What the Snarf? 8 comments

I’m sorry to interrupt Dragonlance Week with non-Dragonlance news, but this is just to good not to share:

Dragonlance Week: Scions of Peter Jackson 2 comments

The year is 1988. The place –Santa Maragarita, California. The time—recess. Paperback in hand, I set forth on a quest of discovery. My destination—Krynn! In the village of Solace, beneath the branches of a Vallenwood tree, I met my companions: Tanis, Half-Elven, the Majure brothers Raistlin and Caramon, wily Tasselhoff Burfoof, Goldmoon the Barbarian Priestess, and many many more. Our fellowship would take us to many fantastic places across the continent of Ansalon, but alas, it was a journey bound by the limits of imagination. I could not hear the grumblings of Flint Fireforge, nor feel the mustache of Sturm Brightblade with my pre-teen fingers. At least not with any earthly senses.

Meanwhile, a continent away in the forests of Brazil, a young man had a dream. If he could not himself travel to Krynn himself, he would bring Krynn and its questing heroes to our world! Three movie trailers did he and his friends forge!

This first trailer introduces us to the cast of characters:

The second… well, it’s usurped by 1 and 3.

The third focuses more on the journey:

And so Dragonlance Week begins…

Lyrics from the Underground 21 comments

Every so often I troll youtube for Labyrinth clips, and today I found this lovely pencil animation and original comic book stills piece by Aiijuin. The Jareth and Sarah dancing scene looks absolutely beautiful! And the creator gives a shout out to the Return to Labyrinth manga at the end, which is incredibly humbling and encouraging. Thanks for sharing your work with us, Aiijuin!

It’s been a while since I shared any behind-the-scenes Return to Labyrinth writing dirt, so it’s high time I change that. Let’s talk about music, okay? After all, the music is one of the reasons why Labyrinth is such an enduring film. From the moment the Labyrinth manga series was just a seed of an idea, I knew that music would have to play a pivotal role. In Volume 1, I chickened out and left music to a merely instrumental role (which in a graphic novel means a few musical notes in the background). In volume 2, movie soundtrack lyrics pop up in two key scenes (one comic, one dramatic), and the Wiseman spouts classic rock wisdom. It isn’t until volume 3 that I took the plunge and dared put lyrics in Jareth’s mouth. It could be the best thing in the series, or the the thing that puts me on the outs with Labyrinth fans once and for all. Fingers crossed it’s more of the former.

My first pass on writing a Jareth song were decidedly silly. Those lyrics actually found their way into the “Goblin King’s Revenge” story, so most readers here have probably alread seen them. The song is decidedly broadway/Disney Musical in structure, which works in the context of the silly story it’s in now, but wouldn’t work for the decidely darker chapter that the final song appears in.

The final song, which you’ll have to wait until May to read, I’m afraid, is much more informed by Bowie (at least it is in my head). This is a song sung by the Jareth of “Within You,” only with longing that has crossed into resentment. It’s called “Shadows of  a Dream” (which has nothing to do with this blog), and I hope you’ll like it in spite of the doujinshi-esque name. I wish I had the skills to set the lyrics to music. Maybe next year, some enterprising reader will do just that!

Volume 4 will have at least one musical number, this one inspired not by the Jareth/Sarah relationship, but by the nonsense logic of Lewis Carrol and M.C. Escher. It’s the manga equivalent of “Chilly Down.” I haven’t gotten farther than a few random notes, but hopefully I’ll figure out how to pull it together over the holidays. Of course, the lyrics are only half the challenge — somehow Chris will have to draw a chapter inspired by this:

Seasons Bleatings 3 comments

So, I’d heard of this Krampus guy before — you know, the naughty fellow to St. Nick’s nice? I just never realized that the horned one was such a…thing. In some alpine towns, young folks get super competitive making elaborate Krampus costumes, then run around tormenting little kids with branches — they even have parades! It’s like the Nightmare before Christmas reimagined by Fangoria. And ladies, let’s not forget Perchten.

