New Year's Wishes with Garth Marenghi

If I had one wish for the upcoming new year (other than the usual wish for everyone to have a fulfilling existence, play nice with one another and such), it would be that someone (anyone!) put this work of genius out in a format that plays in the United States.

England, seriously, please stop denying us. We're sorry about that whole revolution thing. Can't we share a scone and call it bygones? Pip pip.

(Thanks to the incomparable PK Hooker for tuning my into this.)

Book of The Year

At the end of each the year, there are so many "best of" lists that I can't hope to compile anything all that new. So I'll just recommend one of my favorite books of the year, which I only just acquired: Vivian Maier: Street Photographer.

If you haven't stumbled across her photography, you can do so on this site, but I can't encourage you enough to pick up the book as well. Vivian's story (a nanny whose artwork was discovered posthumously, by accident, in a Chicago thrift store), her artistic anonymity, and the beautiful observations comprising this volume all make the book worth looking through over and over again. What marvelously concrete unknowns. Thank you, Ms. Maier. Thank you.

AV Club's Best of 2011

It was an honor to see that Life with Mr. Dangerous was included among the The AV Club's Best of 2011. I was also very happy to see the (more than deserved) inclusion of Anders Nilsen's masterful Big Questions. (If you don't have that book, right that wrong: pick up several copies today.)

Farewell, Bookman's

I'd heard some mention of this before, but was still a little shocked to see this story today. Bookman's Alley, easily one of the coolest bookstores around (located in Evanston, where I live), is closing. I'll be sorry to see it go. These kinds of stores do so much more for a community than simply sell bound paper.

The Smear!

Head over to The Daily Forlorn for a page from Forlorn Funnies no.1, "The Smear."

(And scroll down to see some scans of the page in progress. If it looks from the posting dates that I drew the panels out of order... yes, I did. I have no idea why.)

SpaceWear

Take a gander at the evolution of the spacesuit at Retronaut, via the Smithsonian's Spacesuits book.

John Martz Mumblier

Is this new comic by John Martz amazing? Yes it is.

Take some time, let it unfold on you. (via Mumblier)