Birthday... The Aftermath

Howdy Ho! Here we go again. I am sure by this point you are all wondering just what the heck I am going to talk about this week… I see your head nodding “Yep. That’s right”

This week, something different, I shall review some books and maybe a movie too. BUT, not just any books and movies! Oh no, I shall review what I got for my birthday.

The birthday celebration was excellent. I can’t imagine my birthday without the little ones these days. Somehow they haven’t quite figured out that it’s MY birthday and not THEIR birthday. We did the whole family dinner thing which involved little eating and lots of answers like “We will open presents after cake” and the occasional statement like “It doesn’t matter if you sing the song now, you have to sing it when the cake arrives”. Which leads back to questions like “Cake is after dinner” and statements like “Well, even if you aren’t hungry, I am hungry and no cake until I am finished with dinner. Yes you can have more food.”

The cake arrived and we have a wonderful picture of the kids blowing out the candles for me. Oddly enough, that’s what present opening was like too. Three little heads hovering over each package.

Gift #1, Hoodwinked.
Desc: When the police arrive at Granny’s cottage in the woods to answer a domestic disturbance call, it looks like just another open-and-shut case. But Red, Granny, the Big Bad Wolf and the Woodsman are not your usual suspects, as they have their own dark secrets, wily deceptions and conflicting accounts of the crime. Together, they must put aside their differences and find their own original twist on Happily Ever After in this "raucous, genre-busting, animated gem (Entertainment Weekly, The Must List)."

If you don’t remember Hoodwinked, it was an animated indy movie a couple of years ago. Because it was Indy and low budget they could get away with more than usual. It got rave reviews and I have wanted to see it for a really long time. AND, as soon as I get a free hour I will. Most likely this weekend.

Gift #2, DC Archives Action Heroes.
All I need to say is Golden Age Captain Atom by Steve Ditko. All art and story pre-Spidey. Not all golden age superheroes hold up but this one does. A great fun.

Off topic. I have to beat the boy off this book. EVERYDAY, “Daddy can I read you new superhero book”. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Yes I let him read it… How can I not!!!

Gift #3, Art Out of Time, Unknown Comic Visionaries 1900-1969
Desc: This collection of 29 marvelous nearly unknown comic strip and comic book artists. Many are reprinted from yellowing newsprint—in a few cases, like Walter Quermann's late-'30s newspaper strip Hickory Hollow Folks, from the only copies of their work still extant.

This is such a great book I haven’t put it down for days. There is so much to read and enjoy in this volume. You have to remember that for years, comic books and strips were the training ground for young artists. The real money was in advertising or other ventures and comic books were for hacks. But, put enough hacks together and there will be gems that push the boundaries of the medium before moving on. This is a book full of such gems. I am sure you have heard of Dick Briefer, Bob Powell, and Howard Norstrand but have you heard of Charles Forbell or Boody Rogers? The book seems to have an equal number of strip reprints and comic reprints but the art within all is astounding. It’s fabulous to look and fun to read too.

Finally, without doubt the absolute best gifts I got… three homemade pictures! A horse rider (what she wants to be when she grows up), A mow man (what he wants to be when he grows up) and a giraffe Picasso style! (her favorite animal)

And... pictures of the event!