Kyle Garret's Blog, page 25
January 23, 2012
Chuck
Chuck premiered on September 24th, 2007, and it would be trite -- but accurate -- for me to say that it has had a big impact on my life.Anyone who knows me knows that I have an addictive personality. It's actually a bi-product of another personality trait: apathy. I am so apathetic that if I find something that I truly care about, I jump into it with reckless abandon. Regular people have to divvy up their love to a bunch of different things; I stick with only a few, so they all get more love from me. Crazy love.
There have been a number of television shows that I've gone a bit nuts over. There's the Joss Whedon catalog, of course, of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly (Dollhouse was neither on long enough or consistently good enough for me to include). I cared so much about Battlestar Galactica that it's hard for me to go back and watch old episodes after the betrayal that was the show's finale. The Wire could be the best television show ever, the last season notwithstanding. Veronica Mars and Six Feet Under can both make claims to the best single seasons of television, although VM probably gets the nod given it was nearly twice as long. At one point, Scrubs was the funniest show on TV, having been replaced in my heart with the even funnier Community. Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the great Friday Night Lights, too.
But Chuck is different.
Not long ago, I did an overview of my writing. Since I tend to jump from genre to genre, I talked about the common theme behind my writing, something other than just my "voice." In the end, I write love stories. I've probably been writing love stories over and over again for my entire life. And that's a big reason why I like Chuck.Chuck is probably the only show on my list of favorite shows that is a straight up love story.
Sure, there's more going on than just the love story. At its inception, Chuck was a wish fulfillment story. A guy working in the Nerd Herd at a Buy More goes from college drop out with wasted potential into a super spy with a leggy blond super spy girlfriend. He trades in his pocket protector for cool spy gadgets and travels the world doing glamorous and exciting things.
You can see that, on paper, this show had a pretty specific target audience. That wasn't it's downfall, though. It's downfall, at least initially, was that people tend to like their television shows definable. They want to know that they're watching a drama or a comedy or a thriller. Chuck was all of these things and more, and I think most people found the juggling act that it managed too much for them to handle.
But in the end it was a love story, which makes it that much sadder that more people didn't watch it. It was a love story that spanned 91 episodes, a love story that slowly but surely grabbed a hold of me (and many others) and pulled us in. Sure, there were times when it didn't work, but when it did...well, it was better than pretty much anything else on television.The finale of Chuck made me cry, not just because the show was ending, but because I truly felt for the characters on the show. And I truly felt for the actors whose tears were very obviously real.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that a huge part of why this show worked as a love story was because of the chemistry between Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah). The two of them were absolutely fantastic.
For example, during the finale I wondered aloud if Chuck would get the Intersect back. My wife said "I don't care about the Intersect I just want Chuck and Sarah to be okay," or something to that effect. I had no idea that Nicole was as invested in the story as I was.
It will be interesting to see where the actors go from here. I'm really hoping Yvonne Strahovski gets some great roles in the future. While the entire cast was great, she was probably the most impressive of the bunch. She had to cover so much ground as an actor, more so than the others, and she did such a great job with it. I would hate to see her either not get more work or be typecast as the hot blond; she's proven she can be so much more than that.I will admit that this blog entry on Chuck has been a bit rambling. In part, it's because it's taken me three days to finish this. It's also a weird thing to blog about. Unless you've become deeply invested in a television show, it's kind of a hard thing to explain, and it's even harder to explain without sounding crazy.
All I know is that Chuck meant a lot to me, and I'm really going to miss it.
January 20, 2012
Physical Fitness!
About 10 months ago, I discovered the gym or, more specifically, I discovered the glorious sense of accomplishment that came with going to said gym.
Of course, those 10 months ago the gym was this small room in our apartment building that contained a single elliptical machine, a single treadmill, and three of those multi-purpose weight machines. Oh, and there were some free weights and a few exercise balls.
I discovered the joy of going to the gym in the morning. By the time I was awake enough to realize what was going on, I was already on the elliptical. It was fantastic. At the time, I didn't have to be at work until 10:30, so I got up 8:00 to go to the gym. I went four days a week, four days a week straight, from Tuesday through Friday. And the I gave myself a long weekend off.
It was fantastic. My cholesterol level went down. Not that I've ever been overweight, but I actually had to buy new pants as the ones I owned were too big in the waist.
When we moved up to the Bay, going to the gym became much, much harder. For one, I had to be at work at a normal hour, although I got my boss to at least give me until 9:30. My time requirement became longer because I now had to drive to an actual gym. That also meant that I had to get up and go early in the morning -- early on winter mornings. And the cold makes me very, very lazy.
I've done a decent job with it so far. My gym is filled with middle aged people, and there's nothing like seeing an out of shape forty-something to inspire me to work harder. I'm still going because I like how it makes me feel and because I want to lower my cholesterol, but now I also want to prevent myself from becoming completely decrepit as I get older.
That's all well and good, but it occurred to me (as I watched a few minutes of the Golden Globes) that being in shape has never held the benefits for me that it does for those who are, well, actually in shape. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that not being a fat load probably went a long way in getting Nicole to date me. But six pack abs and the gun show have never really been a goal of mine, because the reason for attaining those things has never been a goal of mine.
Which takes me back to the Golden Globes. I have often said that if I had a dietitian, a job that gave me long stretches of time off, a personal trainer, and a bunch of money, I could be in great shape -- I could have those six pack abs. If my lively hood depended upon my physical appearance, then it would be my number one priority, as I'd need the things that come along with looking a certain way.
All this is to say that it's often damn hard to go to the gym, because it's not essential to my life. I would imagine that's the way it is for most people. We don't have the time to be beautiful and we barely have the motivation.
Now I will go back to sitting on the couch and watching TV.
Of course, those 10 months ago the gym was this small room in our apartment building that contained a single elliptical machine, a single treadmill, and three of those multi-purpose weight machines. Oh, and there were some free weights and a few exercise balls.
