Written by: Robert Kirkman Art by: Ryan Ottley Colors by: John Rauch Cover by: Ryan Ottley Publisher: Image
Here’s a quick one: First 10 pages, too long, didn’t read. Then, bam! Scourge virus! FUUUUUU!!!! (Troll Face).
Jokes, aside, Kirkman absolutely pummels you with exposition and babber-y in the first 10 pages or so. The arguments are dense and infuriating. It’s almost comical the amount of waffling that is crammed into the dialogue. Its used be a unique twist when a responsible and mature Mark would talk things out with an opponent and reach a compromise. Now it’s a over-used joke and just drags the comic down. Consequently the build-up of an intergalactic battle royale is slowed to a fucking crawl. Allen the Alien, with Oliver Grayson at his side, has come to Earth to unleash a single canister of the scourge virus that will wipe-out the Vultrumite threat, but kill all the human’s on the planet as well. Invincible and General Thragg face-off against Allen and Omni-Boy in a contest of logic and reason. The conversation is lengthy and without much wit or humor. It’s only when the crew from Guarding the Globe show up to attack Mark and fuck everything up that things get interesting. When it goes off, it goes off in a big way!!! There’s an absolutely staggering plot-twist that I can’t talk too much about. It has the potential to shake-up the core of what this comic is really about, so I’m excited to see how it develops. But also it leaves me annoyed. The first half of this comic bored and pissed me off, and the second half was so exciting and tense that it left me wanting more only to be stuck with yet another cliffhanger. While that’s great for a reader, as reviewer I’m left with fuck-all to say, because any further hints will really spoil the surprise. I’m forced to keep this short.
Ryan Ottley’s art has certainly come along way, hasn’t it? His stuff is sick. He started on the loose and funkier side of the spectrum and has really worked to tighten up his lines. He’s perfectly captured the blend of wholesome animation style with the gross exaggerations of classic comic books musculature. This simplified look relies on colorist John Rauch for depth, lighting and shadow; while leaving the lines crisp, clean and bold. The combined cell-shaded look with Dreamsicle colors fits the perceived innocence of this super-hero world. It’s austere and slightly romanticized just like moralistic blue-skies and apple pies vibes that book had when it first started out. So when action scenes cross the line, brutal violence and gore have a much greater impact. It’s like seeing Mickey Mouse ripping out someone’s entrails, it shocks your senses. The sick and sweet 1-2-punch is an affront to your values and safety. That’s why it works. A contrast of style and subject is used to great effect and delivers a thematic message just as much as a narrative point. A prime example is Ottley’s treatment of the climax which is powerful and speaks to a stubborn worldview and a failure to compromise while delivering a fucking painful story beat. And what a beat that is. GAH!!! Can’t. Say. Any. More. Than. That.
Hi! Sorry I’ve not posted anything in a month and a half, but I have an entirely valid excuse. I was bitten by a radioactive lazy, and consequently became super-lazy. I promise that it will most certainly happen again.
So, yeah, the (main) title of this piece tells you the subject. While I was cooking up this theme-setting paragraph in my head, I was veering towards talking about the delight that I take in words and wordplay; I was going to quote fucking “Stairway to Heaven” again (’Cause you know, sometimes words have two meanings,) and so forth, by way of introduction. BUT! As I was putting pen to paper,* I realized that doing the broad-intro thing was a way of shoe-horning myself into the dorky “upside-down triangle” style of essay-writing I was taught in elementary school. This simply will not do – I am not interested in the comfort of old paradigms. And that, folks, is the perfectly legit artistic reason why the endings of all of my posts seem abrupt and poorly planned.
Ah, fuck, I forgot that I’m supposed to write about comic books here.
*(Yep, my process involves holding an ink-device in my hand! and marking up a lined sheet of paper. God, I’m old.)
Part 2 – Take a breath, for example.
Writer: Mike Carey / Pencil-Man: Peter Gross / “Finishes” – that’s inker, right?: M.K. Perker / Letters: Todd Klein / Colors: Chris Chuckry
The panel above is the one that finally, really made The Unwritten click for me and, what’s more, sparked the impetus for this column. The fuse was the word “hales.”
