Item #1 :
I was surprised to find myself reading a Vanity Fair article with Jennifer Lopez discussing her life after a few professional misfires and her break-up with Ben Affleck. That’s not really my thing, and I don’t really know much about either celebrity.
It’s called “Jennifer Lopez Says ‘My Whole Fucking World Exploded’ with Ben Affleck Split”, and it’s from a conversation in Interview with Nikki Glaser although the article is by Kase Wickman.
Item #2 :
The ongoing battle between passionate fans of Stan Lee and passionate fans of Jack Kirby just cranked up a notch with the publication of both Origins of Marvel Comics Deluxe Edition by Stan Lee, a project shepherded by my friend Chris Ryall. and the Stan Lee Lied: Your Guide to Every Lie in ‘The Origins of Marvels Comics’ by Chad Gower.
Who was the real hero of Marvel Comics? Lee or Kirby? Who was the villain? Why did they do what they did?
WHY are we all so curious about who did what? Why are we adamant about giving credit to folks who deserve it and scorn those who mislead it? And why, with creatiive partnerships, do we want to know so much about how they worked? Are we all just truth seekers? Or are we just gossips?
I dunno. That’s a big question.
But I raise these questions to contrast with a charming new book just published. It’s called The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien, and it’s written and illustrated by John Hendrix. I read about it in the New York Times book section a couple of weeks and was intrigued.
The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. Two mythical lands/classic fantasy series that are inexorably tied together.
In contrast to the Lee-Kirby or JLo-Affleck stories, Hendrix weaves a nuanced tale about the friendship of two scholarly authors and how they influenced and supported one another.
While each man may have denied it at various times, the impact each had upon the other was phenomenal. If these two men never met and bonded over a mutual love of Norse mythologies, modern readers probably wouldn’t have ever traveled to either Narnia or Middle Earth.
Yes, that’s right: If you like Aslan or Bilbo Baggins, you should be thankful to Thor for making it all happen.
The Mythmakers will be classified as a graphic novel, but it’s more of a mishmash of GN artistry and traditional prose. Parts read like a standard biography. Other parts are a dreamlike weaving of the fantasy and myth. Some of it is the story of two academics and other parts help define literary concepts like logos and myth. There’s a bit teaching about the ideas of Sir James Frazer, Max Muller and Joseph Campbell.
Somehow it all works and chugs along at a brisk pace enthralling the reader with high concept, historical insight and upbeat whimsy.
About 50 years my Aunt Marcia gifted me a boxed set of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books. I loved them. Maybe this holiday season I need to gift this book to her.
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Of note – One of my all-time favorites, Kolchak: The Night Stalker debuted 50 years ago this fall. The opening style of this week’s column is pure Carl Kolchak. I just wish my MacBook Air laptop made that clickety-clack like Carl’s typewriter.
