Thursday, September 27, 2012

A proud teacher

"untitled", 3'x4', acrylic on canvas, 2012 - student collaboration
i enjoy being an art teacher for many reasons. often times i feel like the fun uncle imparting important life lessons to help in the development of younger generations, but allowed to send them home after a brief visit. other times it's the sheer excitement of seeing a 12 or 13 year old bursting with imagination and excitement over an assignment. while some posts overlap both blogs, that's not always the case. check out what goes on in my studio classroom at, Art Class With Mr. Wilber.

Looking back: the 'new' wonder woman

cover of Wonder Woman #5


it's been a year since dc comics debuted an all-new universe of heroes. at the forefront was the publisher's icon, wonder woman. after several issues of the new Wonder Woman series and appearances in Justice League, i wrote an in depth blog about my thoughts of the changes to the amazing amazon. after much development i've decided to follow up on this.

long-time fans of wonder woman remain divided over the new princess diana of paradise island. gone is the ambassador of peace, rather we have a younger, slightly more naive, warrior who is searching for her place in the world after growing up on an island where she never completely fit in. in the meantime she started and quickly ended a romance with the first man she ever met, steve trevor. diana has also found herself embroiled in family drama just as she discovered that her father was zeus, king of the gods of olympus. wonder woman immediately found herself embroiled in battles and schemes against her uncles poseidon and hades, half siblings, apollo and artemis, and zeus' wife, the goddess hera. overall it's been an exciting year for the princess.
page from Justice League  #12

a year ago i was frustrated that the wonder woman in Wonder Woman and in Justice League were two completely separate characters, but over time as continuity between the titles began to build, there seemed to be more cohesion. diana has been portrayed as a powerful heroine, strong enough to take on gods and the heroes of the justice league (due to manipulations of a powerful foe). more importantly, wonder woman is indeed an exceptionally loving individual. this is a trait that has been defined as the character's greatest strength in the past. writers brian azzarello and geoff johns have each highlighted this in their own way. whether it be wonder woman ending her relationship with the mortal trevor to protect him from further harm, standing as guardian to a stranger who apparently bears zeus' new heir, or diana promising to marry the god of the underworld because, in part, she pitied him. recently in an unexpected twist revealed in Wonder Woman #0, diana is not the arch enemy of ares, god of war. rather the war god served as her teacher in her youth until she refused to kill her enemies. this is the reason i love wonder woman so much. she may be the most powerful woman physically, but the amazing amazon is also the most kind, loving, and open minded soul. no longer directly teaching her beliefs as a foreign diplomate, wonder woman still educates those who get to know her, a mark of a true hero for the twenty-first century. that being said, unfortunately, not everything about the new wonder woman has me jumping for joy.

there's the major revelation that the amazons are siren like murderers every three hundred years. if this is true, it demeans their (once) cultured and peaceful nature. i preferred the amazons as warriors of peace. the reasons for diana leaving washington d.c. and living in london have not been disclosed and there's no explanation as to what the amazon does in her free time. why doesn't she have a secret identity? also, to date, none of the well-known wonder woman rogues, other than ares, have received the updated treatment. wonder woman's patron goddesses no longer seem directly involved in the young amazon's life. shameful! as is the lack of women in the supporting cast or circle of friends around the princess. and i'm still not a fan of the silver over gold with the uniform. minor complaints when my more major concerns have been addressed. judging by the way wonder woman's first year ended with an eminent war between pantheons about to erupt and a new romance with superman, the man of steel, i'm more than excited to continue the journey.

wonder woman appears monthly in Wonder Woman and Justice League and is guest-starring in Batwoman for the next few issues. visit DCComics.com to learn more. 

a dramatic moment in Justice League #10.


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

I just can't get them out of my system!

a promo shot for bananaram's US tour and new EP, Now or Never.
celebrating thirty years of success, bananarama is coming to the united states for an eight city tour running the length of october. i am very excited that keren and sara are coming to boston! i haven't seen the 'nanas perform since '89, during their first world tour. i was turning nine the day after the concert, but i had been ill for over a week with pneumonia. still, the day of the show my health vastly improved and my mom allowed my aunt to take me. between sheer excitement and exhaustion i ended up falling asleep mid-event and missed most of the concert. i was so bummed! this is my chance to relive and make up for what i may have missed. the girls will also be promoting their new EP, Now or Never.

for more of my love of sara and keren, check out my other bananarama related blogs.


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Happy birthday to my best best friend!

catching some rays after a long jog.
 my best best friend, troia, the amazing amazon mutt, turns ninety-one today. this wonderful collie/labrador retriever has been with me all thirteen years of her life and shared my triumphs and struggles, always with big loving brown eyes and a wagging tail.  troia has been my pride and joy and continues to amaze me each and every day with her youthful enthusiasm and calm patience. i love her more than anyone!



car ride!
a favorite summer activity with aunt sis!
 
sometimes the amazon mutt get a little tired of all the hugs.






Friday, September 7, 2012

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Latest work in progress

"Welcoming Imagination", 3'x4', oil on bulletin board, 2012
my latest work in progress is a commercial piece, a welcome sign. it's been a process to work on my art with so much teaching, but this is slowly coming together. i only have a few days to get it right. the deadline is fast approaching!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Moving in --

my fiance and i moved into a new apartment in boston with our two cats and labrador retriever/collie. what an ordeal! only a few blocks from our old place, it somehow took longer and more money than the last move nearly three years ago. we still have a few things to transport from point a to b, but at least the majority of boxes and all of the furniture has been moved. we're already enjoying the larger living space, bigger kitchen, and high ceilings!

Random comic book panel of the month

Justice League #12, 2012.
it's been talked about on all forms of media, across all major networks -- wonder woman and superman are now a couple as of the latest issue of justice league! that means no more lois lane for the man of steel or steve trevor with the amazing amazon. a lot of long time fans feel this is just another nail in the coffin for fandom ever since dc comics restarted all of its titles a year ago this month. with little history to hinder a more contemporary future, i'm curious to see what happens for the new power couple. that being said, i'm holding out that steve and wonder woman reunite. despite their recent break up, the amazon princess is trying to protect the man she loves from her enemies (see Justice League #12) and it's obvious superman is the rebound guy.