STEAMPUNK

 (some information taken from the Steampunk wiki)

1.  Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, [...]]]>

STEAMPUNK

 (some information taken from the Steampunk wiki)

1.  Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy.

2.   Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk and shares a similar fanbase and theme of rebellion. Apart from time period and level of technological development, the main difference between cyberpunk and steampunk is that steampunk settings usually tend to be less obviously dystopian than cyberpunk, or lack dystopian elements entirely.

3.   The term “steampunk” was coined by science fiction author K. W. Jeter.

4.   Steampunk fiction focuses on real, theoretical or cinematic Victorian-era technology, including steam engines, clockwork devices, and difference engines.

5.   While much of steampunk is set in Victorian-era settings, the genre has expanded into medieval settings and often delves into the realms of horror and fantasy. Various secret societies and conspiracy theories are often featured, and some steampunk includes significant fantasy elements. There are frequently Lovecraftian, occult and Gothic horror influences as well.

6.   Because of the popularity of steampunk with people in the goth, punk, cyber and Industrial subcultures, there is a growing movement towards establishing steampunk as a culture and lifestyle.

7.   Steampunk was influenced by, and often adopts the style of the scientific romances of the 19th century, by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mark Twain, and Mary Shelley.

8.   Early authors of steampunk:  H.G. Well’s (The Time Machine), Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates, 1983), James Blaylock (Homunculus, 1986), K.W. Jeter (Morlock Night, 1979 and Infernal Devices, 1987).

9.   Steampunk Fiction and Films:  The Gatehouse, Steampunk Speculative Fiction, Steampunk Magazine

10.   Steampunk Comics:  Girl Genius

11.   Steampunk Music:  Abney Park, Vernian Process

12.   Steampunk Art, Design, and Steamwork:  Heterodyne Designs, The Art of Alex CF, Crabfu Steamworks, Steampunk Wallpaper

13.  Some great steampunk websites:  The Steampunk Workshop, The Speculative Fiction Clearing House, The Steampunk Home, Brass Goggles, Steampunk Fashion (LiveJournal Community), Da Vinci Automata, Curious Goods, Datamancer,

Look here for some fantastic steampunk fashion!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1.  Jennifer McKenzie

2.  Tara S. Nichols

3.  Alice Audrey

4.  Paige Tyler

5.  Tempest Knight

6.  Inez Kelley

7.  Dayle

8.  Heather

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~ Pamela

Standing in line at a book signing is an exercise in patience, I tell you.  Especially on a hot and sticky Saturday afternoon in a small comic book shop with about 1800 fellow sweaty fans.  Lucky for me, my husband, Ryan, is a kind soul and let me sneak off for coffee and book browsing [...]]]>

Standing in line at a book signing is an exercise in patience, I tell you.  Especially on a hot and sticky Saturday afternoon in a small comic book shop with about 1800 fellow sweaty fans.  Lucky for me, my husband, Ryan, is a kind soul and let me sneak off for coffee and book browsing while he held fast in line at number 396.  Who was the object of this crowd’s unwavering affection?  Super-talented comic artist, Jim Lee!

Source Comics & Games in St. Paul, MN, scored big when owner Nick Postiglione bid a winning $7,000 on a store appearance by Jim which he put up for sale at the last Baltimore Comic Con.  All proceeds are to go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). The CBLDF is a non-profit organization which battles censorship and defends the first amendment rights of comic book professionals and retailers throughout the United States.

X-Men #1

Jim Lee rose to fame on X-Men with Marvel, helped form Image Comics, them moved to DC Comics.   X-Men #1 is the best-selling comic book of all time with sales of 8 million copies of the first issue, due in large part to the varient covers illustrated by Jim.

I was turned on to Jim’s art by my husband who has been his #1 fan since childhood.  When it was finally our turn to meet with Jim, my stomach was all aflutter to match my husband’s shaking hands.  Each person could have Jim sign two items and Ryan had picked his with care.  My first gift to my husband when we were “dating” (across three states), was an original artwork of Jim Lee’s from Grifter/Shi (a solo title for a main WildC.A.T.s character).   It has special meaning for us and Jim’s signing it would be icing on the cake.  His second choice was Absolute Batman Hush (written by Jeff Loeb, art by Jim Lee & Scott Williams), which some say is Jim’s best work to date. 

                        Grifter                                                     Hush

Ryan became an even bigger hero in my eyes (if that’s even possible) when he told Jim the story behind his wanting the original art work signed and went on to fill him in on how we met online and dated long distance; even how he stole a move from Max Farady (a character Jim drew for Divine Right:  The Adventures of Max Faraday) and took me out on a cyber/phone date as we both watched the same movie at the same time in our respective houses.  I’ll never forget Jim’s quiet, “Oh, wow,” as my husband slipped the artwork in front of him.  

