#I really love Ferreira's art in this series

[spider-mand]

The opening to Absolute Carnage vs Deadpool is so freakin funny, I want a print of that J. Jonah Jameson panel.

Absolute Carnage vs Deadpool issue 1 -- writer Tieri, pencils Ferreira, inks Poggi, colors Rosenberg

[duskkodesh]

The Absolute Best Morbius Comic Art

So since I did that post on my least favorite artists that have drawn Morb I have to do the opposite and show my absolute favorites. This sadly will only include comic art which means three of my favorite artists will be excluded as they’d only done covers but I doubt you all want to hear me gush over Kyle Hotz, Ryan Brown, and Ivan Shavrin, for hours with like one or two jpegs to show you. Also not included are my mutuals because Oh My LORD is some of the fanart on Tumblr fantastic! Nope, have to stick to official comic art only. Maybe later I’ll do a post of my favorite standalone pieces of comic art but I would feel weird reposting fanart (even with links and credits of course) Also this was SO hard to put into an order. I wracked myself over the numbering. I’m still leaning towards going back and changing it I love these artists so much!

10: Larry Lieber. I absolutely fell in love with the way he’s drawn in the newspaper strips and while the artist for the Sunday strips is also amazing it was Larry Lieber’s art that really got me. It looks vintage but is pretty damn new (2011), has great lines, perfect face, emotion I just *Chef’s kiss*

9: Max Douglas. Remember that I said one of my fave Morb short stories in both art and content was in Morbius #25? It’s this story: Drainage System of which Max Douglas did the art. It’s gritty but clear, the backgrounds are full of details. The art carries the exact mood of the story and I have been rereading it fondly since 1994. The main story of this issue is.... ehhhhhhh but it is worth picking up just for Drainage System. 

8: Marcelo Ferreira. Artist for most of the 2019 series and an absolute talent! His work is gritty and makes Morb ugly in the best most apropos way. Love his heavy use of thick block shadows to define form, and he’s a genius when it comes to fabric folds and hair. This is one of two artists on this list I own a piece from (A page of the 2019 series issue 5) and I wish I could have gotten more.

7: Ron Wagner. Needless to say his art absolutely made the 1990′s series (up until he split due to conflict with the writer) and it was one of the big reasons I initially picked up the comic. If Marvel had picked another artist i don’t know if nine-year old me would have put that book in my arms and marched to the register. I do own a piece from him too. A page of the 90′s series, Human Morb getting mugged because that page was one of my favorites. Hoping to see him at a con one day so I can bring it to him.

6: Tom Reilly: Artist of the 2021 issue Bond of Blood. Retro style again, very much inspired by Gil Kane’s original work and I love it. This is a pure winner of a comic with so much drama in it and they found the perfect artist. Morb is all lean lines here which is my preferred frame for him, large red eyes, stark detail. It’s just a visual treat!

5: Tony Moore. Oh Tony Moore of the Punisher Frankencastle arc how I love your art, let me count the ways! 1. Amazing details in every inch, 2. Crazy crammed backgrounds, 3. Perfect facial expressions, 4. Style that harkens back to old school horror, 5. fluid motion, amazing lighting details, 6. The hatching! The shading! I have to stop or I could gush forever.

4: Guiseppe Camuncoli of the ASM No Turning Back arc. This man. This man right here! Everyone he draws. EVERYONE is a visual feast. He cuts back on the shading I normally crave but makes up for it in starkly contrasted linework with full detail. The way he draws Morb’s eyes is so unique but it works! The facial lines, the fabric folds, and the facial expressions are so perfect! 

3: Gil Kane. I know, making him #3 when he invented the aesthetics of the character is me being harsh. It’s just that there are two artists I love so very much in style just for my tastes. Still Gil Kane is arguably the basis for all good Morb art and his splash pages are so amazing that I own three wearing copies of that T-shirt with one on it. I wear them to work. I have no shame in my love for Morbius or for Gil Kane.

2: Kev Walker, the artist for Marvel Zombies 4. This was a hard decision but I love his style on Morbius so much. The glowing eyes, the formation of his cheekbones. His claws, teeth, expressions they are just perfect to me. He’s a bit buff in this series but I chalked that up to ARMOR actually feeding him regularly instead of him skipping meals. This entire four part story is great, and it’s worth it on art alone even if zombies aren’t your jam.

1: Without a doubt in my mind ‘Slammin’ Sonny Trinidad. A Filipino artist who worked for Marvel in the 70′s he often inked others work but he penciled my favorite comic of all time and in my opinion he did it better than anyone could have hoped to. This is my favorite Morbius, with Kane’s eye style but soft pencil detail, hatched shading, and so much emotion in every single panel you see him in. This beats out every dead stare sarcastic tone rendition of Morbius I have ever seen. Celso ‘Sonny’ Trinidad passed in 2009 and will forever be missed. 

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 15 July 2019

Quick Bits:

Age of X-Man: Omega #1 concludes the event with this finale one-shot from Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Simone Buonfantino, Tríona Farrell, and Clayton Cowles. It’s a confrontation between many of the groups within this world and X-Man as they discover the nature of the world and discuss some philosophical concepts of conflict and identity.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #50 begins “Amnesty” from Kelly Sue DeConnick, Robson Rocha, Eduardo Pansica, Daniel Henriques, Julio Ferreira, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles. It’s damn good. Arthur returns home here and there’s a reintegration of old supporting cast members, Wonder Woman, and further information about what’s going on in Atlantis. Also the set up for an interesting story possibly further down the line. Great art from Rocha, Pansica, Henriques, Ferreira, and Gho.

| Published by DC Comics

Assassin Nation #5 is the end to what has been a fun and humorous action-packed series from Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett. More great action with some surprises along the way.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Batman #75 begins “City of Bane” from Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Mitch Gerads, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles. It sets up a new status quo in Gotham with Bane at the helm and a bizarre slotting of various villains into traditional roles.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Badge #12 concludes this series with one last mission from the combined forces of all of colour badges, showing us how a coordinated effort really should have taken place before the groups’ purpose was co-opted. This has been a great series from Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins, and Jim Campbell.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Black Science #41 sets up an interesting and somewhat surprising new reality after last issue. I kind of expect that we’ll see another big twist as we head towards the finale in the next two issues. Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, Moreno Dinisio, and Rus Wooton give us an interesting look at “paradise” this issue.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Blade Runner 2019 #1 begins a new time period and introduces a new Blade Runner in this alt-present tale from Michael Green, Mike Johnson, Andres Guinaldo, Marco Lesko, and Jim Campbell. Ash is an interesting character and this interpretation of the mythos is wonderful. Also, the artwork from Guinaldo and Lesko perfectly fits this neon apocalypse world.

| Published by Titan

Bloodborne #13 begins the next arc, “The Veil, Torn Asunder”, as an unnamed veteran searches through the madness of Yarnham and beyond. Beautiful artwork from Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson, really bringing the existential horrors to life.

| Published by Titan

Daredevil #8 goes in a very interesting direction as Matt accepts a dinner invitation from the married bookseller he keeps flirting with, leading to an assassination attempt and captivating dinner conversation about rules and responsibility. Chip Zdarsky, Lalit Kumar Sharma, Jay Leisten, Java Tartaglia, and Clayton Cowles are really delivering an interesting story here.

| Published by Marvel

Excellence #3 delves into some of the details of how the Aegis deals with rogue magic users. Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Deron Bennett are doing some very interesting world and character building here.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Fairlady #4 is another great issue. The humour that Brian Schirmer provides in the dialogue is wonderful. This one dives into the mystery of mystery novel missing its final page and there’s one hell of an ending.

| Published by Image

Ghost Tree #4 concludes this excellent series from Bobby Curnow, Simon Gane, Ian Herring, Becka Kinzie, and Chris Mowry. There are a lot of goodbyes in this issue, some pleasant, some not, and some heartrending choices and consequences. Very well done.

| Published by IDW

Gideon Falls #15 checks in with Father Fred’s nightmares. The different time periods and streams, and their crossings-over at this point, are fascinating, even as things become even more chaotic and horrifying. Gorgeous art from Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Image

Immortal Hulk #21 has gorgeous guest art from Ryan Bodenheim as we get a story filling in this past of Fortean and a dangerous change in the present. Al Ewing also brings forward some of the recurring subtext of form and substance through the Bible and Kabbalah to give a deeper understanding of some of the themes here.

| Published by Marvel

Infinite Dark #8 brings an end to the second arc, with a revelation of the nightmarish creatures trying to destroy the station and a choice for how to proceed with the potential survival or annihilation of the remaining human race. Wonderful work from Ryan Cady, Andrea Mutti, K. Michael Russel, and Troy Peteri.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Invaders #7 begins a new arc, “Dead in the Water”, dealing with the fallout of Atlantis’ assault on the surface. There are some more hints of Namor’s problems, the return of another Invader, and hints at some nefarious things on the horizon. I love the introduction of Tony Stark into the mess in the present, adding another conflict to deal with. Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, and Travis Lanham continue to deliver some solid storytelling here.

| Published by Marvel

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens #4 features an interpretation of the myth of Lorelei by Aud Koch (with letters from Jim Campbell). It’s wonderfully told, with beautiful, magical artwork.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Archaia

Justice League #28 concludes “Apex Predator” from James Tynion IV, Javier Fernandez, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano. This one’s basically integral to the core “Year of the Villain” story as Lex gives his offer to J’onn. 

| Published by DC Comics

The Life & Death of Toyo Harada #5 picks up some of the pieces for the remaining few of Toyo’s forces, as they try to make a plan for what’s to come next. It should be interesting to see what the next step is in the finale. Gorgeous artwork from CAFU, Kano, and Andrew Dalhouse.

| Published by Valiant

Little Bird #5 brings this ambitious and unique story from Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar to an end. The personal nature of this story as Little Bird comes to terms with her family has been a very enthralling element in this fight for freedom, and the sacrifices that one makes. Stunning artwork from Bertram and Hollingsworth.

| Published by Image

Loki #1 is an entertaining beginning to this new series spinning out of War of the Realms from Daniel Kibblesmith, Oscar Bazaldua, David Curiel, and Clayton Cowles. It dives in to Loki’s new role as King of Jotunheim and how he’s humorously approaching his duties. There’s a nice set-up for something coming that’s dismissed as a trick.

| Published by Marvel

Outpost Zero #11 reveals the discovery of life outside of the outpost, which leads to an unexpected reaction and sign of more conspiracies to keep the entire populace in the dark. Sean Kelly McKeever has been seeding little hints that something not right has been going on for a long time within the colony and there is more evidence of it here.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #11 sets us up for the end as Pearl returns to San Francisco to take care of the Endo Twins. Also, a game changer of a cliffhanger. Love the double page spreads from Michael Gaydos.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Promethee 13:13 #1 is a digital-original prequel to Christophe Bec’s Promethee series from Andy Diggle, Shawn Martinbrough, Dave Stewart, and Simon Bowland. You don’t need to have read the original to follow this, but I still highly recommend it. This is an interesting starting point, with even more of a conspiratorial/espionage feel than the sci-fi of the main series. It’s good and I’m very interested to see where this goes.

| Published by Delcourt / Soleil

Ragnarok: The Breaking of Helheim #1 is a welcome return of Walter Simonson’s new take on Thor and Norse Mythology, pushing the story in new directions as Thor gains a vision of the end from his father and sets out for Hel. Simonson, Laura Martin, and John Workman work together as a seamless team here delivering a wonderful next chapter to the story. For those new to this series, there’s also a rather nice Q&A section that helps with some of the details.

