Here’s what I think is a poor cover. I saw this image all over the place when the book was released and I wasn’t remotely interested. It’s got a big, boring font and a dull symmetric design – there’s nothing at all to even hint at the beauty that’s inside.

Anyway Night Fisher is really good. Apparently Johnson did this when he was very young – and it’s fantastic. To be honest, I’m not sure what the story is about. It’s Johnson’s first book and it feels like he’s working through something he needs to – and he’s entitled to that. Something to do with evolution on the Hawaiian islands as a metaphor for immigration. Maybe I’m wrong – in which case I just sound ignorant – which I often am.

But the illustration is fantastic – and that’s what kept me immersed; Johnson’s life drawing is so natural and real, it feels heavily referenced. I don’t really care though. He just has a beautiful insight into the way people move and react subtly. I think I read somewhere that he studied with David Mazzucchelli (Batman: Year One), which makes perfect sense. There is a similar energy in their work.

Here’s one of my favourite panels. I love the angle.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces is Joseph Campbell’s exploration of world myths and what could be called the universal story. I read this book as part of my personal quest to better understand the principles of good storytelling. It’s an academic text and feels wordier than it needs to be, but that’s probably just the journalist in me.

The book is full of beautiful cross-cultural connections – so full, in fact, it could be considered an argument for world peace – as it demonstrates how we are all in fact the same. I feel like after reading this book – and others like it – I’m much more competent – or at least confident – with understanding and analyzing story.

I picked up the French version of this manga at the local library a couple months ago. I first saw it in The Beguiling some time last year and was seduced by the intricate cross-hatching and detail in the book.

Doing Time (or Dans La Prison, en Francais) is a series of short stories about Japanese prison life. Japanese prisons are generally depicted as a cozy, friendly places in the stories. Lots of fantasizing about food – reams of pages of drawings of different Japanese dishes. But mostly cool hatching. I tried to incorporate some in this Ojingogo illustration last month.

Doing a bit of catch-up on my book-a-week project. I think I’m roughly on schedule.

This was a birthday gift from my sister. Hilarious and poignant. Coincidentally, purchased and read back in the month of July.

This obsession with Urasawa is putting a wee dent in my little “book-a-week” schedule. I’ve read over 1600 pages of Urasawa’s stuff in the last few weeks – and I could have read more, but I’m been reading the books in French which slows me down a little.

Anyway, 20th Century Boys is a sprawling labyrinth of wonderful stories, sub-stories and characters. Hugely inspiring and highly recommended. No spoilers here – apparently the comic has been optioned for film and is slated for production in 2008. It’s bizarre to think of these things being translated to film – when it feels like two books could make a rich feature film. How does a writer boil down 1800 pages into a 90 page script? Actually Josh Olson (who’s adapting Monster) talks about it in this episode of the Creative Screenwriting Podcast.

My only concern is what I’m going to do when I’ve run out of Urasawa. I’m fairly concerned about withdrawal. Fortunately, my local library is stocked with French translations of many titles. And Kean has generously pointed out the early Pluto scanlations. That should keep me satisfied for a while – and there’s no rush, but maybe one day I’ll read an actual book again.

Been reading the early Hemingway short stories, which I’ve been meaning to do for years. I loved Movable Feast, his memoirs from Paris, and have been working my way through his other stuff over the years.

Been on a bit of a Manga kick lately. It’s provides a lot of inspiring fodder while I’m working on Ojingogo. I love all varieties of shading, zip-a-tone, and hatching – beautiful stuff. Then you hear about how these guys are knocking out eight pages a day, working seven days a week. Terrifying stuff.

I digress. Monster is fantastic. I first heard about it while listening to an interview with Josh Olson on the Creative Screenwriting Podcast. Olson adapted A History of Violence. Now he’s adapting Monster and set to direct also. He raved about what a great story it was and how passionate he is about the project.

I’ve only read the first volume – but it’s great stuff. A fun thriller – very cinematic, like all the best manga – it should be a breeze for Olson to adapt.

This is another great story by Marjane Satrapi. I am her fan for life. She has such character and spice. I’m not sure there’s anything she could do any more that I wouldn’t like.

We were talking tonight about the possibility of Persepolis – the animated film – being nominated for an Oscar. It would be up against Ratatouille in 2008. Marjane Satrapi would be on stage at the Academy Awards in an American election year… It would be wonderful.