Charles Martin's Blog, page 6
January 7, 2016
Behold! The Wonderboy Serials As They Were Meant To Be Read!
A few years back, I released The Wonderboy Serials in anthologies because we didn’t have a good way to print the individual issues. It was always meant to be a dime novel, but it wasn’t feasible to follow that model.
But, thanks to Digiprints, we can now re-release The Wonderboy Serials as they were always meant to be read! We are debuting Issue 1 this Friday at the Plaza Book Fair in Graphite Elements & Design! I’m very proud of this series and am thrilled to be able to feature each of the twelve excellent covers that some of my favorite artists created for the individual issues. At any rate, we are releasing monthly throughout 2016 in select stores in the metro. If you have a favorite book shop and would like them to carry it, let me know and I will try to work it out.
January 5, 2016
Heathen: Volume 1 Preorder
The trade paperback collection of the first four issues of Natasha Alterici’s debut tale of a viking taking on the Norse gods to create a more just, equitable world. Named “Best Self-Published Comic Of 2015” by Comixology and called “Amazing … Powerful, grounded fantasy with a feminist angle,” by Joshua Hale Fialkov(Chicago Med, Elk’s Run).
They will ship on January 20. Reserve yours now at Storenvy!
Feel Free To Redraw This-Name Redacted
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January 4, 2016
Forcefully Retaking The Wildlife Refuge From Vanilla Isis Will Be Making The Classic American Mistake.
We love martyrs. Hell, we worship martyrs. If prosperity and fame is the American Dream, then the Human Dream is to die for a noble cause. Wealth in life. Meaning in death.
If a gun battle ensues to retake the federal building in the Malheur Wildlife Refuge from the militia/activists/terrorists in Oregon, there will be bloodshed and we’ll have made the same mistake we’ve made in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea, and in dealing with a long list of so-called enemies to our national interests, both domestic and abroad.
A common refrain sweeping social media is, had these terrorists been anything but white conservatives, police would have rushed in with guns blazing. It is true that other ethnic and religious minorities have been harassed and killed for much less than forming an armed mob and taking over a federal building. Also true, this is no longer a protest, this is terrorism. So, being white has probably kept these guys alive thus far, but maybe that is because these are people the American majority understands. As opposed to Islamic militants, illegal immigrants, or ethnic minorities, local, state, and federal enforcement agencies intuitively comprehend and empathize with this group and their intentions because they are familiar. These men sound and look like family white America has grown up with. Maybe fathers, brothers, or distant uncles with whom we desperately try not to engage in political discourse. Local, state, and federal decision-makers know that the Bundy Brothers and co. are itching for a battle. They are bullies and blowhards, but these men also know that, no matter how many rifles, shotguns, and pistols they may have, the government has way more bullets and way better weapons. If the USA decides to retake the wildlife refuge by force, they will win.
But then the USA will lose because we love martyrs. The deaths of these activists/militants/terrorists/martyrs will energize an already fanatic right-wing element. More acts of protest/terrorism will ensure. More lives will be lost and any state or federal agencies involved will have their reputations tarnished.
This battle is not about a lone federal building in an isolated marshy area surrounded by protected lands. This is about harming the legitimacy of the federal government. This is voicing their resent that these lands are not in private hands. Specifically their hands. They resent that they can’t graze their livestock on those lands. They resent that they can’t hunt on those lands or set protective fires to shield their own lands from raging wildfires.
Are the gunman holed up in the refuge willing to die for this cause? No. But they are ready to die for the glory of appearing to die for politics/liberty/religion/family/what-have-you. They are glory hounds without the fortitude to do something more significant and helpful with their lives. They are taking the easy way out by martyring themselves for whatever cause seems the most convenient. Again, that is the Human Dream. If we must die, let us die for a purpose so our names live on.
If state and local police raid that building and kill these white conservative men in the same way that police have shot down young, black men across the country, there will be a sick equality to that, granted. But it won’t make this country better. It will make it worse. Instead, if this country, on all levels, learns to deal with conflict with patience and logic rather than with aggression, fear, and pride, then we may finally be able to break a long cycle of failed foreign policy decisions and toxic race relations.
