Formerly Clockwork London

Death of a Partnership

2008-02-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

So this blog is pretty much officially dead. I know it didn't last for long but the partnership it was based on failed to function properly and had to be destroyed. However, a new site has formed http://goingtrain.com, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and will be the new home of Haupt, The Grove and all the other ex-ClockworkLondoners. Griffith remains on Clockwork London, so go to see what he's doing but all the content from this blog is now officially in the domain of the Going Train. We hope you enjoy the new site!

Comics...Only Better

2008-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Haupt

Remember the last time you watched a sci-fi movie or read a sci-fi book that blew your mind while at the same time chilling you to your core because it was such a poignant and intelligent look at our society and where we might be headed, not just as a culture but as a species?

...

Yeah, me neither. Then I read The Surrogates by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele.
Click here to read the full review...

Format Change!

2008-02-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

We've decided not to provide full content on the blog. The blog will still provide everything we post on the site with the same teaser links used on the main page. Just like over at http://goingtrain.com you'll have to click-through to read the full story. We're hoping this gives everything here a more streamlined feel and encourages more traffic on the main site. Thanks!

Prohibitively Good Brews...

2008-02-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

From: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers in San Francisco, California.
Style: American Amber Ale
Alcohol: 6.10% ABV

The lastest of tasty brews consumed by me with opinions regurgitated to you. Enjoy! I won't spoil the review but here's a hint of my feelings...

Read the full review...

Bejinni Photogram of the Week!

2008-01-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

(Yes, it’s a weekly feature, so come back!)

This is the first of a number of features being developed here at the clockworks. Our friend, the Benjinni is a master photographer and in an effort to showcase his beauty through art we’re gonna post some of his photos up on the site until he tells us we’re not allowed anymore (could be any day now, so enjoy them while they last). This one is titled “Small Chains”.

Click here to view the post on the original site!

Kicking ass in direct violation of Presidential orders...

2008-01-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I took a Historical Astronomy class. Most of the class was spent talking about how the Babylonians thought of the stars or what kind of telescope Kepler was using. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open. However, during the final few classes the topic shifted to the modern era of space exploration. This was where the fun was. Up until that point the most dramatic thing to happen in astronomy was a guy getting threatened by a church but now...Holy shit. People were blowing up, rockets were flying, and dogs and chimps were orbiting the earth. Clearly things had been turned up a notch.

I’ve always enjoyed things centered around this period of American history. I’ve read October Sky, been to Space Camp and my Dad and I will endlessly quote The Right Stuff at each other ("A jimp?...What's a jimp?"). Now I have a comic to add to my list of approved Space Age literature, Astronauts in Trouble - Space: 1959.

This is one of a series that I picked up on the recommendation of the author, Larry Young, when he said that of this entire series of stories this was the one that turned out just the way he wanted it. Almost a graphic novella in format, 72 pages for 8 bucks and worth every penny. It’s an alternate history, or just undiscovered history, of the true first man on the moon. The story centers around a group of reporters who stumble across a military base that houses a program to ensure America space superiority even at the expense of disobeying the president. A great read for folks who like the literary license of a “behind the scenes” look at the Space Race showing what patriots on both sides of the Iron Curtain would do for their nations.

Charlie Adlard, of The Walking Dead fame, handled pencils for the title and displayed his usual level of talent that its almost easy to take for granted. In such a short story though, this talent is of critical importance. Without his emotive faces and strong story telling it would have been easy to get lost in the shuffle. When characters see someone they recognize from earlier, I recognized them too. He was also able to capture the granduer of the early style of 1950's rocketry much like Darwyn Cooke did in The New Frontier. And when the tale moves into space Adlard sprinkles in some Kirby crackle for that old school cosmic comic feel.

It’s easy to dismiss the modern astronaut when stories about diaper clad, gun toting, cross country manhunts are the only stories that make the news unless someone dies. But it’s good to know that Young and Adlard successfully capture an earlier spirit of those first pioneers of space when the stakes were impossibly high and America had the men for the job.

-Haupt

2007-11-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

2007-11-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

Organic Dread Brown Ale Review

2007-10-28T23:28:00.001-07:00

Beer Reviews: Griffith and I maintain an account at http://beeradvocate.com Reviews we post there will also be posted here but we recommend that anyone who loves beer go over to Beer Advocate and get an account so you can join in all the fun.

