The opening scene in “Moonhead and the Music Machine,” Andrew Rae‘s new graphic novel, reminds me of a short story by P.G. Wodehouse about a boy who struggles with always being late for breakfast at his boarding school. Too bad he couldn’t have used such an excuse as having a moon for a head. However, Joey, our main character in this fabulous work of comics does have a moon for a head! The panels with Joey’s moonhead catching some more winks while his body trudges off to high school is pure comics magic. It turns out that Joey can tune out the world at will and have an out-of-body experience any time he likes. This might have been a bit too much for Wodehouse to process in his day but he probably would have approved.
Farel Dalrymple has distinguished alienated youth to a high level with his comics. There is that distinctive deadpan stare from a young person confronting some great threat. We never know for sure what that young person is thinking. Are they afraid? Most likely. But putting on a good poker face will help. In “The Wrenchies,” Dalrymple’s much anticipated new graphic novel, he offers up another side of the Apocalypse filled with kids who are fighting the good fight. And then he takes it a step further, and step further after that, to deliver a robust and mature work for all to enjoy. This is Dalrymple’s moment, his skills coming together to say it all in one big book worthy of, you name it, Dr. Seuss, Ray Bradbury, the Beatles, the Ramones, really, name a creative genius you love and this book ranks right up there.
Lucy Knisley is a wonderfully observant cartoonist. There wasn’t anything quite like her comics journal, “French Milk,” when it was first published in 2007, and it has grown in stature ever since. It’s a fun read, first of all. It’s also a gentle push forward in what the comics medium is capable of. Knisley has created a number of other works with that same personal quality. Her more recent notable work is “Relish,” published by First Second in 2013. In this work, the narrative is tighter and the drawing more refined in keeping with the book’s structured theme. For this interview, there is some comparison of these two works and some thoughts on what lies ahead for comics.
We begin with thoughts on M.F. Fisher, a master at storytelling that made a fine mix of memoir and writing on food. Fisher’s first published book was “Serve it Forth,” in 1937. And, like the title implies, the pages within contain words that express an uncanny zest for life, and food. Nowadays, it seems like we’re all foodies. But only a few can claim to be standard-bearers to Fisher to any degree. I started thinking about that in terms of what Knisley is doing and that is where our conversation takes off.
You can find out more about Lucy Knisley by visiting her site here as well as visiting our friends at First Second Books right here.
Visitors select comics products during the 9th China International Comics Games Expo (CCG Expo) in Shanghai, east China, July 11, 2013. A total of 325 animation and game companies from home and abroad took part in the five-day expo, which kicked off here on Thursday. [Photo: Xinhua/Liu Xiaojing]
Entering its 10th anniversary, CCG EXPO must be quite an event. For us in the West, we’d do well to take a closer look. How many comics and game creators in China are you aware of? We’ll give you some time to think that over.
China Daily: CCG EXPO 2014-The 10th China International Cartoon & Game Expo(CCG EXPO) is held by People’s Republic of China Ministry of Culture and Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and organized by Shanghai Municipal Culture, Radio Broadcasting, Film and Television Administration and Shanghai Media Group co., LTD. (SMG). So far, it has been successfully 8 times. SInce the 1st Exhibition, after 8 years, annual CCG EXPO has featured as professional, international, high-level, large-scale. Now, this event aims to give the priority to B2B and partially depends on B2C.
A man and woman with supernatural powers enter the city with ill tempers and a need to act out their frustrations. Not a good night for them or anyone near them. However, there’s more than a good chance that their destination, a luxury hotel with charm to spare, may contain their anxiety and solve their problems beyond their wildest dreams. That’s the story behind the title piece in “A Night at the Sorrento and Other Stories,” a collection of short works in comics plus a full length work (available here). Every story here finds characters at various turning points. It makes for good entertainment, I think, and it should prove a fun introduction to works in comics by yours truly.
Do you think it’s hard to find comics that you can relate to on a human scale? Hopefully, that’s not the case but, for a lot of readers out there, it may seem confusing. Well, the comics medium offers such a vast and wide assortment of possibilities. Consider the story of Wilhelmina Huckstep, “Will” for short, who is a talented and beautiful young woman who has one Achilles’ heel. She’s sort of afraid of her own shadow. More specifically, she’s afraid of the dark.