Thought is memory. Memory is association. The Association was a vocal group that had pop music hits with the songs “Windy” and “Never, My Love” in the 60’s. The first vocal melody line from “Never, My Love” was swiped and repurposed for the song “Here Comes Your Man” by The Pixies. The Pixies were a band whose name referred, among other things, to the fact that all four members were five feet and two inches tall or shorter. I myself named my last band “The Huge Pontoons” in a nod to The Pixies, “Huge” because all three original members were six feet and one inch tall or taller. Okay now, breathe.
To “hail” is to summon, salute, greet. Hail a taxi. Hail to the Chief. But the Founding-Father-looking jamoke in the panel above says “hale,” spelled like the word meaning healthy (as in “hale and hearty”) or, more relevantly, like the word “inhale,” which means “to draw breath.” Our olde-timey spellynge fellowe above pushed my head to a deeper meaning. To “in hale” = to summon air within, to invite it in. This interpretation of the word “inhale” anthropomorphizes the air – we’re asking it to please come in. This connection of words is certainly not purposeless. I ask myself, what is air that is a living thing? Would one call such a thing a soul? In the context of The Unwritten as a whole, such a canonization of the inanimate is entirely appropriate, since the book’s central figure, Tom Taylor, may literally be The Word Made Flesh.
I wish I could remember where I got this from. Somewhere on the internet, I think.
Language is a miracle. It creates a being above mere being, for it holds the mechanism whereby we may ascribe meaning. The written word, in turn, is a miracle on top of a miracle – language given immortality. And words added to pictures, as in comics… they’re just outta sight, baby. More from Unwritten #33:
The world changes when the story does. This is, of course, absolutely correct.
Part 3 – What’s in a name? No really, what?
In the previous piece I posted here, I talked about the comics series [amazon_link id=”1592911366″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”1607064790″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Red Wing[/amazon_link]. One thing I did there is I analyzed the names of some of the characters, figuring out if the writers had given those names some meaning, and maybe even what the meaning was. Well, now I’m gonna do the very same thing here for [amazon_link id=”1401228739″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Unwritten[/amazon_link]. I try not to repeat myself when I can, including my methodology, but this particular series demands that treatment, as the characters’ names fairly explode with hints at their symbolic functions.
The primary protagonist of [amazon_link id=”1401230466″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Unwritten[/amazon_link] is Tom Taylor – named Tommy Taylor in his father’s fictional, tres Harry-Potteresque fantasy books, and Thomas Taylor on his birth certificate. The whole series’ opening arc centers on the question of whether Tom is truly Wilson Taylor’s son or some other person, or if he is actually the fictional Tommy brought to life, plus various and sundry other twists on the theme of his identity. Reporters on the scene should have just looked at the names! Tommy = “Tom me.” Thomas = “Tom is.”
Consider, too, his author father’s self-chosen pseudonym, Wilson Taylor. “Will son.” As it just so happens, his will IS imposed upon the world via his son. Ah, and the last name, Taylor? A tailor is a clothes-maker, one who creates that which others garb themselves; or, more typically, a tailor is thought of as one who alters people’s external decorations. It’s much better than “Potter,” as the utility of pottery is less than universal nowadays (although if we throw cannabis into the mix that broadens the meaning, I suppose). Okay, that’s the obvious “Taylor” meaning. Then there’s the BIG one:
“Tale-er.” A maker of tales.
Bear in mind that before he changed his name and began writing his tales, Wilson was one of the group that Ovetts up there belongs to, the group that manipulates reality with stories. His nom de plume is certainly no accident. He’s a creator whose will on Earth is carried out through his son. That storyline seems somehow familiar, and the reader is made quite aware that Wilson Taylor is a man with messianic ambitions (and an ego to match.) Oh, and his real name might be Will Tallis. “Will tell us.” Will he, then?
The word made flesh, stolen from the internet somewhere. My apologies to the original creator. Oh, uh, I put this here because I don’t want you to have to look at TOO many words without pictures. I’m like super-nice, aren’t I?
