Sam Costello - Writer | Web Strategist

The Unwritten, vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity

the-unwritten-1

By Mike Carey and Peter Gross

“Stories are the only things worth dying for,” says a character in this meditation on the power of fiction. The main character, a Harry Potter stand-in, may not be a real boy, but a fictional-creation-made-real by his disappeared father. A large mystery world is established – and bears following into the next volume.

Buy The Unwritten, vol. 1 at Amazon

Books: 9/52

52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.

Feb 21, 2010 | Categories: 52 Books/52 Weeks | Leave A Comment »

The Other, by Thomas Tryon

the-other

A subdued horror novel about identical twins – one good, one evil. The book’s terrific atmosphere asks if the twins’ moral divide is so clear. Then it rewrites what you think is happening in a way that must have been shocking then and, though it’s been done a bit since, is very effective.

Buy the Other at Amazon

Books:8/52

52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.

Feb 19, 2010 | Categories: 52 Books/52 Weeks | Leave A Comment »

The Week’s Twitter Updates for 2010-02-15

Dear ComicPress, you and I are really starting to get along. I’m glad. Your pal, Sam. #
3 new pages of the “The Pieces of Meat”up at Split Lip today by me and Dirk Shearer. bit.ly/9AXTX5 #
Just discovered Brick City, a @SundanceChannel show about Newark, NJ, and Mayor Cory Booker. Amazing stuff. You guys seen this? #
Whew. Been working on comics for the last 3+ hours. I think that’s enough for a Friday night. Now: some iced tea! #
@debaoki I just discovered Beard Papa for the 1st time when in LA last week. It was awesome! in reply to debaoki #
You’re not assembling furniture until you do something wrong and have to remove lots of pieces and redo it. Done now, though. #
Needs revising, but I just finished a new Split Lip script. Sort of Fisher King via the Dust Bowl. When ready, it’ll be drawn by @tjkirsch! #
OK, still trickier than the average theme, but Comicpress is starting to make more sense. But wow does it have a lot of components. #
Haul me up the hillside, hold me high and let me go. #
@lazzyfair No, but haven’t looked much. I’d check those who did iPhone (comiXology, Panelfly, etc). Good article on it: http://bit.ly/clR9tQ in reply to lazzyfair #
@lazzyfair Totally. Getting that first number and barcode to put on your book feels pretty great. in reply to lazzyfair #
@lazzyfair It seems confusing at first, but once you buy one ISBN and set it up, it’s pretty clear/easy. in reply to lazzyfair #
@lazzyfair Then you create a book listing and assign it to an ISBN thru the website. Bowker.com is the ISBN org. They do barcodes, too in reply to lazzyfair #
@lazzyfair Basically, yeah. You buy a single, or 10 pack of ISBNs (maybe other groups, can’t remember). continued … in reply to lazzyfair #
@lazzyfair Not tremendously deep experience, but I bought a handful of ISBNs recently. Happy to share any of my experiences that are useful #
Wow, Comicpress is tricky. And I say that as a dude who can hack his way through WordPress themes with some facility. #
Oh boy do I love the ClickToFlash plug-in for Safari. No more Flash unless I want to see it. Goodbye browser crashes. http://bit.ly/etGck #
@jimhill Amazing, right? A friend recently interviewed w/ well-known news org.; was asked how she’d convince staff they need a website (!) in reply to jimhill #

Feb 15, 2010 | Categories: Split Lip | Tags: Split Lip | Leave A Comment »

Tokyo Vice, by Jake Adelstein

tokyo vice

This book tells an interesting story: an American becomes a truly rare thing – a reporter for the Yomiuri Shinbun, Japan’s leading newspaper. The book reveals Japan’s frustratingly chummy media and criminal justice cultures, but its progress bogs down until Adelstein’s passion – fighting human trafficking – appears in the last hundred or so pages.

Buy Tokyo Vice at Amazon

Books:7/52

52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.

Feb 15, 2010 | Categories: 52 Books/52 Weeks | Leave A Comment »

Garfield Minus Garfield, by Jim Davis

garfield minus garfield

The concept feels gimmicky (the title tells it: remove the titular character from Garfield strips), but it plays out inspired. Removing the main character reveals the darkly funny and truly tortured life of Jon, Garfield’s owner. A fascinating study in what happens when a seemingly crucial element is removed from a work.

Buy Garfield Without Garfield at Amazon

Books:6/52

52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.

Feb 13, 2010 | Categories: 52 Books/52 Weeks | Leave A Comment »

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