wildspark's avatar

wildspark

Need to stop procrastinating...
48 Watchers174 Deviations
16.4K
Pageviews

Wow! It's been years. I am kinda / maybe back, I think?

Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In

Life is fragile

1 min read
My family recently became ill. The virus made it very difficult for them to eat or drink. But being a relatively minor (albeit annoying) virus, they did eventually recover.

Then I read about the Tianjin explosions on the news websites, where many people's lives were ripped away so suddenly.

A few days later, I learnt that one of my friends had a heart attack and passed away, leaving behind his wife and young son.

I was reminded of the brutal truth that life is fragile.

In some ways, art is a celebration of life, and through it, I am encouraged to cherish all that is beautiful and by relation the connections that are important in life (God, family, friends, fellow colleagues with similar hopes and struggles).
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
After having read books 3 and 4 (both of which I've found to be even better than books 1 and 2), some parts of the plot were not exactly surprises (such as what had really happened to Talia).

It didn't make the books any less enjoyable, but it got me thinking - how will this story end?

Here are my (wild) speculations:

  1. The Penny Murderer will turn out to be someone that one of the characters know
  2. Brody will save Nicole
  3. But in doing so, Brody will sacrifice his life
  4. Brody then goes to heaven with Talia


And hence, a play on the series title Brody's Ghost. :)

But I'm only guessing. Time (well to be more precise, Mark Crilley) will tell. :p
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Author and illustrator Mark Crilley (Facebook), probably best known for his "How to draw" Youtube videos, has written and drawn a manga style story called Brody's Ghost, published by Dark Horse comics.

Having grown up reading American style comics from DC and Marvel, manga is not a style which I'm usually interested in. The truth is that what primarily drew me to this story was Crilley's art skills. If you have ever watched any of his YouTube videos, you will realise that the man has amazing drawing skills. The other reason is that Crilley has given so much to the art community through his "How to draw" videos, and I wanted to show my support for his work.

I have read quite a number of novels since my high school days, some good, some not so good. A good story hooks you in and makes you want to keep reading to find out more. It makes you care about the characters and feel their pain and sadness. I feel that Brody's Ghost does those things well.

Some may find the plot a bit too plain, a simple detective-style story of good versus evil. But I think it would be wrong to mistake "plain" for "boring" or "mediocre". The story is actually a refreshing change from the edgy and dark stories full of twists and turns that I've read before. This is not to say that Brody's Ghost does not have its share of surprises, but the story as a whole gave me a feeling of innocence (for want of a better term) that I have not found in comics for some time (or maybe I am just reading the wrong titles?).

The book is made better by the fact that Crilley has included concept sketches and other goodies (such as a "How to draw Talia" one-pager in book 2) at the end of each book. And little "easter eggs" such as the graffiti on page 73 of book 1 makes an already enjoyable reading experience even better.

If there is one criticism though, it's that the I've found the quality of the fight sequences somewhat lacking compared the rest of Crilley's art in the books.

Ultimately, however, this issue is not enough to detract me from enjoying Brody's Ghost. I didn't want to write a review until I've finished book 4 (currently just started book 3), because I really wanted to finish all four books in one sitting. But when I discover something wonderful, I can't help but tell people about it. :)
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Some days I feel discouraged because I'd spend most of my free time trying to do a drawing but nothing comes out right.

I think back to how I never took art class in high school because the school's only art teacher came in with a hangover half of the time - and the time that he was switched on he'd only teach abstract art (e.g. drawing thick and thin lines), or play Tetris on his Apple Macintosh.

I never learnt anything to do with making my line art better, or shading, forms, values, etc.

I lost interest in that class as a result, and eventually took I ancient history instead as my elective, followed by Japanese.

Whether I made the right choice in not choosing art now that I look back on things, I can't say that I am 100% certain, but I don't think you could learn anything useful from a guy that just couldn't be bothered.

Despite written complaints to the school, the teacher was not removed because he was the only art teacher, until several years later, when they had another art teacher who was normal and actually wanted to teach her students visual arts.

But by then I had moved onto studying Japanese.

PS. However I now know ultimately we are responsible for what we choose to do or not do in life. Yes, other people can make it easier or harder, but we are responsible for our own choices.
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Featured

Life is fragile by wildspark, journal

How will Brody's Ghost end? My speculations by wildspark, journal

Brody's Ghost: Books 1 - 2: A Review by wildspark, journal

Devious Journal Entry by wildspark, journal

First entry by wildspark, journal