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Archive for ‘May 6th, 2009’
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Alan Evans of Rival Angels had some marvelous words to say about us:
Since joining the Webcomic collective, I’ve been looking forward to plugging a comic that I’ve been reading for a while now, Johnny Saturn.
First things first: I grew up on superheroes, love, love, LOVED me some Spiderman and Batman. When I got to fifth grade, I started collecting comics and never looked back. Fast forward to the new century with everything that is wrong with comics. Such as, gimmicks, crappy stories that include deals with devils and other out of character nuances with smug, money hungry EIC’s laughing their asses to the bank with just enough pandering to keep me away from superheroes for a good long while.
Enter Johnny Saturn. Here’s a webcomic/comic book that is something that can help fill the big void left by the greed of the Big two. It’s not a comic for children, and I like that. I like a webcomic that is written with my tastes. It reads alot like Austin Grossman’s exceptional book, ‘Soon I will Be Invincible.’ Just like Austin Grossman’s book, there is a wonderful nod to the old school heroes and the way that they conducted themselves but leaving out the camp and frivolity.
The writing and stories of Johnny Saturn are smart and well-written. The stories are so character driven that you get caught up in the characters lives, whether they’re ‘good guys’ or ‘bad guys.’ The distinction isn’t always clear, who’s good or bad and that’s something that will entertainingly keep you on your toes. The pacing keeps things from bogging down or accelerating at a breakneck speed. You won’t help nodding approvingly when you get taken for a ride on one of the story twists.
The art is fantastic. Every update always has top notch art, always solid. Always good angles, anatomy, perspective and the coloring fits the mood. Scott doesn’t seem to take a day off or skimp on the details. Trust me, the art, especially the covers are amazing.
Come for the story, stay for the art. You’ll be happy you checked it out.
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Last Thursday, Benita and I had the opportunity to see the live, musical production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Suddenly, I was five years old again, transported by the amazing adventures of this magical car and the Potts family. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
When I was a little kid, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the movie was my first cinematic love. Sure, I loved the Wizard of Oz, and the Jungle Book, but nothing could compare with my love for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Like countless other kids, I had a matchbox replica of the car, and I was able to act out new adventures for the incredible motorcar. I had the record album, and I played it into grooved ruin. It’s no surprise, really, but the music in this movie was so outstanding that anyone of any age could find something uplifting about it.
The stage production is a marvel. This is a big budget, Broadway level show all the way. There are some differences between the movie and the musical, but that’s to be expected—they are, after all, different mediums. The two Vulgarian spies, for example, were major players in the musical, and they were outrageously entertaining in a Vaudeville-style way. In the movie, these were tertiary characters at best.
The sets and props in the musical are incredible! The stage is often animated, with props rolling on and off stage as needed. The machines that Caractacus Potts built are prime steam-punk, and quite beautiful to look at. But, most of all, the car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flew! I couldn’t see the machinery, but undoubtedly the car was lifted and moved around via hydraulics. The car was often precariously tilted, and I would guestimate as much as twenty feet in the air at times.
Make no mistake, Johnny Saturn is representative of how I perceive the world. The world, as I see it, is a chaotic, uncertain, troubled, sad place. People are corruptible, yet they are also redeemable. Duty and hope are our saving graces, yet these are in short supply. Yet, I am so happy to hold onto this shining memory of a movie I’ve loved since childhood and watched innumerable times.
I’m glad they didn’t update Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the times. I’m glad that it’s still a memory of sweetness and innocence that I can hold on to. I’m glad I got to sit in the audience and sing along to the great songs.
Scott.
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