Pat Piches: The Sculptor, The Dead Poachers Society & The Prince And The Dressmaker

Would you be willing to die for your art?

Would you be willing to watch 4 British/Welsh men attempt to win a battle royale? 

How would you react if a Prince asked you to make dresses for them?

Welcome back to the Tramway! I'm your host Patrick Webb, and this is Tug & Tram Blogging. Before I get into my topic today, I wish to apologize for the delay in posts. I recently attended Happily Ever NACA (aka the National Association of Council Activities) in Kentucky, and didn't have a lot of time to write (I will discuss my trip in another post) 

Right now, I want to pitch a book I just finished reading today, a YouTube/Switch Channel I've been meaning to discuss for a long time, and a book I recently read for class. So let's get into it!

First, a quick explanation. In Pat Pitches, I (Patrick) pitch something I've been watching, or reading, or listening to, etc. Today I will be pitching The Sculptor by Scott McCould, The Dead Poachers Society and The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang. Let's get into it!

Also please note that there will be some minor spoilers for some series. 

The Sculptor

The Sculptor's Cover, By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47881594

If you want to make comics, the name Scott McCloud might be familiar to you. Scott McCloud is most well known for his comics on making comics (I know, the irony) Understanding Comics (which, fun fact, is currently being used in my Comics & Graphic Novel class), Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics. 

McCloud has worked on several works of fiction, including some Superman books, according to Google. (This' Pat Pitches, not the History of, do you expect me to do research?) In all seriousness, McCloud is a well experienced comic book artist and writer, and The Sculptor, his newest book released in 2015, shows McCloud's brilliance.

To quote Neil Gaiman, a friend of McCloud's who was quoted on the front of the book, "The best graphic novel I've read in years." 

It's hard to top that simple but such powerful statement, but I will try. 

So, what is The Sculptor about? Our protagonist, David Smith (not THE David Smith, a running joke in The Sculptor) gets an offer for an incredible gift to make his artwork. But, there's a catch: he gives up his future, and has only 200 days to live. He also can't tell anyone about his gift, or else he faces a certain consequence. 

During his attempt to get his artwork into the world, David finds his true love, which complicates things even further for him. Also along the way, David struggles with depression, creative burnout, homelessness and problems with his friends. 

The Sculptor has a simple color pallet of blue, white and gray. The color pallet adds to the story's theme of failure and the struggle for artists to get their work into the world. I relate to that, which makes me sympathetic for David. 

Would I make a deal to die sooner but be able to make my art in a way no one else can.....? Probably not, I'd rather take my risks and live longer to get my work out there. But then again, I'm not a sculptor, and I'm not in a Scott McCloud book. 

The Sculptor is a nearly 500 page book, but don't let that daunt you from reading The Sculptor. 

The Sculptor might easily be one of my favorite comics I've ever read. If you haven’t read this comic yet, you really need to. And keep following your dreams, but don’t give up your life for it.

The Dead Poachers Society 

All right, onto a very different form of entertainment. There’s a lot of gaming channels out there. So why should you watch The Dead Poachers?

They’re not the best at what they do. They don’t win every game they play. But I can’t stop watching them. They’re really fun and hilarious. Rhys usually begins each round with “What could possibly go wrong?”

I found out about the Dead Poachers via Angry Welshman Productions, Rhys, who is a part of both groups. It’s essentially him and a group of friends hanging out and play games while recording them. The members, Rob, Rhys, James, Medmo (I don’t know his real name, sorry Medmo), and sometimes  Andy from Steaming Westward Productions.

The Dead Poachers’ main game of play is PUBG, essentially if Zack Snyder did an edgy version of Fortnite, or rather more realistic Fortnite in terms or guns, setting and graphics. Sometimes the Dead Poachers play with only 2 or 3 members, but most have the full 4 members.

The Dead Poachers have a great dynamic. They mock each other, but always work to help each other out, such as helping each other with loot, and always mock Rhys’ driving, especially when he crashes. It’s a running joke from the Angry Welshman Productions, and sometimes hold true. Then again, all the Dead Poachers have their bad driving moments.

There’s also the quips and general shenanigans. Rhys not being allowed to drive, the Dead Poachers running for their lives when they’re outgunned, insults such as “Your Mum’s a Mountain goat,” and “see if you can find a boat.”

I should warn you, the Dead Poachers aren’t exactly politically correct. In the newest video, for example, they make jokes about Wales having border checks because of Brexit. While running on the edge of being offensive, the Dead Poachers, in their official Twitch feed rules, don’t tolerate hatred or harassment.

The Dead Poachers are only joking, but might not be for everyone. If you don’t like edgy content, the Dead Poachers probably aren’t for you. But if you enjoy guys trying the Chicken Dinner in PUBG, then this might be for you.

The Dead Poachers also play Grand Theft Auto, Sniper Elite 4, and other shooter games. I’m personally lobbying for them to do a April Fool’s video where they play Fortnite. I think that’d be hilarious.

You can find the Dead Poachers on Twitch and Youtube, and for social media they’re on Twitter and Facebook. They have a pretty chill community and are a lot of fun to interact with, especially in streams. I have a personal running joke of #TeamRob from a Grand Theft Auto stream where they raced each other. #TeamRob

Let’s move onto the next topic. What could possibly go wrong?

The Prince & The Dressmaker

Our last Pitch is for another comic. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang, is a story about self discovery, and trying to achieve your dreams. Jen Wang, like Scott McCloud, is a master comics artist, based in LA, according to the About page of Prince and the Dressmaker.

Again, MINOR SPOILERS. Please skip the next paragraph id you don’t want any spoilers.

