Red Loves Black , Moon Over Uno & Django Unclaimed

 August 31, 2023

   Look who's giving me the side eye.

Full Moon Over Uno

   Yes, we had a full moon sinking over the Seven Sisters this morning on our walk and Uno wouldn't stand for it. Well, actually, he is used to me telling him to sit by now (I had him sit at least five times on today's walk so I could take a photo of him and, well, you know).

Uno Is 30 for 30

   I tell him to sit and he sits down and laughs. "This is so funny," he seems to say. It never fails.

Go Figure

   I keep a narrative sketchbook where I grab inspiring examples of sequences that seem to jump off the page to me. Important for someone who aspires to telling a story in graphic novel form. I do this exercise so I can try and figure out the reason why certain things work together together. Here is a typical page.

Red Loves Black

   And here's a really good example of red loving black.

Django Fandango Unclaimed

   That's some major love right there. And, speaking of Django and love, my favorite little Aussie Bastard, James B. Mills, is taking us to school on this film in the next issue of True West. Here's a sneak peek at his opening salvo:

   "There are many disconcerting issues that a young historian of the American Frontier must confront as the ten-year anniversary of the release of Django Unchained recently passed without acknowledgement from True West and those who stopped paying attention to pop-culture when Reagan left office. The academic cliques presently holding positions of influence and seemingly obsessed with patting each other on the back for acting like Gandhi. The archivists still dry humping their sacred public domain photo collections and picking like vultures at the warm breathing carcass of every historian who comes their way in the hopes of foraging a dime. The deeply liberal and conservative outrage expressed over the moral implications of supposedly glorifying frontier violence by not continuously raking every outlaw and lawman who shot somebody over the coals for their 19th century actions. The creeping-up-the-spine concern over the apparent lack of interest in the American West among younger generations."

—James B. Mills

   And, here's another narrative page where I am noodling how much you can break the sequence and still have an emotional impact.

Narrative Breakdown: Walkdown Snoozer

   And here's a narrative page delving into the accumulation of head shots and what they might convey. The top three are from Cheryl Tieg's awful husband.

Hellraiser Head Shot Narrative

officeCapitol Request

"I want a Curly Bill t-shirt with 'I feel just...capitol!' on it. And please bring back the 20th anniversary True West Tombstone t-shirt. The one that says "The western that changed everything". You're a daisy if ya do! Thanks."

—Mark, True West Maniac # 235