Jane Austen in Lyme Regis

 

 

Lyme Regis, a small seaside town along the southern coast of England, is a popular seaside town. My wife and I enjoyed visiting it during our trip to the UK back in 2015. We only had a morning there, and it wasn't enough. 

Perhaps one day can return we can return. It would be nice to spend a few days there, wandering along the beach, and exploring the town. It'd also be nice to search for fossils there, which is a popular pasttime of locals and holidaymakers on what Brits call the Jurassic Coast.

 

From a book in the Lyme Regis Museum

According to the website janeausten.co.uk, Jane Austen visited the seaside resort three times between 1803 and 1804. Walking along the cobb--the manmade promontory that juts out into the sea--inspired her to include a visit to the town in her novel Persuasion. I certainly felt that sense of history when my wife and I walked the cobb two centuries later. 

I wonder how many other writers have been inspired to set their stories in Lyme Regis over the centuries since this awesome seawall was built?

 

According to the museum in Lyme Regis, Jane Austen complained in letters about the dirty rooms they rented when they visited. While I'm far from an authority on Jane Austen, I understand that she also disliked Bath, a city where she lived and featured in her novels. I've begun to wonder if she preferred the simpler (and less expensive) life in the country to the busy and crowded life of the city.

 

 

As she lived in an age when vaccines and antibiotics and all kinds of medical treatments we take for granted simply weren't available, I also wonder at her death at the age of 41. During these pandemic times, when we've become more concerned about cleanliness, I also take her complaints about dirty lodgings more seriously. And yet, the average life expectancy in the UK was 40 in 1800, so perhaps Jane Austen did not in fact die tragically young, as readers and fans tend to think today.

In any case, the fact that Jane Austen featured Lyme Regis in her novel Persuasion has led to many people visiting the town over the centuries. I'm glad I visited the scenic and lively town. If you visit there, I think you'll be glad too.

Dragon Dave

The Minions in Lyme Regis

 

Lyme Regis, England

 

The English seaside town of Lyme Regis is a fun and vibrant town. After an enthralling visit to their museum, my wife and I ventured out to explore the town. 

As it was getting near lunch, my wife and I surveyed the local eateries. But they all looked expensive or busy. So we ducked into a little store, and got a packaged lunch to share.

Then we looked for a bench with a nice view on which to enjoy it.

 

All the benches were full, but a nice lady gave up her spot so we could sit down. She then chatted with us as we ate. When her husband arrived with their coffees, he also stayed to talk. We talked so long, that by the time we finished, most of the benches were empty!

I remember two things from that conversation. 1) They were enjoying their day out at the seaside. 2) He owned an Aston Martin, which he occasionally drove at a race track. 

Oh, I remember something else about the couple. They were extraordinarily kind. But then, you already surmised that, didn't you?

 

While preparing a post on Lyme Regis on another topic, I found this photo I took of this little movie poster. It's for the Minions movie, and who doesn't love the minions?

It's a bit cheeky, so it may not have been seen in the U.S. Enjoy!

Dragon Dave

Ben Bova on Isaac Asimov

 

In an introduction to his 1977 anthology Exiles, editor Ben Bova shares an insight into one of his contributors: the esteemed author Isaac Asimov. The two writers met at a science fiction convention in the late 1950s. Early on in their friendship, Isaac Asimov began throwing work Bova's way. 

When editors came to Asimov for articles, and the writer of The Foundation Trilogy and I, Robot didn't have the time to write them, he recommended Ben Bova to the editors. Then he told Bova, "Don't worry. Whatever I know, you'll know. All you have to do is ask."

According to Ben Bova, Asimov sent so many opportunities his way over the years that he often considered giving him an agent's fee of ten percent of his earnings. Throughout the decades, Asimov always helped him out with his writing assignments. All Bova had to do was ask.

One evening, the friends were walking through Manhattan when they passed an apartment where Asimov once lived. 

Looking up at his old window, he said, with a tear in his voice, "It wasn't such a bad place. I was there fifty-six months and I wrote fifty-six books."

 

Isaac Asimov

 

While Ben Bova was working on his introduction to Exiles, Isaac Asimov was writing his two hundredth book. Asimov would go on to write or edit over five hundred. Yet despite all that:

Isaac often belittles his literary achievements. "I couldn't write good," he's said many times, "so I've written a lot."

