FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

LARRY JOHNSON'S DREAM DIARY #4: RE-ENGAGE THE SURREAL

Larry Johnson's Dream Diary #4 returns readers to sectors that are at once bizarre, absurd and beautiful, each and every one plucked from the artist's intimate reveries. 

For this volume, the chapters include Johnson facing a tiny, attack dog, which he averts via amazing ascension; another tale of ascension in which he becomes an underdressed Pied Piper; a "restaurant" where chess rules and dancing is the main course; the startling discovery of a naked arsonist; the frustration spurred by an incoherent, art teacher; a search for a comic shop, distinguished by a friendly couple and the inexplicable water that surrounds them; a downpour that prompts the purchase of a Batman comic; the preparation of a rocket launch and its madcap consequences; a cordial encounter with a youthful clone; an art exhibit where the guests head into a perplexing tunnel; a rattling, home invasion; and last but not least, a bike ride emboldened by equanimity.

Johnson's abstract documentations are great fun, for he allows one to see through his eyes and experience his jaunts as if they're one's own: indeed, a most welcoming gesture.  

To enjoy the gamut of Dream Diary #4, send $10 per Paypal to LewBrown@verizon.net, or to Venmo @Lawrence-Johnson-232, and in little time at all, Johnson's captivating compilation will arrive at your door.

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

LARRY JOHNSON'S THE COMPLETE LEW BROWN, VOL 2

As stated in my The Complete Lew Brown, Vol 1 review (see May post), I believe the titular character is artist/writer Larry Johnson's "everyman" alter ego, and Johnson has used this surrogate in several exploits, including his noted anthology, Tales of Fantasy, and his superhero novel, The Hand. 

Within Johnson's engaging tapestry, Brown is an affable reporter who, for all intent, enters Twilight Zone-ish sectors, on occasion rendered with Kolchak/X-Files spins. For the 220-pg (black-and-white) The Complete Lew Brown, Vol 2, these elements emerge as a series of ornate, comic-book adventures and a set of captivating short stories.

The comics feature an allegiance between alien races (one with a doll-like semblance and the other adorned by antennae) to conquer Earth; Brown's acquaintance, Madame Boogala, and her pact with a thieving genie; a woman who's eager to paint Brown's portrait, though with a Dorian Gray twist; Brown's astral-projection trip with the charismatic Concordus, Chief of Spirit Magic; Boogala's influence on Brown's rare, dance-partner statues and the subsequent sector where a monster plant thrives; Boogala hurling Brown back into the arms of his old girlfriend, Marie (but is she the gal he knew and loved?); Brown's visit to a haunted tower, teeming of anxious artists; Brown's admission into eerie, "Seeing Eye" therapy; the return of Marie, though now exposed as something beyond human; a crystal ball harboring a spidery specimen that pulls people into its dimension; and Brown's quest for an artist named Thaddeus Cromwell, in what becomes a crafty homage to H.P. Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model."  

The short stories embellish the comics, with "Escape Too" centering on Brown's trip to a welcoming yet mind-bending inn, capped by a Boogala surprise, and "The Aurorans" (first featured in Fantastic Tales), where Brown goes the extra mile to extract his brother, Freddy, from an ethereal cult. 

In addition to Freddy and Boogala, the volume includes Boogala's obedient son, Goomar, Brown's eccentric neighbors, Joe and Francine Carbone, and therapist Dr. Charles Young, who acts as a soothing springboard and host for several of the enclosed conundrums. In addition, Crow's Curios (a hub similar to Friday the 13th: The Series' Curious Goods) weaves its way throughout, as does its proprietor, Alistair Crowe, who clinches Brown's revisits and as such, his encounters with the unknown. 

On the surface, Johnson/Brown's exploits are breezy, but beneath, they nurture foreboding nuggets. Our hero's reactions to those nuggets are what makes the concept click. Brown is far from being Doctor Strange or Doctor Fate, but his humble designation makes him more identifiable (and all the braver for it) as he overcomes the absurdities he's dealt. Like so many of us, he faces obstacles that wish to thwart him, and like so many of us, he does his utmost to derail them, even as Johnson brackets the situations with phantasmagoric trimmings. 

I like The Complete Lew Brown, Vol 2 as much as Vol 1, so in my estimation, Johnson has achieved what few have done: dispatched a sequel that matches the original. On this basis, it doesn't matter whether one starts with Vol 2 or Vol 1. Both Lew Brown volumes deliver oodles of relatable wonderment.  

One can order The Complete Lew Brown, Vol 2 at

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4NW6435?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

and Vol 1 at 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GXTLP6HM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title   

PINUP TIME: INGER STEVENS IS JANA

 

FAREWELL, SAM NEILL

The Jurassic franchise became your identified brand and banner, but as broad and potent as the series is (and as iconic as your Alan Grant will remain), you shined beyond it. 

 

My favorite of your roles is Damien Thorn in The Omen III: The Final Conflict. Your slick, commanding demeanor was so right for the cloaked Antichrist. 

Then there's your best all-around performance in the abstract, horror picture, Possession, where your wide, emotional swings complemented Isabelle Adjani's to a frightful and unshakable tee. 

You were also great in Peaky Blinders; And Then There Were None; The Hunt for Red October; Hunt for the Wilderpeople; The Hunter; Attack Force Z; Event Horizon, In the Mouth of Madness; Merlin; Dead Calm; Snow White: A Tale of Terror; Bicentennial Man; The Portable Door; Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder (in cool, "Odin" cameos); Scary Girl; Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal; Peter Rabbit; Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway; The Fox; Perfect Strangers; My Brilliant Career; The Piano; Bring Him to Me; Restoration; Zookeeper; Sirens; Death in Brunswick; The Umbrella Woman; The Jungle Book 1994; Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole; The Dragon Pearl; The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box; Enigma; Evil Angels; Landfall; Sleeping Dogs; Dirty Deeds; Under the Mountain; Irresistible; Yes; The Journalist, A Long Way Down; Just Out of Reach; Backtrack; Blackbird; Palm Beach; The Blood of Others; Robbery Under Arms; Gallipoli 2005; The Commuter; Little Fish; Plenty; Ride Like a Girl; The Country Girls; Sweet Country; Far From A Country: Pope John Paul II; For Love Alone; La revolution francaise; Wimbledon; Angel; Dean Spanley; Shadow of China; Rams; The Assassin Club; Leap of (Question of) Faith; and Molokai: The Story of Father Damien. (You'll also grace the upcoming Monsterverse epic, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.) 

You were, in essence, ubiquitous, which is an admirable position for an actor, and one that makes your passing hard to accept, Mr. Neill. Nevertheless, your vast body of work will always keep us entertained, proving time and again that, when it comes to your prestigious profession, it's obvious why you stood out from the pack.

WISE WORDS: