Our 4 year-old demanded to know where SHE was when our 8 year-old’s baby video was made, and why she was not in the video. I told her:
"That was before you were born, before you existed.”
She replied:
"Not ‘when’! I want to know WHERE was I?"
Existence is complicated.
An internet-friend of mine surprised me today. Scott Johnson is in the process of drawing a poster with 56 zombies using characters and people from popular culture. I’m no fan of the zombie genre, but he nailed something very special in his Zombie Big Bird (click the link to see the whole thing).
In drawing this portrayal, he captured the essence of a ‘meta-zombification’ that is 95% funny and 5% creepy. I am still looking at it, captivated by the implication of horrific violence with no victim. It is terribly amusing. It is brilliant.
This drawing is a rare exception to an otherwise-tired zombie craze. I get it; humans with missing body parts that tilt their heads slightly, walk slowly, and have been ‘mostly dead all day’ are creepy. I don’t need to see any more dudes with skin peeling off of their faces, shuffling around with no arms.
In Scott Johnson’s 56-Zombie project, he is exploring his own ideas of how zombies intersect popular culture. Sometimes it is cliché, and sometimes it is surprising. With subject matter that is so familiar, the exercise and experimentation is necessary to reveal a gem like ‘Zombie Big Bird.’ It’s worth a look.
For a palate-cleansing experience, be sure to check out his 56-Geeks Poster. It is guaranteed to remove the zombie aftertaste.
I created the character “Complexitor” to embody our tendencies to over-build projects. That is why Len Peralta’s “The Cleverer” caught my eye. Len is doing ‘villains’ for his summer “Monsters By Mail” theme, and he created “The Cleverer” for one of his customers.
You must go check out Len’s work, and you should order your own custom/personal/one-of-a-kind villain for just $25. It’s a ridiculously-cheap gift idea for yourself, or for the one you love to hate.
See “The Cleverer” at Len’s Villains photo stream on Flickr, and visit his Monsters By Mail site for the details no how to get your own.