Archive for category Books
Art-Out Moment: “Good Luck, Sucker”
Posted by mistergroonk in Art, Books on June 7, 2011
Remember when book cover art had balls? And by “balls” we mean “minimalist art featuring pretty ladies and a gun.”
1961; Good luck, Sucker by Richard Telfair. Cover art Mitchell Hooks.
via hey oscar wilde
Books: This is Exactly How They Work
Posted by mistergroonk in Books, Intertube Madness, Just Freaking Neat, Macro on June 7, 2011
This image has been running around Twitter for the last few days. It is beautiful.
via @saundramitchell
God’s Wife Almost Edited Out of the Bible…. Almost
Posted by mistergroonk in Books, History on April 7, 2011
We’ll let Discovery News carry the weight of this report.
Asherah’s connection to Yahweh, according to Stavrakopoulou, is spelled out in both the Bible and an 8th century B.C. inscription on pottery found in the Sinai desert at a site called Kuntillet Ajrud.
“The inscription is a petition for a blessing,” she shares. “Crucially, the inscription asks for a blessing from ‘Yahweh and his Asherah.’ Here was evidence that presented Yahweh and Asherah as a divine pair. And now a handful of similar inscriptions have since been found, all of which help to strengthen the case that the God of the Bible once had a wife.”
[…]
Asherah — known across the ancient Near East by various other names, such as Astarte and Istar — was “an important deity, one who was both mighty and nurturing,” Wright continued.“Many English translations prefer to translate ‘Asherah’ as ‘Sacred Tree,'” Wright said. “This seems to be in part driven by a modern desire, clearly inspired by the Biblical narratives, to hide Asherah behind a veil once again.”
“Mentions of the goddess Asherah in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) are rare and have been heavily edited by the ancient authors who gathered the texts together,” Aaron Brody, director of the Bade Museum and an associate professor of Bible and archaeology at the Pacific School of Religion, said.
As always, read the full report via Discovery News
Kickstarter Comics Watch: The Charity TRANSMETROPOLITAN Art Book
Posted by mistergroonk in Art, Artist, Books, Comics on January 28, 2011
Someone has decided the world needs a new dose of Transmetropolitan art and sensibility. They are not wrong.
It has been nearly ten years since the release of the final issue of TRANSMETROPOLITAN, the Eisner-nominated comics series from writer Warren Ellis and artist Darick Robertson. We have approached Mr Ellis and Mr Robertson about putting together a brand new art book of original images, and we’re happy to report both of the co-creators will be participating in this project, donating a brand new cover and a foreword for the book!
TRANSMETROPOLITAN combines black humor, political scandal, and moral ambiguity to look into the gonzo mind of an outlaw journalist and The City he inhabits. Aided by his embattled Editor and his two Assistants, the protagonist blazes a path through a futuristic world of skyscrapers and technological wonders, dark alleys and unspeakable depravity.
If you’re unsure as to what Transmet is why not read the first issue for free courtesy of DC Comics.
Why should you fund this project?
Our goal is to raise $100,000 to be donated* to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative.
The CBLDF helps creators fight against artistic censorship. The Hero Initiative “is the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need.”
As of this posting, there are 17 days left to fund this project and roughly $6000 to go before they meet their Kickstarter goal.
The tag below will keep you current on the project.
Infographic: The History of ABC Animated
Posted by mistergroonk in Books, History, World on January 21, 2011
Below is a screencap of an animated gif denoting the history of ABC.
Click the image or here to see actual animation.
Tumblr Watch: Your Xmas has Been Sorted, Buy Stuff from Warren Ellis and Friends
Posted by mistergroonk in Art, Books, Comics, Intertube Madness on December 2, 2010
Official site:
http://2010shopping.tumblr.com/
Read the rest of this entry »
Good Morning, ISS Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson. How Does Earth Look Today?
Posted by mistergroonk in Books, Photography, Science, Space on November 17, 2010
BoingBoing tells us:
Madeleine Robins called this picture of ISS astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson watching the spin far below, “The perfect cover for the perfect unwritten/unread SF novel I wanted to read when I was thirteen.” Exactly right.
Damn right, BoingBoing.
The above image was taken in late September from the ISS’s Cupola window bay. Dr. Dyson is a lead vocalist in the band Max Q.
There’s an astronaut band out there and no one told us?
This won’t do, Internet. Stop keeping these need-to-know bits of information a secret.
Interview: James Badge Dale on HBO’s THE PACIFIC
Posted by mistergroonk in Books, History, Interviews, Movies, USA on November 11, 2010
Leckie was the “character” we most identified with in THE PACIFIC miniseries.
HBO is running a marathon of all 10 episodes today.
Can you talk about the kind of research you did to play Robert Leckie? Did you speak with his family?
James Badge Dale: He wrote memoir Helmet For My Pillow and he wrote another book called Strong Men Armed. There was another book he wrote that was relevant, about his childhood, short stories and anecdotes about his childhood. He was the youngest of eight, he grew up in a household of five older sisters with a very quiet, bookish father. In a lot of ways, he was fighting for his manhood from day one.
Band of Brothers centered on an entire infantry company while The Pacific focused on three main characters. Do you think that is a more effective approach for a story like this?
James Badge Dale: Well, it’s hard to do both (Laughs). It’s especially hard to weave three stories together and, originally, I think it was five and they dropped it down to three. I think what they were trying to show was, even though these men were in different companies and in different places, the root of their experience was basically the same. They were all still dealing with the same internal conflicts and they handled it differently. The idea was that this conflict tested them in ways other than just the loss of life and limb.
The full interview is over on Movie Web.
Kickstarter Film Watch: Christopher Salmon to Adapt Neil Gaiman’s “The Price,†Awesome
Posted by mistergroonk in Animation, Books, Interviews, Just Freaking Neat, Movies on November 10, 2010
The short story “The Price” is our second favorite Neil Gaiman short story. When Mr Scary Trousers himself blogged about Christopher Salmon’s wish to create a CG animated adaptation of this short. Well. You can guess that our interest was piqued. Then we saw Salmon’s teaser animatic and our interest shot through the damn roof!
Watch Salmon’s pitch reel and decide just how awesome this film will be for yourselves:
Production Blog: http://www.theprice-movie.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Price/154562364586011
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/XtopherSalmon
Read: iDrakula. The Original Vampire Tale as Told through Text, Email and Voicemail on Your iPhone
Posted by mistergroonk in Apps, Books, Digital Decompression, Technology on October 29, 2010
From: Mister Groonk
To: Faithful Readers
Subject: The modern retelling of the strange old man who doesn’t drink….wine.
Sent: October 29, 2010
Here’s a curious idea. Take one classic tale of the great and powerful king of all night creatures your count and lord, Dracula. Take it from its humble, and now quaint, 1897 origins. Then transform and infuse it with all the 21st century trappings. Instant messages. Voicemail. Email. And cram it all in your handy portable Steve Jobs device.
And the first part of iDrakula is free!
*Traps a spider. Inspects it briefly. Eats it.*
The master must be informed of this “new age magic.” he must know. For the retelling, like the blood, is life.
The dark lord’s humble servant,
G
——-
Attached: iDrakula iTunes website