A personal diary keeping people abreast of what I am working on writing-wise.

Monday, January 13, 2003

REMEMBER PHIL? I KNEW PHIL WELL

Tip for anyone on blogger.com: Always type your post in a word document or something other than this window here, because if this damned service isn’t working, as it often seems not to be, when you go to post, if it comes up an error, you’re fucked. In other words, take 2:

As promised, here is my list of my Top Music of 2002. It’s the latest installment of my intermittent column, which used to be called Big Talk from The Smallest Face, but somehow seems to have been changed to the rather mundane Big Talk when James redesigned the Oni sight last year.

Last week I had to bang through Clamp School Detectives rather quickly. It may have been the fastest I have done any of the manga, and being the first volume, there was no time to get my feet wet. I had a hard time really getting the voices of the boys, but once I decided to look at it as part of that British genre of boy detectives and see them as well-to-do English school kids, it fell into place. I had them speak properly, which the translation already suggested, only not going for English accents or slang. I played Akira as slightly less sophisticated, as if he were Watson and Nokoru was Holmes. Suo I considered a boy who sort of saw through the image that Nokoru/Holmes projected, but didn’t seem to mind letting it stand.

Now it’s on to Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland, which is short and should be fun. It has a gorgeous collection of color pin-ups up front that I hope they can reprint in the American edition. I also remembered that once Jake had me ask Paul Dini if he would be interested in doing the script; he didn’t have time, and it’s rather flattering to be the second choice after him. (Paul actually called today, and he had his assistant Nancy phone for him, which he rarely does, but I think he thought he was in a little bit of trouble. I made a joke about it that made Nancy laugh. I learned a long time ago that the key to Paul’s office was making Nancy laugh. Just don't tell him.)

My next Tokyopop assignment, which I will do while alternating Clamp School Detectives and Dukylon, will be my first non-CLAMP title in a while, so I am looking forward to it. I still love CLAMP, but I want to wander a bit. They haven’t announced the title yet, though, I don’t think, so I am not sure how much I can say.

Oh, the first Magic Knight Rayearth box set hits comics shops this week. It’s a really nice package. Definitely look for it. The reproduction slays the old editions.


Ever since I fell in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald, I’ve wanted his book All The Sad Young Men. It’s a short story book they don’t keep in print. While the stories are likely dispersed in other collections, it’s a shame not to be able to get a collection he put together. Plus, I’ve just always loved that title. It’s a jazz title, but it just seems to be the quintessential Fitzgerald name. I’ve always envied him getting it first. Anyway, there was a copy with no dust jacket on eBay yesterday, and I couldn’t decide whether to bid on it. It was at $60, but without the reserve having been met. I didn’t know if that was a good price—until today Chynna showed me a site where they sell out of print books, and the cheapest was $125 with no jacket. Damn it.

I did get in the mail today, though, the Wong Kar-Wai book for In the Mood for Love. It’s small, but fat, and comes in a neat slip case. Apparently it was very limited and available only in Hong Kong. It’s nothing but stills from the film. Lovely.

Current Soundtrack: Trash Can Sinatras, A Happy Pocket; Faye Wong, Lovers & Strangers

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