Movie and a Poster #5: The Maze Runner: The Death Cure

Overall, I think The Maze Runner series is an above average action trilogy.

I thought the first one was surprisingly good, neither of the sequels really hit the originality and cool vibe of that one for me. The sequels are totally fine and even have a few surprises but are far more traditional action. Lot's of guns, lot's of explosions (pretty much the whole last 1/3 of this final movie is the final boss battle and that gets a little exhausting). Great world-building, give those effects people a raise!

The acting is decent from everyone all the way through, Rosa Salazar was a surprise, commanding presence on screen (no idea what she's done before). There's a few funny bits but it's nowhere near over the top, which is good.

So if you liked the first two, you'll probably like this one. If you haven't seen the other ones, you won't really know what's going on.

Movie and a Poster #4: The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water is an excellent movie. If this had come out last year it may have topped my best of list, certainly would have been in my top three. Brutally real at times and surreally beautiful at others.

This is Guillermo del toro at the top of his game.

I don't buy digital movies, I might buy this one when it comes out.

Movie and a Poster #3: Darkest Hour

Movie and a Poster continues with #3... Darkest Hour.

I feel like making a movie about real life war is kind of cheating. You start on second base because it represents authentic life or death decisions of history. The drama is built into the reality of it. That said, Gary Oldman was amazing.

There's something about British historical films that read more "real" to me in movies (and tv for that matter). Maybe because I'm more familiar with US history and I see the stagecraft more on film? Not sure. There's not a single moment in this movie that feels like actors on a sound stage. The film is just a couple shades off black and white which also adds to it's believability somehow.

I know it's really, really early in the new year to talk about next years Oscars but if Gary Oldman doesn't get a nomination next year for his Winston Churchill there is no justice in the world. He completely disappears into the role.

Movie and a Poster #2: Molly's Game

Movie and a Poster 2018 continues with Molly's Game. 

I was only vaguely familiar with the premise so went into it with no preconceptions of the outcome and I really enjoyed this one! Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba are great. They absolutely command your attention when on the screen.

The story unfolds well and deliberately (how very Aaron Sorkin). Sorkin's directing debut was good, not mind-blowing but good. Pretty standard act/react back and forth with one or two cool shots mixed in.

So far a much better movie start to this year over last. : )

2017 Year of Movies in Review (Complete)

Here's a final list of all the movies I saw in theaters last year. 39 movies. A little less than I was hoping for but February and April were pretty weak movie months if I remember right. (Disclaimer: This is not a list best to worst, as much as it's a list of what I enjoyed to most to least. So a good movie might be towards the bottom but for whatever reason I just didn't enjoy it. Totally subjective list. If that makes any sense). 

My favorite movies last year was Hidden Figures. So well acted, directed, and a story I was not familiar with until this movie came out (and I've always loved space/nasa stuff).

My least favorite was Transformers: The Last Knight. Not necessarily the worst movie of the year but my beef is with how unoriginal it was (and the series is as a whole). How much did they spend to make this nearly 3 hour load of special effects and noise? Seems like such a waste of everyone's time and effort. The whole series could be so much more. 

1 Hidden Figures
2 Wonder Woman
3 Thor: Ragnarok
4 Star Wars: The Last Jedi
5 Logan
6 Bladerunner 2049
7 Three Billboards
8 Guardians of the Galaxy 2
9 Spider-Man: Homecoming
10 La La Land
11 Lady Bird
12 The Lego Batman Movie
13 lT
14 Victoria & Abdul
15 Baby Driver
16 War for the Planet of the Apes
17 American Made
18 Atomic Blonde
19 The Founder
20 John Wick 2
21 The Foreigner
22 Justice League
23 Happy Death Day
24 Going in Style
25 Murder on the Orient Express
26 Ghost in the Shell
27 Kong: Skull Island
28 Alien: Covenant
29 Kingsman: The Golden Circle
30 Valerian: City of 1000 Planets
31 The Dark Tower
32 Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
33 Beauty and the Beast
34 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
35 Passengers
36 Underworld: Blood Wars
37 Resident Evil The Final Chapter
38 Just Getting Started
39 Transformers: The Last Knight

Movie and a Poster 2018 #1: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

So begins my second "Year of Movies". This year I'm renaming (Now "Movie and a Poster Reviews") and adding an extra element to my reviews, original poster designs by me for each movie I see!

