Hi, Folks!
Item: Benita and I are huge fans of “Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds.” Originally recorded in 1978, I didn’t hear this music until around 1985, and even then it was a cassette copy. We were immediately hooked, and we’ve loved this production every since, quoting it often in conversations between ourselves. If your sole knowledge of “War of the Worlds” dates to the so-so Tom Cruise movie of the same name, then you have missed out on a true masterpiece! Jeff Wayne’s version remains true to the book, keeping the story in 19th century England (Where it belongs!). The narration was by Richard Burton, and many of the songs were sung by the Moody Blues Justin Hayward.
Item: When it comes to reading comic strips, people around my age often were most entertained and influenced by Bill Watterson’s “Calvin & Hobbes,” Gary Larson’s “Far Side,” and Berkeley Breathed’s “Bloom County.” For me, when these cartoonists retired, it almost felt to me as if the newspaper cartoon in general had ended.
Comic strips didn’t end, of course. As newspapers die off, the future of this medium appears bright on the internet. (As a member of the webcomic movement, it’s not surprising that I would say that.) Still, lest we forget, Berkeley Breathed can really draw! His cartoons were detailed, and complex, yet the still managed to clearly tell the story at hand! Here is an example of his work so that you can appreciate his mastery:
