Hi everyone! As I write this post, I'm sitting in a condo in downtown Toronto. The Toronto Comic Arts festival is due to start tomorrow, and I'm getting really excited about it. Travel and vacation usually means more time to enjoy life, and that's been true for me as well. Read on to see what I've been doing.
Watching: This week, Steven Universe (along with a number of other prominent Cartoon Network serials) were release on Hulu in the US. I have, therefore, spent much of the past week watching through the earlier episodes. So far, I've watched 19 episodes, of the 35 currently available, and its been a lot of fun. Steven, the titular character, is a half-gem / half-human. Gems are a race of sentient crystals that take on human form. Steven is looked after by a group of three gems named Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. The overall arch of the show so far is the story of Steven learning to use his gem powers. Along the way, he spends a lot of time making friends and simply growing up as a human boy. In short, the show simply makes me feel good. I really enjoy the use of music as well as some of the characters goofy expressions. In short, Steven Universe just feels good to watch.
Reading: During my flight to Toronto I picked up Frankenstein again. I had somewhat forgotten where I was in the story. Turns out, I was in the section where the Creature monologues for 3 chapters. The most striking thing to me is how different the portrayal of the Creature is in the book versus almost all of popular culture. In the book, he is grotesque, but highly intelligent and very much able to discuss his feelings with the Doctor. Whereas most popular portrayals of the Creature take after the now classic version by Boris Karloff.
In preparation for TCAF, I visited Little Island Comics and The Beguilling, two of Toronto's notable comic stores. I purchased Giant Days No. 1, Lumberjanes Issue 5, and Batgirl No. 35. Then we got lost in Honest Ed's, so I haven't had a chance to read my new finds yet, but I plan to do so soon.
Playing: Since my 3DS wouldn't leave me alone about it, I download the Pokémon Rumble game. It seems to be alright so far, although I am not planning to spend any actual money on the game.
Tonight, I'll be tagging along with my artist friends to the Sparkler Monthly party. And then tomorrow, I'll be off to TCAF proper. Depending on WiFi availability, I'll try to get some tweets and pictures up. Until next time, Game On!
