Chilling in San Diego

I got to San Diego yesterday. I'm going to be here for a week, and I want to post pictures I take here and enhance them with my wordy (not to mention moving) prose. This wonderful idea is, of course, stolen from Alberto, who did just that a couple of weeks ago when he went to Washington, DC. The only problem is that I still haven't taken my camera anywhere. But I'm about to go downtown, and I'm definitely taking it with me; which means that you'll get to see something tomorrow. Meanwhile, to keep you entertained (and to keep with my streak of regular posts), here you have another random panel from my upcoming graphic novel. The medium is obviously pencil on bristol paper. I don't know why, but I really like this picture. I hope you do too!

Susanna Clarke: Revise for Length

At long last I managed to finish Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, a whopper of a novel by first-timer Susanna Clarke. My relationship with JS&MN has been a peculiar one. As I've said a few times, I usually like what I read, and when I take chances with new authors, it usually turns out I -like Indy- chose wisely. I normally finish the books I read rather fast, and it's really unusual for me to put a book aside without finishing it (but I've done it in the past: Robinson Crusoe and Moby Dick are the two examples that come to mind). So let's keep all that in mind.
Over a year and a half ago, a friend of mine who also likes fantasy and sci-fi, and who happens to be another big Joss Whedon fan, told me about JS&MN. She said it was a great book… if you could get past the first 80 pages or so. I checked out the book on Amazon, and the plot sounded really cool. Back in the 19th century, a couple of British magicians are recruited by the Government to fight against Napoleon and the French army using magic to aid Lord Wellington's army. Also, it was on sale, so I decided to give it a try.
I got the book. I started it. I struggled with it, but I kept thinking "get past the first 80 pages or so". My main problem with the book was that it was mind-numbingly boring. Nothing whatsoever happened in those pages. There was a lot of narration and an incredible amount of description: the paragraphs were long and thick, and the text offered this air of dense inscrutability that deters readers from taking on such works. And the occasional dialogue was not any better, with long, wordy, and not too natural conversations.
I kept going, and at some point, I decided to read another book in between chapters. So I started to do that every chapter, so I'd read a chapter of JS&MN, a book, and then another chapter. But after 200 pages (which comprise "volume I" out of three) I just couldn't take it anymore, and I put the book back in my "To Read" shelf.
A bit over a year went by, and I decided to give it another try (I'm really stubborn, I confess). The first volume was about Mr. Norrell, one of the two magicians, and not the likable one, as it happens. Volume two introduced Jonathan Strange, a more agreeable wizard. And it is when these two characters meet that the book actually takes off. I read the remaining 580 pages in a couple of weeks (and I admit that I read a few other books in between chapters this time as well), and I'm glad I stuck with it.
The story is good, and that's what kept me reading, regardless of what I think are the book's big problems. Or maybe I should say the author's big problems. Now you are going to hate me, but the main problem I have with her is her tolkienesque style. The world loves Tolkien, but I'm not one of them. He has great stories, but he just can't tell them in an entertaining -not to mention compelling- way. (And yeah: I put The Silmarillion aside after 60 pages a few weeks ago, so sue me.) Susanna Clarke suffers from the same disease: wordiness. She just uses too many words to describe anything, everything. She goes around and around, beating about the bush, describing the most insignificant of details, actions, and characters. This gives some richness to the universe she has created, no question about it. But why can't she stick to the story and be direct and to the point? She, like Tolkien, seems to be enchanted by her fictitious world, and gets lost in the details. And while doing that, she bores the reader, who keeps wondering why that is relevant. (Surprise: it is not.)
The hardcover edition I own is 780 pages long, and I can honestly tell you that the book would be twice as good if you got rid of 250 to 300 pages. I'm not exaggerating. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: cut it down to half its length, and it's gonna be twice as good.
And still, I liked it, after a fashion. It is certainly a book I will not recommend anybody, but I'm glad I got through it. I think this is going to be one of those few and exceptional cases (along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Bridget Jones's Diary) in which the movie is better than the book. Not that they're working on a movie version as far as I know; but if they do it eventually (and, let's face it, it is likely), I say you skip the book and go see the movie. When they "cram" the story down into a couple of hours (no cramming needed, since that's plenty of time for what there is to tell), it's going to be a blast. I hope.

