tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64332486811517454272024-02-21T14:41:06.644+00:00Luke Scoffield's BlogLuke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-1060800593811076002023-04-07T23:27:00.005+01:002023-04-07T23:32:14.304+01:00Thoughts on... Belle (2021) - Spoilers!<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDce1KqsPA6T2BZq7vw85XOz8ezOmwpaww0owydyX8M-H3-guIire1__drr9zIaAK-3ThLLnyg3dSLzb2W0r2_BnG8F1BbkyW-XpzEbVmQjgpvs8SB8qy-sAOxxx2j2OaS6_9GdkeMBu_plNfia5UY1i0id68fdlOxodA_UdgP0Szell10Zy77MeLd/s1920/7603165.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDce1KqsPA6T2BZq7vw85XOz8ezOmwpaww0owydyX8M-H3-guIire1__drr9zIaAK-3ThLLnyg3dSLzb2W0r2_BnG8F1BbkyW-XpzEbVmQjgpvs8SB8qy-sAOxxx2j2OaS6_9GdkeMBu_plNfia5UY1i0id68fdlOxodA_UdgP0Szell10Zy77MeLd/w640-h360/7603165.jpeg" width="640" /></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’m fascinated by <i>Belle</i>.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I was predisposed to like it, having enjoyed other films by Mamoru Hosoda, and sat through <i>Belle</i> jointly in awe and despair at what it was doing. It is relentlessly frenetic, telling a dual tale of online and offline lives that tries to encompass celebrity culture, privacy, anonymity, grief, depression, self-realisation, policing, child abuse and teenage romance. That list alone should tell you that <i>Belle</i> is highly ambitious and aiming for a broad emotional and intellectual range. Sadly, not only does it fail to hit the notes it wants to, but most are dissonant with each other.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I should jump in here with some positives: I like, for the most part, how the story is visualised. There’s a strong aesthetic identity to both digital and analogue worlds. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The online world of U is primarily cel-shaded 3D CGI that is more intensely colourful and graphic than the offline world, but sympathetic to it in terms of character design and by limiting its frame rate. The low(ish) frame rate along with the sense of fluidity that would otherwise be offered by the digital animation offers a feeling of hyper-reality that works perfectly for how this digital space is pitched in the story. The digital world can make use of free-roaming cameras and extreme virtual lenses to offer both a freer and less real sense of space than in the analogue world.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRK7WqAwHTPHKpbpfgHhwEXK-9on5gZM8wf_ops8FL3Tu2hAyx_bfilyeL--QrXugaXaXpzrefh7kxah93tc5Y2-YW8YH1RlJD5v-5yeIvLvPwgFKjCdxZJUmmpC37Tqy2JEsg119u0Fx63y62xwTZhOctYSGbDmT9a3Sq51Skzz86mwlzqbGHqXQl/s1920/7603070.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRK7WqAwHTPHKpbpfgHhwEXK-9on5gZM8wf_ops8FL3Tu2hAyx_bfilyeL--QrXugaXaXpzrefh7kxah93tc5Y2-YW8YH1RlJD5v-5yeIvLvPwgFKjCdxZJUmmpC37Tqy2JEsg119u0Fx63y62xwTZhOctYSGbDmT9a3Sq51Skzz86mwlzqbGHqXQl/w640-h360/7603070.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The offline space is in a traditional animated style, 2D hand-drawn animation with flat colour and near photo-realistic painted backgrounds. It embraces the restriction of a locked-off (virtual) camera that simplifies this technique and stands in contrast to the more effusive, flowing, digital world. Offline, of course, palettes are more restricted.</span></p></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiSbrT2axNG7oyS_YGk_E87ISvLFZ5G7i2fNHJtVK54dK7Y6gvIXe4PWBRlWh6LjllPRH3POveFaQKewC33eQY9j7wAZO7hU6IBsmnEDh9cIoViPlIJI6MQp_nBIeuiuxWe44S2LuEqadcNRte8eqVF9QC_uLN2CKnQ1o4M7fGaYt_eHGuPIqCI8q/s1920/7602364.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiSbrT2axNG7oyS_YGk_E87ISvLFZ5G7i2fNHJtVK54dK7Y6gvIXe4PWBRlWh6LjllPRH3POveFaQKewC33eQY9j7wAZO7hU6IBsmnEDh9cIoViPlIJI6MQp_nBIeuiuxWe44S2LuEqadcNRte8eqVF9QC_uLN2CKnQ1o4M7fGaYt_eHGuPIqCI8q/w640-h360/7602364.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Both worlds, frankly, contain a lot of beauty and expression. Events in the digital world (and I’m on the verge of veering into the negative again here) quote or evoke an awful lot of other sources; Disney’s <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, the fantasy spaces of Terry Gilliam, <i>The Matrix</i>, <i>Tron</i>, Jan Pieńkowski. I found this surprising and enjoyed how it added impact and detail to its visual schemes.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNbeTKJS7UScWJaY_UqCrHA1vWL2ALH4sPWM992UOc3qw8tWd-G4VlAdXLFmblioCv0RynprSU2MIdJMw8NtEqY9svjTmeknX4DY2Hf0WRmoaskgrQdcQVk3Is06ymBSNMgjrSoyqKAxqBtNXxBta-WFjA9otoN-AYG0OfAnFm7U8mqrQ_Ga1mPSw/s1920/7604943.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNbeTKJS7UScWJaY_UqCrHA1vWL2ALH4sPWM992UOc3qw8tWd-G4VlAdXLFmblioCv0RynprSU2MIdJMw8NtEqY9svjTmeknX4DY2Hf0WRmoaskgrQdcQVk3Is06ymBSNMgjrSoyqKAxqBtNXxBta-WFjA9otoN-AYG0OfAnFm7U8mqrQ_Ga1mPSw/w640-h360/7604943.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk08uED6tZU8_D90fWlpL4r_gDF3zoSYH5iUQtgOIGsvjR0QLyfgMumt0FSiLkD2MGX6KhPdWJYbQTQR22Cusu4vSP9lRgWFdirNmYrrrojkfdsTWbh-s-j8hkyQswLPNcuH1h3qfI8Bf9RJmVbIJdwPnpH1aZXTvsV_L9hNjkIA0eE9cYd6nfRYy8/s1920/7604158.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk08uED6tZU8_D90fWlpL4r_gDF3zoSYH5iUQtgOIGsvjR0QLyfgMumt0FSiLkD2MGX6KhPdWJYbQTQR22Cusu4vSP9lRgWFdirNmYrrrojkfdsTWbh-s-j8hkyQswLPNcuH1h3qfI8Bf9RJmVbIJdwPnpH1aZXTvsV_L9hNjkIA0eE9cYd6nfRYy8/w640-h360/7604158.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What I didn't enjoy was how the film tries to address the volume and weight of all the elements it introduces.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's start with the basis: the central thread of the story is teenager Suzu coming to terms with grief at the death of her mother and the trauma of the circumstances of her death. She achieves some escape when, in the depths of her depression, she enters the digital world of U and becomes her avatar, Belle. Suzu shared music with her mother and since her death has been unable to sing. As Belle, however, she can sing once more and this self-expression begins to have a healing effect on her.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Through to this point, I was with the film, although I had reservations about the way it was delivering its information. Unfortunately the disjointed delivery of narrative continues and I quickly lost faith in the integrity and reliability of what I was being shown: Belle's an overnight celebrity? Suzu's friend Hiro already knows she's Belle; I didn't assume she'd told anyone? How much time has passed? </span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0zxHuDb_LPTnZeNB9Z2BuqyS53dHBvpDxNJjZV4aSTthRE8iSWcnU58RZIn_A9LoHbNkNlmuEa1J2edDU4hCYUSjyfx9_eMqIC5CMRyM5IDrw8bw0X1gqkz13dJt82rUc1Hj24_Iw50a9gaINpsAc8SkB_43sgY4WtUdqjxADo7yzAor2GTHwvWi/s1920/7602772.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0zxHuDb_LPTnZeNB9Z2BuqyS53dHBvpDxNJjZV4aSTthRE8iSWcnU58RZIn_A9LoHbNkNlmuEa1J2edDU4hCYUSjyfx9_eMqIC5CMRyM5IDrw8bw0X1gqkz13dJt82rUc1Hj24_Iw50a9gaINpsAc8SkB_43sgY4WtUdqjxADo7yzAor2GTHwvWi/w640-h360/7602772.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;">The film already has a conceptual implausibility (more on this to follow) and the inconsistency of narrative delivery only served to create a fractal effect for me in further undermining what it was trying to achieve. <i>Belle</i> continues to drop things in and out at such a rapid rate (there is a lot of information to parse) that important bits of set-up don't have the significance to support their much more laboured pay-off later on.</span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'd cite here the film's stylised presentation of internet communication, which appears intercut with the analogue world and intermingles with the world of U, to confusing effect. For example, there is a real-world teen gossip crisis for Suzu to deal with, which is taking place via group chat, but it's visualised for the audience as a hex-grid war game, which takes away the practical and emotional reality of that experience.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfJC1dRequ5zOXV0HfrD9KlYbV3bRLjVSN5hYI61sovJRC1-SaNH1JjpQDqBdB9mFCebNYq8zC8xsEAOlRN3AYDOgU7QvQPJF3W7WmUZakQfVslZryTGdJzzihr20ozqHgUmScMJRLQxPA1sw1sIJKP4FCc6yMJIf9TENMZbTHTQ1r7Ig5HghCEAi/s1920/7603751.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfJC1dRequ5zOXV0HfrD9KlYbV3bRLjVSN5hYI61sovJRC1-SaNH1JjpQDqBdB9mFCebNYq8zC8xsEAOlRN3AYDOgU7QvQPJF3W7WmUZakQfVslZryTGdJzzihr20ozqHgUmScMJRLQxPA1sw1sIJKP4FCc6yMJIf9TENMZbTHTQ1r7Ig5HghCEAi/w640-h360/7603751.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I believe the film-makers are trying to get across the complexity and breadth of digital communication in a simple cinematic shorthand, which theoretically I agree with, but I'm not convinced they landed on a <i>good</i> shorthand. The end result tends toward oversimplification and hyperbole that is reductive of the human causes/effects of these interactions. For example, the sequence where Belle is canonised as a celebrity is considerably naff:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jKaEg9QFCe6-w5iowI3FR-t6c2W7F7ptab3nICiKtUdZqXiCpEnJlHiuAJ_X-aneo55t3SMAcUD-vXm6PNQlWGAxC9f5yQ2049jS_qMq_ZoXiZqq---QFSzO1ISdUReTbwPq-fmNoyxUXgdsRNU8KjHbn82OY1V2JKpyaIUcRfqzGt-f5jWH-JMG/s1920/7602873.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jKaEg9QFCe6-w5iowI3FR-t6c2W7F7ptab3nICiKtUdZqXiCpEnJlHiuAJ_X-aneo55t3SMAcUD-vXm6PNQlWGAxC9f5yQ2049jS_qMq_ZoXiZqq---QFSzO1ISdUReTbwPq-fmNoyxUXgdsRNU8KjHbn82OY1V2JKpyaIUcRfqzGt-f5jWH-JMG/w640-h360/7602873.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The film is aiming to conjure up a culture of instant communication that comes over as caricature (there are lots of audio and visual soundbites.) Caricaturing for the sake of brevity extends so far throughout the structure of the film that most of the characters remain, at best, archetypes. Only Suzu and Kei (the Beast) break out into some meaningful dimensionality by the end. To give the film credit, it gives Suzu an emotional journey that tracks within its own context and pays off in ways that make sense for what has been established, but for me, it remains superficial.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>This has to do with the lack of credibility in the world. </span><span>The world of U and, by extension, the wider human world, is not well defined. Technologically, we seem to be in the near future and U is something like the projected Metaverse. Bizarrely, you don’t get to choose your avatar in this virtual world, which comes across as something like an MMO interface for… social media? Apparently, the app analyses a photo of you and tells you what you should look like. It then uses biometric data to bring out your inner strengths (???) and secure your login, so a person can have only one avatar. These features are not further explicated or explored and, frankly, don't make a lot of sense to me.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHugWDe8z5QxUrIDR-QT9CtY8pCt8f8PgxPqkolx-9qHffKqIDUq4gb_OfGqd6sljUW3SZPfiMJISzaNvLa-JMlXDjlCyid4LPrGXCWJzDO44GqN8oy4zRjXIXvrct6Oc7Avgg2EgRKIGyaWg7WXAPDymR0yxO1uLEi_5bawPtT0W7rkN1C6p51jBQ/s1920/7604235.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHugWDe8z5QxUrIDR-QT9CtY8pCt8f8PgxPqkolx-9qHffKqIDUq4gb_OfGqd6sljUW3SZPfiMJISzaNvLa-JMlXDjlCyid4LPrGXCWJzDO44GqN8oy4zRjXIXvrct6Oc7Avgg2EgRKIGyaWg7WXAPDymR0yxO1uLEi_5bawPtT0W7rkN1C6p51jBQ/w640-h360/7604235.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Once in, what are the boundaries or restrictions of this world? Who can program it? Events and structures must come from somewhere and users have formed vigilante groups without any obvious oversight or limitation. There are a couple of vague allusions to sponsorship and monetisation but these are very quickly waved aside.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I don't get a sense of what type of culture or economy this digital behemoth exists within, other than supplying my own impressions from life. I'm not sure what state this fictional real world is in - no-one seems particularly willing to respond to the evidenced emotional and physical abuse of children, apart from Suzu taking her own kind of vigilante action, supported (only to a certain point, bizarrely) by the significant people in her life.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_ratF2RjOXLjSI3NcJmzErlv2BglxEQkiSxaW4qh1RczEJRNlt-zjSE0MQjsBJl0Ay4ILAz2R7Jrb4ZeV_Y3A9yHl8c3mEqjEwxKD1U8Lek1hiHIVNcIFHYLQUgb0tQyKyO_-bF2xpRftwP9bC-g1XJMxoP0gj0ZOIDZCTHeXIhR0TSpmcIow9qM/s1920/7605545.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_ratF2RjOXLjSI3NcJmzErlv2BglxEQkiSxaW4qh1RczEJRNlt-zjSE0MQjsBJl0Ay4ILAz2R7Jrb4ZeV_Y3A9yHl8c3mEqjEwxKD1U8Lek1hiHIVNcIFHYLQUgb0tQyKyO_-bF2xpRftwP9bC-g1XJMxoP0gj0ZOIDZCTHeXIhR0TSpmcIow9qM/w640-h360/7605545.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This climactic confrontation sequence is not badly directed but it is commitedly melodramatic, a fact which both abrades the other tones of the film and, again, reduces its subject matter to caricature, to a diagram even. I'm baffled by its conclusion. It doesn't feel like this is a "real" world conclusion but a dramatic one, and I can't see why it need be so unrealistic even after it makes its (stylised) big character statement.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On that, there is a crucial character moment for Suzu here as she stares someone down. This is the only point at which I felt the animation, which otherwise is uniformly great, wasn't up to the job of acting the scene. For the stare, Suzu is given the no-animation treatment (I don't think the light in her eyes even squiggles); we read the dramatic effect only in the intensity of the other party's reaction. In a live action performance, you would feel the energy coming off the performer. Animation can do this, but it isn't doing it here, which is a great pity. Remember folks, more is less when it comes to 'toons!</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">While the film is trying to wrestle with the complex interconnections of dual realities and the very real ramifications of grief and child abuse, it's also trying to layer on the allegorical trappings of Beauty and the Beast. It's far too much for me. This element is beautifully visualised, but it creates another point of disjuncture to ask an emotional investment in allegorical ciphers when the stakes are already obfuscated by an ill-defined fantasy world. The narrative lifting these portions are trying to do is already undermined.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DC_P0UWQcmdEEwLxrQqexStlsqqEI-pxsyML4pI3nUCjqNWiQPuoZmtHQABiG8LDslDrlv2Oc2aEFriB-IBUy_zA_66loMfFzBagzHDNE7X7C0mP9dZ05qldU9rd8Rhc0QC5RrHWJCKECUwzSPJyGn82DpyxhflxCf-bq0L_VYtHIoHOS6ZSs7eW/s1920/7603588.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DC_P0UWQcmdEEwLxrQqexStlsqqEI-pxsyML4pI3nUCjqNWiQPuoZmtHQABiG8LDslDrlv2Oc2aEFriB-IBUy_zA_66loMfFzBagzHDNE7X7C0mP9dZ05qldU9rd8Rhc0QC5RrHWJCKECUwzSPJyGn82DpyxhflxCf-bq0L_VYtHIoHOS6ZSs7eW/w640-h360/7603588.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And what is the point of the film so deliberately quoting Disney's <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> if it's not a reference the characters themselves are making? We have no evidence that they've been able to shape their appearance or surroundings. If it's the film saying "remember <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>?", the answer's "yes", and that's another superficiality.</span></p><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDW5p5hiHcbd7HcB-hAW-4DE9gKKLyHSaHyJpjoEzk1kcbocs-I95x83219KnM9CwY2K4p_KMi_wKkCQRIKt0_JVDYfMmORSjgfWBfSuGSBOSFGgtKQVSwVSAlYmGD1FusQHPbz0dD1Sglsp5y8yjylaRauONBgtG6p-PAcmvqHQxXdcE81OzzWtk/s1920/7604086.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDW5p5hiHcbd7HcB-hAW-4DE9gKKLyHSaHyJpjoEzk1kcbocs-I95x83219KnM9CwY2K4p_KMi_wKkCQRIKt0_JVDYfMmORSjgfWBfSuGSBOSFGgtKQVSwVSAlYmGD1FusQHPbz0dD1Sglsp5y8yjylaRauONBgtG6p-PAcmvqHQxXdcE81OzzWtk/w640-h360/7604086.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Oddly, the film or, at least, Suzu's character journey, is supposed to hinge on her songs. These fell very flat for me, as earnest but banal modern pop. I didn't get any of the soaring catharsis that they're supposed to evoke within the story. I felt they were further undermined by more naff visual shorthand, particularly the moment when all the audience's hearts light up like they're waving lighters.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZt-6GFPzjNrLZlG6bwH3mljtjtwKfVIeJFs7_l2UFyggzGjI7CGyb2MZCgYlqmImH2rrBL0Nq6mFxta0XAd8Ft4k48NkcRsToJX7_NkT-Ems5ouTfcMU6i2eNfYDaNaFYQHEX18y-JPcdXuUWxbIbcTRL_JWWGWMMV-_nrOu-zdqmChieEP-CXOD/s1920/7605211.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZt-6GFPzjNrLZlG6bwH3mljtjtwKfVIeJFs7_l2UFyggzGjI7CGyb2MZCgYlqmImH2rrBL0Nq6mFxta0XAd8Ft4k48NkcRsToJX7_NkT-Ems5ouTfcMU6i2eNfYDaNaFYQHEX18y-JPcdXuUWxbIbcTRL_JWWGWMMV-_nrOu-zdqmChieEP-CXOD/w640-h360/7605211.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In summary, this is a film about the internet which has tried to pull off more than it can accomplish. I think the internet itself is too large a subject - you try to make a story about the internet and you end up trying to make a story about the world, which is nigh on impossible. Visualising digital spaces is incredibly tricky and can often come off, as I think it does here, as oversimplified and reductive. It's a particularly difficult task to capture the interaction of both the real and digital worlds and weight them accordingly, to perception and to practical cause and consequence. <i>Ralph Breaks the Internet</i>, a unique example as far as I'm aware, gets around this problem by only dealing with the virtual side of reality, at an abstraction. <i>Belle</i> doesn't afford itself this luxury. To its credit though, I think it doesn't fall into the trap of unintentionally exploiting its subject matter or moralising over it; it's more open than that. I think it's not unreasonable to draw comparisons with Satoshi Kon's <i>Perfect Blue</i> and <i>Paprika</i>, both of which deal with similar ideas in a more cogent fashion. I'd need to revisit Hosoda's previous film on teens in a digital alternative world, <i>Summer Wars</i>, for some perspective on that.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I rate this film:</b> Disappointing/They clearly put a lot of work and love into this</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-2912292192365479192022-02-24T21:54:00.000+00:002022-02-24T21:54:00.609+00:00Patreon, YouTube & Twitch Update<p>Hello! This is a slightly modified version of a post on my Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/lukescoffield" target="_blank">patreon.com/lukescoffield</a></p><p>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejiZRfZOqqR3njmf-LdtHg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejiZRfZOqqR3njmf-LdtHg</a></p><p>Twitch: <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/catsequences" target="_blank">https://www.twitch.tv/catsequences</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAG2s22CMdZjhv5vafw9-LYvxg_adZV21U2Q72J9RRS1QdkYBVCRTUHgfzwg-YhjUDolMoqjCcoAaC113IZrXnEaKGm_wP6lWqo6Xh4_fTrYFXfhLzjCC4RHGJ6jMlk1B_x8JCB0XVqShDIfj23ny_UmjTxgbqHTJ46dCu1BSGwGyaXg6cf7O01yla=s1920" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAG2s22CMdZjhv5vafw9-LYvxg_adZV21U2Q72J9RRS1QdkYBVCRTUHgfzwg-YhjUDolMoqjCcoAaC113IZrXnEaKGm_wP6lWqo6Xh4_fTrYFXfhLzjCC4RHGJ6jMlk1B_x8JCB0XVqShDIfj23ny_UmjTxgbqHTJ46dCu1BSGwGyaXg6cf7O01yla=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I realised the other day that I had been neglecting my Patreon, so I'm currently re-jigging it slightly and posting links to the recent videos I had previously missed. I'll do a couple a day until I'm up to date, and then new video posts will go up the same time as the videos go live. Which leads me to YouTube...</p><p>I've currently got a good schedule going to release one video a week on Sundays, alternating between <b>Wizard and the Princess</b> VODs and the <b>Dune</b> and <b>Divine Divinity</b> let's plays. My intention is to keep that routine going. I anticipate we'll be up to date on the VODs first, and then I'll alternate the other two series and drop in some one-off videos or two part series as and when time allows.</p><p>An update for this blog: you can check out my channel update video from December -</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hJV8M7puAjY" width="320" youtube-src-id="hJV8M7puAjY"></iframe></div><br /><p>- and visit the series playlists for recent uploads.</p><p><b>Divine Divinity</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GFeYeMOfSQxFaCCMf1MrwEq</p><p><b>Dune</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GFPyNX4wThxBdliWYassmF9</p><p><b>Wizard and the Princess</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GG2VmL9nNGaw4dTnr2wqNye</p><p>The VODs generally take less editing than a standard let's play episode but are usually much longer so post production ends up a similar length. Once I've caught up (and there's some Dune II streams to edit and upload too) it would be a good time to start streaming to Twitch again - and I'm keen to, because I have fun - but the remaining factor is my internet connection.</p><p>It's adequate for most online functions but for streaming it's just poor. Fibre optic cables are being installed in my area, so I'm going to wait for that work to be completed and then investigate my options for higher speeds!</p><p>I might try out the odd stream between here and there of something technically undemanding, so we've got a chance of it working. I'm definitely open to suggestions of where the best place is to notify people of upcoming streams. As well as relying on Twitch's own notifications, I'm thinking I will post on my Patreon to give people a heads up.</p><p>I think that's it for now. Thanks!</p><p>Take care,</p><p>Luke x</p>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-68237049088320112912021-10-22T17:02:00.008+01:002021-10-22T17:22:55.467+01:00Quick Update: October 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRWM25uMnZlXFBVStWSYsW1vhKfjrDFZYtbynyYHxW_iy4ydsU9-eKHcZgECDUnHiqICrWaleHHgWzxbcnzxO_QwxWR2cPb6TdkAqx-XTTj6HbTNaTgIEAzA6qQvXUCMLbHGfrlyh8ws/s1920/irulan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRWM25uMnZlXFBVStWSYsW1vhKfjrDFZYtbynyYHxW_iy4ydsU9-eKHcZgECDUnHiqICrWaleHHgWzxbcnzxO_QwxWR2cPb6TdkAqx-XTTj6HbTNaTgIEAzA6qQvXUCMLbHGfrlyh8ws/w640-h360/irulan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's been a while! Apologies for not having updated you since July. Here's a quick post on some relevant things.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I've been busy on work of various kinds - not a lot to show on that just yet. I've been publishing videos to <b>YouTube</b> and streaming on <b>Twitch</b> on a fairly regular basis - typically weekly for each - so if you're interested in my video game adventures, please do check there.</p><p><a href="http://www.twitch.tv/catsequences">www.twitch.tv/catsequences</a></p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejiZRfZOqqR3njmf-LdtHg">www.youtube.com/channel/UCejiZRfZOqqR3njmf-LdtHg</a></p><p>On that front, I've reached a couple of milestones I'm kind of proud of. I finished my playthrough of <b>The Feeble Files</b>, the game I started with in August 2020 and has been a near constant challenge, to play and to present, and battle of wills and motivation. I <i>did</i> it. I'm not sure it means anything to anyone other than me, ultimately, but really that's enough. I've loved playing games again through the process, and have come back to video editing with satisfaction. I'd like to write something more substantial on the experience at some point.</p><p>On a related note, I've still got some half-finished blog drafts to finish, especially the Hal Hartley one.</p><span><!--more--></span><p>Oh, and I've also published videos on <b>Dune</b> and <b>Dune II</b> (both from 1992), showing gameplay, sharing my thoughts and going through some of the history of this interesting pair of games that are really only connected by circumstances of creation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MFyWeVzhxoM" width="320" youtube-src-id="MFyWeVzhxoM"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QzZW6rBHfs8" width="320" youtube-src-id="QzZW6rBHfs8"></iframe></div><p>I've had a fun and involving time playing both and assembling this material over the last month or so, and releasing them into the wilderness of YouTube feels like an achievement and a relief. Time for a bit of a rest, so I'm taking a week off streaming and will dial it back a bit on the YouTube videos for a while. I still have material to edit and publish, so the channel will still be updating regularly, but I intend to spend more time elsewhere for the moment.