Perhaps, by the time you read this, the Oregon standoff will have ended peacefully or violently. If I was placing a bet, I would wager a long stalemate finished with a negotiated surrender and minimal, if any jail time for the terrorists/protesters/freedom fighters. Before that moment comes, though, interest in the standoff from the American mainstream would have faded. Some fanatics would herald the bravery, but most would be so disappointed that not a single shot was fired. They would feel robbed because there is no glory to be had in negotiation. This is how Occupy Wall Street was diminished. Don’t attack, don’t inflame. Just sit back and let internal strife, boredom, and discomfort do the hard work for you.
No one dies. No martyrs are born.
Then, if we are really smart, we would begin a national conversation on wildlife lands and grazing rights to examine our policies, the arguments against, and see if this is just a land grab by ranchers or if there really is some failure in how these lands are utilized. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, as it often is. Not a sexy or exciting end, but a healthy and constructive end.
But, again, we do love our martyrs.
January 1, 2016
Feel Free To Redraw This-Historical Reenactment
Think you can do better? Have at it and email it to charles@literatipressok.com or post it on Instagram and tag @literatipress. Maybe we’ll post it on the site. Maybe it’s your shot at fame and fortune in the lucrative field of web comics. Who knows? Not me, that’s for damn sure.
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December 31, 2015
Heathen Named Best Self-Published Comic By Comixology!
December 29, 2015
Feel Free To Redraw This-Impressed With My Own Writing
Think you can do better? Have at it and email it to charles@literatipressok.com or post it on Instagram and tag @literatipress. Maybe we’ll post it on the site. Maybe it’s your shot at fame and fortune in the lucrative field of web comics. Who knows? Not me, that’s for damn sure.
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December 28, 2015
The Top 15 of ‘15 – Jarvix Picks His Best Local Albums of the Year
Oklahoma musicians were busy in 2015. There were easily more quality record releases than weeks of the year, which made for a welcome abundance and variety of local music. Hometown staples put out some of their best work yet, and many bands took the leap from short-form EPs to full-length albums. It’s a year so dense that plenty of great work is bound to get lost in the noise. While this list couldn’t possibly accommodate for all of it, much time and energy was spent ensuring the smaller, less heralded efforts of the year didn’t go unconsidered. Without further ado:
15. From Train to Station by The Secret Post
Of all the albums on this list, From Train to Station is most at home on vinyl. Its nostalgia is so passionate and perfect that a blind listen would presuppose a release date of at least 30 years prior. Tulsa’s resident post-punk revivalists have been preaching the broodingly delicious gospel of gothic rock for a long while now, but this is their first time putting it to a full-length record. Enlisting studio help from John Ashton of the Psychedelic Furs (yes, those Psychedelic Furs), The Secret Post nails the pulse of a past zeitgeist. To criticize them of living in that past would be to miss the point. After all, the only thing differentiating “dated and derivative” from “vintage and reminiscent” is perspective.
Recommended tracks: “Eyelashes” / “Impurvious Thoughts”
14. Songs From a Cave by Rachel Brashear
If this album is any indicator, the OKC music scene may soon have a shape-shifter on its hands. Here, Rachel Brashear adopts an elegant demeanor on her follow-up to last year’s rock-driven Revolution, complete with a total change of lead instrument and costume. The piano is front and center of the lounge-soul arrangements as Brashear coos softly her introspective songs. She presents herself at turns sassy and forlorn. The live aspect of the recording is also an interesting, confident choice, though the performances are so solid that it might not have come across without a mention in the credits. At a short 7 songs, the album feels a bit slight, but it indicates that Brashear is still trying on music projects, still exploring her voice, and most impressively, refusing to be pigeon-holed.
Recommended tracks: “Ace Up Your Sleeve” / “The Tempest”
13. Barcelona ‘92 by L.T.Z.
The metro’s biggest names in hip-hop presumably spent the year working on new projects, which left a void for the scene’s up-and-comers to fill. Enter L.T.Z., who took the opportunity to drop his most fully-realized effort to date. With slick beats from veteran producer DJ Chips, the album is a comprehensive, groove-ridden ride through the origins and identity of the North OKC rapper. Not every stroke of the pen is a gold nugget, but there’s plenty of personality to sustain and embellish the tight 14-track LP. There isn’t much more to say that wasn’t already addressed in the full album review earlier this year, so give it a look and see why L.T.Z. is one to watch in coming years.