I discovered the joy of going to the gym in the morning. By the time I was awake enough to realize what was going on, I was already on the elliptical. It was fantastic. At the time, I didn't have to be at work until 10:30, so I got up 8:00 to go to the gym. I went four days a week, four days a week straight, from Tuesday through Friday. And the I gave myself a long weekend off.
It was fantastic. My cholesterol level went down. Not that I've ever been overweight, but I actually had to buy new pants as the ones I owned were too big in the waist.
When we moved up to the Bay, going to the gym became much, much harder. For one, I had to be at work at a normal hour, although I got my boss to at least give me until 9:30. My time requirement became longer because I now had to drive to an actual gym. That also meant that I had to get up and go early in the morning -- early on winter mornings. And the cold makes me very, very lazy.
I've done a decent job with it so far. My gym is filled with middle aged people, and there's nothing like seeing an out of shape forty-something to inspire me to work harder. I'm still going because I like how it makes me feel and because I want to lower my cholesterol, but now I also want to prevent myself from becoming completely decrepit as I get older.
That's all well and good, but it occurred to me (as I watched a few minutes of the Golden Globes) that being in shape has never held the benefits for me that it does for those who are, well, actually in shape. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that not being a fat load probably went a long way in getting Nicole to date me. But six pack abs and the gun show have never really been a goal of mine, because the reason for attaining those things has never been a goal of mine.
Which takes me back to the Golden Globes. I have often said that if I had a dietitian, a job that gave me long stretches of time off, a personal trainer, and a bunch of money, I could be in great shape -- I could have those six pack abs. If my lively hood depended upon my physical appearance, then it would be my number one priority, as I'd need the things that come along with looking a certain way.
All this is to say that it's often damn hard to go to the gym, because it's not essential to my life. I would imagine that's the way it is for most people. We don't have the time to be beautiful and we barely have the motivation.
Now I will go back to sitting on the couch and watching TV.
January 18, 2012
Not in Kansas Anymore
I have this reoccurring theme in my dreams. I may go months without seeing it, but when it returns it is ultimately the same as it was the last time I had it. Bits and pieces change, the way that dreams do, but the gist of it remains the same.
I have a reoccurring dream where I go back to college. Not any college, mind you, but Ohio University, the place where I spent both my undergraduate and graduate years.
In these dreams, I see people that I went to college with, although it seems like who those people are changes each time. Invariably, though, they're all in college, and in this world that's where they're supposed to be. There's nothing strange about it. They still have more to do before they can graduate.
But I don't. In fact, the central conceit of these dreams is that I have already left, and I'm now returning. The reason for my return is always the same: I don't know what else to do. I am always going into a PhD program and I always feel like everyone else has been there the entire time I was gone, and that perhaps they have a leg up on me.
It's also very clear that I'm only pursing this degree because I don't want to do anything else, I don't know how to do anything else. I fluctuate between the two, really. Often I even admit as much in the dream, and claim that I could end up dropping out of college once I figure myself out.
Interestingly enough, I'm still with Nicole in these dreams. There's always a bit about having a long distance relationship, that Nicole is back here in California doing responsible adult things while I am back at Ohio University trying to be productive, because apparently it's the only thing I CAN do that's remotely productive.
Don't get me wrong, I loved college, particularly grad school. Those years will always be a source of inspiration for my work. Truly, I've gotten a lot of material out of such a comparatively short period of time. But I don't want to go back there. Really. It may have taken a while, but I've actually managed to grow out of that phase of my life.
But I think that, to a certain extent, I will always romanticize those years. My friend Jay referred to it as the gravy train, albeit one we all knew would eventually come to an end. There was a wonderful simplicity to life back then, one that I don't think I ever fully appreciated, at least not when I was living it.
I suppose these dreams say a lot about where I'm at. I suppose I am still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do with myself. I think it's telling, though, that even when my subconscious portrays me as adrift in an ocean with no north star to lead me, I'm still with Nicole.
I may not know what all the things I'm supposed to be doing with my life are, but I know that one of them is being with Nicole.
I have a reoccurring dream where I go back to college. Not any college, mind you, but Ohio University, the place where I spent both my undergraduate and graduate years.
In these dreams, I see people that I went to college with, although it seems like who those people are changes each time. Invariably, though, they're all in college, and in this world that's where they're supposed to be. There's nothing strange about it. They still have more to do before they can graduate.
But I don't. In fact, the central conceit of these dreams is that I have already left, and I'm now returning. The reason for my return is always the same: I don't know what else to do. I am always going into a PhD program and I always feel like everyone else has been there the entire time I was gone, and that perhaps they have a leg up on me.
It's also very clear that I'm only pursing this degree because I don't want to do anything else, I don't know how to do anything else. I fluctuate between the two, really. Often I even admit as much in the dream, and claim that I could end up dropping out of college once I figure myself out.
Interestingly enough, I'm still with Nicole in these dreams. There's always a bit about having a long distance relationship, that Nicole is back here in California doing responsible adult things while I am back at Ohio University trying to be productive, because apparently it's the only thing I CAN do that's remotely productive.
Don't get me wrong, I loved college, particularly grad school. Those years will always be a source of inspiration for my work. Truly, I've gotten a lot of material out of such a comparatively short period of time. But I don't want to go back there. Really. It may have taken a while, but I've actually managed to grow out of that phase of my life.
But I think that, to a certain extent, I will always romanticize those years. My friend Jay referred to it as the gravy train, albeit one we all knew would eventually come to an end. There was a wonderful simplicity to life back then, one that I don't think I ever fully appreciated, at least not when I was living it.
I suppose these dreams say a lot about where I'm at. I suppose I am still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do with myself. I think it's telling, though, that even when my subconscious portrays me as adrift in an ocean with no north star to lead me, I'm still with Nicole.
I may not know what all the things I'm supposed to be doing with my life are, but I know that one of them is being with Nicole.
January 16, 2012
Who is this guy?
Every once in a while, I like to remind people just who the heck I am.
Granted, most of you already know me to some extent. Maybe we went to high school or college together. Maybe we have or do work together. Maybe you've interacted with me online. Heck, maybe you've even read something of mine and kind of sort of liked it enough to check out my blog.
That's all pretty awesome.