Bova sums up his introduction by describing Asimov as a true gentleman, and the warmest-hearted man I know.

Persistence. Generosity. Humility. Loyalty. That's how Ben Bova, respected author, editor, and leader in the science fiction community, introduced Issac Asimov for his anthology Exiles. 

As a reader who grew up reading Isaac Asimov, and only knew him through his stories, I am indebted to Ben Bova for this insight into a writer I will always admire.

Dragon Dave

P.S. Ben Bova, who died of Covid-19 last year, wrote or edited over a hundred books in various genres during his own prolific writing career. Like Asimov, he won numerous awards, and was a bestselling author.

Norwich Cathedral Receives A Historic Visitor

 

 

Norwich Cathedral made a lasting impression on me. While staying in Cromer, I learned much of its fascinating history during a day-trip back in 2017. Later on during that vacation, when we had moved base-camp and were staying much farther away, I found I yearned for a second visit. 

So my wife and I made the long drive back to Norwich, and experienced the Cathedral's wonder one more time.

 

Dippy the Dinosaur (from Twitter)

Currently, the cathedral is displaying an entirely different form of history. A traveling exhibit, called Dippy The Dinosaur, is now on display inside Norwich Cathedral. As a Diplodocus, Dippy is a friendly dinosaur with a congenial temperament.

Just as important, Dippy is a herbivore, and never eats people.

 

Dippy the Dinosaur (from Twitter)

While learning about the history of a building that dates back nearly a thousand years, visitors can learn about an animal that lived millions of years ago. While learning about the religious and cultural issues that worshipers and civic leaders faced in bygone eras, visitors can learn about a Diplodocus that lived in an entirely different period.

The Jurassic Period, to be specific.

As you would expect of the gracious folks at Norwich Cathedral, they are not charging admission to see Dippy the Dinosaur. I believe you just need to book your visit in advance. That way, Dippy can eat her meals undisturbed at regular intervals, and tantalized tourists won't get between her and her food.

 

With Covid-19 still making travel (and travel plans) difficult, it's unlikely you'll see me there. Thankfully, folks who can't make it to Norwich Cathedral by the time Dippy leaves in October can follow Dippy's tour progress on Twitter, or read the latest Dippy news on the Cathedral website. As a cathedral-and-dinosaur loved, that sounds like a win-win to me.

Or, to paraphrase George on the TV series Peppa Pig: "Cathedral. Dinosaur. Grrr!"

 

Now, only only question remains. What will Dippy use as for a water bowl? I wonder if it will be as beautiful, or as shiny, as the Cathedral baptismal font that was once used in a local chocolate factory?

I guess I'll have to check in regularly on the cathedral website and Twitter to find out.

Dragon Dave

Related Links

Dippy on Twitter

Norwich Cathedral website

How to Color a Picture & Get Most of it Wrong

 

The Bequest #4 from Aftershock Comics

 

As you've no doubt realized, I've been enjoying The Bequest series from Aftershock Comics. In the comics world, one way of celebrating that is by doing fan art. Fan Art can bring a series welcome attention, and help enlarge its readership.

A few weeks ago, penciler and inker Freddie E. Williams II released a few preview images from The Bequest #4 on his Twitter account. I particularly liked this drawing.

 

After the events in The Bequest #3, I knew our heroes were headed to the east coast to take on the United States government. This brought back memories of my visit to Washington D.C. three years ago. My wife and I took a tour bus at one point to save on some of the walking we would do that day. 

I saw Human warrior Warlock Garthodd and Half-Elf Jerril Fain as sitting on a bus traveling to or around the Capitol, while Night Elf Creedux Sharmae, their mentor and dragon Relik, and Wood Sprite Billi Uft-Imp lay on the floor in the entryway between the seats. I wasn't sure if Relik and Billi were sleeping, or exhausted from a fight.

I noticed something covering Relik, and draped over Sharmae. I assumed it was a tourist map.

 

I started in on hair and skin coloring. Gray and silver for the bus interior shouldn't conflict with any of my color choices for the characters.

Wait. Perhaps they weren't riding on a city bus? Right. Garthodd must be driving Relik's van. A blanket likely covered Sharmae and Relik, not a map.

