It looks like before Batman Inc got hit by the recession Bruce Wayne expanded his company as far as Bradford:
This is not the first time I've spotted a local Batman though. When living in Beaconsfield a man dressed as Batman used to cycle the streets...yet no one else ever saw him.
Have any of you guys seen Batman on a bicycle in Beaconsfield?
Have any of you guys got a local Batman? I'd love to see pictures!
This week's Friday Feature is La Sera is an indie pop band from Los Angeles, USA featuring vocals from Katy Goodman of Vivian Girls. La Sera's sound is much gentler than that of Vivian Girls. Their first album La Sera in particular is a dreamy affair, seeking inspiration from 1950s and 60s pop but even more bouncy second album Sees the Light is filled with summery instrumentals, a touch of reverb and Katy's gentle, breathy, flowing vocals. Listening to La Sera is like all the fun of a midnight beach party but without all the sand getting in your shoes.
Where will I have heard them before?
Katy is a member of punk rock band Vivian Girls.
La Sera spent the majority of 2012 touring, including opening for Father John Misty.
Featured Song: Devils Hearts Grow Gold
Where can I hear more?
You can sample two songs on La Sera's Hardly Art page and another two on their last.fm page. You can then download their two albums La Sera (2011) and Sees the Light (2012). What is their website?
Hi guys! Here is a really simple DIY to liven up a plain shirt for dirt cheap! I did this with an ox-blood (maroon) and blue for a very specific reason but monochrome is really popular at the moment and I think this make would look super effective in white and black such these shirts from River Island and Forever 21:
You will need:
a plain shirt (opaque or semi-transparent)
plain ribbon / binding
thread the same colour as the ribbon / binding
a tape measure to work out how much ribbon / binding you will need
a thin sewing needle and pins / a sewing machine
Steps:
1) Measure the areas of your shirt you want to line to work out how much ribbon you will need (always allow for extra just in case you make a mistake). I used a 1cm wide ribbon for the front of the shirt and collar and a 3cm wide for around the bottom. Whatever width you choose remember that you will only see half of it as the other half will have been folded round the hem of the shirt.
2) Make sure that your ribbon / binding comes as one long piece rather than in short lengths as it will look ugly where you join them. That means that if you are lining the collar and front like I did it will all be ONE piece of ribbon / binding.
3) Decide if you are going to use ribbon or binding. I used ribbon because binding didn't come in the colour I wanted. There are pros and cons to both:
Ribbon comes in more colours and thicknesses than binding
You do not need to hem ribbon
Ribbon can be cheaper than binding
Ribbon is made of stiff, artificial materials so can be awkward to sew, especially with a sewing machine
Binding is purposely designed to hem / line garments and can easily be applied using a sewing machine
Binding is not hemmed but is folded so that when you sew it you hem it at the same time
You can make your own binding from any cloth but it will not be hemmed and will not be folded - only do this if you are a confident sewer!
If you do buy ribbon make sure NOT to buy gift wrap ribbon. It is more expensive and is usually very plasticy / lined with metal so will be hell to sew with and make your garment rigid!
4) Trim your shirt! I hand sewed it because I don't trust myself on a sewing machine and used ribbon. I folded a small length of the ribbon around the hem so that it was equal on both sides of the shirt and pinned it. I then sewed it using a simple but neat back stitch:
I pinned it a little at a time instead of all in one go so that I didn't sew any bubbles and ruffles into the ribbon or shirt (which can happen if the materials aren't exactly lined up properly when you pin them).
When lining the collar remember the 'back' of your sewing (eg the messy side) will become the front (the neat side) which is why I say keep your sewing neat!
5) Hemming the ends of your ribbon / binding is the only really tricky bit. Fold the end of the ribbon in on itself so that your ribbon just meets the edge of your hem) and then sew it like the rest of your ribbon. It took me a few attempts to fold the ribbon to the right length. I then used some very tiny stitches to hold the end of the ribbon into place so that it didn't unfold itself whilst I focused on keeping the rest of it folded over the hem of the shirt.
And there you have one trimmed shirt!
CLICK HERE for how to turn your maroon and blue shirt into the shirt Poison Ivy wears in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City!