| Published by IDW

Resonant #1 is an intriguing debut from David Andry, Alejandro Aragon, Jason Wordie, and Deron Bennett. This first issue sets up a different, very interesting post-apocalyptic world that we’re kind of uncertain of, but with the core of a single father trying to protect his children. The art from Aragon and Wordie is incredible.

| Published by Vault

Road of Bones #3 goes even harder into the brutal horror of three men trying to survive without any resources in a harsh landscape devoid of life. Rich Douek, Alex Cormack, and Justin Birch elevate the terror nicely this issue.

| Published by IDW

Rumble #14 unleashes the Last Knight of the Scourge Knights upon the world, bringing with him death through oblivion. John Arcudi, David Rubín, Dave Stewart, and Joe Sabino are definitely raising the stakes here, especially with Rathraq distracted by a personal conflict.

| Published by Image

Sera and the Royal Stars #1 is a fantastic debut of this fantasy series from Jon Tsuei, Audrey Mok, Raul Angulo, and Jim Campbell. It draws on Persian history and folklore as Sera is called upon by Mitra to fulfill a quest to prevent the end of everyone.

| Published by Vault

Silver Surfer: Black #2 continues to build the mythology around Knull. I love this blend of the seed from Venom with what’s been going on in the cosmic side from Guardians of the Galaxy, Donny Cates is doing a great job of reinforcing an evolving shared universe feel. Also, the art from Tradd Moore and Dave Stewart is phenomenal. 

| Published by Marvel

Sonata #2 unveils some more mysteries about the planet, including some incredible monsters out to kill and eat everyone. The art from Brian Haberlin and Geirrod Van Dyke is very nice.

| Published by Image / Shadowline

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #1 is a fun debut from Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, Nathan Fairbairn, and Clayton Cowles that brings back a lot of the ridiculousness of the old Jimmy Olsen stories, seeing Jimmy in bizarre and humorous predicaments. There’s also an interesting exploration of Jimmy’s family’s history in Metropolis. And wonderful artwork from Lieber and Fairbairn.

| Published by DC Comics

Usagi Yojimbo #2 continues “Bunraku” as the investigation into the puppets continues. The supernatural aspect that Stan Sakai is bringing to this lead off arc for the new volume is engrossing and the colour from Tom Luth is growing on me.

| Published by IDW

Vampirella #1 is kind of a weird start (excepting the zero issue) to this new volume from Christopher Priest, Ergün Gündüz, and Willie Schubert. It’s framed as Vampirella seeking help from a psychiatrist following the trauma of the plane that she was on in the zero issue crashing, a disbelieving psychiatrist, and it’s certainly different.

| Published by Dynamite

X-Force #10 concludes “The Counterfeit King” and with it the series (at least for now). Ed Brisson, Dylan Burnett, Jesus Aburtov, and Cory Petit go out with a bang as X-Force have a final confrontation with Stryfe and his remaining forces. Also, wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Animosity #22, Ask for Mercy: Season Two #1, Bags (or a story thereof), Blossoms 666 #5, Bronze Age Boogie #4, Captain Marvel #8, Clue: Candlestick #3, Collapser #1, Cyber Force #11, Deadpool #15, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #10, Domino: Hot Shots #5, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #7, Evolution #17, Faithless #4, Firefly #8, From Hell: Master Edition #6, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #264, Hit-Girl: Season 2 #6, Infinity 8 #13, Invader Zim #45, James Bond 007 #9, Joe Golem: Occult Detective - The Conjurors #3, Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica #3, Jughead’s Time Police #2, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest #6, Love & Rockets #7, Lucifer #10, Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #4, Port of Earth #12, The Punisher Annual #1, The Ride: Burning Desire #2, Secret Warps: Ghost Panther Annual #1, Spider-Man: Life Story #5, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #34, Star Wars: Tie Fighter #4, Superior Spider-Man #9, Teen Titans #32, They Called Us Enemy, Transformers #9, Transformers/Ghostbusters #2, Turok #4, Uncanny X-Men #22, The Unstoppable Wasp #10, The Warning #9, Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1

Recommended Collections: BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 3: Ragna Rok, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, By Night - Volume 2, Dead Kings - Volume 1, Die!Die!Die! - Volume 1, The Empty Man: Recurrence, Grumble - Volume 1: You’re the Dog Now, Man, Gunning for Hits, Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown, Jughead: The Hunger - Volume 3, LaGuardia, Miles Morales: Spider-Man - Volume 1: Straight out of Brooklyn, Princeless - Volume 8: Princesses, Vindication, Ronin Island - Volume 1, The Witcher - Volume 4: Of Flesh & Flame, Wolverine: The Long Night, Wonder Woman - Volume 9: The Enemy of Both Sides

d. emerson eddy might currently qualify as a liquid.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of April 24th, 2019

Best of this Week: Freedom Fighters #5 - Robert Venditti, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas and Andworld Design

Let. Freedom. Bloody. RING!

Freedom Fighters has been absolutely spectacular since it began and after Uncle Sam’s awesome resurrection in the last issue, he’s ready to take the fight to the Reich. Uncle Sam wastes no time in giving a beating to the rat faced bastards that have taken a stranglehold over America; punching, kicking and lamp posting through the streets of Philadelphia, inspiring hope in the people and fear in Adolf Hitler II. As soon as reinforcements arrive, he rolls up his sleeves and prepares to give a rousing speech meanwhile punk ass Adolf is in a rage and declares that he must go to “The Bunker.”

The next few pages are a goddamn lesson in what patriotism truly means. As Uncle Sam lifts what I now dub “The Lamp Post of Patriotism” he launches into an inner monologue about the “Spirit of ‘76.” When the Minutemen began to ride, the spirit was conceived, but when pen was put to paper - Uncle Sam was born and fought for freedom ever since. He fought in the Revolutionary War and helped us win the land we call our own today.

Thankfully, he admitted that we got a lot wrong as a country. He challenged the notion that the Spirit only belonged to ONE certain group of people and decried slavery, displacement of Native Americans and suppressing the rights of women. He supported all manner of freedom everywhere and I WAS EXCITED. At least, I was until the hard hand of Overman was thrust down onto the troops fighting the Nazis in the WWII flashback.

Overman, Earth X’s version of Superman if he were raised by The Nazis, was just about the only thing that could rip the hope from the hearts of the people. This began the original weakening of Uncle Sam and now that he’s just now getting used to being back in the land of the free, he’s weak. It was up to the new Freedom Fighters to rescue him from a Nazi War Wheel, but at the same time Adolf was gearing up to retaliate against the resurrection of Uncle Sam with a weapon of his own.

This book was simply epic, not only because of Venditti’s excellent story writing, but also because of the amazing story that Barrows, Ferreira and Lucas tell through their wonderful art, inking and coloring. Standing out amongst the dark inks are the dynamic poses and bright colors of Uncle Sam’s red white and blue. In this dreary world, those are the only colors that matter and most scenes in the book utilize a red and blue hue when hope is high, but reverts back to the washed out greys and muted colors when hope is waning.

Uncle Sam himself is awesome as hell to look at. He is a tall, lanky thing, but he fights with the fury of 1000 free men. All of his attacks carry a heavy weight with them and he is nothing if not expressive himself. Everything feels large and cinematic, helping to make the book feel like it’s building up to something amazing, especially in its final pages.

If you’re looking for a great book that will get you unreasonably pumped and ready to sing Star Spangled Banner at the top of your lungs, then Freedom Fighters #5 is for you, high recommend!

---------------------------------------------------

It’s taken a while, but I feel like Bendis has found his stride.

Runner Up: Action Comics #1010 - Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, Brad Anderson and Josh Reed

When it was revealed that Brian Michael Bendis would be the guy that expanded upon Leviathan in the ages of Action Comics, I was a bit skeptical at first. Could he really tackled this obscure Secret Organization that relied on subterfuge and have them be a really good threat, but then I remembered that this is exactly the kind of thing that Bendis specializes in. Bendis was originally a crime novelist/comic writer and that’s definitely the reason Leviathan Rising has struck me so hard.

It’s good fun and reminds me of the days of watching Superman the Animated Series where Superman would regularly tangle with Intergang, utilizing his reporter persona to get scoops and uncover their plots and I absolutely loved that.

Not only is it fun, but the stakes are high. Leviathan has taken down most of the other BIG organizations in the DC Universe. From Kobra, to ARGUS, to the DEO - Leviathan are proving to be a grave threat and are all about tying up loose ends, which is why we’re assumed to have seen the end of DEO Director Bones at the hands of a disguised Talia al Ghul in the beginning of the book. Hell, Amanda Waller is RUNNING from them and is currently stuck in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude in the Bermuda Triangle.

Aside from the kick ass plot, the relationship and interactions between Lois and Clark, disguised as Chaz and Andi, a lovely engaged couple trying to infiltrate Spyral and find out what they can about Leviathan. They’re so adorable from Lois’ spunky attitude and making fun of Clark’s bad acting and Clarks seriousness about the mission and pitiful attempts at acting.

It does take a bit to make me chuckle and I mean really chuckle at most comics, but this book feels like such a throwback and had writing so good that I have to give it credit. I cannot wait for future issues of this and the Leviathan even from Bendis later this year. He’s done so well with making them credible, even more than The Silencer has, and I am actually afraid of Talia al Ghul. High recommend!

[kuliak]

No time like the present.

An introduction.

I’ve been wanting to return to this blog for a few months now, as a way to aggregate a variety of different types of content about media I like, art I make, and other longform thought dumps that usually go straight into a discord I’m in.

I’d been putting off getting back on here for some time, waiting until I designed my own theme, which I’ve in turn been procrastinating. However, with the recent acquisition of twitter by a certain insufferable tech bro and instagram committing to being an increasingly unfriendly place to post art, now seems like as good a time as any to just start posting here.

I’d love to make actual mutuals and artist friends in my time on this site, so please feel free to get in contact if you think I have anything interesting to say, if you like something I make, or hell, even if you’re bored.

So what am I actually going to post about?

Well, abstractly, those posts fall into two different categories. As I eventually finish and launch my design I’ll hope to have more rigid definitions and organize them accordingly, but as this is my trial run, this is where they stand.

My art: This will come in a variety of formats as my tastes change and I experiment with different media. Right now it will come primarily in the form of photo triptychs (which I cross-post on Instagram) and other one-off photos which don’t fit into the grid or style I maintain on that feed. However, I also dabble in music, video, and sound art, and I would like to get back to working on those formats more regularly, so more “complete” projects should be cross-posted here from my Soundcloud or Vimeo but I hope to post smaller experiments or WIPs independently as well. Beyond that, who knows: an odd drawing or digital painting may make its way on from time to time. Interests develop and evolve.

My hobbies: You can expect posts about any and all of the following at varying rates as my attention gets pulled in whatever direction it feels like:

Fashion, especially outdoors-wear, city boy, contemporary casual, avant garde/dark fashion, experiments in materials, and sneakers.

Games, especially casual, puzzle, strategy, card games, and roguelikes. Some of my favorite games/series include Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Minecraft, Terraria, Portal 2, Spelunky 2, Hearthstone, Slay the Spire, and Sims 3.

Game Design, typically as it exists within or at intersections between the genres above. But sometimes I’ll see a mechanic on a stream that really catches my attention, and that could come up too.