Along the way, I realized I had mistaken a portion of Relik's jacket for Billi's blouse. I've never found a good way of removing colored pencil, so I colored the rest of his jacket light blue for a base.

 

I associate Relik with wearing black and plum jackets and coats, so I thought about working toward both those colors. Then I thought: midnight blue is close to black, and would still show up the inked areas, so I left his jacket blue.

I wanted purple and green in the picture, so I made the seats Jade green. I really wanted lavender for the blanket. Rather than add too many colors, I opted to go with a green blanket to go with the seats.

When painting ceramics, I use yellow as a base color before applying gold. Sadly, when I applied my Gold colored pencil over the yellow, Sharmae's earrings got lost amid her skin and hair. 

 

Jeremy Colwell was always going to color his image different from me. As you can see, he gave Relik the plum jacket I wanted to. Interestingly, the shoulder strap from Relik's jacket actually belongs to another blue jacket draped over him and Sharmae. So it's a blue jacket, not a green blanket, or a city map! 

Hm. Who the blue jacket belong to?

As for how I got Garthodd's arms and hands so completely wrong, I have no explanation.

 

I want to thank Freddie E. Williams II and Aftershock Comics for sharing those fun black & white sketches with readers. I don't know if anyone else will color them, or do any other fan art to share their love for The Bequest. If they do, I hope they do a better job than I did. 

Given its mature tone and thought-provoking themes, The Bequest is a great fantasy series that teens and adults will enjoy. It deserves a big audience. Writer Tim Seeley, penciler and inker Freddie E. Williams II, colorist Jeremy Colwell, and letterer Marshall Dillon have created an interesting and entertaining group of characters. 

May Garthodd and his War Party protect the portals between Earth and Tangea in many more adventures, for at least seventy-four more issues!

Dragon Dave

The Bequest #3 Review: Battle of the Monsters

 

The Bequest #3 Cover by Freddie Williams II & Jeremy Colwell

In The Bequest #3, vengeful one-eyed monk Epoch Craev has teamed up with the politically astute Dylan Medici. After capturing a horde of magical creatures, the two take to the road. Soon, TV stations and internet news sites are filled with reports of the monsters that the men are gradually releasing across the United States.

As in The Bequest #2, we find Human warrior Warlock Garthodd watching TV without his pants on. This time, he's watching the news, as opposed to 1980s Fantasy movies. In his defense, I must also mention that Night Elf Creedux Sharmae, who reminds me a little of Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, is mending his only pair of pants.

No doubt, if Garthodd had a spaceship, he would claim that, seen under a blacklight, the interior would resemble a Jackson Pollock painting.

 

Relik is the War Party's guardian and mentor in this Earthly realm. He is not only sensitive to the tension in the veil between worlds. He is also concerned about the terrors Epoch Craev is unleashing on our world.

He decides to seek guidance from the Chamber of the Unopened Book. 

I don't know if colorist Jeremy Colwell colored the portal pink because the Mistress of the Rose wears red roses, the Master of Cups drinks red wine, or because Relikiquarfek, who goes by Relik, can transform into a Crimson Dragon. But in The Bequest #1, when Jarril Fain calls on the Mistress of the Rose to whisk the War Party away from the battle between Igneous Dragon Veristine Kole and Epoch Craev's army, she transports them away in a similarly pink bubble.

Nor do I understand the specific duties of the Council members, or how they relate to this (sacred?) Unopened Book. But as I learn more about the members of the War Party, I've grown more sympathetic to Garthodd, whose parents are on the Council, and has not lived up to their expectations of becoming a great Warlock.

In fact, when the Council decides that the War Party should sit this one out, and let the Earthly authorities handle the monsters Craev and Medici are unleashing, it is Garthodd who suggests they intervene.

Is this because, like Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy, he's found a nobility of purpose? Is it because he lacks purpose, and gets bored just sitting around? Or is it because, as Jerril Fain suggests, Garthodd just wants to get up his parents' noses?

In any case, this otherworldly conference call, and the Council's approval, will launch Relik and the War Party on a road trip in search of monsters.

