tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57229593987624530772011-09-13T10:37:29.499-04:00Book reviews, film commentary, and the occasional comic strip, Matt Hartwell recounts the things that pass through his head with the sincere conviction they will interest you.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-49495844007131403162010-12-16T13:34:00.005-05:002010-12-16T13:37:42.703-05:00

I really want to go to whatever school Amazon has dreamed up:(Click to embiggen)

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-20377509811818110372010-05-01T23:55:00.003-04:002010-05-02T02:13:14.843-04:00

My friend Nicholas pointed out the amusing fact that if I were to write a note on Facebook, more people would see it than read this blog by a fairly large factor. This makes me want to put things on this blog more. So starting today, a hopefully regular feature that I used to do on Facebook: Beer Reviews.Michelob Ginger WheatI understand that it says "Ginger" in the name, but I must admit I

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-38299927570844485612010-04-25T15:33:00.002-04:002010-04-25T15:35:39.918-04:00

I got robbed back in February, and so a lot of things went on hold, such as this blog. For those of you about to delete the icon in your Google Reader, I promise numbers will start appearing next to it soon.Comics reviews and beer reviews are going to be making a comeback, and I want to discuss movies that two of my friends and myself screen and discuss. There will be a post tomorrow.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-54868068973053841342009-12-21T17:57:00.001-05:002009-12-21T18:15:02.722-05:00

Brent and I bought each other co-operative videogames for Christmas.I think that's really adorable.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-52609857605745784222009-12-09T03:06:00.002-05:002009-12-09T04:17:10.756-05:00

We've got a hard drive failure, and I've currently got it slaved and copying to an external to reboot a new internal arriving from Western Digital (hopefully) by the end of the week.After that, some restructuring. I'm getting rid of most of my things. DVDs and books and comics are all on the chopping block as I weed the clutter out of my life. So many things, comics especially, I purchase only to

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-71275004035651855722009-12-03T14:56:00.003-05:002009-12-03T14:58:25.939-05:00

He's not really racist folks, honest. He thinks some Sith are just as nice as white folks, granted they keep to themselves and don't use their Force powers in public, where decent God-fearing Americans could see them.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-1847356886306135172009-10-27T20:47:00.006-04:002009-10-27T21:14:49.013-04:00

All comics are cross-posted on the website www.poorlydrawnshark.com, just launched by my friend Dave Moss. I'm not sure when they go live, as I'm alternating weeks, but this is going to be my new regularly updated project for awhile - a comic every other week. You'll notice that most of them star Corey Hudson and myself.I hope you enjoy them - I'll be posting a round-up of comics already released

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-56792638874825616162009-10-27T19:07:00.002-04:002009-10-27T19:10:04.428-04:00

Click to the immediate right of the panel to advance.Those of you who don't get this are the lucky ones. The rest of us envy the dead.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-81957539767118458782009-10-27T01:00:00.000-04:002009-10-27T03:35:16.998-04:00

I'm running through an office building, frantically pounding up the staircase. I burst out of the fire exit only door, labeled to discourage its use, and as my eyes adjust to the overwhelming brightness that is the sky that high up, I see a man with a gun. He's already drawn it and it's pointed at me, and he's close enough he won't miss.I can hear my heart beating in my ears, and I act out of

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-39976270012960161812009-09-14T03:23:00.002-04:002009-09-15T03:33:54.897-04:00

Learned a valuable lesson about using an image URL that's locked behind a specific account on a website. Apologies to everybody who saw a broken photo.Click for larger rendering of the time LeDonne and I killed and ate two peace-loving crustaceans.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-64193105601585307982009-07-26T03:00:00.007-04:002009-07-26T04:09:47.265-04:00

Hey gang, drove down to San Diego this weekend for Comic-Con cause I have excellent friends who hooked me up with a professional's badge. While I just did Saturday (I had work Friday, and promised not one, but two ladies drinks on Sunday) I had an excellent time and met a lot of great people.For some reason, I have a strange fear of talking to comics celebrities. This is not the case with what

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-84950048585179318212009-03-30T04:59:00.003-04:002009-03-30T05:09:05.504-04:00

I just wanted to say thank you to everybody who contributed to the classroom projects at donorschoose.org over the past week. Together, with me matching your donations, we raised $190 for several classrooms - three of which completed their funding at your hands! Two of those were looking for video cameras to allow students to learn film production and help them on writing assignments. Another

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-25653217414517691672009-03-25T21:14:00.004-04:002009-03-26T19:13:07.327-04:00

