On February 17, Disney will release the newest Studio Ghibli movie: The Secret World of Arrietty. Here’s the trailer:

As pointed out, this is based on the classic series of novels that began with The Borrowers by Mary Norton, about a family of little people who live in the walls of houses and live off items “borrowed” from the Big People. It’s a wonderful choice for a cartoon, since animation allows the various-sized characters to interact realistically without a layer of special effects.

Arrietty is voiced by Bridgit Mendler, while her parents are played by real-life couple Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. Carol Burnett plays the home’s housekeeper, while Shawn, the boy who makes friends with Arrietty, is David Henrie (the son on How I Met Your Mother; both kid actors also have recurring roles on the Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place). Hiromasa Yonebayashi also directed the running-on-waves scene in Ponyo that was so distinctive and memorable; this is his first full-length film as director. The original screenplay is by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, while the English-language version is by Karey Kirkpatrick.

In conjunction with the film, manga publisher Viz is releasing three tie-in books on February 7.

The Secret World of Arrietty Picture Book ($19.99) is a hardcover aimed at younger readers that retells the movie story using animation cel art from the film.

The Secret World of Arrietty Film Comics ($16.99 each) consists of two volumes in paperback retelling the story, also using film frames.

Of most interest to me is The Art of The Secret World of Arrietty ($34.99), a celebration of the film “from initial concept to the silver screen, thanks to hundreds of sketches, concept drawings, and animation cels, plus in-depth interviews with the creators.” Katherine Dacey recommends it.

To promote the upcoming release of Pac-Man: The Complete First Season, a 2-disc, 13-episode cartoon collection due out January 31 from Warner Archive, the company has made available to watch online the episode “The Abominable Pac-Man/The Bionic Pac-Woman”. But it’s only available through tomorrow, January 27. Click the image to watch now.

The show is described as: “Pac-Man does battle with Inky, Blinky, Pinky, Clyde, and Sue, the Ghost Monster minions of the dreaded Mezmaron, who lusts after Pac-Land’s precious power spheres. Aided by his plucky and charming wife and son, Pac-Man saves the Pac-President, confronts the vampiric Pacula, discovers the Abominable Pac-Man, and more. Pac-Venture awaits — no quarters required!”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but there’s something weirdly American about turning a Japanese video game import into a Saturday morning cartoon spin-off.

This teaser features Matthew Broderick once again playing Ferris Bueller, more than 25 years later.

According to Laughing Squid, this is promo for a Super Bowl ad, product unknown. As my friend David put it, “I love how we have gotten to the point of having commercials for commercials.”

You may not have heard of The Big Year, which came and went quickly in theaters last fall. Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black star as birdwatchers who find a special event changes their lives in more ways than one in this DVD out Tuesday, January 31.

The Big Year

A “big year” is a competition to see the greatest number of birds in North America in a calendar year. It’s a particular twist on the hobby that, taken to this extreme, seems to involve a lot of travel to uncomfortable but lovely locations. (I found this IMDB board post intriguing for providing more details while making an argument against.)

Wilson is a well-known birdwatcher married to Rosamund Pike (Surrogates), who feels abandoned by his quest. Black is a divorced computer programmer, lonely and lost. Martin is a new retiree and soon-to-be grandfather giving up his CEO career to follow the birds.

The supporting cast is strong, although few are given much to do; the focus is firmly on the three leads. JoBeth Williams plays Martin’s wife, with Kevin Pollak and Joel McHale as co-workers. Dianne Wiest and Brian Dennehy are Black’s parents. Other birders are played by Jim Parsons and Rashida Jones, while it’s very different to see Anjelica Huston as a boat captain. The movie is narrated by John Cleese throughout, treating the characters as though they were observed wildlife.

(Dennehy has one of my favorite lines, when he tries to understand his son’s hobby. A friend has called with the location of a specific species in a nearby national forest, and Dennehy reports they’ll be heading out together to see “some kind of owl out in the woods”.)

Brian Dennehy and Jack Black

Perhaps because they’re based on real people (the movie is based on a non-fiction book), the characters are nicely well-rounded (with the exception of Wilson’s super-competitive obsessive, although that’s certainly realistic). I particularly liked Martin’s ex-company head. He keeps getting dragged back into the business not because he can’t give it up, as Hollywood would have it, but because those who used to work for him aren’t used to proceeding without his advice and guidance. It’s a comforting, mature portrayal.

Those adjectives describe the movie as well. This gentle film builds based on character and locations. Some fans recommend it for its lack of strong language and nudity. There are no belly laughs, instead featuring the heart-warming humor of recognizing a particular personality or hearing a well-turned retort. It also has an excellent soundtrack. And the credits, which show images of all the different kinds of birds, are both educational and overwhelming.

Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin in The Big Year

There were no extras on the DVD screener I received (which seems to reflect the actual DVD), only the choice between the hour-and-forty-minute theatrical version or the extended version, with three more minutes of footage. The Blu-ray edition comes with DVD and digital copy, plus deleted scenes, a “Big Migration” featurette, and a gag reel.

This movie is an excellent option for a birdwatcher, since it’s rare to see such an extended treatment of the hobby on film. It’s also a good choice to watch with parents, since there’s little to embarrass anyone, and older viewers will appreciate its quiet grace. (The studio provided a review copy.)

Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant) writes and draws about her reading style for The Globe and Mail. (Via Tom Spurgeon.) This illustration shows both her facility for capturing movement beautifully and her own twitchy poses. I can relate, especially that last one with the little stars. Ah, iconic cartoon language!