 

If you haven't noticed by now, writer Tim Seeley uses The Bequest to speculate on the way the media shapes our opinions, and how seemingly rational people adopt views that seems so irrational--or even hateful--to others. While Epoch Craev and Dylan Medici are dedicated to their holy causes, they form an uneasy partnership. 

Craev may have initially recruited Medici, but I can't help but wonder if Medici isn't becoming the stronger of the two.

Oh, and if you're wondering about Dylan's eyes, that's a power that Epoch Craev gifted him in The Bequest #1. If he hasn't already, the one-eyed monk may well rue the day he decided to recruit Dylan Medici and his white supremacist followers.

While he's found that Dylan is a man with such political and financial connections, and is extremely driven and astute,

Dylan is also a man of very strong opinions.

When those opinions are even questioned, Medici has a boiling point that letterer Marshall Dillon reveals with screeching clarity.

Of course, along with the heady political and media speculation, writer Tim Seeley also throws in the odd bit of satire.

Penciler and inker Freddie Williams II continues to impress in The Bequest #3. In addition to gorgeous panel transitions such as those between Epoch Craev and Dylan Medici, this issue features many scenes in which Garthodd, Sharmae, half-elf wizard Jerril Fain, wood sprite Billi Uft-imp, and Crimson Dragon Relik take to the road.

Let the Battle Of The Monsters commence!

In addition to great panel transitions, Williams' point-of-view also amazes. After the panel in which Garthodd gets knocked down, Williams angles the camera lens up from Garthodd's chest. I can only imagine Garthodd's shock when he sees Sharmae catch the sword the monster knocked from his hand, and leap over him to attack. 

There are so many gorgeous panels with the War Party fighting the horde of monsters Craev and Medici are unleashing upon the United States. It's hard not to show them all. But I know your time is valuable, and you're anxious to get on to other things. 

Still, I thought I'd end this review with a final teaser. As in The Bequest #1, Relik never fails to impress when he transforms into his alter ego.

Or is it his true self?

 

As Craev and Medici traveling east, they intend on ushering our country, and perhaps our world, into a new and better age. Can Relik and the War Party stop them before the chaos they unleash creates an End of Days for the world as we know it? If you have not yet picked up The Bequest #3, be sure to do so tomorrow, when you visit your local comic shop.

While you're there, you might also want to pick up The Bequest #4. Assuming Craev and Medici's monsters haven't totally disrupted UPS delivery schedules, it should be there tomorrow too.

Dragon Dave

Chiron & the Moons of Jupiter

 

In Starlog Issue #13 from May 1978, Terran Travel Agent Jonathan Eberhart announces an exciting new travel destination. Dubbed "Object Kowal" after astronomer Charles Kowal, this recently spotted spacial body could be a planet or a comet. Alternatively, it could also be an asteroid, or even a moon that escaped its planet's orbit.

In case the scientific community decided it was a planet, Charles Kowal suggested the name Chiron. Some in the popular press welcomed this new addition to our solar system with open arms. "Welcome tenth planet Chiron," their headlines proclaimed.

Much has changed since 1978. Pluto, the only other spacial body rotating our sun that shares a blue atmosphere with Earth, no longer allures as a possible travel destination, since it has been striped of its status a planet. Yet Object Kowal, or Chiron, still intrigues. 

 

 

As it orbits our sun, and exhibits the characteristics of a comet, the scientific community recognizes Chiron as both a minor planet and a comet. As a minor planet (or possibly, like Pluto, a dwarf planet), it is known as 2060 Chiron. As a comet, it is called 95P/Chiron. 

If the possibility of traveling to a place that is both a planet and a comet doesn't excite you, how about taking a tour of Jupiter's moons instead? In the same May 1978 Starlog article, Terran Travel Agent Jonathan Eberhart informs us that astronomer Charles Kowal has recently discovered Jupiter's thirteen moon, as well as another spacial body that might someday be confirmed as the planet's fourteenth moon. These days, in the shiny new year 2021, the scientific community recognizes not just fourteen Jovian moons, but seventy-nine.

I repeat: Jupiter has a whopping seventy-nine moons! Jupiter has a staggering seventy-nine moons! Jupiter has a mind-blowing seventy-nine moons!

The pandemic may currently be limiting Terran travel destinations. Yet I cannot help be excited by the possibilities. Imagine visiting a place that is both a minor planet and a comet! Imagine exploring all of Jupiter's seventy-nine moons!