</p><p>That's kind of it for the moment, but for one very important recommendation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbKw5RA2kZLFx6ttZrAt_XFo8RuNdg0gYQEgQTjUMDQL5TQnIBH4W8sAMgK1g2Fs-bS1FW2GoF0j8ECFBvZ_GG60g39SeSmrGAnirHtbO4Y4sTHwZycNc1bG63nzWFHok1nx7rag291g/s680/ticking1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="680" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbKw5RA2kZLFx6ttZrAt_XFo8RuNdg0gYQEgQTjUMDQL5TQnIBH4W8sAMgK1g2Fs-bS1FW2GoF0j8ECFBvZ_GG60g39SeSmrGAnirHtbO4Y4sTHwZycNc1bG63nzWFHok1nx7rag291g/w640-h404/ticking1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Do check out <b>The Ticking World</b>, a unique branching narrative advent calendar created by <b>Brendon Connelly</b> and <b>Maya Evans</b>:</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/TheTickingWorld">https://twitter.com/TheTickingWorld</a></p><p>Take care</p><p>X</p>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-37610574053550455122021-07-14T18:13:00.003+01:002021-07-14T18:34:35.446+01:00Roundup: May & June 2021<p>Hello, it's been a while and yes, it's nearly mid-July, but here we are...</p><p>In this roundup, some quick thoughts on films, updates on my let's play activities and some recommendations.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Film Thoughts</span></u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZifFm8LdVnh1qNnR_zh4Rf2-mtHTSFykEz3cSdv_v_o176YE_HBiiptTE65AcQFpQBolH2VqzXFOq5TIO-0-u0LBLHklzktki8mJcjpWyK_n4qcDP-Nht1npvDPm2iYutgdlsQMbkf1c/s1920/ht3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1920" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZifFm8LdVnh1qNnR_zh4Rf2-mtHTSFykEz3cSdv_v_o176YE_HBiiptTE65AcQFpQBolH2VqzXFOq5TIO-0-u0LBLHklzktki8mJcjpWyK_n4qcDP-Nht1npvDPm2iYutgdlsQMbkf1c/w640-h346/ht3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I have, indeed, watched some films. I experienced <i>Hotel Transylvania 3</i> again and still think it's the best of the lot. I've seen <i>Hotel Transylvania 2</i> more times than I would naturally have chosen to and the change in elasticity of the animation from <i>2</i> to <i>3</i> is pretty astonishing. It's so much more fluid and I'm going to say more fluid than I've seen in any other CG feature so far. Director Genndy Tarkovsky was continually pushing the envelope there with each iteration (and co-wrote the best story of the three [despite making me think again about the Costa Plonka]), but sadly it looks like the upcoming sequel <i>Hotel Transylvania: Transformania</i> is taking a step back technically. As Tarkovsky is not directing, I'm not particularly surprised. The climax of the <i>3</i> works particularly well for me. I do so wish I'd been able to see it in 3D.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39fr7GvjqB8vRX5Og1ccT41K0Npxpw4xmq1d_pB5mHrh4Hkem5E_u1jDsL8uHR7W3fMFlX3921M1v3XztITb9LtNtx4cP-XFOlwhSF2wf7PANH6R32rhyphenhyphen8_KM3l6H6X2hyiXATAdb5Ls/s768/girl+from+monday.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="768" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39fr7GvjqB8vRX5Og1ccT41K0Npxpw4xmq1d_pB5mHrh4Hkem5E_u1jDsL8uHR7W3fMFlX3921M1v3XztITb9LtNtx4cP-XFOlwhSF2wf7PANH6R32rhyphenhyphen8_KM3l6H6X2hyiXATAdb5Ls/w640-h373/girl+from+monday.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>My other note would that I've been recently been delving back into a bunch of <a href="http://www.possiblefilms.com" target="_blank">Hal Hartley</a> films after receiving the Blu-ray boxset of <i>The Book of Life</i>, <i>The Girl from Monday</i> and related shorts. I'm working on a longer piece about these and other films. The short version is: they're well worth your time and if you're looking for thoughtful, funny and idiosyncratic films, I highly recommend them.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">TTRPG Reading</span></u></b></p><p>Is this becoming a regular section? This roundup's discovery of note is without doubt <b>Skyrealms of Jorune</b>, a science-fantasy roleplaying game that had three editions between 1984 and 1992. It's not an overwhelmingly original setting - humans on an alien world where science is magic - but comes with a potent thematic core: it is, as far as I can tell, about immigration. Player characters are immigrants to Jorune, hoping to become Drenn, citizens. Even the tagline to the game is "Leave your world behind." It's very much a post-colonial (and pushing toward trans-humanist) setting, and there's a lot you could explore with that in today's world.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzq57Mfg38XBDTcv6PMxEngR74f7Zpu7jrv1cEcsPZ-IT6h170GEGwN0PswgBttdKQe5kYP8N14o7MxyrBmwMQYNOQHEjVZ1C6Wnd1-g8w5RVixk6zSjncnGuW7v3mX2d8pFS65uFuYA/s1811/srj-2e-box.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1811" data-original-width="1359" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzq57Mfg38XBDTcv6PMxEngR74f7Zpu7jrv1cEcsPZ-IT6h170GEGwN0PswgBttdKQe5kYP8N14o7MxyrBmwMQYNOQHEjVZ1C6Wnd1-g8w5RVixk6zSjncnGuW7v3mX2d8pFS65uFuYA/w480-h640/srj-2e-box.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Besides being a TTRPG with ideas, it appears to be particularly rich in the details of its fictional world, written by Andrew Leker and vividly brought to life by artist Miles Teves, who has gone on to work as a concept artist in Hollywood with an emphasis on creature creation. The illustrations for Jorune (particularly 2nd edition) are extraordinary, with fully realised alien species in Renaissance-style paintings and highly detailed monochrome drawings.<p></p><p><i>Skyrealms of Jorune</i> is, sadly, long out of print, although it appears to have had a small and dedicated fanbase. Andrew Leker moved into video games and his first project was an adaptation of the Jorune setting, <b><a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/alien-logic" target="_blank">Alien Logic</a></b>, although this appears to jettison most of the interesting core around which the concept works in favour of a more traditional adventure story and seems to suffer from a lack of resources to realise Jorune as a living, breathing world.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Let's Plays</span></u></b></p><p>I've uploaded new episodes in several series:</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Let's Play The Feeble Files<br /></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GHALxNjMHYUfmHbwcXWIhrT" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GHALxNjMHYUfmHbwcXWIhrT</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQHJC9HMKVc" width="320" youtube-src-id="rQHJC9HMKVc"></iframe></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Let's Play Divine Divinity<br /></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GFeYeMOfSQxFaCCMf1MrwEq" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GFeYeMOfSQxFaCCMf1MrwEq</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9mHN0fGgdSI" width="320" youtube-src-id="9mHN0fGgdSI"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Let's Play Samorost </b>(this one was a real delight)<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tYNfZyaydSU" width="320" youtube-src-id="tYNfZyaydSU"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>And I'm trying out streaming games on Twitch:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.twitch.tv/catsequences" target="_blank">www.twitch.tv/catsequences</a></b></p><p>I've mainly been picking early adventure games to play (as they're undemanding on my hardware) and great for playing with the audience. Now I just need the audience.</p><p>I've been collecting the VOD versions of the streams on Youtube:</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Let's Stream Mystery House<br /></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GHebH6wZnLe-UlVgbWHpT7g" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQUKAUcw_GHebH6wZnLe-UlVgbWHpT7g</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/514UWxc6VYo" width="320" youtube-src-id="514UWxc6VYo"></iframe></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Let's Stream Extase<br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-tlel5FNRUg" width="320" youtube-src-id="-tlel5FNRUg"></iframe></div><p><i>Mystery House</i> is complete, but I'm a little behind on updating the VODs.</p><p>My current adventure game is <b>Wizard and the Princess</b>, the second Sierra game (by Roberta and Ken Williams) and probably the second graphic adventure ever. I'm playing with a live window for map making/note taking and really would appreciate any help anyone can bring. Seriously, I spent one hour- and-a-half session turning over rocks. Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/catsequences" target="_blank">Twitch</a> if you'd like to join in when I next go live.</p><p>I've fallen down a few rabbit holes researching interesting and obscure games. I've become fascinated by The Magic Candle series of RPGs; their atmosphere, their mechanics, and would highly recommend this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4y6jJiFcWiRHPz4O1chBg5NxwSgw2BM" target="_blank">ongoing let's play series of <b>The Magic Candle II</b> by <b>getinthedamnbox</b></a> - it's calm, clear and elucidating.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h80W2pDDUIA" width="320" youtube-src-id="h80W2pDDUIA"></iframe></div><br /> And they put me on to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leighalexander1" target="_blank"><b>Leigh Alexander's</b> short <b>Lo-Fi Let's Plays</b></a>, which are a much more interesting way to use this particular medium than I've seen almost anywhere else. Go check 'em out.<p></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F9wOy9H8xZQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="F9wOy9H8xZQ"></iframe><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Newsletter</span></u></b></p><p>I'd like to recommend <a href="https://us1.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=1ae42e1a95310d27c25e9664a&id=2b5273194e" target="_blank"><b>All Sorts of Things</b> from <b>Brendon Connelly</b></a>. It's an engaging mix of puzzles, fiction, film tidbits and, in the most recent edition, a 138-word RPG! Brendon also mini-blogs <b>The Daily Detective</b>, both on his <a href="https://twitter.com/brendonconnelly" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://thedailydetective.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr.</a></p><p> </p><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks for reading!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Take care and see you next time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Luke</div><div style="text-align: center;">X<br /></div>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-42841590816437417272021-05-01T08:00:00.009+01:002021-05-01T08:00:00.246+01:00Roundup: March and April 2021<p>I forgot to update you on what I'd been doing in March, but there wasn't a lot to talk about so, if you please, have a double bill now...</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><b>Illustration</b></p><p>This month I've been working on a short project that I can't share at the moment, but hopefully I can point you to quite soon. I'm happy with how it's gone, what it's for, and I'm excited to share it with people.<b> </b>I've had quite a constructive period of<b> </b>conceptualising, so... watch this space for further news.<b></b></p><p><b>Recentish News About Things I'm Interested In</b></p><p>What would have been <a href="https://www.halhartley.com/" target="_blank">Hal Hartley's</a> latest film, <i>Where To Land</i>, is not currently going ahead. It was funded on Kickstarter in 2020 shortly before Covid-19 became a global situation and as things currently stand, Hartley and Possible Films<b> </b>would be unable to make the intended film with the money raised. Backers have been refunded or offered alternative Blu-ray sets of other Hartley films (screenplay and soundtrack offers have still been fulfilled). I'm deeply sorry this film isn't going ahead; Hartley is one of my very favourite filmmakers and I think his films are sensitive, honest, deeply considered and very funny - I recommend them highly.</p><p>There's a new collection of Paul Kirchner strips available from Éditions Tanibis: <a href="https://www.tanibis.net/livres/dope-rider-a-fistful-of-delirium/" target="_blank">Dope Rider: A Fistful of Delirium</a>. Tanibis are dedicated to independent international comics work (publishing albums and collections created in French and translated into French), and they seem equally dedicated to the meticulous, funny and highly imaginative work of Paul Kirchner, having released French and English collected editions <i><a href="https://www.tanibis.net/livres/the-bus/" target="_blank">The Bus</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.tanibis.net/livres/hieronymus-bosch/" target="_blank">Hieronymus & Bosch</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.tanibis.net/livres/awaiting-the-collapse/" target="_blank">Awaiting the Collapse</a></i>. Take a big recommendation from me to check out the work of Paul Kirchner and, if it seems like your kind of thing, I think it will be worth checking out Tanibis' other publications too.<br /></p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><p><b><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></b></p><p><b>Film Thoughts<br /></b></p><p>I haven't seen any recently released films for quite some time (except <i>Tenet</i> and about that "all I can give you is a gesture" [bless you, Martin Donovan]), but I have had the opportunity and inclination to catch up with some interesting older work.</p><p>I recently watched the whole <b>Infernal Affairs</b> trilogy for the first time (I'd only seen number one before); they're hokey but fun and there really are some cracking performances in there. For me, Eric Tsang really stands out in number two. Above all, I love them as a writing exercise (increasingly so), to the point where the third film is seemingly in an impossible situation to achieve what it sets out to achieve, but finds an interesting way to do it anyway. I also appreciate the little details of Hong Kong that appear throughout and ground the films in a real sense of place, despite the "heightened" sensibilities of the narrative.</p><p>I watched some Buster Keaton films I hadn't seen before, and in some cracking 4K restorations that make them look incredibly sharp, even at 1080p. I revisited <b>The Navigator</b> and discovered <b>Seven Chances</b> and <b>Battling Butler</b>. They're all full of ingenious gags and incredible physicality. <i>Seven Chances</i>, for some reason, has a vein of overt racism running through it that soured my experience, but there's lots of extraordinary business and, given its plot, I think it neatly sidesteps misogynistic pitfalls (or perhaps leads them to a rock slide).</p><p>I think I enjoyed <i>Battling Butler</i> the most for not being a big stunt picture. The first third or so is a cracking romantic comedy; Buster Keaton on a more intimate scale, like in <i>Our Hospitality</i>, another favourite of mine. After that, it effectively changes genre before looping back around, kind of like a Stephen Chow picture, while retaining dramatic momentum. It doesn't hurt that I just love Sally O'Neil's first outfit too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2i6BvtkgzEPdreyfQ6NMkYC_q12VVZ6S_1e6gdHPzmaodno6UgQ6mWHb0Ja0zXvpdiHw_dwWNQRorHCWNUJ6yGOEgHGDrluKKtjvmYD4bPEByhg5DpRACfk2oMYaN5JbN8QKEa_pCj4/s842/battling+butler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="842" height="471" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2i6BvtkgzEPdreyfQ6NMkYC_q12VVZ6S_1e6gdHPzmaodno6UgQ6mWHb0Ja0zXvpdiHw_dwWNQRorHCWNUJ6yGOEgHGDrluKKtjvmYD4bPEByhg5DpRACfk2oMYaN5JbN8QKEa_pCj4/w640-h471/battling+butler.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>And most recently, I've watched Lars von Trier's "Europa Trilogy" for the first time: <b>The Element of Crime</b>, <b>Epidemic</b> (timely? not timely?) and <b>Europa</b>. They're all compelling in their own ways and all unsettling. They're supposed to be.</p><p>I have a somewhat ambivalent relationship to von Trier pictures, because they're usually technically inventive and have a strong sense of drama, but the former tends to distance the viewer from the latter. A synopsis of <i>Europa</i>, for example, might lead you to think it is a rather conventional period melodrama, but that wouldn't convey all the covert ways this is being subverted by how it's presented. The climax is overtly <i>not</i> conventional melodrama.</p><p>I think the problem I have with these films in general is that I greatly admire the storytelling and filmmaking skill that's occurring while being acutely aware that the film's acutely aware of it's own artifice. There's a thick vein of black humour throughout, but the stories are essentially comfortless. The worlds presented somewhat correspond to our own, but they also have the feeling of abstractions, whole-cloth inventions or academic exercises, given palpability and immediacy through the artifice of film, and that can be really disconcerting. I have mixed feelings on them, but I do keep coming back for more.<br /><b></b></p><p><b>TTRPG Reading <br /></b></p><p>I've been delving back down the RPG rabbit hole again, and just enjoying browsing games and thinking about roleplaying. Clicking through this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tabletop_role-playing_games" target="_blank">Wikipedia list</a> has diverted me for hours all told.</p><p>I'm definitely drawn to the quirkier stuff, both in tone and mechanics. I think I'm looking for something that leans more toward storytelling, is mechanically simple and on a macro scale, so you can really push it out where your imagination wants to head and the system bends with you.</p><p>Games that have caught my eye include <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunnies_%26_Burrows" target="_blank">Bunnies & Burrows</a> </i>(that non-human perspective), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Opera_(role-playing_game)" target="_blank"><i>Space Opera</i></a> (I feel you could do a lot with the system as a backbone) and <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4195/Jenna-Katerin-Moran?term=jenna" target="_blank">Jenna K. Moran</a>'s <i>Nobilis</i>, <i>Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Machine</i> and <i>Glitch</i> (I feel a lot of sympathy with their intent, style and tone but find it really hard to assess how they actually play while skimming for the info; they're very literary). <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ars_Magica" target="_blank"><i>Ars Magica</i></a> introduced a troupe system which has now taken root in my imagination.<br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_the_Floating_Vagabond" target="_blank"><i>Tales from the Floating Vagabond</i></a> has a playful skills system and looks like it offers some of the latitude I'm looking for and - above all else - fun! I'm fascinated by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogshead_Publishing" target="_blank">Hogshead Publishing <i>New Style</i> games</a> (<i>The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen</i> [Munchausen is one of my favourite literary characters period], <i>Puppetland</i>, <i>Violence</i>, <i>Pantheon and Other Roleplaying Games</i> and <i>De Profundis</i>). Really, they seem to present philosophies and critique of roleplaying, standing as documents in and of themselves as much (if not more than) as games. Their spirit seems to be carried forward in the modern indie RPG/zine scene, such as found on <a href="https://itch.io/search?q=ttrpg" target="_blank">itch.io</a>. I'm really interested in digging deeper there, but itch seems a bitch to search and the volume of work on offer is, frankly, quite daunting. Understandably, lots of the creations seem to be on a micro scale and that doesn't quite seem to be scratching <i>my</i> itch at the moment.</p><p><a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/games/" target="_blank"><i>Numenera</i> and the Cypher System</a> offer something that appeals to me by making part of the mechanics of character creation descriptive; you're an <i>adjective</i> <i>noun</i> who <i>verbs</i>. That feels like a step in the right direction toward having the mechanical side melt away so that only the story is visible. I was delighted to read about <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_Edge_(game)" target="_blank">Over the Edge</a></i>, my most recent discovery, going probably a little bit further a few decades before with open-ended descriptors for characters instead of skills. That's something I'd like to dig into more. Unlike with other legacy games, the publisher seems a bit coy with keeping past editions of this one in print, even digitally.</p><p>And let's get this out of the way, going back to granddaddy <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> as our control sample: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape" target="_blank"><i>Planescape</i></a> is it's best setting, by leagues. It's an entire cosmology that reshapes the pre-existing D&D fantasy into a conflict of philosophical schools and physical elements. I don't think you could do more (narratively) with that system than you can in this setting, and it's been discontinued since 1998!</p><p></p><p><b>Let's Plays</b></p><p>First thing's first: I've changed my channel name! It's now <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejiZRfZOqqR3njmf-LdtHg" target="_blank">Catsequences</a>. I like it better, it's more characterful and based around what we'll be getting up to, rather than who on Earth I might be. There's a cat in <i>Divine Divinity</i>, right? And consequences? <br /></p><p>I've got back into a rhythm of weekly videos (alternating games at the moment). One of the reasons I got out of the routine is that... <br /></p><p><b>The Feeble Files is a horrible, bad game</b>. Recording the "arcade" episode took hours of unavoidable, repetitive gameplay to get to a point of progression and editing that into something illustrative but entertaining was my biggest challenge of let's playing so far. I <i>think</i> I succeeded, but check it out for yourself and see what you think.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-RhsQVF9e0c" width="320" youtube-src-id="-RhsQVF9e0c"></iframe></div><p></p><p>Then the game proceeded to let itself and us down further. At this point, it's not quite a spite playthrough, but I'll be glad to get through this thing, or call it a day if it becomes any worse. In the meantime, I hope the videos I'm making are <i>entertaining</i>? <i>Indicative</i>?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zJDIhhz-MFU" width="320" youtube-src-id="zJDIhhz-MFU"></iframe></div><p></p><p></p><p><i>Divine Divinity</i> continues to be fun to play and much easier than <i>The Feeble Files</i> to record and edit. I enjoy doing a bit of ham acting, although I quickly run through my repertoire of voices. Huzzah! I published three new videos of this (hopefully) characterful gameplay, the next on the way on 2nd May.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JWclIb6ZcAI" width="320" youtube-src-id="JWclIb6ZcAI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hslp2s8sUJc" width="320" youtube-src-id="hslp2s8sUJc"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Zz7IkZ0npc" width="320" youtube-src-id="1Zz7IkZ0npc"></iframe></div><p>I found on uploading my 22nd video that Youtube started pre-screening my uploads for copyright infringement. Bizarrely, it flagged up a section of Divine Divinity No. 6 (above) as containing a copyrighted "melody" during one section of gameplay that's just low wind noises and dripping native to the game. I've contested the copyright claim, which would see the video monetised for the copyright holders of the specified, unrelated track in some regions and I'm awaiting a response on that. If that fails, I've got a version of the video prepped where I replace foley for that section with my mouth and two jugs of water, should the need arise.<br /></p><p>I've probably more to say on the act of let's playing at another time, but for now I just want to mention how much more I'm enjoying playing games as a result of the process. It's odd, I suppose. I'm somewhat playing differently with the expectation of being watched and playing for an audience both requires greater focus and feels more social, somehow. <i>The Feeble Files</i> is crap, but I'm excited about playing adventure games again. I've got some ideas for future games and formats to present them in that are tantalising me, I'm having a ball with browsing and discovering games, and I'm looking forward to further playing and editing.<br /></p><p>All in all, I've had a creatively engaged time of late and I'm glad I can share some of it with you. Thanks for reading! I'll catch you next time.</p><p>Take care,</p><p>Luke</p><p>x</p>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-12661198323963301822021-03-01T08:39:00.003+00:002021-03-01T08:39:56.687+00:00Roundup: February 2021<p>Let's see what I've been about in February...