Recommended tracks: “Hillman” / “73120 (The Good)”
12. Naked All the Time by Sports
A number of bands have rocked the retro-aspiring synthpop sound this year, but none have quite tapped into those faded, feel-good vibes as well as this Tulsa trio. Their songs swirl about in familiar romance/relationship territory, but the lyrics are more of a structure to adorn with relaxing melodies and misty tones. Some of the keyboards are even detuned a little to enhance Sports’ distant, hazy soundscaping. It feels a little one-note, but with 8 tracks clocking in less than a 30-minute runtime, this album doesn’t outstay its welcome. For the Ray-Ban & deck shoe wearing crowd, it’s a must-own.
Recommended tracks: “Feels Like Magic” / “Panama”
11. Let the Good Times Roll by JD McPherson
Grammy nominee and Juke Joint Revival mainstay JD McPherson presents a new collection of throwback hits for 2015. Bouncy, catchy choruses keep the party going through the tight tracklist as McPherson’s irresistible vocal stylings deliver time and again. His songs are as simple and to-the-point as the classics he aspires to replicate. He continues to be the rare exception that can legitimately hang with the legends. There isn’t much new territory being explored, but Let the Good Times Roll remind of the joy in rediscovery. Expect plenty of percussive piano, lively drums, and, of course, electric guitar riffs to round out the vintage sound on full display here. Calculating a loose feel is a fine wire to walk, but JD McPherson pulls it off in spades.
Recommended tracks: “Let the Good Times Roll” / “Head Over Heels”
10. Pop Songs and Other Ways to Die by Sex Snobs
Anything goes on the latest offering from the OKC alternative/punk act. It starts out like any unassuming garage rock record, but the delight of Pop Songs and Other Ways to Die lies in the way it subverts expectations, then subverts those subversions. Offbeat soundbites, whacked-out pedal effects, and even whistling make their way into the brisk runtime. This lends itself well to the absurdist, witty nature of the songs. It’s exciting to see a band so unconcerned with having a specific sound that the mish-mash of genre tropes actually becomes cohesive in its own right. As listeners will realize by the final couple of tracks, the most surprising moments are the ones that aren’t rowdy and off-kilter. It’s a brilliant play on context, and it makes for a gleeful sandbox of a listen.
Recommended tracks: “Black Friday” / “Happy to be Human”
9. Self-titled by The Gentle Art of Floating
After years of fog machines, lasers, and a live wall of sound, the dreamy Oklahoma City psych rockers finally deliver on the promise of their spacey stage shows. With long, often instrumental tracks that segue seamlessly into one another, the album is an odyssey that travels many shades of a singular air. That it preserves its energy and rarely gets tired or repetitive is a feat that reveals how well this band understands dynamics and structure. Synths and guitars reign, but there’s ample room for contemplative violin and vocal overdubbing to help round out the sound. Oklahoma put out its share of reverbed shoegaze records this year, but The Gentle Art of Floating proves that music doesn’t have to be incoherent or dour to be atmospheric.
Recommended tracks: “Death of Doo Wop” / “Mirrors and Chrome”
8. There’s Still Time for Us to Die by Deerpeople
After riding the buzz of two strong EPs for the past few years, the Stillwater-based band finally delivers on their long-awaited full-length debut. That they did so on April Fool’s Day is telling to the kind of unpredictable, tongue-in-cheek songs that await listeners. With eclectic, heavily distorted instrumentation that blends with its traditional rock lineup anything from organ to pizzicato violin to amplified flute, it’s difficult to pin a label to their sound. Frontman Brennan Barnes frequently jolts into a shouting match with the fairly noisy mixing throughout the record, even on its slow, almost tender moments. Some songs click better than others, but when the right chorus strikes and unites Deerpeople’s eccentric odds and ends, it reveals the spark of mad genius.
Recommended tracks: “Funbar” / “Impala Abdul”
7. Waist Deep by Tallows
The OKC indie rockers follow up their game-changing, head-turning debut with a deeper, more frenetic exploration of their signature sound. The result is challenging and exciting, yet unmistakably Tallows. Cold electronic textures drip throughout the album, and the arrangements are more pointed than dreamy this time around. The core meaning behind Waist Deep is somewhat elusive, but the abundance of conceptual riffs on its water motif give it a long, thought-provoking shelf life. With more energetic performances and an especially percussive feel, Tallows have strained out much of the laid back melodicism of their debut. They have opted instead to cultivate their more experimental side, which is both refreshing and promising for what will hopefully develop into a long and varied discography.