Most of the rest of the characters’ names don’t have quite the same significance, as far as I can tell. “Lizzie Hexam”? Dunno. “Hex ‘em,” obviously, but big deal. “Richie Savoy”? Uh… Savoy is a region in France between the state of Dauphiné and Lake Geneva; it’s also the name of a very long-lasting ruling dynasty of some sort. I have no idea what meaning, if any, to apply there. Sorry! What about the “Ovetts” guy above? Is it a reference to Michael Ovitz, the Hollywood super-agent? Do we read it backwards and conclude that it’s a salute to “Steve-O,” the recently deceased “Jackass” costar? Uh, probably not.
One can really go hog-wild with this name stuff. I actually started looking at the names of the creative personnel involved with The Unwritten. Writer Mike Carey? “My carry.” That makes sense, he’s the boss. Co-credit Peter Gross all you want, but in a series as literary as THIS one, the writer is inevitably going to be the auteur. Editor Karen Berger? She’s a caring Burgher. One needs a benevolent ruler on a project such as this, jawohl? Peter Gross’s name is problematic, though. I find it unlikely that his role in all of this is to be a disgusting dick. If we assume that “Peter = penis” is inescapable, we can still find a somewhat kinder interpretation. A gross is also a dozen dozens – twelve times twelve. That’s 144. 144 millimeters equals 5.67 inches, which is fairly average for the size of an erect penis. There’s no shame in that. Okay, yeah, I know I’m being silly, these people didn’t actually CHOOSE their names – and even if they did, they didn’t do so on the basis of that name’s relevance to the series The Unwritten. Hell, they’re not Frank Quitely or something. Some artists DO change their names on the basis of what would benefit their work. Consider David Kotkin becoming David Copperfield (A Charles Dickens character – just like Lizzie Hexam!) to lend his lame act a veneer of erudition and class, or Thomas Woodward doing the same with the Henry Fielding character Tom Jones. I gotta say, the motivation eludes me as to why Arnold George Dorsey appropriated the name of real-life composer Engelbert Humperdink (composer of the opera Hansel und Gretel.) Wow, I’ve really wandered off, haven’t I?
Back to [amazon_link id=”1401232922″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Unwritten[/amazon_link]. There were only a couple more characters whose names struck me as particularly meaningful. One is Calliope Madigan, Tom’s reclusive putative mother. Calliope, in Greek mythology, was the Muse of epic poetry. That would make her the Muse of Homer and, hence, the inspiration for [amazon_link id=”B0002Z0EYK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Iliad[/amazon_link] and what I think may be history’s first sequel, The Odyssey. She was also the mother of Orpheus, whose tale was of EXTREME relevance to Tom’s half-brother (by a different mother) Milton (the name of the author of Paradise Lost, not that that means anything, right?) A/K/A the Tinker. Calliope was also the mother of Linus, the inventor of melody and rhythm and thus the muse for The Association and The Pixies, and the patron saint of kids with security blankets. Moving on…
The other character whose name has a clear and deliberate deeper meaning is the story’s deadliest antagonist, Pullman. When first introduced, the narrative engages in a bit of misdirection to make it appear that Pullman is merely a hired thug of the villainous evil cabal in the story, albeit a very powerful henchman. The opening storylines guide our expectations in the direction of Count Ambrosio, the Voldemort-analogue from Wilson Taylor’s books, as the tale’s Big Bad. We’re led to believe that Pullman is but an aide, as the suitcase carriers of the Pullman porter company are. But, as we have gone along, we have increasingly found that Pullman is much more than the cabal’s hireling. In fact, his name is his role: “Pull man.” He guides humanity itself toward the darkness of his choosing.
Do you dig? From Unwritten #27.
In fact, the recent “.5” issues have hinted that Pullman is, like, Biblically old. He’s probably either Cain or the serpent from the Garden of Eden, or maybe both. He must have an awesome health plan or something.
Part 4 – A man without love.
