I have not seen the new "Clash of the Titans". I will admit this up front. Honestly, I don't really want to see the new "Clash of the Titans". But this stupid movie has inadvertently brought up some things that bother me:
1) It turns out some people will take any CGI, even the not-so-good CGI in "Clash", over the Ray Harryhausen stop-motion in the original. This makes me unspeakably sad. So I went to the library and got An Animated Life to read. This is a big, huge book I've salivated over for a while, so I was elated that they had it. I'll review it soon.
2) The 3-D in "Clash" was added as an afterthought. This fact has been wildly reported. It was thought that people wouldn't pay extra for crappy 3-D... but guess what?
3) This plot point. (Deftly illustrated by the wonderful Coelasquid [naughty language warning], who has done an entire series of comics based of ridiculous things in "Clash".)
4) But I think the thing that bugs me more than anything about this remake of "Clash of the Titans" is this: Of all the things they changed from the original "Clash of the Titans", couldn't they have swapped the Kraken out for, I dunno, some scary sea monster out of ***GREEK*** Mythology?!? It isn't like they don't have a surplus of them.
In other movies I have no interest in seeing news, I am sincerely disappointed that the movie entitled "Furry Vengeance" is NOT about "Secret of N.I.M.H." fans out for justice, as the title would suggest. Because I would watch the hell out of that movie and so would you. Admit it.
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Sketch of the day! How about some happy after all that uncharacteristic vitriol.
Yaaaaaaay!!!
The latest series/season begins sometime this summer. You know, I was never a fan of Scooby (even as a kid, I could recognize a formulaic series and cheap animation), but I have to give Hanna-Barbera some props. The Mystery Machine gang has been at it since 1969.
Now this begs a question: Does this make "Scooby Doo" is the longest-running animated television series of all time? The issue preventing him from holding this record seems to be that there technically hasn't been one single "Scooby Doo" series running all this time. (Incidentally, I count maybe fourteen different series in which Scooby was involved, ranging from the original "Scooby Doo, Where Are You" to the very strange "Scooby Doo Movies" to the infamous "Scooby and Scrappy Doo" and the most recent [and also strange] "Shaggy and Scooby Get a Clue". As usual, my fellow OCD-sufferers at TV Tropes have made a good list. Mind you, this does not count any of the movies, cross-overs, ad infinitum.)
Wow... I... just wrote two paragraphs about "Scooby Doo". (Sits for a minute or two, utterly mystified.)
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Sketch of the day!
Forgive the misspelling (it's just a sketch, so it's okay), but I think we may have to start some wild fan speculation about this soon:
I'll have my Comicon thoughts after they're organized. It is going to take me a long time to sort through my freebies, purchases, photos, sketches, and contacts. As always, I had a lot of fun and met a lot of really awesome people and exchanged lots of business cards with other illustrators. Illustration isn't a very social career choice, so anytime large numbers of artists get to talk face-to-face is fantastic. That feeling of nerdy belonging is very rare.
Plus, it's like Christmas 2 if you like to read.
To anyone joining the Blog after meeting me there, welcome! I'll be writing about drawing, animation, film, literature, and anything else interesting that comes up. For those of you standing, please hold on to the handrails throughout our journey and please stay clear of the doors! Por favor mantangense alejado de las puertas! 😁
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Sketch of the Day!
Finished piece, rather. Meet Smok Wawelski. Click the image for the "all sizes" option.
Yaaaay! Here is the email:
Boston Comic Con
IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS THE BCC IS BACK! April 10-11, 2010 Starring Jim Lee & Mike Mignola, and Sergio Aragones (JUST ADDED)!
REMEMBER we have a new location: The Westin Boston Waterfront (425 Summer St.). There are two Westin's in Boston. Make sure you go to the Westin Boston Waterfront.
Our guest list is mind blowing. Check it out...
Jim Lee, Mike Mignola, Eric Powell, Joseph Michael Linsner, Jim Starlin, Bill Sienkiewicz, JH Williams III, Billy Tan, Steve Rude, Michael Golden, Ben Templesmith, Skottie Young, Joe Jusko, Cameron Stewart, Mike Norton,and many more!
