Tag Archives: DC Comics

Modern Madrigals: Batman, Llama, & Autocorrect

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frank_gorshin_riddler1

Riddle me this, riddle me tangerine.

What do Batman, Llamas, & Autocorrect have in common?

Would you believe, choral music?

Last year, I wrote a set of Choral Pieces called the “Modern Madrigals.” What is a Modern Madrigal you ask? (Feel free to skip to the music if you like, you don’t need no education to enjoy my music.)

Inspired by the idea of replacing Fa La La with LOL, the Modern Madrigals marry modern concerns with older styles of music.

The first was entitled, “My Man Is My Batman.” It describes a young couple going on a date to see “The Dark Knight Rises” and their evening of hijinks. For the theory nerds, at the end I use what I call a Leaning Tone Cadence, which is V-N6-I.

 

The second, “This Llama,” talks about the true story of a dear friend moving to Ohio, and the picture I made to wish her farewell. Here I also got to have some fun with Fa La La.

 

And finally, “Curse You Autocorrect,” uses my original idea to sing a song of woe for when our phones think they are smarter than we are.

They were a joy to write and I am forever grateful to Timothy Wilds for giving me a place to inhabit artistically and the Montreat College Choir for bringing my music to life.

Share them if you like them! If you or someone you know are interested in having a choir perform any of these, feel free to contact me.

With love,
Nathan Hathaway Adams

The Alan Scott Decision

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A big item in the news lately is gay and gay superheroes. I posted on my facebook page about supporting positive depictions of gay people with my dollars, and I meant that. It’s going to look different for different people (I’m not planning on going clothes shopping anytime soon, but if I do I will definitely consider going to JC Penny). I probably won’t buy Astonishing X-Men beyond the wedding issue, because it’s not my kind of comic.

And seriously, the engagement isn’t even going to last a full issue. Lame.

However, I probably will buy Earth 2 in the future. I was really impressed with the first two issues. The whole creative team did a really wonderful job
immersing me in Earth 2 in a very short amount of time. I was invested and intrigued and I can’t wait to read more.

Would it be one step forward, two steps back if I said he was “flaming?”

Now, do I think it’s a cop-out for the gay character DC has been hyping to be Alan Scott in an alternate universe as opposed to say, Superman? No. He’s still an important character and I thought he was introduced well. It’s important that we analyze these moves and see how they reflect our culture (I wasn’t a huge  fan of his boyfriend being termed “his friend”), but we also need to allow these things to happen naturally and not analyze them to the point that we diminish their positive impact.

Yay gay superheroes!
Nathan Hathaway Adams

The Sandman, By Neil Gaiman

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I can’t remember how long ago I began to read Neil Gaiman‘s Sandman series. I can’t remember what I thought I was getting myself into, or how I thought it would turn out.

Sandman #1 "Sleep of the Just"

Whatever I thought I was getting into, I knew that reading it was going to be a long process. Graphic Novels are fairly expensive, and not always guaranteed to be found at your local library. There was a long lag between reading the first volume (“Preludes and Nocturnes“) and the second volume (“A Doll’s House“).

Dream

I read on, fascinated by Dream’s six siblings (Death, Destiny, Despair, Destruction, Desire, and Delirium). The interplay between these seven, the Endless, is some of the best sibling writing I have ever had the pleasure to read.

The Endless

As my reading was somewhat disjointed (infrequent and out-of-order) I would strain to keep the plot and characters straight. This was easier than its sounds, as a comic it was designed to be somewhat self-contained, therefore some of my straining extracurricular.

Dream with his helm.

I recently was able to finally end my long quest to read “Sandman.” I actually finished it on my birthday, and it was worth every moment spent seeking, reading, and straining. The ending of Sandman weaves in everything from the preceding comics into a gorgeous crescendo of story. Nothing I have ever read has been more satisfying.

Sandman #75 "The Tempest"

Sandman is modern epic. It should be read not only by those who are interested in comics, but those who are interested in story period. Sandman is the very first book I have every finished with a burning desire to reread (this time in order) and also the first book I have finished with a burning desire to own.

Brilliant and inspiring, I am awestruck by Sandman.

Nathan Hathaway