Recommended tracks: “When Your Clothes Still Fit” / “The Dead Sea”
6. King Of Tallulah by Earl Hazard
Brazen, hard-hitting rhymes drive this fierce late-year release from the Tulsa-based rapper. It starts out a bit like a run-of-the-mill street mixtape, but a full listen reveals an unexpected level of range and depth. The inspired instrumentals bring a colorful, genre-hopping backdrop to Hazard’s brash yet quick-witted delivery as he jumps between party tunes and socioeconomic causes. The album does occasionally bury its intelligence in the typical parental advisory fare, but those willing to see through it will find a slew of fresh, smartly-produced bangers that often have as much substance as style.
Recommended tracks: “Act Out On It” / “Tallulah”
5. High on Tulsa Heat by John Moreland
Timeless songs and soul-bearing performances continue to remind listeners of why John Moreland is one of Oklahoma’s great musical spirits. Straight-forward and modest with the troves of poetic gems he strings into his music, he never fails to find the most poignant way to express his red-dirt ruminations and emotional plights. The clear, minimal arrangements insist on availing the spotlight for Moreland, which is undoubtedly still the right approach for the iconic songwriter. Ultimately, this results in a safe album, but it’s an endearing, heartfelt safety that will always fill a need in a world rife with troubles.
Recommended tracks: “Cherokee” / “You Don’t Care for Me Enough to Cry”
4. Rituals by Other Lives
Other Lives are the most ambitious musical act in Oklahoma, and their latest release only shows them reaching higher and farther for artistic greatness of monumental proportions. Contemplating the deep-rooted structures of human nature, the album echoes themes previously visited on its breakthrough predecessor, Tamer Animals. This time around, the lush orchestral arrangements are especially rhythmic, hypnotic and infectious, driving home the overall concept of Rituals. While it starts to buckle under its own towering weight the farther it goes, the meticulous, high-minded craft on display is an awe-inspiring mastery of musical conveyance.
Recommended tracks: “Reconfiguration” / “2 Pyramids”
3. Under Branch and Thorn and Tree by Samantha Crain
Addressing the bittersweet drama of working class life, Crain has assembled the most potent Okie album of the year. Her lyrics sting with reality while the accompanying music just carries on because that’s the way life is. It’s sure to not be a totally depressing listen, though; it’s often beautiful and sometimes even upbeat. Part of this is owed to the collaborative, organic embellishments around the spine of Crain’s earthy voice and guitar picking. Part is also owed to the 3-dimensional way she presents her stories and ideas. They are simultaneously wistful and hopeful, presented in a pitch-perfect tone that sticks long after the record has ended.
Recommended tracks: “Elk City” / “Big Rock”
2. Firefly Night Light by Sun Riah
Fragile, haunting, and darkly mesmerizing, this album pulses in an isolated, sullen world all its own. Sun Riah is as much an art project as a music project, if indeed there is even a difference. Every word involved in the project is deliberately lowercase, and each individual track page on the album’s Bandcamp site is paired with a unique, contemplative photograph. With many songs built solely on the tremulous foundation of overdubbed, atmospheric harp, every moment feels on the brink of total meltdown. This doesn’t even account for the stark, breathy vocals that mutter and cry through the record’s unkempt bed of dejected lyricism. This melancholy tone builds and builds to the eventual closer, a breathtaking lullaby that perfectly punctuates the most surprising, uncompromising, and utterly arresting album experience of the year.
Recommended tracks: “all fell” / “firefly night light, my heart”
1. The Verdigris by Beau Jennings
Seven years in the making, Jennings’ ode to Will Rogers is a studious, stunning achievement. As the well-worn story goes, Jennings embarked on his big album/documentary project to explore his unshakable draw to the Oklahoma icon. The result isn’t some great epiphany, but rather an honest series of intimate moments. Each track has its own unique vantage point on Rogers’ life, and each is given an extra sense of character thanks to the record’s distinct, well-rounded, and down-to-earth arrangements. The collaborative construction and meditative, conceptual nature of The Verdigris elevates it beyond the sum of its parts, and it never runs out of steam. There are better lyrics, melodies, and performances on other efforts this year, but none capture the raw inspiration and excitement of full-length album craft as passionately as this.
Recommended tracks: “The Verdigris” / “Me & Wiley”
December 26, 2015
Spoiler Alert: Why The Skywalker Men Are Supposed To Be Whiners.
