La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) by Niroot Puttapipat
I love this little thief by Niroot Puttapipat. If you like his work (and you should—it’s phenomenal), please check out his beautiful cut-paper holiday books: The Night Before Christmas (US 2007), Jingle Bells (US 2015), and The Nutcracker (UK 2015).
Here, at the last minute, I finally pulled together November’s Magpie Monthly. S’il vous plaît profiter, mes amis.
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Always expect the unexpected (via):
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The always-wonderful Kate Beaton has a new set of Gorey Cover Comics; the first one is below, but do click through for the other. Also, check out her take on Young Goodman Brown.
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I can’t get enough of this sculpture by Hedi Xandt (click on the photo to see other shots):
God of the Grove I (2013) by Hedi Xandt
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Andy George makes a $900 root beer float (via):
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The Singer by Alejandro García Restrepo (via)
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Over at The Toast, Mallory Ortberg ranks The Abductions of Ganymede, In Order of Abduction-y-ness. While you’re at it, check for signs you may be dying in a Victorian novel (thanks to Andrew for sending me that link).
Ganymede (1874) by Gabriel Joseph Marie Augustin Ferrier–the least abduction-y abduction
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Ever wonder how an episode of The Simpsons is made? Chris Plante at The Verge found out: “In 1996, The Simpsons passed The Flintstones as the longest running prime-time animated show. In the 30-year interim, the tenor of adult cartoons had shifted dramatically: The Simpsons was more caustic and puerile than The Flintstones, a shameless Stone Age remake of hit 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners. What had hardly changed was the creative process.”
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Now is ze time on Sprockets vhen ve dance (thanks to Marnie for the link to this video).
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Only recently did I read Ina Garten Does It Herself at Eater (originally published in September), but I enjoyed it quite a lot. Fascinating stuff. I learned a lot about Jeffrey, too! I watched The Barefoot Contessa frequently when I had cable, and I always liked how much she laughed. I also like that she’s in control: “There is something that Ina Garten knows about what we want, or who we want to be, or how we want to feel. ‘There isn’t a letter, there isn’t a recipe, there’s no photograph, there isn’t a font, there isn’t a color, there isn’t a detail that I don’t totally do myself,’ Ina said, so that’s how it’s done.”
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Check out Moerkey‘s handmade sculptures made from reclaimed coins and keys (via):
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Over at Book Riot, Peter Damien made a visit to the Amazon bookstore in University Village, Seattle. The store’s small and fairly traditional in appearance (the floor and shelves are wood), and, interestingly, “On all of the shelves, the books were facing outward. Really, there were no spine-out shelves anywhere in the store. This is a remarkably striking way to organize your bookstore. Cover art, always striking, has a chance to just grab you as you walk by.”
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Speaking of Amazons, the Wonder Woman feature film has started principal photography. While the cast has been announced, only two actors—Gal Gadot as Diana/Wonder Woman and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor—have been officially linked to roles. So much speculation has erupted as to who Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, et al will play. I like the recently released image of Gadot in character (at left). Is that Big Ben in the background?
Check out the press release at The Beat and some cast speculation over at Straitened Circumstances.
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While we on the subject of DC Comics on the screen, check out this trailer for the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow TV series, spin-off of Arrow and The Flash:
It does please me that Wentworth Miller (Captain Cold) and Dominic Purcell (Heat Wave) play partners-in-crime here (apparently) and played prison-breaking brothers on Prison Break.
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Miniature Inside A Tea Cup by MiniEstates (via)
Many thanks to Fara for sending me the link to artist Roman Papsuev‘s illustrations of characters from Russian folklore. Baba Yaga, my favorite, is below, but do check out the others as well; they’re all great.
Baba Yaga by Roman Papsuev
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In other Russian news, “Moscow will finally unveil a monument to Soviet author Mikhail Bulgakov, who lived in the city and set many of his scenes among its landmarks, after the project was delayed for more than a decade as a ‘sign of devildom,'” according to an article in The Guardian.
“A model of the Bulgakov statue. Photograph: Alec Luhn for The Guardian“
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George Méliès (1861-1938), via
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Writer friends, if you need me to blurb your book, I’m ready, thanks to Book Blurbs Mad Libs.
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Did you know that when the young people like something on the Interwebs, they call themselves the trash of the thing? I’m fascinated by this nomenclature.
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Closer, a GIF by Zolloc, amuses me to no end.
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Also amusing (via):
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Paint Stripper, a video by Tim Fitzgerald, is probably NSFW (for non-sexual nudity), but it’s very cool. He filmed people naked and then with clothes in the same pose. When green paint is splashed on them, their clothes seem to disappear. Via.
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What I need to remember (I should probably buy this poster so I don’t forget):