I've spent the last few days trying to write a 100 word bio for Super Cool Secret Thing (that I hope to be able to talk about soon). It made me realize what a hard time I have describing myself, which is an odd thing to realize, given how often I talk about myself.
I started with the things I would want a potential reader to know about me, like the fact that my first book, "I Pray Hardest When I'm Being Shot At," is available now from Hellgate Press, and that it was just nominated for an Independent Literary Award in Memoir/Biography. It's important to get that out there right off the bat, since I want this theoretical reader to know that if they like what they're reading, there's an honest to god book that was not published by me out there for them to buy.
Of course, I'd also want them to come here to my blog, because all of the aforementioned information can be found here in some way, shape, or form. And if they want to come to my blog, they should really check out my Twitter account, too.
All of that was pretty easy to come up with. But it also all felt pedestrian. It didn't really give an indication as to who I am, or even why anyone should care about what I do.
This has always been a problem for me. There's a writer named Peter David who refers to himself as a "writer of stuff," and I always thought that was great. It neatly sidesteps the issue. Asking a writer what they write is like asking a band what they sound like, and I have found myself in both positions.
So what do I do, exactly?
If I'm honest and, I hope, being overly simplistic, I would say that I write love stories. Really. Over and over again I write love stories, I just dress them in different clothes. Add some zombies, add a few wars, add time travel, add a haunted house. But at their core, they are all love stories, because deep down inside I am a horrible romantic.
If you've ever been in love or are thinking about being in love, then I'm the writer for you.
And, really, there could be worse things to be. After all, who doesn't love a good love story?
Granted, most of you already know me to some extent. Maybe we went to high school or college together. Maybe we have or do work together. Maybe you've interacted with me online. Heck, maybe you've even read something of mine and kind of sort of liked it enough to check out my blog.
That's all pretty awesome.
I've spent the last few days trying to write a 100 word bio for Super Cool Secret Thing (that I hope to be able to talk about soon). It made me realize what a hard time I have describing myself, which is an odd thing to realize, given how often I talk about myself.
I started with the things I would want a potential reader to know about me, like the fact that my first book, "I Pray Hardest When I'm Being Shot At," is available now from Hellgate Press, and that it was just nominated for an Independent Literary Award in Memoir/Biography. It's important to get that out there right off the bat, since I want this theoretical reader to know that if they like what they're reading, there's an honest to god book that was not published by me out there for them to buy.
Of course, I'd also want them to come here to my blog, because all of the aforementioned information can be found here in some way, shape, or form. And if they want to come to my blog, they should really check out my Twitter account, too.
All of that was pretty easy to come up with. But it also all felt pedestrian. It didn't really give an indication as to who I am, or even why anyone should care about what I do.
This has always been a problem for me. There's a writer named Peter David who refers to himself as a "writer of stuff," and I always thought that was great. It neatly sidesteps the issue. Asking a writer what they write is like asking a band what they sound like, and I have found myself in both positions.
So what do I do, exactly?
If I'm honest and, I hope, being overly simplistic, I would say that I write love stories. Really. Over and over again I write love stories, I just dress them in different clothes. Add some zombies, add a few wars, add time travel, add a haunted house. But at their core, they are all love stories, because deep down inside I am a horrible romantic.
If you've ever been in love or are thinking about being in love, then I'm the writer for you.
And, really, there could be worse things to be. After all, who doesn't love a good love story?
January 12, 2012
January 9, 2012
I've been nominated for the 2011 Indie Lit Awards!
Well, now, this is just crazy.
First and foremost, look at the books on this list for the award in Biography/Memoir:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (Penguin)Bossypants by Tina Fey (Reagan Arthur Books)I Pray Hardest When I'm Being Shot At by Kyle Garret (Hellgate Press)Little Princes by Conor Grennan (William Morrow)Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch (Harper)I mean, that's just insanity. I can't believe my name is side by side with those people. And, as my publisher said, neither of us can believe that Hellgate is up there next to the big boys like Penguin and Harper!
The Independent Literary Awards are entirely grassroots, which gives them a certain sincerity and approachability that you don't really see in awards anymore. I mean, absolutely no one knows who I am, yet I got nominated. That, my friends, is democracy in action! Granted, if/when SOPA passes, I'm sure this kind of thing will be outlawed, but I got in under the wire!
I really can't thank the directors and members enough. It's so hard to get any kind of a publicity at all when you're an unknown author with a small publisher and neither of us is based in New York. I can't wait for more people to read "Pray!"
Thanks also has to go to all of you who are reading this blog. So many of you bought "Pray" and then proceeded to tell your friends that they should go buy it, too. Word of mouth is the be all and end all of publishing these days, and if "Pray" has a long life, it's because of you!
First and foremost, look at the books on this list for the award in Biography/Memoir:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (Penguin)Bossypants by Tina Fey (Reagan Arthur Books)I Pray Hardest When I'm Being Shot At by Kyle Garret (Hellgate Press)Little Princes by Conor Grennan (William Morrow)Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch (Harper)I mean, that's just insanity. I can't believe my name is side by side with those people. And, as my publisher said, neither of us can believe that Hellgate is up there next to the big boys like Penguin and Harper!
The Independent Literary Awards are entirely grassroots, which gives them a certain sincerity and approachability that you don't really see in awards anymore. I mean, absolutely no one knows who I am, yet I got nominated. That, my friends, is democracy in action! Granted, if/when SOPA passes, I'm sure this kind of thing will be outlawed, but I got in under the wire!
I really can't thank the directors and members enough. It's so hard to get any kind of a publicity at all when you're an unknown author with a small publisher and neither of us is based in New York. I can't wait for more people to read "Pray!"
Thanks also has to go to all of you who are reading this blog. So many of you bought "Pray" and then proceeded to tell your friends that they should go buy it, too. Word of mouth is the be all and end all of publishing these days, and if "Pray" has a long life, it's because of you!
January 8, 2012
I am mobile!
While my wife is watching Downton Abbey, it occurred to me that I should see if there's a Blogger app for my phone and, Lo and behold, there is. I'm going to use the bell out of this thing.
