Stations of the Bool

The 50th book I've read this year, Lisey's Story wasn't what I was expecting. I had heard it was kind of a romance novel, and I guess it is. I had also heard said romance had some supernatural elements -duh, it's Stephen King!-, and it certainly does too. Also, just by looking at the cover of the novel, I thought there would be a shovel involved, and I sure was right. I don't know. I guess I was expecting some kind of lover returned from the grave, but that is not what the book is about at all. There are some supernatural elements, yes, but if you've read the Dark Tower books, you'll recognize Boo'ya Moon for what it is. The DT connection was cool -even though it's never stated this is Midworld-, but more than a supernatural romance, Lisey's Story is a fantastic -as in fantasy- romance with flashbacks within flashbacks.
The story is interesting in the three different timelines we get to witness in the book, but the truth is that there's not a lot going on in either one of them. The one with the most action (and by that I mean "actions" as in people doing things and a story moving forward, not fist fights) is the one that's further away from the now of the main timeline, and still there's not much there either. As I said, they are all interesting and compelling, but the book is really slow-paced. The characters are great, and there's really not much that I would call pointless or that could be edited out: the story is cohesive and doesn't wander off too much. But I guess I would have liked some more action as opposed to so much reminiscing and remembering, and living in memory lane instead of the present. When discussing the use of flashbacks in his book On Writing, King says that, as a writer, he's more interested in what's gonna happen, than in what already has. However, Lisey's Story is a story about not one but two past stories. Yes, they're neatly intertwined, and the complex structure is enjoyable, nicely crafted, and well handled, no complains there. Also, the book doesn't seem to drag on or anything, even though the pace is not too fast. But still, I wish it would have been a little different.
So I liked it, no question about it. It was good and enjoyable. It's just that I won't be recommending it to anybody anytime soon. And if this sounds a bit contradictory, well, maybe it is. Maybe you should read it and tell us what you think. Oops! Did I just recommend it?

PS: To hear Stephen King talk about the book, go here and click on the first link (it says BBC Interview).

Mad! Is! Back!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Joe Madureira before, since he's one of my favorite artists. I remember when I discovered him in the first Deadpool miniseries, one of his first gigs. He quickly developed his own style and was one of the first artists to blend Japanese manga elements with traditional American superhero comic books. His run on Uncanny X-Men was nothing short of fantastic, and his pencilwork wowed pretty much everybody. Then he left Marvel to create his own book, Battle Chasers. It was a phenomenal book, with a cool story and awesome, beyond-description artwork. Of course, it was ridiculously late, and kind of ended after 9 issues or so. (Actually, "was left there to die after its creator lost interest" would be a more accurate description: shame on you, Mad!)After designing videogames for a while, the man with the crazy signature is back. Months ago, Marvel announced Madman was going to draw the third Ultimates series, which will be released at some point next year (riiiiiight). Meanwhile, and -one would assume- in between months-in-advance-drawn Ultimates pages, Joe Mad finds time to draw a cover here and there. You'll remember I talked about the Onslaught Reborn project a couple of weeks ago. We all made fun of hack Liefeld and his nonexistent drawing skills (just check out Captain America's chest again if you have forgotten). Well, since alternate covers are all the rage in comics nowadays, Marvel has gotten some actually cool artists to draw alternate covers for the series -I guess they do want to sell some of these books after all. And, of course, they're getting fan-favorite artists to do it. Michael Turner, another one of my favorite pencillers, has drawn this one. Before seeing it, I had read people were saying how dull, boring, and unoriginal it was. I was skeptical, but I confess I agree with them. Don't get me wrong: Turner is an amazing artist, and I wish I had even half his talent. However, when you compare it to Joe Mad's cover (gracing this post with its presence), well… It pales in comparison. That Joe Mad cover is just a little example of what makes him a superb artist. Unfortunately, everybody knows he suffers from the same malady J. Scott Campbell does: he's soooooo slow the only way he could actually be any slower would be for him to draw with an eraser instead of a pencil. Which is kind of ironic, I think. I mean, how could you draw something so kinetic, so full of energy, so incredibly dynamic as the cover above, being such a slow artist? Truth is, I don't know, but I confess the finished pieces are always strikingly amazing. But I've learned from past mistakes, so when Ultimates 3 comes out, I will not buy it. I will only buy it when it comes out on paperback. That way, I will be able to read the story and enjoy the pretty pictures in one sitting, instead of waiting for maybe two years. I guess I'm getting smart.

LateCats

And talking about late artists, WildCats by Jim Lee is already late. The first issue came out in October, and the series is supposed to be bimonthly precisely to avoid being late. Well, as you can read in this interview, in which Lee at least apologizes and blames himself for everything, WildCats #2 has been delayed until… March 2007.
But it gets better. Last year, Jim Lee and Frank Miller started their All Stars Batman & Robin, which is supposed to be a 12-issue series, I think. Well, the fifth issue won't be out until next year, and the first three issues came out last year. Do the math: there has only been one issue of ASB&R published in 2006, and the series is supposed to be monthly! So, out of 11 comic books Jim Lee was supposed to draw this year (9 ASB&R and 2 WC), he has drawn… TWO! Amazing.

