Change is in the air
or, I'm trying a new newsletter method
Why the switch?
I am switching from MailChimp to Substack because it seems like a more inviting place for readers. Mainly, it seems more community based, with the ability to share on my “page” what Substacks I follow. And I am not a fan of the MailChimp UI. I don’t know if this will be any better, but . . . Meh.
Sorry if that heading made you think I was going to talk about Nintendo. I can, though. I got the switch specifically so I could play Mario Kart 8 with my partner and brother. But then I also got a Professor Layton game and Just Dance 2022 (which I freakin’ love and no I will never play it with other people). And then Abe got Untitled Goose Game and if you haven’t played it, I cannot recommend it enough. Seriously. So. Much. Fun. You get to run around being a jerk of a goose. Does it get better? And finally (or most recently, I should say), Abe got Portal and had me try it out. Wow! Very fun. I love me a puzzle game and this one is disorientingly fun. And these are puzzles based on thinking about gravity and how rooms are laid out. Sounds dumb that way, but it is actually quite fun.
What are we doing?
I don’t know what you are doing. Other than reading this newsletter, I suppose. But I hope we will engage and discuss. I will share my projects and my freelance work but also the things I love (like books and the above games). And I hope you will let me know what you think! Especially about the games and books. I hope to post every other week or so, but time flies when you work too much.
Currently, there is no paid subscription, but you can get cool things over at Patreon instead. Most specifically, you will get early access over there: to process videos, to Parasolia. But you will also get a transcription of the journal pages from Parasolia.
A book or two . . . or five
Since I mentioned I would talk about the books I have enjoyed, I will tell you my top favorite Eisner nominees. I will be posting in more detail about all of the nominated books over at Patreon, but here’s the cream of the crop for me.
Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld: So funny. I literally was laughing out loud while I relaxed on the couch trying to be quiet so I wouldn't wake Abe asleep upstairs.
Geneviève Castrée: Complete Works: I don’t know how I missed her previously. We were in the PNW making comics around the same time and I would have loved her stuff.
Talk to My Back by Yamada Murasaki: beautiful art and contemplative comics. Also from the ‘80s, so it was interesting to see home life from my childhood era in another country.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton: I mean, I love everything she does, basically. So this was a no-brainer. But this was a heartfelt and thoughtful memoir.
A Frog in the Fall by Linnea Sterte - I got this from the Kickstarter and deeply regret not getting the print version of Council of Frogs. This is up for Best Publication Design and it should be. It is gorgeous!!