<br /></p><p><b>Writing and illustration-wise</b>: I've been pitching for some interesting projects and I've yet to see what will bear fruit. I think at the very least I will have some interesting work to share as its own thing further down the line.</p><p></p><p><b>Let's Plays</b>: I kicked off a new series playing <i>Divine Divinity</i>, a delightfully silly roleplaying game from 2002 I've been keen to play for some time. I'm having a ball with it so far. It's been a pleasure to play compared to some other games I could mention (*cough*) and coming up with titles/thumbnail art in a medieval manuscript style has been a delight.</p><p>This is episode 1, mainly going over the controls and mechanics:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hzEhVO0eljg" width="320" youtube-src-id="hzEhVO0eljg"></iframe></div><p>I start exploring the world in episode 2:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6KiZlXQC8Fg" width="320" youtube-src-id="6KiZlXQC8Fg"></iframe></div><br /><p>Which flows into episode 3:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VP3NoG5jEpA" width="320" youtube-src-id="VP3NoG5jEpA"></iframe></div><br /><p>My let's play strategy for an RPG is to try to role-play my character (in this case, Jeanne) as much as possible given the demands of the mechanics and plot, and to give her and the other characters voice in at least equal proportion to the commentary I give as myself.</p><p>I'm still assembling pieces for the next episode of Let's Play <i>The Feeble Files</i> (it's going to take a lot of recording, editing and invention I think), so watch out for that in the future. In the meantime, I have plenty of episodes of <i>Divine Divinity</i> recorded and just in need of the editing treatment.</p><p>I think that's it for Feb!</p><p>Take care and see you soon.</p><p>X</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-60298236720523435982021-02-01T13:26:00.000+00:002021-02-01T13:26:28.934+00:00Roundup: January 2021<p>If writing 2020 felt like being in the future, writing 2021 feels like the far future...</p><p>I thought it might be nice to initiate a monthly roundup of my online doings for ease of access and so I look busier. January's roundup is probably going to be quite straightforward.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p><b>Comics</b>: working on stuff in the background. Shh! Always watch this space for more.</p><p><b>Social media</b>: don't forget to check out my <a href="https://twitter.com/LukeScoffield" target="_blank">twitter</a>, for general updates, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/luke.scoffield.art/" target="_blank">instagram</a>, for more art.</p><p><b>Youtube</b>: I've surprised myself, but I've posted four episodes of my let's play of The Feeble Files this month. My previous experience with the horrificly unwieldy ninth episode (and the tortuous recording session) has led me to, well, be a better editor of the material. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_lW8IkdVrq4" width="320" youtube-src-id="_lW8IkdVrq4"></iframe></div><p></p><p>And where the gameplay has let me down, I've found ways to condense it and invented business to keep it entertaining (hopefully). I may have gone mad during episode 11 and episode 12 is my favourite to date as it afforded me ample opportunity to expand the commentary through framing and adding visual and audio cues.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Me8yMFDE-xs" width="320" youtube-src-id="Me8yMFDE-xs"></iframe></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/42xcJiV_A30" width="320" youtube-src-id="42xcJiV_A30"></iframe></div><p></p><p>And on 31st January, episode 13 went up, which is far more straightforward in structure than the previous two episodes but the material leant itself more naturally to that.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HxkSsByjVU4" width="320" youtube-src-id="HxkSsByjVU4"></iframe></div><p>I think the next segment of gameplay's going to be pretty rough, so it might take more than a week to carve out an episode. Thanks to any and all who are watching along.</p><p>And I think that's it for January! Let me know if you think of anything I've missed.<br /></p><p>X<br /></p><p><br /></p>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-73267248858401448882020-11-07T14:11:00.000+00:002020-11-07T14:11:01.405+00:00Thoughts On... Early Hou Hsiao-hsien: Three Films 1980-1983 (Spoilers!)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5jSScT4bSajkDzAz1ifw5mi-Sn8RVbs4DXgc-DGdxbzTuEu50nrwW6-L9Ze7yabeY_A-aQNzetf2pvOuIv5XeX94xLzxkCsYx2GGVqdBt-ZErKHvV1HzmrzCL99fc8_z_8Z9PvQVxRw/s1125/fengkuei2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1125" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5jSScT4bSajkDzAz1ifw5mi-Sn8RVbs4DXgc-DGdxbzTuEu50nrwW6-L9Ze7yabeY_A-aQNzetf2pvOuIv5XeX94xLzxkCsYx2GGVqdBt-ZErKHvV1HzmrzCL99fc8_z_8Z9PvQVxRw/w640-h347/fengkuei2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>You may be aware that back in 2016, one or more lifetimes ago, I attempted to write <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-of-assassin-2015.html" target="_blank">a review of <b>The Assassin</b></a> because I didn't enjoy it and had some thoughts as to why, then this time last year (November 2019, a pandemic ago) revisited the film and commented on the original review with some new thoughts.<p></p><p>Second time around, I felt that it was working as it intended, but still didn't offer me much. This was frustrating, because The Assassin is a well-regarded film by well-regarded filmmakers, so what was I missing? I thought I'd take a chance on exploring more films directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and picked up the Eureka Masters of Cinema boxset containing <b>Cute Girl</b> (1980), <b>The Green Green Grass of Home</b> (1982) and <b>The Boys of Fengkuei</b> (1983).</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gw3iizaxNjWWnikk34E8gygNYVBFjvOIpFCRtGqpM6TD8ol7x3Ii5vD0nG68gKPfqj93Ejnx3OcPYNttOcsPldSLZJDltsh1XP9DTHRSKLBzgcybRx11ky0MTsscCDTHo5MplWO_Mk8/s1920/large_cute_girl_X-cute_06_blu-ray_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gw3iizaxNjWWnikk34E8gygNYVBFjvOIpFCRtGqpM6TD8ol7x3Ii5vD0nG68gKPfqj93Ejnx3OcPYNttOcsPldSLZJDltsh1XP9DTHRSKLBzgcybRx11ky0MTsscCDTHo5MplWO_Mk8/w640-h360/large_cute_girl_X-cute_06_blu-ray_.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Cute Girl</b>'s a weird one. I think it's safe to categorise it as a romantic comedy, about two young people from Taipei, who fall in love when they come into conflict on a stay in the country, and then are pushed apart on their return to the city by the arrival of a prospective (arranged) fiancé.</p><p>It is a musical, although very lackadaisically, has fantasy segments, although the indication that you're going into or coming out of them isn't particularly clear, there's crass scatological humour (overplayed for my tastes) and some inspired cinematic storytelling - I'd cite particularly the montage sequences that bookend the film.</p><p>There's some good comedy business in there too, the part that most stands out for me being a sequence with two suitors in adjacent phoneboxes calling up a house with two phones, side by side, and it does pretty much everything it can with that set-up. Bits like that and the twist/gag with which the film ends suggest that this should really be a screwball comedy, but in a few fundamental ways, it's really not.</p><p>The stylised reality of a screwball comedy which some of the film inhabits is really in contrast to parts where it is earnest drama, and characters are emotionally open in direct, almost naturalistic ways. As silly as it sometimes gets, Cute Girl never takes its eye off siting people in places in entirely credible ways. Its eye is grounding, even if its script and performances are, say, up the tree.</p><p>In conclusion, I found Cute Girl a mixed experience but I was mildly diverted, more so than bemused.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGev2MbNgN_oBUE0fcI4rU3tHfB17xpIDQR3Cw8YAeJ-245Vuk_g8NL0ekqx4PhANvpMDFag4j7MDo1OyI3u5Mhd9N1bOh7LoYeq1aAYbJU0IM2KZwvPU03UVV7ksa8ypyalvcmldT15M/s1920/large_green_green_X-green_04_blu-ray_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGev2MbNgN_oBUE0fcI4rU3tHfB17xpIDQR3Cw8YAeJ-245Vuk_g8NL0ekqx4PhANvpMDFag4j7MDo1OyI3u5Mhd9N1bOh7LoYeq1aAYbJU0IM2KZwvPU03UVV7ksa8ypyalvcmldT15M/w640-h360/large_green_green_X-green_04_blu-ray_.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p><b>The Green Green Grass of Home</b> is the third and final collaboration between director Hou and Hong Kong actor Kenny Bee (after Cheerful Wind, not included in this boxset). I don't know why Tom Jones isn't on the soundtrack either.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j64H2aWWU0E" width="320" youtube-src-id="j64H2aWWU0E"></iframe></div><p>For me, the film is a marked improvement on Cute Girl in its dimensionality. Ostensibly framed around a romance between a young man and woman (two teachers), it introduces some of the school children in their care and branches out to show us the landscape and the society from different perspectives; the children's, the parent's.</p><p>There's real violence here too, accidental (one child is eletrocuted by their friends while fishing with an electric rod) and domestic violence. There's violence against animals. There's lots of repressed emotion forcing itself out in unhealthy ways.</p><p>There's a strange point at which Da-Nian's (Kenny Bee) city girlfriend turns up on the school field, during a martial arts demonstration, gaudy, glossy and out of place, and emotionally blackmails him away from the school, into her car and effectively abducts him. The character of the woman seems outlandish, but it's a disturbingly real moment, with weight and consequence. The film is littered with such moments, although reluctant to hold on anything for too long (that elliptical editing). I found the sequence of events in which one boy feels ashamed by the actions of his father and runs away from home, leaving a polite note, taking his very little sister all the way to the city, and the father does <i>nothing</i>, heart-wrenching.<br /></p><p>All this, and there's an environmentalist thread running through the thing too. I found The Green Green Grass of Home deeper, more grounded, more involving and more insightful than Cute Girl. That bodes well for the progression to The Boys from Fengkuei, right?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiEICnMSz4rZuqqYtDKs1o0KVsJqW81arlkZ2nwZKWXer3m0AG3Lwv9bJELAnUmZZSLKM_Fuw2cutfX9DILxfjrVRMLmxl-x11GOaCX0WbOtJtOB0iCyO6kywvkzjVGjaot6RYu6KMaY/s1920/fengkuei.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiEICnMSz4rZuqqYtDKs1o0KVsJqW81arlkZ2nwZKWXer3m0AG3Lwv9bJELAnUmZZSLKM_Fuw2cutfX9DILxfjrVRMLmxl-x11GOaCX0WbOtJtOB0iCyO6kywvkzjVGjaot6RYu6KMaY/w640-h360/fengkuei.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Yes, absolutely. I liked both Cute Girl and The Green Green Grass of Home to certain extents, but I loved <b>The Boys from Fengkuei</b>.</p><p>It almost immediately resonated with me; the desultory, rundown coastal town, indolent youth with nothing to do. I know so little about Taiwan (and Taiwan of the Eighties), which I think made the previous films somehwat more distant for me, but I immediately knew where I was with The Boys from Fengkuei. The young men of the title, caught between school and national service (which certainly adds a frisson of politics in the background) belittled and berated at home, try to amuse themselves and end up getting up in escalating street violence over petty grudges.</p><p>The sometimes oblique editing style of the previous two films really works here, in the context of something that is far more documentary-like. I guess you could call it social realism. It is also about subjective, interior experiences and the structure and editing fit this so well.<br /></p><p>Initially, all the young men get equal focus, but then the film starts to let us more into the internal life of one, Ah-Ching, and where we got ill-signalled fantasy sequences in previous films, we get really considered memory sequences, carefully led into and out of by eyelining and match cuts, and the sequences at a lower colour saturation than the rest of the film. This is really well crafted, and potent. We've already met Ah-Ching's father, who sits on the porch with an unchanging gentle grin on his face and a visible injury on his forhead, and we learn very swiftly, very passively, while Ah-Ching should be watching a film, that his father sustained brain damage during a game of baseball. We cut back to Ah-Chin with an intent but unmoved expression, and the ellipsis speaks magnitudes. It's all about the ellipses.</p><p>Three of the young men, Ah-Chin included, seek their fortunes (before drafting) in the city, and while the story is, to some degree, about all of them, it focuses primarily on Ah-Chin's experience, and secondarily on the experience of Hsiao-hsing, a young woman with whom Ah-Chin becomes involved. Ah-Chin begins to change and grow, but time and again, he comes up against experiences he's not equipped to deal with emotionally, he has no outlet for his feelings, no road to expression; he's never learnt. Even the classical music needle-drops point to the rich interior life of Ah-Chin that he has no means to express. That's the ellipsis we're being shown, that's what the film is all about for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YTou5hhWTLY" width="320" youtube-src-id="YTou5hhWTLY"></iframe></div><p>I've certainly been amazed by my own journey through frustration to mild interest to outright adoration in four films directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and I'm keen to explore more. As a fan of Shu Qi as well, I might try to track down the early 21st-century films Millennium Mambo and Three Times. I might report back on those.</p><p>On a note on Eureka's presentation of the films: Cute Girl and The Green Green Grass of Home come on one Blu-ray disc, and The Boys of Fengkuei and three video essays (one on each of the films) on another Blu-ray disc. The set also includes a booklet with stills and a brief introduction/assessment of the films by Philip Kemp.</p><p>I think these films probably look and sound as good as they can at 1080p, with uncompressed LPCM audio. The first two are a little soft and there's some occasional mild fluctuations in colour, but I well believe these are issues with the original materials. The Boys from Fengkuei looks great, a lot sharper and more precise in colour. It's a richer experience all round.</p><p>As for the supplements: the booklet essay offers some brief context for the films. The video essays by Adrian Martin and Cristina Álvarez López range from 14 to 23 minutes in length and comprise a verbal essay over edited footage from the films. They're all pretty dry and offer a little context, a little on technique, but mostly interpretation from an auteurist point of view. They're OK, but particularly in the case of The Boys of Fengkuei, I think they fall short of a useful argument or analysis. To be honest, I would've been much more interested in a supplement that gave me an insight into Taiwan in the period these films were made.</p><p>I am very grateful that Eureka has put this boxset out, it's been well worth it to me for The Boys from Fengkuei alone.<br /></p>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-77675863098466584832020-10-23T10:50:00.000+01:002020-10-23T10:50:38.216+01:00Where Are We Now?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QWtsV50_-p4" width="320" youtube-src-id="QWtsV50_-p4"></iframe></div> Thanks, David.<p></p><p></p><p>This is a little update about where I'm at with my creative output and what I'll be doing from this point on.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a> Yesterday was the last update of <b>The Box</b> webcomic for a while - I don't know when I might come back to it, in all honesty. All of the cartoons to date are on <a href="http://instagram.com/theboxcomic" target="_blank">instagram.com/theboxcomic</a> (but you'll need an account to see them unfortunately) and a good number of recent ones are readable for free on my <a href="https://www.patreon.com/lukescoffield" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. The Box was really the one creative project that carried me through most of the period from March till now.<p></p><p>I've had variable access to materials and equipment and variable amounts of time for months now, but somehow I kept that webcomic ticking over and, frankly, reflecting my feelings as things were bad and continued to get worse (both more and less overtly reflected in the strips). I probably drew about - quick check - 80 cartoons in that time. I think the high point for me was when I had run out of all means of scanning and just had access to a knackered laptop with a trackpad and Paint on which to create anything for publication, was prepared to give up, then in one restless night just about came up with a way to keep it going (in the abstract).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rsLHOIQrishWsaqnMJmin-YRQSLzzO3v-zYNb_NLcsqW9IIpwaBsJ9x-SrPd48IeAwsVBkBptqZcny6N4-PJA0p0YqWyjRdzOArzz0bDFU4KR3_guoW_soC1g8650UyYJMX3FqEWyPo/s900/box0298.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rsLHOIQrishWsaqnMJmin-YRQSLzzO3v-zYNb_NLcsqW9IIpwaBsJ9x-SrPd48IeAwsVBkBptqZcny6N4-PJA0p0YqWyjRdzOArzz0bDFU4KR3_guoW_soC1g8650UyYJMX3FqEWyPo/w400-h400/box0298.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I do take a certain amount of pride in that. (I used the free editor on pixlr.com as well because Paint was rubbish.)</p><p>Alongside continuing The Box, I was having lots of ideas for projects in the first three-four months of the UK lowdown. I'd get periods when I could work at things. Then at some point, in July I think, I hit a wall and I'm still pressed against it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjISP2hUv8qVBkXpx5l0uNDdyaRxPlIjVCLfXExr0d4BmoJD6hw2pBSLYaCzXBT4tK9_zWkfRpOVMfQhhHSpNnR8RMtWvNAwlgtosbwJ7lYtm6KvbntnmsN4ZslSCaKomkdDuOsOy_FNQ/s2925/toon0112.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="2925" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjISP2hUv8qVBkXpx5l0uNDdyaRxPlIjVCLfXExr0d4BmoJD6hw2pBSLYaCzXBT4tK9_zWkfRpOVMfQhhHSpNnR8RMtWvNAwlgtosbwJ7lYtm6KvbntnmsN4ZslSCaKomkdDuOsOy_FNQ/w640-h235/toon0112.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>I'm stuck in the dread paralysis limbo that is being told that I should be going about my former everyday life while patently not being able to go about my former everyday life and knowing it's not a good idea to do so, at the cost of human life.<br /></p><p>I can remember having plans, some time long ago before all this happened, but I'm not sure what they were and approximately half the time, I'm not sure why I should care. My mood's up and down. Somehow I've done more of the <a href="https://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/" target="_blank"><b>Multum in Parvo</b> topical/satirical cartoons</a> that I'd originally halted in March, not long before pandemic restrictions here kicked in, out of a desire to chronicle this monster/these monsters in some way. I'm kind of proud of that work too.</p><p>I'm having a go at making a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejiZRfZOqqR3njmf-LdtHg" target="_blank"><b>Let's Play</b> video series on YouTube</a>, just to see if I can. It's been OK so far, I've certainly enjoyed seeing what I could do with my technical restrictions and getting into video and audio editing again in some form. I don't think anybody's watched it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A7kkuzZPQ3M" width="320" youtube-src-id="A7kkuzZPQ3M"></iframe></div><p>It might've been the only way I could convince myself into playing The Feeble Files and I don't yet regret that decision.<br /></p><p>In the past few weeks I've been getting obsessed with <b>tabletop roleplaying games</b>. I've got no-one to play them with, but I've been enjoying them as documents. Writing them and playing them are such different pursuits. I'm fascinated by the mechanics applied to what is (essentially) a collaborative improvisational experience that draws together parts of traditional oral storytelling, the act of acting, and gameplay. They are, in effect, always so far away from a rulebook.<br /></p><p>Anyway, I digress. I've been thinking a lot about RPGs.</p><p>I've created a few pages for a couple of different comics projects.</p><p><b>I don't know what I'm doing.</b> More precisely, I don't know how much of anything I'll be able to make, as my access to materials/equipment fluctuates, as my mood changes so rapidly and profoundly and I can't progress because I don't have a point to progress toward.</p><p>Which is all to say, I'm going to continue working. I'm not sure what I'll produce, almost certainly more cartoons and comics, but what else besides I'm not sure. I'm not sure how frequently things will appear, but that they will appear. The pressure I put on myself to produce these things to a schedule, when I really don't need to, hasn't helped me recently and it's something I need to shed.</p><p>So, I'll be out here, sometimes more and sometimes less present, but I'll be making things.</p><p>Thanks for reading. Take care X<br /></p>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-34377184386629819992019-09-17T11:57:00.001+01:002019-09-17T11:57:15.090+01:00Thoughts on... Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (spoilers)<div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
This should be a good year for Asterix lovers, with the publication of a
new album (by Ferri and Conrad) on October 24th, and the release (outside France) of a new
animated film with an original story... if you're lucky enough to be
able to see it.</div>
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<b>Asterix: the Secret of the Magic Potion</b> is a 3D CG animation produced under the auspices of Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy, who made the very impressive Asterix: The Mansions of the
Gods, of 2016. That film received a national theatrical release in the
UK (although it was only available to me in
2D when I went to see it) and had a British voice dub. In the UK, it
got a 3D Blu-ray release with the British dub as the only language
option. The Secret of the Magic Potion hasn't been treated nearly so
kindly... </div>
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My experience was that the purported release date of 30th August
came and went and it didn't appear in any of the listings for my local
cinemas. I could find no screenings of it online until I stumbled
across two showings only in one cinema in London I wouldn't be able to
get to. I perhaps should've been more suspicious
at the level of unavailability, but as it didn't appear to be heading to
Netflix or Amazon, I didn't consider VOD as a possibility. It was only
when someone with Sky asked me if I'd seen this new Asterix film that,
well, I realised they'd done one of their devil's pacts for simultaneous TV releases. At the time of writing, you can watch it with a Sky Cinema or
NOW TV subscription. Of course, it's not in 3D, and apparently not to
spend any more money on it than absolutely necessary,
buys in the American English dub.</div>
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I've subsequently found out that Altitude are handling the UK theatrical distribution and you can find if it might be showing near you at <a href="https://asterixfilm.co.uk/" target="_blank">asterixfilm.co.uk.</a> Also, if you can get to the Institut Fran<span class="js-about-item-abstr">ç</span>ais, in London (natch), this month you'd even be able to catch it with the original audio and English subtitles.</div>
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I was kindly offered to watch it through that Sky subscription, so I have now seen the film and had a whale of a time.</div>
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Perhaps I'll start my thoughts with the dub: I've never watched an Asterix film with
anything other than a British dub before, and while I know that's not as
authentic as the French original, it at least retains an essential
Europeaness (come at me, Brexiters), as I imagine a
German or Spanish dub, for example, would for other audiences. I think it helps that
the Bell-Hockridge translation/adaptation of Asterix to English in the
first place is so witty and astute that when reading or watching in
English, you never really consider you might be
missing anything.</div>
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While I'm pleased that the US dub retains all the
Bell-Hockridge names (I know they haven't always and without which I
fear I may have been lost) and all the actors do a credible job in their
roles, the accents do strike dissonant to my ears.
