· books

#37…Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings

October 29, 2007 in adrian tomine, book reviews, books, drawn & quarterly, graphic novels | Permalink

#37. Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine. Graphic Novel/Collected Works. 4.5 Stars.

Adrian Tomine is, depending on the day, my second or third favorite artist, and regardless of the day probably my second favorite storyteller in the comics format (Jeffrey Brown remains number one…he may never be surpassed…we’ll see). Tomine (i finally learned, pronounced “To-mean”, after years of Adam and I arguing about the pronunciation) is an insanely talented artist. He also has a very natural way with writing conversation, and he paces a story more beautifully than almost anyone out there in the field.

I read Shortcomings, published by Drawn & Quarterly yesterday after buying it at Jim Hanley’s this weekend. I have read much of it before, and it’s a bit of a cheat to count it as a book considering it doesn’t take long to read, but I felt compelled to include it because it is so deserving considering it’s quality of being included. I am also desperate as I should be at about book number 41 or 42…and I’m obviously not there, so forgive me a bit. Shortcomings follows the story of Ben and Miko (and also Ben’s friend the delightful Alice) as Ben and Miko’s relationship follows a harrowing course. My favorite thing about Shortcomings, other than Tomine’s absolutely stunning artwork and panel layouts (his inking is insane!) is the realistic feeling of this story. It’s not all happy and it doesn’t tie up nicely, it’s messy, as relationships are. And there is hurt and drama, but without any real over the top drama, which is more how life usually is I think. This book is the kind of quality across the board (writing, art, pacing, production values, etc.) that I wish all comics/graphic novels could be, and rarely are these days. If you like comics, or are interested in trying some out, I highly recommend Tomine’s Shortcomings.

You may also want to check out Tomine’s Summer Blonde, 32 Stories, and Sleepwalk are all brilliant, and any one of them is a worthwhile purchase and read.

4.5 Stars

Look at this panel…I mean are you kidding me? GORGEOUS.

Such amazing work and detail, yet it remains fluid and natural, not tight.

I tried to post an image of the cover…but it’s not working.

#36. Tell Me Why

October 12, 2007 in book reviews, books, graphic design, savannah college of art and design | 2 comments

#36. karlssonwilker inc.’s Tell Me Why: The First 24 Months of a New York Design Company. By Clare Jacobson. 4 Stars.

This book was a huge departure for me content wise, and was also a huge surprise. I read it for work, as our business model is changing slightly and may begin soon to include graphic design.

I have been doing some of the graphic design for our company for the last two years, but barely had time to touch it, but we hired someone new for the office and so for the last six months I have been doing a lot more of it. I’ve been loving it, but it has also been scaring me silly as I actually dropped out of my University of Arizona graphic design classes so that I could transfer to The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) that offered degrees in sequential art, comic books to the layman. I know, stupid. But what’s done is done.

So, to suddenly be doing something that I kind of gave up on more than 10 years ago (wow…I’m getting so old) is weird. It’s also incredibly exciting, especially since it is the first time in my life that I’m doing work that is something I like and something I’m good at (other than being “organized” and “responsible” and all the other things that you either are good at or get good at when you work in administration for so long). I’m also working with a boss that is completely nurturing and encouraging and supportive…and a good man. I know. I got really really lucky. But luck scares me sometimes, so I’m having trouble sleeping these days as my imagination concocts bizarre (but realistic) ways for me to screw this up. That’s what brought me to Tell Me Why. I was buying a bunch of graphic design books for our office online, everything from stuff about printing and contracts to basic logo design books. Nothing is more inspiring and helpful than books. I love them, and so does my boss. Which makes it easy to say “let’s start building a graphics library.”

While shopping, when I read the full title of Tell Me Why…”the first twenty four months of a new york design firm”…I thought that it sounded right up my and my firm’s alley. Although we have great experience in design, we don’t have this kind of design experience, just some raw talent, so who better to learn from then some people who started out a similar way. And the book is SO good. I read it in 4 or 5 hours in one sitting and I was just completely transfixed. I feel I learned a lot that will benefit my firm in a practical way, but more importantly there was some kind of zen knowledge of reading about the travails of Karlsson and Wilker that calmed me (and will hopefully help me sleep). They have a beautiful way of looking at things and it shows in their design and in the people they are.

