It's comic book time! April comics, that is. And here they are (along with one of my drawings) as per solicitations:
ALAN MOORE THE COURTYARD GN COLOR PTG (MR)
(W) Alan Moore, Antony Johnston (A) Jacen Burrows Alan Moore, teams up with brilliant artist Jacen Burrows, to unleash this timeless tale of Lovecraftian psychological horror. Aldo Sax has an amazing service record with the FBI. His legendary skills at piercing together the most baffling of cases has gotten him assigned to what may be his most confusing case yet. Several murders from the most unlikely of suspects just don't add up. And what few leads there are, all point to The Courtyard. This special color edition features an introduction by Garth Ennis.
AVENGERS CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #5 (OF 9)
Written by ALLAN HEINBERG Pencils & Cover by JIM CHEUNG THE SCARLET WITCH WAR IS ON! Latveria becomes a battle-ground as Magneto battles Doctor Doom -- and the Young Avengers take on the Avengers -- to determine the ultimate fate of the Scarlet Witch. But the mysterious reappearance of the time-traveling Iron Lad unleashes Wanda's reality-altering powers upon the timestream itself, changing the game, and the Marvel Universe, forever. 32 PGS./Rated T+
BOYS #44 (MR)
(W) Garth Ennis (A/C) Darick Robertson BELIEVE: Part 1 (of 4)-As the greatest religious festival on the superhero calendar gets under way in New York, the Homelander finds himself front and centre, very much against his will. But so does Annie, whose heightened public profile leads her to get something terrible off her chest. Meanwhile, Butcher ponders what to do about 'the Hughie situation', and MM makes his own feelings known... just when everything was going so well...
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #1 PAUL CHADWICK CVR
Frank Miller (W/A/Variant Cover), Harlan Ellison (W), Howard Chaykin (W/A), Neal Adams (W/A), Richard Corben (W/A), Carla Speed McNeil (W/A), Michael T. Gilbert (W/A), Randy Stradley (W), Paul Chadwick (W/A), David Chelsea (W/), Patrick Alexander (W/A), and others The legendary, premiere anthology is back! The 80-page spectacular, Dark Horse Presents returns with all-new stories by Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, and Richard Corben; a new Concrete story by Paul Chadwick, a new Crimson Empire story from the Star Wars universe, and an exclusive sneak peek of Frank Miller's highly-anticipated prequel to 300, Xerxes! The celebration continues with a brand-new, all-color Finder story by Carla Speed McNeil, a prose piece from science fiction legend Harlan Ellison, the return of Michael T. Gilbert's Mr. Monster, and much, much more!
ECHOES #4 (OF 5) (O/A) (MR)
(W) Joshua Hale Fialkov (A) Rahsan Ekedal (Cov) Rahsan Ekedal A Tale of Suspense and Psychological Horror! Brian Cohn is living a nightmare. His recently deceased father, who Brian shares the disease of schizophrenia with, confessed to being a serial killer of little girls on his death bed. Now Brian is racing to solve the mystery of a missing child in his town, all the while feeling his condition taking a deeper and deeper grip on his psyche and his mind beginning to unravel. From acclaimed author Joshua Hale Fialkov (Tumor, Pilot Season: Alibi) and rising star artist Rahsan Ekedal (Creepy) a disturbing story of murder and mystery wrapped in questions of sanity. 'This is an absolute buy. I can't recommend it enough.' - Graphic Policy
ECHOES #5 (OF 5) (O/A) (MR)
(W) Joshua Hale Fialkov (A) Rahsan Ekedal (Cov) Rahsan Ekedal A Tale of Suspense and Psychological Horror! Brian Cohn has reached his breaking point. He has also figured out who is following in his father's footsteps. Unfortunately, the stress of dealing with his father's legacy has taken its toll and Brian worries it may too late. From acclaimed author Joshua Hale Fialkov (Tumor, Pilot Season: Alibi) and rising star artist Rahsan Ekedal (Creepy) a disturbing story of murder and mystery wrapped in questions of sanity.
FEAR ITSELF #1 (OF 7)
Written by MATT FRACTION Pencils & Cover by STUART IMMONEN Variant Covers by STEVE McNIVEN & STUART IMMONEN Fantastic Four Anniversary Variant by PAOLO RIVERA Blank Variant Cover Also Available DO YOU FEAR...TOMORROW? In this time of global anxiety, of economic turmoil and mass hysteria, Sin, the new Red Skull, has made an awesome discovery...a shameful secret that will rock the foundations of the Marvel Universe! A revelation that will divide father and son, turn friend against friend, and herald the rise of Fear personified. HE IS RETURNING...and the world has nothing to fear but FEAR ITSELF. Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen bring fans the biggest Marvel the biggest Marvel event since CIVIL WAR! 56 PGS./Rated T+
GREEN WAKE #1 (OF 5) (MR)
A riveting tale of loss and horror. In the forgotten town of Green Wake, a string of grisly mutilations leads Morley Mack on the trail of a young woman named Ariel, who is the prime suspect. But when a stranger with startling connections to Ariel arrives under mysterious circumstances, Morley unravels a dark plot with a shocking link to his past.