MORE UPDATES!UPDATE: You guys cleared out this entire charity's needs in less than four hours. I was going to match and donate after dinner, but the donations are now closed for this particular charity. Here's what we're going to do: At the time I made the offer to match donations, they needed $190. If we were going to fill that together, you needed to donate $95, and I would match $95. Since I

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-63449549494706314762009-03-02T17:41:00.002-05:002009-03-02T17:42:01.324-05:00

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-68069549305680896662009-01-10T16:30:00.002-05:002009-01-10T17:02:22.498-05:00

While I am not extremely musically inclined myself, aside from my aspirations to be the world's greatest/least prolific hip-hop MC, I do enjoy music from every genre, as long as it fulfills my requirement of being amazing.As such, I often wait for Elliott Sussman and Kieron Gillen to post their tops of the year, and then I promptly buy them and enjoy letting them do the hard work of sifting

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-48895416325019418592008-12-23T20:22:00.002-05:002008-12-23T20:26:24.890-05:00

Fiddling with WordPress again, and trying to figure out how to domain map one of my other domains onto a WordPress blog without having to pay them money. Is this possible, interwebs?I swear I'm going to learn HTML this year. I've just been busy, you know, writing.Also, if I were to start regularly embedding video, would those of you who pull the RSS prefer it to be before or after the jump?

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-57756918614089249552008-12-02T21:23:00.002-05:002008-12-02T22:05:52.133-05:00

Andrew Cheverton is a fellow writer on EW, and he has this thing where he does a commentary track on his pieces after each 6 week period is over. I'll be emulating him now:Long-Sigh Anxiety: I feel like I weaved drunkenly across the line of humor and melancholy with this piece, and it's weaker for it. I'm enamored with the idea of a city where every piece of graffiti is a memorial, but I lose the

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-16817352216266084492008-11-14T23:15:00.003-05:002008-11-14T23:47:23.687-05:00

I had written a long article about how I used to love games but never find myself playing them anymore, and started listing the few exceptions to that fact. The list kept growing and growing, and I quickly realized my thesis was a lie. So that article isn't getting published. But the end of it, where I talked about my renewed (never left) passion for games and listed the games I want to play, is

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-43614720924702746582008-11-10T22:41:00.009-05:002008-11-11T00:14:06.804-05:00

FICTIONNew Elephant Words Story up here. Based on this picture. Last name stolen from this girl.FURNITUREOne of the IKEA chairs is breaking inexplicably. It will go back to Burbank for an exchange this week.FINANCESI'm doing transcription work for Intervention until I find a real job.FILMBrent and I will be getting our TV this week. DVD watching will follow. First up: The AuraFOTOSI won these

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-52460292192857196192008-11-09T15:21:00.002-05:002008-11-09T15:25:11.926-05:00

Apartment secured - 2BR/2BA, one block over from the strip of shops and restaurants on Vermont and Franklin.We now have a kitchen table, two chairs, two end tables, three lamps, two air mattresses. As of this afternoon, there may be a couch.Slowly, we build ourselves a home from the wreckage.I like Los Angeles.I'm working on getting a job - several promising leads abound, even during this dry

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-18944006030362282032008-11-04T17:21:00.002-05:002008-11-04T17:32:21.575-05:00

Looking for a place to live in Los Feliz. May have found it.New story, based on this picture. Fighting with this story. Based on Hemingway's classic:"For Sale: Baby shoes. Never Worn."

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-1125347875222648132008-10-30T11:31:00.004-04:002008-10-30T11:38:16.150-04:00

As always, another week brings another story. Please read, rate and comment. Or leave a comment here on my blog if you don't want to register for WordPress. This story is actually based on a story my dad tells when there's a full moon. It's completely, 100% true, or so he's assured me, and the Bloody-eyed Fox will kill you, if you're of the wrong lineage.I've watched two more movies since we last

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-8740781482339671042008-10-23T08:08:00.004-04:002008-10-23T08:20:33.190-04:00

Another short story can be found here. Based on this image.I recently watched The Complete Mr. Arkadin, which had to have been one of the more frustrating experiences of my life. The main character was portrayed by one of the most non-nuanced performances ever. Truly, a horrific acting job, which makes it hard to give a damn about the rest of the movie. But therein lies the rub! The rest of the

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-81510386619078455292008-10-17T18:38:00.002-04:002008-10-17T18:47:54.323-04:00

