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(photo taken by author Steve Friedman at Yaddo, September 2019)
 

WHAT IS CINEMA?: I like a good franchise but Martin Scorcese made some solid points about the current state of the film industry (which can be applied to all our communication art forms) in his recent New York Times opinion piece.

I've felt emotional gravitas from the better made superhero movies but I may be too close to the source material. I think Scorcese's expanded essay speaks more to the art and exhibition of cinema which I mostly agree with. And, it's sad.

I would miss the theatrical experience if people would just learn to turn off their phones, STFU, and immerse. But, most don't and I'm a sensitive fool. I've gotten used to watching most movies at home on an old HDTV with Bose speakers. Alone.

I know what a "cinematic experience" feels like (the first scene in Raiders Of The Lost Ark -- and EVERY scene in that movie), Robert DeNiro's menacing "Are you talking to me?" monologue, and Thanos' existential finger SNAP, but what defines cinema? I never had to think about that. However, Scorcese has a lot of invested people talking about cinema and the power of film and its delivery systems, and that's important.

And, because Scorcese is a master filmmaker who has made brilliant, innovative, and highly influential films, and has been a driving force in helping archive and preserve cinema, I'm quite okay with his skewed view on current movie industry standards and practices. Were he to deep dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'm sure he'd find more merit to these "theme park" movies. Or, not. It's only one man's opinion. I don't think he's trying to squash superhero movies but, instead, reminding people the value and risk of cinema (per his estimation).

I'm a guy who makes indie-oriented, genre-flipping comics. Retailers and readers don't know where to place me. And, thus, my career suffers (and maybe that's a good thing). So, I feel the pain. But, is it literature? Who knows? Does it matter? Probably not. Comic books (whether mainstream or indie/alt) has always fought an uphill battle. Maybe a discussion like this, asking whether or not a Marvel movie is cinema, helps confirm the mediums influence in our modern culture?

Bottom line: what started as a flippant remark is now being teased out. I'm sure more dialogue and dissertations will come out of this.

Meanwhile, THE IRISHMAN (aka I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES) is Martin Scorcese's most retrained yet most mature gangster film. A story about an old man, not unlike your father or grandfather, reviewing the history and fallout of his actions. From the military to the mafia, Robert DeNiro's discreet portrayal of Frank Sheeran was just following orders instead of pursuing his family and his heart. A wasted life that wasted lives.

RECENT INTERVIEWS: In one of my favorite conversations, Whitney Matheson interviewed me for The Creative IndependentCartoonist and playwright Dean Haspiel on the value of community building, why imposter syndrome can sometimes be a good thing, and trying to tell stories that can somehow stand the test of time.

"Even though financially I’m still eating peanut butter sandwiches and takeout Chinese food, on paper I’m a success, because right now I’m in this awesome autonomous space where I’m writing and drawing something that I own and am getting paid for. That is the prize, isn’t it? That’s what success is."

Right? Gosh, I sure hope so. There's lots of stuff to chew on in this deep dive. Be sure to check out my 5 recommendations at the end of the interview.

I took part in a panel, "Exploring Webcomics With The Pros," at Baltimore Comicon on October 20, 2019. The panelists were Steve Conley, Katie Cook, Thom Zahler, and me, moderated by Bob HarrisonHere is a link to the audio and video at Pop Culture Squad.

MONSTER MASH-UPS: Gemini CollisionWorks is producing a serial podcast, LIFE WITH ALTHAARthe story of life on a distant space station, centered around Althaar, a good-natured ambassador of an insectoid race who wants to do his best, but is constantly tripped up in his dealings with other species by both his naivete and his nauseating body and sounds. Created by Berit Johnson and Ian W. Hill.

Jen Ferguson's MONSTER AND CREATURES SERIES MINI ART always makes for great early Xmas shopping.

Josh Neufeld and I interviewed American Splendor the movie writer/directors Shari Springer-Berman and Robert Pulcini. According to Bob, “Everything about the making of American Splendor was unorthodox and unusual.” For instance, the first day of casting was on September 11, 2001… Other tidbits include the surprising revelation that the film was heavily influenced by the Peanuts animated specials of the 1960s! As Shari says, “it was so important to Harvey to not be invisible, to not evaporate.”

Don't disappear!

--Dino

Listen to SCENE BY SCENE WITH JOSH & DEAN, the podcast that breaks down American Splendor the movie, Josh Neufeld & Dean Haspiel's relationship with the late/great Harvey Pekar, and growing up in NYC learning to make comix.

Read THE RED HOOK saga for free at Webtoon:
Season 1:  THE RED HOOK
Season 2:  WAR CRY
Season 3: STARCROSS

THE RED HOOK vol.1 New Brooklyn is also available at ComiXology
THE RED HOOK series published by Image Comics

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