Weekly Update 4/23 - 4/29

Hello all! Thought I would keep the ball rolling with another post this week. This past week has been filled with weird moments where I would want to watch a film. Then twenty minutes later I would stop and read some comics, then started playing a game to keep my attention. Yikes.

Films 

Cronos directed by Guillermo del Toro

This week I had the urge to crack open my Guillermo del Toro box set, the "Trilogia del Toro" as I've started calling it, which consists of del Toro's three Spanish films that all have similar themes of childhood and fantasy. His first film, Cronos, is a quasi-vampire film. However del Toro puts a unique spin on it, which impressed me. Overall it was a good horror-fantasy film that helped scratch that itch I was hoping it would. Definitely going to continue on with the next film in that collection, The Devil's Backbone, which is arguably tied with Pan's Labyrinth as his best film yet.

Gifted directed by Marc Webb

My girlfriend and I went to see Gifted this week. We had both seen trailers and decided to give it a shot. To summarize, Chris Evans plays an uncle, Frank, whose niece, Mary, is a math prodigy. All hell breaks lose when Mary goes to school and everyone finds out she is a genius. Was it great in a film making sense? No. Was the story compelling and possibly made me shed a tear or two? Absolutely. I won't spoil the movie, but I would recommend this if you are in the mood for a feel good movie.


Comics

Single Issues Rundown:

-Moon Knight #11-12 (Jeff Lemire)
-Royal City #1 (Jeff Lemire)
-Black Hammer # 7 (Jeff Lemire)
-Wonder Woman #16 (Greg Rucka)
-She Wolf #6-7 (Rich Tommaso)
-The Wildstorm #1 (Warren Ellis)
-God Country # 1-3 (Donny Cates)
-Redneck #1 (Donny Cates)
-Curse Words #1 (Charles Soule)

The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

This week I finished the second deluxe volume of the popular zombie series The Walking Dead. Which collects issues 13-24 of this never ending series. I was not a huge fan of the first volume of the comic, I found it to be far too slow and the dialogue definitely seemed like Kirkman was still fumbling around with his writing to find that match. Fortunately the second volume really picks up, if you have seen the show, we are currently inside the prison, all of the relationships start to strain and all of the death one can stomach in a short amount of time is packed into this second twelve issues. I never thought I would say this, but I am actually looking forward to continuing on in this tale of survival horror.

Essex County by Jeff Lemire

Having started my Lemire read-though well over a month and a half ago, I decided it was time to head back in. Having read Lost Dogs and been utterly crushed emotionally by Jeff's raw storytelling and art to match, I was fearful for my fragile emotions when thinking about starting what is arguably his greatest work, Essex County. I read the first book in the series of three, Tales from the Farm, and I have to say, I was impressed, but not emotionally stirred like I was with the Lost Dogs. I am only a third of the way through the series, so maybe Jeff has some cards up his sleeve that he is going to paper-cut my feelings with later. I would highly recommend what I have read so far though!

The Nightly News by Jonathan Hickman

This week I decided to start my Hickman read-through, with or without his Marvel material (sigh...), and The Nightly News was an excellent first entry to him. A story about the media and a cult that wants to destroy it, Hickman defies the typical layout and design of a comic and uses his art design background to craft a beautifully intricate work of comic art. Overall I enjoyed this book, reminded me of The Black Monday Murders, Hickman's newest comic, with all of its tables and diagrams. Would recommend for sure!


Video Games

The Witcher 3 by CD Projekt RED

I've been slowly making my way through this massive behemoth of a game. The lore is rich and the world is filled with interesting characters, quests, and denizens. Hoping to beat this soon so I can plunge into my next game, Mafia 3. Overall these games are just biding my time as I painfully wait for Red Dead Redemption 2 and Death Stranding.


This Week's Pick-Ups:

Had a few cool things come in this week and last week.

Hellboy Library Editions Volumes 1 through 3 (Mike Mignola)
B.P.R.D. Omnibus Hardcovers Volumes 1 through 4
Hellboy: Into The Silent Sea OGN
Amazing Screw-On-Head Hardcover

The Complete Phonogram Hardcover (Kieron Gillen)

Red Wing TPB (Jonathan Hickman)
Red Mass for Mars TPB
Secret TPB

Head Lopper Volume 1 (Andrew Maclean)

Roughneck Hardcover (Jeff Lemire)

Dead Boy Detectives (Ed Brubaker)

Gravel: Never A Dull Day Hardcover (Warren Ellis)


Well that's that. Hope you enjoyed the first Weekly Update. As always, tune in next week to hear more of my ramblings about all things art!


“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”

T.F. signing off

Welcome

Hello! Thanks for checking out my blog! My name is Trevor, but from this point forward I will be going by my initials: T.F . I created this blog as a way to streamline my consumption of art into one spot.

I am a huge comic book fan, but not in the traditional sense, my tastes in comics are generally geared towards independent publishers, writers, artists, and cartoonists. Some of my favorites include Ed Brubaker, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, and Kieron Gillen. In my opinion, there are comics that have transcended the medium and should be considered high art. I read comics because they are what I consider to be a happy medium of my two other favorite art forms: film and literature.

I have always been an avid reader, more so when I was younger, I do however still enjoy reading a good novel from time to time. Some of my favorite authors are H.P. Lovecraft, R.A. Lafferty, Thomas Pynchon, and Neil Gaiman. Books have always been my escape into worlds that I thought were only possible to get to in my imagination. Obviously, there are others with far more active and imaginative minds than my own.

My third hobby, which is also my most recently acquired, is film. I was one of those people who only watched big blockbuster movies for as long as I can remember. In the fall of 2016 I discovered that film is one of the most inventive and imaginative art forms ever created, thanks to companies like The Criterion Collection. It opened my mind to the wonders and experiences that can be crafted by an individual. Some of my favorite directors, keep in mind I have only recently started watching films, would be Terrence Malick, Joel and Ethan Coen, Richard Linklater, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Guillermo del Toro.

So, that's a little bit about me. Some of my other hobbies that I will more than likely dive into from time to time include music and video games. Pretty eclectic right?

Overall my goal for this blog is to express my love for all art mediums in a way that allows me to write for fun and write about things I enjoy. Each week I hope to bring a list of art I have consumed and give a brief review/summary of them. From time to time I will do an Artist Spotlight, featuring an artist of any medium that I feel might interest people. I'm hoping that as time goes on, I will get suggestions so I can continue to better myself and this blog as a whole, so give me a shout if anything comes to mind.

"Don't be afraid to be different, being different is what makes you unique"

T.F. signing off