Christopher Tolkien vs the Franchise

A rare interview with Christopher Tolkien has recently been published in English. (Originally in French.) It's a great read. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, the last quote sums it up well:

"Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed into the absurdity of our time," Christopher Tolkien observes sadly. "The chasm between the beauty and seriousness of the work, and what it has become, has overwhelmed me. The commercialization has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing. There is only one solution for me: to turn my head away."

On one hand, I can appreciate his dismay. The pop culture phenomena surrounding LotR over the last decade has distorted the voice of the original. The general public knows a different Middle Earth than what was first conceived. (Here's just one hilarious example.) I’m sure any artist would be equally frustrated by someone franchising their legacy.

The article leads me to a slightly unrelated question, however. Is it right for new generations reboot, remix and rewrite great works of art? The answer that comes to mind is: as long as the source is recognizable. Art given to the public imagination will always be freely interpreted and misinterpreted. Provided that the bread crumbs are intact enough, people can still follow the path back to the starting point.

But here's what really makes me wonder: if a ridiculous Denny's promotional leads someone to eventually experience the poetry of The Silmarillion, does that make it ok?

Monster ABCs Page 2

The second spread from my book project!

The book's progressing, bit by bit! C and D are next and nearing completion.

I have two friends who are firm believers in Bigfoot, Sasquatch, what-have-you. Personally, I think that in this smartphone age we'd have a video of him by now.

Monster Alphabet Page 1

First spread from my as-yet-untitled Monstrous Alphabet book:

So what's this project about anyways?

I came up with the Monster Alphabet project last October. It’s a simple rhyming book pairing each letter of the alphabet with a creatures from folktales, legends and myths.

The inspiration comes from my own experience learning to read. As a kid I was drawn to books featuring the weird and funny and fantastic. My early "reading" material came from the illustrations in Calvin & Hobbes, Dr. Suess, Where the Wild Things Are, Little Critter, and others. Eventually I learned how to read the stories that went with the pictures.

That's the philosophy behind this book. I'm not making a reading primer, but I hope the pictures and characters might be a gateway for young kids grow their interest in reading. I had many classes in Early Childhood Education back in college, and it's amazing what a healthy enthusiasm for reading can do for a child. It's got to start somewhere!

This is my first structured writing and illustration project. I've always wanted to make books, and I hope this is a creative kickstart. I've got many more ideas I'd like to tackle in the future. Since I'm just starting I knew I needed to work on something simple, fun and systematic. My goal is to take this project to completion - which in this case means a finished book submitted for digital publishing. 

Expected release: Summer 2013. I'll update progress along the way.

Nessie

Here's another early draft for my work-in-progress alphabet monster book:

N for Nessie. Watercolor + Photoshop

In other news, Christmas Break is almost over. I had big plans for making headway on book art, but family time and hosting guests took precedent. Not a bad trade off. 

Fatty Raccoon

A cut-n-paste cartoon from last spring. I can't remember where I pulled the critters from, but I know the ice cream came from an old copy of Wayside School.

Thoughts on PJ's Hobbit

What does Mr. Baggins hate? 

I saw An Unexpected Journey twice over opening weekend. First with a group of students and colleagues, second with a good friend.

The first viewing was like putting together a puzzle with pieces from two mismatched sets. I had recently revisited the book, so the whole 3 hours I was mentally parsing out what did and did not belong. Perhaps the next two movies will add more weight to the scenes that felt extraneous.

I’m glad I saw it a second time. While there are still poor bits, mostly in terms of storytelling and pacing, the good stuff overshadowed the bad.

The film’s best moments are when its characters are given room to carry the story forward without flashback, narration or extensive exposition. This is why the dwarves’ song in Bag End is such a stand-out scene. Yes, Howard Shore’s music is fantastic. But it also serves an important story point. The song tells us what the dwarves want – known as the most important story element; their primary motivation for the rest of the plot – while influencing what Bilbo wants. The dwarves sing of the wide world, tragedy and ambition – things the Hobbit has read about but never experienced. And the next morning, with yesternight's dreamlike events faded to quiet, Bilbo makes a small choice that influences the fate of Middle Earth.

(This, by the way, is my favorite moment of the movie and I believe the climax of Act 1. The camera lingers on Bilbo’s silent hall long enough for the audience to fill in the blanks and anticipate his decision. We put 2+2 together, making Bilbo’s farewell “I’m going on an adventure!” all the better because we’ve earned it.)

Middle Earth continues to be an amazing place on-screen, far bigger than what I visualize in the books. I love how Jackson’s crew utilizes the New Zealand landscape as an underpainting for Tolkien’s myths.  The vistas, design and architecture are what set these movies apart from most fantasy fare. As always, the Weta gang and production team are full of amazing artists at the top of their craft. Can’t wait to see what they've created for the next two films.

Letters and Monsters

I've been planning a new project this past month: an alphabet book based on myths and monsters from around the world. Hoping to complete it by February for digital publication, but this is my first go at a project of this length so you never know :). I'm happy with the thumbnails and sketches so far.

Below are the first three color comps. The first is nearing final rendering while the second and third are still in sketch mode.