HACK SLASH #3 CVR B TARTAMELLA (MR)
The members of Hack/Slash, Inc., are left to defend Eminence, Indiana, against an onslaught of animal zombies without Cassie and Vlad! Cat Curio, Samhain, and Pooch will have to team with murderous traitor Sheriff Maggie in a brutal battle guaranteed to send undead fur flying!
MIGHTY THOR #1
Written by MATT FRACTION Pencils & Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL Variant Cover by TRAVIS CHAREST Variant Cover by WALT SIMONSON Blank Variant Cover also available Thor Movie Variant also available It's a shining, golden, new age for the Thunder God and Matt Fraction and Olivier Coipel are back to lead the charge! Thor and Sif dive deep into the heart of the fractured World Tree to reclaim an artifact from beyond time and space, an artifact that attracts the attention of the Silver Surfer. And when a herald such as he arrives on Earth, the arrival of his master is certain to follow. Prepare for the return of the World Eater…prepare for the return of Galactus! Fans can't miss an all new behind the scenes look at the highly anticipated major motion picture with a sneak peek at some of the art! 32 PGS./Rated T+
MORNING GLORIES #9
Since the detention issue, readers have been asking: What happened to Jun that fateful night he sneaked out of the dorms? And who was that he ran into? The answer to these questions and more in this action-packed, reveal-heavy chapter!
RED SONJA #53
(W) Eric Trautman (A) Walter Geovani (C) Paul Renaud (50%), Geovani (50%) Acclaimed writer, Eric (Action Comics) Trautmann takes over Red Sonja as she goes on another magical adventure. This is a great entry point for everyone's favorite She-Devil With a Sword! Don't miss out on another epic adventure!
SUPER DINOSAUR #1
ALL-NEW FROM ROBERT KIRKMAN & JASON HOWARD! This is where it begins! The Evil Max Maximus wants to get to Inner-Earth! He wants the dinosaurs that live there! He wants the powerful DynOre mineral that originates there! SUPER DINOSAUR and DEREK DYNAMO are the only ones who can stop him! The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a ten year-old kid and his best friend, a nine-foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex who loves to play video games.
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & MARK MILLAR Penciled by ADAM KUBERT Cover by BRYAN HITCH The Ultimate Universe at long last gets the fourth corner of its foundation as the World's Greatest Comic Magazine finally makes its long-awaited Ultimate debut! Witness the birth of The Four - Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, Susan Storm & Ben Grimm - superhero icons for the new century! High school genius Reed Richards invites his friends to join him on the journey of a lifetime - and the Ultimate Universe will never be the same! It's a series about science, high adventure and above all else FAMILY, set in the most dynamic and unpredictable Universe in the comic book world! 32 PGS./ALL AGES
WALKING DEAD #83 (MR)
'NO WAY OUT' continues. What is left but surrender?
WALKING DEAD #84 (MR)
NO WAY OUT concludes. Could this be the end?
_______________________________________________________________________
Y aquí están todos mis cómics correspondientes al mes de abril (más un dibujo mío):
ALAN MOORE THE COURTYARD GN COLOR PTG (MR)
Una serie de misteriosos asesinatos aparentemente desconectados llamarán la atención del más brillante y eficaz detective del FBI.
AVENGERS CHILDRENS CRUSADE #5 (OF 9)
Los Vengadores versus los Jóvenes Vengadores. ¿Cuál será el destino de la Bruja Escarlata? ¿Y cuál será el papel de IRON LAD?
BOYS #44 (MR)
Es el más grande festival religioso del calendario súper-heroico.
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #1 PAUL CHADWICK CVR
Antología con algunos de los más influyentes autores del cómic USA.
ECHOES #4 (OF 5) (O/A) (MR)
Brian intenta solucionar el misterio de una niña desparecida. Pero, mientras su condición esquizofrénica empeora se preguntará si él mismo es el asesino.
ECHOES #5 (OF 5) (O/A) (MR)
Concluye esta historia de suspenso y terror psicológico.
