Top Ten - Comic Artist that should make Tutorials

As a isolated struggling aspiring comic artist the need for really good 'how to' tutorials becomes essential. Especially in light of not living anywhere near any great art schools or comic conventions that one could get good tips and advice from. Most of the 'how to draw' books, video's, and DVD's that are out there fall short of their promise and are nothing more than basic tips that most people learn after drawing the first few years.
Perhaps the reason that so few good tutorials or books on how to draw for comics or fantasy exist is likely because there may not be that many good teachers in the field. Meaning, you can have 1000 great artist, but out of that 1000 only 30 are good teachers. And out of that 30 probably only one will take the time to make a book or video about it.

And lets not fool ourselves here. Even the best made books on the subject often leave you scratching your head with less answers and more questions. And of course, no matter how many books and DVDs you own, none of them can make you a artist. Only time and effort can.

The subject at hand came up with a discussion with a close friend. It's one of those classic hypotheticals where you can  pick anybody in the world for whatever the scenario might be. In this case it was who would be some of the top artist we would like to see make video tutorials sharing some of their tips, tricks, technique, and advice. Well after a little thought, here is my list. It is not ranked in any order. I pretty much put this together as artist came to my mind. I will try to play the hypothetical part of 'director' for each of these artist in terms of what I would hope they will actually teach in their respective tutorials.

Frank Millers 'Sin City'

1. Frank Miller - Miller is perhaps one of the most experimental and continually evolving artist in comics. His style has shifted throughout the years to reflect both his skill and willingness to experiment. From his days on DareDevil, to the Dark Knight graphic novels, and to his creator owned work of Sin City Miller has shown considerable growth as an artist to which of many of his peers have sought to emulate in one way or another. Jim Lee's run on 'Deathblow' is one example.
A good tutorial by Miller should feature his expertise in the use of light and shadow displaying his ability to create eye grabbing contrast that few can copy. His innovative layouts give the reader a grand theatrical scope and feel making his stories larger than life.
Light & Shadow as well as layouts would indeed make a killer tutorial by Mr. Miller. 


 2. Arthur Adams - Known for his work on X-Men,

Longshot, Fantastic Four, Monkeyman & O'Brien, and various one shots and covers, Arthur Adams is a monster of an artist. There is a little, if anything, this man can't draw and render beautifully. His sense of detail can even put the mighty Jim Lee at shame at times while at other times he knows when 'less is more' in terms of details. His catchy and infectious line work has influenced many of the industry greats such as Jim Lee, J.Scott Campbell, and Erik Larsen just to name a few.
The best use of Adam's skill in a video tutorial would be showing his abilities in rendering things such as fire, smoke, rubble, holes in buildings, speed lines, destruction, clouds, various weather, and of course his specific rendering style for female and male characters. And lets not forget his wonderfully drawn classic monsters, everything from Godzilla, King Kong, to aliens, b-movie monsters to anything in-between. 

3. Kelley Jones - I think I first became of aware of Kelley Jones from his work on a four issue limited series on Venom (one of Spider-Man's rouge gallery). In the limited series Venom fought the X-Men villian Juggernaught. How cool is that? But of course everyone remembers Jones from his run on Batman. And what a run it was. Fresh off the heels of the Knightfall storyline where Batman gets his back broken by the muscle bound Bane is where we are presented with a new terrifying vision of the Dark Knight. One where Batman is no longer this silly crime fighter who fights in broad daylight along side other superhero's throwing out cheesy one liners. No, Jones Batman is more like a demonic thing on a mission. Always sticking to the shadows and not above using violence or fear to achieve his ends. Its clear to any novice that Kelley Jones has studied the master of horror Bernie Wrightson to some extent. Although the influence is evident Jones still has his own thing going on artistically.
Jone's use of light and shadow and his expertise of horror based story telling is something sorely lacking in today's comic artist tool box. I would wager one hour's worth of a quality lesson from him could potentially equate to a decades worth of value.