Music across a variety of genres, but mostly within electronic, ambient, indie, indie rock, alternative, pop, experimental/art rap, and post-rock. Some of my favorite artists include The Mountain Goats, Flatsound, R.A.P. Ferreira, Clipping, GY!BE, and Daft Punk.

Digital Art Hardware, especially synthesizers and novel gaming hardware. I currently shoot on a Pentax K-3 Mark III, so I’m interested in compatible lenses. In terms of synths, I like lo-fi and noisy devices, as well as those with a focus on discovery and experimentation. Some of my favorite synth designers include Teenage Engineering, Bastl, Make Noise, and Bleep Labs. I’d like to get into a full-fledged modular setup, but I have no plans at this time.

interior decorating, while admittedly a minor interest, is especially relevant to me right now as I have recently moved into my own apartment. I take a lot of pride in my space, so I expect to post progress pics from time to time; and I always love to see how others decorate theirs as well.

And that’s about it! If you made it this far, thank you for taking interest in my blog, and I hope you enjoy what’s to come!

[ys405-mdxillustration3]

Interviewing vs. Being Interviewed.

Two weeks ago I was paired up with a fellow student named Daisy Ferreira. I do not mind bonding with people but I was not use to be put groups as I much as I prefer to work independently until I decided to change to my mind at the end of my session.

During my Contextual Studies we were given a task for our new project to do some primary research as we have been put into groups. First we started to learn to interview with each other or interview someone on the internet but I took it the wrong impression as I felt nervous talking to a stranger online; and I spoke to Samantha privately after Contextual Studies until I finally understood her point. Then I decided to team up with Daisy after we had been put into pairs throughout the session as we interviewed each other, privately on zoom.

While me and Daisy interviewed each other in the breakout room on zoom, our conversation was more normal of how people chat to each other, rather than being professionally interviewing or interviewed like a celebrity, requesting to be enrolled to school or university; and requesting a job. I do not know if I remember everything we spoke on zoom but I do remember we had another interview again on Instagram. We discussed of what topics we chose for our Final Major Project, mine was to recreate a book cover from Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Daisy’s FMP was one of the stories from Greek Mythology about Persephone, the goddess of spring and the wife of Hades, ruler of the Underworld. She asked me why I wanted to remake the book cover, then I explained to her that I want to make change like what other artists did for iconic fictional stories of Stephen King’s novels, Harry Potter Franchise; and Noughts and Crosses to due the tv series being brought up. I was very impressed and satisfied when Daisy was doing Greek Mythology for her FMP because we never get to learn proper history from school and I never understood why as I mentioned to Daisy. She agreed the same. I, also told her that no one in reality we are in now and other fictional stories is named Persephone, with the exception of Noughts and Crosses’s main character, Persephone Hadley, “Sephy” for short. I really like the name “Persephone”, because it sounds beautiful. Moving on to presenting my books to Daisy, however from the start of our conversation as I told her about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time she mentioned to me that she has a brother who has autism and interviewed with people who were like him. Including me. I was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum since was around the age of three to four years old. Then she asked me if I wanted to interview with someone who would it be but I was not sure who, all I know that I want to interview with celebrities, mostly actors and maybe artists too. I do not remember if asked Daisy if she wanted to interview with someone like when she asked me.

Meanwhile our breakout room had to end so we can return to Samantha and we told her of our interviews. After the session I spoke to Samantha privately due to the fact I misunderstood about interviewing someone like a stranger, luckily it had to be one of my class peers and I decided accept Daisy as part of our group. But I needed to find a way to keep in touch with her so I went on to my university portal and found the participants which were the students’ profile. I managed find Daisy and asked a request from her as I messaged her. I waited. Hoping if she would get back to me. I asked if she has Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp.

Very soon she got back to me and messaged me she has Instagram instead of Facebook. On Instagram I found her request and accepted her. After I accepted her request she asked on the message let her know of what topic we would like to come up for our interview so we can ask each other some questions. I reminded Daisy about the email Samantha sent us and I decided to stick to the same topic about books we had in the morning. Daisy saw the email, then asked me if we should call or text until I told her that we should text and Daisy agreed. She also mentioned that I can ask her about books too.

Daisy asked me of what was my favourite book and why. Honestly I do not know I just like any types of genre it depends on how the story can be good, instead of telling her that I mentioned one of Stephen King’s novels, Carrie which was one of them I liked. It is meant to be a horror story but It requires bullying and vengeance. Rumours say Carrie is the villain due to developing telekinesis who tormented her but are wrong. In the story Carrie was being abused by her strict-religious mother and was bullied at school until she developed powers, telekinesis to make things move in her mind. Somewhere near the story attended prom, then instantly developed a romantic relationship with a young boy who treated her with kindness. Until one of the bullies decided to do a trick on her by pouring pig’s blood after she was crowned queen of the prom. Humiliated and laughed at. Suddenly Carrie began to snap and killed everyone in school. Also her mother believed her daughter was a witch after revealing her powers by standing up to her. The mother attempted to kill her own daughter. Carrie had no choice but to kill her mother in self defense. Daisy was like, “Wow! Sounds like a very intense book.” Then asked me: “ Do you think any of the killings were justified?” I did not quite understand that until she explained to me, “Like do you think for example, she had a good reason to kill the boy who covered her in pig’s blood? Or was it plain wrong?” Now I figured of she meant but she misunderstood about the boy. I told Daisy it wasn’t the boy and he had nothing to do with it. It was his ex-girlfriend’s formers friends who were responsible for the cause. The boy got killed by them, not Carrie. After they pour pig’s blood on her they dropped the bucket on the boy’s head without noticing and was killed. Finally I answered Daisy’s question, truthfully I do not know if they deserved kill or not but I know they all deserved punishment for what they did to her. Carrie did kill them but it wasn’t her fault. She snapped. She suffered abuse her entire life. Carrie had nobody to help her. No one to protect her and guide her. However there were other characters who showed compassion in her was: the boy who took her to prom, the ex-girlfriend who formerly bullied her, then felt guilty and made her ex to take her to prom as an apology. Also there was the gym teacher who noticed Carrie’s harassment from the very beginning and helped her. Carrie is not a monster or villain of what they say due to murdering the students and teachers from school. She doesn’t need punishment, she needs help. Daisy replied: “I can definitely see what you mean It’s not fair for anyone to go through abuse.” I agree the same. Daisy asked me another question: “Do you wonder what might have happened to her after the book? How she lived life after all these people died?” I told her in the end of the novel she dies from shock, whereas in films she dies inside her house getting crumbled down. It was after she killed her mother. Daisy said it so sad by leaving an emoji sign next to her text until she questioned: “Does the reading you do inspire your artwork?” I said: “Yes, it does.” And I told her all the facts of what Stephen King does for writing horror stories which includes elements of: “Bullying, vengeance, secrets, murder, domestic abuse, friendship, love, survival, sex, rape and incest.” Daisy replied: “Looks like Stephen King cover lots of different areas.” Then asked: “What do you think of books turned into films? Many Stephen King books have film versions.” I said that the classics were much better than the modern ones of the presence we are in now, except for Doctor Sleep. Overall, they are very creepy and make me want to cringe.

Finally I asked her: “What books have you read? And what kind of books are you into?” Daisy mentioned that she tried to read many different genres. Usually she chooses contemporary fiction because she finds it easier to read and she also loves comics and art books. I like comics too. Although I do not read them but I do some research on the internet of iconic pop culture form stories, fictional characters and celebrities which is part of my hobby. As well of course my habit of referencing pop culture. Daisy agreed as she mentioned comics having a connection with pop culture. “Marvel in particular is linked a lot.” I asked her about D.C. Before she could answer my question she said enjoys Webtoons which were made to be viewed on phone and tablet screen. I like “WEBTOONS!” Then she answered my question that she doesn’t know too much of D.C. but she did say Batman is prominent too. Also she replied my messenge, “Yes, Webtoons!” I replied back: “I was going to tell you about that. Since you told me that you were going to use Greek Mythology for your FMP about Persephone. On the Webtoons they made a comic. Webcomic of Lore Olympus. Which requires a mixed element of fantasy and modern time in Greek mythology. An alternative version between Hades and Persephone. I read and saw some of the story.” Daisy left a smiley emoji after texting me she is a fan of Lore Olympus, then telling me she has not caught up in a while but is on season 2. Eventually she drew some fan art based on the events of the comics. So I added five smiley-laughter emojis as a response of my expression, Daisy sent back an emoji who cried with laughter as it included heart shapes. She also loved the way they portrayed Hades as a nice person out of the other gods, despite of him being the God of the Underworld. I asked her if it was part of her inspiration for her FMP. “Yeah, partially. I like how the artist/author interpreted the original greek myths, and isn’t afraid to stir away from the original”, Daisy replied. I agreed with her. “Also the illustrations are expressive and the colour language is used effectively!” Daisy explained. As for me: “I love them too.” She was like: “Yup”, with a happy emoji next to her text and said about the designer being a quite an inspiration. Very soon our conversation ended, I asked Daisy of when we could chat again so she mentioned that we can talk on Wednesday after Printmaking and Bookbinding session at 4pm and reminded me if we ever need more questions for our project. Unless it is enough to write on Tumblr.

Later the week after on Wednesday I spoke to Daisy around 4pm as we agreed on. However there was not much to do after from the other week we had. Our interview was long enough. All we ever did was chat normally mentioning about our plans for the holidays; and sharing our interests until she asked if I was group chat with the others on Instagram and I said no. She helped me by adding me on the group chat with our class peers; Da MDX Illustration gang.

Overall I was so happy of having a conversation with Daisy and being put into group chat on Instagram. Since I mentioned that I do not mind bonding with people but not being used to put into groups the only way to bond with them is to interact more and be put into social groups.

[mochiiron]

Tagged by @ooriens​ & @galacticplum​, thank you lovelies!!

tagged by naty, thanks!!! i love this kind of tag so i can discover new musics and also so i can show off my taste in cheesy songs haha x)

Top 10 songs that I’m currently into (not in any particular order of preference):

Saw you in a dream - The Japanese House

K. - Cigarettes After Sex

Affection - Cigarettes After Sex

 Apocalypse - Cigarettes After Sex (yes i am very into this group atm)

Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

for him. - Troye Sivan ft. Allday

Easy - Sky Ferreira

Let Me Get There - Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions ft. Kurt Vile

Reunited - Peaches & Herb

Feelings - Hayley Kiyoko

i haven’t been adding many new songs in my playlist lately... i’m more into podcasts atm.... 

-----------

tagged by orie, thank you orie-saaaan! i think i know why all these questions, you sly little fox :’)

Who is your all time favorite OC? and/or OC OTP? and/or OC relations? Why?

Errrr, i have a bunch of OCs but I never developped them

But the one i like drawing the most is Hal (excuse the art, it’s old....)

I don’t ship her romantically with anyone, as she is aromantic but I wanna develop her relationship with another one of my OC (that i sadly don’t have any decent or recent art of orz) who is her polar opposite c:

Hal is witty, blunt and cheerful

Who is your favorite fandom character? and/or OTP? and/or relations? Why? 

SUGAWARA KOUSHI, OH BOY I LOVE WITH BOY WITH ALL MY BEING AND PLEASE ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN WHY:

my first impressions on suga were: what a kind and supportive senpai, he’s cute and i love his smile

my impressions on suga now: WHAT A KIND AND SUPPORTIVE SENPAI, HE’S CUTE AND I LOVE HIS SMILE BUT ALSO WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUL???