As an added bonus, the picture below is my current view.
December 30, 2011
Top 10 Comics of 2011
I could probably drone on and on about what a year it's been for comics. I'll spare you all that. I will say, however, that the year was defined, for me, by two things: 1) the DC relaunch and 2) the rise of the creator owned comic. Creator owned books are pushing the 1/3 mark for market share and this can only be seen as a good thing. They are the future (and make up 6 of the 10 books on my list).
For what it's worth, these are not in any particular order.
1) Echoes
In a year of great horror comics, this was the best. It should be no surprise that Joshua Hale Fialkov's star has been rising, or that this book seemed to propel him to another level. It is creepy as hell, thanks in no small part to the work of artist Rahsan Ekedal. The ending actually made me upset, and it's rare these days for me to have an emotional response to a comic book.
2) Criminal: Last of the Innocent
Believe it or not, this was my first foray into Brubaker and Phillips' Criminal, and I was soon asking myself why it had taken me this long to try it. This was yet another book that actually gave me an emotional response. I felt guilty when I read it, as if I was the one who had committed the crime. It was just so perfectly executed that I felt like I was the one who was living with that hanging over my head.
3) The Sixth Gun
The Sixth Gun is a regular on my list of great comics. You would think that, at some point, the shine would fade, but Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt have yet to let that happen. They've expanded the mythology of the series this past year and each new addition has made the book that much better. This is a title that seems like it could go on for years, if only the creators are financially able to make that happen.
4) Sacrifice
Purely from a business standpoint, it would be hard to understate what Sam Humphries did this year. I have no idea if Humphries and his collaborators (Steven Sanders on Our Love Is Real and Dalton Rose on Sacrifice) even broke even on their investment, but the fact that these books got so much publicity and sold out multiple printings was impressive. These books were about as self-published as you can get.
I went with Sacrifice over Our Love Is Real because I think it has more potential. It has the makings of the best of Grant Morrison, combined with the best of Kieron Gillen, funneled through Humphries' DYI sensibilities which, perfectly enough, is exactly what Dalton Rose's art looks like.
5) Daredevil
This book, at least for me, came out of nowhere. I think Ruse was the only Marvel book that I had read all year (not including Criminal from their Icon line). And perhaps it was reading Waid's Ruse that convinced me to follow him to Daredevil, a character I had never really cared for. I took a chance on the first issue of this series and found the best first issue of a comic book I've read in years. It never let up. I could go on and on about how great Daredevil is and how we need more comics like this, but it's been praised to the heavens by basically every comic book web site out there, so I'll leave that to them.
6) Bat books
Okay, fine, I'm cheating a bit here. But earlier in the year we had Grant Morrison on Batman, Inc., Peter Tomasi impressing me on Batman and Robin, and Scott Snyder bursting on to the scene with Detective Comics. I had never read so many Batman books in my life.
Of all the characters that had something to lose with the DC relaunch, however, Batman had the most. I was really concerned at how everything was going to be handled, fearing that all the great work that had been put into the books over the last few years would suddenly be erased. Fortunately, DC decided to keep more or less all of it. The most notable change was this ridiculous "Batman has only been around for five years" idea, which does absolutely nothing but hurt the books. Honestly, I could be the next Kyrax2 on the convention circuit soon, but I'll be dressed as Robin and shouting "no 16 year old would ever wear this!" (Supposedly, in the new DCU, Dick Grayson started being Robin at 16, which would allow him to be 21 now).
Part of what I enjoy about these books lately is the handling of the dynamic between the four, black haired males that make up the Wayne family. It's no secret that I thought Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne as Batman and Robin were perhaps the greatest thing in comic book history, but that interaction has carried over to include Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake.
Granted, that dynamic also serves to underscore the other big mistake in the relaunch of the Bat books: the disregard for Robin #4, aka Spoiler aka Batgirl, Stephanie Brown. I'm not a big fan of the current Batgirl book, which makes Stephanie getting the boot even harder to deal with. I have a suggestion, though: make Stephanie Oracle. Give her a new suit, perhaps heavy on the white, and set her up in the tower. Make her an Oracle that can also go out and kick some ass, if need be. Then bring Black Bat aka Cassandra Cain to Gotham and get Batgirl, Batwoman, Oracle, and Black Bat in a room together so we can see THAT dynamic, too.
7) Wonder Woman
I haven't regularly read a Wonder Woman book in, oh, probably eight or nine years. And before that I don't think I'd ever read a Wonder Woman book every month. Not only have Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang made me interested in the character, they've made me interested in the entire mythology. There's a certain amount of a Vertigo vibe going on in this book, wrapped in Greek/Roman mythology, and so far without a hint of superheroes. I'm actually looking forward to the day when Diana is submerged in the long underwear universe, as I think it will be handled well. I'm in no hurry, though.
8) Butcher Baker
And the award for most bat shit insane comic of the year goes to this gem from Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston. It's not that this book is redefining the genre or changing the medium, but it's giving us the type of kinetic action book that we seem to only get from Casey these days. This is basically conveyed to us in two ways: Huddleston's amazing, constantly changing artwork, and Casey's often bizarre, always intriguing dialogue.
As if the comic itself wasn't entertaining enough, the essays by Casey that make up the back matter are worth the price on their own. If somewhere down the line, Image or someone else decided to collect them into a book, I'd gladly pay for them; they're just that good.
9) Green Wake
Yes, Echoes was the best horror comic of the year, but Green Wake came in a close second. It's a completely different kind of horror comic, though, one wrapped in the supernatural. I'm not entirely sure what Green Wake is; in some ways it's purgatory, in other ways it's not. But I'm fine with that. I'm fine with the fact that I don't understand the rules of this world, because Kurtis J. Wiebe and Riley Rossmo drop enough bits and pieces to keep me interested.
Strangeness aside, the key to this book is the emotional core. Whatever Green Wake is, it seems attuned to those who have had some kind of tragedy in their life, and putting people like that together in a room -- even a strange, confusing room -- makes for good stories.