Here's this week's Elephant Words contribution.Just tipped over the halfway point on Rome Season 2, for the second time. This is where I left off last time, when I moved from Florida leaving the series unfinished. Also watching Madmen so I can give it back to Elliott before I move to Los Angeles. I'm four episodes in, and it's breath-taking.Ripped the complete Twilight Zone to my iPod, and The

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-9426655145561941012008-10-14T15:49:00.001-04:002008-10-14T15:50:25.901-04:00

I am in the process of decluttering my life, starting with an inventory of my possessions. Over the past four years, I have accumulated a mass of things that lies chained around my neck, albatross-style, keeping me from an easier lifestyle. The main goal in life is a collection of experiences, and what we truly crave when we purchase media is not the product itself, but the act of consuming it.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-14137917199782813852008-10-12T23:14:00.003-04:002008-10-12T23:29:28.430-04:00

At this point, it's safe to say I am addicted to the internet.The whole end-goal of anyone hoping to be an artist in any medium is to have a positive ratio of creation to consumption. Really, that's a lesson you can apply to most aspects of life, but right now, the focus is on writing.I browse all my RSS feeds, and wiki-jump through them into more and more articles until I've wasted five hours

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-70638223103672404072008-10-11T10:19:00.002-04:002008-10-11T10:23:30.555-04:00

I've got another Elephant Words story up today! As always, I would be grateful if you would:1. Rate it on Elephant Words2. Leave a comment on Elephant Words3. Forward it to as many people as you can. We're really trying to drive up readership at the site, and it's free fiction from quality writers, so we'd love the encouragement.I was invited to stick around for another 6 weeks, and jumped at the

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-78143031647758769822008-10-07T10:50:00.002-04:002008-10-07T10:54:13.769-04:00

This week is my week on Elephant Words to pick the picture.I chose this picture I took with my phone.My story will be up Saturday.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-7891575301002697782008-09-28T23:17:00.002-04:002008-09-28T23:18:53.942-04:00

In my infinite generosity, I present this week's Elephant Words post.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-89188771256247038102008-09-28T13:34:00.002-04:002008-09-28T13:37:26.248-04:00

I'm considering switching to WordPress, and also buying some hosting to craft a real website. Any thoughts or recommendations from the cloud?Also:Cheese Fail

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-72161056806798425812008-09-24T21:40:00.002-04:002008-09-24T21:41:40.064-04:00

Apologies to everyone bothered with a LinkedIn invitation. It automatically sent out invitations to everyone in my Gmail inbox when I set up my account. I don't know why, I don't know how to fix it.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-40561957732221548102008-09-23T00:04:00.002-04:002008-09-23T00:09:20.669-04:00

Here's my latest Elephant Words story.As always, please rate and comment honestly. I like this quite a bit more than last week's post.Last week's post, which you can view in my archives on Elephant Words, or by clicking here, felt, to me, like it suffered from being a student film.The problem with student films is they are often short, and when one wants to make a comedy, one often ends up

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-77089642513745674192008-09-18T15:19:00.002-04:002008-09-18T15:19:39.134-04:00

This'll probably get yanked by tomorrow for its choice of music, but hey, it's upsetting anyhow:

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-2898305072759920792008-09-17T10:16:00.001-04:002008-09-17T10:19:42.433-04:00

New Elephant Words article up.Amazon.com needs to hurry my shipments up. I can't read Testament Vol.4 until 2-3 arrive.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-73063088309650060422008-09-10T23:35:00.004-04:002008-09-10T23:51:18.672-04:00

Because I am full of love, and know you may not all have the chance to see my pieces the day they're posted (at www.elephantwords.co.uk), here's a permalink for my first Elephant Words piece. It doesn't go live until 11:59 GMT on 9/11. If there are any problems, let me know. Also, please tell me what you think, both here, and on the Elephant Words site, and don't forget to rate the story. I hope

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-45718578846673256392008-09-06T22:37:00.002-04:002008-09-06T22:40:51.159-04:00

Just to let you all know:I'm now a contributing writer at Elephant Words for at least the next six weeks. I'll be posting permalinks to each piece that goes up, since the design of the site is that only the most recent posting is visible, but I encourage you to check it out daily and read the other pieces.My first piece goes live Thursday.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-86313006605196918482008-09-02T09:45:00.001-04:002008-09-02T09:46:25.753-04:00

Dear Nation,Screw you.Love,The Bush Administration

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-1670212847079896362008-09-01T22:35:00.001-04:002008-09-01T22:37:10.028-04:00