I ALREADY SAW HE WAS BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE BUT INSIDE TOO, HE’S BEAUTIFUL???? i could list so many of his qualities, ie: he’s kind, supportive, caring, understanding, refreshing, hard working, diligent, clever, sincere and so on bUT HE ALSO HAS A VERY CUNNING SIDE???

and can be manipulative bUT MANIPULATIVE IN A GOOD WAY??? he manipulates in order to make someone better, like, a CHAOTIC GOOD. remember when he cheered up yamaguchi in the novel by just saying the truth??? he told and did just enough to make yamaguchi gains confidence again but it wasn’t gratuitous at all and he was just being sincere and straight forward. He knows the impact of his words on someone as anxious as yamaguchi and used his “influence” for good. to take my friend anna’s words: “ ITS LIKE EVEN WHEN SUGA IS BEING KIND OF BAD HES DOING IT FOR GOOD LIKE I DON'T THINK THIS BOYS EVER BEEN BAD FOR REAL IN HIS LIFE”. C H A O T I C G O O D

sugawara koushi is not just sunshine and rainbow.... HE FEELS NEGATIVE EMOTIONS TOO, and he doesn’t try to run away from them, he takes time to think abt it, tries to find solution by himself

he’s also not just a parental figure/senpai material, he’s so very childish and i love this!! so much... i love how much of a little shit he is?????? openly making fun of his closest friends??? of his kouhai?????? I LOVE SUGAWARA KOUSHI WITH ALL MY BEING Y’ALL

yes, i think about sugawara koushi a lot.

I platonically and romantically ship him with Daichi the most and I like him with Yaku too (but the lack of content for this ship is kind of discouraging ;;)

My reason to ship Daisuga: i shipped daisuge before even getting into haikyuu cuz i thought they looked like a married couple together haha but now that i saw/read haikyuu, i can say that’s it’s more than that! together they support the team and have this parent/senior role but they are also very supportive and proud of each other and are able to read the other, to tell when they don’t feel okay. like, suga always puts on a brave face in front of the team but when he’s with daichi, he is comfortable enough with him to drop the smile and admits something bothers him when daichi asks. or how suga just sees straight through daichi’s true feelings and makes sure he knows it (when daichi talked abt quitting the club, suga confronted him and asked him if it really was what he wanted. he didn’t try to convince him to stay or ask him why, he just helped daichi to be honest with himself). I also love how suga is the only one who can get away with lecturing and punching daichi, who can tease him or makes fun of him :’) 

My reason to ship Sugayaku: they bonded so fast on their first meeting as they more or less have the same caretaker role in their team, they are honest, sassy, hard working and just, similar on many more points but, here comes the huge difference between them: they have very different way of dealing with their feelings and with people. and i think it’d be truly interesting to see how they’d work together as a couple. 

Suga is a very sincere character, he’s aware of his strong points but also of his flaws. This is why he thought it was best for Kageyama to be the official setter while he stays on the sidelines. On the other hand, Yaku is honest and straight forward, he doesn’t have time for small talk or hesitations but he also seems to be in denial of what’s affecting him directly (pretending to be mad at lev for blocking his sight on the court, only to look sheepish when kuroo calls him out on his “demon senpai” act, pretending he can still play when he’s injured, casually shouting encouragement to anything his teammates do, even if it’s not extraordinary, but getting mad when someone else mocks them). Yaku is just a tad bit, tsun. 

And this is where SugaYaku would be very interesting: suga would make yaku face his true feelings, help him being more sincere with himself and yaku would give suga a good kick in the butt when he feels like he’s not good enough, telling him the truth when he is hesitating/moping. 

They’re both good at taking care of people, Suga by gently showing them the way, if it makes sense. He doesn’t force people to do anything, he subtly tells them what they need to hear always with great sincerity cuz he’s very observant of his friends but he also tends to put other before him. Yaku takes care of his friends the harsher way? He speaks the rawest truth, regardless of the other. Despite this, he keeps the team’s troublemakers in line, he worries abt kenma the moment he sneezes, . Suga is playful (remember when daichi asked ennoshita to keep an eye on the team cuz suga always gets carried away) while Yaku is more strict (but it doesn’t stop him from stealing food directly from his kouhai haha). They’re kind of complementary and would try their best to bring out the best out of another, imo

thank u for coming to my ted talk (i swear i didn’t intend to write so much orz)

Strictly platonic would be with Hinata, Asahi

I mean, how can you resist not melting when you see the two brightest characters of this series, i love their senpai/kouhai relationship ;___; LOOK AT THEM they just makes me feel very good

As for Asahi: even if suga makes fun of asahi a lot, he really cares abt him and encourages him when he needs to (in the asahi-centered chapter from the novels, suga sees asahi is anxious abt a lot of things, to the point of praying and making an offering at the shrine. and what good soul suga does, he comes to pray with asahi and talk to him abt his worries). after 3 years playing together, they trust each other on the court and have this special setter/ace bond c:

What movie are you guilty of watching over and over?

Spirit.... i watched this one 3 times last year.... listen, james baxter’s animation is just so good and the soundtrack is A+++++ my inner horse girl still love this movie despite everything.... Crazy Stupid Love is another one..... i just associate very good memories with this one and it always makes me laugh

Describe a favorite scenic place from either: Oceans, Land, or Sky

I’ll pick sky: picture the top of snowy mountains, the sun is setting upon them and the lighting becomes pinkish, in an alpenglow effect??? The sky behind the mountains are in this nice shades of sunset: orange, pink with a dash of blue, it brings out the whiteness of the snow

What is your comfort food?

Black sesame tāngyuán soup, with dried sweet osmanthus ;_____; 

it brings back so many good memories... my grandma used to make them for my brother and I, now I have to stick with industrial ones and eat them w/o my brother :/ arghfjhfjhdh this wasn’t supposed to be sad! my grandma and my brother are okay, dw!

it’s just soul healing, the warmness and flavor of the soup just makes me feel so so good, even just for a moment 

i don’t have them often so an actual comfort food would be any kind of chocolate, as long as it’s not extra sweet or too bitter

Tell me about your all time favorite story you have ever read/watched/played. 

ohshc only comes to my mind atm... i read all the manga volumes 4 times I think? and saw the anime at least as many time cuz this series makes me feel so good

haruhi is amazing and a role model, i love the characterization of the main cast, the relationship they all have with one another, how funny the gags are, the seiyuu cast was perfect... oh man i still want to see a s2 ;__; or a reboot....! with the same cast, please

Do you liked being bundled up in winter clothes or, loose, simple, and freeee–in regards to fashion. 

ahhhhhggg difficult question.... i like being free of my movements so i love wearing loose and light clothing like shirt, skirt, dress, shorts but wearing lot of layers to keep myself warm is very nice too awwww =w= but that’s not the point fhjfjfdjd IN REGARDS TO FASHION, i’d say winter clothes... you can match lot of clothes in one outfit? like a shirt underneath a sweater, a big cardigan over a shirt (yes, i really like shirts, regardless of the season), a long skirt with a pair of tights, nice boots with really anything?? lot of possibilities *nods nods*

What do you think you were lacking in this year?

Motivation to do anything, will to continue ._.

What do you think you have achieved this year? 

Opened up a bit more to my mother, I tried to pay more attention to people who cares abt me, I can spend one month alone w/o any complications

-- 

I’m not tagging anyone tho, sorry ;;

[dccomicsnews]

[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]

Writer: Tim Seeley

Artists: Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, Alex Sollazzo

Covers: Tomeu Morey, Riccardo Federici, Brandon Peterson

  Summary

Responding to a crisis in space, Jessica and Simon are faced with a very difficult decision, and very little time to make it in.

Positives

Issue 33 has a new writer in Tim Seeley, and right from this first issue he completely crushes it right out of the gate. The writing in this issue was just perfect. For starters, the dynamic and banter between Simon and Jessica was incredibly entertaining. They’re dialogue flowed so well, never missing a beat, which made it incredibly fun to read. The comedy between them in this issue was fantastic. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much reading a comic book. Even Jessica’s ring got a few shots off.

Speaking of Jessica, her constructs have been getting pretty good over the past few months, but her construct of Wonder Woman in this issue takes the cake. It was definitely memorable.

What I particularly loved about this issue resembles what we had the last issue, which was a much more personal look at the Lanterns.  The flashbacks we got were great, and really showed that no matter how much you think you’ve changed, you can never outrun your past. But at the same time, Jessica being able to make jokes about her anxiety was amazing, and really shows how far she’s come in this series.

It wasn’t just the writing that was incredible in this issue, but Pansica and Ferreira’s artwork was one of the best in this series. They really took it to another level. Every page, every panel was stunning. Beautiful lines, gorgeous colors, fantastic facial expressions and great action sequences. The 2nd page in particular, when you see Simon’s and Jessica’s Lantern masks being created, was just stunning.

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  Negatives

No real negatives to mention.

    Verdict

Seeley is making a statement in this issue, and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us. A great story with incredible writing, and beautiful art. What more can you ask for in a book? A definite must read for sure.

  Review: Green Lanterns #33 Writer: Tim Seeley Artists: Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, Alex Sollazzo Covers: Tomeu Morey, Riccardo Federici, Brandon Peterson…

[anzwrites]

ive been tagged in so many tag games that i haven’t gotten around to doing them so i’m just gonna do them all in one post

5 Facts Tag Game

The aim of the game is simple; list at least 5 lesser known facts about your WIP and/or the OC of your choosing!

1. As of right now all of my wips are in the same universe. So there will probably be subtle nods to the bands of The Reckless in Chaos.

2. In the very first version of Chaos I decided to include a battle of the bands storyline for some reason?? but it’s been scraped since. 

3. Originally Chaos was going to be a long series but I shortened it to one book and now two (the second being more focused on Kelsey’s younger brother and his friend group.) The series was going to follow Ryker and Kelsey into adulthood while Ryker pursued a career as a cop.

4. I chose San Francisco as the setting because I’ve always wanted to go to San Francisco/move there. 

5. Chaos is basically a mix of all of my favorite parts of my favorite movies & tv shows. Examples are, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Skins, The Breakfast Club, etc.

WIP Questions Tag Game

1. Describe the plot in one sentence.

Shane writes letters to Kelsey to cope with the things he’s done.

2. Pick one sight, smell, sound, feel and taste to describe the aesthetic for your novel.

this was hard cause theres so many different aspects?? to this story

Sight - seeing people who were once your closest friends seemingly better off without you. 

Smell - cigarette smoke??

Sound - crackling fire

Feel - hugging someone you love after not seeing them for a long time

Taste - pizza

3. Which 3+ songs would make up a playlist for the novel?

i have an entire playlist here but heres three of the songs from that playlist

popular - nada surf

reaper - have mercy

ghost - sky ferreira 

4. What’s the time period and location in which the novel takes place?

it takes place in san francisco, a fictional suburb called “ridgeview” and some of the surrounding area, in 2013 and up to september 2018

5. Are there any former titles you’ve considered but discarded?

originally it was titled “oh kelsey” but after major changes in the plot i realized the name didn’t fit the feel of the story anymore so i changed it 

6. What’s the first line of your novel?

im most likely going to change it later but for right now its, “In the mailbox there was a manila envelope with letters inside.”

