Brian Kesinger's books never disappoint. They are beautifully drawn, have heart and humor, and I can see myself in the characters he has created. SeveBrian Kesinger's books never disappoint. They are beautifully drawn, have heart and humor, and I can see myself in the characters he has created. Several in this case due to my cat obsession that I share with witches. ...more
Elizabeth does NOT like this book. And by all logic I should have. I love Brian Kesinger but here he’s fighting a losing battle; trying to evoke the pElizabeth does NOT like this book. And by all logic I should have. I love Brian Kesinger but here he’s fighting a losing battle; trying to evoke the personalities of beloved droids through overly cartoonish gestures when they are known for their distinct voices. Also there is no plot. It just jumps around and doesn’t work. I mean why bring in podracing!?! In other words, the writing is atrocious. The sandcastle of Jabba’s palace was cute. That is all. ...more
I saw this in a daily deal email and then saw it was available from my library so I just had to borrow it. I mean who doesn’t want to know more about I saw this in a daily deal email and then saw it was available from my library so I just had to borrow it. I mean who doesn’t want to know more about knifeball? Yes, it’s funny, yes it’s politically incorrect, yes the illustrations aren’t the best, and yes it hasn’t aged well… Because in the world of fake news some people would actually say these silly and absurd things and other people would believe them as gospel. Also there’s an inconsistency to the whole thing, why don’t some things rhyme? Funny but forgettable....more
This is a hard review to write. The concept is strong but the execution isn’t. Firstly I don’t like the art style at all. At times objects are decentlThis is a hard review to write. The concept is strong but the execution isn’t. Firstly I don’t like the art style at all. At times objects are decently rendered but people and nature are painful to look at in this wannabe William Blake style that just doesn’t work. But the real problem is the writing. She is overly familiar but without context. She’s like a stranger at a party who corners you and overshares about their life and people and places you don’t know. I’m sorry lady I will never see again, but I don’t care about your barn or your muffins. She also comes across as pompous and preachy, like that one friend who has to work their most recent trip into every conversation even when it makes no sense to and then state their opinion on every topic brought up because obviously their opinion is the only one that matters. In other words, just not a good look. And can we maybe move beyond pandemic literature? The pandemic isn’t over yet we act like it is already ancient history and all these books are trying to force it into the past. Consigning it to history. And as for the clapping for first responders? Can we just not. You all only cared about them during the pandemic but I’ve been grateful to them for years and years and I have to say I think they’d rather we take precautions against Covid and see they are treated fairly and that nurses are allowed to unionize versus a round of applause. I just don’t want to be preached at by someone who comes across as entitled. Again, I don’t think that was the point, it’s a solid concept, not ill conceived but badly executed....more
This is a wonderful book showing the process of John Cassaday from pencil sketches all the way through to final covers. The thing to keep in mind is tThis is a wonderful book showing the process of John Cassaday from pencil sketches all the way through to final covers. The thing to keep in mind is that he rarely does color so the final success of the piece depends on if he has a good colorist, sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t. Personally I think he’s his own best colorist but that’s just not what he does. I’m glad to see that Dynamite has been employing him so steadily because I got to know him from his work on Firefly and Astonishing X-Men and don’t read the franchises that Dynamite runs. He’s a real talent and just a nice guy, I met him quite a few years back at Wizard World Chicago and treasure my signed comics....more
This book is more PR for Archie comics than it is a book about the art of Francesco Francavilla. At least there is no quibbling that we wouldn't have This book is more PR for Archie comics than it is a book about the art of Francesco Francavilla. At least there is no quibbling that we wouldn't have Archie Horror without Francesco Francavilla and that his style is what has been the driving force behind this line extension. And his art is exquisite, such a limited palette that evokes classic horror films. I just wish there had been more about his process. Yes, the sketches and the inks are nice, but what materials does he use, where does he get his inspiration. This is odd for me with this kind of art book, but I actually wanted more text to go along with the art. There could also have been more art... But the hint that this might only be volume one......more