I don't know if it's just as part of this dub that there's also a
curious musical choice; Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) is used in both an early and late sequence. It's certainly an odd choice tonally (it's the only pop music in the score), but I found it even more jarring when
at points where the track is required to quieten
in order for us to hear action/dialogue, it's processed to sound as if
it's coming from a speaker, leading us to understand it's actually
diegetic, which makes little sense and is not supported by anything we
can see. [<b>edit:</b> You Spin Me Round does, apparently, appear in the credits of the French version, but hopefully I can still blame the mixing of it on the English dub.] There are a couple of instances where
there is text on screen and this appears as untranslated French. The
dub doesn't let you get lost with what's happening, but you'll miss a
couple of jokes if you can't read them. And that's my final point on the dub: I don't know
whether it's down to the original script or the translation,
but I can't remember a single pun spoken in this film, which seems very
strange indeed for Asterix.</div>
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With that said, those are the majority of my quibbles with the film. I
had a great time with what I saw, and it is a film chock full of good
cinematic storytelling. Take for example the opening scene, in which
Getafix is cutting mistletoe high in the trees,
tries to catch a falling baby bird, and falls himself. The action is
clear, there is humour and character in abundance and as an individual
sequence it is carefully structured to set itself up and pay itself off.
It very concisely shows how well the designs
and dynamism of Albert Uderzo's drawings have been translated into
three-dimensional space (the animals in this sequence feel
quintessentially Uderzoesque as well) and have been carefully textured to give
just enough of a sense of surface not to conflict with the
stylised design. Also, the film quickly marks out just how precise and expressive its animation will be. I must
emphasise that the character animation is absolutely on the money. There
is a very high fundamental level of craft here, as there was in Mansions
of the Gods.</div>
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What of the story? Well, it hangs off Getafix's fall, his injury and his
subsequent realisation that, mortal as he is, he can't be the only one
to keep the secret of the magic potion that gives the villagers their
superhuman strength. Asterix and Obelix then escort
him on a mission to find a worthy apprentice, and this is where a
disgraced former druid by the (rather on-the-nose) name of Demonix
appears, set to thwart his old rival Getafix, learn the secret
recipe of the potion and gain as much power as possible.</div>
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It's possible there might be a doubt with an original story rather than a direct
adaptation that the writers/directors will not capture the essence of the source material, but I'm in no doubt here that this is Asterix. On one hand, it is absolutely steeped in Asterixiana, to the extent that, where Mansions of the Gods was a very faithful, slightly elaborated adaptation of one of the very best Goscinny-written stories, Secret of the Magic Potion plays like a best-of for the solo Uderzo books. Hallmarks include cameos from past stories (Cassius Ceramix from The Big Fight, for example, makes a notable appearance) and Asterix wandering off after a fight and discovering plot-relevant information, the fantastical elements played up (and scaled up) like in The Great Divide and The Falling Sky, even giving Cacofonix a significant role to play (rather than being the punchline) like in The Magic Carpet. Also, the village hews close to apocalypse again, as it does more than once in Uderzo's albums. But beyond all the familiar elements, The Secret of the Magic Potion shows it really understands the ideas it's playing with, how story bits go together and how vital the characters are to all of this, and that's what makes it rather great. I think a really important exemplar of the film understanding of what it's doing is introducing two rather indelible new characters; a young girl of the village with an inventor's mind, Pectin, and an apprentice druid, Teleferix (at least, that's the French character name and I can't recall or find anywhere if he's named differently in English).</div>
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Teleferix, as a potential apprentice to Getafix and a pawn of Demonix, has a rather large lesson to learn and Pectin... well, that's where the film most surprised me. Pectin is introduced soon after we learn Getafix is to seek an apprentice among trainee druids, just as she's attempting to perfect an invention. I naturally thought that this was an opportunity for a nice progressive streak of feminism and she was going to become Getafix's successor, against the odds, by the end of the film. Sure enough, she tags along on the adventure, expectations set against her throughout the course of the film, and finally, she's in a position to make the magic potion herself - she's seen all the ingredients and Getafix shares the last secret with her so he can battle Demonix to give her time to cook it up and then... they succeed, the day is won and everything goes back to normal. Getafix dispenses with the help of Teleferix and seems to have regained confidence in his ability to bear the burden of the secret (ultimate) weapon after facing down Demonix.</div>
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At the customary celebration banquet, Pectin apologises to Getafix for not being able to forget the recipe despite trying and he reassures her, saying he's sure she will forget (which, while I'm sure this is not the intention, potentially has some sinister undertones). However, as she runs off to play with the other children, Getafix says to himself something like: "Or will you, I wonder...?" and the look of realisation in his eyes tells that, for the first time, he considers he might be able to trust his secret (power) to a woman. Well, to say that's underwhelming as a progressive statement is quite an understatement. It nearly floored me how ungenerous that concession is, and it made me reassess what I'd been anticipating. Whereas I'd been expecting the Pectin/Getafix relationship to be about her coming into her own from her perspective, it's really all about Getafix the patriach getting to that small window of realisation. That speaks volumes for the fictionalised culture it is taking place in, and I wonder what it says for modern French culture as well. I was surprised, but also rather delighted that it had subverted my expectations. The Asterix stories, for all their good points, have never really made very great strides with feminism, as is rather exposed when Uderzo attempts to broach the subject in 1991 with The Secret Weapon. Still, The Secret of the Magic Potion is on point here with attitudes to imperialism, the military, tyranny and ultimate weapons.</div>
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It was a surprise that Asterix and Obelix are really only here in strong supporting roles, but it's not at all to the film's detriment. There are many other incidental pleasures and surprises, such as a hand-animated flashback, a Jesus joke, a 2D map sequence, a helicopter sight gag and a wonderful ellipsis with druids that is within moments funny, develops Cacofonix's character and raises the dramatic stakes. The rock-'em sock-'em robots final fight is the sort of thing that only really happens in the Asterix films (and The Falling Sky), but it's a good pay-off in many ways, certainly witty enough and, while once again accompanied by You Spin Me Round, is certainly more fitting here than it was in The Adventures of Tintin.</div>
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To sum up, I think this my favourite Asterix story for many years (I can't wait to see it again) and I strongly recommend you seek it out if you're an Asterix or animation fan, or just a lover of good film craft.</div>
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Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-62880713704363517642019-06-10T22:32:00.000+01:002019-06-10T22:32:43.292+01:00Rebellious YouthHello again!<br />
<br />
May usually proves to be a hectic month for me and this past one was no exception. I got out of step with my webcomics, but they're now back on a regular schedule: <a href="https://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Multum in Parvo</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theboxcomic/" target="_blank">The Box</a>. I haven't completed work on any other projects, unfortunately, although ideas have been coming thick and fast. It's been one of those periods where ideas just seem to keep generating themselves, faster than I can write them down, and whenever that happens, it's always surprising and wonderful. I should certainly be all right for cartoon material for a while now.<br />
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In the meantime, I've also been reading quite a few comics and have some thoughts to share (though not enough for a full review of anything), so let's jump in feet first with:<br />
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<b><a href="https://treasuryofbritishcomics.com/catalogue/RCS1951" target="_blank">Cor!!Buster Humour Special</a></b> and <b><a href="https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/2000-ad/2019/PRG2130P" target="_blank">2000AD All-Ages Prog 2130</a></b>. Both on WHSmith's shelf at the same time, these caught my eye so I gave them a go.<br />
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First, 2000AD. I've tried dipping in to 2000AD now and again over the years, but to be honest, I find it a little impenetrable. My tastes and its tone don't very readily correspond, but I did find things to enjoy in this Prog full of one-off all-ages stories. The quality of writing and art was very high, I have to say, and the stories that landed best with me tended to be the original creations and not the adapted versions of long-running 2000AD series (although I liked the Judge Anderson story, which was pleasantly removed from the cynicism that can pervade the comic). It was definitely worth checking out, and I found <a href="https://www.lambiek.net/artists/o/ocana_eduardo.htm" target="_blank">Eduardo Ocaña's</a> art on Full Tilt Boogie very beautiful.<br />
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The Cor!!Buster Special is an anthology of different humour strips featuring characters from the history of those two titles (and some more besides, I think), with which I have absolutely no history. I was coming in cold. All the strips are new, and for the most part have writers and artists who've never worked on these characters before, with the very notable exception of Tom Paterson who bookends the comic with new Sweeny Toddler and Grimly Feendish stories. This one really is a mixed bag; I think maybe twenty-five percent of the strips worked for me. Aesthetically and tonally it's all over the shop. Lots of the strips suffer from having a conceit that's dated badly (or wasn't particularly inspired to begin with), not that that means they can't work. Take Gums, for example - how relevant is a Jaws parody today? However, Lizzie Boyle and Abigail Bulmer's strip gives it a new visual identity and shifts the focus to environmental issues while playing out the (presumably already established) character dynamics for successful laughs. I'd also like to single out the central strip by <a href="https://downthetubes.net/" target="_blank">John Freeman</a> and <a href="http://www.lewstringer.com/" target="_blank">Lew Stringer</a>, which feels like the one story that absolutely hits the light, witty, self-aware tone the comic needs, and is preceded by a neat introduction to the characters also by <a href="http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lew Stringer</a>.<br />
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As a child, I never really took to the traditional British humour comic you'd have found at the newsagents - admittedly, they were dying out at the time I would have read them - but I was never one for The Beano or The Dandy, say. I never really saw the appeal. I was reading Asterix, or collections of Peanuts or The Perishers by way of humour comics then. Even now, I find the sense of humour that was prevalent in them - like that in the aforementioned Sweeny Toddler and Grimly Feendish, as brilliantly as they're drawn - rather alien. It still bewilders me that Buster started off as the son of Andy Capp and still dresses like him. I get some kind of cognitive break thinking about it.<br />
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I think there's so much room for a good kids' humour comic - or an adults' one for that matter. I'm not sure which The Cor!!Buster Summer Special is trying to be. I know WHSmith has its own problems with shelving, but Cor!!Buster was sat next to 2000AD amongst the adult sci-fi and film magazines rather than the plastic-coated children's comics, and I'm not sure that wasn't the best place for it. While absolutely child-friendly, it plays to its history and seems most relevant to the nostalgia crowd. I think they would get the most out of it. The 2000AD Regened Prog, on the other hand, probably would be a good thing to sit next to, say, The Phoenix, for younger new readers to discover, but the hitch there is that there's nowhere for them then to go unless they can immediately make the leap to the adult comic with its half-dozen already-in-progress serials. Nor can I imagine an all-ages special being particularly relevant to the regular adult readership who are midway through their usual programming, except perhaps as a curiosity. It does seem to be another symptom of mainstream comics being in a weird half-way house between an established (aging) audience and trying to attract a new readership.<br />
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That was actually quite a long thought, wasn't it? Let's speed things up. I'm kind of reluctant to start this one, but...<br />
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<a href="https://nobrow.net/creator/luke-pearson/?" target="_blank"><b>Hilda by Luke Pearson</b></a>. I have to confess I don't enjoy Hilda as much as I'd like to.<br />
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I have reservations about the visual style. It's in that post-manga bring-back-rubber-hose-design rounded-edges Cartoon Network sort of vein - but doesn't really seem to work out across the whole. Some of the more geometric character designs, e.g. Woodman, Tontu, the trolls, really don't work for me. Eyes do some really weird things that make me feel a bit ill (and are typically out of step with the cartooning used in the majority of each story), and there are moments of exaggerated expression that feel like they're directly out of manga, but don't seem to work terribly well with the more naturalistic approach to character Hilda is trying to take. The panels and pages flow really well - in fact, to its very great credit, it's easier to keep reading a Hilda book than to put it down. I do have issues with how space is depicted (and contiuity thereof) in the panels.<br />
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Some of the humour lands with me, some of it doesn't. I don't think it's all rooted in a <i>consistent</i> world, which I think a story involving mythical creatures and magic really needs. Above all, I find something missing in the story department. I can see what Hilda is aiming at: each book is typically plot-light, but it has a point and wants to get to that subtext and those moments of nuance that carry the "real story" through some surface action. A perfectly valid approach, but both levels need to be working fully to get the whole effect. I think often the plot element lacks the dramatic structure necessary to drive the nuance home - there's not a lot of incident or consequence before you're at the end, which also helps to make Hilda such a quick read. For example, I think of how much more interesting I could've found <b>Hilda and the Black Hound</b> with changes such as the character of Tontu being motivated to investigate his situation rather than accept it passively, and the reader then spending as much time with him as with Hilda. I think the series is at its best so far in <b>Hilda and the Midnight Giant</b> - I'd recommend anyone interested try there. It's the soundest dramatically, it has two strong plot strands and, despite missing a third act and just wrapping up peremptorially, does something at the end that is quite delicious. I also prefer this moment in Hilda's visual evolution where Pearson draws more like Joann Sfar than Hayao Miyazaki.<br />
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<b>Jo, Zette and Jocko</b>. A less-well-known English-translated series from Tintin creator Hergé. Drawn in that famous ligne claire style, these books chronicle the adventures of an engineer's son and daughter and their mishap-prone pet chimpanzee. I read the Stratoship two-part story comprised of <b>Mr Pump's Legacy</b> and <b>Destination New York</b>. It's a really wordy story, more so than usual from Hergé, with lots of exposition from people on radios and telephones, and didn't flow terribly well throughout most of the two albums. I've come to conclusion that the value of Hergé really lies in the technique: the economy and expression in relatively simple line and colour. Other than that, he is good with broad humour, broad characters (plenty of stereotypes which work for his books in some ways and not others) and hitting good adventure beats. That said, I must say I've yet to read a satisfying mystery in a Hergé book, and he has an attic full of dusty assumptions about the world that don't sit very well with me today.<br />
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<b><a href="http://awesomecomics.podbean.com/" target="_blank">Awesome Comics</a>.</b> I'm a listener of the small press-championing Awesome Comics Podcast, and was intrigued to read this <a href="https://awesomecomicpod.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">four-part anthology comic</a> created by its hosts. It features three different stories told across all four issues, as much influenced by horror, action and exploitation film (and TV) as anything else. I'd single out great layout choices in <a href="http://www.theredmaskfrommars.com/" target="_blank">Vince Hunt</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Marc-Chant/e/B00LIZ32MO" target="_blank">Daniel Marc Chant</a>'s <b>Murder Road</b>, some horrifically amusing dialogue in <a href="http://vanguardcomic.com/" target="_blank">Dan Butcher's</a> <b>Vyper</b> and the impressive flexibility of tone and line in <b>Cockney Kung Fu</b> by <a href="http://neverironanything.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tony Esmond</a> and <a href="http://nickprolix.com/" target="_blank">Nick Prolix</a>. In short, I really enjoyed the whole thing. My main comment would be that I was left wanting more - I wished the stories could have been longer, to give more time to the characters, breathing room for the plots, and develop the subtext a little. Cockney Kung Fu particularly felt like just one part of an ongoing serial and it was the one story I had a really specific suggestion for after reading; there's a framing device that starts with a close-up of main character Soho Red's eyes - I wish it had ended with the same panel again - to provide circularity and close out that story.<br />
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<a href="http://hotelfred.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Fred the Clown in The Iron Ducess by Roger Langridge</b>.</a> This is my first exposure to the work of Roger Langridge and he's already become something of a hero of mine. I came in expecting an homage to great silent film comedies and some good old-fashioned cartooning, but was delighted by a lot more when Langridge stitches up lots of nods to Buster Keaton<b> </b>and Universal horror films only to comprehensively subvert everything; dramatic and social conventions, gag structure. What's so delightful is that everything that is set up is paid off, but not how you might expect, even Fred the Clown's unique physiognomy, and not everything that pays off you, at first, realise was set up. The book is available to <a href="https://zco.mx/RogerLangridge/TheIronDuchess/001" target="_blank">read free online</a>, but I bought the print copy and loved it, because I'm that way inclined. <br />
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<b>Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.</b> I've read my first Calvin and Hobbes in earnest, having seen the odd strip here and there in the past - and am now proud to say I love it. I love the idiosyncracies of character, the gentle warmth, the formal conceit of Hobbes, the playful form and genre bending and all the layers of meaning. I don't know which newspapers Calvin and Hobbes appeared in in the UK but they didn't register in my consciousness until my teens, I think, (though as previously mentioned, I'd been a Peanuts enthusiast in earlier childhood), a time when I wasn't particularly primed to engage with the strip. At least I have it now!<br />
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<b>Dragonball. </b>I've been reading some more Dragonball, perhaps the opposite of Hilda to me: I feel like I probably shouldn't enjoy it, but I do. The cartooning is typically very good, the serial storytelling is fast and effective and it's really at its best when it puts its continually swelling cast to good use as big, silly character comedy that consistently undercuts its own massive dramatic stakes. Its sexual politics are crazy though.<br />
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<b>Webcomics</b> I've been enjoying: <a href="https://twitter.com/whimcomic?lang=en" target="_blank"><b>whim by glytxh</b></a>, primarily posted on twitter but also archived <a href="https://whimcomic.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. It's deconstructing the three-panel gag strip with characters called whims, and is drawn in MacPaint. It's conceptual and referential, sometimes rather obscure, but I love the experimentation; the execution is always spot-on and what I love most about it is that behind it all is a massivef sense of wonder.<br />
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I'm also catching up on <a href="https://www.gocomics.com/nancy" target="_blank"><b>Nancy by Olivia Jaimes</b></a>, way behind the rest of the internet, I'm sure, and enjoying it greatly. It's gentle, idiosyncratic, shrewd, engaged with contemporary concerns and idioms in an accessible way and, above all, genuinely funny.<br />
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I think that's it! Thank you for reading. See you soon. Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-67124329767032527192019-03-05T11:30:00.000+00:002019-03-05T11:30:36.526+00:00Plan of Action (Comics)Hello,<br />
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How have you been?<br />
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I have a lot of ideas, some of them funny, and the frequent urge to switch to the newest. The latest idea must surely be the best, and the previous was probably, actually, crap. I don't think this is an uncommon impulse with creativity, but it tends to not get a lot done. The skill, I suspect, is in disciplining oneself to persevere with a project through self-doubt and periods when you lose engagement. Therefore, I have an announcement: I'm going to commit.<br />
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I'm going to make a comic. It's going to contain two short hardboiled detective stories, involving anthropomorphic fruit and veg.<br />
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I did warn you the ideas are funny.<br />
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I scripted the two stories a while ago and wrote about how much I was <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.com/2018/10/where-have-you-been.html" target="_blank">enjoying the process</a>. I recently reread them and they're good. One needs a little reworking, the other polishing, but I think they have merit. I'm happy to move on to the stage of character design/environment research and layouts. I think it will be interesting to blog about my progress/process as well, as a way of keeping me engaged with what I'm working on and getting a different perspective on it, and hopefully for anyone outside interested in the particulars of comics creation. Expect a post soon on the background for the story.<br />
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I'll still be regularly turning out cartoon works <a href="http://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Multum in Parvo</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theboxcomic/" target="_blank">The Box</a>, weekly and daily respectively, because I enjoy jokes like this:<br />
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I'll end on another reading segment. Where have you been lately? For me, it's Ancient Gaul, having been working my way through all the Asterix albums in sequence. I've just reread <i>Asterix and the Actress</i> (<i>Asterix et Latraviata</i>) for the first time in what must be years.<br />
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You know, I really do have a soft spot for the solo Uderzo albums; on the whole they're simpler conceptually and plot-wise than those written by Goscinny, but they race along with the flow of a great sequential storyteller and from gag to gag with the execution of a great cartoonist. I'm sure the translation team of Bell and Hockridge do a lot to smooth out the punning for the English translation too. Conceptually the Uderzo books tend to bend the fictional set-up out of shape to greater or lesser extents (here the shark-jump happens long before Asterix rides a dolphin) and can suffer from naff plot resolutions, but they retain the rich depth of character established over decades. <i>Asterix and the Actress</i> is no exception there, and has lost none of its sense of fun with inspired comic nonsense such as this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx610Zqa85Us86aEqYdm2c6YmdJuwITtYevguLhgff6y2zR3veyuJaCP1aRF4yu0KCtrpCNwdnDoYEzGR4GZy0cnvgHcIjsqDvd7B9e8GKu6CbgW6hfGJ2LJp7_TfcUHHy6VVjZI11-48/s1600/asterix+boing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx610Zqa85Us86aEqYdm2c6YmdJuwITtYevguLhgff6y2zR3veyuJaCP1aRF4yu0KCtrpCNwdnDoYEzGR4GZy0cnvgHcIjsqDvd7B9e8GKu6CbgW6hfGJ2LJp7_TfcUHHy6VVjZI11-48/s640/asterix+boing.jpg" width="601" /></a></div>
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Yes, I still love Asterix.<br />
<br />
See you next time.Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-24070713441548587712018-10-16T17:23:00.000+01:002018-10-16T17:23:31.157+01:00Where have you been?Working for money, working for pleasure, getting upset, playing, eating, sleeping.<br />
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And having said that, I think I'm in my most creative period for years; at least since I stopped drawing my <a href="http://talmaccomic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">barbarian comic Talmac</a> in 2011 (I still love some of those pages, and really enjoyed the square format).<br />
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<a name='more'></a> In 2014 and 2016 I posted a few cartoon strips on a tumblr, and then