I suppose that is what is most impressive, you get the distinct feeling that both Karlsson and Wilker, though they went through much in those first two years (and I assume went through much more since then) they never seemed to lose their selves…they remained incredibly true to who they were. I suspect in the end that is/will be what makes them so much better than so many other firms and designers out there. And what will keep their clients coming back.

Additionally, what makes this book so much better than other “vanity projects” that design firms tend to produce…and “retrospective looks at their ‘best’ work” is that this book is incredibly honest. They tell it how it really happened, mistakes and all. All the designs are there so you can see what worked and what didn’t and the commentary about all the projects in unflinchingly honest without ever being cruel. They sometimes learned why something didn’t work and were able to avoid that the next time and sometimes they didn’t figure it out and admit they are still scratching their heads. This kind of honesty is unheard of…well almost anywhere these days, but certainly in business, and I for one appreciate the hell out it.

I can’t recommend this book enough to graphic designers, especially those just starting out. I’d also recommend it to any creative person that runs or wants to run their own business. It’s a great honest look at how it happened for these two guys and I think a lot can be learned from just reading and absorbing it fully. I don’t know if I’d recommend it to business majors/graduates as they would probably be very frustrated with how backwards Karlsson and Wilker often behave (sometimes it doesn’t seem like a way to run a business) but you can’t argue with their success and if you’ve got any creativity in you at all you might love it, and learn something.

4 stars.

I couldn’t find a picture of the book online, but here is a link to their website where they talk about their book:

http://www.karlssonwilker.com/tellmewhy.html

#35 Lady Into Fox by David Garnett

October 9, 2007 in book reviews, books, mcsweeney's | 4 comments

#35. Lady Into Fox. David Garnett. Fiction. 4.0 stars

This is a fascinating little reprint from an original 1922 book by McSweeney’s – The Collins Library Division. I wasn’t sure what to expect when reading this book and picked it up largely based on my devotion to McSweeney’s, the intriguing title and the gorgeous nature of the reprint, which includes the original woodcut illustrations.

I was happily surprised when I finally sat down with this little gem. It is shocking how much you end up feeling for the main character Mr. Tebrick, husband of Mrs Silvia Tebrick who does quite quickly in the story literally turn into a fox. By page 5 Silvia is a fox and I found myself wondering how on earth Garnett was going to keep this interesting.

Boy was a I wrong. The real story is the mental breakdown of the heartbroken Mr. Tebrick as he tries at all costs to keep his wife, now a fox, in his life. Initially it is easy for him (really for them both) and he dotes on her and she on him and their love remains chastely alive, but the longer she remains a fox the more wild she becomes and the more of her humanity her husbands sees (and feels) slip away, until it is like she is caged unwillingly and he her captor.

It is quite a heartbreaking story and leaving the “fable aspect” of her actually being a fox aside, it speaks volumes about relationships and what happens when a partner moves on and grows in a way that the other cannot follow. How the bonds of love are often not enough to keep two people, changing in different directions and at different rates, together. I was immersed in this world and shockingly found myself near tears on occasion. A great story. 4 stars.

#34 Transparency Stories by France Hwang

October 8, 2007 in book reviews, books, short fiction submissions | Permalink

#34 Transparency: Stories. Frances Hwang. Short Fiction. 3.5 Stars

These stories were haunting and beautiful overall, and while they did not link together directly as some collections do they had a similar tone and flavor that gave the collection a cohesiveness that was enjoyable. As usual with short fiction I was moved by some pieces more than others, but unlike many collections I read all of the stories were strong.

The Old Gentleman, Blue Hour, Transparency, and Sonata for the Left Hand were my favorites, but I can’t quite pinpoint why as they were written with the same beautiful ease as the other. I suppose I just connected a little more to the characters or what they were going through in these pieces than the others. I did feel that Hwang’s longer pieces were her stronger works, Remedies, The Modern Age, and Giving a Clock were for me the weaker of the bunch and also by far the shortest works.