4. Erik Larsen - A true comic book fan if there ever was one. Erik Larsen has been drawing comics since he
was a child where he would draw a couple of pages of his creation Savage Dragon, staple it together, and share with friends. He has drawn for Marvel, DC, and of course Image Comics (of which he is a co-founder). Known best for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man and The Savage Dragon. What earns him a place on those top ten artist to make a tutorials list is the fact that he embraces everything that makes comics fun; action, big guns, explosions, fights, witty dialog, strong women, and off the wall insanity! The Savage Dragon became Larsen's outlet for creative expression where his only limits are the one's he puts on himself. His art much like his stories continue to evolve. His earlier work resembled John Bryne's with a mix of Arthur Adams and possibly a dash of Walter Simonson for flavor. These days his works resembles invokes a lot of Jack Kirby, Walter Simonson, Mike Mignolia, and Herb Trimpe. There are other influences too that are still prevalent in his current work, but I really don't want to list them all! Needless say he studies everyone and borrowing a bit here and there from people.
Larsen would truly shine in a comic book art tutorial by showing us how to convey 'action' in a scene using both characters and backgrounds. His use dynamic poses that are a tried and true standard for any superhero genre artist. And finally, his Kirbyistic backgrounds and monsters are a welcome homage to the 'King' as well as a treat to fan's. If Erik Larsen couldn't make a good tutorial, then I don't know who could.

5. Arthur Suydam - Suydam has been around for a while but only in recent times has he achieved the notoriety that he deserves. Old school fans may know him for his work on Mudwogs, Heavy Metal Magazine, Penthouse Comix, and House of Mystery (to name a few). In 2005-2006 Marvel Comics released a five issue limited series called Marvel Zombies where a world wide zombie virus has infected the world including all the superhero's and villians of the Marvel Universe. Although Suydam never done the interiors he did do all six covers. I would argue those covers reinvigorated career and introduced him to a new generation of fans. The Maxx creator and artist Sam Keith credits him as one of his influences.
Tutorial wise, it would be great to see his approach to mix media; his use of water colors, acrylics, and oil based paints as well as his composition and layouts methodology.



6. Adam & Andy Kubert - to say some good tutorials by these two

are long overdue would be a bit of a understatement. Considering the fact that they are the sons of comic legend Joe Kubert, they are both teachers at Kubert School of Cartooning, and they both have amazing careers in comics spanning decades who could be possibly more qualified than these two? Which it is surprising they haven't done any tutorials yet when you factor in that the Joe Kubert School already has six tutorial videos for purchase on their website (all of which are done by their dad Joe). Why haven't new tutorials been made by the brothers? Questions aside, both men have worked on books such as: X-men, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, The Incredible Hulk, Kazar, Superman, Batman...etc.
Having been both active professionals for several decades now as well as teachers in the field who better to have tutorial videos? A course on anatomy, storytelling, coloring, inking, and perspective that either goes in greater depth than their dad or shows things Joe may have missed would be killer to see indeed.

7. John Byrne - One of the most influential artist of the 80's and early 90's, John Byrnes has a left a big mark on the comic book industry like a impact crater from an an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Like the legends before him, first with Jack Kirby, then later with Neal Adams, Byrnes became a huge influence on some of the greatest artist of the 90's. Artist such as Jim Lee, Erik Larsen, Dale Keown, Todd McFarland (to name a few) and under appreciated artist such as Dan Jurgens and Tom Grummett. A powerhouse not just with the pencil but also in terms of his writing ability where he can tell both self contained stories and big story arcs while never loosing focus on character development and common sense. He portfolio includes: Fantastic Four, the X-men, The Incredible Hulk, Alpha Flight, She Hulk, The West Coast Avengers, Spider-Man, Superman...etc. To be honest if I could get a hour long video of Byrnes showing his approach to drawing comics I would be beyond thrilled!



8. Adam Hughes - What Dale Keown and Bart Sears are for drawing muscle dude's is what

Adam Huges is to drawing the female form in all it's glory. When compared to J.Scott Campbell, Michael Turner, Arthur Adams, and Marc Silvestri, Mr. Hughes doesn't quite get the same attention as these other great artist who render women with such beauty and ease. But having said that Hughes brings a realism, fun, and subtlety sexy to all of the women that he draws when in comparison to other artist. And unlike other artist Hughes hasn't capitalized on his abilities as an artist when compared to others in his field. For example J.Scott Campbell often drawsa female centric cast of characters (Gen 13 & Danger Girl), which is his specialty. Hughes for one reason or another has not done that or at least consistently. He does however draw sketch books and sketches at conventions that highlight his prowess at drawing women. 
A great tutorial on drawing, coloring, and poses of women would be without a doubt a best seller. 

