Post Your Latest Purchase

[mhatchett]

Got a few packages last week. Yes, the Tarzan tea tin seems a little random, but if you knew me, it makes perfect sense.

[Martin]

Beautiful additions and a wonderful gift for your wife!

[RonClinton]

That's a really cool and thoughtful gift for your wife, TD -- I'm sure she loved it. I mean, looking at it -- how could she not (and I don't even know who/what Jem is!)??

[TacomaDiver]

In the time of Covid, I have found myself buying more art than ever before. I think it's because there haven't been any comic book or pop culture conventions, artists have become more available for commissions, and more people have had the opportunity to buy originals that perhaps were only available at a particular convention.

So here are some of my recent adds to my art collection:

First is a sketch from an artist I have loved for years - Terry Moore. He's probably more known in the comic book world as the creator of Strangers in Paradise, but has also done work for Marvel, along with more of his own creations - like Motor Girl.

At ECCC 2018, I was able to get a pencil sketch of Francine from SiP (I still wish I could have also got the companion piece of Katchoo, but alas I did not,) but I've always wanted something else from him. Earlier this month, he had a Sketch Sale, along with some other deals over the course of a weekend. Based on how he did the sale, there wasn't any real chance to get a preview of what was going to be listed, and at what cost, you pretty much had to find a sketch that was still available and buy it. No opportunity to look around. I know this made a lot of people mad, but it wasn't all that bad. I say that because I managed to snag a pencil sketch of Sam and Mike. Even though this wouldn't have been my first choice, I still love the piece:
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Next is something from an artist that won't be a surprise to anyone who knows me - David Petersen. For the second year in a row, he did an OnlineCon where he had guests on his Twitch channel (he had some really great ones this year!) and had a great sale on his store, along with a ton of new items. Like last year, he was offering toned paper sketches and fully inked pages, but the fully inked paged either sold out so fast or I just never saw them, and since I already have two toned paper sketches, I was looking for something else.

One of his items this year was this print:
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There are so many things about this image I love, but the wife really loves the butterflies. So when the store was opened officially, and the great discount code was activated, I used all of my luck to grab the original inked artwork that the print was made from:
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While I missed out on getting a custom fully inked page, I'm satisfied with what I did mange to get. Now to frame these two together somehow.

And lastly, something for the wife. One of the artists we follow on-line and watch on Twitch is Brian Miller - aka Oktopolis. During some of the on-line conversations, we've learned that he's really good friends with the principal creator and writer of the old Jem and the Holograms cartoon from the 80s. My wife LOVES Jem and the Holograms, and one evening I asked if she needed a Jem commission. Of course. And then she promptly forgot about.

Brian has mentioned that he too is a huge fan of Jem, and when IDW published a series of comics a few years ago, he inquired about doing some covers (he's done many comic book covers, Marvel, DC, even IDW, and also is the co-founder of a comic book coloring company called HiFi) but was turned down since IDW wanted to keep all of the creators women. When I get.

So while inquiring about a commission. he presented an idea to do a larger 11x17 full color painting of the full band, with some crazy 80s background elements. So it was agreed. I would let him go wild with this. It ended up taking his twice as long as he said (8 hours vs 4 hours,) and he streamed every session (which you can see on YouTube) and came up with something that blew me away. Totally outrageous indeed.

Oh, and my wife had no idea it was for her, until he told her on the fourth and final YouTube stream.
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The image is even more colorful in-person and still blows me away. Many more details, so much more depth in the real version. Next to get this framed in something equally outrageous.

[Martin]

Yep, for me it’s all about the Cabs. I stray some, but that smooth, deep, oaky character is my default wheelhouse. For her, though, we’ve been meaning for a couple decades to do a Pinot vineyard tasting tour in that NW Oregon region....someday we’ll get it done. I think this year — Covid allowing — we’re finally going to hit the Walla Walla area, another local winery hotspot that for some reason we’ve yet to visit.

If you like Cabernets you will love Walla Walla. It is a region of big bold reds. Just don't go in August, it is unbearably hot. The food scene there really caters to the wine tourism as well. Not a Pinot to be found though.