The caption box reads, “1965.” The man sits, brooding. He wears a smoking jacket and absently pulls his fingers along the curves of a brandy snifter.
Arnie Dorsey has had another album of music released to indifference. The reviews have been dismissive, even ignorant – “A crooner,” they called him! With his range, his flair!
How to change his destiny? “Audiences in Las Vegas are an inane and ridiculous lot,” he says to himself, though speaking aloud. “How can I succeed at capturing their fickle attentions?”
At that moment, the rain begins to tinkle, tinkle, tinkle against the picture window of his study. Captured, he stares out at his immaculately kept selection of dozens of lawn gnomes as the rain washes the scum right off of the streets. He has his answer. He knows. He speaks aloud the words that will transform him into something beyond himself.
Today, I will be posting my favorite Super Bowl commercials.
From Time.com
A squirrel nabs an acorn in the middle of the road and nearly gets hit by a car, to the horrified screams of every critter in the woods. Saved by the traction of Bridgestone tires! Talking animals have been done to death, but this one is worth it for the split-second of a tiny screaming cricket on a tree branch.
Today, I will be posting my favorite Super Bowl commercials.
From mashable.com
E-Trade’s 2010 Super Bowl ad that featured the E-Trade baby talking to his girlfriend about the importance of having a diversified portfolio was a hit with fans, but not with everyone. Actress Lindsay Lohan sued E-Trade on grounds that the commercial was a parody of her life, as it featured a “milkaholic” baby named “Lindsay.” The $100 million lawsuit was settled, but Lohan’s reputation hasn’t improved much.
Today, I will be posting my favorite Super Bowl commercials.
From askmen.com
This was the best offering from this year’s Doritos/Pepsi “Crash The Super Bowl” finalists, though the ad’s seemingly endless setup could annoy some viewers. The payoff, however, is worth it. Just when you think you already know the joke, it surprises. For every man who’s ever dated a woman with a dumb dog, you know the temptation to taunt it. She hates you for it, but that only makes the temptation stronger. Trying to lure a pug into a glass door became a new pastime for Americans after this aired — or they at least tried it with their drunken pals.
Today, I will be posting my favorite Super Bowl commercials.
Budweiser, Frogs (1995)
Croaking frogs saying “Bud…Weis….Errrrr.” This was my junior year of high school and we didn’t stop talking about this commercial for months.
Jeff Lemire takes us away from the Baker family this issue to focus on one of Buddy Baker’s films as the lead in Red Thunder. Right away Jeff Lemire uses the narrative in the film to parallel whats happening in Buddy’s life with his family. We see Buddy as Chas, a down on his luck father who is separated from his wife and hasn’t seen his son in over a month . When Chas decides to suit back up to earn the respect and interest of his son and ex – wife things go terribly wrong and he ends up in the hospital. Chas is greeted by his ex wife and son in the hospital and its apparent that they don’t want to see him do this anymore , but Chas is not picking up on the fact they want him to stop.
Jeff Lemire nods his hat to films like Crazy Heart and The Wrestler, even on the opening page the film is presented by Liramax and is directed by Ryan Daranovsky obvious nods to The Wrestler. The narrative switches back to Buddy and his family when we see the picture start to buffer and stop. It is here that we are brought back into the van that is now the Baker’s shelter from The Rot as they are on the run in search of Alec Holland aka Swamp Thing.
The art in this book is handled by Jeff Huet for the movie scenes and Travel Foreman for the scenes after. Both artists do an amazing job of creating an atmosphere wit Jeff drawing very cinematic scenes to help establish that you are watching a film and Travel delivering cleaner line work than Ive seen in previous issues . As always this is a pretty book.
Jeff Lemire continues to tell a well crafted tale and seems to be It seems like Buddy’s role as the Red Tornado is going to have more in common with the way his family views him in the immediate future . Animal Man continues to be one of DC’s books on the stands . Lemire is doing a great job and has more than able artists backing him up creating a very different Superhero book that you cant help but love.