9. Bill Sienkiewicz - like Jim Steranko before him, Bill Sienkiewicz helped to re-define what is possible as an artist in the comic book medium. Known mostly for his cover work on Marvels the New Mutants in the 80's, Sienkiewicz would go on to do many other covers for Marvel. These covers were works of art in their own right that one would expect to be hung in any museum around the world. Dabbling on the borders of the abstract Sienkiewicz wizard like control of colors and reckless abandonment results in work that few could possibly imitate. A video showing his use of water colors, acrylics and oils would be a sight to behold and hopefully something someone could learn from.



10. George Perez -  known more for his uncanny ability to cram over a hundred superhero's on a single page than compared to his stylistic sensibilities George Perez is a industry veteran that has left his mark in every company he has ever worked for. Most people instantly connect his name to his pencils on the Teen Titans and sometime later the Avengers. Personally I like the work he did for Malibu Comics on the Break Thru storyline and the few issues he did of the I-bot's for Techno Comix. His credits as an artist are endless. Why he tops the top ten of this list is he is a great story teller, great with layouts, great with covers, wonderful eye for details, and his amazing ability to cram a lot of characters in a single space. A George Perez tutorial would be well worth anyone's time and money. 






Well that's it. This is the list. Now, please note that this is my OWN PERSONAL LIST. This isn't some list complied through some national survey or any other means other than personal taste. And as I said before some of the people on this list happen to pop in my mind and I thought 'Great, I'll throw them on there'. Others are a no-brainer. There were a few artist that didn't make the list for one reason or another. Artist such as Sam Keith, Bernie Wrightson, Todd McFarland, Greg Capullo, Jim Lee, Norm Breyfogle, Marc Silvestri...etc. But I tried to pick people that it might be possible to get a tutorial from or at the very least really, really, really, should do one at the mercy for future generation of artist. Some people may have be excluded for health reasons or inability to finish things in a timely manner or would probably never consider doing a tutorial. At any rate, hope you enjoyed my list. I would love to hear what your list is and why. If you got time comment below.

Making Comics - Part 1

'The Zombie' by Brian Smallwood

My interest tend to be all over the place. Whether that be guitar, drawing, painting, writing, photography, film making...and on and on it goes. But the one common thread that holds them together is they are all creative outlets. Multiple uses of expression.
Of these creative outlets, drawing, and in particular penciling I would like to make a career of. Even though I'm open minded to having success in any field, this particular area of interest is where I wish to focus my attention. In particular, Comics.
So finally I get to the point!

Comics is a passion I've carried with me since childhood. It was in the 3rd grade in Elementary School  that I decided that I wanted to be a comic artist. Deciding this is half the battle, become one is where the true work begins. There is so many hoops to go through, trials and tribulations, and disappointments to endure, but if you truly love something then it's worth it. And it's worth it to me.

One big hurdle is getting your foot in the door in the comic industry, just getting people to notice you and your work. And there are so many talented people out there that your competing for the same audience that it makes it difficult to get noticed. So becoming comic artist, in my opinion, is a war of will and attrition. How bad do you want it, are you willing mentally to suffer for it, and how long are you willing wait?

The thing I've learn is it takes a long time to break into the industry with the major publishers. They get hundreds of packages from people like (or you assuming you draw) and they don't sift through them all. Most only look at your portfolio's only at comic conventions. So what do you do?
Artist Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon, Amazing Spider-man, Defenders) has the answer: "You draw comics". Really?!? Is that all it takes? What does he mean when he says  'draw comics'?  Well without hunting the direct quote down, he is basically saying stop making your main focus trying to work for the big boys (Marvel, DC, IDW, Darkhorse...etc) and just draw your own comics. Make up your own stories, your own characters, and just make your own comics.