Words of Wisdom

I was reading this month's Wizard Magazine (issue 182) when I came across an interview with old pro Keith Giffen. Giffen has been writing comic books for the last thirty years, and, from what he says and how he says it, I think I would like this guy if I ever met him in person. This is what he has to say on one of my favorite topics: late artists.

"I put so much detail on the page, it tales me two days to draw a page." Well, you might want to rethink your drawing then, skeeter. "Yeah, well, I'm working for the art sale afterwards, and it looks good in a frame." Then you know what? Die in a fire. You're a comic book artist! You wanna do posters, do posters! You're on a deadline here!

Take that, lazy artists! If only the editors talked to the superstars like that…

Morenas

Lo prometido es deuda. En un comentario hace poco dije que hablaría de morenas guapas, y aquí lo tenéis. Por supuesto, el post va dedicado a nuestro Nash favorito.
Como, por alguna razón incomprensible, Nacho prefiere el pelo oscuro (aunque, leyendo mi lista sí se comprende, claro), he decidido hacer una lista con mis morenas favoritas, a ver qué le parece. Ni qué decir tiene, va a decir que es terrible, pero bueno. Ahí va mi Top 10 Morenas:

1. Jessica Biel. La primera, sin duda. Probablemente la segunda mujer más hermosa del planeta, después de Scarlett Johansson.
2. Kate Beckinsale. La hemos visto en las no muy buenas Underworld y en muchas otras. Auténtica belleza británica.
3. Laetitia Casta. Increíblemente bella, y para que se note que no sólo de americanas vive el hombre, ahí tenéis a la corsa más fantástica que jamás se haya visto.
4. Evangeline Lilly. Conocida por su papel en Lost, esta chica -de nuestra edad- es más que guapísima. Y resulta que es canadiense, con lo que seguimos añadiendo sabor internacional.
5. Angelina Jolie. Poco hace falta decir de ésta. Fantástica escena huyendo de la habitación del hotel al principio de Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
6. Adriana Lima. Supermodelo brasileña de fama internacional gracias a su trabajo para Victoria's Secret. No hay más que mirar las fotos y tratar de cerrar la boca luego.
7. Elizabeth Hurley. Otra de la que hay poco que decir. Y mira que me gustan poco las películas de Austin Powers, hahaha.
8. Erica Durance. Si Kristin Kreuk en Smallville es guapa, Erica Durance, en el papel de Lois Lane, le gana por goleada. Por no hablar de la petarda que pusieron de Lois en la olvidable Superman Returns.
9. Jenna Dewan. La descubrí en el tráiler de Step Up -peli que no he visto-, y la chica promete. Y, algo que Halagan apreciará, salió en un episodio de Joey.
10. Jennifer Connelly. Cómo ha crecido desde sus días en Labyrinth con David Bowie y las creaciones de Jim Henson. Lo único bueno de The Hulk, y ni por ésas se salva la película.

Y creo que eso es todo. Seguro que me dejo alguna en el tintero, pero para eso está Nash: para gritarme y señalar las que se me han pasado por alto. Y ahora, a dar vuestra opinión.

GMeP: FR - ¡Ya Está Aquiiiií!

Siguiendo un comentario de Nash, aprovecho para poner un Gran Momento en Pantalla que tarde o temprano iba a acabar poniendo. Es una escena del final del sexto episodio de la primera temporada de esa serie tan maravillosa que era Fraggle Rock. Y lo pongo en español por dos razones: primero, porque el doblaje de esta serie debe ser uno de los mejores de la historia; y segundo, porque fue nuestro coblogueador Nash el que citó hace poco este episodio como uno de sus favoritos de la serie. Jejeje, coincido plenamente.

Como antecedentes: Musi (esa fraggle poetisa y soñadora… y azul) piensa que no deberían seguir comiéndose las construcciones de los curris (esos diminutos currantes que sí que son para comérselos a todos), porque arruinan todo el trabajo que les lleva hacerlo. Consigue convencer a sus amigos (Gobo, Dudo, Rosi y Bombo), pero para conseguir involucrar a todos los fraggle del mundo, decide recurrir al increíblemente increíble Convincente John...

En fin, relajaos y disponeos a disfrutar de un par de minutos de nueva infancia. Y, si puede ser, preparaos un bocadillo de Nocilla para disfrutar de la experiencia a tope

Belated Happy Halloween

Yes, I know Halloween was last week. I didn't do anything special, other than going to bed even earlier than usual. Still, I drew the accompany-
ing cute little picture the following morning while in a meeting (drawing helps me concentrate, believe it or not). The silly pic is drawn directly with pen, so no chance of erasing anything. But the real juicy part of this post is the accompanying video. I hope you like the costumes, and that you tell us which one is your favorite. Enjoy!

PS: Halagan said he posted something today, but it's nowhere to be found. I hope we'll see it tomorrow!