Chris Isaak

New book arrived

Happy holidays!

Early Dave McKean

https://tripwiremagazine.co.uk/headlines/check-out-dave-mckeans-early-work-portfolio/

Nosferatu

Huh?

Happy birthday, Tom Waits!

 

Review, next book, en français

Vienna 3

Vienna 2

Title page, next book

 

Vienna

Back cover, next book

 

Guido Crepax 1966

Au-dessus l'odyssée

 https://atrabile.org/a-paraitre/

Some books I've read 48

Men in My Situation by Per Petterson

Not one of his best. A bit too maudlin, and written in a selfconsciously arty style, with long sentences going in all sorts of directions.

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

Another great novel from Franzen, even if there are some parts that drag. A lot of talk about Christianity that I feel no connection to. This is supposed to be book one in a triology. Bring it on.

The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem 

It drags a bit, this book. I never quite got into the story, and it takes its time. But if you first start to read Lethem novels...

L'Oisiveraie by David Prudhomme

Some cartoonists, it's just obvious that they like to draw. Christophe Blain is one. David Prudhomme is another. And this being a black and white book, you can really enjoy his pen and ink drawings.

One Train Later by Andy Summers

A well written autobiography from Summers, reaching The Police period around page 200. There's more about the band than in Sting's book, going through every record and also the concerts. I guess I should read Stewart Copeland's book as well, to really get the full picture.

Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four: Artisan Edition

I'm not paying over 100 pounds (or 200-300 on ebay) for the Artist's Edition books, but 20 pounds + shipping for the Artisan Editions is okay, even if they are half the size. I've never been a Kirby guy, I didn't read his comics as a kid, but I can enjoy his artwork here and Joe Sinnott's inking.

Steranko: Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Artisan Edition

A bit disappointing collection of Steranko's work, since the early parts are not his best. It's only the last 30 pages or so, that it really takes off, and then will truely shine in book 2. That was supposed to be published 7 years ago. But they're still waiting for Steranko to do the graphic design. Which is a shame. Come on, Jim! Those three Cap America issues he did were the bee's knees.

Currently reading:

A Drink with Shane McGowan by Victoria Mary Clarke and S.M.

A conversation between Shane and his girlfriend / partner,Victoria. Possibly a better way to get to know the gent than a traditional biography.

Jason t-shirt

https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/jason/products/jason-good-night-hem-fantagraphics-t-shirt 

Happy birthday, Paul Simon!

Barbara Dane

The next book

Santiago

Some Hem reviews

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/10/13/books/new-graphic-novels.html

https://artsetculture.ca/good-night-hem-fantagraphics/ 

https://bookmunch.wordpress.com/2021/09/18/our-favourite-jason-to-date-good-night-hem-by-jason/

https://aiptcomics.com/2021/09/21/good-night-hem-review/

https://geekd-out.com/review-good-night-hem/

https://graphicpolicy.com/2021/09/22/review-good-night-hem/

Out walking

Dune

 My first time in the cinema after Covid, I saw Dune. The first hour was great, the costumes and the sets, the introduction of a new world, then... boredom? set in. I was never engaged in the story. There are almost no exciting sequences, no funny sequences (it's a Denis Villeneuve film, d'oh!), no emotional sequences, you sit there passively watching the screen. Characters die, but you don't know them, so it's hard to care. And the film only has two colours: Gray and brown. A lot of scenes in semi darkness. I find many movies to be underlit these days. The Lynch film, uneven as it was, had colours. And it had the amazing opening scene with the mutated Guild pilot. The intriguing concept of travelling by folding space, didn't even come up in this new version, if I remember correctly. The thopters were great, I must admit. But I feel no need to see this film again, or a need to see part two. I still got the novel. Oh, well...

Some books I've read 47

Hotel California by Barney Hoskyns

Interesting but depressing book about the Laurel Canyon, from 67 to 76. Read about the journey from singer/songwriters to corporate rock megastars and cokeheads! Find out that except for Jackson Browne and Graham Nash, they apparently were all assholes! Including Joni Mitchell! About as modest as Mussollini, according to David Crosby, who, he, ended up a drug addict sell-out, like a lot of them. Then listen to the old records! Good times!