Can it be that simple? Yes. These days more artist and writers get noticed and hired by the Big Boys for the work that they had done on their creator owned stuff. And lets look at this way. If your just drawing 5 pages of sequentials (drawings that tell a story) and just hoping to get noticed as well as get critiques, then you can only get so far. What are you going to do if you do get hired and you have to draw a 22 page book in a month when your only used to doing 5 pages at a whack?
See what I'm saying?
So Erik Larsen is right. You (assuming you draw as well as myself) need to make the main focus on drawing your own original stuff that is around at least 20 pages and hopefully impose your own deadlines for when you finish each project.

Another great example of the value of doing things yourself is in the figure of Jim Valentino (Guardians of the Galaxy, Shadow Hawk, Publisher of Image Comics). Jim in the early 90's was talked into leaving Marvel Comics to found a new comic company where creators retain the rights to their creations and have the potential to make more of the money they deserve. Of these creators to leave with Jim was Rob Liefeld, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarland, Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio, and Jim Lee. Together they would found Image Comics.
Valentino unlike most of the Image Founders had experience creating and publishing his own comics. This experience became valuable and asset to the Image Founders later on or at the very least Valentino himself.

Jack 'the King' Kirby drawing, inking, and coloring at his work desk.

Drawing your own stuff is only going to make you better. You will learn a lot for your going to have to constantly figure out ways to draw things your not familiar with (assuming your challenging yourself and going beyond your comfort zone). Maybe your make believe hero is flying over water but you've never drawn water before. So, you figure it out. You find references and doodle. That's how it's done.
The advantages of drawing your creations is your going to get faster at draw, get more confident that you can do it, get more experience at drawing different things, and start to build a good portfolio. All these things are null and void though if you do not challenge yourself. You must always challenge yourself. Because that is not only how you grow as an artist but also as a human being. Draw things your not comfortable with. Draw things you've never drawn before. Don't just focus on your strengths but challenge your weaknesses. That is how you get good at your chosen craft.

No matter how many 'how to draw' books you have, no matter how many 'how to draw' dvd's you have, no matter the connections you make, no matter how well you promote yourself on social media, all is pointless unless YOU DO. Be a do'er.  These things that I've mentioned will not magically make you a comic artist. The bottom line is you must draw and draw a lot. That is biggest advice you will get from comic artist.

One of my favorite authors, Louis Lamour, was constantly writing. He didn't care if any of his stuff got published or not (though I'm sure he'd prefer to have it published) for he was focused on writing. He wrote. He wrote for the love it, he wrote to figure out new ways to write better, he wrote out of habit, out of boredom, sometimes he forced himself to write when he didn't want too, and of course sometimes he got paid to write. Though I'm sure if this is a quote, I believe I read somewhere that he said something to the effect of  "If you want to be a writer, you write".

There is a overlooked movie by Sean Connery that came out around 2000. It is called "Finding Forester". Now this movie isn't that great but having said that it is good and worth watching. It was on Netflix there for a while so you might want to give it a view in light of this article. Finding Forester has a similar theme to the movie "Goodwill Hunting" (1997) except one of the main supporting cast is helping a brilliant mathematician in Goodwill Hunting, where in Finding Forester it is about helping a writer realize his potential.

 In Finding Forester, Sean Connery plays this recluse who lives in an apartment in a rough part of the city. A seemingly urban kid breaks into his apartment, almost gets caught, panics, and leaves in a hurry leaving behind his backpack. Inside this backpack is his journal or essays (can't remember). Long story short the two become friends. Mentoring one another. Sean Connery helps the kid become a better writer and the kid helps him assimilate back into society. About mid way into the movie Connery challenges the kid to write in his apartment everyday. To which kid replies "What do I write about?" Connery ain't having his shit. He tells him to write about anything. The kid don't know what he wants to write about. So Connery slams a book in front of him and says "Here, copy this." After a bit of a back and forth of the merits of it Connery eventually explains that the kid needs to copy his words until he can FIND HIS OWN WORDS.
Now I've seen this movie on tv probably 4 times in my life, but for some reason that line finally stuck out to me. If you have to copy what someone else is doing word for word, line for line, action by action, frame by frame..etc...then you do it. Other wise you will always be sitting there trying to figure out what you should draw, what you should write, what you should do....etc.
Ain't got no time for that.

