This Summer’s “Must-Read” Book

This summer’s “must-read” (according to People magazine and other critics): The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (Ecco, $25.95). Take a first novel about a mute boy and his dog written by a 48-year-old Colorado software designer. Add rapturous reviews.

Then include a quasi-mystical moment involving Stephen King, who picked up the advance bound manuscript and started reading.

The reason? “I really don’t know. It just called to me. Sometimes they do that,” says King. His subsequent blurb begins: “I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.”

Released June 10 with a first printing of 26,000 copies, the novel is in its 12th printing with 170,000 in print, a large number for a first novel by an unknown writer.

“It’s one of those magical books, like Water for Elephants,” says Cathy Langer, lead buyer for Denver’s Tattered Cover bookstores. “The word of mouth has been huge.” It’s not just dog lovers. “It’s speaking to a lot of different people’s hearts.”

“It’s the Cinderella story we’re all so proud of,” says the book’s editor, Lee Boudreaux. “It’s such an wonderful, old-fashioned read. … You lose yourself in this book.”

She mailed the manuscript to King although she knew “he gets tons of galleys.” They met while working on the 2001 novel Black House,which King and Peter Straub co-wrote.

Set in rural Wisconsin, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle tells the tale of a young boy mute since birth. With his dogs, he confronts family secrets, tragedy and danger.

Like his protagonist, Wroblewski grew up in Wisconsin, where his parents tried dairy farming and running a kennel. His first memory at age 2 is of the family collie, and dogs remain a crucial part of his life.

The book’s success “has been just jaw-dropping,” he says. He has been too busy giving readings and interviews to celebrate.

As for his famous fan, Wroblewski says he and King have e-mailed. “We’ve exchanged thank-yous. I’ve been a bit tongue-tied. And I’m star-struck.” (From USA Today)

 

My Favorite Year by Stephen King

The best year for me ran from July of 1999 to July of 2000. I’d been hit by a van and busted up. I was in a lot of pain, but never so glad to be alive. Books never meant more to me, nor did writing. The best books, mostly read in bed or after hobbling to the nearest chair on a pair of Canadian crutches, were the Harry Potter novels — I read the first three in 1999, and they just took me away (I remember wanting some of that miraculous Skele-Gro stuff that the Quidditch players got after midair collisions). That was also the year I read Hannibal, and was bowled over once again by the sinister clarity of Thomas Harris’ prose. It was the year I read Amsterdam by Ian McEwan and Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (the latter in galleys). The year of Close Range, Annie Proulx’s Wyoming stories. All of these seemed like miracles to me at the time.

It was also the year I wrote On Writing, the bulk of the work being done post accident. That was a terrible, painful process, but the work itself seemed like salvation. Seeing that on Entertainment Weekly’s book list makes me happy. (Reprinted from Entertainment Weekly)

Bad Asses By Mark Todd

Mark Todd graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1993. He then moved to New York City, working with clients such as Mtv, Coca-Cola, Sony Music, The New Yorker and The MTA. In 2003, he moved back to southern California with his wife and fellow artist, Esther Pearl Watson and their daughter Lili, an avid artist herself. Mark also co-teaches with Esther at Art Center College of Design. His latest book, BAD ASSES is the authoritative visual catalogue of the baddest asses in pop culture. Three chapters cover guys, girls and the horses they rode in on. The zine is 104 pages and published by Blue Q.  It can be ordered here for $7.99.

Should Robin Be In Batman? Comic Legend Jeph Loeb Defends The Boy Wonder

The Internet fan community is in agreement: Do not, under any circumstances, put Robin anywhere near Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe, a world grounded in reality, where the laws of physics apply to hero and villain alike, where bullets wound and punches bruise. An acrobatic little kid in tights? Do it and I walk, Christian Bale even reportedly said recently.

Which is a little ironic, considering that one of Bale’s favorite Batman comics is “Dark Victory,” by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. And who do you think appears as a critical character in “Dark Victory”? (Hint: He wears a red and yellow costume.)

So how do you reconcile the two disparate viewpoints?

“Take the time to tell the story properly,” Loeb told MTV News. “There is a story of Dick Grayson and how he becomes Robin that is extremely moving and very helpful.”

In the events of Loeb’s “The Long Halloween,” which preceded “Dark Victory” and served as a partial inspiration for “The Dark Knight,” the main characters are all left alienated and alone, bereft of even a little hope. It’s Robin’s presence that can change that for Bruce, Loeb argues, creating a father/son dynamic that can mirror Wayne’s relationship with his own dad. In short, Robin can teach Bruce how to be more human, Loeb insisted.

“It’s all about building the relationship between Bruce and Dick. Dick hates Bruce. He doesn’t understand why it is that he needs to do this and Bruce doesn’t understand why he’s doing it either because he’s not a parent. He doesn’t know how to be a parent,” Loeb said. “And together, they make each other better people. So that for me would be the next step.”

But for all the fans already crying out in horror just at the thought of it, Loeb isn’t actually talking so much about Robin as he is about Dick Grayson. In fact, the best Robin story might not actually have “Robin” at all.

“I wouldn’t let him become Robin until the third act, if that. I think that’s the other problem when you tell that story is that there’s this rush to put him in a costume by the end of the first 20 minutes and in that case I think it’s a disaster,” Loeb said. “So if you look at ‘Dark Victory’ Tim and I went nine out of twelve chapters before you even started to talk about putting him in a costume and he doesn’t put the costume on until the last chapter of that book.”

What do you think? Could Nolan and company take another page from Loeb and actually create a Robin that works? Or is the character completely and totally dead to you? (Reprinted From the MTV Movie Blog)

How to Hide an Elephant

Worth1000 challenged Photoshop users to hide an elephant! Some of the entries are ingenious. Check them out here.

 

The Goon Coming To The Big Screen

 

Dark Horse Entertainment, David Fincher and animation house Blur Studios are teaming up to bring cult comic The Goon to the big screen as a CG-animated film. Created by Eric Powell in 1999, the comic follows the adventures of a muscle-bound brawler who claims to be the primary enforcer for a feared mobster. The stories have a paranormal and comedic edge to them and concern ghosts, zombies, mad scientists and “skunk apes.”

Powell, who broke the news Wednesday on his website, would write the screenplay for “Goon,” and Fincher would produce. No studio is yet attached, and deals are being negotiated. Dark Horse, which has a first-look deal with Universal, is aiming to develop the project in-house before setting it up. (From ComingSoon.net)