Alex Ross

Artist Alex Ross was born in Portland, Oregon on this date in 1970.

He is best known for his watercolor paintings found in or on illustrious publications such as Marvels, Astro City, Batman and Justice. His artwork may be found in comic books (and their covers) but if you've seen his work, there's no doubt that it is art in the highest sense of the term.

This isn't Tippy the Turtle, you know.

My favorite work by Ross is a 4-issue series he created with Mark Waid in 1996 called Kingdom Come. It is the superhero equivilent of the gotterdamerung or ragnarok. Sure, that theme has been done to death in comics, but this story of the twilight of the gods is the superior to all the others.

Ross lives and works in the greater Chicagoland area.

Quote of the Week

"Hail, Hail Freedonia!"

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

-Groucho Marx

True Grit Film/Book Comparison

All worked out last night, so I thought I would share just a few observations about the film.

The adaptation is good. Even to the point of brilliant. There were a few parts that were slightly changed, but I got the feeling that was done entirely in the name of making it a better fit for the medium. All of the major (and minor) episodes of the book were retained in the film, as was most of the dialogue. And a big tip of the hat goes to the performance of the cast as well as the Coen Brothers' adaptation for breathing life (and quirkiness, of course) into the film. It was a much darker story that played out in my mind as I read the book. The bearskin medicine man was the only major addition, and it was the point at which I said to myself "Yep. This is a Coen Brothers film." The biggest change was also, arguably the best (SPOILER ALERT, hilight to read): in the book, Mattie Ross only wounds Tom Chaney, LaBoeuf finishes him off. In the film, Mattie does it herself, a fitting and arguably justified end to the film's main storyline. Or maguffin. Take your pick.

I say maguffin, because that may seem like the major plot of the book, but the book isn't really about that. It is about proving that not only Rooster Cogburn, but also LaBoeuf, Little Blackie and especially Mattie Ross all have True Grit.


Hailee Steinfeld is great as Mattie Ross. Believe the hype. The whole story kind of hangs on her performance, and she delivers. It is all the more impressive that this newcomer held her own with Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.

And casting Barry Pepper as Lucky Ned Pepper? Genius. Pure genius. (Not casting Shia LaBeouf as LaBoeuf? Equally genius.)

Tell me what you think in the comments.
And go read something today!
rr

Just Finished: True Grit

I just finished True Grit by Charles Portis.

No, not that Grit.

I'm supposed to see the Coen Brother's version tonight, if all goes according to plan. I have huge expectations from that film. I liked No Country for Old Men a lot. And some portions of the book by Portis reminded me a lot of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven.

As for the book, I can tell you this: Mattie Ross has just as much "true grit" as Rooster Cogburn, and every bit as much of an original voice as Holden Caulfield. I give it the rr seal of approval.

Until next time,
rr

My Favorite Literary Quote of the Moment

"Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time."

-Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five

Oh, to be able to live your days out of order, like Billy Pilgrim or Sam Beckett or Desmond Hume. I'd slap some sense into the 14 year-old boy I once was, and tell him to relax, that's for sure. Of course, it probably wouldn't be as awesome in fact as it might seem in theory. But like anyone who tells me winning the lottery wouldn't bring me happiness, I tell them I'd like to find out just to be sure.

You know, for science.

Also, tip of the hat to my friend KG who claims Vonnegut as one of her "old man crushes." (I think.)

Fun fact: Vonnegut appeared in Back to School as himself. In the story, Thornton Mellon hired V. to write an essay about the works of Kurt Vonnegut, for which he receives an "F."

Too funny.

For Esmé with Love and Squalor

Last week I read "For Esmé with Love and Squalor" by J.D. Salinger, from his only short story collection Nine Stories.

I would feel disingenuous if I sat here and said "yeah, it was pretty good." I mean, come on, it's J.D. Salinger. Of course it's good. So I guess I won't be reviewing it as to how good it was or even how good it was as compared to his other works; I'm mostly concerned with what I saw in it.

Fascinating stuff. Can I really call it disjointed though?

It starts with a man writing a letter to another man about to get maried to the titular Esmé. Turns out she might be trouble. Cut to the same guy, years earlier as a green G.I. on leave walks into a tea house in London on the eve of D-Day, 1944. He meets the girl, who is there with her kid brother and her nanny. ("Meet you at the corner!") The tea house scene flirts with being skeevy. She is 14. He's 22 and already married. She promises to write him.

The last part is months later. He has now seen combat and has, in fact, cracked. So much so - and here's what I really liked - so much so, the possibility remains open as to whether or not the first two parts of the story were a mental fabrication, a halucination induced by PTSD. The ending solidifies that - SPOILER ALERT - she was in fact real. But the fact of the matter is, there's no bridge between the PTSD version of our narrator and the one who was going to send the bridegroom a warning by way of the post office.

In the end, I'm glad I read it. The last time I did was probably about 1999-2000 when I was on my last Salinger kick. You should check it out too. Tell me what you think in the comments.