So the kid copy's the first couple of paragraphs and eventually he did find his own words and wrote 20 or 30 pages of his words. All it took was to get in 'the groove' , in the habit of being a writer.
Well my friends, no matter what your passion is get in the habit of doing it. Whether it's copying someone else's work (as long as you don't claim it's your own) or doing something original or derivative, it don't matter. YOU MUST DO.  So go out and find your own words my friend. I know I am trying to find mine.

Well this challenge is to myself and to those of you that draw too (or whatever else); if you want to be a artist, you draw. It's as simple as that. After all the talk, all the day dreaming, and networking, it all comes down to you drawing. That's it. Whether that be for a hour a day or 10 minutes that's up to you. Whether it's everyday or every other day that's up to you. But if you want to be a comic artist and you want to get good you have to put the time and effort in  it. There is no substitute.
I encourage you to please re-read this post. Maybe over time you will find new things to gleam from it that you missed or maybe just wasn't ready for yet. I know in 'Finding Forester' after casually watching the movie 4 times over the years I missed that important lesson of finding your own words. But I am grateful it finally came to me.

In summary, this post will be part of a series on 'Making Comics'. Of course this is part 1. I don't know how many I will do. I could do 5 or 10 or 30....etc. It really depends on if I find anything worth sharing or talking about. For the most part these post will serve to document my journey as artist, writer, inker, and whatever and the evolving process I go through. Maybe you can gleam something from it or at least find it interesting.
Here's to 'Finding your own words' (lifts Pepsi can in the air).

Top 10 Bands - 'That You Need to Listen Too' ( #1)

In writing this piece, this list is more for myself than anything. Often we are bombarded by technology and competing influences and a lot of cool things get lost in the shuffle. And with that said, here is my Top 10 Albums that you need to listen too. These bands or artist may not be Hall of Fame worthy but they do make some good music. In putting this list together I tried mainly to use bands that are a little more obscure or haven't had much mass appeal as of yet. This list is no particular order. Enjoy.

1. Baroness - A really good jam band that are a slightly dark sounding prog-rock. You will hear more riffs than actually signing. Great music to have playing in the background for when your working on something. If I had to describe their sound further, it would be the soundtrack to a medieval odyssey, a journey of time and space. Check out the 'Red Album". Who knows, after a listen, they may just be your new favorite band.

2. Gotye - This signer songwriter is interesting to say the least. Vocally he sounds like Sting (Police) and even sings like Sting! But that is where the comparisons end. Gotye is this atmospheric hipster pop. The songs themselves really don't focus on vocals but rather the mood the music is conjuring. Very light and delicate, but infectious at the same time. The music is similar to a modern Beck. His biggest hit to date is "Someone you used to know".  Other songs you should check out is "Hearts a mess" and "State of the Art".

3. ScissorFight - I used to get Century Media catalogs through the mail. That wad of paper was filled to the brim with artist and bands that I had never heard of. So in the early days of Napster, I would actually go through the catalog, pick the bands that seemed interesting, and search for them on Napster. And let me tell you, ScissorFight did not disappoint! They are loud, rude, fun, and lay down the thick riffs with your mother. Imagine combining the sillyness of the Foo Fighters, with a healthy dose of Black Sabbath, a pack of beer, and New Hampshire then you should create ScissorFight. Bottom heavy with their riffs, raw but understandable vocals, and extremely memorable lyrics, this is one band to brighten your day. Some songs: "Blizzard, Buzzards, and Bastards"
"New Hampshire was made for Fighting"  "Drink, Fight, and Fuck"....etc.

4. Iced Earth - Century Media's golden boys, this band has been around since the 90's but sound nothing like the 90's. If you were to mix the raw sound of Judas Priest with the technical precision and grand themes of Iron Maiden, then you might end up with Iced Earth. The band hails from Florida and does the state proud. Almost all of their albums are concept albums. Check out their album "Night of the Stormrider". Listen to it beginning to end and if your a fan of good metal, this is the band for you.

5.Quartz - the little engine that could of NWOBHM.  Everyone remembers Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Venom, and few others to just name a few, but somehow Quartz gets lost in the shuffle.
Creative grooves, good signing (think Coheed and Cambria) over Black Sabbath like riffs with slightly higher tempos (sort of like Heaven and Hell or Sabotage). The irony is Tony Iommi (guitarist of Black Sabbath) actually produced one of their albums. Great band that deserves more attention than what they get. Check out the song "Stand up and Fight".

