(Inside A Black Apple)

Weekend Scraps

This weekend has been so, so good to us so far. Friday night, we had insanely good food with our favorite Vegans and then the four of us proceeded to the theater to see Where the Wild Things Are, along with zillions of other folks abuzz with anticipation (some sporting festive, but, alas, screen-blocking furry hats). Things I loved about the film: the generous amount of growling and yowling and howling, the honest portrayal of the razor-sharp loneliness often involved with being a kid, and the beautiful textures and glorious shabbiness of the sets and monsters. Things I didn't love: the awkward shoe-horning in of the few scraps from the original text they kept (it feels so wrong to cringe at "Let the wild rumpus start!", but I did), and I thought the pacing was a little odd at times. Mostly, though, it was well worth the wait, and something that looks and feels like nothing else...which is quite an accomplishment in itself.

I've also worked on prototypes for new inventions, taken a trip to the comic store and book store (where it was a banner day). New Mome! With new, beautiful, fuzzy Renee French work! And the highly anticipated new Milk. And the always-crazily-anticipated new Lula. I feel positively spoiled for new periodicals right now!

Today I'm at work on more prototyping, and also hope to stuff those little dollies up there so they're not flat and sad on my sewing desk for much longer. I'm thinking the October soft-things update will happen very soon...possibly next Thursday? I'll try to have a little announcement up very, very soon.

Happy Sunday!

3 Beautiful New(ish) Comic Books

The late Summer was very good to me in terms of comics. Sometimes I go months and months, and the only new comics I get my hands on is whatever new Mome is out. Maybe this is all a sign that I'm too persnickety!  Anyway, these are some noteworthy, new (I think they're all from 2009) picture-stories I love.

I photographed these, rather than scanning them, 'cause although scanning does give a crisp image, I don't think you get a good idea of what the book really looks and feels like.
So!
First, the highly anticipated conclusion of Richard Sala's series Delphine, which is published in this wonderful large format Fantagraphics calls the Ignatz Series. 

I'm going to go ahead and admit that I've had this for weeks and weeks and weeks, and I still haven't really read it. I do this - I "save" things, because I don't want to use them up just yet. The inevitable problem, of course, with things you're saving for a rainy day is that you can totally forget about them altogether!

But I won't let that happen with Delphine...I'm too excited about it. I love his older work and newer work alike - the evolution of Sala's inky, angular charmers is a treat to see - and this story (a retelling of Snow White) has been such a wonderful foreboding wander through the twisty, turn-y, dark forest.

I picked up this next little volume when we were in SF in July...we walked by the Little Otsu store, and I peered in (because it was night, and they were closed). There was this beautiful window installation, and I said to Josiah: "Huh! That tea-kettle looks very Lilli Carre-ish".

And when I went over to the store during normal business hours, I was so happy to see that the installation was promoting their new collaboration, Nine Ways to Disappear!  I was also excited to learn recently about Kettle of Fish, Lilli's blog. To me, she's just one of the best up-and-comers in the comics world, and I'm always eager to see what she's up to next.

Last is The Bun Field by Amanda Vahamaki, which I didn't even know existed til' I picked it up last week. I just love it. There is a bear driving a car! There is so much sketchy, smeary loveliness in this little volume...her drawing style has this quality that I find fascinating. It is slyly deceptive about her skill as a draftsman (draftsperson?), and cycles in and out of sophistication and naïveté in a very interesting way.

 

Plus, it perfectly conveys what a dream feels like, without being too mannered, idealized, or trying too hard to charm you.

Just lovely.

New York Dispatch 3

 Aannnd...if you missed the TAL live show, there is actually an encore tonight (May 7th)!

Hooray!

New York Dispatch 2

 

New York Dispatch 1

Bookin' It

Some mornings I spend hours upon hours at the computer, just re-ordering supplies/re-stocking Black Apple stuff. Yesterday was one such morning, and as I was staring, glazed over, at the various types of bubble mailer I might or might not need, I wished that I was making a list of all the great books I got for Christmas.

So here, my friends, is that list!

Josiah spoiled me with tons of new comics...Skim, which comes highly recommended, The Lagoon, 'cause I'm a big Lilli Carre fan (remember my original drawing that I was so psyched about?), French Milk, a book I had hyped to myself so much that when it was finally in my hot little hands couldn't help being kind of a let-down, Gasoline, Dame Darcy's newest and insanely ambitious (and as per usual, crazy) offering, and Bottomless Belly Button, a book I wasn't familiar with but found really immersive.

One the non-comics front, I received Vintage Shoes (which I had seen at Amy's and not-so-subtly hinted about), the charming Boulangerie-Patisserie, a beautiful vintage pocket-sized edition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales from my crafty mom, who bought the book right under my nose when we went on that trip to Powell's. Also from mom, the Taylor's Guide to Roses...because I'd like to grow some someday, and there's no better place than Portland. My hip grandmama gave me the entertaining I Was Told There'd Be Cake (Sloane Crosley can't hold a candle to David Sedaris, though). And, complete with my very favorite Madeline story (The Bad Hat), Josiah gifted me Mad about Madeline.