I am SO glad that this has finally be republished. When I read all the Amphigoreys a few years back this stood out as one of Gorey's best pieces. So wI am SO glad that this has finally be republished. When I read all the Amphigoreys a few years back this stood out as one of Gorey's best pieces. So wonderfully and deliciously ominous. I like how it builds the suspense and gets weirder, with water and clouds in certain rooms of the house that surely inspired David Lynch. If there's a flaw it would be too many people in it. But that's only because I love the eerie house so much that it needs nothing else. Though they might be damned souls... There's just so much to think about! ...more
If you live in a house where you have stuffed animals with very distinct and vocal personalities, ranging the gamut from sarcastic to profane to inebrIf you live in a house where you have stuffed animals with very distinct and vocal personalities, ranging the gamut from sarcastic to profane to inebriated, then this is the book you've been waiting all your life for. And hopefully the stuffed animals will be fans as well. Though I know my Dad's monkey Salbert would probably downgrade the book for having no mention of Kim Novak. Thankfully the book doesn't mention Joey Bishop or we'd have real problems. And yes, wherever Sal is he knows what time it is in Vegas. While everyone might not have someone in their life at this moment giving constant commentary, we've all had a stuffed friend like this at some point in our life. Paul has Panda. Some of us know him as Art Critic Panda, but I am sure he has a plethora of aliases. If you read this book without any context, even though I do love that Paul added a picture of the trio at the back of the book, you are in for an entertaining time. Panda is saying what we are often thinking about but at too decorous to say. Though I would occasionally like to let loose with a stream of profanity Panda-style. The art varies in quality, but sometimes just the simplest of lines captures Panda and his posture so perfectly with so little that I wish I could draw like that. In particular I'm thinking of him exercising and looking lovingly at a bottle of gin. Yes, Panda does love his gin. There were also times when I wished that the drawings had been organized thematically or had some overarching story, but then I remembered this is a parody. I realized I couldn't properly critique this book without first reading The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. I remember when this book came out and it was everywhere. There were large drifts of it in Barnes and Noble because if I recall correctly they made it their book of the year. Well, that book does have some amazing drawings, in a wide range of styles, and occasionally there is something profound said, but for me it was too saccharine. My teeth hurt after reading it. It was too goody goody trying to be something more and occasionally ending up sounding like your friends in college when they got high and thought they'd discovered the answers to life. But reading that book made me appreciate Paul's book so much more. He got the artistic shifts, the lack of structure, everything down pat, but with a wonderfully cynical edge, which is totally my wheelhouse. So yes, you can read this book in a vacuum, but I'd say read the book after doing your homework, you will enjoy it so much more!...more
In 1766 there were many hurricanes. Billy Marvel and his beloved dog are the sole survivors of the sinking of the Kraken which was hit by this force oIn 1766 there were many hurricanes. Billy Marvel and his beloved dog are the sole survivors of the sinking of the Kraken which was hit by this force of nature. Billy even lost his beloved brother Marcus in the wreck. When Billy gets to London he is drawn to the construction site of the Royal Theatre and is mesmerized by the painting of the ceiling. There he is recognized as the sole survivor of the wreck, as his picture is on the cover of every newspaper, and he enthralls the crew with his tales of the hurricane and of his brother Marcus. The painter hired to do the ceiling is so moved by the tale he paints Marcus as an angel looking down over the audience. This serendipitous meeting is the beginning of the Marvel theatre dynasty. Billy works as a stagehand and set designer, and soon he has a son, and then there is a marriage. Down the generations until their dynasty ends in 1900. In 1990 Joseph Jervis has run away from school. His parents are abroad so he decides that he will go to his uncle's house in London. He has only the faintest notion of where Albert Nightingale lives, but cold and ill he arrives on his uncle's doorstep thinking that he might just have seen a horse and carriage. Inside the house is even odder. It feels trapped not just in another time, but at a specific time. A dinner is on the table, but a dinner that was interrupted. A napkin lays askew, and it must always lay askew. Albert reluctantly lets his nephew stay in the dream world he has created in this house in Spitalfields. But Joseph must behave. But Joseph is a curious child and from artifacts around the house he starts to learn about the Marvel theatre dynasty. The more he learns, the more he hopes that he is related to them. Yet what he knows of his own family's history doesn't add up with the Marvels. So in this house of make believe, Joseph must distinguish fact from fiction and then decide what is the better way to live?
