Reading List: May

I tried to regain my honor by reading five books and a trade paperback this month. I doubt I'll be able to repeat this feat next month, but what can you do. This is what I read in May:

Iron Man: The Inevitable
I didn't like this miniseries at all. The story by Joe Casey left me indifferent (even worse: it bored me), and the artwork by Frazer Irving was a horrible mismatch for the story and the character. Call me crazy, but Tony Stark looked remarkably like Hitler, and I didn't find that funny or appropriate. Skip it if you haven't read it.

Something Wicked This Way Comes
I was curious to read this classic by Ray Bradbury, and it was an interesting story but kind of slow and not as compelling as I would have liked.

Are You There, Vodka? Its Me, Chelsea
I already talked about this hilarious book by Chelsea Handler here.

El último deseo
A very interesting read by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish (Ostatnie zyczenie in Polish) introduces Geralt de Rivia and his world, which develops throughout six more novels that I might just have to read. My friend Nash gave me the first two volumes as a birthday present, and even though it took me a couple of months to start reading the first one, I finished it in a matter of days. The mixture of fantasy, lore, and fairy tales is very original and ingeniously presented, and the main character is enigmatic, charismatic, and other adjectives ending in -atic that mean the book is a lot of fun to read. All in all, this novel was an unexpected treat, and I can't wait to read the next one. Thank you, Nash!

The Spider and the Fly
This oversized book is based on the cautionary tale by Mary Howitt, and is beautifully illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. You'll read it in a matter of minutes, but you'll spend a lot longer drooling over the artwork that accompanies the words. Great fun!

The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart
This gothic novella by Mathias Malzieu is also a steampunk tale of sorts, something you wouldn't be surprised to see as a Tim Burton movie. Malzieu is the singer of the French band Dyonisos, and this novella was the basis for their latest album, which must be an interesting collection of songs if they were inspired by this story. As it happens, I found the video for one of them, and it totally looks like the story I read, if that makes any sense, so check it out, and then decide if you'd like to read the book.

And that's it for this month. I will be traveling in June, so we'll see how many books I'm able to take with me. If you want to find out, come back in a month and all the secrets will be revealed!

Uncanny X-Men #520

Greg Land draws this issue, and it kind of feels like he was in a bit of a hurry, because there is lots of blacks and darkness where there should be backgrounds. Granted, part of the action takes place in the sewers, and it's not as if they have street lamps down there, but some panels definitely seem rushed. Then you have the meeting scene, where everything is dark except for a couple of screens glowing in the background. Call me paranoid, but I think this is a cheap trick to churn out the required pages to meet the deadline.

At any rate, the story by Matt Fraction is entertaining, and the books ends with a low-key cliffhanger, if that is not an oxymoron. I wonder what'll happen next month.

Home-Made Horror

My girlfriend bought Paranormal Activity on DVD, and so we watched it the other night. She had seen it already, and I was curious to see if the movie would live up to all the rave reviews it got when it opened last year. Well, it did, because I thought the film was a lot of fun. It was creepy and disturbing, and it felt like it could be real, which makes for a great scary movie. Also, the acting was incredible, and that, in addition to the way the film was shot, gave me the impression I was eavesdropping on what was going on in the house. I felt like that could really be going on, and that people would react in the exact way this couple does, and that is the greatest compliment I can think of.

The DVD comes with an alternate ending (the original one, I think) that I liked about as much as the one in the final cut. (Actually, it wasn't all that different.), and the austere menu and presentation reinforce the idea of it being a found tape, an amateur recording. It simply fits the content (and concept) of the movie perfectly, which is a great idea, just like the movie. So watch Paranormal Activity if you haven't already, and let us know what you think!

Gleor

Behold the fearsome Gleor in all its destructive glory!

This is one of those pictures that were triggered by silly stories or weird ideas. My girlfriend and I were at the mall, and when we went back to the car we saw this vanity plate that said "Gleor". It was a Florida Gators plate, so we concluded the only possible explanation for this was for Gleor to be a mutant alligator of sorts. Needless to say, this monster all but begged to be drawn, so I proceeded (urgently) to do so. Since we "met" him at the parking lot, it only made sense he found us there and, in a fit of rage, destroyed our pick up truck.

I had a lot of fun drawing Gleor, and I think the picture turned out rather nicely, so I hope you guys enjoy it. As usual, let me know what you think!

Simply a Master

I bought Ultimate X #2 for one reason and one reason only: Arthur Adams. The legendary artist has never been known for his tremendous output, yet he is so talented that both fans and pros admire his skill. As a matter of fact, it is hard to find an artist working nowadays who doesn't mention Adams as one of his influences and/or favorite artists. Therefore, when the 11 O'Clock Comics guys reviewed the book, I knew I'd have to get it… even if Jeph Loeb wrote it.

It is widely known that I don't consider Loeb the best of writers, yet he keeps working with artists I love and I am then forced to buy his books. He worked with Joe Madureira on Ultimates 3, with Frank Cho on Red Hulk (and, if I'm not mistaken, the upcoming Ultimates 4), and now with Arthur Adams on this book. (And also on Red Hulk for a couple of issues.) So after lamenting my luck, I went ahead and bought the stupid book. Was it worth it?

It was amazing, that's what it was.

The story was actually interesting, mysterious, and well told. There is barely any action scenes to speak of (yay!), and the whole tale develops at a slow, leisurely pace that I really, really enjoyed. And the artwork… To say it was extraordinary would be to say the sun is kinda shiny. Everything Adams draws in this book is simply perfect. He draws people incredibly well: their faces, expressions, body language. Their clothes are so detailed and realistic they almost blew my mind. His backgrounds are out of this world: Karen's bathroom is a work of art; her room is amazing; the mall is rendered so beautifully you will think the place actually exists; and the cars parked outside are incredible. I could go on: the panels are terrific, his sequential storytelling brilliant… He is a master.

As it turns out, Ultimate X is an ongoing bimonthly series by Loeb and Adams, so I guess this means I'll have to add it to my must-buy list, because if issue 2 is any indication, this series is going to be gold. Go buy it!

Alien With a Hat

Another quick sketch I drew directly in ink just to practice my curvy line and keep myself entertained. It's a very simple drawing, but I kind of like him. Maybe he is out for a walk, or casing a joint, or stalking somebody, I don't know. At any rate, let me know what you guys think!

Communicating 07

Here you have the seventh page of Cultura de comunicaciones, the story my sister and I submitted to a comic book contest last January. This page is also heavy on text, but I really like all the illustrations. Starting with the cute blogger who may or may not be based on an actual person, I think everyone on the page looks rather neat. Somebody pointed out one of the guys in the second panel looks just like me, and I must confess he is supposed to be me. By then I was running out of ideas for different faces, so I decided to include myself as part of the crowd, so I hope you'll forgive my little homage to myself. As for the last panel, I think the guy texting while taking a dump is not only hilarious but also true to life. (Confess, you john texters!) And as an amusing side note, the bathroom is modeled after the one in my apartment. (This is what you see from inside the bathtub.) Talk about being true to life!