We are also happy to announce media guest Amber Benson who played Tara Maclay on the hit TV series - Buffy The Vampire Slayer!
As an added bonus Marc Chiarello, Art Director for DC Comics, will be doing on site artist portfolio reviews both days. Do you have what it takes to be the next great DC artist? Sign up at the show!!
And wait, there's more...
1. Sunday only there will be a costume contest and speaker panels featuring Jim Lee, Mike Mignola, and Eric Powell.
2. Exclusive signed limited edition prints for The Boston Comic Con by Joseph Michael Linsner and Bill Siekiewicz will be available at the show for sale. Get there early before they sell out!
3. BCC T-shirts featuring Eric Powell's The Goon and Mike Mignola's Hellboy will also be available for sale. We are printing only a small supply of these shirts, so get 'em while you can.
The Boston Comic Con is hands down the best comic book show in New England featuring over 21,000 square feet of comic book artists and vendors. The BCC is privately owned and is not affiliated with any other shows or promoters. We are dedicated to delivering the fun, magic, and excitement that's supposed to be a comic con. If you didn't have fun, we didn't do our job!
You won't wanna miss this! See ya in April.
'Nuff Said.
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Now, there is a bit of sad news unfortunately. The Comicbook Artists Guild does not have it's own table this year -- however, we're making up for it by hosting an event after the Convention. Come on Saturday afternoon for more information.
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Last Feederwatch Friday of the Year!
Had some laughs, did some science!
Rock Pigeon 3
Mourning Dove 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin 2
Northern Mockingbird 3 (!!!)
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 2
House Sparrow 11
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Sketch of the Day
I was getting a little tired of the headlines this little guy was inspiring.
Home stretch everyone. Just in time too, as it's already time to start thinking of Boston Comic-con this weekend!
This was the very first water park and it too has a strange history. It doesn't look like it'll ever be reopened. I only really have one memory of this place and it was of me and other kids being yelled at to get off the rocks. Meanies; we only wanted to be Ariel for a minute or two.
Man, remember when you had to hunt high and low for "Nightmare Before Christmas" memorabilia? Back when "Nightmare" first arrived in theaters, Disney had the damndest time figuring out how to sell it. It was actually originally released under their Touchstone banner. Toys were produced very briefly and quickly disappeared from Disney Store shelves. Now they're marketing it to hell and back. All this stuff and not a single tree ornament.
This photograph nicely encapsulates why we all hate Dinoland. You can be a serious place where there's a walk-through garden with realistic dinosaur sculptures and a very respectful attitude. Or you can be a wacky place with goofy dinosaurs and the kinds of cheesy carnival things you'd see at the Yarmouth Clam Festival. You really shouldn't try to be both at the same damn time.
One of the things I was most looking forward to this trip was the aforementioned EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. EPCOT often has lovely gardens anyway, but they pull out all the stops during the Festival. You like character topiaries? Then you have to visit Disney World in the spring.
This is just a small sample of how amazing the place looks during the Festival. Tinkerbell's Fairy friend here is giving visitors a "21 Butterfly Salute" (um... yeah.) You can also see a hot air balloon that Tinkerbell built so that she could fly all over Neverland. (Don't ask why she needs a balloon when she's a Fairy who secretes magical dust that allows anything to fly -- oh, wait, they retconned that. Dammit, Disney, that's the worst Weaksauce Weakness since Green Lantern and the color yellow.)
Anyway, this is all in front of Tinkerbell and Friends' Butterfly Garden, where you can see all kinds of insect-friendly flowers...
...and occasional further proof that Disney still isn't used to dealing with the unpredictable whims of non-robot animals. (Linking picture just to be safe. Butterflies mating may not be safe for work... I can't decide whether it'd be weirder if it is or if it isn't safe for work.)
Don't you love it when life imitates "The Simpsons"?
And finally, the Pin Lanyard!!! I think the six-legged Mary Blair Mural sheep is my favorite (though it isn't as rare as I'd expected it would have been).
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Sketch of the day! How about some Spoonbills?
So, did everyone have a fun April Fool's Annual Day The Internet Is Useless?
