One of 6 drawings drawn Sunday evening during my live drawing program Sunday evening.
The chat area turned to ‘A Christmas Carol’ briefly, thus, I doodled this.

Drawn live with no pencils and made up as I drew.

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons by Frank Tieri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been rather uber-critical of recent (Past 20 years) comics. I find this above most. There is a very good story included. The conspiracy theory angle is as much a part of our wonderings of history as that documented. I just wish this volume had better explored the ideas, intertwining the conspiracy with the drive of the book. I’m just very glad the angle was presented and included in the tale.

The plotting is wonky with far too much real estate dedicated to interior prison scenes and too much silly fighting of monsters. Structuring the story via the Queen and Drake to the prisoner to the monster would’ve worked better.

The critique of the artwork is about the same as I’ve written of other recent comics. The style is Lladro where Armani was needed. A grittier style was essential to give the book the weight it needed. Full sets of teeth and perfect nails are impossible of any working pirate back then.

There are a series of historical inaccuracies begging why use historical figures at all to avoid the trap? Example was mention of mutinies, which rarely occurred. The Media presents such silliness which makes little sense when cooped on a finite area of a ship. Democracy reigned with ships’ crew to keep all alive.

Still an admirable effort to present the story. The ability to read this prior to publication is due to access via NetGalley.com

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.

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The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A klonky tale that juggles a bit much, but wraps nicely.
The writing is typical Dickens with his melancholy trappings. This should end joyously, but that is not Dickens’ drive.

The interactions written by each couple is exemplary prose. Each character well defined to enhance each couples interactions. Certainly, the strength of the book. I’d like to have read Dickens’ writings of each couple in separate volumes.

Strung together, Dickens seems to have struggled to get it all to fit. Maybe he should have focused on individual couple.

Nevertheless, a fine book.

Bottom line: 8 out of ten points.

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One of 6 drawings drawn Sunday evening during my live drawing program Sunday evening.
Co-host, 10 year old Alex got on a track of his own improvisation, using Russian accent, with a very clever tale of corgis and Russian spies.
As he spoke, I draw this. Is that a corgi dog a Russian spy? 😀

Drawn live with no pencils and made up as I drew.

Bugs Bunny’s Christmas Funnies (Dell Giant #3) 1952 by various stories
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

100 pages of real comic book content! Outstanding artwork (Especially the Walt Kelly ‘Sniffles’ story.) and great stories. This is beyond what comics are supposed to be.

The first story is lengthy in typical comic book terms, running nearly 35 pages. It’s a clever story of Bugs Bunny, his pals, escaped circus animals and how Santa Claus can solve a problem and a problem solved for Santa.
There are a number of short tales with the Chuck Jones’ 3 Bears, Daffy Duck, Panco Vanilla, etc. Most are Christmas related. There are also some games and crafts included and the 2 pages written story.
All of the stories are great to excellent with such clever writing that would be above the heads of young today.

The Sniffles tale is Walt Kelly producing top level illustration work and a great story of Jack Frost.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.

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The Frontier Overland Company by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The endless Johnstone Clans continue with still another one involving a couple blokes running a stagecoach company in unfriendly territory. This features a large cast, but a cast of typically strong Johnstone characters. The character I liked best – and would think a good helmer of a Johnstone series – is Hunt.

The plot of this book should’ve stretched three books and another example of the overlong Johnstone book for sales purposes. This is a very good tale and a plotting not found of the few hundred Johnstone books I’ve read. So much happens that the book does get exhausting at points.

The angle of the stagecoach brings traveling characters and the stagecoach business and those running the local towns into a story that is headlines by the two running the featured stagecoach company. The story is so well written that all of the characters involved are not mixed up or similar.

The only troubles I came upon could have been due to this being read pre-store appearance via NEtGalley.com. Lots of editing missteps which does mix up characters and spellings. That and the length that should’ve been edited into other books. Especially considering this book leaves a cliffhanger to point to the second entry.

This is one of the better Johnstone Clan books in recent years with an exciting plot and worth the reading journey.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of ten points.

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An 11″x 14″ watercolor caricature I did ten years ago. Back then I was having to use watercolor bristol paper.

5 years ago I was brought into a Bahama Breeze in Brandon to draw some caricatures. There was a restaurant event involving pirating. Per chance, I had been wanting to illustrate my friend, Linda Ellwood, family story of her early family members that settled during the pirating days in, what is now, Jacksonville.

Here is the illustration that I ad penciled and began to prep for watercolor. I had done all this and caricatures in a couple hours.I drew this on 19″ x 24″ Crecent board.

Later that week I added a bit more to it. Then I had to drive a couple mile somewhere. I was tired and not paying attention. When i got to the destination, I noticed my trunk was open. I had had the illustration in the trunk. It had flown out.

I spent a coupel hours trying to find it, but didn’t It was so big, it’s hard to imagine not seeing it. I have no idea what happened to it.

There is still a hope maybe I hadn’t put it in the trunk and maybe slipped it somewhere in the house.
Currently, I’m disassembling the house.
Maybe I’ll find it!

I’ll let you know if I do!

Martinis and Murder by Henry Kane
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I see folks often reviewing and complaining of books that show age. Almost always that is of political views. This is one I can point to that is making the mistake I see & hear in current video on television and movies. This book is thick with the lingo that floated around New York City at the time. So, even at that time, the book was hardly readable outside of New York City or such urban areas. I can get through it due to being so familiar with the period. I can’t see a regular Joe getting through this book at all easily.

The larger problem is the structure of the plot that is much as a drying swamp with dialogue being the cypress knees. A reader, today, trying to negotiate the book will often get hung up throughout and. likely, give up.

This is poorly plotted and the writing it too obtuse.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.

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