Tag Archives: The Mountain Goats

04/01/2011 · 7:18 AM

No Clever Title Needed #3

Here are the thoughts that lack a specific home; they are tossed here.

What a week. Honestly, that is all I can say to describe it. Just so odd. Just so off. That was this week. Not terrible by any means, just odd. I guess that is a pretty vague description, right? Oh well.

This week, or at least something I watched this week, did make me want to move to Portland (Oregon) even more, though. This something would be the short and so appropriately named documentary, Portland Comics.

Moving entirely across the country for a comics scene may seem like a bit much, but to me it would be more than comics…Ok, scratch that, it would be all about comics, but it would be for the community, culture, and lifestyle around the medium rather than actual, physical comic books themselves. At this point in my life, I feel comics are, and forever will be, apart of me.  The medium has me at my heart and mind. I feel I know it so well, yet at the same time have many aspects to learn about it. Comics, as corney and possibly messed up as it may sound, have shaped me into the person I am today. Seriously. Without comics, I would never have podcasted, never have choosen a career in journalism, never have taken an interest in writing or storytelling as strongly as I have, and would never be writing this blog. Also, the ways in which I look at the world…those would probably be different too, as well as the group of friends I hold.

To me it makes sense. Portland does. The comics scene, and the people of it, just feel like a setting I need to be surrounded by. It is a setting I need to exist in. It would bring home and strengthen the idea of comics being a piece of me. Granted, I am going completely off a documentary and other word-of-mouth, but I know that I need to at least visit Portland sometime in the near future. From there, well, we will see what happens.

For now though, the land of Portland, Oregon will remain a wishful thought. One that I may possibly work towards.

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Dave Wachter kicks ass. Here is a sweet Galactus piece from him, and it is in color.

Dave’s blog: http://davedrawscomics.blogspot.com/

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A friend of mine discovered this really cool short film called Logorama. It is an animated presentation that depicts a universe of brands.

On the surface, this film works as a cute comedy that provides numerous chuckles, but as expected with the subject matter it does dive into its corner of commentary and subversion. The bit that really impressed me was the use and placement of specific brands, such as the use of Ronald McDonald as the villain in the piece. That, ladies and gentlemen, was no accident. I actually think you could probably spend all day watching this film picking out brands and the comments they make.

It is a visually busy film, and I certianly suggestion taking the sixteen minutes to watch it.

http://vimeo.com/10149605

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New Criminal.

I am always in the mood for Brubaker and Phillips’ Criminal because it feels like the most natural work these guys produce. This promotional image is excellent. I love the colors and the way the women’s red dress contrasts with the blue of the background, and I also love the vertical streaks casting down like long rain drops.

I have yet to read the latest arc of Incognito from this creative team, and from what I understand those comics may be weak, but I am certainly looking forward to this project. I will be buying.

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The Mountain Goats’ latest, All Eternals Deck, is very good, and it has been my playlist of choice over the past two days. With luck, I may actually be seeing them live, in Pittsburgh, on April 12th.

Tracks that impress: Damn These Vampires (1), Birth of Serpents (2), Estate Sale Sign (3), The Autospy Garland (5), High Hawk Season (7), For Charles Bronson (11), and Never Quite Free (12).

Get it.

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The name of Jay Diddilo has become legend to the internet in the past week or two. Why? Well, just blame Rob Granito. If you have not had enough of Jay Diddilo (and really, how could you?), then you must check out the man’s actual website.

Your laugh buds will thank you. Oh, they will thank you. http://jaydiddilo.com/index.php

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Last, but not least, Brandon Graham, the artist and creator of King City, has been providing a great daily column over at The Comics Journal all week. This is a must read. The man provides some great artwork along with  fun, quirky bits of internet goodness. Plus, a cool peak into his daily life.

http://www.tcj.com

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Yep. That’s it. Next week I should post something more substantial. For now, enjoy this post, and if you frequent Twitter follow my ass. I want more followers, so I can feel some higher sense of happiness. You want that, right?

twitter.com/alec_berry

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02/25/2011 · 2:06 AM

No Clever Title Needed

No specific point to make nor any actual essay, but instead a general blog post containing a handful of random thoughts. Everyone does one of these at times. Why not me?

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Dwayne McDuffie passed away this week. I’ve never been a fan –  not that his comics were bad, I just have not read many of them – but I still felt an effect. We all did, really. That’s the thing about comics and the industry and the community around it. It is so intimate.  When an event occurs or news drops, we all respond in some manner. We all look around at each other through the various internet outlets, expecting a few words. Creators communicate with other creators. Critics to critics. Fans to fans. And all of these words, these respones are visible to everyone around. The culture of comics is tightknit. I may not be familiar with the work of Dwayne McDuffie like most are, but I still felt the impact of his loss. Twitter blew up (rightly so) with many very kind thoughts. The responses from industry professionals had to be the hardest to read. I quickly gained a sense of the man in a short period of time. He was loved by many, and he truly did add to the creative landscape. The most interesting bit about him passed a long Twitter that day had to be this video.

For someone like myself, who knew his name to a degree but not much else, this video really does a great job of telling you what the man was about. A guy after a good story and diversity in comics. Two concepts I can certainly get behind. From what most professionals said about the man, it seemed McDuffie was the type to speak up for what he believed in, yet he could also walk the walk as he did actually do the work, bringing what he believed to life. Milestone, the comics publisher he help found, was the key example of that. McDuffie seemed like a classy dude.

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The Mountain Goats are close to releasing a new LP entitled All Eternals Deck. Last night they preformed a new song, “Birth of Serpents,” on Lettermen. It was a cool performance, and I am excited for some new Mountain Goats. Check it out.

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I usually grow tired of the “physical media is dead” conversation (Print Still Cool), but PopMatters ran an interesting enough piece this week. I simply just want to reccommend reading the article; a conversation cannot really take place unless it is read. I will say though that what makes this one different is that the author of the article tends to stay away from the “future arguement.” Rather than claiming CDs as dinosaur stuff, he takes more of a critical approach, pointing out the flaws of the format. Oddly, I found this an interesting enough arguement for the death of CDs. The author had a few valid points. Plus, the criticism was not limited to only CDs or Vinyl; MP3s were dissected too.

Overall, it contains a few points worth a thought. Check it out here.

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A great column from Mr. Tim Callahan this week over at CBR discussing Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” and Tim’s thoughts on comics as a reader. I feel Tim brings up some points I have felt myself before. The idea that the world just throws way too much at us anymore. All of this media constantly being thrown in our face, wanting to be consumed, and because of this a question comes to mind: do we fully appreciate anything anymore? Do we ever slow down and focus?

As for the idea of whether or not everything produced (comics wise) packs substance, I do not feel I could say comics are necessarily lacking. There are more than a few books coming out currently that I feel offer more than the typical cliches. Comics still suck me in more than anything else, and that is because of the substance I find in their stories and artwork.

It’s a good read, whether you’re a comics fan or not. Read here.

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I’ve been having fun with this blog so far, and I hope anyone reading has found it at least some what interesting. I know I am certainly not one of the best bloggers online and that my skill as a writer probably lacks, but I have enjoyed this experience and will continue to do so as long as it continues. I’m not sure how you the reader feel about it, so if you are reading this please feel free to leave a comment. I would appreciate it. Again, I know I’m not a cool site like iFanboy or something, but I feel I am offering something here. I would like to hear from you.

Peace.

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