Potluck and Pool Noodles

by: Jonny Hawkins

Graphic Novel Review: ATHENA: GREY-EYED GODDESS

Written and illustrated by George O'Connor, ATHENA: GREY-EYED GODDESS is the second volume in a graphic novel series entitled "The Olympians" that tells the story of the ancient Greek gods and their mythology. ATHENA isn't an origins story, although there is a very brief introduction that summarizes the events of the first volume in the series (ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS). Instead, ATHENA is a story narrated by the Fates that tells four distinct tales about Athena: how she came to possess Zeus' aegis, how she defeated the giant Pallas, what she did with Medusa's decapitated head after Perseus used it, and her weaving contest with Arachne. The stories are each different and reveal distinct characteristics of Athena. Although the book doesn't strictly follow some of the more canonical elements with certain Greek myths, the book does an excellent job of combining many of those varying and sometimes conflicting stories into a unified whole. Although tastefully done, ATHENA doesn't shy away from the violence contained in many of these ancient tales. The tales of Athena are wonderfully illustrated and lend themselves well to the visual medium of a graphic novel. The inside of the book contains a genealogical chart which is extremely useful while reading these tales of Greek mythology. At the end of the book, there is a note from the author, some notes about the text, a few charts about various characters in the story (Perseus, Medusa, and the Fates), a bibliography, and some discussion questions. ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS was the origin story of the universe of the Olympian series and I like the way the series is progressing, now focusing on just one Olympian each. Overall, ATHENA: GREY-EYED GODDESS is a great book that anyone with an interest in Greek mythology is sure to appreciate.

Graphic Novel Review: ZEUS-KING OF THE GODS

Written and illustrated by George O'Connor, ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS is the first in a graphic novel series entitled "The Olympians" that tells the story of the ancient Greek gods and their mythology. ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS isn't just an origin story about Zeus. It's also an origin story about the creation of the universe and the world according to the ancient Greeks: from Kaos came Gaea (Mother Earth), from Gaea came Ouranos, and from Ouranos & Gaea came Kronos, and from Kronos came Zeus. ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS explains what happened to Zeus' ancestors, how Zeus freed his siblings, and the war that raged between Zeus and Olympians and the Titans. Although tastefully done, the story doesn't shy away from the violence surrounding the creature of the universe. The story is wonderfully illustrated and lends itself well to the visual medium of a graphic novel. At the end of the book, there is a note from the author, some notes about the text, a few charts about various characters in the story (Cyclopes, Metis, and Kronos), a bibliography, and some study questions. Overall, ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS is a great book that anyone with an interest in Greek mythology is sure to appreciate.

No Exit Polls in Heaven and More

 

Comics by Jonny Hawkins

Book Review: TESLA'S ATTIC

TESLA’S ATTIC is the first book in the planned “The Accelerati Trilogy” by authors Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman.  The book revolves around middle school student Nick Slate and what happens to him when he moves into an old house in Colorado Springs with his dad and younger brother after their mother tragically dies in a house fire in Florida. The house they move to in Colorado Springs was given to them by their Great-aunt Greta and at one time belonged to the famed inventor and scientist Nikola Tesla.

After moving into the house, Nick discovers an attic full of what appears to be old household items. To raise some money and clean out the attic that he wants for his bedroom, he holds a garage sale and sells most of the items. However, some strange events happen at the garage sale which leads Nick on a quest where he discovers that the items he sold weren’t ordinary. Each of the seemingly ordinary objects contains strange and mysterious properties, such as a wet cell battery that brings dead creatures back to life, a Speak and Say that completes sentences and tells the truth, a baseball glove that attracts asteroids, and a camera that only takes pictures of the future. Nick and some of his new friends eventually realize that the objects once belonged to Nikola Tesla. Nick decides it would be better off if they collect the object and keep them safe. But Nick and his friends aren’t the only ones interested in tracking down the objects from Tesla’s Attic. There’s a secret organization called The Accelerati that is determined to find as many of the Attic objects as possible to use for their own nefarious purposes of molding the world and controlling people as they see fit. It’s an adventure Nick believes he was born to begin, but one that’s extremely dangerous.