FEAR ITSELF #1 (OF 7)
En una época de ansiedad globalizada, inestabilidad económica e histeria en masa, el nuevo Cráneo Rojo ha descubierto cómo vencer a todos los súper-héroes. Todos aprenderán a temerle al mismo miedo.
GREEN WAKE #1 (OF 5) (MR)
El horror y la pérdida llegan a un pueblito olvidado. Una mujer es acusada de causar extrañas mutilaciones hasta que un extraño llega al pueblo.
HACK SLASH #3 CVR B TARTAMELLA (MR)
Indiana está bajo el ataque de animales zombis.
MIGHTY THOR #1
Es un nuevo comienzo para el hijo de Odín. Thor buscará un artefacto que se encuentra más allá del espacio y del tiempo, pero en su búsqueda chocará con SILVER SURFER. ¿Regresará GALACTUS a la Tierra?
MORNING GLORIES #9
¿Qué sucedió la noche en que June se escapó de los dormitorios? ¿Y con quién se encontró? Todas las respuestas están aquí.
RED SONJA #53
Una nueva aventura traerá sorpresas inesperadas.
SUPER DINOSAUR #1
El malvado Máximo quiere los dinosaurios de la Tierra. El destino de la Tierra descansa en los hombros de un niño de 10 años y un tiranosaurio.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR MGC #1
El súper genio de la secundaria invita a sus amigos al viaje del siglo. ¡Y todo en el universo cambiará para siempre!
WALKING DEAD #83 (MR)
“Sin salida” continúa. ¿La única alternativa es rendirse?
WALKING DEAD #84 (MR)
“Sin salida” concluye. ¿Podría esto ser el fin?
It happens all the time. People go to see Spider-Man or X-Men and then forget all about it. I guess they don’t care enough. But not this time, as soon as The Walking Dead aired here on Peru (and only a day after the original release date) people started caring about it. All of a sudden, a lot of my friends were asking me if it was based on a comic book and if I was collecting it.
I felt then as ashamed as I feel now to confess this: I wasn’t following it. Growing up reading mostly European comics I have learned to love the black and white… as long as it’s a comic from France or Spain. I’ve always thought that b&w looks artificial on American comics. And that alone (I know, it’s such a poor excuse) prevented me from getting TWD.
Not anymore. As soon as I watched the first episode of the series I ordered the first trade, and after reading that I added TWD to my DCBS pull list. And believe me, I’ve had quite a ride. I had heard fans talking on message boards, saying that no one is safe in TWD, but I never suspected the true length of this affirmation. Rick’s son getting shot in the eye has got to be one of the most intense and powerful moments I’ve read in a long time. But not only that, “No Way Out” has been a terrific arc for many reasons, chief among them Kirkman’s ability to surprise and shock the audience.
Oh yes, and now I’m also buying Super Dinosaur. Damn you Kirkman, my budget will become unbalanced once I start picking up Invincible’s trades.
_____________________________________________________________
Y, para terminar con la muestra El tesoro de la juventud, actualmente en exhibición en el Centro Cultural de España, adjunto algunas obras más que me llamaron la atención, entre ellas una ilustración magnífica de Sheila Alvarado. El día de hoy se realiza la última charla sobre Oswald Reynoso en el CCE, y el 28 cierra la muestra. También incluyo un link para que puedan ver el video de Diego Lama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgrxalqGGH4
Hoy en la tarde mi hermano estará en la plaza Dos de Mayo, en la manifestación en contra de la candidata de Fuerza 2011. Estas elecciones presidenciales han sido realmente desalentadoras, pasaron a segunda vuelta las dos peores opciones, y aunque mucho presuman de tener una actitud pragmática que los orientaría en una u otra dirección, tal vez lo más sensato sea contribuir con las arcas fiscales, es decir, pagar la multa para no ir a votar. El papel de El Comercio en estos meses ha sido un tanto deslucido; nadie duda de la veracidad y confiabilidad del periódico más importante del país, pero así como Julio César demandaba que “la mujer del César no sólo debe ser honesta sino parecerlo”, creo que la neutralidad e imparcialidad de la prensa se ha diluido en estas semanas. No pienso descontinuar mi suscripción al Comercio, pero además de ser veraz también debe parecerlo, o de lo contrario terminaría empujando a personas que se abstienen de votar a apoyar precisamente al candidato que el diario no favorece.
Finalmente invito a los que se animen a entrar a www.grayhavencomics.com para que pueden seguir los webcomics semanales. Pronto haré algunos anuncios sobre mis futuras colaboraciones para The Gathering, así que estén atentos y siéntanse con total libertad de dejarme preguntas o comentarios.
