I really enjoyed reading this piece, and have lots of thoughts swirling, a good thing, so thank you.
First, have you really, fully read the King James Bible?! If so, a total tip of my hat to you, genuinely, as that is amazing and shows such a deep dedication to learning (of some of THE origin stories etc.) which I imagine offered a uniquely layered and enriching developmental/spiritual journey of sorts, perhaps, as well?? This (fully reading the Bible as an exercise to more deeply understand original source influences/story references etc.) is something that has been on my “must do/explore before death” list of sorts, but I think I need to have a more structured approach to really make it happen. How did you approach it? Was it something you kind of took your time with, reading a Book or so each week or month, or did you really prioritize it, dive in and just read read read?
Your Bible reading journey also reminds me that I would like to approach reading/properly exploring Shakespeare in a more organized/focused way; I have only read 5 plays and have his ‘Bible’ of complete works that just kind of whispers to me from my shelf and yet, I do not seem to be able or willing to answer the call, at least not yet. Have you read much Shakespeare? Maybe I will come across some reviews/thoughts in more of your newsletters…
Seriously, reading your newsletters is just (1) fascinating for me and I am learning a ton, and (2) offers me lots of ideas to explore/implement in my own approach to reading / reading projects etc., so I thank you for that extra spark of creative influence. :)
As for McCarthy, I have had 3 of his novels for years and intend to read at least Blood Meridian at some point, so reading your thoughts here offers me a bit more of a peak inside the window into his unique (and often violent/bloody) realms.
And while I recognize that you were writing specifically about your appreciation of Sikoryak, I think that the below sentence is a self-reflective one and in fact completely describes y.o.u.—genuinely. :)
“There’s simply no other artist like him in any medium, and he makes it look so effortless that the scope of what he’s up to can be hard to see if you’re not already in the know.”
And finally,… rapprochement, atavistic, loquacious and bellicose are now all on the list. I kind of love the sound of that word actually (bellicose), but again, just would not have ever thought to use it myself. Thanks for this fun and enriching reading experience. :)
I did indeed read every word of the King James, some in a copy I found on the street and some on a King James app I still have on my phone. I can't say I really understood probably even half of it; the New Testament was especially challenging and probably bears more scrutiny at a later time. But I loved the strangeness of the language and I definitely learned a lot. In a really crazy sketchbook project that I made years ago I was actually illustrating parts of the Book of Judges in a roundabout way and I have also made reference to the KJV for some bits of cut-and-paste text, chunks of dialogue, titles, other utilities as needed. I'm a secular person and a non-believer but there are still some incredible stories and noteworthy bits of wisdom encoded in that text, as to which you alluded in your comment.
I have a Complete Shakespeare on my shelf as well. For a while as a kid I was obsessed with the Kenneth Branagh filmed version of Hamlet and took the trouble to memorize a soliloquy ("How all occasions do inform against me..."). In fact this was the beginning of my ongoing hobby of memorizing things like The Raven or Kubla Khan or The Gettysburg Address. Of course I've seen a number of other filmed adaptations and enjoyed some of them but I find the best way to grok Shakespeare is to both read the text and also listen to or watch a well-performed stage or cinema version of the same piece. The last time I did this was a few years ago when I found a paperback copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream in a Little Free Library, read it and then found a streaming video of a great production directed by Julie Taymor that really captured my imagination and stimulated my senses. I thought it was hilarious that the premise of the play basically comes down to, the reason we fall in love with the wrong people is because a fairy accidentally put magic dust in the wrong individual's ear or whatever it is. Anyway yeah I like Shakespeare and always mean to engage with his work more; there are so many of the great plays I don't know well. And no shortage of great films based directly on or inspired by them, though I have seen several pretty remarkable ones, like for example the masterful Throne of Blood by Kurosawa.