The very first movie I watched this year actually came out in 2017 (barely) but I didn't go see it till 2018 so I'm counting it. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Pretty good! At least much better than I expected. I'm not as much of a Rock fan as most people but I do think he's entertaining more often than not and he's his usual Rock self in this. Which was totally fine. Kevin Hart is funny though some of his lines get old pretty quickly. I liked Karen Gillan's character quite a bit and this is probably the best thing I've seen Jack Black in since School of Rock.

I actually would have liked to have seen more video game mechanics incorporated into the story. I mean, if you're going to do it, go all in. Overall, a good, fun, popcorn movie, and I think a worthy successor to the original.

The Year of Movies Continues...

Started the year with a plan on seeing 52 movies this year. One a week.

Haven't quite kept to that schedule but here is the break down so far. 

I'd say Hidden Figures has been the best told story and Wonder Woman, Logan, Baby Driver, and La La Land were all a lot of fun the watch as well. 

26 IT

25 The Dark Tower

24 Atomic Blonde

23 Valerian: City of 1000 Planets

22 War for the Planet of the Apes

21 Spider-Man: Homecoming

20 Baby Driver

19 Transformers: The Last Knight

18 Wonder Woman

17 Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

16 Alien: Covenant 

15 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

14 Guardians of the Galaxy 2

13 Going in Style

12 Ghost in the Shell

11 Beauty and the Beast

10 Kong: Skull Island

9   Logan

8   Hidden Figures

7   The Lego Batman Movie 

6   John Wick 2

5   Resident Evil The Final Chapter

4   The Founder

3   La La Land

2   Underworld: Blood Wars

1   Passengers

Numericons is a go!

Hi everyone! So I've been super busy getting my latest Kickstarter up and running.

My design has always been somewhat mathematical, ratios, rotations, percentages, there's a LOT of math behind graphic design.

This is the first time I've ever offered the 1 to 100 designs as vectors! And I'm actually offering up TEN different 1-100 sets, that's ONE THOUSAND unique and original designs. There's so much that can be done with these I'm excited to see what people can do with them.

Take a moment to check out my campaign won't you?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markgonyea/numericons

If you like it, I'd really appreciate your support. Even if it's just sharing the link! That helps too!

Thank You!

Card Game is coming!

Putting the final touches on my latest Kickstarter, which will be my first kickstarter card game!

What I like about it the most is it's simplicity. Each player in the game get's just 3 cards, there's a basic game of course but the possibilities for additional game play is huge.

Part of the campaign will be setting up a web page on my new squarespace site (http://markgonyea.net/) where people can share their own game play rules and changes they've come up with. Or maybe I'll have people send them to me and I'll post?

We'll see, the goal is very low so a good chance it'll at least get funded. Once it's launched I'll come back and add the link here.

Thanks!
Mark

Here's a little sneak peek at it.

Banana for scale.

In about a month my latest book, MONKEY SUIT comes out!

If you know me at all, you know I find repetition very amusing. My concept for this book was a "Monkey Wes Anderson family album". 

Each page being an occupation in front of a "wallpaper" background.

I hope you like it as much as I do!

Check it out on Amazon or search your favorite book buying location.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1576877728

I can do that!

So I applied for a graphic design job the other day (still waiting to hear back) but it was interesting for one very big reason.

I know how to do everything they wanted!

They actually want a graphic artist. Not a coder who might do some design on the side. Not a social media expert who knows how to edit photos. An ACTUAL graphic artist. Ads, Flyers, Catalogs, etc. 

