strange radiation: the pool of radiance archive
Adventures with an unreliable narrator.
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Nov 29 07: Mal, content
Apparently there’s a new book out: Serenity Found, a volume of criticism and analysis of Firefly. Oh, how I do miss that show: not perfect, but I loved it with a jewel-like flame. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, get the DVDs. Anyway, Nathan Fillion — who played the fabulous (and rrowr) Captain Malcolm Reynolds — has an essay in it about the experience of making the show. It’s smart and funny and sweet, much like the series, and I wanted to share.
the calm before the storm before the calm
Am becalmed at the office, waiting for somebody to read something. At least a couple hours’ work to do after that happens; and tomorrow will be a total screamer. Here, then, is an infodump: What Andrew Is Up To.
The long period of reliable work with Big Honkin’ Publication that began in the spring comes to an end soon. Have picked up another client or two, but after the middle of next week I find myself without work. I can keep the wolf from the door for a while — and for longer than that if I have to dip into the Apartment Fund, which I really really don’t want to do — but still, much as it’s the nature of the freelance thing, staring into the void like this is scary. (Anybody with leads on people who need freelance copy editors, or even ideas on places I might find leads that maybe I haven’t thought of yet, is welcome to sing out.)
Despite the scary, I find myself in an unexpected position: I can honestly say that based on the last six months’ experience, I love what I do for a living. And I’ve never been able to say that, not like this. Which is cool.
On the fiction front: a number of 1.0 drafts have been given righteous (and well-deserved) kickings by the Secret Cabal. Perhaps I can use some of this big empty time in my immediate future to turn them into 2.0 drafts. (Even the Stevie Nicks Death Androids one. Jeez, the ‘revise me’ pile is getting big.) Am also working on another 1.0, which includes a musical number and an oblique Foglio reference. Or at least it does in my head.
And now, some random moments of Pop Culture Happy: First, on the comics-nostalgia front, I recently mentioned that Beanworld is coming back. That left only one secret desire in my heart: to someday see the Earth Stories from Zot! come back into print. And now they are: as part of the collected Zot!, to be published in summer 2008. (Big thank-you to yet another comics blog for the tip.) Zot! was an utterly sweet-natured black-and-white book by Scott McCloud. The titular character was a blond and adventuresome young man from a world where it was always 1965 and good always triumphed over evil. Then he met Jenny, a girl from “our” world. At first she came to visit him in his world, and the stories were full of derring-do and smiling heroism. But then he spent the final nine issues in our world, and the results are these fabulous looks at the lives of everyday kids, from the point of view of a kid who grew up in a world where nobody feels like a freak and nobody’s miserable. I loved them so much I bought a page of original art, and when I have walls to hang such things on it’ll be one of the first things I put up. One of the stories was called “Normal,” and was about being a gay teenager in high school, and what that feels like. It came out while I was a tightly closeted gayboy in college. I couldn’t speak for an hour after reading it. I’ve been waiting to see it reprinted for years and years, and now it will be. Yay.
Also: The return of Futurama draws ever nigh. W00t!
Nov 7 07: hey, kids! comics!
I think my subconscious has something going on at the moment. I mean, I sleep with a bite plate in my mouth, because I tend to clench my jaw in my sleep? (And not infrequently at other times, but you get the idea.) And this morning I woke up to the sound of a loud pop! as I put a crack along the central axis of the bite plate between my back right molars.
Hoo boy. Sooner or later I’m going to have to have a little talk with my head. But in the shorter term, I’m going to have to see the dentist and get a new bite plate before my teeth start coming loose again. And hey! I don’t have dental insurance any more! Whee!
It’s times like these that we have to go looking for things that make us happy. In today’s episode: places to find some of my favorite comics creators online. w00t.