You are definitely being WAY too generous comparing me in any way to Bob Sikoryak. If you see what he's capable of you'll understand what I mean; the man is well and truly in a class of his own. Literally no other cartoonist has ever accomplished what he has and I can't recommend his work highly enough. We were also fortunate to get him in the fifth volume of Irene, the comics anthology I used to co-edit and co-publish.
Thanks so much for your generous response here. I appreciate that you noted loving the “strangeness of the language” whilst reading the Bible, as I, too, find that really interesting (and just kind of fun) as well. OK, I just have to officially begin my biblical reading journey.
Started today. ✅ I just read a few pages of Genesis—so grateful to be a tad familiar with this beginning to get me started... I have a teeny tiny bible (similar to the size of that copy of Moby🐳Dick, but this Bible is even a wee bit smaller and yet, it totally works well for me). I bought it in a beautiful church somewhere in England when I was studying abroad in France for a semester (1999); it is also the KJV and is published by Oxford University Press. On the opening page it states:
Translated out of the original tongues: and with the former translations diligently compared and revised by His Majesty’s Special Command.
I will figure out an approach/plan to this reading project eventually but for now I am just committing to spending 30 minute each day with it.
Best opening line ever written in a book:
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
Did he? I wonder…, but for the purposes of this reading journey, yes, let’s go with yes, indeed he did. ✨🌎✨
And as for my comment about your sentence on Sikoryak (who sounds so fascinating overall), well, it stands, although I do appreciate your gesture of humility. 🙏🤓 And that is awesome that he contributed to Irene (I have only just barely started exploring the first anthology but I am enjoying it, will continue to explore it and would like to hear more about that time/collaboration). If I were to only explore/read one of his books in my lifetime, which do you recommend it should be? [Just did a quick search and came across this; thought it was so totally on point re our exchange here and might make you smile.🤓 Perhaps I should start with Masterpiece Comics, 2009.
And as for your comments on Shakespeare, loved reading about your initial approach/intro. re Hamlet/Kenneth Branagh and how you memorized the soliloquy and other poems—would like to hear more about all that memorization as well sometime. I agree that seeing the play/performances brings it all to life (and is often better than the experience of reading it on its own). I have had a few memorable experiences with this/performances etc.—one was a few years ago when I saw a little local-ish opera performance of Macbeth by an awesomely unique little company called West Bay Opera in Palo Alto (a former colleague introduced me to them; she loves opera). I saw another performance there this year, Verdi’s Traviata, but I honestly enjoyed Macbeth much more, likely because of the depth of the story although the music/opera of Traviata was lovely. (🍎 and 🍊 here, so no need to compare them but you likely get my point, I hope.) I am relatively new to exploring opera so it’s been an unexpectedly fun adventure of sorts.
The other time I explored an awesome Shakespeare performance was when I was in my early 20’s, living in D.C./Bethesda, and I organized an effort (literally bought a block of tix like the hopeful fool that I am) for colleagues and friends to attend a performance of Othello at the Folger Shakespeare Theater—it was totally awesome (that place/library is worth a visit; have you ever been there?), even though I am pretty sure that I ended up paying for (eating the cost of etc.) at least 3 other tickets aside from my own, a good time was had by all who attended, and it was all in support of community and literature/art etc. so it was worth the extra pretty pennies. At that time (2002), the theater had been recently renovated and it was/all designed in the more traditional sparse decor, as in hardwood seats/benches/chairs with a cushion etc. It was just beautiful.
And as for Julie Taymor, I am familiar with some of her work/adaptations and will continue to explore more. And I appreciate your quick take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I agree—while sometimes the fairies do make mistakes, sometimes they manage to get it right. 🧚♀️💘 How else can we ever make sense of who we might ‘choose’ to love. It is forever mysterious, with perhaps, a pinch of reason. 👋✨
Yeah, Masterpiece Comics is probably the best summation of his schtick! Lemme know what you think! There's probably some Biblical material in there, actually.
Hi d.w.
