Hey hey hey, it’s May!
I’ve been thinking about calling the monthly recommendations Tyrannosaurus Recs. Is that too vague? It’s definitely absurd but that hasn’t stopped me before. (I tried to name my son Taylor Rex so I could call him T-Rex but was vetoed by my wife. Maybe for the best. He sounds more like a pterodactyl.
Anyway, here’s this month’s recs.
Song I’m Digging
Pink Laundry is a new project from the front man for Judah and the Lion. I’m loving the crunchy guitar paired with the violin riffs on Float. If you dig this, check out Seasonal Depression which is also great. I’ve liked each of the handful of tracks they’ve released so far.
Book I’m Reading
Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert
This book is just gorgeous but it’s also lovely and fun. The kind of fantasy that pulls me in. Bea the girl and Cad the Galdurian set out to find Bea’s missing stepfather, a pig wizard. Also hopefully save the world from plunging into eternal darkness.
4 Minute Cartoon I’m Watching
The Ballad of Bea and Cad
So Lightfall was originally a short called Ballad of Bea and Cad. It was developed by Nickelodeon, which is where I initially heard about it. It is fascinating to see the similarities and difference between the animated and book versions. It’s a shame this didn’t get picked up. I mean come on, poisonous fish darts!
Twitter Rec and Full Length Cartoon I’m Watching
Michael is the co-director and co-writer of the awesome new movie The Mitchells Vs. The Machines. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s on Netflix and it’s great. His Twitter is filled with fun behind the scenes stuff about the movie and loads of shout outs and links to the folks that worked on it and their art.
What I’m Thinking About
I love and hate puns. (See Tyrannosaurus Recs.) When I hear someone else use them, I tend to think they are terrible and dumb, but when I think of one, pure genius! I think I like using them because I know they make others groan and that makes me laugh. My wife even got me a “Pun-A-Day” calendar. It’s pretty terrible.
I completely forgot about this, but I was looking back at an old notebook and Niles, the protagonist of Woodland Hills started as a dumb pun. I drew a picture of a skunk and wrote “fartie skunk.” Then wrote Farthur as a name. A mashup of fart and Authur. (Not great.) And then wrote “World’s greatest escape fartist.” Which I gotta say, I still think is kind of funny.
I’ve had some form of Woodland Hills bouncing around my head for at least 4 years. It has certainly evolved and changed, but the core of who Niles and JB are as characters was pretty much there from the start. Unlikely best friends revealed in a handful of crappy sketches over a few pages in a cheap spiral notebook.
I guess what I’m saying is, if you are trying to write endearing characters, maybe start with flatulent puns. Anyways, that’s what’s awesome this month!
-Josh
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