By far, the most interesting parts of our trip to Disney World were the parts where we went to see attractions that had been closed down for some reason or other. In one case, the attraction's building was at least still in use. In the other... well, you'll see.
Many EPCOT fans around my age lament the closing of the Wonders of Life Pavilion. Heaven on Earth for a biology geek like myself, the building opened in 1989 and focused on health and fitness on one hand and anatomy and physiology on the other. It contained three major attractions, including a multimedia show directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale and the (at the time) most state-of-the-art motion simulator ride in the World. Walt Dated World, naturally, has many photographs of the building, attractions, and signage.
Normally, you cannot enter the Wonders of Life building as it has been shut down for almost five years now, hoping for a new sponsor. The building, thankfully, is still in use on very rare occasions. I noticed on EPCOT's special guide map for the Flower and Garden Festival that Wonders would be open under the name "Garden Town". It's only open on certain days, but I had to see it.
As you can see, the layout of the original building is mostly still intact, except that the murals along the rim of the dome have been painted over and most of the signage is gone -- but not all of it. The building was *just* similar enough to what I remembered that it was a little sad to explore it. I had some interesting conversations with the cast members working inside, that's for sure.
By far, the funniest was trying to convince the people who didn't remember this pavilion that this theater used to hold a film about the making of... something else. Rather, some-ONE else. Yes, there was an attraction in Walt Disney World where they discussed human reproduction. Still to be answered: Is the middle of an already overstimulating Disney World vacation really the best time to have this subject brought up, maybe for the very first time for some kids?
Now when we booked our trip, we got a little booklet of vouchers for various little fun things (as if there isn't enough to do in the theme parks already). The most interesting was the discount on a boat rental. We took a boat out onto Bay Lake and took a cruise around for a different perspective. And then we saw this island:
Pretty isn't it? Very lush and wild; not something you'd expect just a few minutes from Cinderella castle. It took us a minute to realize that what we were looking at was Discovery Island.
Another little slice of Heaven for the nature nut, this little island was a cult favorite for many guests. Walt Dated World recounts the strange history of the Island. For us, it was just plain wild to see what happened to this abandoned Disney attraction.
People, this is the real life Jurassic Park. (OK, Jurassic Park as depicted in the terrible sequels, but the point still stands.) Everything built by humans has been overtaken by the plants and the island is now ruled by dinosaurs (really). I didn't have any clear photographs of the various birds that have taken over the Island, but I did detect some smug smiles on the Black Vultures Condors...
Here's a sketch:
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Bonus: Here are some old photos I scanned in a long time ago. And I'm willing to bet they're from Discovery Island in it's heyday. Click for... bigger, but still blurry.
And just recently, a photographer has posted on his blog about his adventure sneaking onto the Island late at night. The resulting photographs are like one part "Jurassic Park", two parts "Lost". Amazing!
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I found out -I literally just found out through a random website run by an exhibitor- that Anime Boston is happening... today (and, well, the rest of this weekend.) I don't think I can skip Easter to attend this event, but I figured I should give my readers a head's up. Also, attendees, don't take your nerd rage out on random people from New Hampshire, OK?
By the way, last weekend had PAX East (I didn't even realize and, frankly, that seemed more up my ally than this weekend's con), the FIRST Robotics competition, and the Flower Show; next weekend is Boston Comicon. There are going to be some exhausted nerds in the northeast. I'd never expect all these events to run all at the same time.
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Hey remember when I said that the promotional photo of the guy playing Aang in the not-exactly-hotly-anticipated live-action "Avatar" movie was everything anyone would ever have to say about film adaptations of animated series conveniently summed up by one picture? Yeah. I now have an even *better* promotional picture that will handily sum up everything anyone would ever have to say about film adaptations of animated series. Here it is. I will warn you, I am linking it instead of embedding it because it at worst will make your eyes bleed and at best will make you just... just not care anymore. (Plus, it is bound to scare some children.)
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It's Easter Weekend! Celebrate with a three-part review of a thematically appropriate movie trilogy at The Realm!----
Feederwatch Friday!
Admit it, you're going to miss this.
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1
American Robin 1
Song Sparrow 2
House Sparrow 11