7. What’s a line of dialogue you’re particularly proud of?

so far in this draft nothing super interesting has happened so i don’t have any lines in proud of yet 

8. Which line from the novel most represents it as a whole?

uhhh maybe, “...she had to know what became of the boy she cared for so deeply and how he became the monster who did such heinous things.“

9. Who are you character faceclaims?

for the main three

Kelsey York - Kaya Scodelario

Ryker Kennedy - Devon Bostick

Shane Blanchard - Ezra Miller

the rest are on the character page if you’re curious

10. Sort your characters into Hogwarts houses.

i know very little about harry potter but from what i know Ryker gives me hufflepuff vibes, Magnolia is probably a griffindor, Odessa would be a ravenclaw and Hunter, Meredith & Shane might be slytherin. im too lazy to try and think of anyone else’s.  

11. Which character’s name do you like the most?

Probably Magnolia

12. Describe each character’s daily outfit.

Kelsey: plain tee, cardigan, skinny jeans & converse.

Ryker: emo band tee, blue hoodie, skinny jeans, & red converse.

Shane: punk band tee, leather jacket, black ripped skinny jeans & boots.

13. Do any characters have distinctive birthmarks/scars?

During the novel Kelsey gets a scar on her cheek, Shane probably has various scars from abuse and fights, Felix’s nose is crooked from all the times he’s been punched in the face, Myranda has self harm scars, & Blair has cigarette burns.

14. Which character most fits a character trope?

I feel like Meredith fits the mean girl trope pretty well.

15. Which character is the best writer? Worst?

Josie is the best and Pierce is the worst.

16. Which character is the best liar? Worst?

Nigel is the best and Alan is the worst.

17. Which character swears the most? Least?

Felix swears the most and Josie swears the least.

18. Which character has the best handwriting? Worst?

Best is Melaina and worst is Jared. 

19. Which character is most like you? Least like you?

I think maybe Kelsey is the most like me?? i dunno, Least like me is probably Shane.

20. Which character would you most like to be?

Tiffany, objectively I think she suffers the least trauma. 

Oc Tag Game

i’ll do this one for shane

1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)? it was his style. i always knew he was gonna dress a bit edgy, when i first created him he was a little bit more emo though.

2. Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind? no, he was very different from the characters i created before.

3. How did you choose their name? at first his name was jason, i think? i honestly don’t know why i named him that??? eventually i changed to to shane because it felt more like him. there was a period in time when his name was seth but i changed it back.

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts? because the story is set in san francisco which is known for their large punk scene, i decided he was going to spend a lot of his time in that scene so i created “nigel’s tavern” and the staff of said club.  this really played a huge part in the rest of his development.

5.6.7) Is there any significance behind their hair colour/eye colour/height? not really. but originally he had red patches in his hair because edgy but i scrapped that.

8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story? i don’t think there’s really anything about him that i can relate to,, that’s probably for the best

9. Are they based off of you, in some way? ^^

10. Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation? no,, and i still don’t think it do. all i can concretely say is he definitely likes girls and has probably kissed a few guys. so maybe he’s bicurious 

11. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: Writing, drawing, edits, etc.)? his aesthetic comes very easily to me so edits and drawing him are easy-ish (i haven’t drawn something in like 2 years tho) so i guess writing him

12. How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all? no

13. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

how easily he’s feelings toward Kelsey (or anyone really) can switch and 

14. What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

how far he’ll go to subtly piss someone off

15. What is something about your OC that can make you cry?

literally everything tbh

16. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

not that i can think off

17. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

that he was raised catholic by his mother 

18. What is your favourite fact about your OC?

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

1. Are you named after anyone?

not really but i have the same middle name as my grandma

2. When was the last time you cried?

maybe a few days ago

3. Do you have/want kids?

no

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

yeee boii

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

their hair

6. What’s your eye color?

hazel

7. Scary movie or happy ending?

happy ending!! i lowkey hate scary movies

8. Any special talents?

i literally don’t think i have any talents

9. Where were you born?

florida 

10. What are your hobbies?

i guess writing and making awful youtube videos

11. Do you have any pets?

yes! i have a dog named bella and she’s the love of my life

12. What sports do you/have you played?

im terrible at sports so none

13. How tall are you?

5′4 i think

14. Favorite subject in school?

umm none? lmao

15. Dream job?

i guess writer or youtuber cause im a basic bitchhh

[madewithpastels]

HOLDING UP THE UNIVERSE

4.5 /5 STARS from me, no need for explanation...because... truly, in love with this book, I LAUGHED, TEARY-SMILES, S ALL GOOD!!! summary i took from:

About Holding Up the Universe. From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are. Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America's Fattest Teen.”

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone. Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

source: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/237457/holding-up-the-universe-by-jennifer-niven/9780385755955/

★★★★★★

Everytime i read this, i always imagined a character named Jack Masselin as SUPER DUPER KYLE. because Jack is goofy, awkward, and nice :) + also creative! and... a (such a dork-flirty-boy)..but I’ve got some alternatives hehe.

I thought..... it’s because, I had seen THE AFTER PARTY

and it was super good, he’s reallllyyyy GOOOOOOOOOD! check out the movie on NETFLIX! 

Dearest @jenniferniven​ please please please...I hope you, the team, the managers, the publishers, the agencies, the pr, the filmmakers, the producers, and all...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE making this come true #netflix original movie / anywhere on the MOVIE SCREENS, because we need more REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT BODY POSITIVITY AND MIX-DIVERSE CAST! I support you big time! <3 

★★★★★★

here goes my fan-cast: 

LIBBY STROUTS

I was having a hard time to imagine what would LIBBY look like? she’s a girl,  she’s in teen (hi-skool), she’s pretty and unique also talented dancing girl, so...i tried to a bit of quick research to find “Libby”. I think, I wanted them to be casted, like a lot...some of these girls, are fresh & up coming rising stars, model, public figures, internet darlings,, I want “LIBBY” to look natural, just the way Libby is /does ;) 

1. Barbie Ferreira

i found her thru this article, she’s one of the coolest girl ever : https://www.teenvogue.com/story/barbie-ferreira-reclaiming-fat 

OMG!!! SHE’S PERFECT AS LIBBY! also she’s going to join an HBO SHOW “EUPHORIA” A TEEN DRAMA series, produced by DRAKE! aaah can’t wait to see them. 

https://www.instagram.com/barbienox/?hl=en

2. Naomi Shimada

reading her interview, made me smile, yes we all deserve to be seen and heard :”) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/refuse-made-invisible-says-naomi-shimada-face-amazons-new-campaign/

https://www.instagram.com/naomishimada/?hl=en

3. Danielle Macdonald

First time, I saw Danielle’s performance was on Easy, Netflix, Season 2. She’s lovely & also a debuted rapper on her latest movie Patti Cake$! AH-MAZING!

4. Beanie Feldstein

LADY BIRD! NO NEED TO EXPLAIN MORE, CUZ SHE’S NOT JUST JONAH HILL’S LIL SIS, BUT SHE’S AWESOME :)

yep, obsessed with the fams, hehehe: 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/sheridanwatson/photos-that-prove-jonah-hill-and-beanie-feldste

5. Lulu Bonfils 

internet darlings/ models, also had some campaigns along with Barbie Nox too... love her for being confident :) 

★★★★★★

as for JACK MASSELIN

1. SUPER DUPER KYLE

like I told ya before, yes cannot get enough of him <3 

sc: http://greenlabel.com/just-keep-swimming-playground-conversations-with-super-duper-kyle/

2.  Jacob Latimore

Watched him on Collateral Beauty, The Chi, Candy Jar (Netflix), also MAZE RUNNER?! remember, yo he gonna GO BIG!!! he’s perfect as Jack. 

3. Jacob Artist

I saw him on Glee... he’s good loookin! also heard, he’s coming to AHS SEASON 6!

that’s all i can think about....and as for the DIRECTOR’S WISHLIST, yep, s all in my head he he he: 

my #wishlist directors: Kay Cannon, Abby Kohn, Anne Fletcher, Rick Famuyiwa, Geremy Jasper

hope you read, enjoy :)

thanks for being an amazing author, you inspire me <3

@jenniferniven  @penguinteen @penguinrandomhouse @penguindesign

[jaysterg5]

Poison Ivy - Cycle of Life and Death

Writer - Amy Chu

Pencils - Clay Mann, Stephen Segovia, Robson Rocha, Julio Ferreira, Ethan Van Sciver, Al Barrionueva & Cliff Richards

Cover - Clay Mann

Pamela Isley, AKA Poison Ivy, has decided to turn over a new leaf and take a job as a researcher at the Gotham Botanical Gardens.  But when her research disappears and people start turning up dead, it may not be so easy to stay inconspicuous!

It's a pretty basic mystery at its core, with a mysterious stranger committing crimes that have Ivy watching her back from both the police and the killer. But this story goes beyond that by adding a few subplots about Ivy's experiments the useful guest appearances of some DC Comics notables such as Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Swamp Thing.  The story provides some fun twists and turns that kind of keep you guessing, even if its not terribly complex.

The best part of this book, however, is the characters.  This is the best portrayal of Poison Ivy I've ever seen.  She's not insane - in fact she's quite lucid, smart, and a force to be reckoned with.  She walks the fascinating line between human and plant, and her connection with the Green creates a lot of interesting opportunities.  Yes, she's protective of plants, but she still sees the value in human life and really looks for both Kingdoms to co-exist.  She does have her amoral moments, but that stems more from her upbringing and early life.  She's a complicated character that's really interesting to see unfold and grow.

Chu also creates a number of fun supporting characters for this series that I would love to see more from.  Darshan, another researcher at the lab, plays a big role in the series and provides some of the comic relief.  He's a fun character that steals scenes in small ways and you look forward to the scenes with him.  There are a couple of GCPD detectives who pop in and out of the story that are also interesting and fun.  Love to see them crop up again somewhere as well.

I can't say enough good things about the art throughout this series.  There are several artist who contribute pencil work and more who do the inks, but they are all fantastic and keep the art at a beautiful and richly detailed level.  Clay Mann does most of the work and he provides illustrations that are simply eye-popping.  He draws a beautiful Poison Ivy (along with her co-stars) and gives a life to the plants that enable you to feel their motion and growth.  Very nicely done!

A fantastic series that just about every comic reader will enjoy!

[tagsmarthq]

Tagsmart hand-pick: best 2017 exhibitions... so far!

What was the best exhibition you've been to over the past few months? Here are the Tagsmart team’s highlights of 2017 so far, plus what we're looking forward to next!

Julie Smith, Business Development Manager Wolfgang Tillmans at Tate Modern

His abstract photography pieces were just beautiful, particularly Blushes #136 (2014). It was the first time that I saw photography executed in this way. By playing with chemicals and light, he created almost a painting through photography. Another work that drew me in was Tillmans’ luscious and foamy depiction of the sea in La Palma (2014). Very satisfying to look at.

My next exhibition: Kevin Callaghan at Doswell Gallery

_

Aya Aroukatos, PR & Marketing Executive Donna Huanca’s Scar Cymbals at the Zabludowicz Collection

This exhibition at Zabludowicz Collection was the most moving exhibition that I had ever been to, leaving a permanent impression on me. 

Upon entering, I was faced with mostly naked men and women, wearing only latex, ripped bodystockings and slathers of paint. They moved in slow motion to the sound of a heavy bass, leaving remnants of paint on the glass installation and footsteps in the sand maze.

I thought that a room filled with naked people would put me on edge, but somehow I felt I could sit in the beautiful chapel and watch the scene with comfort, totally mesmerised by the passing models who seemed totally unaware of my presence.