This series debuted tonight.And is shockingly good.I probably won't catch another episode until it's on DVD, but way to go TNT, you're definitely making a comeback from the likes of having BLADE and BLACK SCORPION as original series.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-17488959027084196982008-09-01T21:22:00.002-04:002008-09-01T21:24:08.689-04:00

The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival said no.To The Black Circle.Which baffles me.I intend to be very depressed and angry for several days, followed by a period of intense creativity and productivity.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-74259150534423224092008-08-29T11:09:00.002-04:002008-08-29T11:12:24.433-04:00

Just finished this whole series today.Tears in eyes.Go get it.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-71780927614023401802008-08-24T01:09:00.002-04:002008-08-24T01:11:24.970-04:00

Why is it that womens' fashion is infinitely more varied than mens'?Why do they get cool futuristic looking things, and it's considered hot, whereas if men don anything other than suit and tie, or tux and tails, it's considered strange?Why do I not have a girlfriend who wears this?

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-39144497914240199722008-07-23T16:51:00.002-04:002008-07-23T16:55:58.072-04:00

In my natural state as an avid consumer, I am prone to wild, private desires of unnecessary merchandise. Such as this t-shirt. The lettering is actually black on black, not gray. My current hobby seems to be pimping Kieron Gillen products, so this keeps in line with that.Sadly, this is only available at Nerd Prom San Diego.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-74235040438199620242008-07-23T10:25:00.003-04:002008-07-23T10:39:58.971-04:00

Doubtless, you've all seen this by now. A cool idea? Perhaps, and this will almost certainly bolster the argument made by Brent Pritchett that comics can't convey action well, since they seem forced to turn themselves into a cartoon or movie to keep the attention of anyone in the mainstream.I think my biggest gripe with it is the fact that they are selling all the other episodes for money, and

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-80132710645220693462008-07-10T16:06:00.003-04:002008-07-10T16:07:36.144-04:00

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-48989045650274246312008-06-26T23:48:00.003-04:002008-06-26T23:49:43.755-04:00

Kieron Gillen, writer of the Brit-pop eulogy Phonogram, and Charity Larrison, whose work is new to me, produced this amazing graphic novel, Busted Wonder. It's available online, for free, in its entirety, thanks to the Colleen Doran grant. Read it.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-26260658969232452042008-06-23T14:52:00.001-04:002008-06-23T14:52:03.363-04:00

Sitting in Pittsburgh International Airport, getting ready to fly to Pensacola via Atlanta for the week. The plan is to pick up my car, which has inexplicably appeared there instead of Pittsburgh, where I left it, and drive back to the 'Burgh next weekend.I'll be picking up books while I'm down there. The complete Preacher, Y: The Last Man, 100 Bullets, Lucifer, Fables, Sandman, The Invisibles,

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-21537016346068403322008-06-21T22:33:00.003-04:002008-06-21T22:49:12.428-04:00

In 2007, I had challenged myself to sample 100 different beers before I graduated college, not counting standard brews such as Budweiser, Coors, etc. I reached the goal shortly after graduation, writing mini-reviews of each beer, and posting them as Facebook notes. Since then, I've tried a veritable cornucopia of new beers during my (now-defunct) stay in New York. The proximity of the Brooklyn

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-49091038921790810872008-06-12T00:07:00.006-04:002008-06-12T00:25:14.052-04:00

I don't want to upset anybody needlessly, but I've seen the future, and we're not in it.I'm not one of those paranoid techno-phobes who can't stand the fact that science makes our food tastier, our water dirtier (and then cleaner!) and our children taller and more big-breasted at an earlier age, but there is one arm of science I live in fear of, and that's robotics. The robot featured here is

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-45806117452465947772008-05-18T11:44:00.003-04:002008-05-18T11:46:19.602-04:00

This is why my friend Corey and I don't have a regularly scheduled webcomic:

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-74677751696359415292008-05-12T18:44:00.003-04:002008-05-12T18:53:28.568-04:00

Now I'm back.  I had a jaunt to Chicago, and then a smattering of out-of-town company that has kept me insanely busy.Look forward to a Wednesday posting, I dare you.In the meantime, something I am excited for: 

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-29088410927665687502008-04-30T10:24:00.003-04:002008-05-06T11:01:12.912-04:00

Kiss Her Goodbye (or Why I Love Monsters and Revenge) Why so many Hard Case Crime books? Certainly there's a reason beyond, "I've fallen behind on my reading count and can knock one of these out on two days' worth of subway-commute to work," isn't there? Sure, they're light and quick reads, and pure and utter pulp, and that's a massive part of the appeal, but there's something more. Something in

