A naked old man squatting near a small fire on a barren hillside, surrounded by children who listen as the old man’s voice enters the stillness… A scene from a time near the beginning of storytelling as a communal activity, or hear the end, a time when myth and religion finally reunite, or a time…
There’s the concept in fantastic literature known as the “willing suspension of disbelief” by which the reader/audience accepts fantastic elements in a story that are not found in reality, semi-believing them for the moment for the sake of the story. If the creator is invoking it, he or she must be careful not to jar…
All right, everyone quiet down and take a seat. Iâve been asked to remind you about the pep rally and donât forget that finals are week after next. Now, where were we… Today weâll begin with a brief review of the material we covered last week. Youâll remember that we began by discussing what Batmanâs…
Despite my thirty odd (sometimes very odd) years as a professional writer in comics, I wouldn’t describe myself first and foremost as a writer. I consider myself primarily a storyteller. You don’t have to be a writer to be a storyteller; in fact, all of us are storytellers. Phillip Wilson, the former rector at the…
Some people think that comics are a kid thing – the bright colors; the often cartoony style of art; the people parading around with their underwear on the outside – and they are for kids. But they’re also for teens, and adults, and all of us. They are a medium of storytelling that can be…
I love stories. I love reading stories, I love hearing stories, I love telling stories. I’ve been like this as far back as I can remember. The way my mind works is that I see stories everywhere. Back when I was going to Chicago’s Quigley Prep Seminary in my freshman year of high school, I…
One of the things that I love about Pixar is that they remember what a lot of filmmakers – and sadly, particularly those working in the CG medium – have forgotten: A film needs a story. So many films today focus on technological dazzle, shock value, making pretty pictures, or cleverness. None of these are…
John McCain, in what is assumed to be an attempt to woo feminist Hillary Clinton supporters, nominated an inexperienced first-term governor of Alaska as his running mate. In state-wide office less than two years, Sarah Palin includes in her resume a term as mayor of a small town, and a stint on her local PTA….