The show could have been laughable, but Huanca executed it with a certain delicacy and fearlessness which I cannot contest.

My next exhibition: Michael Wolf's Tokyo Compression at Flowers Gallery

_

Julia Ferreira de Abreu, Marketing Manager Joel Shapiro at Pace Gallery

Back in the 1950/60s, Hélio Oiticica created the radical series of red, yellow, and orange hanging structures called Relevos Espaciais (Spatial Reliefs). Built from sheets of plywood, they intersect and overlap, leaving gaps through which light can pass. By transposing blocks of colour into space, Oiticica involved the viewers in a personal and immersive way with these three-dimensional constructions.

It seems to me a further step was taken in this direction with Joel Shapiro’s suspended sculptures, which seem to float and defy gravity. Open to several possible interpretations, his continuous study of the dynamics of form and colour confounds expectations and challenges our senses.  

My next exhibition: Giacometti at Tate Modern and The Discovery of Mondrian at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag 

_

Steve Cooke, Chief Innovation Officer & Co-Founder Picasso: Minotaurs and Matadors at Gagosian Grosvenor Hill 

What fascinates me about him is his almost unique talent for creative composition, which is really clear in the works shown here. There was less emphasis on his paintings, which suited me because I don't enjoy them as much! I bought several, of course – they took my cheque.

My next exhibition: The Other Art Fair at the Truman Brewery

_

Pavel Baskakov, Product Development Manager David Hockney at Tate Britain

I loved the way it was set up. It was very interesting to see periods in his life divided by rooms and so much of his work in one place. The last room with digital iPad drawings just showed how talented he really is, that he could adapt quickly to new media.

My next exhibition: Summer Exhibition 2017 at the Royal Academy of Arts

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 25 February 2019

Quick Bits:

Action Comics #1008 continues “Leviathan Rising” from Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, Brad Anderson, and Josh Reed as the DEO is the next organization to be taken out. Great art from Epting and Anderson as the intrigue continues to unfold .

| Published by DC Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #16 gives us a prelude to “Hunted”. The mix of Nick Spencer’s humour with the subject matter of Kraven setting up an animal villain hunting network feels a little weird, but I want to see where he’s going with this.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #3 adds new wrinkles to the tale as we find out that Nyx’s quest has affected Nightmare while another bunch of the Avengers search for a shard of her power. Love the narration and spotlight on Rocket Raccoon this issue. Great work all around from Al Ewing, Jim Zub, Mark Waid, Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, Jesus Aburtov, and Cory Petit.

| Published by Marvel

Batgirl #32 concludes “Old Enemies” as Batgirl and Jason Bard reluctantly team-up to stop Cormorant. It doesn’t go as well as you’d hope, with Mairghread Scott leaving a lot of questions for future issues and setting up a continued rivalry. The levels of intrigue through the story are very compelling.

| Published by DC Comics

Betty & Veronica #3 continues the conflict between Betty and Veronica over a misunderstanding. It’s interesting as to how these things come about simply through a lack of communication and willingness to discuss the problems between two friends. Jamie Lee Rotante, Sandra Lanz, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Jack Morelli capture the high school drama very well.

| Published by Archie

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #8 sees the return of Dean Ormston to begin a new arc on a strange new world. Like the revelation before of where the heroes were, this is another big change as we follow Lucy Weber in a relatively “normal” world. 

| Published by Dark Horse

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2 sets another high water mark for this rebooted series, capturing the spirit and essence of the original, but updating it for current audiences. The reintroduction of Spike, Drucilla, and Cordelia are great, especially the characterization that Jordie Bellaire gives her. She’s not presented here as a catty mean girl and I think it will lead to a more nuanced, interesting conflict between her and the Scooby Gang in the beginning. Also, the art from Dan Mora and Raúl Angulo is perfect. Seriously perfect.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Captain America #8 continues this trend of Adam Kubert delivering some of the best art of his career. Kubert has always been a good to great artist, providing memorable work with Wolverine, Uncanny X-Men, and The Incredible Hulk, but in recent years he seems to have given a concerted effort to top his own already high bar of quality. The visual storytelling, panel compositions, layouts and transitions through this issue are phenomenal. Thoroughly gorgeous artwork from Kubert with colours by Frank Martin. 

| Published by Marvel

Crimson Lotus #4 twists the tale again with a bit of misdirection and a demon monkey with a revolver. I think more stories need demon monkeys with guns. John Arcudi, Mindy Lee, Michelle Madsen, and Clem Robins up the stakes heading into the conclusion.

| Published by Dark Horse

Daredevil #2 is incredible. Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles seem to be shooting for a masterpiece with “Know Fear” and it’s shaping up very well so far. Gorgeous artwork, coupled with an intriguing mystery, this really isn’t something that should be missed.

| Published by Marvel

Detective Comics #999 concludes “Mythology” and it basically convinces me that Batman is completely batshit insane at this point. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be my takeaway or not, but it seems to be the most logical conclusion to “Bruce tries to kill himself every year”.

| Published by DC Comics

Fantastic Four #7 continues Doom vs. Galactus. The artwork from Aaron Kuder, John Lucas, Marte Gracia, and Rachelle Rosenberg is incredible. There’s a very nice epic scope to the action.

| Published by Marvel

Fight Club 3 #2 is incredibly inventive. There are quite a few moving pieces that aren’t exactly wholly explained, but it’s amazing as to just how much information is really in the art, with this issue giving more context to what was happening last issue pretty much right in front of us, and I suspect the following issue will likewise better inform this one. This kind of recursive storytelling really fits the fractured mindset of “Balthazar”. Also, the art is insanely good, with very unique application of mirrored concepts and a frame that acts as a portal to somewhere else. Chuck Palahniuk, Cameron Stewart, Dave McCaig, and Nate Piekos are really creating something special here.

| Published by Dark Horse

The Flash #65 concludes “The Price” crossover with Batman from Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Tomeu Morey, and Steve Wands. Spinning out of Heroes in Crisis, it’s a dark conclusion, leaving the heroes kind of beaten down despite a “victory” and Flash’s world more or less in shambles. With an epilogue hinting at worse down the road with “Year of the Villain”, while this is interesting now, I’m not sure how much of a repeat of bleak futures where heroes distrust heroes and everyone loses I can handle. That said, “The Price” itself has been an entertaining arc with some heavy development between Flash and Batman and another important puzzle piece in what’s going on in regards to whoever’s working to bring Batman, and likely every superhero, down. With some phenomenal art from Sandoval, Tarragona, and Morey.

| Published by DC Comics

The Forgotten Queen #1 begins a mini-series focusing on the villain War-Monger, fleshing out her backstory as an unwitting marine archaeological salvage crew search for her, from Tini Howard, Amilcar Pinna, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. You needn’t know anything about War Monger’s, now Vexana, previous appearances before as this can pretty much be enjoyed on its own and seems to be acting as a way to really build her up into something greater. To that degree, this is a great start. Compelling stories both in the present and the past, showcasing Vexana seducing Temujin, with very nice art from Pinna and Arreola.

| Published by Valiant

Freedom Fighters #3 pushes hard the plot point that in order to truly help America rise again and fight back against the Nazi occupation is to give the people hope and have them believing in Uncle Sam again. It’s a quaint idea and I love that Robert Venditti tackles the approach from both angles amongst the Freedom Fighters in regards to application of their efforts. Also, again, the artwork from Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Adriano Lucas is stunning.

| Published by DC Comics

Hardcore #3 pushes the narrative further over a cliff to the point where Drake is now essentially falling, trying just to survive, as everything pretty much explodes. The action in this series is palpable as Andy Diggle, Alessandro Vitti, Adriano Lucas, and Thomas Mauer seem hellbent on making this as exciting a thrill ride as possible.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Hellboy and the BPRD: 1956 #4 is a bit of a turning point with Bruttenholm suffering a loss, the set-up for what happened to Varvara in the intervening years between her early days and the present, and what prompted Bruttenholm to drag back Hellboy. I really quite like Mike Norton’s take on Varvara.

| Published by Dark Horse

Ice Cream Man #10 is part two of “Hopscotch Mélange” and this strange reveal of the history of the Ice Cream Man and his brother the Cowboy. This one gives us a tragic love story, partially in Spanish.

| Published by Image

Invaders #2 deepens the mystery of Namor’s motivating factors and his apparent secret history with Professor Xavier. Carlos Magno handling present day scenes and Butch Guice the past works very well for the storytelling. It gives the flashbacks a dark, gritty feel that separates it from the current day.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Odyssey #6 sees Dan Abnett take over writing duties, joining Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia, and Andworld Design as the stakes in the Ghost Sector are raised a bit. Among the chaos of this area of space and the repercussions of Darkseid’s designs, there’s a nice character moment between Jessica and Cyborg.

| Published by DC Comics

Martian Manhunter #3 dives into J’onn’s arrival on Earth and how he became John Jones from Steve Orlando, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia, and Deron Bennett. While I’m riveted by the overall story, the art from Rossmo and Plascencia continues to be thrilling. Amazing layouts, character designs, panel compositions, and an almost psychedelic approach to the colours elevate this story so much.

| Published by DC Comics

Marvel Comics Presents #2 is still an oddball little anthology, with the serial Wolverine lead and this time a Fantastic Four and a Gorilla-Man back-up. On the one hand, it deals with time and the past, which is a key theme in the Wolverine story and a byproduct of the nature of the Fantastic Four tale, which takes place in the ‘50s. It’s kind of weird seeing something like this taking place in the actual time that it would given the original release of Fantastic Four back in the ‘60s, but Mark Waid, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Dan Brown, and Joe Caramagna give us a decent Cold War story. And then there’s the Laphams’ (with Lee Loughridge and Caramagna) Gorilla-Man story, which is good with Ken dealing with his attitude toward his gorilla spirit, but doesn’t necessarily fit that time or out of time theme.

| Published by Marvel

Oliver #2 delves deeper into the social structure of this world and into Oliver’s nature. Gary Whitta, Darick Robertson, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland are giving us a very interesting reimagining of Oliver Twist, with drop dead gorgeous artwork.

| Published by Image

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #2 is brilliant. Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Mary Safro, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are creating a story here that acts as a de facto sequel to Watchmen on one hand, but is also a very clever deconstruction of that story, its structure, its characters, in order to present something unique. The little human elements of Peter and Tabu are sweet and the art is freaking awesome.

| Published by Dynamite

Punks Not Dead: London Calling #1 is the welcome return of Sid and Fergie in this second series from David Barnett, Martin Simmonds, Dee Cunniffe, and Aditya Bidikar. It picks up pretty much right where the first book left off, and continues the pair’s quest to find Fergie’s dad while the rest of the world deals with the paranormal fallout.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Quincredible #4 sees Glow help Quin rescue his parents, then launch into an investigation of the powers behind the escalating gang warfare. I’ve really been enjoying what Rodney Barnes, Selina Espiritu, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Tom Napolitano have been doing on this book, with the coming-of-age tale and family drama, but this one really cinches things as it brings together the shared universe aspect of the Catalyst Prime world.

| Published by Lion Forge / Roar / Catalyst Prime

Redlands #11 is somewhat disquieting as we learn more about Z’s dead friend, Jake, who is currently inhabiting Nancy’s dead body. Jordie Bellaire, Vanesa Del Rey, and Clayton Cowles are doing a wonderful job of continuing the disturbing horror elements of this series, while broadening the characters and wider plot.