The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood by Sam Wasson

Interesting but depressing part 2. Robert Towne wrote a good script, but then got lost. Drugs involved here as well. Jack Nicholson, after this, mostly turned into JACK NICHOLSON. And Roman Polanski, well...

53 Days by Georges Perec

His novel that unfortunately was never finished. I liked the book more in theory, before I read it. A half finished crime novel, and then notes about what could happen next, leaving it to the reader to find the right clues. But I was never quite taken by the plot in the first half, and the notes were repetitive. Still worth reading.

Barcelona Dreaming by Rupert Thomson

Three stories from Barcelona, where the main character in one story can be mentioned in another. The first story is maybe the weakest one, the second one intriguing once you get what is happening, and the third one is maybe the creepiest or weirdest thing Thomson has written. More stuff like this, please. 

Purity by Jonathan Franzen

Finally read this, while waiting for his new book. I liked it. Beautifully written, but that is to be expected. The first chapter is maybe the weakest, some parts drag a bit, and the main character, that the book is named from, is maybe the least interesting character. Which is possibly not a good thing.

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

I re-read this book. It holds up pretty well. He's good at going into the minds of the characters. The language can sometimes be a bit overblown, but usually it doesn't last too long. I'm considering re-reading Freedom as well.

Hawkeye: Rio Bravo by Fraction and Aja 

Since Mazzucchelli seems to have stopped making comics, I guess Aja will do. Is there also a bit of Chris Ware there? Anyway, a good superhero comic.

September

La BD c'est pour les enfants...

Merci, AnalGenocide!

Aargh!

Discovering a mistake after the book is printed...

Happy Hank Day!

Some books I've read 46

The Body Library by Jeff Noon

Some good parts, but goes on too long. In a world where anything seems to be possible, it's a bit hard to care about what happens.

Gateway by Frederik Pohl

I read some science fiction in my teens, but then took a long break. With some exceptions. Sticking the toe back in the water with this one. It's... okay. 

Small Town Talk by Barney Hoskyns

The story of Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison in Woodstock, and how it changes from a town for artists and musicians into, after the festival, a tourist trap.

The Secret Story by Donna Tartt

So I re-read this book. I had forgotten pretty much all of it. Except one character is unaware that man has walked on the moon. Impressive as a first novel, the end is possibly the weakest part.

Star: The Life and Wild Times of Warren Beatty by Peter Biskind

So, apparently Beatty is a control freak, ruining movies just as much as making classics. Reds is still good, though. Also, he slept with some women.

Batman: Creature of the Night by Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon

The story didn't do much for me, a bit too fancypants for my taste. The illustrations are great, though possibly a bit frozen for a comic.

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child by Frank Miller and Rafael Grampà

Great drawings, but the story goes nowhere. Is there supposed to be a part 2?

 

And I'm re-reading all my Viggo / Gaston albums, by master cartoonist Franquin.

RIP, Nanci Griffith

Larson!

 

Moebius!

Paris signing

Early jason (1980)

J'ai tué Adolf Hitler

Sure

RIP, Jon Hassell

Rejected story

Bloomsday

New book finished

Oops!

RIP, Mandryka

Iron & Wine

Well

Aha!

New blog name

 Got tired of all the dog food robot comments. 

Not sure if it will help, but anyway.

Have a nice summer!

Early review

"Jason delivers an at times whimsical but overwhelmingly melancholic portrait, revealing reverence and sympathy for Hemingway without ignoring the author’s shortcomings. One of the best releases of 2021 so far."

https://www.libraryjournal.com/?reviewDetail=good-night-hem-2118757 

Uh-huh

Hmm...

Happy Bobday!

Balthazardoz

 

Pfh!

Happy birthday, Hergé!

Hugo Pratt on the left

Okay

Happy 70th birthday, Jonathan Richman!

Yes?

and no play

French edition