Jim was so kind and personable and took quite a bit of time with us, granting us the two signatures, a sketch and two pictures!  I later learned that he stayed until everyone in line got to meet him and get his signature.  He was to sign from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and we, at number 396, met him around 4:00-ish so you just know he was there for many more hours! Kudos to his girlfriend, Carla, who stayed with him the entire day!

Jim & Ryan 

Ryan and I left the signing with huge grins on our faces and happy songs in our hearts.  It was so nice to meet an artist who was so kind and generous.  We felt starstruck but also like Jim was a guy you could hang out and have a beer with.  My husband is an artist, too, and our day with Jim was inspiring and helped rekindle the creative flames once again. 

Thank you, Jim, for sharing your time and talent with us.  It was an unforgettable day! 

UPDATE:  After reading this post, Jim Lee sent me a message which included the following:

“Thank you for the very sweet writeup. I do like reading about people’s experiences at these types of events…makes you realize each and every person in line has their own unique story to tell. Thanks for taking the time to write it up…”

Thank you, Jim! 

~~*~~

Here’s a link to Carla’s live blog from Jim’s appearance at Source Comics & Games.

Jim’s Wiki 

An archive of Jim’s art

Jim’s MySpace

Jim and studio-mates art blog - gelatometti

Where to purchase Jim’s original art

~ Pamela  

“Hey, that does sound like a good book.  Who wrote it?”  “Neil Gaiman.  It’s a comic book.”  “Oh, you mean those superhero stories?  Nah, I don’t read that stuff.”  This is the overwhelming response I receive from other women after holding a conversation like this.  Heck, I’m fairly certain I gave a similar response [...]]]>

“Hey, that does sound like a good book.  Who wrote it?”  “Neil Gaiman.  It’s a comic book.”  “Oh, you mean those superhero stories?  Nah, I don’t read that stuff.”  This is the overwhelming response I receive from other women after holding a conversation like this.  Heck, I’m fairly certain I gave a similar response to my husband when he first broached the subject with me.  “I’m not really into superheroes,” I must have replied in fear that I’d be asked to read one.
 
It may be true that there are plenty of stories with two dimensional alpha male heroes who fight and conquer two dimensional supernasties from outer space.  However, there are also just as many stories that appeal to the non-fanboy/girl in all of us who appreciate a little something more. 

My first real venture into the more mature comic book world began with Transmetropolitan by writer Warren Ellis.  Transmet is a political post-cyberpunk series where gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem battles corruption and abuse of power in the not too distant future.   I read this in trade paperback form and learned a lesson in patience while waiting for each new collection of monthlies to be released.  It’s brilliant writing and definitely deserves a look.  MEK, a three issue mini-series about mechanical augmentation, and Two-Step, a futuristic romantic comedy described as “Pop meets Zen,” are two more fun reads by Ellis.
 
Author Terry Moore, recently wrapped up his Eisner Award winning serialized story Strangers in Paradise, in which he portrayed real women in real relationships.  Ellis’ Transmet opened my eyes to the world of comics, and Moore’s SIP is what kept me there.  The characters in SIP think and talk the way I do, have misunderstandings, and cope with self-doubt.  If I‘ve done my job and you‘ve decided to try at least one comic book, make it this one.  You can thank me later. 

Influential English author Alan Moore was one of the first to bring us adult themes with challenging subject matter.  His acclaimed graphic novels V for Vendetta, about an anarchist who fights a future British fascist government, and From Hell, which examined the Jack the Ripper murders, are certainly not kids fare.  Moore’s highly influential Hugo Award winning Watchmen depicts superheroes in as real people.  They’re neurotic, struggle with personal and ethical issues, and fail like the rest of us. 
 
Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, winner of nine Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards and three Harvey Awards, is a cult DC Comics classic about Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams.   It’s difficult to summarize Sandman quickly but let’s just say it is about how Morpheus begins to question is past actions and what happens as a result of his questioning.   It is interesting that more than half of its readers have been women.              
 
Maus:  A Survivor’s Tale, by memoir by Art Spiegelman, recounting his father’s struggle to survive as a Polish Jew during the Holocaust, won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award in 1992.  The characters are all written as anthropomorphic animals.  This is a multi-faceted important read.
 
Another one of my favorite comic book series is another Eisner Award winner.  Queen in Country, an espionage drama published by Oni Press and written by Greg Rucka features Tara Chace, a Special Operations Officer with the British Secret Intelligence Service, and a fascinating character to watch.   Rucka writes about real people in real and extraordinary situations.  These books are thrilling spy lit at it’s best.