Ironically enough the two last pieces in the collection, Intruders and Garden City, I enjoyed immensely, but they ended abruptly for me and left me wanting in a kind of desperate way. Perhaps this is what Hwang intended, but I confess to being disappointed considering how satisfied I felt with my favorites in the collection. In fact I feel and felt most connected to the character Susan in Intruders and was moved by this story above all others, but ultimately I felt a bit let down, but considering the nature of the piece, perhaps that is what Hwang wanted in me.

Overall a strong collection, that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys short fiction. 3.5 stars.

James Jean – Process Recess 2 out now

September 27, 2007 in art, artists, books, comics, james jean | Permalink

one of my all-time favorite artists (if not my absolute favorite) is James Jean. i just received this week (finally) his book Process Recess 2. it is stunning. Jean does a lot of comic book cover work for fables and many other publications…

…look familiar? but he also does a lot of ad work for places from Target to Playboy to Men’s Health and it all has one thing in common…it’s all insanely beautiful. there is something somehow haunting and creepy yet beautifully rendered about everything Jean does. i cannot recommend his work or his book enough. go here to read more about Process Recess and to buy one now! below are some other favorite images of mine by Jean…

fun with time travel

September 26, 2007 in books, dave eggers, mcsweeney's, writing | 3 comments

go now and read this great short fiction piece about time travel called Troubleshooting Guide for TimeCorp’s VH3928-Model Time Machine today by Jonathan Baude & J. Alex Boyd on the McSweeney’s site…it’s hilarious. definitely worth the read, especially if you’re a fan of the idea of time travel and the all the crazy nonsense that must come with it.

there is also this completely awesome selection of very short fiction pieces by three authors (Eggers, Manguso, and Olin Unferth), as a promo for their book called One Hundred And Forty-Five Stories In a Small Box. number 49 by Sarah Manguso, which you can read here, is a measly 73 words, and completely blew my mind. i love it when someone can blow my mind in only 73 words. i’ll be picking up this book as soon as humanly possible.

you should too.

non-fiction…what a shock.

September 4, 2007 in book reviews, books | Permalink

i read two more books this weekend, both non-fiction, which is not usually my style, although one is probably considered self-help more than non-fiction (self-help being even less my style) and the other, though in no way considered self-help by the world at large i read largely for “self-help” reasons. my this got complicated fast.

both books came to me on recommendation of my therapist. yes, i have a therapist. in fact, i believe it is required by law that you start seeing a therapist within two years of entering the state of New York (i made it just under the wire). anyway, both books were good recommendations, which i hope means i’m getting the right kind of mental help…okay, onto the reviews…

#30. Susie Orbach On Eating. By Susie Orbach. Self Help/Non-Fiction. 3 stars.

i’m giving this 3 stars for now, with the option to re-evaluate it after i have the chance to embrace some of her “teachings” this month. if the shit works then i reserve the right to raise it to 4 stars (hell, if the shit REALLY works then 5 stars here we come). what is good about this book, regardless of whether what Orbach preaches works for me or not is that this is the non-diet diet book, and not in the way that still means there is “diet” inside. Orbach talks about no diet. she just talks about living, which is incredibly refreshing. there is no health bar or microwave meal tie in. there are no “real-life” stories of stars (or normal folks), it’s just some common freaking sense…which made A LOT of sense.

Orbach has five basic rules about food and life, that actually are pretty basic and are probably how people used to eat and live back before we all became obsessed with being thin and living up to unrealistic ideals and waif looks…when people were more concerned with real problems (survival?) than with the more vain (and i include myself here) problems of looking like the latest best looking bitch on the block.