I really enjoyed reading this piece, and have lots of thoughts swirling, a good thing, so thank you.
First, have you really, fully read the King James Bible?! If so, a total tip of my hat to you, genuinely, as that is amazing and shows such a deep dedication to learning (of some of THE origin stories etc.) which I imagine offered a uniquely layered and enriching developmental/spiritual journey of sorts, perhaps, as well?? This (fully reading the Bible as an exercise to more deeply understand original source influences/story references etc.) is something that has been on my “must do/explore before death” list of sorts, but I think I need to have a more structured approach to really make it happen. How did you approach it? Was it something you kind of took your time with, reading a Book or so each week or month, or did you really prioritize it, dive in and just read read read?
Your Bible reading journey also reminds me that I would like to approach reading/properly exploring Shakespeare in a more organized/focused way; I have only read 5 plays and have his ‘Bible’ of complete works that just kind of whispers to me from my shelf and yet, I do not seem to be able or willing to answer the call, at least not yet. Have you read much Shakespeare? Maybe I will come across some reviews/thoughts in more of your newsletters…
Seriously, reading your newsletters is just (1) fascinating for me and I am learning a ton, and (2) offers me lots of ideas to explore/implement in my own approach to reading / reading projects etc., so I thank you for that extra spark of creative influence. :)
As for McCarthy, I have had 3 of his novels for years and intend to read at least Blood Meridian at some point, so reading your thoughts here offers me a bit more of a peak inside the window into his unique (and often violent/bloody) realms.
And while I recognize that you were writing specifically about your appreciation of Sikoryak, I think that the below sentence is a self-reflective one and in fact completely describes y.o.u.—genuinely. :)
“There’s simply no other artist like him in any medium, and he makes it look so effortless that the scope of what he’s up to can be hard to see if you’re not already in the know.”
And finally,… rapprochement, atavistic, loquacious and bellicose are now all on the list. I kind of love the sound of that word actually (bellicose), but again, just would not have ever thought to use it myself. Thanks for this fun and enriching reading experience. :)
I did indeed read every word of the King James, some in a copy I found on the street and some on a King James app I still have on my phone. I can't say I really understood probably even half of it; the New Testament was especially challenging and probably bears more scrutiny at a later time. But I loved the strangeness of the language and I definitely learned a lot. In a really crazy sketchbook project that I made years ago I was actually illustrating parts of the Book of Judges in a roundabout way and I have also made reference to the KJV for some bits of cut-and-paste text, chunks of dialogue, titles, other utilities as needed. I'm a secular person and a non-believer but there are still some incredible stories and noteworthy bits of wisdom encoded in that text, as to which you alluded in your comment.
I have a Complete Shakespeare on my shelf as well. For a while as a kid I was obsessed with the Kenneth Branagh filmed version of Hamlet and took the trouble to memorize a soliloquy ("How all occasions do inform against me..."). In fact this was the beginning of my ongoing hobby of memorizing things like The Raven or Kubla Khan or The Gettysburg Address. Of course I've seen a number of other filmed adaptations and enjoyed some of them but I find the best way to grok Shakespeare is to both read the text and also listen to or watch a well-performed stage or cinema version of the same piece. The last time I did this was a few years ago when I found a paperback copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream in a Little Free Library, read it and then found a streaming video of a great production directed by Julie Taymor that really captured my imagination and stimulated my senses. I thought it was hilarious that the premise of the play basically comes down to, the reason we fall in love with the wrong people is because a fairy accidentally put magic dust in the wrong individual's ear or whatever it is. Anyway yeah I like Shakespeare and always mean to engage with his work more; there are so many of the great plays I don't know well. And no shortage of great films based directly on or inspired by them, though I have seen several pretty remarkable ones, like for example the masterful Throne of Blood by Kurosawa.