Like a lightning strike, Gene Luen Yang’s new graphic novel, “Boxers & Saints,” is charged with energy. It is pure comics in the sense that it is immersive, dynamic, and holds you with a powerfully consistent pace. Much in the way that Jeff Smith’s comics command the page, you enter a very animated and colorful world when you read the work of Gene Luen Yang. And speaking of colors, Lark Pien provides a palette with an artist’s sensitivity. This is a most remarkable hero’s journey that, at once, is familiar and quite different and specific.
This is a story about China being thrown into the modern age with all its bloody consequences. It is told in two volumes. The first volume is the main story focusing on the Boxer Rebellion as seen from the vantage point of a rebel leader, Little Bao. The second volume is a look at those Chinese citizens who accepted the Christian faith as seen from the vantage point of an average young woman with grand aspirations, Vibiana. You can place both books facing up and you have half a portrait of Bao and half a portrait of Vibiana that together provide a full picture to a complex story. These two characters never get to know each other. Their lives only briefly touch. The reader gets to see how they connect in a profound way.
“Boxers & Saints” takes graphic novels to a new level. It’s that good. While we hear endless theorizing on the potential of the comics medium and what has yet to be surveyed in this new art frontier, here we have a work that is grounded in the best comics tradition of precision and consistency and, as a bonus, seems to effortlessly break new ground. You have two stories, of different scope yet equal in their impact. They can be read separately but, together, prove to be a powerful whole. This is something of a first: two volumes, one ostensibly the main story at 325 pages; and the second volume that fills in some essential gaps as a parallel story. And, at 170 pages, it carries a similar impact as the first volume. I have not seen anything quite like this before. Maybe you have. But at such an exceptional level? No, I don’t think so.
The Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) is the focus here. And while this is also a story of self-discovery, it is very much a valuable, and highly accessible, history lesson. Take a look at the Boxer Rebellion and you get a deeper sense of the heart and soul of China and where it’s coming from today. If not for this event, the superpowers of that time, on a path to take over China, would have had no motivation to pause and control their urge to plunder. Considering such a volatile topic, Yang manages to immerse himself in the subject and pluck out gems of wisdom.
A French political cartoon depicting China as a pie about to be carved up by Queen Victoria (Britain), Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany), Tsar Nicholas II (Russia), Marianne (France) and a samurai (Japan), while a Chinese mandarin helplessly looks on. (Wikipedia)
The way Yang sees it, there’s something to be said for the Boxer rebels mirroring today’s geek culture. The Boxer youth learned about the Chinese gods through opera, which was the pop culture of the day. That is precisely what we see our main character, Little Bao, wrapped up in. He loves opera! He can’t read or write and is essentially ignorant, like all his peers in the village he lives in. However, he has a window into culture and the rest of the world. It is through regular viewing of these popular street performances that he learns about Chinese gods, much in the same way that comic books provide a window into the world of myth. And it is this passion that leads Little Bao to want to be like his heroes, similar to the passion demonstrated by today’s cosplay.
It’s that deep love of Chinese gods that gives Little Bao his sense of identity and the inner strength to fight for his country as a Boxer rebel leader against the “foreign devils” with their various interests and agendas. Christian indoctrination is the key point of conflict.
But things are never that simple. Once you’ve seen one imperialist, you’ve seen them all, but Yang asks the reader to consider another point of view. While any Chinese citizen who embraces the Westerner’s Christianity is looked upon by the Boxers as nothing but disloyal to the people’s cause, we read the story of one Chinese girl’s Christian faith in volume two. With as much sincerity as Little Bao, the girl only known as Four Girl finds her place in life. It’s not with her abusive family. It’s among the Christians. She joins the faith and becomes Vibiana.
There’s a fleeting moment early in volume one when Little Bao sees this girl and instantly senses some connection. He spots her while she is making a devilish grimace of her face. He has no idea what it all means and concludes that he is destined to see her again. It is one of many perfectly timed moments in this book. What Yang does to briefly connect these two precious lives coming from opposite ends is magical and powerful. Together, Little Bao and Vibiana provide us with a whole story, a face to China, and a window for the reader.
Below is a quick video recap:
“Boxers & Saints” is a two volume set published by First Second which you can visit here. And also be sure to visit Gene Luen Yang at his website here.
“Beautiful Creatures ” available on Blu-ray Combo pack, DVD and Digital Download 5/21
“Beautiful Creatures ” available on Blu-ray Combo pack, DVD and Digital Download 5/21
“Claim yourself!” is the cry that goes out to all teens in the supernatural romance, “Beautiful Creatures.” Don’t listen to your mother. Don’t listen to the others. Just follow your instincts. It is the best advice that the lead character, Lena Duchannes (played by Alice Englert) could ask for.