[RonClinton]

I completely agree with you on Pinot's. This one while while still pretty light does not have that flowery or perfume taste. Two others that fit that bill are Ken Wright cellars and Domaine Drouhin from the Willamette valley. Those two are more than double the price of Road 31 though. I will take a Walla Walla Cabernet or a Rogue Valley Syrah over any Pinot though. Did have a bottle of Road 31 last weekend. Good but pretty young. Needs a couple of years in the bottle.

Yep, for me it’s all about the Cabs. I stray some, but that smooth, deep, oaky character is my default wheelhouse. For her, though, we’ve been meaning for a couple decades to do a Pinot vineyard tasting tour in that NW Oregon region....someday we’ll get it done. I think this year — Covid allowing — we’re finally going to hit the Walla Walla area, another local winery hotspot that for some reason we’ve yet to visit.

[Martin]

My wife would be jealous...she loves Pinots. I find them a bit too light and vaguely perfumed for my taste, but I have had a few that were quite good...I suspect this one of yours would join that rarified club.

I completely agree with you on Pinot's. This one while while still pretty light does not have that flowery or perfume taste. Two others that fit that bill are Ken Wright cellars and Domaine Drouhin from the Willamette valley. Those two are more than double the price of Road 31 though. I will take a Walla Walla Cabernet or a Rogue Valley Syrah over any Pinot though. Did have a bottle of Road 31 last weekend. Good but pretty young. Needs a couple of years in the bottle.

[RonClinton]

My wife would be jealous...she loves Pinots. I find them a bit too light and vaguely perfumed for my taste, but I have had a few that were quite good...I suspect this one of yours would join that rarified club.

[TacomaDiver]

Ender's Game was my first purchase from Centipede. Still not sure how I managed to grab a copy back then, but I did.

Heck, I actually had three copies in my possession at one time because the first two had all sorts of glue issues.

[Sock Monkey]

Great addition with the new Ender book! And nice pics!

Mine is currently making its away through the postal service system.

It looks great paired with Ender’s Game. Nice to see the aesthetics match up so well. I unfortunately missed out on Ender’s Game when it was issued and now can’t afford those aftermarket prices. So know that I am awfully jealous!

[TacomaDiver]

The other day (time is still an illusion - Thursday maybe?) my copy of Ender's Way from Centipede Press arrived. As expected, it's a beautiful production. I actually had forgotten it was a collection of Ender stories so I may end up actually readying this instead of just putting it on the shelf.

It also matches Ender's Game really well. Can't wait for Speaker for the Dead next!

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[Martin]

So wayyy back in 2004 my wife and I attended a multiple day wine festival in Park City Utah. Attending a massive wine event in a state that is essentially run by a church was very interesting. One of the events we attended was a presentation by two wine makers all about making Pinot Noir. During the presentation there were cases of their wines to drink. The first winemaker attempted to show us that a good Pinot would be produced for about $10 a bottle. She failed in that attempt as her wine was borderline undrinkable. The other was a winemaker who had begun a one man winery making pinot that sold for about $35 a bottle. He sold all his wine through a private mail list and if he had any left over he sold them to local restaurants. We are allotted a case a year. We only buy 3 to 6 bottles every few years as we generally stick with Bolder reds but his wine is fantastic. This years shipment arrived yesterday. I will take a bottle to the beach with me this weekend and age the rest. It is also the only wine I have ever purchased that includes an owners manual and the winemakers phone number in case you have questions.
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[Martin]

Managed to snag a very coveted (by me) book recently! It is scheduled to arrive on Friday. I will be out of town so it will spend a few days at the mail box until the following Tuesday,

[mhatchett]

Happy Easter! I like them very much. Hard to see, but they are up to four now. The have a quiet academic feel to them. I like the Swan River, Sarob, Tartarus Press books in general. November Night Tales is a favorite.

[brlesh]

And this came in today!



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Noticed the 3 volumes of Uncertainties behind the Best of Whispers.

What was your impression of these?

Been debating on picking these up for a while, but have not felt the need to pull the trigger so far.

B