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-26927418452776550722008-04-24T19:11:00.001-04:002008-04-24T19:13:16.306-04:00

I'm fooling around with the formatting, trying to find a layout more pleasing to the eye, but my html knowledge is, shall we say, limited.I've republished the last review, #7, with a centered picture above the post, and tab breaks inserted at the beginning of each paragraph.  It may show up in your RSS feed.  It may not.  Nothing major was changed about it.Please resume your regularly scheduled

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-71520249658472714832008-04-22T16:23:00.000-04:002008-04-22T16:24:44.355-04:00

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-46257578026365680082008-04-09T11:38:00.001-04:002008-04-24T19:11:32.560-04:00

This week, we're trying something a little different. Javier Marias' novel Voyage Along The Horizon, recently translated and published in America by Believer, a subsidiary of the nobel McSweeney's publishing enterprise, is a fascinating homage to the adventure novels (Seawolf comes to mind, as does really, any Jack London) of the late nineteenth century.  Written in the earlier years of Marias'

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-6195329440865127612008-04-02T15:06:00.001-04:002008-04-02T15:27:24.276-04:00

Still don't have my pen tablet pen, so bear with one last standard picture here:Also: If I'm going to start including comics collection reviews in here, I'm going to overshoot my 52, so consider yourself lucky.  I did read a novel this week, but I was more excited about this, so the novel review will get published later.Indian Country, the first collection of Scalped, Jason Aaron's first ongoing

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-4684499949191019252008-04-01T12:06:00.001-04:002008-04-01T12:06:08.249-04:00

Just trying out a blogpost from a Dashboard widget for increased productivity.Also, as Brent and I have discussed, the overwhelming stalwartness of Penny Arcade is derived from their ability to deliver content, regardless of quality, on a consistent basis.  As such, this blog will be updated every Wednesday by 5:00PM EST.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-91970842210326652632008-03-26T20:34:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:49:59.660-04:00

Making Comics by Scott McCloud is the flipside to his seminal work, Understanding Comics.  Whereas Understanding Comics approached visual narrative (or sequential art, or graphic novels, or comics; the proper term for the medium is as varied as the content itself) from the perspective of an audience member new to the form, explaining the ideas behind how comics function when you read them on the

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-63408859033462570612008-03-12T15:27:00.000-04:002008-03-12T15:33:59.186-04:00

America: The BookThis satirical take on the American Democratic Process is that wonderful kind of comedy that depresses while it entertains.  Every page has a laugh-out-loud joke, but the guffaw is often followed by a sad moment of silence when you realize that most of its points are extremely valid.  Reminded by Sage Francis that, "It's not love it or leave it, it's change it or lose it,"

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-64368070913727485902008-03-05T22:20:00.000-05:002008-03-05T22:48:03.694-05:00

Let's start by establishing that I hate fantasy.  I think the genre has had nothing new to say since Tolkien sent a handful of hobbits on their way to Mordor, and even that I feel wasn't said as well as it could have been.  If you look at the Fantasy section (in such a sad mutual state as Sci-Fi that they often share shelf-space, now) you see row after row of really boring and cliche painted

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-33141546978113919922008-02-25T12:01:00.000-05:002008-03-06T14:22:09.112-05:00

Fade To Blonde - Max PhillipsThis may feature every single Hard Case Crime book by the time this experiment is over, as the second week of the year finds me reading Fade To Blonde.  The cover painting, by Gregory Manchess, features a femme fatale clutching a gun out of sight while covering herself with a sheet in response to a man appearing in the doorway.  The tagline, "She was a Little Taste of

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-9996812163968639182008-02-23T15:32:00.000-05:002008-02-23T15:40:46.142-05:00

Say It With Bullets - Richard PowellPublished by the Hard Case Crime imprint, you're virtually guaranteed a rollicking pulp tale, and Say It With Bullets does anything but disappoint.  The story focuses on Bill Wayne, formerly of the Army's Air Force in WWII.  Four years ago, his former army buddies shot him and left him for dead in China.  Now Bill's on a scenic tour through the West to have a

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722959398762453077.post-46706552326328338942008-02-23T12:10:00.000-05:002008-02-23T12:12:44.987-05:00

The other part of this blog is to track my progress in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks project.I'll be reading an average of a book a week, and posting reviews of every damn one.  So check back often (... or weekly, as it were) for breathtaking, breakneck book reviews ranging from hard-hitting crime novels to anthologies of literary criticisms to books on string theory to Edith Wharton.  It's all here,

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10842069214596734590noreply@blogger.com0