Family Portrait

Here you have a picture I drew for my wife as a Christmas present. It features our family in front of our house, and if it looks like it took hours upon hours to finish is because it did. I drew the whole thing freehand in pencil first, then I went over most of the lines with a ruler to fix the worst offenders, and then I inked everything with my new Copic pens freehand so that it would look a little bit more organic and there wouldn't be any completely straight lines that made certain elements look boxy or too geometrically precise.

My wife loved the picture, and I had a lot of fun working on it, so I couldn't be happier with the results. I confess that, looking at it now, I would change a couple of things that I could have done better, but I guess that's the kind of attitude I need to improve and do better every time. In any case, and self-criticism aside, I am very pleased with the picture, and my wife thinks it will look great in our living room. I hope you like it too!

Top 5 Reads of 2011

It's been a while since I've made a list of things I like, so here you have the five reads I have enjoyed the most in 2011:

1. Bakuman

I have only read the first four volumes, but I can say this series is what I have enjoyed reading the most this year. And I know it's not a book, so sue me.

2. Changes

The twelfth book in The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher is an awesome read, just like the previous eleven. Here you have my original praise for it.

3. Full Dark, No Stars

Everybody knows I love Stephen King, and this collection of four novellas I originally discussed here was a blast to read.

4. Keys to the Demon Prison

The last book in the Fablehaven series was a great way to close the saga. I already told you about it here, but don't take my word for it and read it for yourselves.

5. The Last Olympian

The last book in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series was as much fun as the previous four, and you need to start reading these novels if you haven't already, because you're in for a treat.

And that's it for this year. I realize four out of my five picks are series, two of them finite, two of them open-ended, which is not only interesting but must also mean something that escapes me. In any case, here's to hoping that 2012 brings lots of good reading material!

Spectacular Adventures

Would you think I'm crazy if I claimed The Adventures of Tintin might just be the best movie I've seen this year? I've only read a couple volumes of the comic book series, and I remember watching one or two animated features back when I was little, but that's pretty much all the contact I've ever had with the character. Put it another way, I am not exactly a fan of the character, which means I wasn't predisposed to liking this movie no matter what. However, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are two of today's most acclaimed directors and producers for a reason, and it shows. The Adventures of Tintin is a rollercoaster of a movie in the best Spielbergian tradition (it reminded me of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade quite a bit), and the action scenes are wildly imaginative and superbly choreographed. Both characters and dialogue are great, and, along with the action, they all serve a fun, intriguing story that takes you from one place to another, from one extreme situation to the next without giving you time to breathe. By the end of the movie, I was exhausted and exhilarated, and I was overcome with joy and happiness about how much fun I had just had. I could have walked back into the theater and watched the movie a second time, I kid you not. Except for A Game of Shadows, I hadn't had this much fun at the movie theater in a really long time, so, if you are looking for a movie to make you forget about the world outside for a couple of hours, do yourself a favor and go see The Adventures of Tintin. You won't regret it!

Héroes fuera de órbita

Héroes fuera de órbita es una de esas películas que llevo intentando ver desde que salió, y que nunca he conseguido ver por diferentes motivos. La película es una comedia ácida que arremete contra todos los actores que viven de firmar fotos en convenciones dado que participaron hace años en una serie de éxito (véase Star Trek, Star Wars, y posiblemente todo lo que empiece por Star), y que no han vuelto a tener un éxito en sus carreras. Los protagonistas, Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, y Tony Shalhoub encarnan a los actores de la serie Galaxy Quest, que en sus tiempos fue un éxito, y que ahora están prácticamente acabados hasta que una raza extraterrestre que cree que lo que ven en la tele es cierto les construyen su nave y los llevan al espacio para que les salven del malo maloso de turno. La película es divertida, tiene buenos efectos especiales, está repleta de guiños a las series mencionadas, y cuenta con más de una escena memorable, como la del pasillo lleno de fuego y planchas metálicas que chafan gente.

En resumen, Héroes fuera de órbita es una peli muy entretenida para verla un fin de semana.

A Game of Shadows

My wife and I went to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and I loved it almost as much as the first one. Everything worked for me: the acting, the dialogue, the plot twists, the characters, the music, the action pieces... The chemistry between Holmes and Watson is one of the moving forces behind the movie, and Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law were once again perfect as the main characters, and their "relationship," as Holmes himself puts it in the film, was funny, moving, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable.

In sum, I found this second chapter in the series very well crafted and entertaining, and I recommend it to everyone. One of my top ten movies of the year for sure!

Anthology

The second volume of the 11 O'Clock Comics Low Concept anthology is going to feature a five-page story written and drawn by yours truly. If you would like to support me and the book, please go here and pledge your contribution. There are several options, the cheaper ones being:

1. $3 for an electronic version of the comic book (pdf file), and your name in the "thank you" section.

2. $13 for all of the above, plus a printed copy of the comic book.

The book will come out on April 13th, 2012, so it will still be a few more months, but you can pre-order it now and feel better about yourself!

Guardian of the Gateway

Here you have another picture for Gateway 2 Nowhere. They keep asking me to be "more metal," but I am afraid this is as metal as I can get. In any case, the picture was fun to draw, and I hope they like it at least as much as the previous drawings I've done for them!