Comics Grinder was recently bestowed the honor of being Freshly Pressed by the WordPress community. What does that mean, you ask? For those of you not familiar with WordPress, it means that Comics Grinder has found its place under the sun and joined the honor roll of Freshly Pressed blogs worthy of note. This is a grid that displays a total of 27 entries from various blogs published on WordPress.com. Each day, three more blog posts enter the ring and move the line along.
Okay, so why should you care? There are a number of good reasons. For one thing, to be Freshly Pressed is sort of a seal of approval. You shouldn’t let it go to your head or take it too seriously but, if you should be Freshly Pressed, you should feel pretty good about yourself, and your blog. A happy and self-confident blogger means better blog posts! Yes, it is a great motivator to keep on carrying on.
Once Freshly Pressed, you never go back.
You feel a stronger sense of community. You cannot help but bask in the glow of acknowledgment. You know you must have been doing something right.
A lot of factors go into being chosen to be Freshly Pressed. I believe it has to do with the overall quality of your blog: its consistency, its sense of style, and its relevance. Ah, yes, relevance. Often, a blog post that is chosen for this honor is reflecting something that is currently going on in the world.
The post that was showcased from my blog is an interview I conducted with illustrator Jessie Hartland about her new graphic novel, “Steve Jobs: Insanely Great.” Now, the new movie is out, “Steve Jobs,” with a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Here’s the thing, Jessie Hartland struck a balance with the multitude of facts about a most exceptional person. In this new film, it is well understood that Aaron Sorkin takes no prisoners and goes straight for the jugular in attempting to cast Mr. Jobs in the darkest light possible. I am curious about seeing the film but I don’t have to see it. Maybe I’ll wait until it’s on DVD or not see it at all. I think Mr. Sorkin is prone to overkill in the same way as Oliver Stone. And I wonder what sort of treatment Sorkin would get in a Sorkin-like screenplay.
Mr. Sorkin should be ashamed of himself, if that were even possible for man with such an outsized ego. He has written a story about Steve Jobs that robs him of his humanity. An analysis in Fast Company of the real Steve Jobs and Sorkin’s sad, sad portrayal is well worth reading. Here’s a quick excerpt from the essay by Rick Tetzeli, Executive Editor of Fast Company:
The real man was a real man. He was complicated, and therefore could be mean, pig-headed, and wrong even on his best days. But he only became truly great because he was able to learn, grow, harness his strengths, and mitigate his weaknesses. Sorkin’s vision doesn’t capture any of this.
So, I’m very happy to have helped in my small way to spread the word about Jessie Hartland’s fair and thoughtful depiction of the life of a man who we can all, warts and all, look up to.
If you’re considering seeing the Sorkin movie or are curious about getting a good look at Steve Jobs, then seek out Jessie Hartland’s book.
Hi Henry, congratulations on being Freshly Pressed! And thanks for doing this post because it really gave a nice and clean idea about what FP is really about.
Looking forward to read more from you 🙂
Have a great day!
Thanks, Heena. I appreciate your comments! Yes, I do think it helps for folks to get a better sense of the world of WordPress.
Good for you! 🙂
Thank you, Ashley!
Many congratulations. I know I said it before but these are my official congratulations 🙂 Respect, sir. It’s such a recognition to be Freshly Pressed and well deserved I shall bask in the reflected glory of being a follower. Here’s to you and the blog Slainte mhath (cheers) I’ll raise a glass later 🙂
Thank you, Anne! I always appreciate your support and thoughtful comments! Cheers!
Hi there, Henry.
I read a couple of reviews for the movie and they do seem to side with how this portrayal might not be ideal. I think this is also a reflection of most movies coming from Hollywood that are trying out the ‘balancing act’ of trying to be politically collect to rack in those high figures. It’s nice to have other forms of media like Jessie’s book that are willing to challenge this notion.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed, and keep it up with the good work!
Thanks, Zack! I think Sorkin got it right with his depiction of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. And I admired Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal. Here is a case where some poetic license got to a greater truth. But, in the case of Sorkin’s sensationally dark take on Steve Jobs, how is that getting to a greater truth?
Congratulations on being FP’d. I liked Walter Issacson’s biography of Jobs and will see the movie on DVD, or streaming, eventually. It can be tough to see our heroes’ warts and lumps, but such is life.
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Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments, Allan. I think all this makes me now want to read the Issacson biography. I wholly disagree with Sorkin’s assertion that he can do as he pleases with the story of Steve Jobs in the name of art. He takes some aspects and virtually creates lies out of whole cloth.
The book is an excellent read, we’ll see about the film…
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Thanks for stopping by, Allan! Hope to have you visit again. I like what you’re up to at your blog.
Very nice, Henry. Thanks for the kind words.
You’re very welcome, Jessie!
Sadly the less than human side of characters is all too often seen in popular culture. Why is it that popular culture so often tries to sell us the worst possible version of our selves? It’s wonderful when people do what they can to set the record straight. Congratulations on your blogging award. Very much deserved! And a what a great article to be recognized for!
Thanks so much, Lee, for your thoughtful comments. I think Mr. Sorkin is going to learn from this one–or not. This is a case where poetic license is just not adding up.
Your welcome. Why do these guys think they can get away with such distorted garbage when people can clarify at the push of a button. It’s only going to alienate a large chunk of the viewing audience. An interesting follow up to that post would be a top ten list of bio pics that committed commercial suicide by insulting the intelligence of audiences. There is sometimes a fine line between artistic licence and propaganda.
That would be an interesting list, Lee. I’d have to think that one over. In this case, Sorkin figured that going negative was for a heroic reason–Sorkin was being anti-corporation.
Casting him in such a negative way would have played into the hands his “establishment detractors” who branded him as an irresponsible threat and closed ranks on him. So if Sorkin was trying to make him hero it seems odd. I haven’t seen the movie yet so I’m probably not qualified to comment in this way but…
No, I meant that Sorkin felt he was being a hero by going so negative on Jobs. Sorkin is the ultimate “nothing is sacred” guy. Sorkin is being very shortsighted in this case.