10) Vengeance
In a lot of ways, this series felt like Joe Casey's good-bye to the Marvel Universe. Over the last decade or so, Casey has managed to tell his own strange little stories using Marvel characters, and in Vengeance, all of those stories come together. These are characters and plots that no one else at Marvel seems to care enough to touch, to the point of placing them at odds with what's going on in the rest of that shared universe (like, for example, the fact that there's already a team of Defenders, one that was established years ago). This is fine with me, as it's allowed Casey to create his own little Casey-verse. I also can't think of a better artistic partner than Nick Dragotta for this final act. Dragotta makes the overload of story in this series manageable and still beautiful to look at. The new Teen Brigade has real angst, but still looks cool.
There's my top ten for the year. It's interesting to note that, aside from 6 of these books being creator owned, only four of them are superhero titles. Not that I'm the average comic book reader, but I think this is a great sign for the industry. The more quality genre diversity we get, the better.
For what it's worth, these are not in any particular order.
1) EchoesIn a year of great horror comics, this was the best. It should be no surprise that Joshua Hale Fialkov's star has been rising, or that this book seemed to propel him to another level. It is creepy as hell, thanks in no small part to the work of artist Rahsan Ekedal. The ending actually made me upset, and it's rare these days for me to have an emotional response to a comic book.
2) Criminal: Last of the Innocent
Believe it or not, this was my first foray into Brubaker and Phillips' Criminal, and I was soon asking myself why it had taken me this long to try it. This was yet another book that actually gave me an emotional response. I felt guilty when I read it, as if I was the one who had committed the crime. It was just so perfectly executed that I felt like I was the one who was living with that hanging over my head.
3) The Sixth Gun
The Sixth Gun is a regular on my list of great comics. You would think that, at some point, the shine would fade, but Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt have yet to let that happen. They've expanded the mythology of the series this past year and each new addition has made the book that much better. This is a title that seems like it could go on for years, if only the creators are financially able to make that happen.
4) Sacrifice
Purely from a business standpoint, it would be hard to understate what Sam Humphries did this year. I have no idea if Humphries and his collaborators (Steven Sanders on Our Love Is Real and Dalton Rose on Sacrifice) even broke even on their investment, but the fact that these books got so much publicity and sold out multiple printings was impressive. These books were about as self-published as you can get.I went with Sacrifice over Our Love Is Real because I think it has more potential. It has the makings of the best of Grant Morrison, combined with the best of Kieron Gillen, funneled through Humphries' DYI sensibilities which, perfectly enough, is exactly what Dalton Rose's art looks like.
5) Daredevil
This book, at least for me, came out of nowhere. I think Ruse was the only Marvel book that I had read all year (not including Criminal from their Icon line). And perhaps it was reading Waid's Ruse that convinced me to follow him to Daredevil, a character I had never really cared for. I took a chance on the first issue of this series and found the best first issue of a comic book I've read in years. It never let up. I could go on and on about how great Daredevil is and how we need more comics like this, but it's been praised to the heavens by basically every comic book web site out there, so I'll leave that to them.
6) Bat books
Okay, fine, I'm cheating a bit here. But earlier in the year we had Grant Morrison on Batman, Inc., Peter Tomasi impressing me on Batman and Robin, and Scott Snyder bursting on to the scene with Detective Comics. I had never read so many Batman books in my life.
Of all the characters that had something to lose with the DC relaunch, however, Batman had the most. I was really concerned at how everything was going to be handled, fearing that all the great work that had been put into the books over the last few years would suddenly be erased. Fortunately, DC decided to keep more or less all of it. The most notable change was this ridiculous "Batman has only been around for five years" idea, which does absolutely nothing but hurt the books. Honestly, I could be the next Kyrax2 on the convention circuit soon, but I'll be dressed as Robin and shouting "no 16 year old would ever wear this!" (Supposedly, in the new DCU, Dick Grayson started being Robin at 16, which would allow him to be 21 now).
Part of what I enjoy about these books lately is the handling of the dynamic between the four, black haired males that make up the Wayne family. It's no secret that I thought Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne as Batman and Robin were perhaps the greatest thing in comic book history, but that interaction has carried over to include Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake.Granted, that dynamic also serves to underscore the other big mistake in the relaunch of the Bat books: the disregard for Robin #4, aka Spoiler aka Batgirl, Stephanie Brown. I'm not a big fan of the current Batgirl book, which makes Stephanie getting the boot even harder to deal with. I have a suggestion, though: make Stephanie Oracle. Give her a new suit, perhaps heavy on the white, and set her up in the tower. Make her an Oracle that can also go out and kick some ass, if need be. Then bring Black Bat aka Cassandra Cain to Gotham and get Batgirl, Batwoman, Oracle, and Black Bat in a room together so we can see THAT dynamic, too.
7) Wonder Woman
I haven't regularly read a Wonder Woman book in, oh, probably eight or nine years. And before that I don't think I'd ever read a Wonder Woman book every month. Not only have Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang made me interested in the character, they've made me interested in the entire mythology. There's a certain amount of a Vertigo vibe going on in this book, wrapped in Greek/Roman mythology, and so far without a hint of superheroes. I'm actually looking forward to the day when Diana is submerged in the long underwear universe, as I think it will be handled well. I'm in no hurry, though.
8) Butcher Baker
And the award for most bat shit insane comic of the year goes to this gem from Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston. It's not that this book is redefining the genre or changing the medium, but it's giving us the type of kinetic action book that we seem to only get from Casey these days. This is basically conveyed to us in two ways: Huddleston's amazing, constantly changing artwork, and Casey's often bizarre, always intriguing dialogue.As if the comic itself wasn't entertaining enough, the essays by Casey that make up the back matter are worth the price on their own. If somewhere down the line, Image or someone else decided to collect them into a book, I'd gladly pay for them; they're just that good.
9) Green Wake
Yes, Echoes was the best horror comic of the year, but Green Wake came in a close second. It's a completely different kind of horror comic, though, one wrapped in the supernatural. I'm not entirely sure what Green Wake is; in some ways it's purgatory, in other ways it's not. But I'm fine with that. I'm fine with the fact that I don't understand the rules of this world, because Kurtis J. Wiebe and Riley Rossmo drop enough bits and pieces to keep me interested.