I can do that!

Either way, it's nice to know those jobs still exist.

Channeling my inner Fox Mulder.

We've all seen things we can't explain.

For me, it was several years ago. I was driving home from a late movie on a dark, overcast night and a lonely road. I don't know if you've ever been to Vermont but there aren't a lot of city lights. At night it's dark, very, very dark.

I came to a slow stop at a four way intersection and before I could hit the gas again a huge dark figure swooped across the hood of my car. I craned my neck to see if I could get a clearer look at whatever it was. What I saw was a large black shadow against the darkened sky. To me it looked like the shadow of a giant sting-ray.

It lumbered in the air. Floating more than flying, turned back towards me and I lost sight of it as it again went over the car roof. It was gone. The whole encounter was less than 30 seconds. I still have no idea what it was. It looked larger and moved slower than any bird I'd ever seen. I told myself it must have been a flock of something that appeared in the night to be a single creature? Yeah, that sounds reasonable, let's go with that.

We've all seen things in the corners of our sight. Turning only to see nothing there. Most likely an active imagination making creative leaps of faith. Or maybe it's not. Maybe there are things we see only when we're not looking.

I've taken my interest in the unknown and used my design skills to create a series of posters. The Mythical Alphabet and Cryptozoology. Please take a moment to check out this personal poster project.

Thanks very much!
Mark

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markgonyea/the-mythical-alphabet-and-cryptozoology-icon-poste?ref=category

You know what you should do.

I hear this at least a dozen times at every convention.

I even say it myself to others all the time. I hate that I say it but before I can even think it pops out.

"You know what you should do."

I think it's basic human instinct when confronted with an image (or anything for that matter) we immediately imagine how we would've done it differently. Better at least in our own minds. It's a reflex that's probably served us well in the past.

"You know what you should do."

It's never meant to be mean. People just genuinely want to offer their help but what it's basically saying is "I don't like this because..." Which, I've also been told at conventions. Trust me, if something I've done isn't as good as other things I've done, I know. I spent hours on hours staring at it. Working on it. Maybe give everyone the benefit of doubt that this is how they wanted it.

So I'm going to try and stop saying it. 

I'll fail. 

Sorry about that. 

PS- Side note: There's something about standing behind a table that makes people think I can't hear them. Like maybe there's an invisible "cone of silence" force field that prevents me from understanding what they're saying. I've heard conversations about how awful my work is and why they'd never buy it to how much of a hurry they're in to get to that place with the guy who's so much better than me. Why did you stop at my table then?

The Quarter Box Comic Collection

About 3 months ago I sold my comic collection. 2500 comics. All of it.

Why? I've been collecting since I was a teenager. Making sure all my comics were bagged, boarded, sorted and alphabetized into boxes. Making sure they were safe. Secure. 

I think I was tired of caring about it. Caring about the value. The preciousness of it all. 

So I sold it. Gone.

But I do still like comics. A lot. I like the artists, the writers and the characters. I like going into comic shops and talking to the people I meet there about them. 

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to start over. Start over with a catch. 

This time I'll only be buying .25 comics! Almost every shop has a quarter box tucked away somewhere in the back. Past the new books with the holographic covers. Past the hardcover graphic novels and collectable action figures. Maybe the shop over ordered. Maybe the pages are a bit ragged, the spines a little bent or the pages are yellow and it smells like old newspapers. For whatever reason there's no "value". But it's the same art and stories, the same characters on the page. 

This past weekend I exhibited at the first ever Vermont Comic-Con. For the first year of a new show I think it was pretty great. Tons of people in costume and everyone seemed to be excited about the show. Behind my table was a comic vender with just boxes and boxes of comics. The good ones were up top on the table of course but under the table, .25 comics! At least 10 long boxes of .25 comics! During the slow times at the show I'd head over and see what I could find. 

