tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8882610517765002247.post1329730513750449872..comments2024-03-28T09:11:49.881-05:00Comments on Warren Peace Sings the Blues: Too Cool to Be Forgotten: Well, I don't think I'll forget about itAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13867868039166531163noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8882610517765002247.post-49255544084976937042008-07-24T20:17:00.000-05:002008-07-24T20:17:00.000-05:00Tucker: that's fair; I actually reread your post a...Tucker: that's fair; I actually reread your post about the book after I finished mine, and I think I did you a disservice by summarizing your review in two words when you actually did a fine job of explaining what you didn't like. Myself, I would obviously disagree; I think there's a lot more to the than a grown man acting all grown up in a teenager's body. When he gives advice to his friends, I don't think it's meant to be life-changing; it seems awkward and weird, like an adult pretending they're just one of the gang. Maybe I'm justifying aspects of the book because I like it, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing; when a book seems to come alive off the page, readers are able to connect with it and work out for themselves what isn't explicitly stated on the page.<BR/><BR/>Really, it's probably a matter of personal preference. Sometimes books connect with some people and not with others. I think I had a similar feeling to you when I read Alex Robinson's Lower Regions, since I don't really care a whit for Dungeons and Dragons. The cartooning was nice, but the story did nothing for me. But hey, that's what makes humanity interesting: diversity! Okay, I'll shut up now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13867868039166531163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8882610517765002247.post-43838263355864409212008-07-24T19:34:00.000-05:002008-07-24T19:34:00.000-05:00I don't really know what I can say about this beyo...I don't really know what I can say about this beyond what I've already said--I also liked the word page and the blank panel page that you point to, but for me, liking the stuff that was part of the technique and cartooning just made the experience of reading it that much worse. There's the proof in the book that Mr. Robinson is a talented, intelligent cartoonist. Yet for me, he used that talent and intelligence to throw off something that could have been done by anyone. There's nothing, to me, neccessary about something this sentimental. If Robinson were just starting out, if he didn't know what he was doing, I'd probably have a less of a visceral "what a shit read" kind of reaction. Some people would argue that the work should be judged independently--which is easy enough for me, having not read his other work--and I looked at this as a good artist wasting his time, talent, and the good graces that allow him publication. But it's obvious that, as you said, people I respect are telling the truth when they say they got into it. I think that's great--some comics are going to have that kind of realistic ground to differ on.Tucker Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10793079084633425826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8882610517765002247.post-57306781287583389672008-07-24T08:52:00.000-05:002008-07-24T08:52:00.000-05:00"as you point out, it's about memory and a middle-..."as you point out, it's about memory and a middle-aged guy revisiting the past to make sense of the present, and sentimentality is a huge part of that experience. No way around it."<BR/><BR/>Thanks for making that connection explicit. I pointed them both out, but I didn't really draw the line between them, and it definitely makes sense.<BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, I'm still in my (quickly-disappearing) twenties, so I've got a ways to go before being able to directly identify with Andy, I think. But the age of the reader certainly seems like it could be something to consider.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13867868039166531163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8882610517765002247.post-19436976222238747362008-07-23T23:53:00.000-05:002008-07-23T23:53:00.000-05:00For what it's worth, Brian Cronin liked it too. A...For what it's worth, Brian Cronin liked it too. And I absolutely loved it. Getting an advance copy was one of my main goals at MOCCA this year, and I had the chance to tell Alex that to his face. He said he only hoped it lived up to my expectations, which it did easily.<BR/><BR/>Those last two pages you posted are my favorites, and the ones that immediately come to mind when I recall the book...but when I was first reading it I was totally caught up in the story and only dimly aware of the storytelling technique. I was on a very heavy identification trip with the protagonist (some highly similar experiences there, and I quit smoking only a year ago so that resonated for me as well) so I can't claim to be impartial. Been there, done that, and (in a very literal sense) wore the t-shirt. But I think the criticism of sentimentality maybe misses the point of the story, i.e., as you point out, it's about memory and a middle-aged guy revisiting the past to make sense of the present, and sentimentality is a huge part of that experience. No way around it.<BR/><BR/>I'd be interested to see how appreciation of the book correlates with the age of the reader. Might be revealing, no?Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01714171897239398438noreply@blogger.com