Beer Advocate takes beer seriously and all of the reviews we post here will be done in their format. They rank the beer based on 5 categories:
Appearance (20% of overall rating)
Smell (20% of overall rating)
Taste (40% of overall rating)
Mouthfeel (10% of overall rating)
Drinkability (10% of overall rating)

Beers are ranked on a scale of 1-5, 1 being awful and 5 being exceptional.

We’ll try and keep our reviews pretty succinct because we assume that after reading them you’ll be in a hurry to go get a beer and we don’t want to take up to much of your beer time.

Organic Dread Brown Ale
From: Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing in Santa Cruz, California, USA.
Style: American Brown Ale
Alcohol: 5.40% ABV

My overall score: 3.8
Appearance: 3.5
Smell: 3.5
Taste: 4
Mouthfeel: 4
Drinkability: 4

Comments:
Appearance: One finger head that fades after a minute or so, low carbonation, deep dark brown color, practically opaque in a low light setting

Smell: Sweet and smoky, maybe a hint of a burnt caramel.

Taste: A nutty beginning with a surprisingly bitter middle that finishes with a smoky sweet aftertaste. very malty overall.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation with a surprisingly light, crisp mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Would definitely get again.

[ serving type: growler ] *For those of you wondering about what growlers are, I plan on doing an article in the future about the glorious beer containment powers of the growler.

-Haupt

I guess technically we're all creatures...

2007-10-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

Griffith keeps saying that the website is almost ready. Matt said he would have it going as soon as we had something to post. This may make my first several posts less organic than intended but the bastard has forced my hand. I must give him something if we are to get the ball rolling. Here goes...

Creature Tech by Doug TenNapel
Published by Top Shelf

*Note about spoilers: I’m trying to review things that are obscure enough that they haven’t been reviewed a thousand times already. I understand that this means anyone reading this probably hasn’t already read the book. I will try to keep spoilers absent and simply talk about why I liked the book without giving away the reading experience.

I bought this book for three reasons. It was on sale during the Top Shelf 10th anniversary sale. I thought it was using an idea that I had come up with for one of my own projects. And the sample artwork looked amazing.

Fortunately, after reading the book I realized that the plot had very little to do with my own ideas so I breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, this book was a lot better than anything I had planned. The story follows the life of Dr. Ong, once on his way to priest-hood now scientist for the government assigned to work at the Creature Tech research facility. The facility houses all of the stuff the government couldn’t or didn’t need to figure out immediately, much like that final, infamous scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Dr. Ong’s job is to sort through all the boxes and figure out what everything is or what it can do for Uncle Sam. Everything from magical religious clothing to alien artifacts. There’s a love story that is obvious but still sweet. The villain provides laughs with his power to turn cats into demons and quest for giant flying eel which fluidly moves the story along. And, refreshingly, the character development takes some surprising twists but still maintains a coherency and believability despite the absurdity of some of the books situations.

The book is slightly oversized which makes it fun to really examine some of the fantastic artwork. TeNapel uses a heavy line and some drastic angles to set his characters apart from one another. Some black and white books strive for realism to the point of incomprehension and confusion because the characters just aren’t distinctive. But art isn’t just about characters looking different. TeNapel is clearly a gifted story-teller who planned this book well. His panel layout is dynamic and appropriate with a nice number of full page panels and a couple of two-page spreads. When the action really heats up TenNapel will even opt for the 7 or 8 panel page so the reader gets a blow by blow for the scene. I said earlier that the art prompted me to buy the book in the first place and I wasn’t let down.

Obviously I really enjoying reading Creature Tech. It read fast, but it also stuck with me and gave me some things to think about concerning scientific progress, religion and the ever cliched “going home again”. This is not the book I would have ever expected from the creator of Earthworm Jim.

-Haupt
haupt@clockworklondon.com

The situation...

2007-10-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is the official blog for the website http://clockworklondon.com/

All of the posts from the website will be doubly posted here. This is mostly just to get more people stumbling across the site. If you like what you read here then come check us out over at the main page.

-Haupt
haupt@clockworklondon.com