Digger by Ursula Vernon (www.diggercomic.com) (I'd love to copy an image, but I'm not sure how legal that is. You'll just have to go and see for yourself... but clear out some time, because you will keep reading).
You've probably heard of this recently, because it just won a Hugo for best graphic novel. It's online (and currently free to read). I probably wouldn't have read it even then, except that The Mary Sue (http://www.themarysue.com) recommended it as the one thing to definitely read in their recap of the awards. I sauntered over to take a look - and came up for air some hours later. I've read it in bits and pieces over the last week.
The artwork is delightful, and Ms. Vernon could have easily made some money off of me if some of these images were on tee-shirts or coffee mugs or something. Magnets. Magnets would be good. The entire series is done in black and white, and is very artistic.
The tagline for the series is "A wombat. A dead god. A very peculiar epic." Digger of Convoluted Ways is the main character. While digging a tunnel, she runs into some bad air and surfaces in a temple to Ganesh. Being a wombat, she believes in geology - not gods. All she wants to do is get back home - but it turns out someone has magicked her tunnel, so she can't go back the way she came.
Of course she has adventures, and runs into some delightful characters. I'm particularly fond of Mother Boneclaw (a hyena elder), Lady Surka (a shrew working as a troll on the side), Ed, and Digger herself. There are prophesying slugs, bandersnatch, and vampiric squash. If you don't want to read it by this point, I'm not sure we should continue to be friends.
I have to confess, one reason I do love Digger has nothing to do whatsoever with the story, and everything to do with how improbable the story is. Can you imagine how quickly you'd be shot down if you were a writer pitching this story to an editor? The look of horror you'd get? Who would ever read such a thing? This is, I think, the very definition of labor of love: the story even overtook the author (who confessed that she didn't plan to do more than five panels). Digger is exactly why you should do your own thing, tell your own stories in your own way. I'm glad the internet allowed Digger to find an audience - and an audience to find Digger (now conventionally published by the awesomely-named Sofawolf Press).
The series is, sadly, over. I plan to follow Ms. Vernon, however, as
she appears to have a great sense of humor and artistry (her
LiveJournal blog is titled "Bark Like a Fish, Damnit!").
Obviously I highly recommend this, and will now annoy all my friends by telling them they must read this. So if you know me personally, just save yourself some nagging and start reading already.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The Prague Cemetery
Disclosure. I haven't read this book. I haven't even looked at it. Not a clue what it's about. I'm just noting Holly's take on it. "I'm two chapters in and I'm already bored with this book. It's talking about the French - blah, blah, blah. Who gives a fuck? When does it mention Prague?"
Enough said, I think.
Also, a side note: I can never spell cemetery right the first time.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
A Reminder of the Power of Story
Sunday was a lazy day.
Me? I often feel lazy, but apparently I'm not, at least by other people's definition. I always try to do something (in fact, I tried to learn knitting just so I could be doing something constructive when watching TV - I'm somewhat successful, in that I can knit a blanket and a hat). Yeah.
So Sunday was notable in that I did nothing but watch TV all day. My partner and I had rented The Hunger Games to watch with a friend on Saturday - a movie I hadn't seen in the theatre, nor have I yet read the book (I do own it - I've merely been waiting for a chance to read it as I feel I will gobble it up, as well as the rest of the trilogy). We watched the movie again. We started it with a pretense of studying the costumes - ha! I never watch movies twice in a row. After that we found some 'haunted town' documentaries, and then got engulfed in True Blood.
I've only read one of the Sookie books, and haven't seen any of the prior seasons. But I am now addicted. I so want to find out what happens next! (And I think the finale is this Sunday - something we'll watch and record on the DVR.) At some point I need to go back and watch the other seasons. If I may diverge (and really, are you going to stop me? Ha! I think not!), I think one of the reasons that the series is so addictive is because the stories come from the characters. Things happen because of what characters have done, what they wish they'd done, or what they want to do. Characters find themselves in sticky situations because of who they are. You root for some and hate others. You start to care what happens to them.
When I was a kid, I'd read a book in a day. Now, I'm a fast reader, which helped a lot. Apparently, though, story is catnip to me. I absolutely had to know what happened. There are some books where that's still true - I will stay up to finish them (and yes, I read all of the Harry Potters - at least for the first time - in as quick a time as I could manage: with the last few books I did have to take a break and catch some sleep).
It's so easy to forget how rejuvenating experiencing a story can be. I often feel I should be productive (no idea where that came from, but I wish it would stop). Perhaps I've had to be practical often enough that I forget at my core I'm an artist.
No resolutions to try to watch more TV, or see more movies, or read more - for one thing, making a resolution is like making a plan: way too practical. Instead, I acknowledge that I will be more open to experiencing Story in whatever guise she may choose and go on my merry way.
Me? I often feel lazy, but apparently I'm not, at least by other people's definition. I always try to do something (in fact, I tried to learn knitting just so I could be doing something constructive when watching TV - I'm somewhat successful, in that I can knit a blanket and a hat). Yeah.
So Sunday was notable in that I did nothing but watch TV all day. My partner and I had rented The Hunger Games to watch with a friend on Saturday - a movie I hadn't seen in the theatre, nor have I yet read the book (I do own it - I've merely been waiting for a chance to read it as I feel I will gobble it up, as well as the rest of the trilogy). We watched the movie again. We started it with a pretense of studying the costumes - ha! I never watch movies twice in a row. After that we found some 'haunted town' documentaries, and then got engulfed in True Blood.
I've only read one of the Sookie books, and haven't seen any of the prior seasons. But I am now addicted. I so want to find out what happens next! (And I think the finale is this Sunday - something we'll watch and record on the DVR.) At some point I need to go back and watch the other seasons. If I may diverge (and really, are you going to stop me? Ha! I think not!), I think one of the reasons that the series is so addictive is because the stories come from the characters. Things happen because of what characters have done, what they wish they'd done, or what they want to do. Characters find themselves in sticky situations because of who they are. You root for some and hate others. You start to care what happens to them.
When I was a kid, I'd read a book in a day. Now, I'm a fast reader, which helped a lot. Apparently, though, story is catnip to me. I absolutely had to know what happened. There are some books where that's still true - I will stay up to finish them (and yes, I read all of the Harry Potters - at least for the first time - in as quick a time as I could manage: with the last few books I did have to take a break and catch some sleep).
It's so easy to forget how rejuvenating experiencing a story can be. I often feel I should be productive (no idea where that came from, but I wish it would stop). Perhaps I've had to be practical often enough that I forget at my core I'm an artist.
No resolutions to try to watch more TV, or see more movies, or read more - for one thing, making a resolution is like making a plan: way too practical. Instead, I acknowledge that I will be more open to experiencing Story in whatever guise she may choose and go on my merry way.
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