www.dannyzabbal.com

Getting, laying and outing: my evening (not in that particular order).

Laying

I spent most of my work day doing layouts for Misanthropia Chapter Two. For some reason I’ve gotten it into my head that they have to be present at my forthcoming launch. It’s a horrible tendency of mine to over-compensate. The evening will undoubtedly be a very laid back, and I doubt anyone will bother to look at, what is ostensibly, two pages of scribbles.

Getting

This a wine label I just finished for a local brand called Robin des Bois

Just like those hairy legs, I’m getting ready to par-tay…! Preparations for the launch are coming along swimmingly. I spoke to Sean Michaels the other day, and we discussed the various delicious snacks and booze that are meant to grease the hinges of the evening. It was a lot of, “Danny, do you think we should have booze? And I would reply with, “Uh… Is that what you normally do?” And he would close with, “Yes, yes it is.”

Sean’s party planning abilities are leaps and bounds ahead of mine, he gets the dynamics of mirth more than I ever could. Indeed, it’s hard for me to be the host of anything on any scale; I get nervous when there are more than three people in my apartment.

Actually now that I think about it, my planning abilities in general are pretty shoddy. Here’s a good example, tonight I had a phone conversation with Max Douglas (you may also know him as Salgood Sam), from Sequential. We started by casually yakking about my comic and the launch, etc, etc… Eventually he asked, very warmly I might add, if there was any kind of press package-type stuff for my book. Being in full nincompoop force, I replied with, “Uh…No, not really.” There was a pause and then I proceeded to summarize the plot and page count of my book. Page count. Sheesh. Like I said, he’s a very nice guy and I hope, despite my disposition over the phone, he drops by and buys a copy of the book. Please visit his site and support his work, he’s really a superb artist: Salgood Sam’s Work Diary.

Outing
Amidst layouts and machinations, I managed to attend a small screening put together by 24Karrots: Conversations. The attendance was small but the films were excellent. All the filmmakers, Adam Beck, the charismatic and talented Dan Popa, Robby Reis, Nick Martin and Daniel Beirne, are very gifted at harnessing and using the form of motion pictures.

Adam Becks film, Curlew Sandpiper, is beautifully shot, as well as astoudingly tender and emphatic. The narrative doesn’t draw any overt thematic conclusions, per say, it’s more like a poem; visual prose that encapsulates the heartache of childhood.

Dan Popa and Robby Reis’ film, Fairweather, is just, well, aesthetically magnificent. The 24Karrots team, designers and filmmakers alike, have such a robust and textured form, it really emotes a type of nostalgia you rarely feel when you’re watching a film.

Nick Martin’s film, Searching For Heartbreak, is just like Nick Martin; like drinking a beer, zipping up your fly and kicking the dust all at the same time. His characters have a pungent, very lovable, restlessness to them that makes them very entertaining to watch.

Dan Beirne’s film, Beth, is sincerity personified. No really, I mean it, it’s real joy and real disappointment and defeat and surprise. It’s hard to encapsulate, there’s so much about this piece that has to with tone, you end up by loving it and not knowing why. Which is fine by me.

I can’t lie, these five filmmakers are all close friends of mine, I’m being far from objective. Nevertheless, they have talent, heaps and gobs of it flowing out of their pores. If you ever have a chance to see any of their work, please skip merrily yon.

xo
dannyZ

Last night was a fabulous. What a treat, what a treat indeed. At 6:00pm I raced down to NDG, from my humble shanty in little Italy. After a brief and delicious dinner of Texas style barbeque chicken wings, I traversed the street to Sub-V (5666 Sherbrooke W) where I attended Robby’s Reis‘ aka RAGE 5’s vernissage November Reign; an ensemble of pristinely painted penguins.

Now, I’ve know RAGE 5 for quite some time now. We didn’t take baths together or anything but I like to think that I have an informed understanding of the man’s aesthetic vocabulary.

That being said, I feel confident in saying that these lovely pieces are RAGE 5. They encapsulate his character, in all it’s facets, extraordinarily sincere self-portraits. To see these paintings is to know RAGE 5; generous, funny, wholehearted, sensitive, romantic, macabre, genuine, inquisitive, grotesque and, most of all, imaginative.

Each piece makes the sum of his character. I highly recommend everyone to head down to Sub-V, check out his work and, if you’re inclined, purchase a piece. It’ll be like taking a little slice of Robert home with you.

photos taken by Natalie Reis

It would seem like the captions for my characters are getting meatier. Next time, I’ll have to hold back. After all, I don’t want to nauseate you guys.