Dibujos de mi cuaderno
For too many years I was ‘the’ ineffable inedited writer. And to this day I’m still waiting to be published in my own language. Obviously, I am a much better novelist in Spanish than in English; but that doesn’t prevent me from writing as much as I can in both languages, taking advantage of the strengths and particularities of each idiom.
Writing a novel is far more difficult than you could think of. I thought it was supposed to be easy. It wasn’t. In 2002 I started writing something, believing that the aforementioned “something” was going to be a novel. It wasn’t. I found out that you need something more than the good will to do it.
So, in 2006 I felt like I was more prepared for the task. I wanted to stop being the ineffable inedited writer and start being just a writer. Ambitious? Perhaps, but then again I am not claiming to be the best writer, just a writer. This second attempt, a rather autobiographical story, simply didn’t cut it; and I even had the idea of turning this into a trilogy (I had the concepts for two more novels, but we will just have to wait and see if, some day, I can at least pull it off with the first one). Finally, this year I have decided to write a completely new novel, now I just have to find the time to do it.
__________________________________________________________________________
Este viernes se inauguró en Bruno Gallery “El universo… una célula”, muestra de Asad López de Castilla. Como artista, Asad está siempre en búsqueda permanente. A veces lo imagino como un científico obstinado buscando las arquitecturas más intrincadas al interior de una célula y encontrando nuevos universos cromáticos en cada molécula. Mediante una prolífica imaginación visual, Asad recurre al cosmos y al microcosmos, con una paleta de colores amaestrada por ese don que sólo el verdadero artista posee.
He visto de cerca el trabajo de Asad, y de hecho he visitado su taller un par de veces en lo que va del año. Pero mi apreciación por su pintura va mucho más allá del hecho de conocerlo. En realidad, ser testigo del proceso de creación me permite hacer comentarios más acertados sobre su obra. Asad logra una increíble riqueza en sus cuadros no solamente por el cuidado casi obsesivo del detalle (se trata de alguien detallista, que cuida hasta la más mínima línea incluso en el diseño de las tarjetas de invitación para la inauguración), sino también por esa vitalidad que transmite, quizá reflejo de esa técnica tan suya de hacer cinco o diez cuadros a la vez, calculando las dosis exactas de pintura para cada matiz y recordando qué aplicar en cada cuadro.
Así que el viernes fue el gran día de Asad y me dio mucho gusto pasar la noche con él y con Renzo Núñez Melgar, artista talentosísimo. Durante el evento elegí solamente vino blanco mientras conversaba con Renzo, Paolo (de mi colegio) y otros conocidos. Después nos fuimos al departamento de una amiga de Renzo, en Larco, y de ahí a Barranco. Aunque me hubiera gustado acompañarlos a la fiesta a la que estaban yendo, el cansancio terminó por vencerme. En todo caso, estoy seguro que la inauguración de la muestra de Renzo (en la Galería Enlace) el próximo mes también será inolvidable.
Otro momento extraordinario fue el sábado en la noche en casa de mi amigo Brian Power. Escucharlo tocar el piano es siempre una maravilla, y además me encontré con María Claudia, a quien no veía desde la fiesta de año nuevo en Asia, en la que nos encontramos de pura suerte, hace un par de años; otra sorpresa fue encontrarme con Alberto Schroth, por esas coincidencias curiosas, resulta que la casa de nuestro jefe de Viceversa Consulting estaba cerquísima de la casa de Power, y Alberto no perdió la oportunidad para hacer bromas con el nombre de la calle “Alameda del Arco Iris”.
En fin, ahora van más imágenes de la muestra “El tesoro de la juventud” en homenaje a Oswaldo Reynoso, actualmente en exhibición en el Centro Cultural de España. La primera, a colores, es de Cristian Bendayán; la segunda corresponde a Asad (para ver más cuadros de Asad pueden revisar los posts del 14 de mayo y del 17 de febrero); la tercera es una maravillosa ilustración en blanco y negro de Sheila Alvarado; y la última es uno de los tantos dibujos que hago en los cuadernos cuando estoy aburrido en clases (por cierto, estoy rescatando dibujos de todas las páginas de mi cuaderno del año pasado que iré colocando aquí de ahora en adelante).