But then it came a single sound
With astral nights and calcite
And algebra and symmetry
And none of this was lost on me
And I could see how still I'd been before
If I don't eat, I don't sleep at all.
Like limbs in procession,
Like so many birds,
Stampeding like oxen,
Our hearts are a herd,
I loved you in the best,
I loved you in the best way possible,
I loved you in the best,
Did you see the light in my heart?
Did you see the sweat on my brow?
Did you see the fear in my heart?
Did you see me bleeding out?
I loved you in the best,
I loved you in the best way possible,
I loved you in the best way possible,
I loved you in the best way possible,
I loved you in the best way possible,
I loved you in the best.
All Saints Basement Sessions are the best! I hope they make a CD of them!
P.S. as long as nothing mad happens I'm putting a D.I.Y online tomorrow - so get your scissors sharpened!
I'm very pleased to announce that my short story, 'I'd Lock it with a Zipper' will be appearing in Hic Dragones' anthology 'Impossible Spaces'. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes and where you can get a copy via this blog and also my website http://enchantedviolin.com (check it out if you haven't ever yet - it has lots of fun stuff on it too).
This week is my last (for now) graphic novel for female readers, Wet Moon by Ross Campbell. Wet Moon is a series of graphic novels set around the eponymous college town featuring the trials and tribulations of the young adults (mostly female, mostly into alternative cultures) who live there.
Though Wet Moon features an ever widening ensemble cast much of the action rotates around eighteen year old Cleo Lovedrop. Cleo is still getting over ex-boyfriend (and ultra broody love of her life) Vincent when she bumps into screamo chick Myrtle. They quickly become attracted to each other and Cleo must work out if she is gay, bi or just going through a phase whilst still trying to get over Vincent. Things start to get complicated when Cleo's sister falls pregnant by someone very familiar, Myrtle turns possessive and Cleo realises she'd much rather have a relationship with childhood best friend Mara. Then there are the 'Cleo Eats It' posters posted all over town, the mysterious almost magical Fern, the FBI guy with the monkey, a mysterious slasher, a masked vigilante and the weird stain on Cleo's bedroom floor.
Wet Moon's a little like a sub-culture soap opera. Every character has a story, no matter how grand or small, and whatever happens ends up being everyone else's business. My friend compared it to a load of gothic girls being bitchy about each other...and it kind of is...but then that's what teenage girls do. What she means is Wet Moon is as much about creating characters and an atmosphere as it is telling a story - its focus is much more on dialogue and the everyday life of the town than it is fast moving storylines. It will appeal much more to young women already into or accepting of sub-cultures than someone who isn't as to be 'normal' is to be the odd one out in Wet Moon.
The best thing about Wet Moon for me is that Ross Campbell never exploits his characters. It would be so easy for a graphic novel about gothic girls to be aimed squarely at over-sexed male readers looking for a quick you-know-what but instead he rises above it and creates a world anyone open to it can enjoy. His cast is all encompassing - characters come from all races, all sexual orientations and all body shapes. Some are inherently cool, some are geeks and some are complete mysteries. Campbell doesn't take the obvious root of making his gay characters' storylines about being gay - refreshingly (apart from Cleo) the majority of the gay characters' storylines are those anyone could go through with being gay being as incidental as the colour of their hair. Ditto for body shape. Characters such as Fern and Zia are disabled but Wet Moon never becomes a freak show and they are depicted as so much more than their missing limbs. The same goes for curvy Audrey - she could easily become 'the fat girl' - but is instead a radiant, gentle, blabbermouth and moral compass. Indeed it is because Wet Moon is a town where unique is the norm that so many of the characters' beauty is so easily accessible. I am especially fond of main character Cleo. She is by no means perfect - she can be two-faced and flaky - but we share the same body shape (short and curvy) which I can promise you is not what your average comic book heroine looks like!
Of course we would not know what Cleo and here friends looked like without the art. Campbell's style finds a wonderful balance between detail and decay, embracing the grayscale of the indie graphic novel medium. All his characters are gorgeous without being gratuitous. I'm not going to lie - I find his style one of the most unique and beautiful I have encountered - I truly find it a feast for the eyes. I really hope one day I'll be lucky enough to write for him!