Back in Athens, my pals Mandy + Devlin gave us a smorgasbord of rad stuff...a little pile of wonderful-smelling vintage paperbacks, two Golden Nature Guides for me, and a dime-store edition of Alice for my collection. All told, I'd say I'm a very lucky girl indeed.

I've got a new little project underway that I'm pretty excited about...I think I'll be able to share it by the end of the week.

Happy Tuesday!

"Just How Everything Is All The Same,

No Matter Where You Go"...

That's a quote that I really like from Enid (comic Enid).

The new Ghost World special edition is out from Fantagraphics, and I had to give the eighteen-year-old Emily a hug and get it. I already have both the screenplay AND the comic book, but I couldn't resist. Every time I would see a review for it in a magazine, I would tell myself: "You need that like you need a hole in the head" but it's a beautiful book, and has lots of incidental drawings and snippets and things.

Plus, as my local comic-ista suggested, I can pass along my old volumes to some other young lady who seems like she might be headed down "the wrong path".

If you hop quick like a bunny (and order directly from Fantagraphics), it seems that there is some special, signed bookplate you can get in your volume courtesy of Dan Clowes himself. I feel sad that I missed out on that, but it's okay...I'm going restrain my mild nerd-tendencies and be okay with it. Oh! Also. The intro from Mr. Clowes is very thoughtful and interesting, and contained a reference to Hyde Park in Chicago, which he described as the home of "our future president", which I thought was, well, cute. I hope that you are right come November, Dan Clowes. And thanks for your snarky brilliance, too.

PS: Thank you, dear readers, for your kindness and support. You never cease to amaze!

The Last of the Comic Books

(EDIT: THE LAST BOOKS HAVE SOLD...THANK YOU SO MUCH!)

My boss:

...finally gave me permission to release the rest of the Scuppernong & Muscadine books for sale in the shop. What a taskmaster...I'm really just the lovely Miette's whipping girl.

Okay, really I just wanted to be sure of how many I actually had on hand before posting the last batch for sale. This is the end of the print run of 250, and they won't be reprinted (at least, not by me!)

I hope your week is off to a nice start! I'll be back soon with a new painting and a new recipe.
xo

Books, of the Sketch and Comic variety

(EDIT: THE FIRST 100 COMIC BOOKS (THE ONES THAT COME WITH A PIN) HAVE SOLD OUT (thank you!), BUT THE LITTLE BOOKS THEMSELVES ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR NOW!
THERE WILL BE A STEADY SUPPLY OF BOTH BOOKS IN THE SHOP UNTIL THEY SELL OUT, SO IF YOU THINK YOU MISSED OUT...JUST CHECK THE SHOP) ;)

So, here are two projects I was hard at work on last month (I hinted about one of them here!). If anyone is sad about not being able to nab anything from the last update, maybe these will cheer you up!

They arrived from the printers (Pinball, and they do beautiful work) last week, and I've been itching to show them off here. The first is a sketchbook, with a cover illustration taken from my own current sketchbook (with a few minor bits changed around):

   
(Photo courtesy of Pinball Publishing)

It is offset-printed on lovely, sturdy chipboard, and is 120 pages full of blank, creamy drawing/ writing paper with a slight tooth. I designed these sketchbooks/journals to be exactly my perfect, portable blank books, and I'm just thrilled with the way they are printed.

 

They also completed a very special job for me, which is a mini (super-mini, they measure 4"x4" square!) comic based on the little book I made for Josiah last Valentine's day. It is called "Scuppernong and Muscadine" and is the 18-panel story of two hedgehogs who love a lot of differing things.

They are also offset printed, and so very beautiful and polished. The first 100 books also come packaged up prettily in a glassine envelope with a free one-inch button of a cute matching cottage (the batch with buttons has sold out, but the books are still available for purchase!).

Hop over to the shop to give them a look-see! I hope you like them as much as I do.

xoxo

Genevieve Castree/Elverum

I realized that I hadn't posted about comics very much in the last year...which doesn't mean that I haven't been reading them, per se, it's just that I have a hard time finding stuff that I like. And sometimes (as in the case of Genevieve Castree) when I find an artist I like (in this instance, in the Drawn + Quarterly showcase from 2005), it's really difficult for me to get ahold of their work.

She is a musician, also, and has released comics as well as LPs + comic sets. And her work is soooo beautiful to me, and I can't visit a comic shop without inquiring (always in vain) about it.

Her Canadian publisher had this one little book: Roulathèque Roulathèque Nicolore, in stock recently and it came in the mail a week or so ago:

And poking around the web, it looks like she currently has (or maybe just had) an exhibition in NYC of the images from her new book/record set, Tout Seul dans la Forêt en Plein Jour (which I am anxiously awaiting).

Happy Weekend!