6. Red Fang - With Red Fang they are a bit 'hit an miss' when it comes to their albums. Fans of the band would probably be up in arms about that statement, but I will concede that it may be more personal taste than broad appeal that I'm speaking about. They have much of the same energy as another band on this list, ScissorFight, but lyrically more subdued in comparison. This band has the potential to great. Be sure to check out their videos on YouTube. Its none stop fun is the best way to describe this band. Heavy with a sense of melody and not afraid to go into long jams, it might be time you gave them listen.

7. Ghost - Wow! What a band. What a band, indeed. Of all the bands on this list, here is one that consistently gets right almost every time. I am talking about albums that are good from beginning to the end. Their music seems timeless in the sense that it will age well with time. The songs themselves are simple and wouldn't be that hard for the novice guitarist to learn, but simple isn't always a band thing and this band proves it spades. The band themselves dress like druids with the singer looking like some undead satanic pope. The music itself sounds like new tunes from Blue Oyster Cult who are covering Black Sabbath (again another Sabbath reference in this list). The only bad thing I can say about this band, that as a Christian, I do struggle to listen to this guys. They sign about Satan, a lot! So if you actually pay attention to the lyrics and you happen to be a believer in Christ you will feel uncomfortable. But man, this band good. I wish they would lighten up on devil stuff for at least one album. No matter your personal beliefs this is a great band. Check out their first album. Google them. Now.

8. Mustasch - Bow to the Stach! These Swedish riff lords got their name from all their favorite rockers who they noticed all have mustaches. Tony Iommi, Freddy Mercury, Lemmy Kilmister (I think he was one, RIP)..etc. Imagine a band that has solid rock groove laiden riffs with a signer who has tone of a Freddy Mercury. Look at planet earth for you just encountered Mustasch. Love this band. Not everything they do is gold, but most what they do is gold. When looking this band up,  you need to listen to the album "Thank you for the Demon". Also, make sure you spell the name right or google will show you nothing but links to facial hair.


9. Steam Powered Giraffe - Well, honestly, if wasn't for their videos I'm not sure I would even listen to them. Having said that, their videos are good. This band is part of the Steam Punk genre (yes there is such a thing). Laid back Victorian musical landscape with folky overtones. Elaborate costumes, makeup, and mechanical choreography are the biggest things that stand out about Steam Powered Giraffe. Their music is decent. Very hit or miss.  I put this band on the list because you really need to watch their videos. Two that come to mind is "HoneyBee" and "Diamonds" as being among their best both musically and video wise.

10.  Perturbator  - if you love John Carpenter not just for his movies but also for the soundtrack to all his movies, then there is no reason you can't get into Perturbator. The music itself is part of the Sci-fi/horror Synthwave. Apparently there is more than one genre of synthwave. The great thing about their music is you can literally picture some awesome movie playing in your head. Very dark, atmospheric sounds that penetrate to all the favorite corners of your brain that you tend to neglect until flexed. Check out the album "I am the Night".  Good stuff.


That's my list. These band were named right off the top of my head. In no particular order. I may do other Top Ten list of the same topic (and other topics) to throw more little known or obscure bands out there. Any bands that you feel should make the list, let me know in the comments below.

"The Martian" - Movie Review

Well, just finished watching the film 'The Martian' directed by Ridley Scott (Aliens, Blade Runner, Prometheus...etc) and starring Matt Damon. What can I say other than I'm disappointed. For those that don't know I am a bit of a Mars enthusiast. I enjoy learning about space, the planets, the moons, and everything in between.  Mars in particular holds my interest for several reasons. One being it once had large bodies of water and ice. It was a warmer planet at one time. However today the planet is cold, possibly lifeless in terms of bacteria, thin atmosphere, and it's magnetosphere entirely absent. But at one point millions or billions of years ago it looked something like a primitive Earth, but something went wrong and scientist are still trying to figure it out.