| Published by Image

Savage Sword of Conan #2 travels deep into Stygia as Conan and Suty search for the treasure from the map burned into Conan’s mind, while navigating through the terror unleashed by Koga Thun’s cult. While a bit more straightforward in its narrative, this tale from Gerry Duggan, Ron Garney, Richard Isanove, and Travis Lanham is holding its own against the equally excellent story unfolding in Conan the Barbarian. Like that one, this feels like Conan. It feels weighty, bloody, and dangerous with a compelling quest in front of him.

| Published by Marvel

The Silencer #14 starts a new arc from Dan Abnett, V. Ken Marion, Sandu Florea, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano as Honor gets accustomed to her new old role as Leviathan’s cleaner. Great action sequences as always, plus the added benefit of Honor’s husband investigating her life since he can’t accept that she’s dead. That should add some interesting complications down the road.

| Published by DC Comics

Star Trek: The Q Conflict #2 divides up the crews amongst teams for the immortals and sets them off on their first challenge, to recover an Iconian gateway device. I think this is a very interesting way for a crossover between the different eras to occur and the art from David Messina, Elisabetta D’Amico, Alessandra Alexakis, and Carola Borelli is wonderful.

| Published by IDW

The Superior Spider-Man #3 concludes Ock’s battle with Terrax. This is really a wonderful showcase for the art from Mike Hawthorne, Wade von Grawbadger, and Jordie Bellaire. The action throughout the issue is very well done.

| Published by Marvel

West Coast Avengers #8 has Jeff, the land shark puppy, and that’s all you really need to know about whether or not you should buy this. Because you should. For Jeff. Do it for Jeff. Also, there’s an interesting plot regarding abductions that Noh-Varr thinks is Skrulls, but you mainly want this for Jeff. Kelly Thompson, Gang Hyuk Lim, and Joe Caramagna deliver a fun start to this next arc.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Woman #65 concludes “The Grudge” as Wonder Woman confronts Nemesis again, gains a new understanding, and sets off on a new quest. Nice art from Jesus Merino, Andy Owens, and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

| Published by DC Comics

Wyrd #2 continues this entertaining madness from Curt Pires, Antonio Fuso, Stefano Simeone, and Micah Myers, with possibly and even more out there back up from Rockwell White, Pires, Martoz, and Myers. This go around, we get the British Prime Minister getting his kit off with a pig and gaining supernatural powers. It’s dark, it’s strange, but it’s also very good.

| Published by Dark Horse

Other Highlights: Atomic Robo: Dawn of a New Era #3, The Avant-Guards #2, Black Panther #9, Bone Parish #7, Books of Magic #5, Captain Marvel: Braver & Mightier #1, Cloak & Dagger: Negative Exposure #3, Corto Maltese: The Secret Rose, Die!Die!Die! #8, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #5, Firefly #4, Hack/Slash vs. Chaos #3, Hex Wives #5, Invader Zim #40, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #11, John Wick #5, KINO #14, Mage: The Hero Denied #15, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #36, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #40, Old Lady Harley #5, Outcast #39, Princeless: Find Yourself #5, The Realm #11, Rick & Morty #47, Rose #17, Spawn #294, Star Trek vs. Transformers #5, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #29, Summit #13, Wasted Space #7, The Wicked + The Divine #42

Recommended Collections: Barbarella - Volume 2: Hard Labor, BPRD: Vampire, Clankillers - Volume 1, Cold Spots, Cyber Force: Awakening - Volume 2, Euthanauts - Volume 1: Ground Control, Faith: Dreamside, Fire, Ninja-K - Volume 3: Fallout, Redneck - Volume 3: Longhorns, Spider-Geddon: Covert Ops, Typhoid Fever, The Unexpected: Call of the Unknown, The Weatherman - Volume 1

d. emerson eddy is running out of things to say in his end piece credit attribution. Tune in next time to find out if it’s finally done him in.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1268

Monday, July 1, 2019

 Happy Canada Day! Our great nation is 152 years old and I feel it in my bones. This is due to us installing a baby car seat into my CUV yesterday. My niece and her 7 month old daughter are coming from Bahrain and I am picking them up at the airport tomorrow. Thus the need for a car seat. I felt that the car seat manufacturer's manual left out some important details in their instructions. I felt the same way about my owner's manual for my 2018 Honda C-RV. Thank Thor for Google. Penny's help in finding the well hidden anchor points was greatly appreciated. It's a gorgeous day for a nation's birthday party. Sunny with a high of 28 degrees C or 82 degrees F (for all you non-metric folks). We'll be gathering with dear friends downtown so it's time to put on my happy face.

 Conan the Barbarian #7 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This is a terrific one issue story that chronicles Conan's revenge against a slimeball merchant. The lovely ladies helping him out are a special treat.

 Doctor Strange #15 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Scott Koblish (inks) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Herald Supreme part 4. The threat to the realms of magic and science posed by a hopped up Galactus reaches its climax. Time for Doctor Strange to rally the troops. I know everything will be hunky dory after next issue's spectacular conclusion but the fun comes from seeing how the good guys persevere.

 Action Comics #1012 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Szymon Kudranski (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Rose and Thorn make a surprise appearance. I love when obscure characters play a significant role in a story. This book does not escape being pulled into Brian's Event Leviathan either so pay close attention crossover fans.

 Thor #14 - Jason Aaron (writer) Scott Hepburn (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I really hope this new Thor Corps isn't how the good guys win the War of the Realms. Malekith can't be defeated that easily.

 The Avant-Guards #6 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). This issue focuses on Ashley. She's coaching due to the injury to her knee and it's her birthday. Oh yeah, the team play three games too.

 Runaways #22 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Andre Genolet (art) Michael Garland (colours) Niko Henrichon (art page 20) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I've always liked the bright and airy art in this series so seeing the dark more realistic work on the last page made me cringe. It may suit the Doombot story better but I hope it doesn't last.

 Detective Comics #1006 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Kyle Hotz (art) David Baron (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Oh boy, it's the Spectre. I prefer this Spirit of Vengeance over Marvel's Ghost Rider because he's so freaking cool with the green and white costume. The Spectre recruits Batman to find his alter ego, Jimmy Corrigan, after he's been spirited away by a cult. The cover blurb was swiped from the Arrow TV show.

 Fantastic Four #11 - Dan Slott (writer) Paco Medina, Kevin Libranda, Paolo Villanelli & Juanan Ramirez (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Valeria and Franklin get tested for their driver's licenses. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom is back to his nefarious ways. Wait until you see which classic bad guy he teams up with.

 War of the Realms #6 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This is it Thor fans, the epic conclusion to a multi-realm spanning war. Let's see here. Yes, I was very satisfied with how Malekith was defeated. Not spoiling anything. You knew that the good guys would win. I didn't even mind the bit of time traveling involved as it included some of my favourite characters. I loved the return of an old friend thought dead and how it was accomplished. The art by Russell Dauterman made this story so much more epic than the usual fare out there. So now it's onwards and upwards. All hail All Father Thor!

 War of the Realms the Punisher #3 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Marcelo Ferreira (pencils) Roberto Poggi (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I did not like how this story ended. Some may argue that Frank's uncompromising rules about dealing with criminals justified what he did but I would have preferred a different fate for Ferrante. This last issue started with a surprise twist that I didn't see coming though.

 War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #4 - Greg Pak (writer) Gang Hyuk Lim, Moy R. & Pop Mhan (art) Federico Blee & Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This was fun while it lasted but the ending was much too pie in the sky for me. As much as I enjoy some of Greg Pak's writing and identify with the characters of Asian persuasion I don't think I'll read the new Agents of Atlas book. There are just too many characters to keep track of.

 Avengers #20 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales with Ed McGuinness (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This War of the Realms tie-in focuses on She-Hulk and the changes she's gone through recently. I don't much like how she's monosyllabic when she's a Hulk now. I'm glad the war is over and I look forward to seeing the team in peace time before the next bunch of bad guys show up.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #24 - Nick Spencer (writer) Ryan Ottley (pencils) Mark Morales & Cliff Rathburn (inks) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). My opinion of this title continues to slide. The art is just okay as well as the writing. I didn't like Mysterio in costume during his psychoanalysis session. The only thing keeping me reading is finding out who the new super villain Kindred is. Oh my god, I just figured it out. It's a clone. Poopypants.

 Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 - Tom Taylor (writer) Ken Lashley (art, breakdowns page 15) Scott Hanna (finishes page 15) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This story guest stars the Prowler, the Hobie Brown one not Miles's uncle. Spidey teams up with the reformed criminal to investigate a shady crowd funding company. The new super villain's name is Mr. Helminth. Ken Lashley's angular art is going to take some getting used to.

 The Superior Spider-Man #8 - Christos Gage (writer) Lan Medina (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) Andy Troy & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). The team up with the West Coast Avengers continues in this War of the Realms tie-in. I love the lesson in humility that Otto gets from Gwenpool. If the next issue teaser is any indication, Norman Osborn's rears his ugly head soon.

 The Spider-Man Annual #1 presents Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham - Jason Latour (writer) David Lafuente (art) Rico Renzi (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is super punny if you're in the mood for some Marvel self deprecating humour. Otherwise take a hard pass. The art is amazing though, which is why I grabbed this off the rack.

[anime-herald]

4/19/2019, 3:30PM: Time to Unwind

As I stepped out of the interview room once again, I felt a small sense of relief. Finally, I had some time to kick back relax! I quickly hurried downstairs to a place that I probably shouldn’t be heading, knowing myself: The Dealer’s Room.

Inside, I scanned the many booths, which were packed with merchandise. DVDs, Blu-Rays, toys, video games, art books! Whatever you were looking for, there was a good chance that you’d find it here.

Well… for the most part.

I quickly learned that there are two reliable ways to make a dealer balk. “Would you happen to have anything from Sakura Wars?” I asked one, and received a look of utter bewilderment. Time and again, this happened as I sought out more merchandise from the twenty-three-year-old series.

Of course, this didn’t bring anywhere near as many odd looks as my inquiries for specifically bad anime.

“Why… would you want that?” one vendor asked in confusion, their head tilting just a bit before I explained the fun of Bad Anime Night. Once they clued in, they seemed eager to show the usual favorites: Garzey’s Wing, Photon, Darkside Blues… all promising, all glorious trash. Still, they weren’t exactly titles that tickled my dark side.

Funny enough, it was Discotek Media’s booth that proved to be the source for a new title that was bad enough to make audiences weep and wail as they ran for the exits. A cruel smirk played across my lips, as the vendor and her partner chatted on which shows would be bad enough to be considered bad for you. The partner piped up a moment later, saying “I hope you don’t mind losing friends over this one,” as he handed over a copy of Karate Master. I couldn’t help but smile brightly as I responded with “If they are still my friends at the end of the night, I’m doing it wrong!”

Afterwards, it was time to find some, well… good stuff. And find it, I did, as I scooped up titles that somehow eluded my collection. K-On!, Squid Girl, Case Closed, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid… I quickly found my bag filled to bursting with a cavalcade of modern classics.

With my itch to spend thoroughly scratched, I figured it was time to visit an old friend. I made my way to the Science Fiction Continuum booth, where Brian T. Price was working. Price is somewhat of an icon for the convention, as he hosts Totally Subversive Toons and Bad Anime, Bad! Every year to great fanfare. When I stopped by, there was a brief lull in the customer flow. I popped over and we began to chat. As we talked, it became increasingly clear that Price was planning something big for the tenth anniversary of Bad Anime, Bad! I wasn’t sure what at that point, but I was expecting a truly magnificent train wreck, which would make the crowd giggle and recoil at the same time.

