Comic Book Tattoo
Aug. 12th, 2008 05:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impy Okay, here's the deal. Totally ripping this idea off the one person I saw who actually gave their thoughts on CBT. Thing is, while I may not have agreed with their opinions, I do think the format works. However, it'll totally spoil the book for you. Well, not totally as in it's not a scanned copy, but if you wanted to be surprised as to the order of the stories, or even which ones were included, or what the general feel of the art for any of them would be, well... this will ruin it for you, at least a little.
That disclaimer out of the way, I did try and avoid choosing images that wouldn't spoil any given story for other people. Even ones where the only part I liked was the spoilerific stuff.
I freely admit that there are some stories that I don't get, or don't think I get enough, so it's possible opinions will change. And there's one where I haven't heard the song, or haven't heard it in so long so that it counts as never having heard the song. You'll know it when I get there.
Ready?
Okay!
Flying Dutchman - David Mack
I wanted to love this more than I actually ended up doing. I love David Mack, in part because about the same time I found Tori on my own, someone else showed me his stuff... and so I hear his name and I think of that friend. That said, Dutchman stands out because it's the only one to rely entirely on the song's lyrics to tell the story. Thing is, I have no idea what I expected so I'm not entirely sure how to say how this missed whatever that unknown mark is. I suspect this one will grow on me, if I let it.
Bouncing Off Clouds -Redhead Alert-
Okay, fine. I added the RH alert. Deal. Also, I'm too lazy to look up all the talented people behind each story. I plan on it, but ... later. Anyway, Clouds here is a cute little story. Very fluffy, and since I have no real emotional attachment to any of the Posse songs at the moment, I couldn't really tell you how well it fits. :p
Girl -Redhead Alert!-
Artistically speaking, it's gorgeous. Dark in places, crisp and clean [hee, that always sounds so funny] in others. Lyrics mingle with dialog and for the most part it works. However, I find that when one mixes God and Tori, strange things happen. I'm not entirely sure if I like that aspect, but I do like the end, so really, it balances in the end. I think, God aside, it fits the theme of the song without stretching too much, but it kind of falters a smidge if you listen to the song at the same time.
Merman
Oddly, you know from the first panel how this story is going to end, and yet you still love it anyway. The art, the story, and even the song mix wonderfully. Quirky, cute, and absolute love for the last page.
Take To The Sky
Y'know, I love this song. I do not love this story. I don't hate it, but every time I got into the story, they'd throw a bit of the song in as dialog and it always felt so forced that it'd knock me out of the moment. I do love the last two pages.
Mr. Zebra
Um, my head hurts, so looking at this one is a bit of a trip. It's not how I personally see the song, but it's strange enough that I didn't scream much after the initial, "Wait, wha?" moment. I will say this is one of those where the art reminds me of when MTV and Nick had those really strange cartoons everyone else loved and I just couldn't get into because the art turned me off. *ducks tomatoes being thrown*
Little Earthquakes
I love this one. It's not at all what I would expect, but I like it all the same.
Marianne
I've said this before, but I don't get it. It's lovely, but... I'm perpetually confused. So when you get this and realize the 'answer' is obvious, lemme know, k? Ta.
Crazy - Nikki Cook
I don't associate the song with the story at all. I rather like the story, and was sucked in, but... it's not one where the song and the story go hand in hand for me. Though, I suppose the chorus is where the story springs from.
Programmable Soda -redhead! in passing-
I said that most of the Posse would get a pass from me, yes? This would be another one that does. :p I like the story and it's actually very cute artistically speaking. It's one that sort of fades from memory until you flip by again and then you think, "hey, I liked that one. Re-read!"
Toast story: Jeff Carroll, art: Mike May
This was my first honest and true perfect fit between art/story/song. It makes me cry, just like the song will do if I listen to it long enough. I want more, but I don't need more because everything you need is already there. But it's beautiful anyway you look at it.