Editor’s Note: For real, there are spoilers coming. If you haven’t seen The Force Awakens, stop reading. Or don’t. Whatever.
The Force is a tricky thing. As crafted by Star Wars mastermind, George Lucas, the religion of the Force is about tapping into one’s emotional core to access an eternal well of psychic energy flowing throughout the galaxy. The resulting power can be turned on and off as easily as a water faucet. It can also run hot and cold, if you catch my meaning. So, getting in touch with one’s inner self is the first step of mastering the Force. There is a reason that religious sects were practicing the Force and not the military establishment. Just because you are good in a scrap doesn’t mean you possess the self-awareness to become a Jedi.
The Skywalkers, on the other hand, are the first family of the Force. Their bloodline is noted for having strong, diplomacy-minded matriarchs(Leia Organa and Padmé Amidala) and emotionally unstable, yet powerful and driven men(Anakin, Luke, and Ben). Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Mace Windu demonstrate that not all male Jedi are emo-brats with severe parental abandonment issues, but that may be why the Skywalkers achieved so much more.
Assuming that only the movies are Star Wars dogma(including the prequels), we have yet to see a Skywalker woman properly trained in the Force so predicting how they would react with the classic training of the Jedi or the insidious mentorship of the Sith is pure speculation. They have demonstrated that they tend to be more level-headed than their male counterparts. Leia is also a crack shot with a blaster and possesses strong, innate, intuition. It’d be great to see her wield a lightsaber at some point in the new trilogy, but it’s clear she never really trained as a Jedi because that was never a major motivation for the character. Remember, she’s been too busy holding the Rebellion together.
She did send her son to learn under Luke which didn’t turn out too well for reasons as obvious as a nut shot in an Adam Sandler movie. There are also plenty of rumors about Rey’s origins, but they are only rumors so we’ll wait to see how her story plays out in the new trilogy. Even if she doesn’t fit directly into the Skywalker bloodline, she is clearly taken from the mold. It will be an interesting opportunity to see how the grounded determination and pragmatism of the female Skywalker archetype fairs in Jedi training. Will she be stronger for it? Perhaps no.
Because the men are messes for a reason:
There are two triggers for the Force that are personified by its two most prominent instructors. Yoda(Light Side) is serenity. Emperor Palpatine(Dark Side) is hate. Yoda(and by extension, Obi-Wan) excelled at inspiring peace and patience within his students, whereas Palpatine sowed fear and anger. The Jedi were balanced and reasoned. The Sith were furious and conniving.
The Skywalker men exist within the middle, prone to moments of great humanity and fits of blinding rage. They are a bit too in touch with their feelings, which, in men, comes off as infantile. Audiences are used to stoic heroes charging onward without fear, doubt, or regret. Maybe they utter a clever one-liner, but otherwise their righteousness is unshakable. That ain’t the Skywalkers. Not by a long shot, but that does make perfect sense given the storyline and the structure of The Force. It is this turmoil that makes the Skywalker men the most potent of the Force practitioners. They are the only ones moving from light to dark freely, giving them the unique opportunity to learn from both sides.
They are the students always asking “why not?” which can be a very powerful thing.
But, with every buckle of their resolve, they are endangering everyone around them, whether mentors, loved ones, or entire planets. The Skywalker Men know this, but are able to create a reason for every bad decision they make. They live by their hearts and that is their secret weapon. In the original trilogy, Luke is rash, impatient, and ever on the cusp of squandering the Jedi’s last hope of rebuilding their order to counter the Empire. His job was only to survive and learn, yet he found his way into just about every battle from Tatooine to the Forest Moon of Endor. In the prequels, Anakin is destined to be the prophetic Jedi that would bring balance to the Force, which he would do by massacring the Jedi Order. The Light Side had all but squashed the Dark Side and the Sith and, without Anakin’s help, the Palpatine would have never been able to ascend to the throne. In Return of the Jedi, as the Sith threatened to extinguish the last of the Jedi, Anakin would balance the force again by throwing Palpatine into the core of a Death Star. Though it can definitely be argued that none of the Skywalker men wielded the same power as Yoda, who had 900 years to hone his skill, that doesn’t diminish the fact that the Skywalkers are the Force’s favored tools for centering the cosmic scales because their turbulent and curious hearts are so easily led astray.
And that’s a great thought for the rest of us. Perhaps we can also find power in our emotions, even as they are tearing us apart.
