Chernobyl + 25
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Research
Some images from the Chernobyl zone, twenty-five years after the nuclear explosion.
They are making sure there are no problems as Chernobyl undergoes a three-stage decommissioning called “the final shutdown and preservation.” The complete closure of the station is scheduled for 2064.
Tags: Chernobyl, ghost town, nuclear power, Pripyat
Great Moments in Predation
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Research, Trash
We don’t hear a lot about Leopard Seals. But you know what?…
We really, really should.
Tags: leopard seal, nature, penguin, predation
Continuity Nerds
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Rants
I know you’re out there. I know you exist. I know, because I used to be just like you. It used to be hard not to bitch about costume usage and character appearances not making sense, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.
When you were kids, sure it was great knowing the events of Final Invasion led to the key chapters in Siege of Night. But the operative phrase in that context is “you were kids.”
Continuity isn’t intrinsically a bad thing, especially when it’s observed within the bounds of one writer’s story. Continuity in that regard is akin to Consistency. But when continuity becomes a thorn that hinders new stories from happening because it clashes with the events of past storylines, then it just becomes a pain.
You can’t condemn a new storyline just because it conflicts with minor details in another writer’s story from 15-20 years ago. At that point, how would it be possible to not run out of new tales?
How can you expect a writer to read every single issue just so he can write his story? At that point, someone who might be the best new writer ever would be held hostage by the worst writer ever. At that point, you’re blindly bound to dates and events. And then all of a sudden you’ve become the Harold Camping of comics. And much the same way, what you’re worried about doesn’t matter.
::: ::: :::
A good story outweighs continuity. The information you retain shouldn’t matter more than how much you enjoyed the narrative.
::: ::: :::
Learn to let it go, nerds. Not all of it matters. Take each story in and of itself. Or better yet, take each writer’s run as its own thing. Every new creative team brings with it a soft reboot anyway. Stop caring and just enjoy the fiction.
Be cool like me.
Tags: continuity, how to read comics, liking comics, nerd
Tres Komikeros on Inkers and Colorists
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Work
My friends and I talk about inkers and colorists on our weekly podcast.
After discussing Locke and Key, Wonder Woman, and Smallville news… John, Migs, and Alex pay their dues to the unsung heroes of comic books – inkers and colorists. Listen to the panel share their thoughts on the two respective artistic disciplines.
Download the episode here
Tags: coloring, inking, locke and key, making comics, Podcast, smallville, tres komikeros, Wonder Woman
Random
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Rants, Trash
This tends to happen when I take my coffee a little too late, hoping to squeeze a twenty-fifth… twenty-sixth hour out of a day. My head is racing from the brew, but my eyeballs haven’t drunketh of the same cup. This is either a flaw of strategy or of design.
Note: Invent eyeball coffee. Market as “Coffee for Your Eyeballs” to avoid confusion.
::: ::: ::: ::: ::: :::
The logo for Element shoes looks, to me anyway, like the Red Horse logo.
Yesterday, I burnt my left hand a bit, cooking smoked milkflish. Worth it.
My wife is enjoying REM sleep. Why can’t I have nice things?
She asked me what my five favorite words were yesterday: Geosynchronicity. Anachronistic. Ersatz. Pastiche. Zeitgeist.
Watching Fast 5 (if that’s the title) with her and a coupla friends this Wednesday. I forget how that happened.
::: ::: ::: ::: ::: :::
Eyeball coffee should come in five blends: Cinnamon. Oak. Mint tea. Denim. And teal.
Tags: insomnia
God’s Mop
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Trash
Tags: clouds
Great Moments in Predation
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Research, Trash
Tags: elk, great moments in predation, nature, predation, wolves
Pencil Flex: SE7EN
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Art
Kat declared Seven Deadly Sins the Pencil Flex theme this past week, and I gotta say… the challenge of denoting each sin in an interesting way was pretty up there. I found myself not being able to contribute as much as I wanted to though, what with work deadlines and other matters taking up some days, but I managed to bang out a coupla pieces. Wrath and Envy, respectively.
Tags: digital sketch, pencil flex, seven deadly sins
Unreality
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Research, Trash, Work
Found on a post-it in my slingbag: (my handwriting; source unknown)
In order to make stories real, you have to be completely aware—as you are writing—that they are unreal.
Tags: storytelling, work ethic, writing
Great Moments in Predation
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Research, Trash
Tags: killer whale, orca, predation