Our meeting didn’t last too long, though, as the booth began to grow busy again. We said our farewells, and returned to our normal routines.

Well, as normal as Anime Boston gets, anyway.

4/19/2019, 4:45PM: Dinner and a Demo

By quarter of five, I had gotten my shop on, and decided to hurry out of the hall before I decided to buy something I’d regret, like that Sakura Shinguji cel priced at $200. With MIYAVI’s concert just over an hour away, it felt like the best course of action would be to grab a bite to eat. With dinner on my mind, I made a hasty trek to Eataly’s La Pizza & La Pasta.

“Party of one,” I said to the hostess, who directed me to the bar. As I took my seat, the barkeeper prepared a glass of water, as well as a serving of bread and olive oil. It was a lovely beginning to the meal, with the pillowy bread acting as a delectable sponge for the fragrant oil. It’s a simple treat that I’ll never not crave from time to time.

Image Credit: Eataly

As the bartender circled back, I placed an order for a simple Margherita pizza. I pulled out my phone and began to go over the day’s biggest news developments. I breathed a small sigh of relief, noticing that the news coming from both Anime Boston and Sakura Con was fairly light this time around.

Within a few minutes, the server came around with my pizza. It’s a simple dish: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, served on a wood-fired crust. Still, as the saying goes, simple is often best.

The sweetness of the tomatoes played beautifully with the slightly bitter char on the crust, which helped to accent the creaminess of the cheese. The basil offered a nice fragrant note that helped to really elevate the entire dish to perfection. I smiled a little as I savored each bite, just losing myself in the moment of a delightful, relaxing meal during a busy weekend.

I checked my phone as I stepped out of Eataly, noticing that I had a message from a colleague who was hanging out in the Panelists’ room. I swiped over to my clock: 5:25 PM. Plenty of time.

I quickly trekked back into the Hynes, toward the room. I paused for a moment when I arrived, remarking at how quiet everything was inside. It took a moment, but I clued in to two gentlemen were seated and chatting: BH Pierce and YouTuber Professor Otaku.

We exchanged greetings, and got to talking shop. First, we discussed our plans for the weekend, though the conversation quickly moved toward Big Eyes, Small Brains. We discussed the fundamentals behind the game’s systems and the world, as they peeked at a preview copy of the book. Sadly, time was running short for all of us, as Professor Otaku had a panel coming up, Pierce had to prep for his own panel that evening, and I had to make my way toward the auditorium for MIYAVI’s concert.

We said a quick farewell, as we parted ways. Though our meeting was brief, it was great to meet a few more folks in this lively community.

4/19/2019, 6:00PM: What’s My Name?

Note: We will be publishing a full write-up of the MIYAVI concert as part of our Anime Boston 2019 coverage. For now, please enjoy a few photos from the event! All photos credit to Samantha Ferreira, taken in accordance with agreed upon photo policy for Anime Boston

Image Credit: Samantha Ferreira

Image Credit: Samantha Ferreira

Image Credit: Samantha Ferreira

Image Credit: Samantha Ferreira

Image Credit: Samantha Ferreira

4/19/2019, 8:30PM, An Annual Tradition

As MIYAVI left the stage, the room was left eagerly chattering, their ears still ringing from the aural experience that just occurred. For me, though, the night was still young. I wanted to check out one final panel for the evening. Seth, meanwhile, was heading for a screening of Lupin The Third: The Mystery of Mamo.

We parted ways once more, each to take on our tasks for the evening. Before anything, though, I had to see to a little tradition of mine.

Every year, since Anime Boston has been in the Hynes, I’ve made it a point to close off my first night with a particular treat from Au Bon Pain. I can’t let a year pass without enjoying one of their chocolate croissants.

I scurried out of the convention center, my bad growing heavy around my shoulder, as I stole my way to the familiar yellow storefront that waited just outside. I hurried to the pasty case, where I found the treat was seeking. I plucked one from its resting place, and hurried to the counter, where I ordered an iced coffee, paid the clerk, and found a place to sit.

Now, the year was complete for me. Au bon Pain’s chocolate croissants are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. These sweet treats are flaky, tender, filled with chocolate, and coated in powdered sugar. With each bite, I could feel the weariness of the day starting to leave me. Sweet chocolate mixed with the bitter coffee, to produce a flavor that is nothing short of heavenly, in my books.

Alas, like most pleasures, it was fleeting. A few minutes later, I found myself finishing the last bite, my eyes again set toward the towering structure that awaited just outside.

4/19/2019, 9:00PM, Foundations of World Building

Note: We covered this event in-detail in a standalone feature, so feel free to check that out for the details! For now, enjoy a few photos.

4/19/2019, 10:00PM, The End of the Evening

I couldn’t help but take a moment to watch in awe, as the packed room calmly filed out into the hallways. Deep down, I had to know that folks would be active even now, but it never ceased to amaze me at just how many there were every year. I let out a small smile and hoisted up my bag. It was time to get some work in for the evening. I slunk back to the Sheraton, and made my way to the elevator, then to my cozy, fourteenth-floor room. The weariness of the day finally hit me, as I collapsed into dead weight on my bed. I lazily went through the daily news reports, which had been arriving from friends and colleagues alike through the day, and got to work. It wouldn’t be long after that, though, that sleep would claim me.

As the clock struck one, consciousness eluded me. It was time to get some rest, for tomorrow would bring about a few moments that I’d never forget.

Anime Boston 2019 Travelogue, 4/18/2019 (Evening): Sound and Fury 4/19/2019, 3:30PM: Time to Unwind As I stepped out of the interview room once again, I felt a small sense of relief.

[ismael37olson]

Jon ALi Presents: The Top 20 Music Videos Of 2018!

Hello, it’s me (again). Just yesterday, I worked my way through my Top 50 Albums Of 2018. And now, it’s time lay your eyes on a visual treat: My Top 20 Music Videos of 2018!

This list was fairly easy to make, considering we don’t really get that many great music videos anymore. It’s been a dying music accompanying art form for years, but luckily, there’s always a handful of artists who decide to step up their game and rise above the basics of the world. As always, let me know what you think and feel free to comment below with your own list. BESOS!

20. St. Vincent – Fast Slow Disco

St. Vincent dropped her serious artsy antics and let loose in this wonderfully steamy Zev Deans-directed clip for the re-worked version of her song “Slow Disco,” which sees her dancing through a sweaty crowd of men in a gay club. We must appreciate!

19. Years & Years – Sanctify

Olly Years and co. dropped a few stellar visuals this year to bring their Palo Santo vision to life. “Sanctify” kicked things off properly and saw Olly deliver his best dance performance yet. He shall not be ignored!

18. Anderson .Paak – ‘Til It’s Over

More artists should just get FKA twigs to dance in their videos for them. The results are spectacular.

17. Drake – Nice For What

Drake gets enough attention, but he did good in dropping a star-studded music video to accompany his 2018 smash love letter to all of the strong, independent women around the world. More of this, please.

16. Kim Petras – Heart to Break

The deliciously sweet and cool, cotton candy princess fantasy we all needed in 2018 was brought by this rising pop starlet. Escapism at its very best.

15. John Duff – Girly

“Hate on it, Say what you wanna say say…” Paying meticulous homage to pop queens including Madonna (“Hung Up”), Britney Spears (“Stronger”), Beyoncé (“Crazy in Love”), Christina Aguilera (“Come on Over”) and most heavily, Mariah Carey‘s “Heartbeaker” turned out to be quite the serve for Mr. John Duff. There’s simply no denying… he did THAT!

14. Céline Dion – Ashes (from “Deadpool 2” Motion Picture Soundtrack)

A Canadian legend and a lovable superhero dancing in heels. Yeah, this video is here simply because it brought me so much joy. Enough said.

13. Bruno Mars – Finesse (Remix) [Feat. Cardi B]

Sometimes all you need is a bit of nostalgia. Rocking ’90s fashion while recreating scenes from the sketch comedy series In Living Color, Bruno and Cardi proved to be quite the winning duo. It was simply everything we needed at the time. Good vibes all around!

12. Kali Uchis – After The Storm (ft. Tyler, The Creator & Bootsy Collins)

Kali‘s hairdressers are birds? Her husband and children are plant people? All of the processed food in her “After The Storm” universe has Bootsy Collins on it, and he’s singing to her? Yeah, there’s a whole lot going on here but it’s executed in the most vibrant of ways. Visual eye candy that made the song even better.

11. MNEK – Tongue

MNEK takes full control of the spotlight as he directly makes eyes across the dinner table at another man before severing up some fierce, vogue-heavy choreography with his dance troupe every time the chorus drops in this extravagant pop clip. I absolutely loved seeing MNEK embracing his sexuality like never before. A moment, a vibe, an artist fully coming into their own. Forever LOVE!

10. Kendrick Lamar & SZA – All The Stars

This arresting clip saw two superstars embrace the African aesthetic via a variety of looks and stunning imagery inspired by the groundbreaking Marvel superhero film. K-Dot even walks around with literal black panthers at one point. It’s truly something from start to finish… continued kudos to Kendrick for consistently pushing the envelope with visual after visual. I can watch these two do anything all day.

9. Billie Eilish – when the party’s over

Sometimes, the beauty of a video lies in its simplicity, and that’s just what’s happening here. Pay more attention to Billie Eilish!

8. Troye Sivan – My My My!

This glorious, ’90s-leaning visual directed by Sky Ferreira and Lorde collaborator Grant Singer – saw our rising gay pop prince Troye looking and sounding more secure than ever in his sexuality. If only I had more Troye Sivan’s when I was growing up. Endless love for this one.

7. Ariana Grande – thank u, next

While there’s no actual narrative here, it’s without a doubt pure campy fun to see homages to movies about women – Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Legally Blonde, and Bring It On – and their strong friendships in the context of a song about being happy with yourself, instead of the dependence that comes with being boo’d up. The song was a big ol’ meme to begin with so it was only fitting that the video would be filled with the forever meme’s themselves. Once again, nostalgia wings!

6. Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa – One Kiss

This whole video is just a god damn VIBE, MOOD, AESTHETIC… whatever you want to call it. It’s all the things with a hefty dose of ’90s vibes throughout.

5. Janelle Monáe – PYNK

Janelle Monáe gave us an abundance of visual eye candy this year, but the female celebration that is “PYNK” without a doubt takes the cake. PYNK Vagina pants. PYNK Vagina pants. PYNK Vagina pants. The end.

4. The Carters – Apeshit

Beyoncé and Jay-Z took over the Louvre and made a music video. NEED I SAY MORE?!?

3. Ciara – Level Up

This instantly viral, non-stop dance romp is exactly what we’ve been wanting to see from Ciara for years. A long-awaited, much-deserved win.

2. ROSALÍA – MALAMENTE

There are many things I can say about this visual event and it’s leading starlet, but I will leave it at A Star Is Born. GET FAMILIAR.

1. Childish Gambino – This Is America

Coming in at number one with easily the most socially impactful music video this year is Childish Gambino‘s “This Is America.” Drenched with symbolism, the epic clip directly criticizes American gun laws by depicting scenes of senseless violence while dancing along as if everything is fine. It’s essentially 2018 wrapped up in a music video.

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2018/12/28/jon-ali-presents-the-top-20-music-videos-of-2018/