“In Real Life” is one of this year’s most intriguing graphic novels as it raises questions not asked often enough. A New York Times bestselling graphic novel written by Cory Doctorow and drawn by Jen Wang, it is the story of Anda, a gamer, who discovers a black market system through the friendship she makes with, Raymond, a poor boy in China. The focus is on what exploited people must do in order to survive and what can be done to help them rise up and out of their circumstances. But it’s also about the avatars we use to hide from the world. As is clearly depicted here, Anda has problems with the real world and her place in it.
Tag Archives: Lifestyle
Graphic Novel Review: Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang’s IN REAL LIFE
Filed under Comics, Cory Doctorow, First Second, Games, Geek Culture, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Jen Wang, Orbital Comics
Seattle Tattoo Expo 2014: Getting Inked
Do master tattoo artists make it look easy? Well, yes and no. There doesn’t seem to be anything easy about the world of tattoos. It’s a complex world. If you ask a seasoned pro what it takes to get into the business, you’re likely to be told that you just have to do it. Everyone learns differently. Maybe it will take someone a year or two to feel that they have some mastery of the needle. My thinking would be that, yes, just like anything else, it’s all about practice, practice, and more practice. There was one artist who strongly suggested the best way to learn is to get tattooed. I said I’d been tattooed. He just looked at me and said, “No, I mean really get tattooed!” And, of course, that said it all. If you want to jump into something in a significant way, you just gotta do it.
Filed under Seattle, Seattle Tattoo Expo, Tattoos
Book Review: ‘Art & Sole: A Spectacular Selection of More Than 150 Fantasy Art Shoes from the Stuart Weitzman Collection’ by Jane Gershon Weitzman
David, a new assistant at Comics Grinder marched right into the offices of CG. He had a rather sheepish grin on his face. I wasn’t sure what to make of his quick familiarity. Like past friends of CG, he had a treat for us to consider. But he wasn’t going to give it up until he gave me a little grief. “Alright then,” David said, “you have a thing for feet, don’t you?”
Comics to the Rescue: Garfield and the Shuttersong app
Comics! We love them and they can brighten our day. Consider this new app that brings to life Garfield in a whole new way. Think of it as the next fun way to photo message. With the free Shuttersong app, you can add music or voice to any image. Get it at the iTunes store here. Imagine what you could do with a distinctively orange and lazy cat.
Before Grumpy Cat was hip, there was Garfield – the quick-witted orange cartoon strip cat who loves lasagna, coffee, and his remote control. While he first burst onto the scene in 1978, today, Garfield carries some major social clout – nearly 10 million fans on Facebook and 43,000 Twitter followers. Garfield’s millions of fans love to view and share images of the comical kitty and, starting today, they can kick it up a notch. Using the Shuttersong free app, you can purchase exclusive packs of licensed Garfield images, add voice or a song clip into the image, and then share on your social networks.
Details follow from our friends at Shuttersong and Bare Tree Media:
Filed under Apps, Comics, Garfield, iTunes, Social Media
BALLARD COMICS #9
As our story continues, we finally check in at Ballard Inn. For longtime residents, Ballard Inn is a landmark. Now, it is part of the ownership behind the brand new Hotel Ballard and the revamped Olympic Athletic Club. We made sure to enjoy our complimentary access to Olympic Athletic Club. And we dined at Hotel Ballard’s restaurant, Stoneburner.
The combination of all this hospitality was a thrill for the senses indeed.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain
WHERE HAVE ALL THE HEROES GONE? Gloria Swanson and a Talk About How We Got Here From There
“Where have all the heroes gone?” asked Sherman. He asked this plainly and earnestly, without even a hint of irony. He looked to be about 16-years-old and not remarkable at first glance, just a kid. He wore a cardigan sweater, had messy hair, a well-worn t-shirt, jeans, and Converse high tops. Maybe a geek but not a proud geek.
Filed under Commentary, Creative Living, Culture, Essays, Facebook, Henry Chamberlain, Heroes, Hollywood, Internet, Media, movies, Silent Movies, Social Media, Superheroes, writing
Lost Cat: Fremont’s Grey is Missing.
Easter turned out to be a very nice day. I’ve just walked around my Seattle neighborhood of Fremont to surmise the current situation, take the pulse of the zeitgeist, and just get some fresh air. There’s a flyer I’ve seen a number of times and I thought I’d share it with you. Apparently, there’s this neighborhood cat, Grey, who loves to take strolls and just wander about. But he keeps getting picked up by well-intentioned people who turn him in to the local shelter! I had friends who were constantly compelled to pick up neighborhood pets they were certain they were lost only to find out that these pets were simply doing their own thing, not lost at all. Anyhow, as the above flyer makes clear, Grey, and his owner, have been dealing with this for quite some time and so a flyer went up pleading with people to just leave well enough alone. Here his Grey’s message in its entirety:
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Filed under Cats, Essays, Portlandia, Seattle
Tagged as Cat, Cats, coen brothers, Commentary, Dogs, Easter, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Lifestyle, Lists, Memoir, Pets, Pop Culture, Portlandia, Seattle, society, Writing