What is a supernatural romance without some romance? Well, the chemistry between Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert is utterly unmistakable. It happens naturally, sweetly and quickly. And we have an interesting twist to young adult tales. This one is told with a nod to the boy’s point of view. We begin with an intriguing scene that establishes Ethan Wate (played by Alden Ehrenreich) as not only the young man with big dreams of becoming a writer but with a possible supernatural connection. He has this recurring dream of a mysterious beautiful young woman but strands of her hair keep blocking her face from view. There are hints of the Civil War. A violent death, his own, always ends the dream.
Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert
Life in Gatlin, South Carolina will never be the same when, at the start of his junior year in high school, Ethan Wate first meets the new girl in town, Lena Duchannes. For Lena, it is nonstop torment from the other girls who suspect the worst about Lena. They’re convinced that she’s some kind of witch. Everyone in town knows, or thinks they know, about Ravenwood mansion and the strange goings-on surrounded with that place and the reclusive Macon Ravenwood (played by Jeremy Irons) who owns most of the town. No one can understand why his niece would suddenly show up and start going to the local high school. Only Ethan takes the time to be friendly to Lena and it’s not long before he’s smitten. It’s that book she’s reading that triggers the connection: “You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense,” by Charles Bukowski. Ethan asks if it’s any good. Lena asks him to define “good.” Ethan, once he starts in on a copy of his own, concludes that Bukowski is a god.
Jeremy Irons, Alice Englert, and Alden Ehrenreich
And what is a supernatural romance without the supernatural? There’s plenty to find here and it creeps up on you. Primarily, it’s all about the characters. Lena is in a major crisis. On her 16th birthday, Lena will learn her true fate. As for her being a witch, that’s yes and no. As she corrects Ethan, the preferred term is “caster.” If Ethan was ignorant to the supernatural before, he quickly picks up on it. There is no end to what people in his life can teach him: Amma, (played by Viola Davis) who has raised him; Mrs. Lincoln, (played by Emma Thompson) who is determined to control him; and Ridley Duchannes, (played by Emmy Rossum) who is determined to destroy him. Only Macon Ravenwood means the boy well by keeping him as far away from Lena as possible. It’s up to Ethan and Lena to find another way.
“Beautiful Creatures” has a texture and authenticity about it that raises it high amongst the rising crop of supernatural young adult movies. It’s as if it is working in its own world on its own terms not concerned with trends. Of course, people pick up on that and they love it. Screenwriter and director Richard LaGravenese (“Water for Elephants,” “P.S. I Love You”) has captured the spirit and essential details of the novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The stage is certainly set to move forward with a franchise and bring to the screen the rest of the series. That can surely happen. There’s such a sturdy foundation to work from with strong characters and a thrilling story.
“Beautiful Creatures” is available on DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and digital download starting on May 21 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. And keep in mind that the Blu-ray Combo Pack includes 30 minutes of Bonus Features: Book to Screen, The Casters, Between Two Worlds, Forbidden Romance, Alternate Worlds, Beautiful Creatures: Designing the Costumes, ICONS by Margaret Stohl (Book Trailer), Deleted Scenes, and Theatrical Trailers. The Bonus Features are well worth it as you get some in-depth observations from the cast as well as the director and the authors of the novel. Plus, there is a healthy amount of behind-the-scenes discussion on special effects and costume design. Also, on specially marked Blu-ray discs, DVDs and Digital Downloads, you will find UltraViolet, which allows you to create a digital collection of movies and TV shows on a wide spectrum of devices.
Comics Grinder recommends a new show on Nicktoons that has it all: skateboarding teens in NYC who share one big problem that will require a huge leap of faith. You see, one of them is missing their dad. The only way they’re going to find him is to carefully study for clues through the pages of the comic book series he created. And this involves extraterrestrials in a very big way.
Yeah buddy, somebody’s dad is missing. You don’t think these guys are going to do whatever it takes to find him? Of course, they are. Even if their lives turn into something from “The X-Files.”
![Visitors select comics products during the 9th China International Comics Games Expo (CCG Expo) in Shanghai, east China, July 11, 2013. A total of 325 animation and game companies from home and abroad took part in the five-day expo, which kicked off here on Thursday. [Photo: Xinhua/Liu Xiaojing]](https://i0.wp.com/comicsgrinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ccg-expo-2013.jpg?ssl=1)