It’s a peculiar experience having no one else around. Although if there is nobody around… you are not necessarily alone. Solitude is, in fact, an incomplete and unique way of living in this world. Ancient myths have tried to explain this situation. Human beings are devoured by love because of the immense necessity of finding a mythic original unit. You try to find someone else as if you were searching for a lost part of your own body; and you are in pain if you do not find that part. Loneliness has a very tight bond with communication; we are forced to communicate, even when we don’t want or can’t communicate with other people. However, we have the conviction of someone else’s existence and we are aware of how much we need that person. Deep inside, in our intimate conviction of someone else’s existence and in our painful experience of their absence, therein lies the sentiment of solitude. To become alone it is mandatory wanting to be two, at least, or having been two and preserving the respective nostalgia.
There can be three different categories of loneliness. The first one is the result of the death of a very dear friend or relative. The second category consists in organizing the other’s absence, we exist because they’re looking at us, but we have no control over their eyes or their presence. Our existence depends on the other person, jeopardizing our own independence. Then fear forces us to run away from the other, to forget them, in an attempt of regaining control of the situation. We disappear to make the other one disappear. We rush into loneliness because we are so afraid of being alone. We surrender to solitude, and there is always the risk of getting used to it. The third category is idealization; the other exists because of us, and we see in them what we wish to see, we project intuitions, ideas and illusions; we create an imaginary being. But what happens when the other shatters our fantasies? We walk away and we find out that we were always alone, since the very beginning. Reality doesn’t meet our expectations and therefore we become lonely beings. A totally happy solitude is impossible; nonetheless, in a mature way loneliness can be something positive. It is a learning path that allows us to accept our frustration and also to get rid of obsessive socializing with others. We have to find the balance, we have to feel comfortable when we are lonely if we want to feel comfortable with someone else.
________________________________________
Uno de los grandes aciertos de la galería Lucía de la Puente es apostar siempre por la innovación. Mientras otras galerías tienen tendencias más o menos marcadas, Lucía de la Puente se esfuerza por sorprendernos en cada muestra. Este miércoles, por ejemplo, se inauguró la muestra de Fernando de la Jara “Poesía visual”, compuesta de una multitud de cuadros con una evidente carga erótica, que sin caer en excesos ni facilismos, transmite sutilmente todo un universo libidinal contenido, reprimido y a punto de estallar. La mayoría de las pinturas se centran en un antes y en un después, nunca en el acto en sí mismo, y quizá en ello, en la negación de la imagen obvia, reside su mayor fuerza. Paralelamente también se inauguraba “Mutación y desborde” de Kenji Nakama, un artista que se apropia del papel, papel periódico, papel de las guías telefónicas, etc., para crear un original recorrido escultórico (especialmente destacables son los caracoles de papel).
En esta ocasión me encontré con Ramiro Llona y Meritxell Thorndike, resulta divertido que hayamos coincidido tanto el miércoles como el jueves durante la semana del arte, y justamente comentamos eso. También conversé con el artista Dare Dovidjenko, que me preguntó cómo iba el asunto de mis cómics en THE GATHERING (pronto haré algunos anuncios aquí mismo). Me senté en una de las mesas del café de la galería con Lorenzo Osores (que me sugirió que visitase su muestra inaugurada la semana pasada), mientras descansaba de todos los vasos de Johnnie Walker Black Label que había tomado durante la noche. Aunque quizá la mayor sorpresa del evento fue encontrarme con uno de mis amigos de la facultad de literatura de la Católica, Gabriel Meseth de Bona, a quien no veía desde hacía mucho tiempo.
Esta semana también aproveché para visitar la muestra en homenaje al escritor Oswaldo Reynoso “El tesoro de la juventud” en el Centro Cultural de España. Los artistas que participan son Christian Bendayán (pintura), Diego Lama (video), Germán Ballesteros (instalación), Haroldo Higa (instalación), Jaime Higa (pintura), Miguel Aguirre (pintura), Piero Quijano (dibujo), Sheila Alvarado (ilustración), Eduardo Tokeshi (pintura), el colectivo Supay (fotografía); y la artista visual española Carmela García y Rep (caricaturista argentino).
A continuación incluyo algunos de los trabajos que me llamaron la atención, la magnífica ilustración a blanco y negro es de Sheila Alvarado. Y la última imagen responde a la pregunta que algunos me han hecho… ¿por qué no hago algo en estilo manga? Simplemente porque no se me da muy bien.
Lack of information or preconceived ideas can invalidate the work of any historian; I guess that’s why 90% of history books I’ve enjoyed the most have been written by people who were actually "there". It's such an inspiration to read the works of Herodotus or Caius Sallustius Crispus because they wrote about their lives, about an era in which they lived in; despite the lack of methodology in their works I trust them. Those ‘prehistoric’ historians have turned me into a huge fan of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Suetonius, however, has always been one of my favorites, his "Twelve Caesars" is astonishing.