Orbach does say that people’s bodies have a personal set point that our bodies are comfortable with. i’ve always believed this personally (depsite the fact that i know for a fact that my body’s set point is far lower than where i’ve put myself) but i have many beautiful female friends that live their lives unhappily, or who don’t quite live at all because of those final ten pounds they can’t manage to shake. i just want to shake them and say “Your body has a personal set point! You are at that set point! Just be happy and live damnit!” i somehow suspect this would not go over well.

anyway, i think everyone, or at least every woman should read this book, even if it doesn’t work (we’ll see) then at least it gives a person a different way about thinking about this life pbsession that has somehow grabbed us while we weren’t looking and overcome everything that life was supposed to be about.

#31. Lust In Translation: The Rules of Infidelity from Tokyo to Tennessee. Pamela Druckerman. Non-Fiction. 3.5 stars.

this is not my kind of book, but i enjoyed it enough to think about exploring some other non-fiction that i’ve been interested in lately. i read this for edification and to a lesser extent “self-help purposes”. i’ve been thinking a lot about infidelity this year (long story, don’t ask) and this book was both really helpful and also upsetting.

it’s hard for me to review non-fiction with any kind of intelligence, since i’m sadly so out of my depth in the field. suffice to say i learned a great deal from this book and i felt it was well pieced together and well researched. though the facts and percentages were necessary, they were certainly the least interesting aspects of the book, most riveting were the author’s personal stories and experiences, which were often fascinating.

on a personal note, i find infidelity infinitely depressing. i have to admit and accept that it is a reality in the world and more specifically in my life and the lives of people all around me. this is, as said, infinitely depressing. it also has created an issue with me and men (a group i BARELY trusted prior to this past year) and it has amped up my interest in militant feminism (which i have also had to accept i will never achieve, i’m just not the girl for it, i want to be, but i’m just not).

here’s the bottom line i guess for me at this point in my life: the person i am closest to in my life is a man. he is my best friend and just about my everything. yet i have learned that ultimately, no matter how much i want to trust him and give over everything to him in the pursuit of romantic love and a happy future together, i must keep part of myself removed, because ultimately i cannot trust him, not necessarily because of who he is, but just because of who people are. people belong only to themselves and as much as i want he and i to possess one another, it can just never be as complete as i’d like it to be. i doubt he would like hearing this (and he will i’m sure read it here and not like it) but i suspect that he does the same thing in our relationship, but perhaps with less deliberate intention, perhaps just with a more natural survival instinct. i suppose i just find it truly and heartbreakingly sad that someone wants to give so much of themselves, but has been hurt too badly to be able to do that in their lives. after reading this book i know that the one thing i am in the world, is not alone in being hurt.

maybe time heals it, i have no idea, although i guess i’ll find out.

suffice to say a tough read, but i’m glad i read it.

traveling with paul auster

September 2, 2007 in book reviews, books | 11 comments

#29. Travels In The Scriptorium. Paul Auster. Fiction. 4 stars.

switched it up to a straight fiction novel, instead of a short fiction collection this week, and really enjoyed myself. i have previously only read Auster’s City of Glass and that was long ago (while in college which was shockingly long ago actually) and i feel i’ll have to give it another read. all i remember of City of Glass was feeling really really depressed. but i’m depressed these days whether reading a depressing book or not, so i suspect i’ll have a lot more intelligent thoughts about it on a second, more mature read.

i really enjoyed Travels In The Scriptorium, despite the fact that there is very little closure and i was left with more questions than answers by the time i finished. perhaps it bothered me less not to have closure here than in Beattie’s Follies because in Follies i knew it was going to happen to me over and over again, whereas in Auster’s novel i knew it was just going to be the one time. i’m not sure.

Travels was beautifully written and totally engaging from page one. i think the lack of closure might be frustrating for a lot of people as it really does leave you completely hanging about both what happened to the characters to bring them to this moment in the novel, and also what will happen to them in the future. you really learn very little and much is left to the imagination. would i prefer this book if Auster had spent another 150+ pages filling in the gaps? maybe. but there is a story within a story in Travels and that informs much of what i suspect Auster wants you to do on your own.

as said previously, i remember little of City of Glass, but i suspect this style (and how much is given and withheld) is vintage Auster, and so fans of his will likely not be disappointed. it was very interesting. beautifully executed. 4 stars.

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