summer of this year, while mowing my parents' lawn, I had a rush of
inspiration from something that must have been welling under the surface
and scribbled down the beginnings for many more strips. They've kept me
going ever since.<br />
<br />
I've called the collection <a href="http://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Multum in Parvo</a>, and it consists of various different series: <a href="http://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/tagged/the+harveys+and+halfknots/" target="_blank">The Harveys and Halfknots</a> (social commentary, get it?), <a href="http://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/tagged/fish+in+a+suit/" target="_blank">Fish in a Suit </a>(political commentary, abstract), <a href="http://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/tagged/a+year+in+the+life+of+a+cartoonist/" target="_blank">A Year in the Life of a Cartoonist</a> (auto-bio only really in a symbolist fashion) and <a href="http://lukescoffield.tumblr.com/tagged/stripling" target="_blank">Stripling</a>, probably the one I'm proudest of. It's a strictly formalist, minimalist continuing story of a sapling that I like to term <i>sap opera</i>. There are also various other little topical or silly things that go up there too. I post weekly on a Monday, both on tumblr and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lukescoffield" target="_blank">twitter</a>, usually in the early evening (UK time).<br />
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I love reclaiming old work, that'll be a recurrent theme here. I like re-reading things I've made in the past. My adult work is usually better than I remember it being and my juvenile work, while usually bad, often still has something of interest about it. Emotionally speaking, reclaiming it helps me feel that I didn't ultimately give up on that thing and brings a little peace, while often old work will help me remember who I was at that moment in time and what voice I had. It helps me define where I might be going. <br />
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On that note, I've revisited a concept from my first year at uni. It was a project for myself and created with the same seeming ease with which everything seemed to happen in youth. I can only really describe it as "fruit-and-veg noir". I'm writing two short stories set in the same city, and with the same detective character I originally had, and having a whale of a time, honestly.<br />
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I'm nearly done with first draft scripts, and I'm already at over 50 pages of comic, so... not as short as I'd hoped, but I'm looking forward to having written it, set it aside and then coming back to see what I've really got there. I'd love to realise it, maybe a self-published print book, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.<br />
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I've also dug out some old cartoons from 1999/2000. I was very young then. They're silly and naive, and I still find them funny. The spirit of them is sound. I realise I'd (again, seemingly without effort) struck on a winning concept for a strip (I did read a lot of them at that age); one that's simple to draw, with defined characters and setting that are still flexible enough to go off in all sorts of interesting directions. My mind's been flooding with ideas for more of them. What's fascinating is that I just drew them in pen straight away, mind to paper, and numbered and dated each one so I can see that I'd do them in batches each day and quickly accumulate a body of work. I'd like to work like that again. They'll probably be appearing online soon in some form.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI33MG9UuPS_pVFRXjOlmVjAj5niXhH_RLPsHqZKKG949uSBWpAhLsZlSNSVsPDgEbus1Z_oeg8toWmr7_L6elpLyKj2MDATl39qek94mzreZbUChBp9g0wjo0buzXdGIQYp6D0r54Evs/s1600/box-sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI33MG9UuPS_pVFRXjOlmVjAj5niXhH_RLPsHqZKKG949uSBWpAhLsZlSNSVsPDgEbus1Z_oeg8toWmr7_L6elpLyKj2MDATl39qek94mzreZbUChBp9g0wjo0buzXdGIQYp6D0r54Evs/s320/box-sample.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think one of the reasons for my new burst of creativity (and renewed vigour?) is a decrease in paid work from April of this year. I've had more time to try out creative projects for one thing, but for another I think rebalancing what I do has adjusted my priorities away from a job I probably don't enjoy all that much any more. I hope to make more art generally, comics specifically, and to make more <i>of</i> them. Currently I have a <a href="https://ko-fi.com/N4N4F7BH" target="_blank">digital tips jar at ko-fi</a> and I'm looking at more ways to make a living with art and make <i>more</i> art.<br />
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I haven't even mentioned Totopolis yet, which I was working on Jan-Mar this year. I'll come back to that another time, but drop in a sneaky panel:<br />
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Oh, and what planet have you visited most recently? Mine's Delirius, and it was worth the diseases.<br />
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Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-10085999738231618532017-01-30T21:19:00.001+00:002017-01-30T21:19:20.226+00:002016 Picture Book RecommendationsWith the announcement of the <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal" target="_blank">Caldecott Medal and Honors</a> this month, I thought it was past time I wrote about my favourite picture books of 2016.<br />
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The year, despite its excrescences, provided a wealth of good picture books, and trying to keep up my level of reading from 2015, I managed to absorb forty-eight of them. I found plenty to recommend. You'll notice that my list and the Caldecott awards are entirely different as I've yet to read a single one of theirs, but I’ll write about that later on.<br />
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Firstly, I’ll reiterate myself from <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/2015-picture-book-challenge-roundup.html#more" target="_blank">this time last year</a> on what I consider to be a picture book:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #351c75;">"a book where words and images are used in combination and images
contribute as much as or more than any text. Also, where the subdivision
of pages into panels is not the dominant form"</span></i></blockquote>
While I've attempted to place a division here between picture books and comics, because I believe they are ultimately different forms, I accept this may be artificial as there is certainly bleed-through. In this list, you will find that <i>Professor Astro Cat</i>, <i>Kings of the Castle</i>, <i>King Baby</i>, <i>Owl Bat Bat Owl, The Wolves of Currumpaw</i>, <i>Pandora</i> and <i>There Is A Tribe of Kids</i> all have comics sections or elements of comics language. To me, these elements are set within the framework of a picture book.<br />
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I'd also quickly like to state that I haven't been reading these with a child, so I'm coming from an adult's perspective, and appropriately start with:<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Bum Bum <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.taromiura.com/" target="_blank">Taro Miura</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/Bum-Bum-9781406366037.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0sddcohNb7ISfHB-n0Ox_jGGKkWxW_MfvflN2MgXyfnQ9IK6vP6AcQIncPr8aHGG9PsLotQUIsBRqletjYrbZnVBVW60KG1C52nKNfb-huvHoI2wJgXvorH-Exd9roxJGq1Gi_USNtM/s1600/bum-bum-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0sddcohNb7ISfHB-n0Ox_jGGKkWxW_MfvflN2MgXyfnQ9IK6vP6AcQIncPr8aHGG9PsLotQUIsBRqletjYrbZnVBVW60KG1C52nKNfb-huvHoI2wJgXvorH-Exd9roxJGq1Gi_USNtM/s320/bum-bum-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Simple in its design and humour, <i>Bum Bum</i> is perfectly formed and full of character. It builds with repetition to a satisfying conclusion and invites play, observation of contrasts and physical self-awareness. I'm happy to recommend it to readers of any age, but, please note, its effectiveness will rely on how funny you find this: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTX0h90ePop4nrvsapXXWvNeahb1FuGaA1xa6c4TI53dse0aFMPS2hKMy7kUE_2nMG2boNUv2_3MkHVjRirmON_UiuEtD8Q44__VEUSJGLjjjho8RVmGOcwE-r02ee9D85-v7LeyMr38/s1600/bum-bum-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTX0h90ePop4nrvsapXXWvNeahb1FuGaA1xa6c4TI53dse0aFMPS2hKMy7kUE_2nMG2boNUv2_3MkHVjRirmON_UiuEtD8Q44__VEUSJGLjjjho8RVmGOcwE-r02ee9D85-v7LeyMr38/s640/bum-bum-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Professor Astro Cat's Atomic Adventure <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://dominicwalliman.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Dominic Walliman</a> and <a href="http://www.bennewman.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ben Newman</a> (<a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/professor-astro-cats-atomic-adventure/?" target="_blank">Flying Eye Books</a>)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7qsAOu0KK8IvKE9NJsBHzH-vwbhi6KkuqNMbrEKEnJZjEMVcGXuOaXJRtOafjKmOtPV3ySZEhFodon3zFFnCKvc7muFWcqOWA6bZfGncESre0y0OMW08IMko1H9h29QEEWWuZgoS3wo/s1600/astrocat-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7qsAOu0KK8IvKE9NJsBHzH-vwbhi6KkuqNMbrEKEnJZjEMVcGXuOaXJRtOafjKmOtPV3ySZEhFodon3zFFnCKvc7muFWcqOWA6bZfGncESre0y0OMW08IMko1H9h29QEEWWuZgoS3wo/s320/astrocat-1.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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This may be misplaced, but I'm very proud to have a non-fiction title in my line-up I can champion with the same enthusiasm as a fiction one. I think in <i>Professor Astro Cat</i>'s case, this is because the narrative sense it shows is as strong, being loose overall but specific within each subject. The book is a capable primer in the basic principles of physics that is crammed with textual and visual detail, as you will see from the spread below. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmSz1DTvcaKVQFrkcGivKsRd4V681N4XRfwGz6jNYJX5_9PVUet7pxib81weDF2an7i-vH9N20fDm-eeKiYumUtkj3uoGJMcsRIVfF4Bo0-PXxeC6rUP2YXiYnpvYWUylO2KfM12VK6c/s1600/astrocat-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmSz1DTvcaKVQFrkcGivKsRd4V681N4XRfwGz6jNYJX5_9PVUet7pxib81weDF2an7i-vH9N20fDm-eeKiYumUtkj3uoGJMcsRIVfF4Bo0-PXxeC6rUP2YXiYnpvYWUylO2KfM12VK6c/s640/astrocat-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
All pages are subdivided in some way, but the page design, in this
1950's print style, always works and there is a colourful cast of
anthropomorphic animals to demonstrate practical examples of all the
concepts described. They have own relationships and a sense of belonging
to their own specific world. I'd highly recommend this one as a fun
read independent of its educational content.</div>
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<br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Shy <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.deborahfreedman.net/" target="_blank">Deborah Freedman</a> (<a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318039/shy-by-deborah-freedman/9780451474964/" target="_blank">Viking</a>)</span></span></div>
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<i>Shy</i> is the story of Shy, who hides in books and would love to make a friend. In form, it is fascinating and inventive, because Shy is literally hiding in the book.<br />
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This creates a very unusual tension, which relies on some
figurative work but mainly abstract landscapes and pure colour to convey action and emotion. When the main
character does finally appear, he is surrounded by others and unidentified,
until the extraordinary moment when he appears from the spine of the
book and you realise he had been there all along. The visual depiction of birdsong is also a brave choice and an effective one. In an original way, all these visual devices tie up the themes of shyness, hiding, being unidentifiable in a crowd and
finding a voice. The effect is unique, and I hope Deborah Freedman continues to explore these new, conceptual territories in future books. A marvellous experience.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuOmLxp-KSQ-bNe296RrxrN9WiVH8Z2QbtM18AVCrRFDlu_H6oxqFXCi3h9rlvNl9sXKpmuLu34DQKep_umytRaTFkQNWV1GHX0UEGZH3S1Pcg1QqkyqsRSLf6P_8nEww-x82JNBBrUs/s1600/shy-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuOmLxp-KSQ-bNe296RrxrN9WiVH8Z2QbtM18AVCrRFDlu_H6oxqFXCi3h9rlvNl9sXKpmuLu34DQKep_umytRaTFkQNWV1GHX0UEGZH3S1Pcg1QqkyqsRSLf6P_8nEww-x82JNBBrUs/s640/shy-3.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Circle <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.jeanniebaker.com/" target="_blank">Jeannie Baker</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/Circle-9781406338010.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>)</span></span> </div>
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Already a firm favourite of mine, I have to say that some of Jeannie Baker’s very best work as a collager/illustrator has gone into this book. Overflowing with colour, texture and life, this book details the migratory journey of the godwit and on this framework hangs a lot of almost implicit drama; the loss of the chicks to a wolf in one page, the story of a boy in a wheelchair as the framing device. The sensitivity to colour in the book I find extremely beautiful, especially in the South-East Asia pages. The combination of natural and man-made materials in the collages, the luminousness and sense of environment that are achieved, are supremely skillful and give the story a quality of liveliness that's pretty much unique in picture books. The inclusion of the curvature of the earth throughout the book creates some wonderful perspectives, and crafts the idea of circularity visually. Like many of the books I'm writing about here, <i>Circle </i>appears simple and direct, but is a story of many layers.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Kings of the Castle <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="https://victurnbull.com/" target="_blank">Victoria Turnbull</a> (<a href="http://www.templarco.co.uk/picture-books.html" target="_blank">Templar Publishing</a>)</span></span></div>
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A seemingly simple story of friendship, (mis)communication and imagination, set on a beach, <i>Kings of the Castle</i> is wonderfully constructed. It's perfectly paced, seamlessly slipping in and out of visual and verbal storytelling, picture book and comics language and a fold-out quadruple-page spread. Victoria Turnbull has an amazing sensitivity to colour, form, line and character that spins a wealth of meaning from a deceptively simple plot. I would have said at this point that I'd be dedicated to following her future work, has she not already delivered another, even greater book I'll be writing about in a moment.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">King Baby <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/" target="_blank">Kate Beaton</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/King-Baby-9781406371758.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>) </span></span></div>
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Kate Beaton’s <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-princess.html" target="_blank"><i>The Princess and the Pony</i></a> had many pleasures, but <i>King Baby</i> is even better. It falls in the "new baby" picture book genre, but what differentiates it is a very fine thing, in perspective and tone, that is carried off so deftly that the scenario and the conventions, social and narrative, that are involved feel immediate and fresh. There is fine cartooning to begin with but the shift of tone to something comically sinister with the pull-along duck incident opens the book out onto a sad, introspective consideration of love, independence and interdependence before the inevitable but nonetheless satisfying denouement. That sounds serious, but this book is innately funny and is pulling off an impressive acrobatic feat.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Owl Bat Bat Owl <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.marielouisefitzpatrick.com/" target="_blank">Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/Owl-Bat-Bat-Owl-9781406364392.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>)</span></span></div>
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A family of owls and a family of bats begrudgingly share a branch until something happens to shake them both up. This charming book is entirely wordless and focuses on the same tree branch for its duration. This allows Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick to focus on the expressive quality of her animal characters and changes in environment to tell her story. The vibrant, graphic quality of the paintings (which I think are digital) lend itself to both stylised expression and subtle colour changes, both of which draw the reader in. The wordless acting, for want of a better term, is even more inveigling as it requires the reader to build the story in step with each image. The final effect is one of eloquence, as both the central plot of the bats' and owls' relationship is clearly tied up alongside a complementary sub-plot involving a separated pair of spiders. This is a universal story, but one that seems particularly relevant today.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">The Wolves of Currumpaw <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.williamgrill.co.uk/" target="_blank">William Grill</a> (<a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/the-wolves-of-currumpaw/?" target="_blank">Flying Eye Books</a>)</span></span> </div>
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In <i>The Wolves of Currumpaw</i>, William Grill’s robust text and sensitive, ingenuous drawings, scores of them, weave a story larger than the initial inspiration of a series of historical wolf hunts. Through careful economy, stylisation and colour choice, Grill makes icons of the landscape and characters (human and otherwise); these enable a visual shorthand that can whip through a novelistic level of detail, cut straight to the dramatic core of the story he's telling, for it is truly a dramatic fictionalisation of people, animal and place, and crucially, allow him to imply a whole world beyond what is laid out on the page.<br />
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Colour and motion here have the emotional impact of more abstract forms of visual art, and I'm thinking particularly of Expressionism, while the iconographic element has a rich echo of primitive and folk art, which only plays into the type of story Grill is telling. Panels are used deftly to increase the detail of the story and control its pace, although I feel the book still errs more on the side of the picture book than the comic as these panels also offer up a sense of simultaneity; of composite pictures.<br />
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I'd say of all the fiction books mentioned here, this is for the oldest reader, say 7 up, for the length and complexity of the story and the attention its telling demands. I haven't seen anyone use quite the same form as Grill is employing here and it's refreshing and satisfying.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">This Is Not A Book <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="https://www.jeanjullien.com/" target="_blank">Jean Jullien</a> (<a href="http://uk.phaidon.com/store/childrens-books/this-is-not-a-book-9780714871127/" target="_blank">Phaidon</a>)</span></span></div>
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With each spread this book is not a book, it's something else: a laptop, a tennis court, a tent. Each has been carefully considered and economically, characterfully illustrated by Jean Jullien (a man who has cracked me up with just <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-great-big.html" target="_blank">the image of an owl pretending to be a sheep</a>). This transformation at every turn not only invites play, but also engagement on a conceptual level; binding what would otherwise be unrelated images together under the title of <i>This Is Not A Book</i> creates a coherent theme, on the object of the book and how its contents transform it. As a board book, the object becomes structurally robust and can be converted even further (wait until you get to the end). It's intelligent and an awful lot of fun, and I honestly can’t think of a better use for the medium of the board book.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">We Found a Hat <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://jonklassen.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Jon Klassen</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/We-Found-a-Hat-9781406347517.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>)</span></span></div>
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I don't want to say too much about <i>We Found a Hat</i>, because the joy of it is all in the telling. Jon Klassen is by now such an expert in colour palette, texture, composition and pacing that a reader is absorbed by the deceptive simplicity of the book and its many nuances work almost invisibly. I will say that it is the story of two tortoises (sorry Jon, turtles lives in the ocean) who encounter a ten-gallon hat sitting in the desert. They both think they'd look good in it. The dramatic tension is superb, and if you've read either <i>I Want My Hat Back</i> or <i>This Is Not My Hat</i>, you'll know how from such seemingly simple material Klassen can weave a story of considerable moral complexity. As a fan of those books, <i>We Found a Hat</i> also surprised me more than once. There is one particularly ambiguous thing it does that, taken literally, changes your perception of reality within the story to extraordinary effect. The bottom line is that the book is funny, surprising and challenging. The way it is told would be brave, if it weren’t so assured that it couldn’t possibly fail, and it doesn't.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Pandora <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="https://victurnbull.com/" target="_blank">Victoria Turnbull</a> (<a href="https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781847807496/Pandora.html" target="_blank">Frances Lincoln Children's Books</a>)</span></span></div>
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Victoria Turnbull's third picture book (her second of the year) is to my mind her best. Pandora is an anthropomorphic fox-child who lives alone in a desolate landscape piled high with recognisable human detritus; alone, that is, until she cares for and befriends an injured bird. The text throughout the book is very sparing but well chosen; an awful lot is communicated by the images, which typically fill spreads either with panoramic detail or very careful and effective use of empty space. They are incredibly expressive.<br />
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The meticulous precision of draughtsmanship (I can't bring myself to use draughtspersonship, I apologise) in coloured pencil and graphite includes such control of posture and facial expression that Pandora's feelings are always clear. At the same time, that control gives us both incredibly subtle graduations of colour set against pitch black shadows and, while every line is precise, edges are soft. This visual scheme pitches the book in a rich, melancholic world that threatens both explosions of colour and unfathomable shadow, and travels between those poles. For, as simply as <i>Pandora</i> is structured, and as directly as the action is conveyed, there are many strands to the story. It is about good ecology, it is about friendship and loneliness, it resonates with the myth of Pandora; it is about hope. You could read it as being about depression; about intervention versus isolation. This richness of meaning and quality of execution makes it one of the most powerful picture books I've read.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">There Is a Tribe of Kids <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/LaneSmithBooks/Lane_Smith_Books.html" target="_blank">Lane Smith</a> (<a href="http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/LaneSmithBooks/Lane_Smith_Books.html" target="_blank">Two Hoots</a>)</span></span></div>
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A feral child, dressed in leaves, tries to find its place amongst various groups of animals, vegetables and minerals. The linguistic conceit to accompany this is listing their collective nouns, some I suspect common and some made-up. That could be the extent of the book, and in lesser hands, I'm sure probably would have been, but Lane Smith has a destination in mind and, while entertaining the reader with incredibly lively images, is crafting his meaning. There's so much energy, and also lightness of touch, in his deployment of colour, composition, pattern and sequential (comics) storytelling that you are carried through, without really being aware of the process, to a point of surprising self-realisation for the child. It's then that Smith's ultimate goal is revealled: he's stretched the linguistic motif as far as it will go, then twisted it back around to where it started, but the visual journey the reader has travelled has completely converted the meaning. It's a wonderfully effective example of keeping both the text and images in a picture book on separate registers to create meaning, in a work that is ultimately about belonging in a wide and wonderful world. And it's my favourite picture book of 2016.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Further Thoughts</span></span></div>
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To close out this post, I'd like to make a few honourable mentions and raise a few other thoughts.<br />
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Firstly, to recommend <span style="color: #b45f06;">A Child of Books by <a href="http://oliverjeffers.com/" target="_blank">Oliver Jeffers</a> and <a href="http://www.samwinston.com/books/" target="_blank">Sam Winston</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/A-Child-of-Books-9781406358315.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>)</span>.<br />
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I can't deny it's an incredibly accomplished piece of work, about the power of stories and specifically books. It works primarily on a poetic level, and the way this is carried typographically and pictorially throughout the work equally, constantly testing the line between the two forms of communication, is beautiful. But I can't help wondering if it isn't really aimed at adults, and designed and pitched from an adult's frame of reference. For example, to get the full effect of the use of existing texts graphically, you have to be familiar with these texts and their cultural significance, so while there is the potential for the book's meaning to grow with the child, it is immediately, retrospectively, complete for adults. This is really the only thing holding me back from a higher recommendation.<br />
