529
I’m currently house/cat-sitting for my folks. So, cable is happening. And on Sunday I watched three of the original batch Planet of the Apes films (Escape from, Conquest of, and Battle for). They were on. I also re-watched Oz the Great and Powerful and the pilot episode of Guillermo Del Toro’s The Strain. I enjoyed the book and I love Del Toro and I enjoy his take on vampires (Cronos, Blade II). The pilot was incredibly flawed, even to a person like me who dismisses or ignores dumb things. But, it’s interesting enough that I’ll keep watching for a bit.
528. The Riddler
I watched Batman (1966) yesterday. Twice. It is a delightful movie and I love it. I particularly think Frank Gorshin as the Riddler is fantastically perfect. So, I was inspired.
527. Batgirl
Bandwagon! I jump it. With the news of the new creative team on board Batgirl and her slick new costume, I decided that I too wanted to draw it. I like better than the jagged armor thing she was wearing, but I still bristle about comic characters with “realistic” costumes – which is what this is. The art for the rebranded series looks AMAZING, and it truly seems as if someone in the Batman offices of DC are attempting to try some new takes in tone and direction, which is appealing. I’d really like to try the new set-up, but something about writer Cameron Stewart gets my hackles up (though he’s a fantastic artist himself) and the new backdrop of basically Portland-in-Gotham/Gotham’s Hipster Mecca makes me queasy. It all seems very “The Kids like this stuff! Selfies! Bacon donuts! Ironic mustaches! Please buy a comic?” So I’m undecided if I’ll try it. Which is kind of heartbreaking, as I am basically not supporting anything DC lately except for the non-continuity Batman ’66 and a stray Vertigo book here and there (still getting Wonder Woman until Azzarello leaves ‘cuz no way in hell am I buying a David Finch comic). I’m a weird ball of negativity that desires to be positive. Which means I shouldn’t talk about The Conspiracy – the movie I watched on Netflix last night.
525
Last night, on the word of one Joseph G. Runenwald, I watched a fillim called Perfect Sense – which is a terrible title. It stars the ever lovely Eva Green and even lovelier Ewan McGregor (who I feel deserves better in this world. The Star Wars prequels were a long time ago [in a galaxy far, far away] and he should be allowed to be a huge star again). I enjoyed it a bit. It’s not exactly fun or even something I’d highly recommend to folks, but there are worse films to spend an hour and a half on. It’s a love story set on the backdrop of the entire human race slowly losing all their senses due to a strange disease (smell goes first, taste next, etc., etc.). It’s interesting and on Netflix.
524
More white ink on black paper.
522. Rondo Hatton
I’ve drawn characters like this numerous times, but this one is an actual person. Rondo Hatton was an b-movie actor and a horror icon in the 30s and 40s, usually playing thugs, monsters and brutes. He was a journalist before that. He suffered from acromegaly, which distorted his face as an adult and makes him a fantastic subject to draw.
