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The Sandman: Overture

I recently finished reading the complete 75+ issue run of the multiple award winning and New York Times Best Seller graphic novel series The Sandman written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by many different artists with the majority of covers designed by renowned graphic designer Dave McKean. Published by DC comics under it's Vertigo imprint it ran from 1989 until 1996.
It quickly became one of, if not my most, favourite series in the medium. I could write post after post about the series but this particular one I want to focus on a special mini series that was released between 2013 and 2015 called The Sandman : Overture. Gaiman once again pens the series with artwork from J. H. Williams III and Dave Stewart this time around.

Overture once again follows the series protagonist Dream of The Endless, the titular Sandman, an anthropomorphic personification of dreams. Although, it is a prequel that takes place before the initial 75 issue run so it may serve as an excellent starting point for new readers. For me, having read through all those issues, thoroughly enjoying every single one and saddened that I didn't have another 75 to read through, Overture brought the series to an unbelievably satisfying conclusion and I would personally recommend reading them this way. I read the Deluxe Edition which compiles the individual issues and while it is written to Gaiman's usually high standard it's the artwork from Williams and Stewart that made this book transcend the medium of comics and graphic novels.

The front cover gives just a taste of what is in store for your ocular senses inside. Each page is a work of art and the style may change from page to page or chapter to chapter, or even when Dream is encountering different characters, like his father, Time, and his mother, Night. The typical structure of comic book panels is disregarded in favour of almost a free flowing form which remains obvious to the reader where the eyes should be drawn to and which text bubble should be read next.

 A quick Google Image search for The Sandman: Overture will show some other examples of I'm saying here but I would highly recommend you just read it and experience it for yourself. Even the pages that come between the storytelling are a masterclass of artistry. I read it digitally and compiled some screenshots of this image that comes between chapters.

 You don't even need to be a fan of comic books or graphic novels but if you have any interest in great storytelling and beautiful artwork do yourself a favour and feast your eyes upon The Sandman: Overture, you won't regret it and it may serve as the start of a new love for you, be it just The Sandman series or even the medium as a whole, as it has that kind of potential.

Illusion of Life

I've been reading a book on my commute to college for the last while now called 'Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life'.

Written by two of the animators that were a part of the legendary era now known as the Golden Age of animation, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, it's an interesting insight into not only the beginnings of the Disney company and how it operated in those early years before and during the Depression of the 1930's and beyond but also the people that are responsible for developing the medium and what we now know as the principles of animation. Most of the pages are illustrated with photos, sketches, animation cycles and full colour layouts which make it a joy to read through.

I found some good video examples of how, in just a few short years, the animation went from everything, limbs and objects alike, being completely malleable as if made from Play-Doh yet still very stiff and lifeless with scenes that just move from one 'gag' to the next without a sense of real storytelling, to actually having a basis in physics, adding that element of life that was missing while also telling an interesting story that would hold the viewers attention and make them feel involved and interested as to what was happening.
Plane Crazy - 1928

Through the Mirror - 1936

ItCH - Introduction to Conduit Human

The hominid designated to be the conduit for data and information relating to the media habits of the earth-bound human responds to the appellation  'Lee'.
Lee is a native of the island known as Ireland. He has resided in it's capital city of Dublin, specifically the northern suburb of  Kilbarrack, for the majority of his existence.

He is currently in residence in the metropolitan area of Tampere located on the land-mass known as Finland,
precisely 1190.1 km away from his location of origin and approximately the distance he feels away from the humans that he is familiar with when dwelling at the aforementioned place of provenance.

He has been known to quote as his favourite thing to do is 'making people laugh'. How unfortunate.
Compelled by the misguided intention of advancing his feeble mind and perceived knowledge and skill in the medium of art and entertainment they call 'animation', and the language of visual design, he is currently attending a prestigious (by human standards) institute of education.
Over the course of his life-time he has maintained an interest in this curious form of amusement along with equally, if not more so, peculiar forms of stationary leisurely activity known as 'comic books' and 'video games'.
This is the designated outlet in which Lee will transcribe our observations associated with any of the many forms of media that is produced by the primitive beings with the misnomenclature of 'Homo sapiens'. He may on occasion be permitted to espouse his own meandering, incompetent and ultimately fruitless observations and opinions on the same subject matter.

Conclude introduction.

Initiate operation.