Just got to check this out today. MaxLandis the writer of Chronicle decided to give us a very relevant and hilarious retelling of The Death and Return of Superman. Stuff like this makes me happy that famous people are nerds too.Heres a brief description followed by the short film. A somewhat-mostly-accurate educational parody film by Max Landis, Produced by Bryan Basham Starring Elden Henson, Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Morgan Krantz and many more.
There have been a few films that have caught me by surprise by how well they execute a story in their genre. Chronicle definitely falls into the realm of the found footage genre . Films like Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside have proven to be successful at the box office using Horror as their choice to carry a story. Chronicle however falls more into the territory of a teen drama / superhero film.
The film starts by introducing us to Andrew a socially awkward teen who is picked on at school , has a mother who is terminally ill and a drunken father that takes out his frustration on Andrew because he was let go from the Fire Department due to an injury . Andrew has bought a camera and decides that from now on he is filming everything in his life. He wants to document his life and his experiences . Andrew’s only immediate friend is his cousin Matt who convinces him to go to a rave with him. Andrew brings his camera to document their time together and after getting picked on again takes a break outside . Were introduced to our third main character Steve at this point who is running for school class president . He tells Andrew that he is with Matt and that he needs to follow him and get what they found on tape . At this point if youve seen the film you know these three characters end up discovering something that gives them their powers. The whole sequence is done well and Andrew’s camera ends up malfunctioning as Steve starts to have a nose bleed.
We jump into what seems to be a few weeks into the future. Andrew , Matt and Steve have all grown closer to each other as they realize that their brush with death has given them the ability to control things with their mind. This part of the film is what I would refer to as the harmless part of the film . We get to see our three main characters becoming closer friends as they share a bond and secret now that binds them together. One of the first things Andrew learns how to control with his mind is his camera . This is one of the single smartest choices director Josh Trank and Writer max Landis make in the movie. It allows us as viewers a way to view all three characters interacting together while the camera pans and moves around them . You never feel as though your watching a fond footage film at this point.
After a day of goofing off Matt , Andrew and Steve are driving home and at this point things in the movie start to get dark. You start to see Andrew change as he realizes how powerful he is becoming. The three friends agree to not use their powers against other people and not to use them in public and things seem to go back to normal. Steve invites Matt and Andrew to meet him out in an abandon spot , and reveals to them that he has learned how to fly. This leads to one of the coolest sequences of the film. I don’t know if another film has managed to achieve the sense of flying better than Josh Trank has in Chronicle . The sound editing use of camera and special effects are done so well.
Shortly there after a series of events happen to Andrew that lead him to feeling helpless and picked on again. I don’t want to spoil anything for you but the film takes a very unexpected turn after this and has you by the throat until the climactic and powerful finale that sees all of Seattle get destroyed as Andrews passed rejection and abuse effects him and his relationships with his new best friends.
This film was made for only $12 million dollars but is executed in a way that is comparable to District 9. The three main actors all come off convincing in their portrayal of being friends and teenagers . The script itself bu Max Landis is great. It doesn’t talk down to the audience and manages to tell a heart-felt story with great characters and strong story telling. Josh Trank pulls off an amazing job with showing us a found footage film that doesn’t manage to make you feel sick to watch and does an amazing job of having the characters not act with one and another but the camera itself as its being controlled by Andrew . All three of the main actors definitely do a great job in their roles but this movie belongs to Dane Dehaan and as Andrew. He manages to have you sympathize with him in the beginning of the film and fear him in the latter part of the movie . You see how he could turn into the monster he becomes but also sympathize with his journey along the way.
I urge everyone to check this film out in the theaters this week before new trailers pop up ruining the final 15 min of the film. There are huge action sequences that you need to see without having them spoiled for you . Buildings fall characters die , and we see a fight that is comparable to Superman 2 , but executed again for only $12 million dollars. Everyone involved in the film will have a safe future in Hollywood and if Fox decides to go forward with offering Josh Trank the Fantastic Four franchise I hope he brings Max Landis along for the ride. In short go see this film.
Here’s a quick one: First 10 pages, too long, didn’t read. Then, bam! Scourge virus! FUUUUUU!!!! (Troll Face).
