papernoise blackbook

I had another terrible week. A week where I had no time ad all the wonderfully superfluous things like, among others, updating my blog. Maybe I have to accept the things as they are and renounce one and for all to the idea of posting here regularly… but whatever…

It’s no news that I don’t read a lot of comics anymore. I prefer to inspire myself with other media, like for example novels. I’ve stumbled over a couple of really interesting readings lalely, which I’d like to talk about here.

The first one is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a book that take the original novel by Jane Austen and turns it into something you’d actually want to read (as the book itself states). Apart from the illustrations, which are just plain lousy (why do they pay people like that to illustrate a book, while talented people have a hard time getting commissions?) and the fact that the book is no easy reading, it’s a great experiment and great fun to read most of the time. The author keeps the original plot and linguistic style, adddins a bit of zombies, gore and martial arts here and there. While this novel is not perfect (sometimes it can be tiresome to read, due to the old fashioned language, and the there’s some problems with the storyline here and there) I highly recomend it!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice_and_Zombies

Another book I’d like to talk about it In Cuniculum by Lapin. Unfortunately this one’s only available in English, but since It contains several illustratins by me, (attention: subliminal advertising) I though I’d talk about it anyway. Lapin has a highly imaginative and surreal way of writing, the short stories that make up In Cuniculum are sometimes shocking, sometimes fascinating. One way or the other, Lapin knows how to surprise you and the book is a great read I hope he’ll get it translated in the future!

www.lacarmelinaedizioni.it

The Last Librarian by Ryan Licata

The library was abandoned, the librarians long dead, yet the books remained impeccable upon their shelves. A hollow sound rippled from the volumes as Jane ran her finger along them. She had removed one, opened it to the middle page, when uneven footsteps shifted along the polished floors, with the echo of a tiny, insistent cough. Jane replaced the book, and turned towards the way she’d come, but there, at the top of the winding staircase, stood a woman of indeterminable age, with a feather duster, the sceptre of her reign, gripped in her blue-veined hands. “They’re not for reading!”

Hirundines, Ranae et Polypus by Lapin

“Una rana gigante ha occupato i nidi di rondine, scende su e giù, appare, scompare. Facendomi largo tra i curiosi, vedo uscire dall’angolo della sua bocca un tentacolo marrone, come la lingua di chi ha l’acquolina. E infatti: la rana cattura uno dei suoi figli; il piccolo si divincola con vivacità, lei lo calma con carezze, poi, occhi di mucca, lo sistema tra le fauci mollicce, inspira e inghiotte con uno schianto forte.
File di denti minuti come aghi.
Ora i tentacoli stritolano la rana terrorizzata, ma non saprei dire se si tratti della figlia inghiottita o della madre cannibale.”

Notes

I’m back from holidays! It’s been a great time, with lots of relax, fun and some wonderful people to spend time with. I had plenty of time to draw and doodle and of course I will be posting some of it here, a bit at a time. The break is over, from now on posting will be carried on as planned. A hundred word stories every Wednesday and sketches on Saturday.