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My second honourable mention is for <span style="color: #b45f06;">A Brave Bear by <a href="http://www.seantaylorstories.com/index.php/books/" target="_blank">Sean Taylor</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/plaidemily/" target="_blank">Emily Hughes</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/A-Brave-Bear-9781406351323.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>)</span>, which I dearly wish I could like better.<br />
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Suitably for a bear book, Sean Taylor (lest we forget, author of <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-great-big.html" target="_blank">Hoot Owl</a>) gets his script just right. The simple, allusive construction he's come up with (which is in essence really a poem), is rich material for a collaborator. Emily Hughes makes really attractive images, but I don't think as an illustrator she can sustain the journey this book needs to go through to become something extraordinary. To my eye, she misjudges some of the weighting of colour, tone and shape and compromises spatial awareness in the images (I can't read the illustration above as it is meant, for example). In overall book design as well, continuity and pacing are off; multiple images and additional vignettes hold up the pace of the text, when the story needs to flow
like a river. There is no gradient to the sunset. I wrote in my original notes: "I can see the sun, but I don’t feel the heat." I would still recommend this book widely, I just don't think it reaches its potential. You can read about its creation in an interesting blog post <a href="http://www.picturebookparty.co.uk/2016/04/the-making-of-brave-bear.html#.WI-gxBxngQw" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Thirdly, I want to say that the story of refugees in <span style="color: #b45f06;">The Journey by <a href="https://francescasanna.com/" target="_blank">Francesca Sanna</a> (<a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/the-journey/?" target="_blank">Flying Eye Books</a>)</span>, while I have reservations about how well suited the text is to such eloquent imagery and if the narrative resolves itself adequately, is such an important work to get before the eyes of children at this time that there's no way I could go without recommending it. It needs to be read and understood.<br />
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I also wanted to give a mention to publishers here, as Walker Books and Flying Eye reliably published many fine books in 2016 and deserve due praise. I think Templar warrants consideration for publishing <i>Kings of the Castle</i> (above), and <i>A River</i> by <a href="http://www.marcmartin.com/a-river" target="_blank">Marc Martin</a>, both a big step up in quality compared to any of the Templar titles I reviewed in 2015.<br />
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And then, back to the Caldecott Medal and Honors. All the books I've written about here, and thirty-two besides, I borrowed from my local library service. I think one of the prerogatives of the Caldecott judges is to champion books that might otherwise pass without recognition, because I find it hard to believe, for example, that <i>There Is A Tribe of Kids</i> did not pass through their hands, nor that it can be so much less accomplished a work than the five they have honoured for it not to be considered in the same company.<br />
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I've also been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss lately, and I'm amazed to think that in his long and distinguished career, none of his books were ever awarded the Medal. Three of his earlier books, <i>McElligot's Pool</i> from 1948, <i>Bartholomew and the Oobleck</i> from 1950 and <i>If I Ran the Zoo</i> from 1951, received Honors and then he was never awarded (by Caldecott) again, but became, as a creator of picture books, a household name.<br />
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I have no problem with singling out worthwhile books that would otherwise receive less attention, but it means they are much less likely to end up in a public library in the UK on publication, and that's why none of the Caldecott books appear on this list. I had not heard of four of them (I was hoping to have read <i>Du Iz Tak?</i>) and only one (<i>They All Saw a Cat</i>) is currently held by my library. I have a reservation for that one copy and I'm looking forward to reading it. What this also means, of course, is that the Caldecott list of "most distinguished" picture books is no more definitive than the one I have published here. So I encourage one and all to keep looking, keep reading and keep finding your own treasure.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Best wishes,</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Luke.</span>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-49427658809502199812016-02-24T14:47:00.000+00:002016-02-24T19:46:58.833+00:00Review of The Assassin (2015)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuK8QXMOUxEkV5uaq201Ngpj84TkKXPD_uxXCzKdvUGlo3MDyMDVMAFS5lXrDHZxk01rbIODJ5RIxLhQVy-S_DthyTpBQvGY-24Mco7ko69JBbCCnT23YPGFw5feQP0igC6dAIeIqsrA/s1600/man+staring+into+space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuK8QXMOUxEkV5uaq201Ngpj84TkKXPD_uxXCzKdvUGlo3MDyMDVMAFS5lXrDHZxk01rbIODJ5RIxLhQVy-S_DthyTpBQvGY-24Mco7ko69JBbCCnT23YPGFw5feQP0igC6dAIeIqsrA/s640/man+staring+into+space.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Dahong Ni stares into space for several seconds.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have reviewed the film <span style="color: #b45f06;"><i>The Assassin</i></span>, directed by Hou Hsian-hsien, 2015, not because I particularly enjoyed it, but because I felt able to describe why I didn't. The review's below the break.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><i>The Assassin</i></span> appears to have garnered a lot of praise; I can’t see why.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/76UjJPmtD3U?rel=0" width="853"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>This trailer offers a good illustration of some of the points I raise below, as well as suggesting a more compelling and satisfying narrative than the whole delivers.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I find the audio-visual scheme of the film and the nature of the performances very distancing. The film opens in black and white, for no apparent reason, for something of a prologue.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Qi Shu as Yinniang - the Assassin - with her nun instructor Jiaxin, Fang-yi Sheu</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This first short segment effectively sets up the martial formidability of the title character, a backdrop of political machination, and ultimately, the assassin’s qualms about killing. These will play out through the rest of the film, but I didn’t really care. The prologue is probably the most direct and effective section of storytelling in the film. While it sows the seeds of techniques I found alienating and occasionally laughably bad later on, it doesn’t approach their worst excesses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> The opening two minutes of the film, for context, courtesy of Studio Canal UK.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;">For dominant technique, we get long takes which frequently enough put compositional emphasis on something the viewer can’t see clearly, also drawing attention to themselves by universally lethargic camera movements. Some of these moves are motivated and some are not, at their most absurd drifting gently in a direction that is changing the emphasis of the shot without any change in context, as if the operator forgot to lock it off. Even when some on-screen action, and I use the term lightly as this is by its very intention a film about inaction, motivates the camera in a particular direction, it is at the same dull pace, utterly killing, say, any sense of urgency an actor is trying to convey. This is excepting the “action” sequences, of course, which seem to put the opposite into practice with equally disastrous effect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The performances are generally very still, expression and gesture are minimal. I wouldn’t say any character is sufficiently brought to life either by performance or presentation to warrant emotional investment. Each wears their exterior like a carapace. There are several long expositionary scenes, which all performers seem to have been encouraged to draw out as long, with as little vigour and change of intonation, as possible. I found it hard to concentrate on these and log all the necessary names, places and personal histories to really make sense of what was going on, for which I may well be solely at fault, but I was <i>dead</i> bored.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the film decides to jump into action, and more than once it does this with an abrupt cut from an interchange of lingering shots of characters not conclusively established to have a spatial relationship, the mode changes entirely. It seems to want to use conventional martial arts action beats to some extent, but either can’t decide the extent or doesn’t have the ability to realise them. On the whole there is poor continuity of space and movement throughout the shooting and editing of these sequences, although the overall action is discernible. One early rooftop fight sticks in my mind as particularly out of sorts. It includes the convention of superhuman leaping that exists in wuxia, but doesn’t use it for anything other than getting the combatants discretely on and off the roof. The fight itself is largely lacking spatial context, as there is no real maintenance of screen direction, is almost exclusively captured in medium shot, and the edits frequently miss changes of momentum in the combat. I swear there was even a jump cut within what would have been a continuous take of one lunge.</span><br />
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<i>This behind-the-scenes video from Well Go USA gives a flavour of the action sequences in the film. I find the B-roll footage of the fight in the birch forest better edited and more compelling than that which made the film.</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The pattern of long, lingering sequences punctuated with non-sequitor bursts of action persists throughout the film. This makes for horrible pacing on both lesser and greater scales, and does nothing to aid the dearth of drama. There seems little to drive it in the first place, as neither the characters, the staging nor the camera seem to have sufficient motivation to head anywhere. Intellectually I know there is a story behind this inertia, even the sketch for an effective dramatic structure, which is saddening, if not maddening, given its execution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, obfuscation may or may not be an intentional theme. I felt I spent an obscenely long time not only listening to an uninteresting tract of exposition, but squinting at the actors perpetrating it through a gauze continually wavering in opacity. Another scene takes place in a hut, with an open fire, and blue smoke largely conceals the exchange between two actors.</span><br />
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<i>Well Go USA Entertainment have been kind enough to upload this clip so you can vicariously experience visual impairment yourself</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Qi Shu, Dahong Ni and (offscreen) a fire.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The degree to which these incidents affect the ability to discern what it is the camera is even pointing at conveys more an impression of technical incompetence than it does artistic intent. I was also, from an early point, bothered by the sound design and it took me a little while to place why. The reason is that ambient sounds are frequently present all the time, which is quite unusual in the use of sound in cinematic storytelling. More usually a sound will be heard when its source is on screen, or else might be affecting the visible action or its context from off-screen. Atmospheric effects are often employed more subtly, and most effective when not we’re not consciously aware of them. For most of <span style="color: #b45f06;"><i>The Assassin</i></span>, we can hear all the cicadas, the wind and so on, even when we’re inside. On several occasions there is a drumming in the background, which sounds diegetic but may be score, but in any case does not directly relate to what’s on screen. When we’re in the hut, the fire is crackling away front and centre, even when the human focus has moved to the back wall and the fire is no longer in view, as above. The effect is most like using the audio from a camera’s built-in mic - it’s just captured everything within range at one volume. Truly, there is a fog of sound enshrouding this film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I will mention the film’s late lurch into the supernatural only to state that it is there, and sits as oddly and separately as the martial arts interludes. A clip of the one supernatural event is available <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw" target="_blank">here</a> if you're interested.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My favourite shot of the whole thing, for all the wrong reasons, is a contemplation of some sitting goats. We look at these goats for several seconds…we pan to goats up a bit and to the right, then we have to tilt drastically, badly racking focus to make sure we look at a few more goats, sitting there chewing grass…before drifting off diagonally left to see the final two goats, one of them smaller and darker than the rest and nibbling at a longer bit of grass. The film then, reluctantly, cuts to some humans. This, I might add, is at the emotional and narrative climax of the film, and bugger me, but I really hope it <i>is</i> a joke.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are so many decisions in the execution of this film that are, beyond even a self-conscious attempt at “style”, bad communication, I can only hope its makers and admirers have mistaken one for the other.</span>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-70835685245538621252016-01-28T21:14:00.004+00:002016-02-01T20:59:38.417+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: Roundup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Firstly, sorry for the lateness of this roundup of my <span style="color: #b45f06;">Picture Book Challenge 2015</span>. I wanted to squeeze in as many books read and reviewed as possible, but toward the end of December I was in a position where I just needed to catch up with myself. The one benefit of the delay in getting to publish this is that I was able to add three extra titles to my recommendations, but more on that later.<br />
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Let’s do this backwards, now I’ve already written about some: <span style="color: #b45f06;">what do I call a picture book?</span> That’s quite tricky. Ultimately I classed anything with roughly these criteria: a book where words and images are used in combination and images contribute as much as or more than any text. Also, where the subdivision of pages into panels is not the dominant form. I think maybe Footpath Flowers, on reflection, doesn’t meet this last point, but after including it at the time, I’m not going to deny it now.<br />
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Then, <span style="color: #b45f06;">what am I judging these books on?</span> Well, personal taste to be sure, but I have tried to qualify my criticisms (and praise) in terms of how each works as a narrative experience (or as an object). The Caldecott Medal (just announced for this year) and Greenaway Medal have the stated aim of upholding the best in picture book illustration, but my interest is in the whole book; illustration, writing, design, typography and the physical printed and bound entity you end up with in your hands. I don’t think you can pick or choose an element without acknowledging the whole, because it’s reductive to the very element you’re trying to single out.<br />
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To that end, here are my recommendations from 2015, with links to my original comments. Whether they succeed in graphic representation of abstract ideas, like Her Idea or Green Lizards vs Red Rectangles, use their stories as a frame from which to explore the picture plane like This is My Rock or Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, or simply seek to tell a layered story with the finesse available to the medium, like Grandad’s Island, these are all whole and worthwhile experiences. (My two late editions appear in parentheses, and link to the authors’ websites.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Recommended Reads</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-footpath.html" target="_blank">Footpath Flowers by Jon Arno Lawson & Sydney Smith</a><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.benjidavies.com/blog/?page_id=80" target="_blank">(Grandad's Island by Benji Davies) </a></span><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2015-picture-book-challenge-steve.html" target="_blank">Green Lizards vs Red Rectangles by Steve Antony </a><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.robbiddulph.com/V2/books.html" target="_blank">(GRRRR! by Rob Biddulph)</a></span> <br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/2015-picture-book-challenge-her-idea.html" target="_blank">Her Idea by Rilla Alexander </a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-two-sun.html" target="_blank">How the Sun Got to Coco's House by Bob Graham</a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/2015-picture-book-challenge-her-idea.html" target="_blank">Is There a Dog in this Book? by Viviane Schwarz</a> <br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2015-picture-book-challenge-nonsense.html" target="_blank">It's A Groovy World, Alfredo! by Sean Taylor & Chris Garbutt </a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2015-picture-book-challenge-nonsense.html" target="_blank">The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle</a> <br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2015-picture-book-challenge-steve.html" target="_blank">Please Mr Panda by Steve Antony</a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-tough-guys.html" target="_blank">Poles Apart by Jeanne Willis and Jarvis</a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-princess.html" target="_blank">The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton</a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-tough-guys.html" target="_blank">The Seeds of Friendship by Michael Foreman</a> <br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2015-picture-book-challenge-terry.html" target="_blank">Terry Perkins and his Upside Down Frown by Felix Massie </a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/2015-picture-book-challenge-zoomers.html" target="_blank">This is my Rock by David Lucas</a> <br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-tough-guys.html" target="_blank">Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too) by Keith Negley</a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2015-picture-book-challenge-whopper.html" target="_blank">Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie </a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2015-picture-book-challenge-whopper.html" target="_blank">The Whopper by Rebecca Ashdown</a><br />
<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/2015-picture-book-challenge-zoomers.html" target="_blank">The Zoomers' Handbook by Anna & Thiago de Moraes</a><br />
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Read those? Good. From here we move on to my favourite five books. These are ones not just created with great depth and skill, but that resonated most with me. You'll know the late addition when you come to it.<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourites of the Year</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-great-big.html" target="_blank">Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor & Jean Jullien</a><br />
The best of marriages between text and image: Sean Taylor is inspired in the creation of Hoot Owl's off-kilter worldview and Jean Jullien executes gag after gag with astounding economy. Surprising, hilarious and intimately idiosyncratic.<br />
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<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-whatever.html" target="_blank">Whatever Happened to my Sister? By Simona Ciraolo</a><br />
Utterly charming from the first glance, this is a subtle, complex and affecting story, carried off with <span style="font-size: small;">great </span><span style="font-size: small;">é</span><span style="font-size: small;">lan. </span><br />
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<a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-two-sun.html" target="_blank">The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein</a><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;">My reservations about some elements of the book design aside, this is a ravishing piece of work, and all the more remarkable for how much of its communication and meaning is purely aesthetic. This is a truly sophisticated use of the medium.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-great-big.html" target="_blank">A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young by Michael Rosen & Chris Riddell</a> </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;">A great, brisk, energetic intertwining of Rosen's verse and Riddell's illustrations, with great book design, makes for an immensely pleasurable object. The book's full of life, created with real care and imagination and, consequently, is quite hard to stop looking at</span>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><a href="https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9781408340233" target="_blank">Finding Winnie</a> by Lindsay Mattick & <a href="http://www.sophieblackall.com/books" target="_blank">Sophie Blackall</a></span><br />
This last minute entrant had to make it as my favourite of 2015's books, and perhaps rather deservedly is also the recipient of this year's Caldecott medal. Text and image weave an incredibly rich, multi-stranded tale of and about human relationships passing into story. It put me in mind of the humanity, vibrancy and textural breadth of a Milos Forman biopic. There's so much to savour here beyond the mere surface of the page, so do yourself a favour and dive in!<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Conclusion</span></span><br />
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I'm enormously glad I took on this challenge because, while some of these books might have caught my eye anyway, a great many would have passed me by and I'd have been poorer without them.<br />
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There is such a breadth of picture books I can only have scratched the surface of those produced last year, and yet I still had a greatly varied experience. They're certainly not all about the same things and they don't all work in the same ways, and discovering the differences is amazing. Forcing myself to write about each of the books was laboursome at points, but the very process forced me to think about what I had read in a way that often altered or deepened my appreciation.<br />
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Had I the time, I would like to have explored non-fiction work I would consider picture books too. There seems to be a real concentration of effort in design and illustration in them at the moment, but I had run out of time before recording even my initial impressions. Thus, were I to embark on another similar challenge, I might only publish reviews of books that really struck me as special, but still try to read as widely while spacing the reading more evenly throughout the year.<br />
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If you've read this far with me, I hope I've made some interesting points, and please try some of the books above and let me know what you think.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Thanks,</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Luke.</span>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-32221229938552198502016-01-08T22:05:00.001+00:002016-01-08T22:10:54.030+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: Her IdeaI had hoped to post at least a couple more updates before year's end, but unfortunately I ran out of time. This will be the last post in the 2015 Picture Book Challenge, apart from a summary and recommendations from among the books I have read which is to follow soon. I have three more book reviews in this last update, and will finish with a list of other books I read but won't comment on.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Her Idea by <a href="http://www.byrilla.com/#her-idea" target="_blank">Rilla Alexander</a></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gz7n0bHOGorBCd2LoCaZvGN6aBFwZLWtHsy5tBl_WLJYoTVl6V6WMHSSJifG8vjg7R8CUCQrCuuTse3JJTDea6GYZkJ2eKhyi4b1YFwi18RSzC5ngekmcC2QAxvUo0E8SfaZFNuN7c0/s1600/idea+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gz7n0bHOGorBCd2LoCaZvGN6aBFwZLWtHsy5tBl_WLJYoTVl6V6WMHSSJifG8vjg7R8CUCQrCuuTse3JJTDea6GYZkJ2eKhyi4b1YFwi18RSzC5ngekmcC2QAxvUo0E8SfaZFNuN7c0/s400/idea+cover.jpg" width="346" /></a></div>
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Published by <a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/her-idea/?" target="_blank">Flying Eye Books.</a> <i>Her Idea</i> is an extraordinary, conceptual picture book rendered graphically in four colours, about a girl called Sozi, the path of her ideas and the creative process. Rilla creatively characterises each of the abstract notions in the tale, mostly to great effect, like the literary mentor, a book with eyes, and self-obstruction in the form of a wolf made of crumpled balls of waste paper who, in one great moment, is blown away as leaves in autumn.<br />
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Other characters work by being distinctive rather than apropos, such as the sharp-nosed anthropomorphic ideas and the bandit-mask-wearing, pupil-less Sozi. Once you know what they represent, they are incredibly useful to the narrative, but their designs aren't inherently redolent of the meaning to which they're put.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0reP7X7Qct9w3lcZBsQKETJtnZ49r_-TYJPcGmQIbPIHgJX_OUKjzHZEL0RTLbkcfh45ILK1cEVPER3ZhfEgZd6ZCEJ8mr7EkdQdY7RXLg8_60n0gjc8gQOVku_5WQAviw2fLMfIaDE/s1600/idea+spread+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0reP7X7Qct9w3lcZBsQKETJtnZ49r_-TYJPcGmQIbPIHgJX_OUKjzHZEL0RTLbkcfh45ILK1cEVPER3ZhfEgZd6ZCEJ8mr7EkdQdY7RXLg8_60n0gjc8gQOVku_5WQAviw2fLMfIaDE/s640/idea+spread+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The vein of arbitrariness doesn't significantly hamper the lucid visual storytelling and inspired design abundant throughout. With the text written in verse, the limited colour palette and the anthropomorphisation of the abstract, I couldn't help thinking of Dr. Seuss while reading <i>Her Idea</i>.<br />
The tone is dissimilar of course, but the primary difference has to be conception; Seuss' designs are always worlds and characters from which his narrative springs, while Rilla is designing a concept from beginning to end (and doing it with great beauty) and the world and characters are secondary.<br />