Frances is a dressmaker who has a strong talent. After making a controversial dress, she’s hired by a secret royal client, who turns out to be Prince Sebastian, who feels more comfortable in a dress than his regular clothes. With Frances’ help, Sebastian lives a double life as Lady Crystallia. Meanwhile, Sebastian’s parents are trying to find him a Queen. But little do they know they have a Drag Queen 😎 I’ll see myself out.....

The characters of The Prince and the Dressmaker are very like able. I really like the dynamic of Frances and Sebastian, they are genuine and don’t go through any drama related to Sebastian’s lifestyle. It’s refreshing to read. Even the “antagonist” character The King is like able.

The artwork is also spectacular. Jen Wang is one of the most talented comic artists out there. Mark my words, she’s going to one day be held in the same regard as Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Neil Gaiman and Jack Kirby.

The Prince and the Dressmaker is also an important story for right now. It’s not trying to be political, it’s just about people existing and wanting to be accepted. I won’t spoil the ending, but let me say it’s the comic equivalent of a wholesome post. The ending in particular is equal parts shocking and wholesome.

All right, that’s all for me today. Have you read or watched anything I pitched today? Let me know on Twitter, @ConductorPat, or my Facebook Page: Patrick Webbs Tug & Tram Blogging (no apostrophe in Webbs) or here on blogger. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you on the Tramway!

Pat Pitches: Scott Snyder's Batman Run

What up, Star Tugs!

Happy Tuesday, I hope you're all doing well. Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, I had some stuff in real life I needed to deal with, and that obviously takes priority. 

So, I got off of work about an hour ago, then proceeded to shave my beard off for 40 minutes (this' the reason why I kind of hate growing a beard, but I'm often too lazy to shave regularly. That's what you get I suppose. 😋) Oh yeah, and watching Angry Welshman Productions do a stream, that's totally helpful/productive.

All right, onto the topic you've all been waiting for. So today's post will be a pilot of sorts for a new set of blogs, Pat Pitches, everyone's new favorite recurring blog where I pitch a piece of media that I think you would enjoy, and that I enjoy.

So today's Pat Pitches is for Scott Snyder's run on Batman. Now, before you panic, he's NOT related to the Edge lord Zack Snyder, Scott Snyder is about the opposite of him. 

Now part of the reason I'm doing this is also to convince a certain writer friend of mind to give Scott Snyder's Batman run a chance. I keep telling my writer friend CC (who doesn't like Batman and thinks he's overrated) to give Scott Snyder's run a chance. To be fair, their logic is that Batman has had 17, count that, SEVENTEEN cinematic film appearances, and DC does rely on Batman a bit too much for films. Since I don't have a lot of time to talk to them because we're both working, I'm writing this. Shout out to CC btw, read their series Temple to Alien Gods, it's really good and is on Blogger.

For clarity, the Scott Snyder run on Batman I am referring to starts with The Court of Owls, if you are interested in the story. Please note their will be minor spoilers. 

Scott Snyder does what few writers in recent years have accomplished: add to the lore of Batman in a way that sticks. The Court of Owls feel like they have been apart of the Batman lore since Day One. The Court of Owls are Gotham's secret society, who even Batman doesn't know exist!! They're believed to be a myth, an urban legend, but do exist, and almost bring Batman to his breaking point, and prove themselves to be a formidable physical opponent. 

Throughout the stories, Scott Snyder develops the world of Gotham, and makes the city a character to itself. Scott Snyder describes the history of specific buildings, such as Gotham tower, the reasoning behind the Gargoyles' placing, and even the districts of the city. Scott Snyder makes Gotham feel like a place you could actually visit, that is if you want to die because of how many super villains reside there. 

Scott Snyder also handles Batman's Rogues and Supporting characters spectacularly. Scott Snyder develops on old characters, such as Dick Grayson, and even adds a few new characters, who feel like they belong in Gotham. My favorite character that Scott Snyder adds is Bluebird, who is developed slowly over the issues.

Let's focus on Batman a bit. Scott Snyder humanizes Batman in a way that few writers in recent years have done. In Nightshift (or is it the long night?) Batman, after losing a member of the Bat Family, goes on a rampage across the city, and nearly gets himself killed. He's called out for this, and in result hits the person trying to help him. Later, and here's the kicker, he realizes they're right, listens, and apologizes for his actions. In another story we see Superman and Batman team up to take on a supernatural threat, and Batman shows deep concern for his friend, and refers to Superman as such.

I think my favorite issues of Scott Snyder's Batman run are The Court of Owls, and Batman: Endgame (not to be confused with Avengers: Endgame). Batman: Endgame deals with the Joker, and it's truly terrifying seeing how close to totally destroying Gotham the Joker gets, as he releases his joker gas throughout the entire city, and for some reason does not appear able to die. Batman once again comes to the breaking point, and has to rely on the Bat Family and some rogues to save Gotham.

After Endgame, we see someone new take on the mantle. I won't say who, to not spoil it, but I will provide the premise, again, minor spoilers.

With Bruce Wayne no longer Batman, the city loses a source of hope. So to continue this, the police begin training police officers to become a new Batman, who works for the police, to continue Batman's legacy. I've read only the first volume that covers this arc (Volume 8 if memory serves me right), and I really enjoyed it. This volume also really humanizes Bruce, and is a very unique story in my opinion as Batman stories go.

So there you have it. If you're interested, give Scott Snyder's Batman run a try, you might find it refreshing from other Batman stories. Thank you all for reading this blog post. If you're interested, follow the blog to get email notifications, or follow me on Twitter @ConductorPat. I'll be running a poll soon after this goes live to see if people want more Pat Pitches blog posts. If you do, or don't (which is totally fair), then go give your answer on Twitter.

Thanks again. This' been a fun warm up, so once this' done I'm going to try and get some Lady Luck Vol. 1 writing done. Keep writing, and I'll see you on the Tramway!