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Did everyone have a good weekend? Yes? Okay. Phew. GOOD. This is the start of a new (short) storyline, and I'm testing out a new "cat's tongue" brush. It's made of the usual sable, but the bristles are very short and the lines can get kinda chunky. It'll take some practice, but I think I'll stick with it!
Tuesday, September 27th is the official release date of Kate Beaton's new Hark! A Vagrant book. I don't talk much about Kate's comics here because I assume most comics fans are already aware of them. But books need buyers in order to exist, and this is a particularly worthy book.
Kate has an amazing talent at crafting things that appear practically effortless. And anyone who's seen her process knows it's far from the truth. Each joke is an elaborate construction; each drawing is a reflection of a constantly evolving cartoonist. Yet the comics manage to delight with such spontaneity that any given strip can feel like a night out with friends. That is what makes Kate's work so good, and so rare.
Plus unlike a night with friends, they have excellent replay value. Which brings us back to why buying this collection is such a hot idea! As if you needed another reason, it's also a gorgeously laid-out book, perfect for adorning even the fanciest of coffee tables.
5 thoughts on “#484 – your life’s over”
wykstrad
So an adaptation treatment isn't something people can puzzle out from looking at the words? Geez, I'm some kind of nerd, all right.
I'm liking the new brush (and the new character) so far- it's fun to see an artist throw herself into a new process and watch her style evolve organically out of the new demands each time it happens, and Meredith seems to do this more often than any other artist I regularly follow. I'm not sure what the brush is supposed to add visually compared to previous brushes (as far as I can tell, Meredith changes things up whenever her line gets too smooth), but I like the work on New Guy's hair and the wine being visually distinct from the glass that's holding it. Awesome details!
As far as the story goes, it's too early to speculate much, but It'd be cool if we got some of the backstory to Eve's Creative Writing degree, and it'll be interesting to see how she gets on with this guy- he seems to be successful and confident in a Park-like way, but I don't think Park would've asked "Like what?" Park was perfectly good to Eve in most respects, but he always seemed to unconsciously place his priorities before hers- he had all these plans, she was sitting around in Brooklyn figuring out what to do, so his plans took precedence over her stasis. It'll be interesting to see a character who pushes her, who in some sense demands that she give some direction to her life with casual questions like that, whether or not they end up dating. Eve's been characterized as "the responsible one" for so long in this comic's universe that it's easy to forget that she's as aimless as everyone else in the main cast, if not more so.
Scott Bieser
If life is over at 35, I must be dead and buried. Geez.
Shras
The guy in the third panel looks oddly realistic, more than is usual in this comic. And Eve, did you get your hair cut?! Nooooo!
Lee Taggart
How is it a triple entendre? I see the double, between jerking your chain and jerking off, but where's the third part of your claimed triple?
Lee Taggart
False. Dan Avidan of Ninja Sex Party didn't become a rock star until he was about 38 years old, and his career is only gaining momentum, not slowing. It is never too late to chase your dreams.