Strangeness aside, the key to this book is the emotional core. Whatever Green Wake is, it seems attuned to those who have had some kind of tragedy in their life, and putting people like that together in a room -- even a strange, confusing room -- makes for good stories.
10) Vengeance
In a lot of ways, this series felt like Joe Casey's good-bye to the Marvel Universe. Over the last decade or so, Casey has managed to tell his own strange little stories using Marvel characters, and in Vengeance, all of those stories come together. These are characters and plots that no one else at Marvel seems to care enough to touch, to the point of placing them at odds with what's going on in the rest of that shared universe (like, for example, the fact that there's already a team of Defenders, one that was established years ago). This is fine with me, as it's allowed Casey to create his own little Casey-verse. I also can't think of a better artistic partner than Nick Dragotta for this final act. Dragotta makes the overload of story in this series manageable and still beautiful to look at. The new Teen Brigade has real angst, but still looks cool.
There's my top ten for the year. It's interesting to note that, aside from 6 of these books being creator owned, only four of them are superhero titles. Not that I'm the average comic book reader, but I think this is a great sign for the industry. The more quality genre diversity we get, the better.
December 28, 2011
4 Books and a Writer
This occurred to me the other day: I'm currently writing my fourth book.
I'm sure a lot of people can say they've written a book, or come close to writing a book, or started writing a book. It is the great cliche of American literature, really. But the fact that I'm on my fourth is either really impressive or really sad, and possibly a bit of both. After all, only one of them has actually been published.
The first book I ever wrote, now called "Through Sheer Strength of Will (and Blissful Ignorance)" started off as a short story. Like with most of my work, I had no idea what it was really about. All I knew is that I was living in an apartment that had been completely refurbished because the guy who lived in it before me had stayed there for twenty years. I also knew that I was still getting his mail. And it occurred to me that someone who lived in this tiny studio apartment for twenty years must have had reasons for it. It also occurred to me that, given how long he'd lived there, maybe he didn't leave willingly. Maybe he'd died there. And maybe his ghost had stuck around.
I started writing that book (which, at the time, was called "Reliquary") in the last few months of 2002. I "finished" it in the last few months of 2003. In my mind, a year was plenty of time to write a book. It was probably too much time, but that just meant it must be good -- particularly given the fact that it had all but encompassed my entire life. Just a few months into 2004, I was already sending off query letters to any agent who was accepting new clients.
Needless to say, I got rejected. A lot. Looking back, it's not particularly surprising that so many people turned me down. The book was no where near ready to give to anyone and I was really just learning how to write in a long form (something I would still struggle with when writing "Pray"). It was surprising, hindsight being 20/20, that two agents actually requested not only sample pages, but then the entire manuscript. Both ended up passing on the book. In fact, I received rejections from both of them on the same day.
Book #2 aka The Only Book That's Been Published aka My Only Non-fiction Book aka "I Pray Hardest When I'm Being Shot At" has a long history, but it's one that's pretty well described in the book itself, so I won't go into it too much here. I suppose it's not surprising that it would be my first published book, given that non-fiction is currently outselling fiction like crazy, and the little fiction that does sell is generally YA.
This brings me, funny enough, to book #3, which just so happens to be a YA book. It doesn't really have a title at this point, and I'm not too thrilled about the working title, so I won't mention it. I read a lot of YA, so writing a YA book seemed like a fairly organic idea. It didn't take me too long to write the first draft, either, although I had learned over the years between my first attempt at a book and this one that the first draft is generally awful. I left it alone, then went back and made some changes. I left it alone again and then went back and made some more changes.
Book #3 is currently in the hands of my wife, Nicole. Anyone who has read this blog knows that Nicole is my in-house editor and she's a damn fine one at that. Nicole is a reader, and she knows what makes a good story. She's also an actual editor (albeit for film and television), so she knows what is important to a story and what isn't. The fact that she has it also gives me a handy excuse for why I haven't done anything with it yet.
This all brings us to my latest book. It has a title, but I'm going to keep that one close to my chest for now. I'm five chapters in and it's been the hardest thing I've ever written, at least from a craft standpoint. I wouldn't necessarily call it YA, but there are definitely fantasy elements to it. I think it has a chance of being the best thing I've ever done, which is also making it really hard to write; there's nothing like self-inflicted expectations to freeze you up.
So is it sad or impressive that I'm on my fourth book? I suppose it's sad that I haven't started sending out my first book, given that I've revised it to the point where I think it's actually pretty darn good. But I'm sure it's at least a little impressive that I have a published book out there, one from an actual publisher. And I suppose it's a bit impressive that I've managed to get to a fourth book in just nine years while holding down a full time job for most of that time.
Like I said: It's a bit of both.
I'm sure a lot of people can say they've written a book, or come close to writing a book, or started writing a book. It is the great cliche of American literature, really. But the fact that I'm on my fourth is either really impressive or really sad, and possibly a bit of both. After all, only one of them has actually been published.
The first book I ever wrote, now called "Through Sheer Strength of Will (and Blissful Ignorance)" started off as a short story. Like with most of my work, I had no idea what it was really about. All I knew is that I was living in an apartment that had been completely refurbished because the guy who lived in it before me had stayed there for twenty years. I also knew that I was still getting his mail. And it occurred to me that someone who lived in this tiny studio apartment for twenty years must have had reasons for it. It also occurred to me that, given how long he'd lived there, maybe he didn't leave willingly. Maybe he'd died there. And maybe his ghost had stuck around.
I started writing that book (which, at the time, was called "Reliquary") in the last few months of 2002. I "finished" it in the last few months of 2003. In my mind, a year was plenty of time to write a book. It was probably too much time, but that just meant it must be good -- particularly given the fact that it had all but encompassed my entire life. Just a few months into 2004, I was already sending off query letters to any agent who was accepting new clients.