TESLA’S ATTIC is a very enjoyable read. For children and young adults who might not be familiar with Tesla and his genius, TESLA’S ATTIC can work as a catalyst to learning more about him. The book is fairly easy to read, does a really good job of portraying realistic characters, and is full of exciting and unexpected turns (there are a couple towards the end that I did not expect at all).

The story is told from an omniscient point of view, which is a bit unusual in the current crop of young adult fiction. Personally, I usually enjoy omniscient point of view stories better than those told from the perspective of one character as it gives the story a deeper and richer texture.

Overall, TESLA’S ATTIC is a thoroughly enjoyable, thrilling, and fast-paced story that leaves the reader in eager anticipation of the next volume in the trilogy.

THE KRONIES, Episode 1

I really found this cartoon funny. Despite your politics, you have to admit, it's a creative way of reaching out to the world. I'm looking forward to more episodes of The Kronies.

A Quote About Christianity

"Christianity is a faith for all people, but it is not a faith for all notions and ideas." - @MattWalshBlog

The Temperance of the Christian Life

Meet James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD) This Friday

Ever see THE DUKES OF HAZZARD? Well, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best) will be in Greenville, IL this Friday and Saturday. He will be giving a special one-man show at the Globe Theatre Friday night and will be at Greenville Graffiti on Saturday as an honored guest and judge. If you are available Friday evening, I highly recommend you come out for the one-man show. It's not all that well known outside the entertainment community, but Best ran one of the most respected acting workshops in Hollywood for several decades. In addition to his cast mates on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD he was a mentor to Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Gary Busey, Teri Garr, Lindsay Wagner, Farrah Fawcett, and even Quentin Tarantino. If you have an interest in the movie business, this is one show you don't want to miss out on. Hollywood doesn't come this close to your neighborhood very often

Book Review: LOUCH

LOUCH is a biography about Louis "Louch" Baczewski, a simple man of Polish descent from a small town in southern Illinois who would grow up and fight in WWII as a combat tank driver. Louch was a part of the 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, First Army. He was one of only 18 men out of 152 in his regiment to survive the war without injury and was the only combat tank driver in his Company to make it through the entire war, from his arrival on Omaha Beach a few weeks after D-Day to V-E Day almost a year later without injury. He fought in some of the fiercest European battles that Americans were a part of, including the Battle of the Bulge. Louch's unit was responsible for the destruction of more German tanks, captured soldiers, and enemy losses than any other armored combat command in the war. After the war, Louch returned home to Pocahontas, Illinois and (despite some trouble with crocked union bosses) attempted to live a normal life.

LOUCH switches back and forth between chapters about Louch's life growing up, his experiences in WWII, and his life after the war with chapters about life and fishing along Shoal Creek. In these non-sequential chapters that usually revolve around fishing, the author discusses his experiences and memories fishing with his grandfather and family and the lessons he learned through these adventures.

LOUCH is told in a straight-forward manner that any reader can understand. The chapters about WWII are probably the most interesting for students of history, but the chapters about the life lessons learned and fishing are just as interesting, but in a different way.

Although, LOUCH is an interesting, informative, engaging, and entertaining book, it does have a couple of minor flaws. There are instances where the book unnecessarily repeats itself: an idea or sentence is expressed and is then repeated later on in a chapter and sometimes shows up again. I was focused on reading the book and learning about Louch's life, but there were times I noticed the repetition because it distracted me from reading.

The other flaw with LOUCH is the way in which the story is told. For the most part, the book is a story about Louch's life told in a sequential order that are broken up by chapters about fishing, life along Shoal Creek, or just some memories about the author's grandfather. Although I enjoyed these chapters, I wish they had been written into the story a different way, particularly the chapters that break up Louch's war narrative. Instead of augmenting the narrative of Louch's life, some of these chapters tend to distract the reader from the tale being weaved.

