Jim Ottaviani's Blog, page 15

Feynman + Hark! A Vagrant = Stage Fright

If you don't read Kate Beaton's Hark! A Vagrant , today is a good day to start.

I'm showing her header, but it's a trick: Today's strip isn't by Kate.

Leland and I tried to capture the spirit of her feature, at least, and I hope we did...but speaking for myself, I had a real case of brain freeze when invited to write a script. "How do you... I mean, how can anyone... What I'm trying to say is I can't...!" In short, I panicked until realizing that mortals can not write like her. Then I was free to write something like me, and hope it would be kinda sorta Hark!-esque. Leland's art sells it.

As for the real thing(s), this and this and this are a few of my favorites by Kate herself. Oh, and this. You get the idea, I'm sure. Subscribe and find some favorites of your own...I have, for years.

What do you think about when you run?

I just finished a 10 mile trail race with Jimmy Rogers' "That's All Right" running through my head for most of the time I spent on the course in beautiful Sleepy Hollow State Park. Sometimes Johnny Cash worked his way in, as did Lucinda Williams and Joss Whedon. ("Bad Horse" if you must know.)

Occasionally real thought happens too. After casual runs I'll often drip sweat all over a sheet of paper as I write down plot points, exchanges of dialogue, and solutions to storytelling problems that have shown up unexpectedly. Many times these will be good and usable, but I can almost never make good and usable thoughts happen on purpose. They mostly show up unbidden, like commercials or airchecks on my internal radio station. Then it's back to the song (fragment) of the day, whatever that is.

It turns out I'm not alone. This morning at breakfast our friend Kris talked about how she does this while swimming, and even some of the greats deal with endurance training and racing via song. Or worse. Specifically, I heard the amazing Diana Nyad talk about her swim from Cuba to Key West (!), a swim she began just a few hours ago, and she describes what goes through her head during hours in open water. Listen to her at NPR and then track her at CNN.

Meanwhile, over at Tor.com...

...you can find a piece I wrote about the unsung anniversary of an un-delivered speech from space history, called "In Event of Moon Disaster." 

As Frank Borman knew, success wasn't (and still isn't) inevitable, but planning for all contingencies makes it more likely.

Atlantis

The last launch...



via Twitpic, via MAKE...

Feynman in the New York Review of Books

A review of our Feynman book appears in the current issue of The New York Review of Books .*

That this exists at all is wonderful in and of itself. What makes it more wonderful is that it's a positive review, made apparently without reservation by its writer, who said (among other things that made me blush): "These images capture with remarkable sensitivity the essence of Feynman's character." and "The Ottaviani-Myrick book is the best example of this genre [graphic novels] that I have yet seen." 

But what blew the top of my head clean off is what you already figured out by looking at the cover...the reviewer is Freeman Dyson. If you don't know who that is you can look him up now, or better still pick up a copy of his book Disturbing the Universe and dig in. Because even though he appears in our book too, you shouldn't wait until August to read more about him.

Anyway, wow.

* Note that I don't think you can read all of the article for free online unless you're at a library that subscribes to the NYRB.

Jim Ottaviani at ALA, June 24-26 in New Orleans

If you're a librarian (why aren't you?), and going to the American Library Association's Annual Conference in New Orleans this year (why wouldn't you?), you'll be able to find me in a bunch of places next week. I've never attended in this capacity before, and I'm excited about it! 

My base of operations will be booth 1667 in the Graphic Novel Pavilion/Artist's Alley. And have a look at my neighbors...what a line-up! 

There's more. I also have a bunch of public events scheduled, and I promise to talk about Feynman at every one of 'em. All are on Saturday, June 25:

10:00-10:30am
Interview w/Karen Green
Location: GN Pavilion Stage (on the exhibit floor)

11:30-12:00
Signing
Location: Macmillan Children's booth, #1115/1116

1:30-3:30pm
Graphic Novels: Bridging Generations, Bridging Cultures
Location: Convention Center, Room 338

4:00-5:30pm
Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Information Science
Location: Convention Center, Auditorium A

I hope to see you there!

Feynman Trailer

 


   
[If the video doesn't play for you via the embedded link, you can find it at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kqyMr6vYZc. And though the Great and Powerful Trailer Gods decreed that showing a release date is not permitted within the video itself, they can't stop me from telling you right here that the book comes out in August.]

TCAF 2011: The Coolest Thing (by Far) I Got There

No offense to the authors of all the great books I picked up at this year's Toronto Comics Art Festival (new works by Chester Brown, Vera Brosgol, Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, Rina Piccolo, Jay Stephens, Jen Wang, and a bunch of nifty minicomics as well), but nothing compares to this:

Yes, an attractive box. But it's more than that. When you open it, you find this:

And when you turn the box around and open it again, you find this:

Yes, I was given the gift of science and art and a lucky (or is it unlucky? or is it both?) cat with Xs for eyes...at least half the time.

Many of my friends write books that lend themselves to the creation of tangible, precious talismans. (Tokens is the usual word for this, but I think it's too small a word.) Their readers present them with these as a thank you for the stories and it's always warmed my heart to see it. I didn't think my books lent themselves to such things, though.

Wrong again.

Emily and Skye: Thank you. I just about fell over when you handed this to me, and I still get goosebumps when I pick up the box and do an experiment concerning indeterminate quantum states.

Jim Ottaviani at TCAF, May 7-8 in Toronto

Another year, another Toronto Comics Art Festival. You can't make that sound boring even if you try. And why would you try?

So, come visit the Toronto Reference Library and meet me Adrian Tomine, David Boswell, Natsume Ono, Lorenzo Mattotti and dozens of others great creators.

I'll be there giving away advance copies of Feynman (yes, giving them away...but you'll have to do a little reference work to get a free book), selling books (including, I think/hope, a new color minicomic!),
giving away other stuff, and I'm also
scheduled take part in a couple of panels. I hope to see you
there.

Two you will want to read: Jane Irwin and Carla Speed McNeil

Jane Irwin has restarted The Clockwork Game , and you can start reading this graphic-novel-in-installments right now. Go do it -- I've been looking forward to this for what seems like ages, but like all good stories, it's worth the wait.

Another pal, Carla Speed McNeil, has some new books out, and a new blog to celebrate. Go do that to.