There were many, many more I could have bought but I'm trying to pace myself and pick only the books I really want to read again. Here's what I came away with for the beginning of my Quarter Box Collection. 

New Mutants #3. Written by Chris Claremont and Penciled by Bob McLeod. The New Mutants is one of my favorite comic title runs. Growing up reading this book, It felt like this was my generations's "All-New X-Men". 

Spider-Man  #2 and #7. There was so much buzz about this book when it premiered in 1990. Todd McFarlane's art wasn't perfect, but it didn't matter. It was energetic and leapt off the page. I really enjoyed these early McFarlane books. 

X-Factor #11, 41, and 42. X-Factor #11, written by Louise Simonson and illustrated by Walt Simonson. Absolutely one of my favorite writer/artist teams. Louise is great at making characters feel and act like a real person (or as real as someone someone with superpowers can act). Walt Simonson is truly one of my favorite artists. He can make anything seem dramatic and exciting on the page. I've met him a couple times at cons and he's always been very gracious to fans. X-Factor #'s 41 and 42 is a two part story also written by Louise Simonson but this time illustrated by Art Adams. Adams has illustrated many of my all time favorite comics (Quick confession. His New Mutants Special Edition #1 was the ONLY comic I hung on to because it was autographed). His work is cartoony, but incredibly detailed and I think he influenced a generation of new artists, including me. I'd love to see Marvel do some "Essential" graphic novels with his original black and white artwork. I also kept most of my graphic novels. ; )

So this is the start of it. These are comics I can throw in a pile. They don't need bags or boards or boxes. There's no resale value here. 

This collection will be just what I find in quarter bins and I'll post whatever I find. 

Maybe it won't work. Maybe they're aren't as many quarter boxes out there as I think? 

But it'll be fun trying!

-Mark

The New Herd Immunity.

I think I want my smart phone to be dumb again.

There are many legitimate reasons to have a smart phone but I don't think most of them apply to me anymore.

I work from home so there's no reason for it there. I don't go out all that often and when I do, all my friends have their own smart phones. Other than to solve trivia questions (granted, not a minor benefit!) I can't remember the last time I really "needed" it when I was out.

It's a new herd immunity. Now that everyone's got one, I can safely go back to blissful ignorance. I'm the vaccine denier of mobile tech! As long as we don't ALL decide to ditch the smart phones I can walk among you. Confident in my dumbness and assured that I'm never more than an arms reach away from IMDB or the latest trending tweet.

Too bad I just upgraded. Maybe next time!

- Mark

5 Things a first time author should know.

I've been doing a lot of reflection lately.

Next year is the 10th anniversary of the release of my first book, A Book About Design; Complicated Doesn't Make it Good. Getting a book published through a major publisher is one of the things, if not THE thing, I'm most proud of accomplishing in my life so far. It's amazing to think it's already been that long.

In 2005, my eyes were the size of dinner plates. My first book had been released, positive reviews were coming in from all sides and I was even favorably reviewed by The New York Times!

Almost 10 years and 7 books later I'm now a little closer to reality. My feet are planted firmly on the ground and there are a few things I wish I had known then as a first time author.

In no particular order.

1. You've got about 6 months to make sales.
So many books come out every year, there's always the next new thing. With the advance of self publishing, the white noise is only that much louder. Your book is just one more struggling to be noticed. After about 6 months, if it hasn't caught lightning in a bottle, it's probably old news.

2. So You're probably not going to make more than your advance.
Traditional publishers typically give advances. Money provided to the author against the sales of the book. Unless you're the next Polar Express or Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (and I'm certainly not either of those) that's likely all the income you'll see from your books. Publishers have it pretty much down to a science, they know what to expect in sales and they know what to offer. Everything else is a surprise.