Wonders Never Cease

I've never been too fond of Will Ferrell. Everybody seems to like him fine, but he has this knack to annoy me I don't understand. But that seems to be changing.
First of all, I've seen the preview for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby a couple of times, and I'm almost ashamed to confess I've laughed my dear ass off. Both times. And second of all, and even though it's usually Halagan the one who posts links to silly videos, a friend of mine showed me this Will Ferrell sketch, and I admit I laughed hard again. Maybe -and that's a big maybe- if I can forget about Bewitched, I'll start liking him better.
I guess I'll make a last confession: Talladega Nights opens on August 4th, and you'll probably see me at The Rave that weekend.

Die, Tucker! Dieeee!

I just came back from The Rave, that wonderful movie theater. As I threatened a couple of posts ago, I went to see John Tucker Must Die. And hey, I liked it. I mean, what's there not to like? A bunch of hot chicks… Scratch that. A bunch of really, really hot chicks being evil and trying to destroy a player? Cool story! And awesome eye candy too, hehehe. I guess I'm easily pleased. Anyway. The movie is fun to watch, and I found it very entertaining. It keeps a fast pace from beginning to end (and, at 87 minutes, you don't have time to be bored), and it gives you a glimpse of devious teenage minds and how downright mean they can get.
Coming hardly as a surprise, Rotten Tomatoes.com gives the movie a 23%, making it the "worst" movie opening this weekend. Then again, these people gave Superman Returns a hilarious 76%, and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 a 54% (click on the numbers to read the reviews), so I guess they're only fallible humans, prone to make the occasional mistake (like the three I just mentioned, to give you, dear readers, an example).
So yeah. I usually like what the critics bash. Then again (and as I've said before), I'm in movies for the entertainment value, so you know the chances you're taking if you decide to go see the movie. At least, what you can do for free is to check out the main actresses: Brittany Snow, Arielle Kebbel, Sophia Bush, and Ashanti. And you can also check out some pictures from the movie here. Enjoy.

Milestone

I just finished page 72 of my graphic novel (or four-issue limited series, I don't care). That means the first three chapters are done. Which means I only have 24 more pages to go. I'm trying to do my best on each and every panel, even though some times it just doesn't work like that. I'm having fun most of the time, even though occasionally I feel like kicking the stack of pages and tearing some of them apart.
But mostly, it's terrific fun, and I'm even surprising myself from time to time (some times for the good, some other times… well… I guess I didn't know something I drew could suck so much). So I'm sticking to my summer project and finishing my story. Whether or not it is ever published, time (and editors) will tell. But I can honestly say I'm having a blast, and I'm learning in the process. I can think of worse ways to spend your summer vacation, don't you agree?

Double Feature

Last weekend I went to see a couple of movies. One of them, I was really interested in seeing; the other one, I thought I'd be kind of okay. Both of them opened on Friday, and my being my impatient self, I had to see both of them over the weekend.
The first one was Monster House. I went to see it on Friday as soon as it was showing. The preview looked really good, and I was really excited about it. However, it turned out to be a disappointment. It is well done, and the idea of the haunted house that is actually alive is cool. But it bored me. I guess part of the reason why I didn't like it were the main characters, who were annoying. Especially the fat kid. I felt like slapping him most of the time he showed his stupid face on screen. I found him so annoying that I was hoping against hope he would die or suffer some kind of horrible punishment. Oh, well…
The second one I saw on Sunday. It was Ivan Reitman's new comedy in what seems forever (since Evolution, maybe?): My Super Ex-Girlfriend. I thought it wasn't going to be very good -and the truth is that I don't like Uma Thurman all that much-, but I actually laughed a lot. It turns out Luke Wilson is quite funny, and his horrible dick of a friend, Rainn Wilson, is hilarious. And hey: Anna Faris is hot, so there you go. It's not the greatest movie ever, but it is a lot of fun. More so than Evolution, I think.
Anyway. My friend Kristin just let me borrow Kill Bill 2 on DVD, which I still haven't seen, so I guess I'll do that while I wait for John Tucker Must Die to open. (This Friday!)

Some More Artwork from Yours Truly

Now here's a post that is not about a book. How weird is that? Anyway. This is a little excerpt of the graphic novel I'm drawing this summer. I've already mentioned it a couple of times, but I know I haven't really shown a lot of it. I just want it to be a surprise for my two or three fans, I guess.
So far, I've drawn 61 pages out of the 96 the story will be, so I'm almost done. When it's done, I'll try to sell it to different publishers; and when that doesn't work, I'll see if I can self-publish it. If I stop buying prints from Richard Friend (check them out: they're great!), I might even have the money!
About this picture in particular, I drew it (pencil), and my sister inked and colored it, so this is a team effort. I hope you like it, and please don't steal it!