Jackie's Strength
To be fair, Jackie's Strength to me IS the video. I am thoroughly unable to separate the two and so anything that isn't that will fall short. And this one falls short. I like the art, and I'm intrigued, but I don't really get it. I keep waiting for that last piece of the puzzle to click in my brain so I can decide if it's just pretty or if there's something I need beneath the surface.
Little Amsterdam - Leif Jones
I'm not all that attached to LA, but I think this story is perfection. I'm not in love with the art style, but I could not possibly think of anything for this that would fit as well. This one is probably one of the best all around, and I'm fairly certain that most people know it.
Here. In My Head
I'm not sure if it feels forced in part because it is, or because by this point you start to OD on the lyrics being worked into the story. I think it could have stood on it's own and the general theme would have carried it. I like it more each time I read it, but in the time between I start to doubt my love for it. Yes. Crazy, I am.
Suede
I like it, but it doesn't really scream Suede to me until we hit the bathroom portion. Around this point I tried guessing the song just by reading the stories. Sometimes this worked, sometimes not.
Sugar
If the point of this collection is to get you to take another look at how you see a Tori song, then I think this one may be the best example of it for me. It's not really what I'd expected, whatever that might have been, but it works so well that I can't fault it. It's beautifully done.
Teenage Hustling -redhead alert!-
Cute and you find new things each time you look at it.
Father Lucifer
This is one I feel sort of bad for not liking more than I do. I suspect it'll grow on me, and I like the way it's laid out. It begs to be looked over more than a few times.
Snow Cherries From France -redhead!-
So cute I might possibly die from it all. Right up til the end and then I'm a little sad. But I'd love each image poster sized. That's love.
The Waitress
I like the way you get two stories that come to a head perfectly. The art is most like your standard comicbook superhero, which is to say sometimes it's better than others. Then again, it's also one of the longest in the book. I like it more than I gather some do. Their loss.
Caught A Lite Sneeze
Cute. Silly. Not really song-y, but cute all the same.
Winter
Beautiful. Echoes of the song abound but it stands on its own.
Baker Baker -redhead!-
This had to be one of the harder ones to do as it's one of the most flat-out story-like songs she's got. Do you stick close to that or do you branch out and pray for the best? Apparently you try and find a middle ground. Artistically, I really like it. The last frame is perfection, but parts are a bit too angry to really fit the song for me. On the other hand, other parts fit just fine.
1000 Oceans
Beautiful is beginning to sound like I ran out of words. I probably did. This one stands out, which is amazing all things considered.
Space Dog -redhead!-
Aww, Space Dog. I like the way the story morphs and cycles. As SD is one of those Tori songs I like, but don't really have a strong tie to, I couldn't tell you how well it fits beyond the fact that they both make me smile.
The Beekeeper
This one walks that line between using the lyrics and falling flat on your ass and using them to your advantage. Advantage side wins. This makes me cry, because you know partly where it's going... but you're still sort of surprised when it happens. I'm still poking the end, though. He left, yes? He didn't croak, yes? Just left? I feel silly for asking since it's all set up for him to leave, but years of the bait-and-switch have made me wary and my eyes aren't what they used to be, kiddo. :p
Siren
Remember how I said I was reading the stories and guessing the song based on the content? I couldn't with this one. Oh, I read the story, and it stomped my heart all over the floor, but I couldn't tell you what the damn hell it has to do with the song. This one is one of the creepiest of the bunch, but you don't know that going in. You suspect it's going to take a turn, and it does, but then it comes back and runs you over. Damn.
Iieee
A loverly story that warms my heart, but I don't really get the song from it. Wouldn't, if the lyrics hadn't been sprinkled inside.
Silent All these Years
I love the concept/idea behind the magazines overpowering her with their hateful messages... but at the same time this doesn't totally feel SATY to me. Maybe I'm weird? Lovely, art and story wise.
Leather -redhead!-
Mind.
Fuck.
Gold Dust
If this didn't tell me what it was, I might have gotten it given an hour or so, but... it doesn't exactly fit. It's a cute one, though, and I love it for that. It just doesn't quite scream Gold Dust to me. I'm not sure what does, other than Jake shrieking, "Aww, Tori had a baby!" Random, yes.
