One of my favorite things to do is prowl used book stores (something that’s getting harder to do here in Austin — another one just closed!). And in between infinite copies of The Shack and endless piles of Harlequin Romance, there is occasionally a gem, something so unexpected it brushes gently alongside the poetic.
But really, I should let a master’s work speak for itself. I give you the verse of … Leonard Nimoy.
Rocket ships
Are exciting
But so are roses
On a birthday
Computers are exciting
But so is a sunset
And logic
Will never replace
Love
Sometimes I wonder
Where I belong
In the future
Or
In the past
I guess I’m just
An old-fashioned
Space-man
You’re right, Mr. Nimoy — with poetry like that, who needs to design something for the back cover? Who could see through tear-and-wonder filled eyes?! Just sign that sucker and move on; it belongs to the ages, now.
Come Be with Me
Poem: “Rocket Ships”
Cover design: SandPiper Studios, Inc.
1979 edition (Blue Mountain Press)
Usually, the covers of the Austin Chronicle aren’t anything to get excited about. Every now and then the weekly alternative newspaper will have an illustration interesting enough to catch the eye, but more often than not readers can expect a static shot of an artist, local politician or members of a band sitting (sometimes standing) and staring out from the rack.
The latest issue was a different story.
Obviously, I love this cover.
Not only does it feature the classic Super Friends lineup, but does it in a way that shows artist Jason Stout understands these characters well enough to have fun with them. I really dig Clark Kent making an appearance, and how bad-ass does Wonder Woman look? I would camp out overnight to see that band. And for whatever reason, Robin looks totally natural in a tutu.
(Honestly, I have no idea why Batman is more of a Fatman, but I’ll bet no one knows their way around a lobster like Aquaman.)
Mostly, I appreciate Stout’s attention to detail. Not only is the tone of the illustration right on, but so is the tweaked DC Bullet and re-purposed Comics Code Authority badge. And I just noticed — Wonder Woman’s guitar is plugged into her golden lasso! Almost every element of this image deserves a second look, and that’s basically the definition of an effective illustration.
Glow-in-the-dark triceratop
Acquired: Part of a random collection of stuff given at a white elephant gift exchange
Note: This triceratop sits on my desk and actually represents my wife’s favorite dinosaur; a bright yellow version of an ankylosaur (my favorite) prowls her desk.
I’m probably coming to this late (in fact, I know I am), but I just saw this in a bookstore the other day and thought it was pretty neat.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Ms. magazine went back to the Wonder Woman cover of its first full issue for inspiration and came up with a call-back provided by Mike Allred. It is, as usual, beautiful work by Allred, but the folks at ThinkProgress have an interesting take on it and also provide some insight into the original. Context — who knew? (The comments are worth taking a look at, too — they’re a good reminder of how comics can look to people who aren’t immersed in them all the time.)
It’s also worth noting that one of the most well-known images of Wonder Woman isn’t even from a comic book, which just goes to show the power this iconic character really has; it’d be nice if the guys at DC could remember that more often.
By the way, these two issues aren’t the only time Diana has been featured on the cover of Ms. — here is the original cover, along with a couple of more appearances she’s made over the years:
Wonder Woman’s first appearance on the first full issue of Ms. (July 1972)
Diana returned for the July/August issue in 1997 (courtesy of George Perez, maybe?).
Until this year, Wonder Woman last graced Ms. magazine in 2007. (Mosaics are Greek, right?)
What am I thankful for on this day of reflection and gratitude? I’m thankful for my wife Sandy, my family, friends, a life that allows me to pursue creativity … and random appearances by Robocop in the middle of a Marvel Universe throwdown.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due to open in less than a month (Dec. 14, to be specific), and I am getting more and more excited. (No, I don’t know why the series was inexplicably stretched to three movies instead of two). The Lord of the Rings novels — of which The Hobbit is the prelude — was the first trilogy I read and is still among my favorite books of any genre. And with the first movie coming up, I’m thinking it’s time to revisit the book that kicks the whole thing off.
Well, I completely forgot to do a Small Sundays post this week — so instead I give you something big; the Green Goliath himself, the Incredible Hulk!
This is a “life-size” statue of the Hulk that lives in the back of my local comic shop, and while you can’t tell from this photo, I did have to hold the camera over my head to take the picture. And I’m 6’1”. (Did anyone ever decide how tall the Hulk is supposed to be, definitively? Or does it just keep changing with every comic and movie? Someone get me an OHOTMU, quick!)
In the interest of scale, here’s another shot of Ol’ Green Jeans and my nephew, Pato.
In case you couldn’t tell, Hulk is Pato’s favorite.