Despite the flaws, I enjoyed reading LOUCH. I grew up and was raised in a different small town about 14 miles away from Louch's hometown. I am familiar with Shoal Creek and as a boy spent time swimming in its waters and climbing along its banks. There is a chapter in LOUCH entitled "The Flowing Dao of Shoal Creek" and the title of the chapter aptly describes life for anyone who grew up near Shoal Creek. There is a tao (or dao) of living that one discovers when raised near Shoal Creek; it is a way of looking at life and knowledge of living that is not easily described. This tao is evident in LOUCH and stirred old memories from my youth. Also, in reading about the author's relationship with his grandfather and how he came to write LOUCH, I was reminded of my own relationships with my grandpa and great uncles and the history I uncovered with one of my great uncles for an Illinois History Fair project in the 8th grade. It's been quite some time since I reflected upon those stories, but LOUCH reminded me of them and I am thankful for that.

Overall, LOUCH is the story of a seemingly simple man from a small town in southern Illinois. It has a few flaws, but is an interesting, informative, and engaging story nonetheless. It will appeal most to those who have an interest in WWII history, fishing, or southern Illinois, but it has something to offer anyone with a spirit open to the tao of Shoal Creek.

Graphic Novel Review: SMURF SOUP

SMURF SOUP is the 13^th volume of Smurf comics written by Peyo and issued by Papercutz.

SMURF SOUP includes three Smurf stories: "Smurf Soup", "Gargamel and the Crocodile", and "The Clockwork Smurf."

The title story is "Smurf Soup." Gargamel inadvertently leads a hungry ogre to the Smurf village. Papa Smurf convinces the ogre, named Bigmouth, that he has come to eat Smurf soup. So, Papa Smurf goes about preparing a special batch of Smurf just for Bigmouth.

Gargamel purchases a crocodile egg from a traveling salesman which quickly hatches in "Gargamel and the Crocodile." Gargamel plans to skin the animal and use it in a Smurf-catching potion when it gets bigger. However, the creature grows faster than expected and causes more trouble than anyone would have imagined.

In "The Clockwork Smurf" Handy Smurf builds a mechanical Smurf to help with chores. It also makes perfect sarsaparilla. Gargamel catches the Clockwork Smurf along with two other Smurfs and plans to use them as part of his plan to get revenge on all of the Smurfs.

SMURF SOUP is an enjoyable read. The stories are a bit longer than the typical Smurf stories, which I really enjoyed. This book is a must have for a Smurf fan's collection. Also recommended for younger children who enjoy comic books.

Casting Castanets

Book Review: SCHULZ'S YOUTH

 A few years ago I came across a book written by Charles Schulz entitled YOUNG PILLARS. The book contained many of the one-panel strips that Schulz had drawn for the Church of God youth magazine. SCHULZ'S YOUTH contains all of the "Young Pillars" strips that were ever published, including some that haven't been in print since they were first published in the magazine. These strips are all one-panel strips featuring teenagers (that look somewhat like older versions of "Peanuts" characters) and the humorous antics of their Christian lives. For instance, there are a lot of strips about teaching Sunday school, youth group meetings, and conversations about dating. Except for the occasional reference that is no longer relevant (e.g. a mention of Pat Boone), these strips are still relevant today. In addition to the "Young Pillars" strips, SCHULZ'S YOUTH also contains all the strips of another strip Schulz drew for a different Church of God publication. The other series contained in the book is "Two-by-Fours" and features a group of preschool children in a series of one-panel Christian-themed gags, some of which contain no words. SCHULZ'S YOUTH is a unique item that makes a great gift for any Schulz fan. It also has an audience in fellow Christian believers who enjoy comics: many of the comics in the book make great inserts for church bulletins and newsletters.