Precious Things
I suspect I'm really supposed to like this one. I... don't. I think it's gorgeous to look at, but it doesn't do it for me and I'm not entirely sure why.
Glory of the 80's
While it doesn't totally fit the song for me, and I do so love the song, I get that same goofy grin vibe, and so we say thee yay. I also love how they worked certain things into the story.
Honey
Visually stunning, but I got nothing beyond that at the moment.
Crucify
Kay, I feel bad for this, but this is the one I really, really don't like. I feel like an ass for it, but it feels like someone decided to air their past all over the song and smothered it under a big pile of I don't give a damn about your personal issues with women. On the plus side, I really like that panel and the one right above it.
God
While I like the way dude #2 pokes holes in the statement of "Sometimes God just doesn't come through", particularly in that it's a really narcissistic thing to say... it feels completely at odds with the song. And it goes on way too long.
Pandora's Aquarium -redhead!-
I wanted to like this one, but remember the theory that some of these forced things? I. Fucking. Hate. The last. Panel. Diagnosed as sound. OI. *migraine* I dislike quite a bit of this one, actually, but I'm drawn to certain bits of the art.
Scarlet's Walk
I flipped ahead to read this one based on the artwork and I love everything, but I can't fully explain why. Go figure.
Beauty of Speed
I'd love to say I have an opinion one way or another, but I don't.
I Can't See New York
This one makes me sad. I know, you'd think this would be such a happy little piece. :P Parts I love more than others, and I freely admit that I'm distracted by that font.
Upside Down
Weird way of telling the story and I'm not sure if it works completely or if it just comes really close.
Northern Lad -redhead!-
This one breaks my heart.
Roosterspur Bridge
Another of the Posse. I keep circling this one. It's fairly solid in art and story and requires you to pay attention, but it hasn't really clicked across the board for me yet.
Cornflake Girl
Sometimes the lyrics work. Sometimes they don't. But when they do, they work perfectly. And when they don't, I'm not left wanting to spork myself in the eye.
Pirates
Would be the song I don't know. Visually interesting, if nothing else.
Hey Jupiter
Annnnnnd here's where having no idea what I'd do or expect comes to bite me in the duff. There's planetary and myth, which is nice, but the best bit happens near the end, but it's just so utterly random that you're left wondering what exactly happened. So, I could have done with a little less Zeus and a little more heartbreak.
Devils and Gods
It would figure that this is my favorite of the Posse girls because it's so frickin' short, yes? Well, the story isn't. Short, that is. It is, however, amazing. I love everything about it. Definitely on my short list of absolutely must read thems. Do it.
Now, I will admit that once we finished D&G, my attention kind of wandered. So, sorry to the next few.
Past the Mission
All the giddy joy you might have left over from the awesome that is D&G, even with the sad ending, will be sucked away just looking at PtM. I'm still working on this one, and it's the one that suffers most from location woes. I'd rather go back and re-read D&G or race on to the end. Bleak.
Sweet the Sting - Jimmie Robinson -redhead!-
To continue your drinking game, ready your shot because this is another where you're kind of lost until the end, where it all manages to gel. I actually liked this one far more than I thought I would going in, and the picture used makes me giggle.
Ribbons Undone - Lea Hernandez
So. Pretty. So. Strange. A bunch of stories all rolled into one.
Pretty Good Year story: Derek McCulloch, art: Colleen Doran, lettering: Jason Hanley -redhead!-
Annnnd this is pretty much spot on. Not a bad way to leave the book.
As Tori gets older, I become less and less able to understand her without the aid of some serious concentration OR sleep deprivation. Her bit at the end requires a bit of both. :p Neil's intro is filled with love.
For the most part, there is love. There are stretches in the book that will probably do very little for you unless you're one of the devoted who love everything and anything, but I'm fairly certain that quite a few of the ones I'm not particularly in love with will either grow on me, or someone else will provide insight and I'll go back and take another look. Kinda like the songs themselves.