Campbell starts the first few volumes of Wet Moon in a more realistic style then between volumes three and five become more cartoon-like (Cleo's eyes in particular become very large) and in volume six he returns to his original style. Despite the change in style neither to me is better than the other. As a Batman reader I'm used to characters being drawn in multiple styles and though I must admit I prefer Campbell's more realistic work I completely appreciate the effort and love put into his more cartoonish style.
Wet Moon is the perfect place to go if you're searching for someone to relate to as there really is someone there for everyone. I only ever read Wet Moon in the bath. Bath time is my escape from the stresses of the real world. Likewise Wet Moon is the place I go when I want a relaxing escape. I can spend hours exploring its strange streets and breathing its originality in...well until the bath water goes cold and it's time to face the real world again.
You can find out more about Ross Campbell, Wet Moon and his other works here.
Everyone in Wet Moon likes Bella Morte so here is a song by them!
Next week: We return to music with La Sera!
P.S. - did you enjoy this series? Would you like to see more recommendations? Are there any graphic novels in particular you would like to see featured?
Lovely Blythe from Blue Roses has very kindly nominated me for the Liebster Award. Which is very nice seeing as my blog is super geeky rather than super cool XD
So anyway here's the low-down:
List 11 facts about yourself
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger that nominated you
Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate, and then let them know they've been picked
Write 11 new questions for them to answer
Leave a link back to the blogger that nominated you.
Eleven Facts About Me:
I love lavender! I bath in it, use it to help me sleep, use it when I have an infection, sometimes wear it as a scent and even cook with it!
My favourite character from Daria is Trent (quickly followed by Up Chuck)...but I hate Tom.
...I love to watch professional wrestling...
One of my biggest style icons is Alice from Alice in Wonderland.
I have a rocking chair and I sit in it every day!
My laptop is blue.
I once got to hug John Hurt!
I've hand sewn my own dress and will probably do it again!
Some of my fictional crushes include Edward Nygma, Jonathan Crane and Vincent Smith...like a lamb to the slaughter! Abe Sapien is also cute though!
I usually only drink really diluted down cranberry and raspberry juice.
My most played song on my iTunes is the Editor's cover of Lullaby by the Cure. I've played it 182 times.
My answers to Blythe's questions:
Where’s somewhere you would like to travel to? Gotham City...though seeing as that might be a bit difficult I would love to got to Seattle and Singapore.
What’s your favorite color? Red, though green and purple as a combination are also a big favourite at the moment!
Are you more likely to be behind the lens or in front of the lens of a camera? I'm supposed to be a screenwriter so behind the lens. I would love to be in a real photo shoot though - just to see if I could look pretty in a photo!
What’s your favorite animal? Ugh! I love lots! I'm always writing about foxes (they are very mystical) so today I will say foxes (but I also adore birds).
Flat shoes or tall shoes? Flat. My mum lived in high heels when she was young and her feet now are horrific...seriously deformed...I may look less glamorous in flats but at least I'll be able to walk when I'm sixty.
What’s your favorite fruit? I love red fruits such as strawberries, cherries and blood oranges.
What's something you enjoy about blogging? Getting to read other people's blogs!
Have you ever dyed your hair an unnatural color? Yes - blue - but it went green. I'd love to try again but this time get a professional to do it. I'm afraid of roots though.
Do you play any instruments? Yes. I used to take violin and recorder lessons. I can kind of play piano and guitar. I also sing.
My questions are:
What is your favourite TV programme?
Who's better: John Lennon, John Malkovich or John Candy?
What are your five most played songs and does the list surprise you?
What are the best and worst stage plays / musicals you have been to?
Is it hip to be a square?
Can zombies fall in love?
What colour is your bedroom?
Rammstein: epic or awful?
Who is your style icon? (that goes for fashion or general behaviour, which ever is more you)
What is the worst joke anyone has ever played on you?
Tea and cake or tea and biscuits?
Now next I'm supposed to
nominate eleven other blogs but I don't follow eleven under-loved blogs yet so I figure every time I encounter one I like I will nominate them! ((maybe you guys can suggest some cool blogs to follow!))
