I'm coming up for air after an eventful GDC week. Did I mention: Lightning Prototypes, a group of crazy-talented folks, is now open for business?
We're only a few days old, so there's not much to tell you, but be assured, exciting things are in motion!
Once again, I am humbled to be working in the company of a truly outstanding group of visionaries, dreamers and doers.
You go!
I've talked about my friend Gareth Hinds here once before, when he signed a deal to publish with Candlewick Press. While King Lear is still working it's way to the shelves, Candlewick has released a magnificent hardcover edition of an earlier work, a graphic novel adaptation of the old English epic poem, Beowulf.
I was thrilled to hear from Gareth that Beowulf was getting a review in today's New York Times Sunday Book Review. The review compares three adaptations of the work, and they lead with Gareth's new edition.
While I am enough of a geek to cringe when they call a graphic novel a comic-book, I can't grouse too much, as they give the book a very
Hinds stages great fight scenes, choreographing them like a kung-fu master and then drawing them from a variety of vantage points, with close-ups, wide angles and aerial views. In its way, the result is as visceral as the Old English, which was consciously onomatopoeic, and by changing his palette for each of the poem’s three sections he evokes its darkening rhythm.
It's a fantastic book, much (all?) of which was hand painted on wood, which gives a subtle and beautiful sense of weight and age. You really should go buy it right now.
Theatre is alive in well in Los Angeles, in no small part due to my good friends Rich Alger and Tina Kronis. They are the creative force behind Theatre Movement Bazaar. They've just announced their new show, Monster of Happiness. This is their tenth (by my count) original show, and going strong.
They consistently choose interesting and challenging themes to explore. This time they take on...well, I'll let them explain it:
Monster of Happiness is a psycho-physical, science fiction love story based on the myth of Adam and Eve and examining a cornerstone of the American Dream: the pursuit of happiness.
In this work the company pursues the 20th century aesthetic innovations of early American modernist literature, Meyerhold's Biomechanics, and post revolution 'Soviet Style' cinema. Integral to this process is a feedback loop, an invitation for the public (via the TMB web site) to provide personal views on happiness.
That last bit is important. They are asking the web public (that's you!) to fill out a brief questionnaire about happiness. Some good, thought-provoking questions, and it can be answered anonymously, so the government web-spiders won't find out your views on questions such as:
- If you had to choose between happiness and peace, which would you choose?
- What do you imagine to be the happiest era in world history?
- What's better than being happy?
The show premieres at the 24th St. Theatre.
Show Times
June 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30, July 6, 7, 13, 14 @ 8:30pm
Late night shows June 30 & July 7 @ 10:30pm
You can buy tickets for the show online.
It's called a 'cowcatcher'
for a reason
My wife and I have driven the final spike in our own figurative transcontinental railway, as I have just accepted a transfer to Locomotive Games in Santa Clara. Our cross country adventure from Massachusetts to California is underway with a full head of steam, and short of derailing this post with what (to the un-trained eye) may be a series of truly awful railroad references, we're thrilled about the move.
I'm leaving behind some great friends and talented folks at Helixe, but I'm excited to join the Locomotive team. New horizons!
I expect posting to be sporadic as we settle in. I'm not even sure what state my computer is in, and I mean that in just about every sense of that phrase.
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