Though I'm fairly certain I will still not like Crucify's story beyond those two panels. It's just... not likely to happen.
Hungry now.
That disclaimer out of the way, I did try and avoid choosing images that wouldn't spoil any given story for other people. Even ones where the only part I liked was the spoilerific stuff.
I freely admit that there are some stories that I don't get, or don't think I get enough, so it's possible opinions will change. And there's one where I haven't heard the song, or haven't heard it in so long so that it counts as never having heard the song. You'll know it when I get there.
Ready?
Okay!
Flying Dutchman - David Mack
I wanted to love this more than I actually ended up doing. I love David Mack, in part because about the same time I found Tori on my own, someone else showed me his stuff... and so I hear his name and I think of that friend. That said, Dutchman stands out because it's the only one to rely entirely on the song's lyrics to tell the story. Thing is, I have no idea what I expected so I'm not entirely sure how to say how this missed whatever that unknown mark is. I suspect this one will grow on me, if I let it.
Bouncing Off Clouds -Redhead Alert-
Okay, fine. I added the RH alert. Deal. Also, I'm too lazy to look up all the talented people behind each story. I plan on it, but ... later. Anyway, Clouds here is a cute little story. Very fluffy, and since I have no real emotional attachment to any of the Posse songs at the moment, I couldn't really tell you how well it fits. :p
Girl -Redhead Alert!-
Artistically speaking, it's gorgeous. Dark in places, crisp and clean [hee, that always sounds so funny] in others. Lyrics mingle with dialog and for the most part it works. However, I find that when one mixes God and Tori, strange things happen. I'm not entirely sure if I like that aspect, but I do like the end, so really, it balances in the end. I think, God aside, it fits the theme of the song without stretching too much, but it kind of falters a smidge if you listen to the song at the same time.
Merman
Oddly, you know from the first panel how this story is going to end, and yet you still love it anyway. The art, the story, and even the song mix wonderfully. Quirky, cute, and absolute love for the last page.
Take To The Sky
Y'know, I love this song. I do not love this story. I don't hate it, but every time I got into the story, they'd throw a bit of the song in as dialog and it always felt so forced that it'd knock me out of the moment. I do love the last two pages.
Mr. Zebra
Um, my head hurts, so looking at this one is a bit of a trip. It's not how I personally see the song, but it's strange enough that I didn't scream much after the initial, "Wait, wha?" moment. I will say this is one of those where the art reminds me of when MTV and Nick had those really strange cartoons everyone else loved and I just couldn't get into because the art turned me off. *ducks tomatoes being thrown*
Little Earthquakes
I love this one. It's not at all what I would expect, but I like it all the same.
Marianne
I've said this before, but I don't get it. It's lovely, but... I'm perpetually confused. So when you get this and realize the 'answer' is obvious, lemme know, k? Ta.
Crazy - Nikki Cook
I don't associate the song with the story at all. I rather like the story, and was sucked in, but... it's not one where the song and the story go hand in hand for me. Though, I suppose the chorus is where the story springs from.
Programmable Soda -redhead! in passing-
I said that most of the Posse would get a pass from me, yes? This would be another one that does. :p I like the story and it's actually very cute artistically speaking. It's one that sort of fades from memory until you flip by again and then you think, "hey, I liked that one. Re-read!"
Toast story: Jeff Carroll, art: Mike May
This was my first honest and true perfect fit between art/story/song. It makes me cry, just like the song will do if I listen to it long enough. I want more, but I don't need more because everything you need is already there. But it's beautiful anyway you look at it.
Jackie's Strength
To be fair, Jackie's Strength to me IS the video. I am thoroughly unable to separate the two and so anything that isn't that will fall short. And this one falls short. I like the art, and I'm intrigued, but I don't really get it. I keep waiting for that last piece of the puzzle to click in my brain so I can decide if it's just pretty or if there's something I need beneath the surface.