- Girl Genius
- Phil and Kaja Foglio’s fabulous tales of Agatha Heterodyne, mad scientist. Steampunk extravaganza set in a Victorian-era Europe in which the industrial revolution turned into all-out war. Updated Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
- Narbonic
- Shaenon Garrity’s fabulous tales of Helen B. Narbon, mad scientist. Death rays! Time travel! Overbearing moms! Superintelligent gerbils! The strip ran its original form from 2000 to 2006; you can read the whole thing in one go (and be careful, because you might even if you don’t intend to), or you can check in every day for the “Director’s Cut,” with commentary from the cartoonist. Updated daily.
- Larry Marder’s New Blog
- Once upon a time there was a brilliant, visionary, sui generis, criminally underappreciated comic book called Tales of the Beanworld. Its creator, Larry Marder, describes it as “an ecological romance.” Scott McCloud once said it was like watching the ant farm on Doctor Strange’s kitchen counter. Anyway, TotB petered out years ago, its expanding exploration of the complicated interdependence of the Beanworld’s inhabitants derailed by its creator’s day job. And an all-too-few mourned its passing. But now! Larry quit his job! And he’s working on new stuff! Yay! And while he puts the final touches on the new next issue, he’s keeping a blog. It makes me so happy to know he’s out there and that there will be new stories someday. You have no idea.
- Buck Godot, Zap Gun for Hire
- Space guns and bad puns and the adventures of a detective and all-around troubleshooter on the planet of New Hong Kong. He’s always available, but never free. Phil and Kaja Foglio published this, too, as a couple of comic-book short stories, one longer graphic novel, and then an ongoing series called “The Gallimaufry.” The Foglios are now releasing the Godot pages three days a week as a webcomic. The Gallimaufry’s re-run has just started, and it’s well worth getting onboard. Go! Read! (Unless you’re a kid. Buck’s world includes more than a few hookers with hearts of gold. A number of scenes take place at an establishment called the Velvet Fist. ‘Nuff said.) Updates Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
- Gorey/Tribbles
- Oh, and Shaenon Garrity did this thing not too long ago: a mindbending mashup of Edward Gorey’s pseudo-Edwardian absurdism and the Star Trek episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Because obviously somebody had to do it. You know?
Get Cultural!
Hey, New Yorkers! So I’ve been hip-deep in rehearsals lately for a concert to be held next week. It’s the American premiere of Joby Talbot’s fabulous new piece Path of Miracles, to be performed next Monday and Tuesday evenings as part of WNYC’s New Sounds Live program. It’s a 60-minute a cappella work in a bunch of languages (mostly English) about the pilgrimage route across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. The piece breaks at points into as many as 17 separate vocal lines: challenging, but gorgeous, and full of lush, strange harmonies. I’m really looking forward to performing it, and I think that if you can make it to one of the shows you’ll enjoy hearing it. (And it’s free!) If you’re interested in hearing some snippets, I believe it’s on the iTunes Music Store.
The group singing is a chorus of 35 singers, about half of whom are from the now-defunct Juilliard Choral Union (which I used to sing with) and half of whom are professionals. We sound great.
The performances will be at 7pm on this coming Monday and Tuesday, November 12th and 13th, in the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden — which I should stress is NOT the Winter Garden Theatre in Midtown where Mamma Mia! is playing. And they’re free. Further details are below. Feel free to pass this information along to anybody you think will be interested.
Hope you can join us!
UNITED STATES PREMIERE
JOBY TALBOT’S PATH OF MIRACLES
PERFORMED BY THE TALBOT PROJECT
JUDITH CLURMAN, CONDUCTORNovember 12 & 13, 7pm
Path of Miracles, by composer Joby Talbot, takes both performer and audience on an expedition from energetic, driving crescendos to serene, dream-like harmonies. The work takes its inspiration from the intense devotion and spectacle of the annual pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, which draws nearly 100,000 participants from all over the world. This arduous journey and the colorful towns along the way became the basis for the work’s musical structure, which receives its US debut in the cathedral-like Winter Garden.This performance is part of NEW SOUNDS LIVE, curated by John Schaefer, host of WNYC Radio’s popular shows New Sounds and Soundcheck.