The Marching Band Nerds Handbook: Rules from the 13th Chair Trombone Player by DJ Corchin (Author), Dan Dougherty (Illustrator)
This book present a picture and a bit of text on each page describing some parts of marching band. I could relate to many from my time in band. Though some were a little bit modern or just plain "weird".
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud
What are comics and how do they work? Defining comics becomes somewhat challenging. The author uses "sequential art". This covers comic books and most comic strips (but leaves out "single frame" comics.) It also goes on to include cave paintings and various other art forms.
Comics have a number of unique aspects that help to tell a story. They are a form that actively combines pictures and words to tell a story. This has contributed to their reputation of "lower class" work, in part due to the differing evolution of pictures and books. Comics have also produced innovations to explore time and emotions. Abstraction can be used to bring out or hide details as well as help be relate to certain parts of comics. There is a create deal of complexity in what seems to be a "simple" art form.
The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination by Philip Ball
We often think of myths as being something that early societies used to explain what we can now explain with science. However, humanity continues to create myths. Modern myths often escape their creator to take on a life of their own. They become a part of the culture. This work looks at modern myths with a focus on a few key myths.
Frankenstein's monster was created in a novel by Mary Shelley. Since then it has grown to be a common word (often with a confusion of the scientist and is monster.) It explores the challenges with the power we have with modern technology. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde can be considered an extension of this and has gone on to form a mythology of its own.
Bram Stoker based dracula somewhat on existing stories. However, his spin on it spun out into a widespread popularity and spawned many different Vampire novels. The myth has been adopted by society.
What modern myths are being created now? The author explores Batman. the character is still controlled by DC comic, but has been interpreted be a variety of artists in different media. Batman has also inspired various other characters and stories. Will any of the additional stories of today go on to form their own mythology? Which ones are "different" enough? Franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter have well known characters, but follow well-established storylines and are still tightly controlled. Superheroes are popular, but have not often "broken free". A century from now we may know the answer.
Through time, many people have seen parts of Batman in themselves. His sidekick Robin has come and gone. Batman has at times fought more "regular criminals", while at other times dealt with "super villains". At times he is very masculine, while at other times he is more homosexual. Batman has changed with the times. The comic books and movies continue to be popular as times have changed.
The original creators felt that they never got their fair share from the revenues of Superman. I don't have a lot of support for their constant quest for more. They were paid handsomely, and were able to live a good life with the money they earned. They further received an annuity for the remainder for their life. While they did "create" Superman, many of his characters were borrowed from others of the day. Superman also evolved with a great deal of creative work from other people. It seems that our current system gives too much credit for certain "key" activities. Do they really deserve the outsize gains? The strength of the Superman brand also owes a debt to lawsuits against other similar comics. The creators borrowed from other "strong man" comics of the day, yet the attorneys shut down future comics like the old "Capitian Marvel" that look a lot like Superman.
Superman has remained popular, though not always invincible. There have been "Superflops" of movies. The broadway musical was reported to make back its money, but did not last long. There have been run-ins with parents who feel comic books kill brain cells and encourage kids to perform dangerous acts. There is also the "curse" of Superman, with one Superman actor dying of suicide and another being paralyzed in a horse accident. Yet Superman lives on. National media extensively covered his "death" in comic books. (Of course, he came back alive later.) There have been a number of "spin off" television shows that focus more on "Clark Kent" than Superman. He has evolved to reach new generations of fans, yet still remains "super".
Stan Lee's memoir was originally published as a graphic novel, then adapted to an audiobook. The production "feels" like a comic book. It moves at a fast pace with rapid fire scene changes. Stan Lee quickly goes through the history of his life and Marvel. There is no real "dirt" here. He tries to give everybody else the credit they are do, and does not delve into major conflicts. He likes what he does and discusses the good points as he helped launch the comic book industry. You can tell what he is proud of (even if they are not the most successful parts of the business.) You can also tell he loves doing movie cameos.
I've thought of Stan Lee as the person always willing to take credit for other people's work. This book doesn't dispel that. However, it does show that the business side really is what matters. They were the ones that have made a killing. There have been many people that have contributed to the various characters in the marvel universe. Very few received anything more than small payments for their work. However, they helped contribute to the overall value of the product. The value would have been less if each character had an individual owner. Also, without the correct moves on the business side, the value would have disappeared. (The many poor moves made by the business nearly did evaporate the value.)
The Hulk is a very different movie than some of the modern comic book movies like Dark Knight or Spiderman. Instead, it seeks inspiration from the likes of the old Batman TV show. Instead of a Dark, brooding scores of other movies, we get a light, yet ominous score. Rather than hide from its comic book origin, the Hulk embraces it. From the opening credits, to the scattershots, this one feels like a comic book.