When the pandemic winds down, and the interplanetary cruise industry ramps up, I know which tour I want to book. How about you?

Dragon Dave

Review: The Bequest #2

 

 

I had trouble procuring The Bequest #2, as Diamond shorted my local comic shop (LCS) two weeks running. I saw it in another shop, so I figured it would eventually arrive. But either it sold out right away, or my LCS ordered fewer copies than the first issue, because I never saw it there. 

Eventually, I checked it out at another shop. The cover didn't attract me like the first issue had. Nor did it feature a dragon. I also think that the darker colors didn't show off well in the shop. 

Doing a casual flip-through, I was also put off by a few things, such as the characters just lounging around, hanging out in bars, or fighting with a bouncer. Nor did this issue feature any back-end extras, such as the bonus character sheets in issue #1. 

Still, I had enjoyed The Bequest #1. I had enjoyed writer Tim Seeley's run on Bloodshot. I had enjoyed a series titled The Infinite Adventures of Jonas Quantum drawn by Freddie Williams II several years ago. So in the end, I bought The Bequest #2 from my non-local comic shop, and took it home.

The excitement starts right away, as an old woman is awakened by noises. Marshall Dillon gives each utterance a different appearance. This makes sense when we realize that the woman keeps a collection of creatures in her castle.

 

Unfortunately, the woman faces a worse threat than the ire of her hungry animals. In comparison to the organic appearance of the sound effects in the previous panel, the all-too-regular POK POK POKs exploding out of Freddie Williams' panel suggest that something foreign to the realm of Tangea is occurring.

 

Ah yes. Orcs with guns. Every animal-keeper's worst nightmare. But why would they kill an old woman? Or did the orcs storm her castle for another reason?

 

In The Bequest #1, four renegade adventurers were conscripted to guard our world against those who use magic to transport themselves between Earth and Tangea. Lacking a threat, Billi Uft-Imp and Warlock Garthodd may not make the best use of their time. But Jerril of the Rose uses his abilities to learn about this strange land called Chicago.

He's surprised that he can entertain a child merely by summoning a spark of light, or the odd card behind the child's ear. Apparently, she doesn't need a fireball or a wraith to be delighted!

I don't know if colorist Jeremy Colwell darkened the interior of the Ferris Wheel, or if Freddie Williams inked it in. Whatever the case, I find the way Jeremy colored the scene--with the bright lights, the fading colors in the background, and gradations of blue in the sky--tremendously appealing.

 

 

Tim Seeley indulges in a lot of humor in The Bequest #2. After spending her evening listening to a woman playing the blues, Sharmae discovers that the beer the bar serves doesn't agree with her. Her conversation after the show, as the musician takes a break between sets, is delightful. 

 

 

I also liked this exchange between Billi Uft-Imp and Relikiquarfex. The latter usually goes by Relik, and should the need arise, can transform into a red dragon.

Also, after years serving as a guardian on Earth, he's still fascinated by the lyrics of the song "Puff the Magic Dragon." 

 

Relik and his new helpers face two dangers in The Bequest #2. One comes from the creature featured on the cover. It's somehow traveled to Chicago from Tangea, and is preying on those who venture into the underground. 

The second danger comes from the one-eyed monk Epoch Craev, along with renegade caster Diedree Dohl, and his followers. They don't belong here, and they intend mischief. Perhaps worse.

 

 

There's a lot going on in The Bequest #2, even if the issue seems to get off to a rocky start, and at times feels like a middle chapter. Freddie Williams II and Jeremy Colwell create very appealing scenes. Tim Seeley's story, artfully transcribed by letterer Marshall Dillon, makes me even more intrigued to continue on with this series. 

The series features coarse language that may turn off some readers. The mature tone of The Bequest may warrant parental supervision for younger readers. But if you're intrigued by the direction of this series from Aftershock Comics, with its back-and-forth between Earth and Tangea, and its mixture of magic with the mundane, you may want to pick up The Bequest #2 and give it a try.

 

 

The Bequest #3 comes out today. As you can see, Relik returns to the cover in full-on dragon mode. I need to know what will happen to Relik, Sharmae, Billi, Jerril, and Warlock Garthodd in issue #3. Have I fallen under the spell of The Bequest?