So I know a little something about Mars I guess you can say. I can ramble on about it but I don't want to waste my typing energy on the subject just yet. Lets get back to the subject on hand; The Martian. The Martian is a movie about an NASA astronaut who is left behind during a sandstorm on Mars and assumed dead by the rest of the crew. So they leave the planet and head home. And let me say I am first and foremost annoyed at movie commercials that basically play the whole movie in a span of 1 minute. I already from the commercials know how the movie starts, how the protagonist deals with the situation, and that he makes it home. So really, what is the point of watching the movie for I've done seen the bulk of it in the trailer? I was hoping that it would still be enjoyable regardless. That really wasn't the case. I had hoped the film would borrow some key aspects of the movie 'Castaway' starring Tom Hanks. The plot for both movies are quite similar with some differences.  One key difference is Castaway takes its time and makes you feel what Tom Hanks character is feeling. And you get a very strong authentic feeling of being isolated. That aspect is missing in the Martian. The movie feels 'rushed'. And you really don't get the sense that he is alone on a hostile planet. You did somewhat in the trailers, but not in the movie itself. This could have been easily solved by not pointing the camera at Damon when he is giving his recorded status updates. Instead it would have been far better to see everything from Marks (Matt Damon) perspective. And we didn't need to see what all was going on with NASA or even at all. The whole movie should have been from Matt Damon's perspective.
Something else that hurt the feeling of isolation is the re-establishment of contact with NASA and the character Mark less than mid-way in the movie. Writing wise or drama wise, the re-establishing of contact in the movie hurt the movie in the long run. The main character, Mark, should have remained isolated in the movie to almost the very end leaving us, the viewer, guessing what would happen just as Mark was guessing himself creating a higher sense of empathy and relateability. Castway does this beautifully. This movie does not. And while I'm thinking about it, I found the science lacking in this yarn.

The big claim to fame for the movie is it's supposed science. Oh boy. I am no scientist or engineer or any type of great thinker known to man, but just a little basic research and you start to see how this film is flawed in several different ways scientifically (and from a writers standpoint).

First off, I like the fact that Matt Damon was trying to burn hydrogen to make water for his crops. That was neat. It seems plausible. I like the fact that there was a small explosion with his first attempt as a highly oxygenated environment is highly flammable and combustible (explosive). You can tell he puts thought into everything he does. Over mid-way in the movie part of his habitat explodes blowing the hatch and killing his crops. So question is, why didn't he foresee this? Why didn't NASA foresee this? Because at this point they were asking for constant updates as contact had been re-established. So they would have had to realize what was happening. And what was happening? Well the potato plants were creating excess oxygen in my opinion which led to the explosion. There is a certain mixture on our planet that makes up breathable air. A combination of co2 and Oxygen and few other elements. Too much or too little and we either can't breathe or we become 'high' on oxygen. Anyway, NASA should have known what could happen and told him to offset his Oxygen with more co2 (or at least in theory anyway). Seems like it could have been avoided.

Another pet peeve is the communication capabilities. It takes roughly 20 minutes (give or take) to send a message to Mars. And 20 minutes (give or take) to send a message to Earth. So roughly 40 minutes or more to have a two way conversation between somebody or even a rover from Mars to Earth. That is a bit of a delay. All through the movie you get the sense that messages between NASA on Earth and Mark who is on Mars is instantaneous. Although this movie seems to take place roughly 20 years in the future I still don't see technology growing to the point where we can send messages across planets faster than light. One day it may be possible, maybe within a 100 years. But the need for the technology isn't there yet. And it will probably be created by the private sector rather than a agency like NASA who operates on a shoe string budget.

All and all is the Martian a good movie? Its decent. After you watch it, you certainly aren't going to rush out and buy the DVD. The movie had the potential to be a timeless classic. But it suffers from lack luster writing, storytelling, drama, and not-so-believable science that can be 'googled' by any layman with access to a computer. If you want to watch what this movie could have been, I recommend you check out Castaway and the Apollo 13. Both movies oddly enough star Tom Hanks and have enough storytelling and tension to last a lifetime. I'm not sure what is wrong with Ridley Scott. His last movie Prometheus was ripe with terrible writing and poorly written plot that left many fans wondering 'What the hell have you been smoking?!?". Apparently, though this movie is nowhere near as poorly presented as Prometheus, it does leave any true fans of drama or science fiction a little disappointed in the end. Its worth watching, I suppose. Maybe. 