Lord Renard St. Justin:

Lord Renard St.Justin is very old. He was born in the year 1882 on the Isle of Jersey, just off the coast of Normandy. He was born into wealth, the St.Justin family (of St.Justin’s Cider) were, and remain to be, very moneyed. Renard was educated in the finest institutions around the world; bread with the elegance of the noble gentry. Renard wasn’t without his flaws though, indeed he fell prey to arrogance and hubris. His prattling witticisms and tomfoolery deafened the patience of socialites and commoners alike. So intolerable was he that on Renard’s twenty-first birthday the forest spirits struck him with the dreaded curse of the Immortal Fox. From that point on Renard was damned to immortality, forever tracking the only quarry that could one day lift his awful curse, the Invisible Pheasant.

For all that, he’s changed over the years. Now, his spirit is hardier and he uses his brilliant mind and old fortune to help others, instead of belittle them. He might never find his prey but while he’s in the forest, with his trusty shotgun, everyone on the Isle of Jersey feels a lot safer. They can sleep soundly knowing that their cunning protector is bounding through the forest.

Robby Reis:

You might remember his sister, from last week. Well, I figure, why not be symmetrical, why not talk about both brother and sister? Rob’s photos are really cool, I don’t exactly know what to say about them other than they’ve got a really fun and genuine quality. This one in particular, from Nepal, is very typical of the tone of his work. You should check out the rest and bask in the whimsy of his photographic eye: Robby Reis.

The Abominable Charles Christopher:

I don’t need to promote Karl Kerschl’s work, he doesn’t need my help. He’s famous and stuff. That said, I’m not telling you about him because I want to sell Charles Christopher t-shirts or action figures. I just want you to read it, because its excellent. Even if we overlook the amazing artwork, the suppleness of the storytelling and the richness of the world should be enough to set your eyes agog.

Usually everything reminds me of something else, not this. Got to his web-site and enjoy his great webcomic: The Abominable Charles Christopher:

Orange Crush:

Rebecca Yasick is someone whom I’m flickr friends with, I’ve never met her. So, it is with complete impartiality when I tell you that her animation Orange Crush is super-awesome, if completely gory. Not in the sense of decapitated buxom teenagers but in a, well, in a subtler way. Watch and enjoy, you’ll see what I mean:

I’m in the process of moving away from Montréal so my internet connection is temporarily out of order. Blogging is a café affair, bad connections and all. It’s certainly slowing me down, but it doesn’t stop me, no sir/ma’am.

Hammerfistucles – The God of Punches

When Peter George Sims took a trip to Athens in 1997, he met the all-knowing oracle of 2218 Delphi St (apt 5). After delving into his past and recovering his lost destiny, she imparted to Peter George (from her collection of earthenware bottles and potions) his ancestral birthright. In his hand, he beheld an ancient Greek tanning lotion with magical properties. When applied to his body, Peter George becomes possessed by the spirit of Hammerfistucles, the God of Punches.

Despite his name however, he doesn’t do a lot of punching. What he loves is souvlaki, his girlfriend and going to the movies. As far as he’s concerned, that’s his destiny.

Natali Film

Last week I talked about Robby Reis’ photography and visual art but I neglected one minute detail. Foremost, he’s a filmmaker. He represents exactly one half of a partnership called Natali Film. His buddy and confidante, Dan (Vlad) Popa, represents the other half.

Where to begin? Even when I was going to school with them I was amazed at the amount of talent and sass that seemed to twinkle in their wake. They are truly a dynamic pair, from animation to experimental film, narrative and documentary, there’s no moving media that they can’t give their own special brand of character to. I even saw them re-dub some $2.99 Kung-Fu film they bought from a convenience store, just for fun.

I’ll never know anyone quite like Reis and Popa. My only hope is that after I leave Montréal, the distance between us wont stagger our friendship. I’d hate to be a stranger in their world. Regardless, I’ll still be a fan of their work.

Below is just a small sample of what they do, there’s far more on their myspace page. So, I suggest you scour and love to the fullest of your capacity. Don’t forget to go to their blog 24Karrots, managed by the very talented Vanda, whom I’m sure I’ll be writing about in the weeks ahead.

Roza

I’m a big fan of fables and fairy tales. Rather, I’m a fan of that tone, whatever the window dressing is. Roza, by Kelly Hamilton, is an embodiment of that in style and content, for me anyway. It’s an ambitious and beautifully rendered webcomic whose story and texture I can’t do justice to in words. You’ll just have to see it for yourself: http://www.junglestudio.com/roza/