Needless to say, I got rejected. A lot. Looking back, it's not particularly surprising that so many people turned me down. The book was no where near ready to give to anyone and I was really just learning how to write in a long form (something I would still struggle with when writing "Pray"). It was surprising, hindsight being 20/20, that two agents actually requested not only sample pages, but then the entire manuscript. Both ended up passing on the book. In fact, I received rejections from both of them on the same day.
Book #2 aka The Only Book That's Been Published aka My Only Non-fiction Book aka "I Pray Hardest When I'm Being Shot At" has a long history, but it's one that's pretty well described in the book itself, so I won't go into it too much here. I suppose it's not surprising that it would be my first published book, given that non-fiction is currently outselling fiction like crazy, and the little fiction that does sell is generally YA.
This brings me, funny enough, to book #3, which just so happens to be a YA book. It doesn't really have a title at this point, and I'm not too thrilled about the working title, so I won't mention it. I read a lot of YA, so writing a YA book seemed like a fairly organic idea. It didn't take me too long to write the first draft, either, although I had learned over the years between my first attempt at a book and this one that the first draft is generally awful. I left it alone, then went back and made some changes. I left it alone again and then went back and made some more changes.
Book #3 is currently in the hands of my wife, Nicole. Anyone who has read this blog knows that Nicole is my in-house editor and she's a damn fine one at that. Nicole is a reader, and she knows what makes a good story. She's also an actual editor (albeit for film and television), so she knows what is important to a story and what isn't. The fact that she has it also gives me a handy excuse for why I haven't done anything with it yet.
This all brings us to my latest book. It has a title, but I'm going to keep that one close to my chest for now. I'm five chapters in and it's been the hardest thing I've ever written, at least from a craft standpoint. I wouldn't necessarily call it YA, but there are definitely fantasy elements to it. I think it has a chance of being the best thing I've ever done, which is also making it really hard to write; there's nothing like self-inflicted expectations to freeze you up.
So is it sad or impressive that I'm on my fourth book? I suppose it's sad that I haven't started sending out my first book, given that I've revised it to the point where I think it's actually pretty darn good. But I'm sure it's at least a little impressive that I have a published book out there, one from an actual publisher. And I suppose it's a bit impressive that I've managed to get to a fourth book in just nine years while holding down a full time job for most of that time.
Like I said: It's a bit of both.
December 22, 2011
Best Albums Released in 2011
My usual caveat with these things: these are the best albums I've listened to this year that were actually released this year. There are quite a few albums that were released this year that are not on this list because I've yet to get around to listening to them. There are also quite a few albums that I listened to this year more than the ones on this list, but they were released years ago.
Anyway, here's this year's top ten, in order from awesome to most awesome.
"Angle" by the Strokes10. The Strokes -- "Angles" -- I almost consider this half an album, really. Because let's be honest: half of it is crap. But the other half of it is fan-freaking-tastic. "Under Cover of Darkness" might be the song of the year, and one of the greatest pop songs of the last ten years.
9. Telekinesis -- "12 Desperate Straight Lines" -- A dozen catchy pop songs with a broken hearted tint. Telekinesis doesn't do anything all that new, but what they (he, really) does is great. Sure, "Please Ask For Help" sounds a bit too much like a Cure song, but I'm okay with that.
"The Valley" by Eisley8. Eisley -- "The Valley" -- It's entirely possible that the most amazing part about Eisley is that they're not all cult members. I mean, how often does a band made up of siblings ever really work out well for anyone? While not as creepy and dark as their best (and first) album, this one has some great songs on it, filled with absolutely beautiful vocals. Eisley has two main singers; Sherri kind of sounds like Jody from Team Dresch and Stacy, who sounds kind of like Regina Spektor. I find nothing wrong with either of those things.
7. Foo Fights -- "Wasting Light" -- The Foo Fighters lost me at a certain point; I think it was the double album. Their music started to get redundant to me. It's not that I didn't appreciate what they were doing, it's just that I was kind of over it. This album brought me back. As soon as I heard the crazy off tempo beginning to "Rope," I was sucked in. An overall rockin' album.
6. Foster the People -- "Torches" -- If there was ever a band primed for one hit wonder status, it's this one. "Pumped Up Kicks" was everywhere this year and, to be perfectly honest, it's not even the best song on this album (that's probably "Houdini"). Fantastic dance music for those of us who don't really dance unless we're really, really drunk.
Office of Future Plans5. Office of Future Plans -- s/t -- I am something of a J. Robbins aficionado. While no band he's in will ever hold a place in my heart the way that Jawbox does, I've enjoyed everything he's done since, from Burning Airlines to Channels. His latest band is Office of Future Plans and in some ways it might be the best (Jawbox notwithstanding). Robbins seems to have finally found a balance between the intricate, dissonant guitar parts that arrived on Burning Airlines second album (and moved on to all of Channels' catelog) and the hook driven, almost emotionally driven songs that we got on Burning Airlines' first album. He's yet to reproduce the majesty of the latter Jawbox records, but I attribute that to no longer playing with Bill Barbot. And it's fine, really, particularly when we get such a fantastic debut like this one.
"Pedals" by Rival Schools4. Rival Schools -- "Pedals" -- Full disclosure: I loved Rival Schools. It wasn't so much that their first album was that great (although it was), but their sound is exactly what I would consider the sound in my head to be like. It's rocking, but a bit poppy, and a bit emo. I was beside myself when I heard they had reunited (by fate!) and this album lived up to all of my expectations. If you're looking for examples, try the combo of tracks 6 and 7, which give a nice range of what this band is capable. Both songs ("Shot After Shot" and "A Parts for B Actors") are amazing.
3. Wugazi -- "13 Chambers" -- Good god did I listen to this album like it was going out of style. Okay, fine, some of the Fugazi songs chosen for this mash-up album are kind of obscure, but, nerd that I am, I know them all. Has the Wu Tang Clan ever sounded this good? Okay, probably, but when was the last time they sounded this fresh? Only a crazy person could listen to "Sweet Release" or "Slow Like That" and not find them completely awesome.