If you’re worried about sticking out like a sore thumb while perusing the aisles of a comic book shop, have no fear, your neighborhood large chain booksellers now carry a wide variety of comics and graphic novels.  Warren Ellis has some interesting words to say about the comic store culture.

“That means getting rid of the talking Jar Jar Binks stand-up in the doorway.  It means racking he T&A stuff somewhere else.  It means focusing more on graphic novels than back-issue bins.  It means displaying your comics in the window, not the bloody toys, and making your standalone floor displays out of comics and graphic novels, no those stupid pewter figures for pretending to be sodding elves in role-playing games with.  It means talking to customers, not just standing idly by or peering over your till with an air of false superiority.  It means talking to the people who work in and run the shop, telling them what you think works, telling them what you want to read.  It means call-out sections where you rack by creator, and all the comics shops I know of that have tried it have discovered that it works very well indeed.  Because people who don’t come from the comics-store culture will walk into stores and look, not for a title, but the new Neil Gaiman, or the new Alan Moore, or the new Frank Miller.

Basically, if we’re going to attempt to drive new potential readers into comics store, we don’t want them retching from man-stench and cheap porno-manga the minute they get into the store.  We need to provide a mature environment in line with bookstores and record stores.  We need to provide a mature environment in line with bookstores and record stores.  A sense of relaxed professionalism.  An environment that’s proud to sell its wares, as opposed to covering them up with miles of Magic boxes or brazenly (or sloppily) leaving he ugly and ephemeral mainstream stuff in front and hiding the good stuff in back.  Newsflash; if someone newly interested in comics enters a comics store for the first time, odds are good that they’re not going to want this month’s AMAZING FROTTAGE-MAN.”

My hope is that at least a few of you out there reading my column will take a chance and run to your nearest bookseller, or better yet comics store, and pick up at least one of the titles I mentioned here.  Give it a whirl and report back to me with your thoughts.  I’d love to hear them.  Hey, maybe I’ll even be surprised by the response I receive during my next comic book conversation!

Popular books being adapted to comic book form:
 
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton
Dark Hunger in manga form by Christine Feehan
The Dark Tower by Steven King 
The Dragonlance series

Great websites:

Journalista
DiamondComics

I’ll talk more about women writing comics and comic book artists in a future column.

Inspiration comes in many forms. For some, ideas come through reading, for others, watching the challenged succeed at insurmountable tasks. Sometimes, inspiration comes from art. It can mean different things to different people, and all meanings would be correct.

  When I first discovered Natalia Pierandrei’s art on MySpace, it took my breath away. [...]]]>

Inspiration comes in many forms. For some, ideas come through reading, for others, watching the challenged succeed at insurmountable tasks. Sometimes, inspiration comes from art. It can mean different things to different people, and all meanings would be correct.

 
When I first discovered Natalia Pierandrei’s art on MySpace, it took my breath away. Natalia creates a cool, dreamy world you wish to get lost in. When I look at her work, I’m inspired to create something beautiful of my own.
 
Natalia is an illustrator and comic artist whose art is influenced by anime, gothic imagery, Art Nouveau and European graphic novels. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines: Realms of Fantasy, MINIMAG, Art Scene International, and Journal of Mythic Arts from Endicott Studio just to name a few.
 
She uses markers, colored pencils, watercolors and soft pastels to create the fluid lines and otherworldly colors that send you on flights of fantasy, floating on fairy wings and gossamer dreams.  Her interest in fairies and fantasy is apparent in her earlier sketches found at Flower Fairies.
 
Her subjects seem innocent yet worldly, as if they’ve lived for centuries yet have just opened their eyes.  They inspire me to create fanciful stories set in foreign lands, and then keep them all to myself, like a secret garden.
 
Nati’s work is known throughout the world.  The lovely Lady in Blue was on exhibit at April’s “Masters Reborn” group show in Portland, USA where she was a featured artist.

Is art inspiring to you?  Is there an artist whose work helps you to pick up a pencil and sketchbook, spread paint across a canvas, or even craft a story?  Does someone’s art help energize you or bring you peace?  Nati’s art does both for me.

Nati resides in Italy and is currently working on more projects for magazine and book publication. 

Look for her art book “Precious Things” to be released this year in France by “Le Calepin Haune Editions.” It will also be available at Amazon.fr.

For more on Natalia Pierandrei:
 
Nati’s Website 
Nati’s Myspace  
Nati’s LiveJournal  
Nati’s DeviantArt    

To purchase Nati’s art:
 
Etsy   
Cafepress