MY CURRENT WISH LIST
Or, it is all about me!By Alex NessAugust 12, 2026ART AND WORDSTPBs And Collections
Why that's an unusual selection, what is Alex Ness trying to tell us? well, I like art. I like Art books. I like art museums. And I like comics. My mind is not necessarily easily pleased, but if I am surrounded by beauty or fascinating images the story of the work shines through.
My favorite author, Robert E. Howard might have written occasional works that weren't great but I haven't read them. Conan is a wonderfully nuanced barbarian. He isn't a rapist or slaughter minded killing machine. His character works because it feels real, and there appears to be a lesser theme than his muscles and quick mind, he has a destiny that he is carving from time and action.
The Spawn characters were perhaps the reverse. I wanted to like Spawn, I enjoyed his creator's art. But the basic Spawn character was flawed. It assigned a morality to him that didn't sound like that of someone who'd give up his soul to save another. However, often, when I read the works of alternate versions of Spawn, show how the work could have been approached from the beginning. Spawn Dark Ages introduced me to Steve Niles. Medieval Spawn and Witchblade showed me the aspects of the character that felt far more authentic than the original. Not that I am taking a shot at the original creative force, because without the original version, the alternative version would never have shown the different versions I enjoyed.
Brian Haberlin is a wonderfully talented artist. And, like some other great artists, he has talents as well as skills writing. His art collection Oil & Water gathers his works that are epic and beautiful. I like his subjects, but more so, his collection of watercolor, acrylic, and oil colors works are tremendously rich, delivered with great impact. The art book is purely beauty on a page. His writing and art skills are immense, but I'd like to add, he is as kind as he is skilled/talented.
Jeffrey Catherine Jones was a great painter, her eye was fantastic, and her deeply emotive hand led the viewer to be moved, aware of the courage to reveal more than the action on the page. I am rarely as moved with Fantasy images, as I am with her work.
DIFFERENT KIND OF ART BOOKSMy love of Japan can be seen in the art that pours out from the nation. Beauty, symbolism, clarity of thought are traits that define the works from the creative minds of Japan. Masahisa Fukase was brilliantly talented, more so, he translated his life, his emotions and sorrow into image. He was moved by Ravens and considered them his focus area to express grieving following his divorce. More too, he fell down a long series of stairs and broke bones, and entered into a long period of coma, dying much later. I believe that his work is unique. The Solitude of Ravens was perfect, and beautiful. The artist of Japan prior to industrialism captured the beauty of the world, told in ways that would be considered symbolic more than representational. The Ukiyo-E was the style, the school of art.
Propaganda and the efforts to express a desired perception, are more than a political act. In this age where everything must be easy, simply moments rather than long or deep dives, the power of the words and arts serve a political goal. The era of needing to understand the underpinnings of information, losing memory is a dangerous place to be. I'm gathering more information rather than making firm my foundations. Understanding that propaganda might also be telling a version of the truth, but in a way aimed at guiding the viewers final verdict, propaganda is not about capturing truth, but guidance of the viewer's mind. I want to know more, because the future isn't going to be simple. So many sensory stimuli, so many auctions of truth, we need to perceive what is being told. That is why the three books shown are on my list.
MY CURRENT 24 FAVORITE FILMS
Some folks who read me keep track of my favorite films, as over the years there have been new entries, and some greater understanding of the themes, leading to an update. There are many films I love and can't change for anything new, but there are films that I didn't understand fully and upon deeper reflection, have risen in my esteem. The Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut is freaking amazing. Edward Norton, as Baldwin IV is as powerful as a human is able to be, he evokes so many emotions, while also being caged behind a mask for all but a second or two. I am also adding the film The Black Swan with Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara. The adventures of a reformed and good pirate, who is assigned to tracking and fighting evil pirates, a forbidden love story is not a work that will drive a person to distraction with subplots and complex stories. But sometimes something someone wants or needs to watch, is simple and fun.
This movie is beautifully filmed, in rich black and white. With a brilliant cast. The film is pregnant with themes that are demonstration of the loss of a classic eras as well as the loss of those heroes of that golden age. The most notable actors/actresses playing the characters, are playing their final roles in their life. They play roles that mirror, purposely or not, their lives outside of film. Also, the characters in the story work are in the fields that are becoming obsolete and are unable to fit the impending new era. Technology has replaced courage, electricity has devoured physical labors.
I admit, I could see how some might find the film overlong. It might sound empty, the soundtrack is not overbearing or even noticeably present. But, the themes of life are themselves the heartbeat of the story. People are bitter. Perhaps all of the characters are alcoholics. Or, they are just along the edge of being functional, and along with their life's challenges, they simply exist. When they die, perhaps they will be remembered. Or not.
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