This sure beats the Christmas parades I remember from growing up. Of course, the parades of my youth were horiffic in a whole different way. One year, my mom basically forced my sister and I to sell mistletoe to strangers at the parade, and when we didn’t sell it all, she dropped us off in front of a grocery store on the weekend before christmas and had us sell it there. For a less than merry introvert, it was a pretty awful job, especially considering that the only thing that mistletoe is good for is making people kiss (or poisoning babies), which is pretty gross when you’re a ten-year-old boy. The only good thing about the whole mistletoe fiasco was watching my stepdad blow the parasitic plant out of treetops with a shotgun. When you’re a ten-year-old boy, using shotguns as a labor-saving device — pretty cool. Not Krampus cool, but cool enough.

Lazy Friday Video Posting 6 comments

It’s been a busy week, what with trying to wrap things up at work before the holidays while attending festive gatherings at night, so I appologize for the slow posting week. There are a few topics I’ve been meaning to write on, but in the meantime, this was the LOLiest thing I’ve seen today… Read more »

Sparkles 44 comments

I was debating whether or not to drag myself to the movies to see what this Twilight business is all about, but thanks to this video, I don’t have to!

I love me some unconventional vampires–Preacher, I am Legend and Carrion Comfort are a few favorite books– but I just get the feeling Twlight isn’t for me.

In other news, my very most favorite currently-running comic, Fables, is in development at ABC. A FABLES TV series has such potential, especially if they make it more Mad Men than Smallville or Heroes. If they can get the casting right for Bigby Wolf, he’ll be the Don Draper of 2010. And it’s such a ripe ensemble — slutty prince charming, scheming Beauty and thick-headed Beast, sexy Snow White and Rose Red. If they focus on these characters instead of fairy tale inspired special powers, it could be something special. Fingers crossed!

Forget Jareth — It’s Time to SHINE! 17 comments

OHMYGOD, I don’t know how I missed this. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the TRUE HEIR of the Goblin King:

For a better quality quicktime video, check out Chris Dane Owens’ website here.

Keep shining, Chris Dane Owens!

Storytime 16 comments

Gatsby’s doing quite well in case you’re wondering. Two days in, Mr. Downybottom’s fully aclimated to urban living. He’s a free-range hopper who knows where to keep his poops and doesn’t even flinch at cat meowls.

Gatsby’s not the first pet rabbit I’ve kept. Round about the second grade, I had a white rabbit creatively named Snowball. One day, when playing with her in the yard, a feral neighborhood bunny came into the yard and “attacked” Snowball. Very traumatic. A month later, I came home from school to discover bloody mole rats in Snowball’s cage! Talk about trauma. Unsure what to do about these strange exotic creatures that were pestering poor snowball, I took them out of the cage and placed them in a nest of lawn clippings arranged in our dog’s water bowl. It wasn’t until mom got home from work a few hours later that I figured out that the “mole rats” would probably be happier back with Snowball, seeing as they were her newborn young.

My other rabbit memories are even more traumatic:

All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you; digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.

When even the friendly seagull sidekick is picking out bloody shrapnel from the hero’s wounds, you know you’re talking quality children’s entertainment. Seriously, was there ever an animated film more nightmare inducing than Watership Down? To this day, when I close my eyes, I pray the death bunny doesn’t come…

Even though the film is English, this clip feels right at home with the German narration:

And as long as I’m posting foreign language fables, no storyteller can compete with the brilliant Capucine:

Once upon a time… from Capucha on Vimeo

More Tales of Rodentia 3 comments

Tinkering has kept me from applying my brain to using words, but that’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy something whimsical while you wait!

Animation Twofer — Coraline & Batman 24 comments

Wired presents a great behind-the-scenes look at how Coraline is being adapted from Gaiman’s original story. To be honest, I wasn’t super into Coraline the book, but the more I see of Coraline the film, the more wonderful it looks!

On a related note, anyone read The Graveyard Book? I should probably put that on my library queue.

UPDATE: It must be animation day at Wired, as they just posted an interview with the makers of the new Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series. As a huge fan of the 90s Animated Series, I’m excited by this new take. Campy, yes, but it’s nice to see some American action animation that’s not trying to be like anime. Plus, Batman vs. Gorilla Grodd!