You are definitely being WAY too generous comparing me in any way to Bob Sikoryak. If you see what he's capable of you'll understand what I mean; the man is well and truly in a class of his own. Literally no other cartoonist has ever accomplished what he has and I can't recommend his work highly enough. We were also fortunate to get him in the fifth volume of Irene, the comics anthology I used to co-edit and co-publish.
Thanks so much for your generous response here. I appreciate that you noted loving the “strangeness of the language” whilst reading the Bible, as I, too, find that really interesting (and just kind of fun) as well. OK, I just have to officially begin my biblical reading journey.
Started today. ✅ I just read a few pages of Genesis—so grateful to be a tad familiar with this beginning to get me started... I have a teeny tiny bible (similar to the size of that copy of Moby🐳Dick, but this Bible is even a wee bit smaller and yet, it totally works well for me). I bought it in a beautiful church somewhere in England when I was studying abroad in France for a semester (1999); it is also the KJV and is published by Oxford University Press. On the opening page it states:
Translated out of the original tongues: and with the former translations diligently compared and revised by His Majesty’s Special Command.
I will figure out an approach/plan to this reading project eventually but for now I am just committing to spending 30 minute each day with it.
Best opening line ever written in a book:
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
Did he? I wonder…, but for the purposes of this reading journey, yes, let’s go with yes, indeed he did. ✨🌎✨
And as for my comment about your sentence on Sikoryak (who sounds so fascinating overall), well, it stands, although I do appreciate your gesture of humility. 🙏🤓 And that is awesome that he contributed to Irene (I have only just barely started exploring the first anthology but I am enjoying it, will continue to explore it and would like to hear more about that time/collaboration). If I were to only explore/read one of his books in my lifetime, which do you recommend it should be? [Just did a quick search and came across this; thought it was so totally on point re our exchange here and might make you smile.🤓 Perhaps I should start with Masterpiece Comics, 2009.
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/sikoryak_rob.htm ]
And as for your comments on Shakespeare, loved reading about your initial approach/intro. re Hamlet/Kenneth Branagh and how you memorized the soliloquy and other poems—would like to hear more about all that memorization as well sometime. I agree that seeing the play/performances brings it all to life (and is often better than the experience of reading it on its own). I have had a few memorable experiences with this/performances etc.—one was a few years ago when I saw a little local-ish opera performance of Macbeth by an awesomely unique little company called West Bay Opera in Palo Alto (a former colleague introduced me to them; she loves opera). I saw another performance there this year, Verdi’s Traviata, but I honestly enjoyed Macbeth much more, likely because of the depth of the story although the music/opera of Traviata was lovely. (🍎 and 🍊 here, so no need to compare them but you likely get my point, I hope.) I am relatively new to exploring opera so it’s been an unexpectedly fun adventure of sorts.
The other time I explored an awesome Shakespeare performance was when I was in my early 20’s, living in D.C./Bethesda, and I organized an effort (literally bought a block of tix like the hopeful fool that I am) for colleagues and friends to attend a performance of Othello at the Folger Shakespeare Theater—it was totally awesome (that place/library is worth a visit; have you ever been there?), even though I am pretty sure that I ended up paying for (eating the cost of etc.) at least 3 other tickets aside from my own, a good time was had by all who attended, and it was all in support of community and literature/art etc. so it was worth the extra pretty pennies. At that time (2002), the theater had been recently renovated and it was/all designed in the more traditional sparse decor, as in hardwood seats/benches/chairs with a cushion etc. It was just beautiful.
https://www.folger.edu
And as for Julie Taymor, I am familiar with some of her work/adaptations and will continue to explore more. And I appreciate your quick take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I agree—while sometimes the fairies do make mistakes, sometimes they manage to get it right. 🧚♀️💘 How else can we ever make sense of who we might ‘choose’ to love. It is forever mysterious, with perhaps, a pinch of reason. 👋✨
Yeah, Masterpiece Comics is probably the best summation of his schtick! Lemme know what you think! There's probably some Biblical material in there, actually.