Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Calm Before the Storm
Monday, August 13, 2007
R.I.P. Mike Wieringo
I had something else prepared for today, but I do have to make a slight adjustment as one of the greats in contemporary comics has passed on. Mike Wieringo, while not one of the flashiest artists in the industry, was one of the best. Most recognized for his work for DC Comics' The Flash, his work on Marvel's Sensational Spider-Man and Fantastic Four held a special place in my heart. What warmed me to his work was the preparation, the structure, and the attention to detail he paid towards the characters he worked on. He was a consummate professional and his subtle style, while characterized as "ballooney" by some, was magnificent in its confidence whenever I opened a page.
Having been an avid reader of his blog for the past couple of years, I was entranced by his dedication to his craft and his fans. He could be found posting comments on other artists' blogs as well, never condescending and always positive and encouraging. I was impressed by his passion for the art form, for his enthusiasm surrounding his creator-owned material, Tellos, for his dedication to improvement, for his promotion of comics that anyone could read, and for the fact that he was an animal lover. One could tell through his posts that he was tireless in his work ethic in both research and production, taking the time to notice the reality that surrounded him and putting truth into every line he put on the page.
The past few years that I've been at SDCC, I've regretted not being able to meet or see him in person. Knowing that I'll never have this opportunity makes me incredibly sad for he is someone I've admired from afar as most fans often do. My solace is that his work lives on and in that, Mr. Wieringo will never truly pass.
Rest in Peace.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Westside Varietals
The overwhelming blogatude from last week has left me with a dearth of posts for this week. I return briefly to talk up the most expansive wine store that I've ever experienced, Twenty Twenty Wine Merchants.
Lined from top to bottom with the finest vintages, both contemporary and classic, this establishment has a most impressive collection of wines that I've ever witnessed. If I'd never dropped a couple of names on the poor wine salesman at BevMo, I probably would have never found it, or seen it before. If you're ever on the west side, I would highly recommend finding it, you're in for a treat. The wines are extraordinary and the staff is very knowledgeable, but what you won't find, are aisles of other types of alcohol. This place is known for wines and they like to keep it that way. Even so, there was still a number of tequilas and scotches to make my eyes wander from our goal.
In all reality, I'm not much of a wine connoisseur. I tend to like a Cabernet, tending toward the richer side of the spectrum as opposed to the light side. I don't have a nose for wines, nor do I have an eye, but I like tasting and I like hearing about them, but ultimately, I like finding ones that taste incredible. Thank goodness I have plenty of people that are more into wine than myself, so I have endless resources at my disposal.
Most astonishing is the depth of their catalog. Surprising as it was, it was not unusual to find wines dated as far back as the 1940's. Most assuredly, their have to be even older wines in their cellars, as the storefront also doubles as a storage facility for the most avid collectors. Impressive as it was, I feel our trip was too short, but no doubt it warrants a return whenever our personal collection runs short.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Finite Incantatem
I'll bring it back bit by bit though, with my thoughts on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Having only been a relatively recent Potter fan - I started my interest after four books had already been published - and having just seen the movie adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," my fervor was high. Because it was the last of the lot, reading through the book actually instigated me finishing Haunted well faster than I had planned. As soon as Grace and I receive dour copies from Amazon (in a special Harry Potter muggle-proof box, no less) we tore into them. Yes, it was a marathon read at over 750 pages, but it never really felt that long.
Obviously, I loved it.
For anyone who hasn't read it, I'll try and remain as spoiler-free as possible. Not that it would make any sense in the first place, but I'll try. When last we left our hero, Harry had been tasked with an important mission by his mentor and headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort had waged all-out war on the wizarding world, and the entire planet was in imminent peril. Gifted with this dangerous task, Harry and his pals, Hermione and Ron, with little clue as what to do, seek to defeat Lord Voldemort using their hearts and their heads. As bare as the plot sounds, there is much much more involved.
J.K. Rowling, the author, has wound up the complexity of her plot so tightly, you would imagine her editor would go insane from the numerous dangling plot threads. Surprisingly, there are very few cracks in the Hufflepuff Cup she's cast. As airtight as the events leading up to the climax are, the story is just as gripping. I found myself rapt by dilemmas, surrounded by the intricacies of emotion, and engrossed by every distress visited upon the lead characters. There are deaths and there are casualties, and Ms. Rowling really makes every one of them count. Nothing is brushed off or sugar-coated, the attitude towards death and danger is just as foreboding as it would be in our own, living, non-fiction world.
That's what the books have always been about, interestingly enough. In many recent interviews, Ms. Rowling has been frank about how her own mother's death greatly influenced her authorship of the series. Honorably, I believe it serves a greater good as the pathos shines through what lesser authors would write as schmaltz. What's more, the emotional content has always been the strong suit of these stories. Most especially in this book, and the last, when death comes home to roost.
What I've always loved about them, aside from the large heart at the center of all her novels, is the expansive size of her imagination. While some fantasy novels are content to take an old concept and call it their own, these books have elevated the magic of, well, Magic. The mythology for me has always been most fascinating aspect and the newness of the visuals really spin her world in a new cloth. The concept of witches and wizards is quite old, but her treatment of their lives as ordinary is what makes each installment believable.
The extraordinary is what makes them loveable.
I bid a fond farewell to this world that Ms. Rowling has created. While she takes a well-deserved holiday, and I myself take a break from reading for a short, short while (to soak in the "Deathly Hallows"), I'll be thinking more about what these books have meant not only to me, but to her adoring fans.