"The Whole Love" by Wilco2. Wilco -- "The Whole Love" -- I'll be honest: I did not see this coming. While I liked the last few Wilco albums, they lacked something. They lacked courage. There seemed to be an emphasis on fairly straightforward song writing, and not a whole lot of experimentation going on. And let's face facts: we listen to Wilco because they are insane people. And that's what we finally got again on this album. In fact, this album is so good it made me realize how low my expectations had become for this band. This is "A Ghost Is Born" level good. If you don't believe me, go listen to "Born Alone" and tell me it couldn't have been on an earlier album. And then go listen to "One Sunday Morning" and tell me they're not insane. But in a good way.
"We Are the Tide" by Blind Pilot1. Blind Pilot -- "We Are the Tide" -- I liked Blind Pilot well enough. They had a song on "Chuck" and I really liked it and I went out and got their first album and thought it was really good. And when their second album came out, I dutifully bought it. What I got was the best album released in 2011. It's layered and complex, yet at its core made of simple, emotional song writing. It's a guy with a great voice and an acoustic guitar writing imminently relatable songs. And then you add the keyboards and the xylophone and trumpet and mandolin and banjo and the absolutely crazy vocal harmonies and you get a fantastic record. It's poignant and uplifting and it's my favorite album of the year.
So there you have it: ten albums that I would recommend to anyone. Go check them out if you get the chance; they're all worth it.
Anyway, here's this year's top ten, in order from awesome to most awesome.
"Angle" by the Strokes10. The Strokes -- "Angles" -- I almost consider this half an album, really. Because let's be honest: half of it is crap. But the other half of it is fan-freaking-tastic. "Under Cover of Darkness" might be the song of the year, and one of the greatest pop songs of the last ten years.9. Telekinesis -- "12 Desperate Straight Lines" -- A dozen catchy pop songs with a broken hearted tint. Telekinesis doesn't do anything all that new, but what they (he, really) does is great. Sure, "Please Ask For Help" sounds a bit too much like a Cure song, but I'm okay with that.
"The Valley" by Eisley8. Eisley -- "The Valley" -- It's entirely possible that the most amazing part about Eisley is that they're not all cult members. I mean, how often does a band made up of siblings ever really work out well for anyone? While not as creepy and dark as their best (and first) album, this one has some great songs on it, filled with absolutely beautiful vocals. Eisley has two main singers; Sherri kind of sounds like Jody from Team Dresch and Stacy, who sounds kind of like Regina Spektor. I find nothing wrong with either of those things.7. Foo Fights -- "Wasting Light" -- The Foo Fighters lost me at a certain point; I think it was the double album. Their music started to get redundant to me. It's not that I didn't appreciate what they were doing, it's just that I was kind of over it. This album brought me back. As soon as I heard the crazy off tempo beginning to "Rope," I was sucked in. An overall rockin' album.
6. Foster the People -- "Torches" -- If there was ever a band primed for one hit wonder status, it's this one. "Pumped Up Kicks" was everywhere this year and, to be perfectly honest, it's not even the best song on this album (that's probably "Houdini"). Fantastic dance music for those of us who don't really dance unless we're really, really drunk.
Office of Future Plans5. Office of Future Plans -- s/t -- I am something of a J. Robbins aficionado. While no band he's in will ever hold a place in my heart the way that Jawbox does, I've enjoyed everything he's done since, from Burning Airlines to Channels. His latest band is Office of Future Plans and in some ways it might be the best (Jawbox notwithstanding). Robbins seems to have finally found a balance between the intricate, dissonant guitar parts that arrived on Burning Airlines second album (and moved on to all of Channels' catelog) and the hook driven, almost emotionally driven songs that we got on Burning Airlines' first album. He's yet to reproduce the majesty of the latter Jawbox records, but I attribute that to no longer playing with Bill Barbot. And it's fine, really, particularly when we get such a fantastic debut like this one.
"Pedals" by Rival Schools4. Rival Schools -- "Pedals" -- Full disclosure: I loved Rival Schools. It wasn't so much that their first album was that great (although it was), but their sound is exactly what I would consider the sound in my head to be like. It's rocking, but a bit poppy, and a bit emo. I was beside myself when I heard they had reunited (by fate!) and this album lived up to all of my expectations. If you're looking for examples, try the combo of tracks 6 and 7, which give a nice range of what this band is capable. Both songs ("Shot After Shot" and "A Parts for B Actors") are amazing.3. Wugazi -- "13 Chambers" -- Good god did I listen to this album like it was going out of style. Okay, fine, some of the Fugazi songs chosen for this mash-up album are kind of obscure, but, nerd that I am, I know them all. Has the Wu Tang Clan ever sounded this good? Okay, probably, but when was the last time they sounded this fresh? Only a crazy person could listen to "Sweet Release" or "Slow Like That" and not find them completely awesome.
"The Whole Love" by Wilco2. Wilco -- "The Whole Love" -- I'll be honest: I did not see this coming. While I liked the last few Wilco albums, they lacked something. They lacked courage. There seemed to be an emphasis on fairly straightforward song writing, and not a whole lot of experimentation going on. And let's face facts: we listen to Wilco because they are insane people. And that's what we finally got again on this album. In fact, this album is so good it made me realize how low my expectations had become for this band. This is "A Ghost Is Born" level good. If you don't believe me, go listen to "Born Alone" and tell me it couldn't have been on an earlier album. And then go listen to "One Sunday Morning" and tell me they're not insane. But in a good way.
"We Are the Tide" by Blind Pilot1. Blind Pilot -- "We Are the Tide" -- I liked Blind Pilot well enough. They had a song on "Chuck" and I really liked it and I went out and got their first album and thought it was really good. And when their second album came out, I dutifully bought it. What I got was the best album released in 2011. It's layered and complex, yet at its core made of simple, emotional song writing. It's a guy with a great voice and an acoustic guitar writing imminently relatable songs. And then you add the keyboards and the xylophone and trumpet and mandolin and banjo and the absolutely crazy vocal harmonies and you get a fantastic record. It's poignant and uplifting and it's my favorite album of the year.So there you have it: ten albums that I would recommend to anyone. Go check them out if you get the chance; they're all worth it.