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In terms of what it does and how it does it, this is a rare, provocative and thorough piece of work. I encourage you to discover its pleasures for yourself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SS-qZUCQofWN3SESkQGJ8ye6t90ibP6pVPcCbZyvdPBXBo5dA9weaD5ivbH3-p5Ke41mhxaawuNTeg0S2DP2Muzl1aSUOicKcSQHQLXrxg6MZ9iZnywxp-aLayizEYqojXIOV96zy-U/s1600/dog+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SS-qZUCQofWN3SESkQGJ8ye6t90ibP6pVPcCbZyvdPBXBo5dA9weaD5ivbH3-p5Ke41mhxaawuNTeg0S2DP2Muzl1aSUOicKcSQHQLXrxg6MZ9iZnywxp-aLayizEYqojXIOV96zy-U/s400/dog+cover.jpg" width="368" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Is There a Dog in this Book? <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.vivianeschwarz.co.uk/" target="_blank">Viviane Schwarz</a> (Walker Books)</span></span><br />
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<i>Is there a Dog in this Book?</i> exists to play with the possibilities of its format, the flap book. Three cats are incredibly anxious that they might be sharing a book with a cat - this leads to involving the reader, as an acknowledged part of the story, in opening each "door" as first cats then dog go into hiding. The story ends in reconciliation and, in its very slight way, is about overcoming fear through discovery. The real pleasure is how the medium facilitates this; flaps change not only space but time and develop the action in meaningful ways. My favourite spread for this is the following:<br />
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The additional details of the environment and the dog's language written as childlike just increases the charm of the beguilingly interactive book.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Beautiful Birds <span style="color: #351c75;">by Jean Roussen and Emmanuelle Walker (<a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/beautiful-birds/?" target="_blank">Flying Eye Books</a>)</span></span><br />
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This themed alphabet book lives on the strength of its graphic presentation, which is, on the whole, excellent. Overall there's a strong understanding of composition and some intelligent illustration of ideas and allusions. Colour is well used, not always well-balanced between pages, but generally consistent with good strategic use of a specialist neon pink ink.<br />
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The verse in which the text is written begins fluently and in good measure, but trips over several times before it gets to the end. Similarly, the images don't always flow into one another and the inclusion of humans really stands out because their stylisation seems at odds with that of the birds.<br />
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A visually stimulating book, but not a coherent experience, beautifully produced, as you would expect from Flying Eye Books.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Roll of Other Books</span><br />
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<u><span style="color: #b45f06;">Non-fiction</span></u><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Diary of a Time Traveller <span style="color: #351c75;">by Nicholas Stevenson and David Long (<a href="http://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781847806369/Diary-of-a-Time-Traveller.html" target="_blank">Wide Eyed Editions</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Hare <span style="color: #351c75;">by Zoë Greaves and Leslie Sadleir (<a href="http://www.oldbarnbooks.com/products/hare?variant=3300377281" target="_blank">Old Barn Books</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Mad About Monkeys <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.folioart.co.uk/illustration/folio/artists/illustrator/owen-davey/" target="_blank">Owen Davey</a> (<a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/mad-about-monkeys/?" target="_blank">Flying Eye Books</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">The Story of Life: a first book about evolution <span style="color: #351c75;">by Catherine Barr, Steve Williams and <a href="http://www.amyhusband.co.uk/" target="_blank">Amy Husband</a> (<a href="http://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781847804853/The-Story-of-Life.html" target="_blank">Frances Lincoln Children's Books</a>)</span></span><br />
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<u><span style="color: #b45f06;">Fiction</span></u><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Chu's Day at the Beach <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/" target="_blank">Neil Gaiman</a> and <a href="http://www.adamrex.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Adam Rex</a> (<a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/chus-day-at-the-beach-9781408864357/" target="_blank">Bloomsbury Publishing</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/" target="_blank">Chris Van Allsburg</a> (<a href="http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/books/view/1783441887" target="_blank">Andersen Press</a>) </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">The World-Famous Cheese Shop Break-In <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.seantaylorstories.com/index.php/books/" target="_blank">Sean Taylor </a>and <a href="http://www.hannahshawillustrator.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hannah Shaw</a> (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span> </span>Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-8480148425640512342015-12-29T20:42:00.000+00:002015-12-29T21:37:21.391+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: The Zoomers' Handbook<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">The Zoomers' Handbook by Anna & <a href="http://thiagodemoraes.com/" target="_blank">Thiago de Moraes</a></span></span></div>
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Published by <a href="http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/books/view/178344214X" target="_blank">Andersen Press</a>. The Zoomers' Handbook takes the form of a bestiary of imaginary creatures and introduces ideas of zoomorphism and taxonomy in a refined and witty way. The composite animals are all very well designed to display their characteristics and inherent humour, the line drawings at once lively and controlled. The muted colour palette gives just enough definition to work and no more.<br />
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The primary tool of the writing is recontextualisation and this also defines the relationship between word and image, generating plenty of jokes and ideas (as good nonsense and surrealism do) in the friction between. It's vital to say that the book's design is an equal contributor, as each choice in layout and typography is well-considered and advances the communication. It's not essential, but it's a nice touch that the endpapers furnish addditional zoological notes and illustrations.<br />
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I really enjoyed this one, and it was a pleasure to read something made with such care, skill and sensitivity.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">This is my Rock by <a href="http://davidlucas.org.uk/" target="_blank">David Lucas</a> (<a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/this-is-my-rock/?" target="_blank">Flying Eye Books</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">David Lucas </span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">makes great hay </span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">with a simple story of sharing by turning his focus </span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">to an exploration of the gr</span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">aphic plane </span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">and the boundary between the figurative and decorative. </span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><u><br /></u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The narrative thread at the book's core provides a satisfying experience for the younger (and older reader), while supporting Lucas' ability to play with his aesthetic enquiry. A satisfying book on several levels.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">What a Naughty Bird! by <a href="http://www.seantaylorstories.com/index.php/books/" target="_blank">Sean Taylor</a> and <a href="http://www.danwiddowson.com/" target="_blank">Dan Widdowson</a> (<a href="http://www.templarco.co.uk/picture-books.html" target="_blank">Templar Publishing</a>)</span><br />
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My fourth <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Sean%20Taylor" target="_blank">Sean Taylor</a> book of the year recalls the first, <i>Hoot Owl</i>, by focusing on a comically idiosyncratic bird who narrates his own story. This is a much more straightforward affair, with a simpler text, in verse, that unfolds a single joke. The naughty bird of the title earns his name by an irrepressible urge to poo on fellow animals. The book's scatological trajectory is well sustained by illustrator Dan Widdowson, who pays off all of Sean Taylor's set-ups with eloquent variants on the visual gag.<br />
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The book is pacy, funny and introduces the idea of retribution, in the Biblical sense, at its terminus, but it is very slight. I would probably rate this the least interesting of the Sean Taylor books I've read this year.<br />
<br />Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-71836330396731410082015-11-24T22:11:00.001+00:002015-11-24T22:11:13.630+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: Terry Perkins and his Upside Down Frown<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">A bit of a bumper edition for this post, so let's start at the top: </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Terry Perkins and his Upside Down Frown <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://felixmassie.co.uk/" target="_blank">Felix Massie</a></span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Published by <a href="http://www.quartoknows.com/brand/2070/Frances-Lincoln-Children-s-Books/" target="_blank">Frances Lincoln Children's Books</a>. Animator, artist and writer Felix Massie has produced his first picture book, the story of a boy who has trouble with inversion.<br />
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It made sense to me when I discovered that Massie is an animator, because the simplified illustration style, fluent use of space and sense of movement are useful attributes for that medium. They are well deployed here, along with careful colour design and pacing. All contribute to a subtle and playful story of inversions - physical, verbal and emotional - that can resonate with many a childhood sense of alienation. <i>Terry Perkins</i> is full of life and quite wonderful.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Happy in Our Skin <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://franmanushkin.com/" target="_blank">Fran Manushkin</a> and <a href="http://www.laurentobia.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Tobia</a> (<a href="http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=Title&mode=book&isbn=0763670022&pix=y" target="_blank">Candlewick Press</a>)</span></span><br />
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When I first picked up this book, I thought it would be more about the social implications of the expression "happy in our skin" from its ethnically-diverse cover, but it is more about skin, the organ, what it is and its features. The social side runs concurrently with a cast of happily interacting families, "cocoa brown, cinnamon and honey gold".<br />
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The illustration keeps this in focus while ably illuminating the other aspects the text covers. As well as being consistently inclusive, the tone is celebratory, which is a fine way of handling this subject for its audience. I like the book, it successfully describes its point on each page, but I think more might have been made of it with a more fluent text and a better sense of the physical properties of skin in the illustration - the warmth, the translucency and so on.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">What the Ladybird Heard Next <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/" target="_blank">Julia Donaldson</a> and <a href="http://www.lydiamonks.com/" target="_blank">Lydia Monks</a> (<a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com/Search-Results?st=1&title=what%20the%20ladybird%20heard%20next&adt=1" target="_blank">Macmillan Children's Books</a>)</span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"></span><br />
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Julia Donaldson is not only a prolific and well-respected children's author, but she has created several picture book universes in combination with illustrators like Axel Scheffler and Lydia Monks that have captured the public imagination. <i>What the Ladybird Heard</i>, while not as well-known as <i>The Gruffalo</i>, for example, is one such title and has received a sequel this year.<br />
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<i>What the Ladybird Heard Next</i> is, in essence, more of the same. Unfortunately, in trying to retain all the elements of the original but offer a nominally different story, it compromises itself. The original is a fine picture book, looking very simple while being carefully structured and sufficiently nuanced to offer multiple pleasures. Elements imported to the sequel, such as the roll-call of animal noises, don't carry the same meaning to this story as they do to the original, and so seem to appear only for the sake that they are expected. Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are once again the antagonists of the story, and it's very disappointing that not only has their criminal ambition diminished, the nature of their defeat doesn't really pertain to the structure of the whole. The book is still plenty of fun, Donaldson and Monks have more than enough wit and skill to ensure that, and the young audience who have enjoyed <i>What the Ladybird Heard</i> will enjoy this too.<br />
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It is well worth mentioning here that the edition I have - the hardback - is daubed with glitter throughout, which serves no narrative purpose that I can divine. Yes, you will find plenty of glittery animal markings, a glittery tractor and glittery poo within. It is, like the book itself, unnecessary but diverting.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Klek <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://kennclarke.wix.com/clarke" target="_blank">Kenn Clarke</a></span></span><br />
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A glorious anomaly on my library service's catalogue, <i>Klek</i> is a mythological fantasy book that Kenn Clarke (not <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/may/16/kenneth-clark-arrogant-snob-saviour-art" target="_blank">that one</a> [or, heaven help us, <a href="https://www.conservatives.com/OurTeam/Members_of_Parliament/clarke_kenneth" target="_blank">that one</a>]) has self-published. He appears to be a graphic designer who has produced this as a means of self-expression. I always admire that position, whatever the result, and I think in contrast to something like <i>What the Ladybird Heard Next</i>, around which there is a large publisher, large audience and all sorts of commercial entanglements, a labour of love from one person like this exists in an entirely different context.<br />
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The book is professionally bound and looks attractive; you've got spot varnish on the cover, a bound-in ribbon bookmark. The assemblage of graphic elements on the cover and the design of the text suggest something of the influence of medieval illuminated manuscripts (and this continues within) and looks promising. Open the book up and it begins to reveal some startlingly individual illustration and writing. Quite a lot of writing, in fact, and the choice to highlight all punctuation in red, while calling back to medieval calligraphy, does draw too much attention to itself, especially given the quality of the composition. I'm going to start peppering in examples of artwork here, because I can't do them justice in words.<br />
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The illustrations - while usually well composed from the point of view of creating visual interest - range from the banal to the bizarre, teetering on the brink of lunacy from both contrast and excess. I'm not sure how much meaning is intended, although there's no denying they are carefully constructed things, using layers of digital drawing and collage.<br />
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The standard of writing is very poor. It is just about comprehensible across the whole, but I'd be hard pressed to find a well-constructed sentence, and not many that I think convey the sense they intend. It's not naive enough to be charming, nor self-aware enough to realise its shortcomings. The authorial voice seems to flag in the second half of the book (as if from exhaustion), with continuity suffering most, and this is reflected in the whole as pictures appear well in advance of the text they illustrate, then catch up in a leap. Suffice it to say, the journey is more rewarding than the destination.<br />
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Amazingly, <i>Klek</i> appears to be based on Croatian folklore. It is not to Kenn Clarke's credit that his treatment of the material makes it seem more likely to be a self-induced and self-referential fantasy than a resonant traditional story. What I can credit him for is the courage of his convictions, and his need to express himself. Without that, I would not have seen what is one of the most striking images I've ever come across. Marvel at this (then go and read <i>Terry Perkins</i>):<br />
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Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-84837636370752316492015-11-12T19:12:00.001+00:002015-11-15T21:17:44.032+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: Steve Antony quadruple bill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's every chance Steve Antony will be the most prolific author & illustrator I'll review in this challenge with an impressive four books published this year. He's also a new kid on the block; find out more at his <a href="http://www.steveantony.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. I've saved my post till the publication of <i>Green Lizards vs Red Rectangles</i>, so I can compile thoughts on all four. But, to begin:<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Please, Mr Panda</span></div>
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Published by <a href="https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9781444916645" target="_blank">Hodder Children's Books</a>. All Mr Panda wants to do is offer out doughnuts. But will the animals he encounters ask nicely? Steve Antony's books are undoubtedly pitched at the youngest end of the spectrum, but <i>Please Mr Panda</i> is so packed with subtlety as to appeal to just about anyone interested in storytelling. It has a simple construction, but perfectly paced from endpaper to endpaper. The art style is economical but retains full expression, creating lots of memorable characters, not least the desultory eponymous Mr Panda, and the pay-off, expected as it is, is a delight because of this. Well recommended.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: small;">Betty Goes Bananas in Her Pyjamas (<a href="https://global.oup.com/education/product/9780192738189/?region=uk" target="_blank"><i>Oxford University Press</i></a>)</span><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span></div>
Steve Antony's first sequel (to 2014's <a href="https://global.oup.com/education/product/9780192738158/?region=uk" target="_blank"><i>Betty Goes Bananas</i></a>) is, like its predecessor and <i>Please Mr Panda</i>, a book about behaviour. Betty's is characteristically bad. Mr Toucan is the proxy parent to grizzly young gorilla called Betty, and Betty doesn't want to go to sleep. I don't think either the art style or layout works as well as in <i>Please Mr Panda</i>. This book is very much visually patterned on Betty Goes Bananas, which works and does to some extent mirror the frantic activity of the main character. There is plenty of humour woven into the story (but it's not wholly subtle) and interestingly it goes not for the cathartic resolution of other behavioural books (I suppose see <a href="http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/editions/where-the-wild-things-are/9780099408390" target="_blank"><i>Where The Wild Things Are</i></a> for the supreme example), but a circular tale. This is definitely a commentary on the trials of bedtime, but not necessarily an aid to them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIjEhkGMZ2Nh289lP3l5mzu5B4h1DA-IA4u8-_6W2cN_aw40YjIigIiG1YpiKtUIeUhhR_OaiEPB6PUpJphYMu813forcn_uLr8Pzq9LB7RnEvOZmXmeZt-isipF1-DX2e0p7y96Xyks/s1600/the+queens+handbag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIjEhkGMZ2Nh289lP3l5mzu5B4h1DA-IA4u8-_6W2cN_aw40YjIigIiG1YpiKtUIeUhhR_OaiEPB6PUpJphYMu813forcn_uLr8Pzq9LB7RnEvOZmXmeZt-isipF1-DX2e0p7y96Xyks/s400/the+queens+handbag.png" width="395" /></a></h3>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: small;">The Queen's Handbag (<a href="https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9781444925524" target="_blank"><i>Hodder Children's Books</i></a>)</span></div>
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Steve Antony's second sequel (this time to 2014's <i>The Queen's Hat</i>) is a chase story, powerfully motored by the simple device of a series of leading sentences split from double-page spread to double-page spread. It tours UK institutions and geography and involves two, in the form of the monarch and the police force. Antony has chosen a predominantly red and blue colour scheme (with obvious significance), and uses it very skilfully with a few key additions such as black to keep the thief, the Queen and the pursuing mob neatly distinguished in each scene. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6HaSRakV7-LPyiTh_rvAG8xorFw-PJrg0JlsPaRRy0nNV82qiYvtRKaxBkGRTbNCbwbENein2Hft__Eca2adrHp1PQtB6tJi5pZlf4rwiKwZ3KMRM-j27xYr1vmW9mTWeZIzrL4vEPo/s1600/queens+handbag+scene.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6HaSRakV7-LPyiTh_rvAG8xorFw-PJrg0JlsPaRRy0nNV82qiYvtRKaxBkGRTbNCbwbENein2Hft__Eca2adrHp1PQtB6tJi5pZlf4rwiKwZ3KMRM-j27xYr1vmW9mTWeZIzrL4vEPo/s640/queens+handbag+scene.png" width="640" /></a> <br />
He's afraid of neither scale nor detail, which adds immensely to the pleasure of reading what is, essentially, a tourism ad. The mild, characterful comedy is enjoyable and the individual antics of every person on the page is something to take your time to admire... just don't expect it to be about anything other than the very gentlest poking of fun at those institutions, to result once again in the status quo.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: small;">Green Lizards vs Red Rectangles (<a href="https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9781444920109" target="_blank"><i>Hodder Children's Books</i></a>)</span></div>
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Last up, another original tale with a very simple premise: Green Lizards and Red Rectangles are at war. Antony exploits this very well for its graphic potential. Both sides are characterfully depicted (although the lizards naturally more so), and he's clever to choose those particular opposing colours. This means their battles can take place diagrammatically across the white picture plane - a fundamental visual rendering of the ideas - with dramatic force and humour. See the example below.<br />
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As an introduction to the concepts of war and peace (and implications thereof), this book is very well realised. It is concise, well-paced and elegant. Again, Steve Antony makes use of the whole book from cover to cover to tell his story. Like <i>The Queen's Handbag</i>, the reader can spend a long time picking out individual character in all the detail included, at the same time as the narrative superstructure strides along. That's a valuable skill to have in this medium. I'd probably put <i>Green Lizards</i> a personal second favourite of Antony's 2015 books, after <i>Please Mr Panda</i>, but in all honesty all of these books are worth checking out.Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-68777727290451618502015-11-09T19:38:00.001+00:002015-12-15T21:32:58.885+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: The Whopper<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Whopper <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://rebeccaashdown.me/" target="_blank">Rebecca Ashdown</a></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgCYX2gtrdYUjN4v-7tlXG2NiE4WjrT7i6mRDCzzgalLeJp1RpvoS6Lw_fwZ32SaIrQkM8yMLhY0uxJlt-ogwXRum7Q7mrbFMuoYEY9AFKHduPwhKcuOKJeGPOSg1HfWkD1vjsD7gucs/s1600/whopper+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgCYX2gtrdYUjN4v-7tlXG2NiE4WjrT7i6mRDCzzgalLeJp1RpvoS6Lw_fwZ32SaIrQkM8yMLhY0uxJlt-ogwXRum7Q7mrbFMuoYEY9AFKHduPwhKcuOKJeGPOSg1HfWkD1vjsD7gucs/s400/whopper+cover.jpg" width="346" /></a></div>
<i>The Whopper</i> is the best book I've read from <a href="http://www.templarco.co.uk/" target="_blank">Templar</a> this year. <br />
<a name='more'></a>It is undeniably ambitious to try to tackle truth, feelings and morality in the condensed medium of a picture book, but it narrows its scope sufficiently to pull it off. The story revolves around a lie told by Percy when he ruins a Christmas jumper he wasn't particularly fond of. That moment the Whopper is born and becomes a great metaphor for living with a lie, providing the backbone of the book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GeCWj-Wh0DyB1tru0gHhlQinPkbOr5ZtDE_55syqyO2xZg2ofqlm3bN5aJg7N8P6fxA3qYd3-2ubeyekakfcmhM56MlGa4YrOHo4neue8D-1yVz-XkEcl-bce0fng5xPiZ21Rf2MeSs/s1600/whopper+spread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GeCWj-Wh0DyB1tru0gHhlQinPkbOr5ZtDE_55syqyO2xZg2ofqlm3bN5aJg7N8P6fxA3qYd3-2ubeyekakfcmhM56MlGa4YrOHo4neue8D-1yVz-XkEcl-bce0fng5xPiZ21Rf2MeSs/s640/whopper+spread.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
As you can see from this simple but well-designed spread, the Whopper itself is quite a benign-looking thing, but its insidiousness lies in the fact that it just won't go away, becoming more and more intrusive. The story is well-structured and conducted with a light touch, reflected in both text and art. The flexibly stylised illustration and a deft sense of humour keep the tone balanced throughout, which is a real achievement in a story that contains both sinister and humorous extremes. All in all, a well accomplished, entertaining and thought-provoking book.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.emilymackenzie.co.uk/books" target="_blank">Emily MacKenzie</a> (<a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/wanted-ralfy-rabbit-book-burglar-9781408843130/">Bloomsbury Publishing</a>)</span></span><br />
