I have been, and will continue to be, beholden to Starbucks, for they have been iinstrumental, in the the consistant solidity of reality, in this country since it's inception....
Note: Information about Starbucks can be obtained at their website.. what do I look like.. an Encyclopedia?
...anyway, as i was saying...
Reality, being the fragile thing that it is, has been shored up, for decades. At least in the the last decade, and at least in NYC. Which only goes to prove my point, that coffee is the only thing holding this country together. It's not religion, clear examples of how many will go to great lengths to go against their religion, to prove how superior it is.
It's not politics, as well evidenced in the repeated reminders of one administration, endlessly cleaning up after another's "Mission Accomplished". It boggles the mind to a near lobotomy, how our country can make history in one scene, and become the angry hordes of mindless, frightened throng in the next. For a visual depiction of this, refer to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), or a gathering of the Tea Party Movement.
It should be family, yet everyone knows that if you wake some parents, before their initial cup of coffee, you'll have your own re-enactment of Joan Crawford and the crucible of the wire hanger. But we love our parents, and if we don't, we should.
Let's take a moment, and think about coffee's role in the evolution and civilization of mankind. It was there on the table of the Inca's. And despite their rather abrupt dismissal, they were a marvelously advanced group of bipeds. It was considered more valuable than gold, in certain trading circles, in the golden triangle. It was present when the the west was won, along side Lewis & Clarke. Who not only owe their lives to Sacajawea but to that deep rich brew.
How many beverages other than Tang, were the first to go into orbit, with those courageous astronauts?
No, it wasn't tea, or any other such dainty refreshment. It was coffee, coffee, coffee. Coffee has marched along with us from the dawn of mankind (I'm sure there was coffee in the days of the early hominids, maybe no roasters however), to the golden age of technology and wonder. Wonders that give us coffee in so many varieties, one's head would swim, if it weren't so firmly affixed, by coffee.
So the next time you hear someone say... "This country's going to hell in a handbasket!" Slap a hot piping cup of dark-roasted "shut-up" (aka hot coffee), and see if it doesn't adjust their attitude.
The bean is good...all hail the bean!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
THIS COULD BE THE START OF SOMETHING...
It's Saturday afternoon, and I'm watching a movie instead of writing or drawing. It could be said what I'm doing is research and education. I'm watching the 1958 version of THE FLY (with Vincent Price, and numerous others), it's the best version in my opinion, for a a few reasons.
The first being, it's beautiful. In the heady days of Technicolor, there were few movies that lived up to the promise of vibrant, realistic depictions of real life. This version of the sci-fi classic did just that. It's as close to realistic color as the technology at the time could achieve.
The second reason, for a comic book artist, it's a tutorial. In it's way it the perfect example of visual storytelling, a comic book artist could find. Scene composition and pacing (especially in old sci-fi films), can almost be directly transferred from screen to page.
The third, is that not only is it intelligent science fiction, it's got the best mix of pulp and real (believe it or not) science. The original short story, written by George Langelaan, a man who's biography is nearly as fantastic as his work, was smart, and accurate. And the film itself was just as brilliant. Which given the time it was made, was no small feat.
Now, as I sit here in my chair at my desk, watching this movie, it dawns on me. In the best films there was and is always a storyboard artist. Considering the rare number of film directors, who aren't traditional illustrators, a storyboard artist was damn near crucial.
As well as the production designer. These two disciplines were required to master traditional illustration. In fact it was a pre-requisite. Now, not every production designer or storyboard artist was truly great at what they did, some where passable, other were just adequate. But look at the movies that are truly incredible, ad I'd bet dollars to donuts ( and I love me some donuts) that a truly stellar production designer and storyboard artist was behind the look and feel of the film. A few that come to mind are "Star Wars", "Chinatown" "Bladerunner", etc etc.
So, I've concluded that my first official blog post will be about my love of old sci-fi, comic books, and the artists behind both. Now, I'm going to get back to my education and research.
The first being, it's beautiful. In the heady days of Technicolor, there were few movies that lived up to the promise of vibrant, realistic depictions of real life. This version of the sci-fi classic did just that. It's as close to realistic color as the technology at the time could achieve.
The second reason, for a comic book artist, it's a tutorial. In it's way it the perfect example of visual storytelling, a comic book artist could find. Scene composition and pacing (especially in old sci-fi films), can almost be directly transferred from screen to page.
The third, is that not only is it intelligent science fiction, it's got the best mix of pulp and real (believe it or not) science. The original short story, written by George Langelaan, a man who's biography is nearly as fantastic as his work, was smart, and accurate. And the film itself was just as brilliant. Which given the time it was made, was no small feat.
Now, as I sit here in my chair at my desk, watching this movie, it dawns on me. In the best films there was and is always a storyboard artist. Considering the rare number of film directors, who aren't traditional illustrators, a storyboard artist was damn near crucial.
As well as the production designer. These two disciplines were required to master traditional illustration. In fact it was a pre-requisite. Now, not every production designer or storyboard artist was truly great at what they did, some where passable, other were just adequate. But look at the movies that are truly incredible, ad I'd bet dollars to donuts ( and I love me some donuts) that a truly stellar production designer and storyboard artist was behind the look and feel of the film. A few that come to mind are "Star Wars", "Chinatown" "Bladerunner", etc etc.
So, I've concluded that my first official blog post will be about my love of old sci-fi, comic books, and the artists behind both. Now, I'm going to get back to my education and research.
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