she’s Sweet Pie, complimenting her Nanna’s wrinkles and begging stories from her Poppy.

While Juster’s words investigate the idea that these two are one and vice versa by presenting a real character through the sing-song monologue, Chris Raschka’s vibrant illustrations capture the emotional dance of the child. Stripped down to an existence of simple thick lines that create expressions topped by a curly brown mop, Raschka’s portrayal of the little girl offers his typical animated delights as well as a purposeful generic quality to her being. She could be any kid have this book read to them and this identification with something so bursting with color and personality will have any kid laughing at their own behavior as well as hers. It’s identification as self-realization and the emotional seed is planted that duality is common and it’s kind of funny, too.

Pocket Full of Rain by Jason

“Pocket Full of Rain” collects Jason’s earlier efforts — he hadn’t quite settled on his world of cats as the center of his storytelling at this point, there are plenty of humans about.

The first story — after which the collection is named — centers around realistically-drawn humans and mixes up their pop culture obsessions and trite phrases into a surreal tale of love on the run. It holds much in common with Jason’s later work, but the human figures ground it in a different sort of reality — with the cartoonish quality to come missing from the equation, there is little chance a reader can divorce the story from anything in the “real world.” This speaks to the power of Jason’s early work — you can see the process by which he escaped the human reality, while still recognizing that the work was at a different starting place than most.

Other stories in the collection reveal more of this period, but the occasional invasion of an anthropomorphic creature shows the crossover began in small dribs early on.”Pocket Full of Rain” shows a creator who is figuring it all out, formulating the presentation that would soon define him.