(Inside A Black Apple)

Mister Wonderful

The much admired Mr. Daniel Clowes (if you visit his website, it is important to view this hilarious curmudgeonly little strip) recently released his newest beautiful book, Mister Wonderful. Josiah sweetly ordered a copy for me as a surprise, and I couldn't resist reading it the night it arrived.

The story originally ran in the New York Times Magazine (where I completely failed to keep up with it) but has been expanded into this lovely hardback volume. One of the nicest things about reading a Dan Clowes book is that every detail of the object is so considered -- everything from the shape/size to the lettering to the color-scheme to the Author bio/'photo" (an endearing drawing in his case) is thoughtful and clever.

This story is really humble and...well, wonderful -- very simple in scope (spanning less than 24 hours of a couple's initial meeting) but at the same time, beautifully expansive. Mister Wonderful  weaves one man (Marshall) and one lady's (Natalie) sweetly-imperfect blind date into a story that elegantly and subtly reaches into their personal pasts, presents and the futures. Over the course of the story, it feels less like a date, and feels more like these two fighting their way through a dense thicket of their respective histories, worries, neurosis and hopes.

One technique Mr. Clowes uses to this end is to overlap Marshall's thought-bubbles with the dialogue bubbles. This (very brilliantly) shows Marshall's internal dialogue - which consists of pretty normal date neurosis, like fretting over if he's saying the right thing, worrying about how he's appearing/sounding, daydreaming,  The thoughts cloud the dialogue, so you only get bits & pieces of the actual conversation. It's next level, sophisticated bubble-use, and I was quite dazzled!

 
I also think it's important to mention what a contrast this book is to Mr. Clowes' last book, Wilson, which also concerns a middle-aged fellow and his particular plight and worries. While I loved Wilson, and found it hilarious, the protagonist (Wilson) is wildly self-righteous, acidic, angry, misanthropic. Marshall/Mister Wonderful is quite a different creature: nervous, kind, inward, much more mildly misanthropic.

I read this excellent Comics Journal interview in which Mr. Clowes juxtaposed the two in this way: "Wilson is the pure id creature, and Marshall in Mister Wonderful is all superego, all repression...I made him a character that was constricted, and was self-censoring to the nth degree, to where he’s actually obliterating what’s going on around him and living entirely in his own head".

When I was thinking about the difference between the two characters/books, I kept imagining each guy's laugh. I imagine Wilson's to be a loud, harsh (probably disdainful) GUFFAW!, while I imagine Mr. Wonderful's to be a nervous, quiet, stammering sort of laugh.

I could never say I prefer one to the other, because it takes both laughs to fully explain why I love Dan Clowes so much.

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!