Time will tell...

Dragon Dave

 

Review: Orphan and the Five Beasts #2

 

Orphan and the Five Beasts #2: Virgin Art

In writer, artist, and letterer James Stokoe's new series Orphan and the Five Beasts #2, Orphan Mo combats a powerful adversary. We don't know his given name, only the name by which he is now known: Thunder Thighs. From the virgin art for issue #2, you can see why.

Before little Mo takes on this Goliath-like combatant, she remembers what her beloved Master told her about him.

Before he took in Orphan Mo, her Master once trained five apprentices to safeguard their land against the ravages of an invading warlord. Of the five, Thunder Thighs was the Master's most powerful. He trained harder and longer than any of his fellows.

 

 

Due to his inclination toward lower body strength, the Master gifted Thunder Thighs the supreme leg aspect. With this and his rigorous training, Thunder Thighs became the living embodiment of the "Two Trees Bearing Heaven" style.

Unfortunately, the warlord then ravaging the valley caused too much suffering. Like his apprentices, Thunder Thighs didn't have time to complete his training. He lacked the mental, emotional, and spiritual disciplines necessary to temper his insatiable physical drives. He and his fellow students were rushed into the battle.

 

 

After achieving victory against the warlord, he and his fellows assumed the danger was over, and they needed no more of their master's training.

Nonetheless, Thunder Thighs had a conscience. Unlike his fellows, who went their separate ways, and did not return to their master, Thunder Thighs worried about the defeated army. If he left them to their own devices, what would prevent the soldiers from becoming bandits, and causing even more suffering in their land?

So Thunder Thighs took on the responsibility of becoming their leader. He started off with the noble goal of mobilizing them as a Robin Hood-like figure. Instead, over time his unprincipled followers influenced him, and his overwhelming physical prowess eventually dominated him.

There's a lot to like in Orphan and the Five Beasts #2. In addition to learning Thunder Thighs' origins, you'll also enjoy Mo's incredible battle with him. James Stokoe's penciling and inking are beyond par, and his coloring style is refreshingly unique. 

 

 

I also like the little touches, such as the mazes behind Thunder Thighs (with icons of trees and a pillar) pointing to his upper legs, as well as the way he obscures the identities of the master's former apprentices. 

 

We don't learn anything of Orphan Mo's past in issue #2, but the fact that she's been a patient student becomes obvious. While Thunder Thighs relies on bluster and brute force from his legs, Mo fights a thoughtful, innovative battle. Even when the fight takes a wild and unexpected turn, she doesn't lose focus or hope. She adapts, and battles on.

 

 

As to lettering, I wish James Stokoe had made his narrative boxes a little bigger, and spaced out the lines a little more. Still, his dialogue balloons work well, and become especially fun when Thunder Thighs starts bullying poor Mo. And then, there are his expressive sound effects.

Orphan and the Five Beasts #2 serves as an cautionary tale of the danger inherent in rushing to achieve success before you're really ready for it. It features an intense and mind-blowing battle. It could easily serve as the basis for the most incredible martial arts fantasy movie you might ever see. 

Thankfully, we can look forward to two more issues in this short series. I wonder how  Orphan Mo can possibly vanquish the other beasts her master's former apprentices have become. Even more important, can she find a solution that doesn't create another future danger to her land?

 

The projected release date for Orphan and the Five Beasts #3 is June 2, 2021. This gives you plenty of time to hunt around your local comic shops, and pick up the previous issues, if you have not yet done so. 

I recommend asking your local comics shop to order your copy of Orphan and the Five Beasts #3 before this coming Monday, May 10th, which I believe is the FOC, or Final Order Cutoff. This is the final day your shop can order copies before Diamond ships them. That way, in case your retailer naturally scales down his orders for later issues in a series, you can make sure you'll get a copy.

 

Orphan and the Five Beasts Issues #1 & 2

 

After all, in addition to James Stokoe's story, you wouldn't want to miss out on what promises to be a beautiful four-part interlocking cover, would you?

Dragon Dave

P.S. Orphan and the Five Beasts #2 is in shops now, and available from Dark Horse Comics. The Previews World order code for Orphan and the Five Beasts #3 is MAR210286.