Little Amsterdam - Leif Jones
I'm not all that attached to LA, but I think this story is perfection. I'm not in love with the art style, but I could not possibly think of anything for this that would fit as well. This one is probably one of the best all around, and I'm fairly certain that most people know it.
Here. In My Head
I'm not sure if it feels forced in part because it is, or because by this point you start to OD on the lyrics being worked into the story. I think it could have stood on it's own and the general theme would have carried it. I like it more each time I read it, but in the time between I start to doubt my love for it. Yes. Crazy, I am.
Suede
I like it, but it doesn't really scream Suede to me until we hit the bathroom portion. Around this point I tried guessing the song just by reading the stories. Sometimes this worked, sometimes not.
Sugar
If the point of this collection is to get you to take another look at how you see a Tori song, then I think this one may be the best example of it for me. It's not really what I'd expected, whatever that might have been, but it works so well that I can't fault it. It's beautifully done.
Teenage Hustling -redhead alert!-
Cute and you find new things each time you look at it.
Father Lucifer
This is one I feel sort of bad for not liking more than I do. I suspect it'll grow on me, and I like the way it's laid out. It begs to be looked over more than a few times.
Snow Cherries From France -redhead!-
So cute I might possibly die from it all. Right up til the end and then I'm a little sad. But I'd love each image poster sized. That's love.
The Waitress
I like the way you get two stories that come to a head perfectly. The art is most like your standard comicbook superhero, which is to say sometimes it's better than others. Then again, it's also one of the longest in the book. I like it more than I gather some do. Their loss.
Caught A Lite Sneeze
Cute. Silly. Not really song-y, but cute all the same.
Winter
Beautiful. Echoes of the song abound but it stands on its own.
Baker Baker -redhead!-
This had to be one of the harder ones to do as it's one of the most flat-out story-like songs she's got. Do you stick close to that or do you branch out and pray for the best? Apparently you try and find a middle ground. Artistically, I really like it. The last frame is perfection, but parts are a bit too angry to really fit the song for me. On the other hand, other parts fit just fine.
1000 Oceans
Beautiful is beginning to sound like I ran out of words. I probably did. This one stands out, which is amazing all things considered.
Space Dog -redhead!-
Aww, Space Dog. I like the way the story morphs and cycles. As SD is one of those Tori songs I like, but don't really have a strong tie to, I couldn't tell you how well it fits beyond the fact that they both make me smile.
The Beekeeper
This one walks that line between using the lyrics and falling flat on your ass and using them to your advantage. Advantage side wins. This makes me cry, because you know partly where it's going... but you're still sort of surprised when it happens. I'm still poking the end, though. He left, yes? He didn't croak, yes? Just left? I feel silly for asking since it's all set up for him to leave, but years of the bait-and-switch have made me wary and my eyes aren't what they used to be, kiddo. :p
Siren
Remember how I said I was reading the stories and guessing the song based on the content? I couldn't with this one. Oh, I read the story, and it stomped my heart all over the floor, but I couldn't tell you what the damn hell it has to do with the song. This one is one of the creepiest of the bunch, but you don't know that going in. You suspect it's going to take a turn, and it does, but then it comes back and runs you over. Damn.
Iieee
A loverly story that warms my heart, but I don't really get the song from it. Wouldn't, if the lyrics hadn't been sprinkled inside.
Silent All these Years
I love the concept/idea behind the magazines overpowering her with their hateful messages... but at the same time this doesn't totally feel SATY to me. Maybe I'm weird? Lovely, art and story wise.
Leather -redhead!-
Mind.
Fuck.
Gold Dust
If this didn't tell me what it was, I might have gotten it given an hour or so, but... it doesn't exactly fit. It's a cute one, though, and I love it for that. It just doesn't quite scream Gold Dust to me. I'm not sure what does, other than Jake shrieking, "Aww, Tori had a baby!" Random, yes.
Precious Things
I suspect I'm really supposed to like this one. I... don't. I think it's gorgeous to look at, but it doesn't do it for me and I'm not entirely sure why.