~ First Random Post ~

This is the story of one mans journey as he tries to make sense of and make the best out of day-to-day life. It is a monologue and autobiography of someone who is struggling to find himself and to understand where he 'fits' in society. Often, asking himself "Did I say the right thing? Did I do the right thing? Will I ever see more better days than bad?". Of course everyone at one time or another (and quite often if the truth be told) have had such doubts and wonders. This blog will be an open letter to not just the bad times, the odd happenings, self-amusing thoughts, but also to all that is good. All that makes life a great experience.

I was born and raised in Southeastern Kentucky. The son of a coal miner and grandson of a trucker.
Like many in Clay County, I come from a family who were ''lower class' who had worked hard to reach the middle class. Or something close to it anyway. At the age of three, my father, for one reason or another, left and never came back. And, as I type this, for some reason or another I find humor in it. Choice of words I suppose. One of the most important things I've learned in life is you need a sense of humor about anything and everything if you still want to be sane and happy should you make it to old age. There is, after all, plenty to be stressed about.

When my father left it deeply influenced my mental development as well as a multitude of choices, actions, and ramifications that will continue on until my very last breath. I chuckle again.  Despite the negative impact it had (as well as positive, if you can believe) I had a great childhood. In someways identical to the movie Sandlot (if you hadn't seen it I recommend you check it out. Its what I like to call a 'feel good' movie). I grew up in a holler which is a neighborhood built withing a valley of a mountainous region. No different from any other neighborhood in America with the exception of small creeks, trees everywhere, hills everywhere, and a forest in your backyard. I was raised by my mother and her side of the family. The Sizemores. Which is kind of funny considering I was the only Smallwood in the bunch. But when it comes down to it, I'm probably more Sizemore than Smallwood due to my upbringing I guess.

My family all lived next door to one another. I'm talking Mamaw and Papaw, grandmaw, my uncle and aunts, and of course my immediate family (my mother and the additions to come later under my 'step-father').
I lived in a wonderful holler called Chopbottom. Wonderful mostly because of the people. A place where everyone knew everyone. And at one time or another as a child I've played with every other kid in the holler. Whether it be softball, jumping creeks, exploring the mountains, foot races, games of tag or hide an' go seek, basketball, lifting weights, riding bikes, whatever you can think of you name it. And to top it off, I was born in the 80's! Kids today really don't have a clue what they missed out on in terms of toys, cartoons, tv shows, community, and the last of America's innocence in terms of believing the good times would last forever.

The 80's was the peak of success for Clay County. The Sweet 16 (a reference for a basketball tournament won by the county) made Richie Farmer a star, coal was still booming and industry was everywhere. Small businesses were a' plenty. Everything was just so, different, back then. That continued somewhat in the 90's. But also the 90's was the beginning of the end for a lot good things in the county. And we're still recovering.
Lack of leadership is to blame, but that is a story for a another day.

So having said all this, I just wanted you the reader to get a better sense of who I am as a person. Even though much of what I wrote barely scratches the surface it is a start. And to wrap this up I just want to say what this blog is for. As I said earlier, it really is a 'open letter'. Open, in the sense that it is 'open' to the public, to anyone who takes the time to read it. And a 'letter', in the sense that it is personal. Hillside Letters is a reference about where I am from. I write what I write more-so for myself than for anyone else. But at the same time I invite others to engage as readers to whatever it is I'm trying to write at any given time. Boy that was a mouthful.
In writing for myself, I'm hoping to preserve some memories from my past and as they are being made. So much happens on a weekly basis that can easily be taken for granted that when looked back on later in life is truly interesting, awesome, great, terrible, and fun. And, there is something to be said about putting words to paper (or as in this case fingers to keyboard). Verbal and written communication is vital to succeeding in life, and I really want to succeed. Communication really can make or break you and any future you hope to have. So that is another reason I've started blog. Blog, what a dull sounding word but fits strangely.

It's my hope that you take this journey with me. I can't promise you will always be entertained. But if I write half of what's in my head at least you'll probably find it interesting.