3. If it's not ready, don't do it.
I really like the idea behind my 4th book, A Wish For Elves, but it wasn't ready. I was trying to do too many different things all at the same time with it. I wanted the art to be simple but I wanted multiple panels per page. I wanted it to be colorful but monochromatic. I wanted it to be funny but sentimental. Mostly, I wanted it to be better. It needed more time and I wasn't brave enough to tell the publisher that. The graphic artist in me didn't want to blow the deadline. I regret that and always will.

(Side note: The Spooky Box is much more like what I was hoping A Wish for Elves had been.)

4. It's up to you to promote yourself.
Don't wait for the publisher. Don't wait for anyone else. Put yourself out there and make connections with people. If they don't like what you're doing, screw 'em. That's something I didn't do nearly enough in the beginning. When I started, Facebook was barely a thing. Twitter didn't exist and you had to dial up the web over your home phone. It's a hard thing to ask for support. It feels too much like begging or bragging or both for me. I'm still trying.

5. It's the best job/not a job in the world.
I wanted to end on a high note. I love this. This is the life I've wanted since I can remember wanting anything at all. I literally can't see myself doing anything else. I hope I get to continue doing it. There are amazing highs and miserable downs but every day is a new opportunity, a new idea, and a new page.

Thanks for reading.
-Mark

http://www.markgonyea.com/

The first book I ever remember reading.

The first book I can remember sitting down and reading of my own free will was a hardcover collection of Aesop's Fables. It was probably the illustrations that drew (no pun intended) me to the book to begin with.

I doubt I understood a lot of the stories but there was one that I got. The Crow and the Pitcher. That's the one where a thirsty crow keeps dropping pebbles into a pitcher in order to raise the water enough so it can get a drink. For some reason that one stuck in my brain.

Take on your problems one pebble at a time. It's helped a lot over the years to keep a concept like that in my mind. It's also been on my mind a lot lately that it's a lesson I need to learn again every so often.

This time around, I decided to put my own interpretation down on paper (or on screen would be more accurate these days).

To date, I've done eight different Aesop Fables minimalist posters. I'm sure do more eventually, but for now, it's eight. Each poster is a different fable in a nine panel narrative (as well as the text from the fable).

You can see all 8 here. I'm doing another kickstarter in the hopes that I be able to print a run of all 8 fable posters.

If you like them, you can help make that happen. I'd really appreciate it!

-Mark

PS. Or you could help by sharing the link! : )
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markgonyea/aesops-fables-illustrated-posters

Happy Halloween!

It's that time of the year again! The time of year where my thoughts turn to Vampires, Werewolves, and Witches (more-so than usual I mean).

Continuing the coloring book theme from the last post I decided to do a series of Halloween coloring pages. Enjoy!

If you like these pages, check out my Halloween kids book, The Spooky Box! (This is an Amazon link but it's most likely available from your preferred book source or possibly even your local book seller!).

Check out MarkGonyea.com for more art and Halloween stuff too, thanks!

-Mark

Hidden Letter Coloring Alphabet

My most recent book, Counting on Letters, got me thinking more about, well... letters. That combined with a long time fondness of coloring inspired me to make Line by Line: A Hidden Alphabet Coloring Book.

I started out thinking it was going to be a stained glass kind of look but it was really more freeform than that. I let the letter dictate the shapes around it. Very linear letters are surrounded by more straight lines and rounded letters would get more circles and arcs. It was a fun, quick little project that I'm happy to share.

Here's a link to a free PDF of the complete book.

If you like this you should check out MarkGonyea.com for more.

Thanks!
Mark

The Last One to One Hundred!

Hi everyone! This is the last 48 hours for the final One to One Hundred project. We're at 80%! Help support this project and future design projects. 1000 designs!
FREE international shipping on top rewards! : )
One to One Hundred started out as an experiment in graphic design. The concept was simple, to combine numbers with graphic design elements to create something unique. The result, which was far from simple, was a unique series of posters representing the numbers 1-100. Thanks for your support!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markgonyea/the-last-one-0