It's hard to pick a favorite Brian Selznick book in that he is the master of his niche of storytelling. His style of art combined with his prose never fails to entertain, inspire, and uplift. Here though he's tweaked his winning style by having almost four hundred uninterrupted pages of illustration followed by two hundred pages of prose with a coda, another fifty pages of illustration. There was just something about this twist that made me fall even deeper into it than I did with The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Wonderstruck. The Marvels might just be my favorite Brian Selznick book yet! The four hundred pages of illustrations sped by as I was swept away by the history of the Marvel theatre dynasty. By the time you hit the prose section you're so invested in the story that I don't get those who felt the shift in style and tone betrayed them and made them dismiss the book out of hand. Thankfully I believe these to be a minority, because the twist to the story, the way art mimics reality and the artifice of theatre just made me love this book even more. In fact I was sorely compelled to re-read the first four hundred pages a second time after finishing the prose so I could come to terms with the awe I felt with how everything tied together so perfectly. But I was so overcome with tears streaming down my face that actually trying to read or look at a book would have been impossible due to the deluge of tears. What makes this book even more special I feel is that it's loosely based on a real location and person, Dennis Severs' House. One of my friends went to this museum that Dennis Severs created, a place where you can journey back in time with his staged "still-life drama." This is immersive history in the extreme. Oh how I want to go there. But reading this book is literally the next best thing and “you either see it, or you don’t.”...more
I love the message of the book, but it's so badly written, shifting tenses, missing words, sentences that make no sense, that I can't get beyond it toI love the message of the book, but it's so badly written, shifting tenses, missing words, sentences that make no sense, that I can't get beyond it to actually enjoy the story of Alan, whose story is, let's face it, kind of bleak. Also, what is "Half Europe?" Also why did he "grew away" from his parents? I have SO many questions about the text. It's just laughably bad. The nail in the book's coffin in my mind is that the design of the book is sloppy, with the text justification shifting from left to right. I should stop reading this series, I always hope that they will get something right, and just being out there, giving these people stories for kids, is I guess good, but they never quite work and just infuriate me in the end... ...more
It's been so long since I read the original book that after watching the adaptation for the millionth time last night I thought I'd break out the bookIt's been so long since I read the original book that after watching the adaptation for the millionth time last night I thought I'd break out the book for a re-read. I find it wonderful that Ma Otter's friend actually calls her out for buying fabric for a new dress, which pisses me off EVERY TIME I watch the adaptation. I find if interesting what they changed, what they added, and how the story was streamlined and made even more precious with the songs, some of which, as Paul Williams states, were written to match the titles in the book! Seriously a classic....more
I love Katie O'Neill's artwork, but most importantly I love the messages ALL her books promote. Here it's about doing the best you can and not compariI love Katie O'Neill's artwork, but most importantly I love the messages ALL her books promote. Here it's about doing the best you can and not comparing yourself to others but comparing yourself to yourself and making you happy. Dewdrop is the kind of cheerleader we all need in our lives, especially if we are prone to being hard on ourselves. I can't help but think of the advice that Michael recently gave on an episode of The Good Place. "What matters isn't if people are good or bad. What matters is if they're trying to be better today than they were yesterday." Let's all try to be better and encourage each other and not set unrealistic goals. Embrace Dewdrop's philosophy and infections joy! ...more
This is a wonderful story, part truth part fable, about how one girl can change the world. The art is beautiful and the story is timely. If only we haThis is a wonderful story, part truth part fable, about how one girl can change the world. The art is beautiful and the story is timely. If only we had more Gretas in the world. ...more
This book was far more successful than other books in this series, but I still take objection to two things, one an omission, another an anachronism. This book was far more successful than other books in this series, but I still take objection to two things, one an omission, another an anachronism. First the anachronism, the word teenager didn't exist yet. Now to the omission... Mary was particularly influenced in her writing by her recent miscarriage, which can be see throughout the text of Frankenstein and seeing as her mother's death from pregnancy was already discussed earlier in the book I don't think that omitting this fact was necessary. In fact, just a small line about it would have given the book a more real, a more true feeling. Instead it was lackluster. Though I did really enjoy the artwork, with it's stylistic Regency look that was very two dimensional, I felt that it captured something special. ...more
What I appreciated more than anything was getting a first hand account from someone who knew Gorey, unlike the Mark Dery book which felt disconnected What I appreciated more than anything was getting a first hand account from someone who knew Gorey, unlike the Mark Dery book which felt disconnected and open to the biographer's interpretation, this felt real. It also made me hate Mark Dery even more because he totally changed and skewed things to make his own points, especially in regard to the Charles Dickens bust in the "secret room," therefore I suggest just going back to the source materials, like this lovely book. While the black and white imagery might aesthetically suit the idea of Gorey I felt that McDermott's monochromatic images lacked something, whereas his color pictures are phenomenal. In fact seeing these amazingly lush images of the way Gorey curated his home and life not only gave me ideas for showcasing my own collections but I loved the idea that a man whose art was in black and white lived so surrounded by color (and cats.) The only real gripe I had is that a floorplan would have been nice... Oh, and now I really want to know what was up with Edward Gorey's frog obsession! ...more
I mean, obviously this was written for the true Buffy fan what with all the Easter Eggs from the whole series, so why would the story be written that I mean, obviously this was written for the true Buffy fan what with all the Easter Eggs from the whole series, so why would the story be written that changes certain key aspects that the true fan would pick up on. And no, I'm not talking about Willow and Xander being friends with Buffy when she's eight, but about the fact Buffy's closet isn't a closet so much as a cabinet on the wall and the door out into the hallway goes into Dawn's room... this REALLY annoyed me, almost as much as telling kids how character names are said through rhyming. I also really hated the "chalk" redesign of the logo. Ick. ...more
Elizabeth (Miss Eliza)
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