Glory of the 80's
While it doesn't totally fit the song for me, and I do so love the song, I get that same goofy grin vibe, and so we say thee yay. I also love how they worked certain things into the story.
Honey
Visually stunning, but I got nothing beyond that at the moment.
Crucify
Kay, I feel bad for this, but this is the one I really, really don't like. I feel like an ass for it, but it feels like someone decided to air their past all over the song and smothered it under a big pile of I don't give a damn about your personal issues with women. On the plus side, I really like that panel and the one right above it.
God
While I like the way dude #2 pokes holes in the statement of "Sometimes God just doesn't come through", particularly in that it's a really narcissistic thing to say... it feels completely at odds with the song. And it goes on way too long.
Pandora's Aquarium -redhead!-
I wanted to like this one, but remember the theory that some of these forced things? I. Fucking. Hate. The last. Panel. Diagnosed as sound. OI. *migraine* I dislike quite a bit of this one, actually, but I'm drawn to certain bits of the art.
Scarlet's Walk
I flipped ahead to read this one based on the artwork and I love everything, but I can't fully explain why. Go figure.
Beauty of Speed
I'd love to say I have an opinion one way or another, but I don't.
I Can't See New York
This one makes me sad. I know, you'd think this would be such a happy little piece. :P Parts I love more than others, and I freely admit that I'm distracted by that font.
Upside Down
Weird way of telling the story and I'm not sure if it works completely or if it just comes really close.
Northern Lad -redhead!-
This one breaks my heart.
Roosterspur Bridge
Another of the Posse. I keep circling this one. It's fairly solid in art and story and requires you to pay attention, but it hasn't really clicked across the board for me yet.
Cornflake Girl
Sometimes the lyrics work. Sometimes they don't. But when they do, they work perfectly. And when they don't, I'm not left wanting to spork myself in the eye.
Pirates
Would be the song I don't know. Visually interesting, if nothing else.
Hey Jupiter
Annnnnnd here's where having no idea what I'd do or expect comes to bite me in the duff. There's planetary and myth, which is nice, but the best bit happens near the end, but it's just so utterly random that you're left wondering what exactly happened. So, I could have done with a little less Zeus and a little more heartbreak.
Devils and Gods
It would figure that this is my favorite of the Posse girls because it's so frickin' short, yes? Well, the story isn't. Short, that is. It is, however, amazing. I love everything about it. Definitely on my short list of absolutely must read thems. Do it.
Now, I will admit that once we finished D&G, my attention kind of wandered. So, sorry to the next few.
Past the Mission
All the giddy joy you might have left over from the awesome that is D&G, even with the sad ending, will be sucked away just looking at PtM. I'm still working on this one, and it's the one that suffers most from location woes. I'd rather go back and re-read D&G or race on to the end. Bleak.
Sweet the Sting - Jimmie Robinson -redhead!-
To continue your drinking game, ready your shot because this is another where you're kind of lost until the end, where it all manages to gel. I actually liked this one far more than I thought I would going in, and the picture used makes me giggle.
Ribbons Undone - Lea Hernandez
So. Pretty. So. Strange. A bunch of stories all rolled into one.
Pretty Good Year story: Derek McCulloch, art: Colleen Doran, lettering: Jason Hanley -redhead!-
Annnnd this is pretty much spot on. Not a bad way to leave the book.
As Tori gets older, I become less and less able to understand her without the aid of some serious concentration OR sleep deprivation. Her bit at the end requires a bit of both. :p Neil's intro is filled with love.
For the most part, there is love. There are stretches in the book that will probably do very little for you unless you're one of the devoted who love everything and anything, but I'm fairly certain that quite a few of the ones I'm not particularly in love with will either grow on me, or someone else will provide insight and I'll go back and take another look. Kinda like the songs themselves.
Though I'm fairly certain I will still not like Crucify's story beyond those two panels. It's just... not likely to happen.
Hungry now.
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Date: 2008-08-13 04:22 am (UTC)And I don't remember Pirates. What era is that?
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Date: 2008-08-13 11:37 am (UTC)