Hey, how was your hopefully long weekend?
Brian here, just back from a quick excursion to San Francisco with Ruth and the moppets for dim sum and other Thanksgiving adventures. SF is one of my favorite places, but in all the times I’ve visited I’ve never done touristy shit like ride a cable car… until this trip. And I have to admit that hanging off a running board while zipping around that beautiful city was absolutely excellent.
Anyway, while I was being a gluttonous American, my lean and mean international partners Fonografiks (on letters) and Niko Henrichon (on everything else) were laboring on today’s new pages of Spectators, as the threat of nuclear war has our main ghosts Sam and Val debating the purpose of their spectral afterlife.
Things are heating up… but are they about to go thermonuclear? Stay tuned, Semi-constant Readers.
For now, it’s time to give away yet another page of invaluable original artwork by the incomparable Niko Henrichon. We do this monthly here at Exploding Giraffe, and if you’re a generous paid subscriber at any level, you’re automatically entered in each and every contest.
Today, we’ll be giving away this lovely depiction of our protagonists departing the future wilds of Park Slope:
And our randomly selected winner for November is… John Romkey!
Congrats, John. Someone from Exploding Giraffe will be reaching out for your mailing details soon.
And if you didn’t win this time, please don’t despair, there will be another hand-drawn masterpiece from Niko next month. Alternately, for today—Monday, November 28—only, the good folks over at Essential Sequential are offering exquisite pages from Niko’s past work (including Pride of Baghdad) for 20% off. Just use code holiday202022 at checkout, and pick up the coolest gift ever for someone you like more than yourself.
In other news, Twin Cities Geek wrote about this awesome opportunity for those of you of drinking age in the St Paul area:
Books & Bars: Paper Girls
What: Books, Food & Drink
When: Wednesday, November 30, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Urban GrowlerBooks and Bars is an “open public book club show” that provides attendees with “a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food, and social lubrication.” This month features Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, the story of a group of girls who get caught up in an invasion from the future while out on their morning paper route. The discussion will cover the trade paperback which collects issues #1-30.
Urban Growler is apparently the first woman-owned microbrewery in Minnesota, and their beers look fucking incredible.
If you’re in the area and end up stopping by this Wednesday, please send everyone my best!
Finally, I had a great time keeping up with last Monday’s busy chat thread about your favorite films of the aughts.
Lots of love for modern classics Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Royal Tenenbaums and Children of Men, obviously, but nice to see some enduring passion for under-appreciated flicks like Speed Racer.
I promise we’ll get back to talking about stuff other than movies eventually, but for now, I am hopelessly compelled to ask you: what was your favorite film of the 2010s?
The teens? The tens? These first two decades of each century are a real drag with the nomenclature…
My non-Coen Bros pick is probably Her,
BKV
Thanks for sharing that SAN FRANCISCO -- CITY OF POETS image; I was unaware of this project and I tip my hat to the San Francisco Arts Commission for the brilliant idea of using the comics medium to celebrate the city's history and culture. The artist of the posted image is A.C. Esguerra, and you can read more about the comics bus stop poster project at the SFAC site: https://www.sfartscommission.org/our-role-impact/press-room/press-release/comic-treat-market-street-final-installation-2022-art
No question, my favorite movie of the last decade (and likely in my all-time top 20) is MAD MAX: FURY ROAD.