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<i>Wanted!</i> is an intriguing book. Essentially it is the extended joke of a rabbit whose appetite for books is so voracious he turns to burglary, and it makes great hay with puns and lots of bits of comic invention it can spin out from this premise. The pay-off to the joke is a good one, the build-up supporting the sentiment and the sentiment justifying the build-up. I think the story's very well written, and I'd go so far as to say that the text powers a lot more of the storytelling than the illustration does.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGRH_75D-OrtnPZ8cEBxKZonlj0bl2KqqyjJH4s9qtVgXMMD_vAyMXbCAc4EnWDkhY77LcskRbkrv9iFnNiZCihy8JKKDW-3ds0qAGHdFeawrhmOzJFpMb4dWY7ILKiOYBAarCQbU3KU/s1600/ralfy+spread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGRH_75D-OrtnPZ8cEBxKZonlj0bl2KqqyjJH4s9qtVgXMMD_vAyMXbCAc4EnWDkhY77LcskRbkrv9iFnNiZCihy8JKKDW-3ds0qAGHdFeawrhmOzJFpMb4dWY7ILKiOYBAarCQbU3KU/s640/ralfy+spread.jpg" width="640" /></a> I don't object to the style of illustration or typography in themselves - I wouldn't however make many of the same decisions myself - I just question the contribution they make beyond embellishment. The layout strikes me as off-kilter on near enough every page, and I've just picked out the spread above to demonstrate both the detail in the illustration and the odd compositions. There are curious ellipses everywhere, for example a policeman figures significantly towards the end of the story, but he is never depicted. Unusual but successful, <i>Wanted!</i> is a very enjoyable book.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Where the Bugaboo Lives <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.seantaylorstories.com/index.php/books/">Sean Taylor</a> and <a href="http://www.neallayton.co.uk/NEW_SITE/Books/PictureBooks/BOOKS_page.html">Neal Layton</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/Where-the-Bugaboo-Lives-9781406324143.aspx">Walker Books</a>)</span></span><br />
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A choose-your-own-adventure style story, about a brother and sister who stray into the woods. This is my third <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Sean%20Taylor">Sean Taylor</a> book of the year, and it probably is the weakest. Firstly I think this is a case of the "interactive" format contributing nothing to the story. The beginning and end points are fixed and there is a clear character line for the siblings involved, duplicated from choice to choice as only the incidental details of the adventure vary. The format does increase re-readability, and, being Sean Taylor, the characters and humour do warrant revisits, but there are other issues I'll go into in a moment that weigh against it. Interestingly, this is something of a comedy-horror book, because in the course of running into the dreaded Bugaboo (I don't think it's much of a spoiler to note that this is inevitable) there are a variety of largely horrible monsters to encounter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOCkPYxcBr-5C2YGKKINoqlpjXDuhatezKWD1oYIYaeVSUaSuL0ncNhxCCpxZgxz6n_9I30jgG8Sdi0dLvKoMhVvX-oF-GVK5Tqe8MEPPHDow2n7ItsG-v5JfLh5pCZjP5O1rJxiEwSg/s1600/bugaboo+spread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOCkPYxcBr-5C2YGKKINoqlpjXDuhatezKWD1oYIYaeVSUaSuL0ncNhxCCpxZgxz6n_9I30jgG8Sdi0dLvKoMhVvX-oF-GVK5Tqe8MEPPHDow2n7ItsG-v5JfLh5pCZjP5O1rJxiEwSg/s640/bugaboo+spread.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I think this point really engenders what's best and worst about Neal Layton's illustration; the monsters are his best opportunity to create individual characters and environments, but even then show up weaknesses in colour use, composition, draughtsmanship and even collage. Some of these elements work well, but I find it hard to identify a page on which they all work well at the same time. The human characters are very crudely depicted and lack the fundamental characterisation that Layton can more readily bring to the monsters, which lets down Taylor's craft. Without more sophisticated control over line, space and colour, it is very hard for Layton to manage tone. This skews the book towards the gaudy and comical, and leaves the opportunity for more subtle underpinning of character and peril (this is an adventure, after all) unrealised. This is unlikely to matter very much to the book's intended audience who will still find plenty to enjoy, but makes all the difference to me.<br />
<br />Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-24505071650929255082015-11-04T18:30:00.000+00:002015-11-04T18:30:09.655+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: The Nonsense Show<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">The Nonsense Show <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html" target="_blank">Eric Carle</a></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SSKMy1WmMnBTwwIIgXL8nDt_u0SyXdrfkuUTS8zJM1yrS5PDIZD8z8R50oEWIkKF9l4JZ-G4WRFRd76y8qLLX7Bb0BKu7jIXSNUuCNyvjQLIwFUnR2ASY74I6PMaWYGn9ZIwjy8gl7M/s1600/nonsense+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SSKMy1WmMnBTwwIIgXL8nDt_u0SyXdrfkuUTS8zJM1yrS5PDIZD8z8R50oEWIkKF9l4JZ-G4WRFRd76y8qLLX7Bb0BKu7jIXSNUuCNyvjQLIwFUnR2ASY74I6PMaWYGn9ZIwjy8gl7M/s400/nonsense+show.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Published by <a href="http://www.puffin.co.uk/books/the-nonsense-show/9780141365138/" target="_blank">Puffin Books</a>. I think the latest book from veteran of the medium Eric Carle is favourably comparable to a book I reviewed earlier, <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-great-big.html" target="_blank">A Great Big Cuddle</a>. They are both compendiums of ideas, in logic and relationships, that are playfully illustrated. There's plenty of life in Carle's hand-prepared paper collage technique, and each double page is planned to provoke a response (usually by an odd juxtaposition or double-meaning) from a young reader.<br />
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Hopefully the spreads above give a good idea of what the book offers. Eric Carle is once again standing at the gate of big ideas and looking through a child's frame of reference.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Zippo the Super Hippo</span> <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.kesgray.com/" target="_blank">Kes Gray</a> and <a href="http://www.nikkidysonillustration.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nikki Dyson</a> (<a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com/book/kesgray/zippothesuperhippo" target="_blank">Macmillan Children's Books</a>)</span><br />
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While we're talking nonsense, <i>Zippo the Super Hippo</i> can only really be taken as a bit of fun. Zippo wants to find his superpower, and after several failed attempts at flying, a big candidate is pointed out to him... <br />
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The humour of the story is centred around how funny you find squishing things with big bottoms, there's not much else than that going on. I'd be interested to know if the detail surrounding who gets squashed and in what circumstances was an invention of Dyson's or was in Gray's original treatment, because it suggests a moral dimension to the story that's never directly acknowledged by the narrative - and might have offered a more substantial direction for everything to go in. On Dyson's artwork, I have to say I think the character design is very good.<br />
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Her Zippo character sketches adorn the endpapers (conincidentally just like Eric Carle's sketches appear on the endpapers of <i>The Nonsense Show</i>), and with the expressive freedom of just line show up some of the limitation of the final artwork. Everything is nicely drawn, but the faux-print colour and texture that fills the space (such as in the spread above), makes the pages very dense and unnecessarily static. There's not much in the way of tonal differentiation.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">It's A Groovy World, Alfredo!</span> <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.seantaylorstories.com/index.php/books/" target="_blank">Sean Taylor</a> and <a href="http://visualphooey.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Chris Garbutt</a> (<a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/It-s-a-Groovy-World-Alfredo-9781406324136.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>)</span><br />
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This is my second Sean Taylor book of the year (look out for at least one more). If you're interested in the illustrator's process for this book, please check out the link to Chris Garbutt's blog above. The book is executed in a very appealing cartoon style employing vector graphics with watercolour textures, and a lovely use of an autumnal colour scheme. The characters are brimming with life in every appearance, which really sells the comedy dancing disasters of the plot and illuminates Taylor's idiosyncratic text.<br />
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As with <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-great-big.html" target="_blank">Hoot Owl</a>, it is the humour and sense of character that keep things interesting, more so here as the narrative follows a very traditional structure and theme. Whereas <i>Hoot Owl</i> is enlivened by a sideways view of success, failure and personality, here Taylor takes the conventional route; the threat is social embarrassment and Alfredo thinks he has failed at the critical moment only to be met with acceptance by all his peers (for his originality). I find the moral admirable but not entirely truthful, but that's only my perspective. The structure is skilfully adhered to and plays out with plenty of character, so the book achieves its aims handsomely.Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-62950871299281480382015-10-28T20:24:00.000+00:002015-10-28T20:24:02.353+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)</span> <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://Keith Negley" target="_blank">Keith Negley</a></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmNTLjdbW2FPUuchQeSYwPkIvotJr34bvDDg03ShuG9hfFl9giRCpAszSz3sQIq2v37TxnDsCwLAFHTZA-ExiVc-NfvFNB2mI1jZ_Z-eVtkMyMF7itFqkLTB-sEy_A4BdNytgnfhQfhY/s1600/ToughGuysHaveFeelingsToo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmNTLjdbW2FPUuchQeSYwPkIvotJr34bvDDg03ShuG9hfFl9giRCpAszSz3sQIq2v37TxnDsCwLAFHTZA-ExiVc-NfvFNB2mI1jZ_Z-eVtkMyMF7itFqkLTB-sEy_A4BdNytgnfhQfhY/s400/ToughGuysHaveFeelingsToo.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Another handsome book from <a href="http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/tough-guys-have-feelings-too/" target="_blank">Flying Eye</a>. Keith Negley takes us through a series a prints (or pages in the style of), exposing the tender sides of manly men from superheroes to sailors, all through the lens of the paternal relationship and play, as evidenced by the final spread and endpapers. The stylised illustration is always graphically interesting, but never loses its essential expressive qualities. Each spread implies its own story, and the emotions of those involved can be interpreted as you read.<br />
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The book really makes the most of a simple idea and executes it with wit and sensitivity. It's a success all round as a work of art but for a young audience it can have real, specific value.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: small;">The Seeds of Friendship <span style="color: #351c75;">by Michael Foreman (</span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/The-Seeds-of-Friendship-9781406356502.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books)</a></span><br />
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I've long been aware of Michael Foreman as a children's illustrator so I was interested to see what his latest book as author and illustrator might hold. It turns out to be quite fascinating, but not, I fear, wholly successful. It's a story of making friends in a new country and changing your environment, focused on Adam, who lives in a tall city tower block. <br />
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Foreman's use of images is both astute and ambitious - he is reducing everything as closely as possible to symbols: children, animals, landscapes, flowers, to encode the story at
its most basic level, and manages to retain texture and individual character. Part of the effect is his careful control of colour (predominant ones are blue, grey and green).<br />
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This displays great skill in visual storytelling, as every part of every page is communicating on a fundamental level, but you also risk reducing your elements to something insensible to the story. This isn't the case here, rather the artwork is pitched well and brings greater unity to a book whose narrative ("plot") is divided. The story switches to a different track two-thirds of the way through - and it is not unrelated, it can naturally branch from the ideas of the first part, but it is given so little development that you're left feeling you've missed something. The speed-conclusion leaves the book looking baldly rhetorical (and the prose doesn't help; forcing the title into the final line is heavy-handed, for example). Still, the images work away at the mind on a far more subtle level and go some way to having the effect I think Michael Foreman intended. I'd be happy to recommend this book on the mastery of its illustration alone.<br />
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Sidenote: Futura seems to be Walker's <a href="http://lukescoffield.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/2015-picture-book-challenge-great-big.html" target="_blank">font of choice</a> this year.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Poles Apart<span style="color: #351c75;"> </span></span><span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://jeannewillis.com/" target="_blank">Jeanne Willis</a> and <a href="http://thebrightagency.com/artists/view/422" target="_blank">Jarvis</a> (<a href="http://nosycrow.com/product/poles-apart/" target="_blank">Nosy Crow</a>)</span><br />
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Poles apart is an interesting beast, from a well-established children's author and a relatively new illustrator. It concerns a family of penguins on the way to a picnic, who get lost and end up at the North Pole, where they meet a very kind polar bear called Mr. White. The rest of the story, in very rhythmic form, concerns their journey home across the world. It does seem that there's just a little more writing here than there need be, although it does offer some good jokes and character building through dialogue. The art is in a crayon style, rough-textured, and seems at its best between the polar regions when it characterises each of the countries the travellers pass through with a distinct sense of atmosphere.<br />
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On a fundamental level, this is a very conservative book. Traditional family roles apply and there is repeated emphasis on the penguins and polar bear returning where they "belong". This extends to the pattern of words and images used to distinguish the different locales - each is stereotyped and given a signature adjective - putting it in its place. The ending bamboozled me, not least because I missed the last page on my first reading. It's on an even page, which it turns out is an unusual thing for a picture book - and frankly I was content with the open ending the penultimate page seemed to be offering. The final little bit of plot that leads to this is created by microscopic details on one panel of the spread preceding that, which fact I like for demanding close attention to work out the genesis. What the ending means for the book changes from page to page - if you left off like I did just before the end it is a different book. As it is, it ultimately reinforces its worldview.<br />
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In the end, <i>Poles Apart</i> is an entertaining book and enjoyable for its sense of colour, detail and character.<br />
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Note: This book comes with a free audiobook, if you have a device that can read the QR code inside the front cover.<br />
<br />Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-56562931415118939852015-10-21T19:51:00.000+01:002015-10-21T19:51:22.218+01:002015 Picture Book Challenge: The Princess and the Pony<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Princess and the Pony <span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php" target="_blank">Kate Beaton</a></span></span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Published by <a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>. In a kingdom of warriors, Princess Pinecone wants nothing less than a warhorse for her birthday - but she gets a cute little pony. This is a charming story, rich in character and comic detail. The illustration carefully bridges design from ancient civilisations (through pattern, line-work and colour) with something more contemporary. I think a good example of this is in the page below, where the evocative design and line-work of Otto also accomodates gooey eyes and love hearts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSVcoEFOQP82cI4gs-o0uccofTNEJs6JHCK_IUq1fijyQ1-MdLh8NnfIuzW_GUa1dmFiAyQnAcWo9SWs3WmC60p7fijABsIxZP54xGLyUYjM4RPq8y1uXMR3JLDL3hJTqHyCAjfyWR1M/s1600/princess+pony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSVcoEFOQP82cI4gs-o0uccofTNEJs6JHCK_IUq1fijyQ1-MdLh8NnfIuzW_GUa1dmFiAyQnAcWo9SWs3WmC60p7fijABsIxZP54xGLyUYjM4RPq8y1uXMR3JLDL3hJTqHyCAjfyWR1M/s640/princess+pony.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Enquiring along this line I think we come to the crux of the book. The story hinges on the pony's cuteness; it's a comic twist and one in meaning, reliant on Kate Beaton's ability to draw a pony that is both adorable and hilarious. In this way, <i>The Princess and the Pony</i> places cuteness in the context of subversive comedy and brings it all off with sincerity.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Greenling </span><span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.levipinfold.com/" target="_blank">Levi Pinfold</a> (<a href="http://www.templarco.co.uk/" target="_blank">Templar Publishing</a>)</span><br />
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<i>Greenling</i> is a tale in the tradition of folkloric magical plant-children. The Greenling grows in an outlet pipe and is taken home by a middle-aged husband in modern day Australia. The real allure of the book is the painstakingly detailed paintings Pinfold has created, exhibiting a great sense of form, light and sensitivity to colour. Bearing in mind how closely he approaches photo-realism with landscape and inanimate objects, his humans (and a dog) are uncomfortably stylised, with their anatomy and posture sitting unnaturally.<br />
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This may be incidental or an intended effect of the story, as it concerns these characters' removal from nature and natural cycles. Verse accompanies each painting, and it is at times rather formal and a bit clumsy. The real pity is that both text and image fail to engage with the drama of the situation, and instead dissipate into a vague sense of mystery (and righteousness), leaving the story stopping dead without a proper sense of development. However, it remains an interesting book with its own ideas.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">My Pet Book</span> <span style="color: #351c75;">by <span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.bobstaake.com/" target="_blank">Bob Staake</a> (<a href="http://andersenpress.co.uk/books/view/178344231X" target="_blank">Andersen Press</a>)</span></span><br />
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<i>My Pet Book</i> isn't a book of pets, nor is it a book about books, but I'll come back to that. The first thing to say, with the striking cover image above this, is that it is attractive and well designed. It shows mid-Twentieth Century illustration and animation influences with its use of clean, dynamic geometric shapes and selective textures. Staake uses lots of details and lots of colour, and all credit to him for pulling off spreads that busy that are still eminently readable.<br />
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Despite the fact he makes these dense pages work, I think his best work comes about when his focus and palette narrow. There is more breathing space, and the drama in enhanced, as in the spread below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5ZqzZQJXAiypP0ce6OGQxdhMWkbZo5yzwtTTITHnF08gLkn_4zOwVa0wcqTbpw4dGyHlbVbrtaPubJ5aNiW4rPytosqhPJ7vZno6kr5tc7N81KGod3F0cHi7nL2apfG6IgBoS6PAXv4/s1600/pet+book+spread+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5ZqzZQJXAiypP0ce6OGQxdhMWkbZo5yzwtTTITHnF08gLkn_4zOwVa0wcqTbpw4dGyHlbVbrtaPubJ5aNiW4rPytosqhPJ7vZno6kr5tc7N81KGod3F0cHi7nL2apfG6IgBoS6PAXv4/s640/pet+book+spread+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I really do like the illustration, but I'm far less certain on the story. A boy wants a <i>"pet that's easy!"</i> so is bought a book as one. After the initial bout of situational comedy in comparison to everyone else's living pets has run its course, Staake seems to make a late consideration that someone might love a book for its content and puts in a token spread to that effect. Any significance this aspect of the relationship might have had seems to be undermined by the course of the rest of the story; the book is misplaced. The boy wants to find it, but why? He wants it as an object and as a possession. Add to this the fact that the family has a maid (who is the only active relationship the boy has with another living being) and I find the whole thing increasingly distasteful. <i>"They drove back home, the three of them,/ the pet book checked for wear./ The boy was quite relieved to find/ not one torn page was there."</i> seems to prove hollow <i>"how a book could bring such joy./'Because every book's a</i> friend<i>!"</i> This little boy's parents have seen to it that his friend isn't a messy, unpredictable living thing, nor even an imaginary character, but a purchasable item.Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433248681151745427.post-30681090328761694852015-10-19T19:52:00.000+01:002015-11-06T09:36:36.968+00:002015 Picture Book Challenge: Two sun storiesBy coincidence, or perhaps intuition, I picked up two books to read concerning the arrival of the sunrise. They make such a good pair, and offer some interesting things to discuss by comparison, that I'm going to dedicate this post to the two of them. First:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">How the Sun Got to Coco's House</span> <span style="color: #351c75;">by Bob Graham</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxK8-YB9tfKqoC2wtdWM6pRtdUpGTFmY3S91vsMGFIin8Rt-kkm_FeTPLiAhWjlNUeUUq0_H8wIREIzXJmA9kiZYJ7bxxrnIr_N9xLreiXcEWmVAWSDldc5KOxZiGOcI8aAxVFwNP8NE/s1600/how-the-sun-got-to-coco-s-house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxK8-YB9tfKqoC2wtdWM6pRtdUpGTFmY3S91vsMGFIin8Rt-kkm_FeTPLiAhWjlNUeUUq0_H8wIREIzXJmA9kiZYJ7bxxrnIr_N9xLreiXcEWmVAWSDldc5KOxZiGOcI8aAxVFwNP8NE/s400/how-the-sun-got-to-coco-s-house.jpg" width="345" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Published by <a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/How-the-Sun-Got-to-Coco-s-House-9781406359008.aspx" target="_blank">Walker Books</a>. "It had to start somewhere," begins the text, thereby ensuring the plot is encapsulated by the title. We follow the sunrise as it travels from the Arctic Circle to Coco's house, touching many places and people, and by taking that approach it can be about what the sunrise means.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">How does Graham achieve this? His free and seemingly casual line-drawing style is actually carefully composed, economical while being detailed, and expressive. Each character, human and animal, has its own life and this is achieved with really stunning brevity. He increases the intimacy by naming characters in the text though they appear only fleetingly. He focuses constantly on the quality of light, both by poetic use of language and the concentration of the colour yellow. For an example of his techniques at work, take for example this double page spread and how much it implies with so little drawn detail on the page.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The little moments of which this book is composed flow into the story of a wide, connected world quite naturally, which is a considerable achievement.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">The Night World </span><span style="color: #351c75;">by <a href="http://www.mordicaigerstein.com/" target="_blank">Mordicai Gerstein</a></span></span></div>
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Published by <a href="http://www.littlebrown.com/" target="_blank">Little, Brown and Company</a>. <i>The Night World</i> is so simple and so compelling I keep coming back to it. Its plot is simply that of a boy being compelled outside at night by his cat - where the world is transformed by shadows - to await something which turns out to be the dawn. So much of the weight of meaning in the book is given to the illustration that the text seems almost superfluous. This isn't a criticism (it does contribute); I mean to emphasise the mastery of craft on show.<br />
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Mordicai Gerstein's ink and acrylic paintings aren't concerned with representational accuracy (which might concern some), because they are all about expression and atmosphere. This is fully embraced in shape, tone and colour and beautifully judged throughout. See how the suggestions in this spread are all created by how the space is filled (and the relationship of tones), rather than how the space is left empty in Bob Graham's.<br />
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More than just representing qualities of light (and shade), Gerstein is using his colour plan to evoke the sensory experiences of night and dawn. This becomes the total effect of the book, and it's almost palpable. The focus is on sense, perception and wonder, and the final spread is, narratively and aesthetically, a stroke of genius.<br />
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These books are both masterfully constructed, and I don't hesitate to recommend them for their intended audience or anyone interested in illustration.<br />
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An addendum on covers and book design: <i>Coco</i>'s covers bookend its story, which only increases the reader's involvement and the sense of pace. They are well designed to accomodate author, title and barcode. <i>The Night World</i>'s covers boast two appropriate illustrations by Gerstein, but he hasn't left natural breathing space for the necessaries. This extends a challenge to the designer who has, sadly, not done very well. The typography looks cheap, by odd placement, unsympathetic typeface and effect (the translucency and outer glow applied to the title). On the back cover the barcode is especially glaring. It's a shame this is the weakest aspect of the book, because great as it is, this is the first thing anyone sees and the amateurish design makes Gerstein's naive paintings seem part of an inferior work. They're not. In short, a good cover is an invitation; <i>The Night World</i>'s is confused, so make sure you open it right away.Luke Scoffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18272560763440939161noreply@blogger.com0