Jason's Blog, page 7

Happy birthday, Chris Isaak!

 

Some books I've read 64

If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino

Intriguing, and of course beautifully written, but for me the book starts to drag a bit in the second half.

The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons

Great oral history of the TV show and the movies. Some bitterness shows up towards the end (Eric Idle!). You can see the similarity to The Beatles, how the members of the group wanted to go in different directions.

Local Hero: Making of a Scottish Classic by Jonathan Melville

Another great book. About a great little film. "Whose baby?"

The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgaard

Book one in a longer series. So far four have been published in Norway. Not bad, but the book has a TV series feel to it, including a cliffhanger at the end. Do I want to go on? Not sure.

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

A collection of strangely sincere short stories. I read this book back in my teens. I should read The Martian Chronicles next. 

Poem Strip by Dino Buzzati

An early graphic novel. A pop art re-telling of Orpheus and Eurydice taking place in Milan. 

The Silver Surfer: Sentinel of the Spaceways by Stan Lee and John Buscema

Nice art by Buscema, but the whole Woe is me! tone by Lee gets old pretty fast.

Daredevil: Unmasked by Stan Lee and Gene Colan

Great drawings by Colan, never trying to copy Kirby, but man, are the plots silly! Daredevil pretends to have a twin brother, and it goes downhill from there. DD has a lot of quippy lines of dialogue, that probably worked better in Spider-Man. And the villains are boring, too. 

Amazing Spider-Man: Big Apple Battleground by Len Wein and Ross Andru

The final book drawn by Ross Andru. He was on that book a loooong time. Unfortunately, some chapters are inked by Jim Mooney, who was never as good as Giacoia and Esposito. One of the villains is Green Goblin, but with a clever twist. Peter Parker leaves college at the end.

I have no idea what happened to Spider-Man after this and have no interest. This whole story from Ditko through Romita and Gil Kane to Andru, now collected in ten Epic Collections, is superhero comics at its best. And this is how you colourize superhero comics, with flat colour, no shadings and for pete's sake no blurs!

Happy birthday, Paul McCartney!

 

PAM

 

Out now in Brazil

Finally!

 

...I have Saul Steinberg's The Passport, The Labyrinth, The Inspector, All in Line, The Art of Living and The New World on the same shelf. My life is hereby complete.

Should I sue James Gunn or what?!

 

RIP, Paul Auster

 

Some books I've read 63

Catastrophe and Other Stories by Dino Buzzati

This writer was a new discovery for me, a sort of Italian Kafka. It's a collection of short stories, some sort of Twilight Zone-ish. Will look for more. There's a new collection of his work published this fall.

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Real purty, this book. What does it mean? Haven't the foggiest. But I enjoyed reading it, and will find If On A Winter's Night A Traveller that I gave up some years ago and give it a second try.

U2: The Definite Biography by John Joblin

A critical biography of U2, especially of Bono and his work as an activist, that there is some hypocrisy involved, which is fair enough, I guess, stopping at No Line on the Horizon, that I never bought. So, basically, U2 has become the establishment, no longer taking chances, they've become the sort of band they once hated and fought against. Maybe. 

Seventies by Howard Sounes

The writer defends this decade "that taste forgot", pointing to Monty Python, Woody Allen, Scorsese and Coppola, Sex Pistols, David Hockney, David Bowie, Andy Warhol and Jack Nicholson among others. And yes, there was some good stuff made, wide lapels and sideburns be damned.

Woody Allen on Woody Allen

The expanded edition, going up to Hollywood Ending.  Allen doesn't really like to talk much about his previous work, which is a problem for a book like this. Or, he talks about stuff, but not with any real passion. I still like the early stuff, haven't seen that much after Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Terry Gilliam on Terry Gilliam

So, I got some mixed feelings about Gilliam. Brazil, yes, was very good. I intensely disliked Twelve Monkeys and haven't seen any of his films after that. But he's still fun to listen to. Both about his work as a director and about being a Python. You always know you're watching a Gilliam film, for good or for bad.

Amazing Spider-Man: The Secret of the Petrified Tablet

Not one of the best, this Epic Collection. The stories don't feel fresh anymore. Peter worries about aunt May. Oh, no! Stan Lee can write this stuff in his sleep now. Several stories drawn by John Buscema who does decent work, but he's no Ditko or Romita.

Captain America: To Be Reborn

Forgettable stories, but great art by Jack Kirby. Not a fan of the inking by Syd Shores, that is not as strong as the ones by Joe Sinnot and Dan Adkins. 

And back cover