It’s a week of old favorites, as we get a new storyline beginning in Angel & Faith #6 (Dark Horse, $2.99). I found this issue, by Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs, a must-read for Whedonverse fans. There’s a substantial flashback to Rupert Giles’ first field mission as a watcher in training, and the story, while serving as a fine starting point for new readers, is dense with mythology, demons, and character history.

Also from Dark Horse this week is Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo #143 ($3.50). If you ever wanted to learn how soy sauce is made, or at least was made once upon a time, check out this issue, part one of a two-part story. Usagi stops arsonists from burning down a soy sauce maker’s warehouse, and the maker gives Usagi a tour of his process while explaining his conflicts with a business rival. (I was reminded of Moyasimon.) I learned that shoyu (soy sauce) ferments for at least two years! Unless you’re the shady guy next door taking whatever shortcuts you can and not respecting the old, proven ways of doing things, giving the story a more substantial theme than just stopping the bad guys.

Daredevil

The book of the week is the first collection of Mark Waid’s Daredevil, available in a Premiere Edition hardcover (Marvel, $19.99). It reprints the first six issues of the series I’ve called the best superhero comic currently running. Art is by Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin, talented both. Here’s my review of issue #4 for more information.

Also out from Marvel is a collection of the first 13 issues of Strikeforce: Morituri ($34.99). This series, about a group of cadets given superpowers to fight invading aliens while knowing the abilities will kill them in a year, was one of the first times I noticed how much difference the writer makes. Creator Peter B. Gillis wrote the first 20 issues, and I enjoyed following along with the (sometimes hysterically exaggerated) drama. Then he left, and new writer James Hudnall fell on the book like a cement anvil. So I still don’t know what happened, or if everything wrapped up satisfactorily. I suspect not, but if you can live with that eventual disappointment, these first issues are gripping and suspenseful. The certain death tradeoff is a lovely metaphor for war and what it does to soldiers.

I was looking forward to the first collection of Brenda Starr, Reporter from Hermes Press, reprinting the full run from 1940-1946, but A) it’s $60 for fewer than 300 pages and B) I read this review, that suggests that even though the strip stars a woman, its attitudes are very much of the time. However, given the historical material included:

Brenda Starr, Reporter

In addition to the comic strips presented in the book, world-renowned feminist comics historian Trina Robbins has written an extensive essay placing the Brenda Starr strip in historical context. The book also features remembrances by Brenda Starr creator Dale Messick’s daughter Starr, as well as her granddaughter Laura Rohrman [and] presents historical and documentary materials as well as numerous examples of Dale Messick’s original artwork accompanied by commentary by one of Messick’s assistants, Richard Pietrzyk.

I may have to check it out just for that.

In other news, Stan Lee’s “crowning achievement“, the graphic novel Romeo and the Juliet: The War announced last August, comes out this week from 1821 Comics. The standard edition is $20, with a collector’s edition for $10 more. I neither know nor care what sets them apart.

I’m surprised by the fact that, out of the 10 comics Dynamite Entertainment is releasing this week, one actually comes in only one cover flavor. (That’s Green Hornet Annual #2 (Phil Hester Regular Cover).) Everything else has from two to six editions, including Black and White Variants and Virgin Variants. (I’m presuming that’s without any logos.) I know other publishers do it too — but not to this extent — and that there’s a market for this kind of thing, or it wouldn’t continue happening so predictably, but when I look at a list of 33 products and realize that it’s only 10 different issues, it worries me. It’s ouroboric.

Speaking of a company who loves variant covers, I think it’s kind of genius that IDW’s two current Transformers series are called “More Than Meets the Eye” (started two weeks ago) and “Robots in Disguise” (launching this week). EVERYone knows those phrases in relation to the property.

Jane Fonda’s first movie, Tall Story, is an otherwise inconsequential college romance running a brief 90 minutes. In this debut, her voice is glorious and her face luminous, especially in the frequent closeups, with a big pouffy flip hairdo.

Fonda first sweeps into view on a madcap bicycle, running over two professors, and revealing that she’s majoring in home economics. She has the profs she’s smacked into compete for her elective course slot, subjects she’s chosen because basketball star Anthony Perkins is in those classes, and she’s come to school “for the same reason that every girl, if she’s honest with herself, comes to college: to get married!”

That quote is only the most obvious reminder that we’re watching a time capsule. I also found it insightful that she has to explain that a pom-pom girl is a “girl cheerleader” who wears a very short skirt. (Nowadays, we’d find specifying the sex redundant.) At least the school is integrated, based on the basketball team, which has one black player.

Anyway, she’s tall for a girl, or so we’re told, so she’s come to Custer College, known for its basketball, specifically to catch a taller boy. The whole thing feels very much like an Archie comic, set in a very small community where the girl students babysit for the professors. Perkins was said to be 6 foot 2 in real life, so he fits the role, but he’s not very convincing as an athlete. He does have gawky charm as a college boy, though.

The only other person in the film you’re likely to have heard of is Ray Walston as a blustery, self-important professor. He’s sporting a Van Dyke, thick-rimmed specs, and teaching modern ethics. You might recognize Murray Hamilton, the coach, though, when you see him — he was the mayor in Jaws. Reportedly, an uncredited Robert Redford is one of the other players, but I never spotted him.

The jazzy theme song is sung by Bobby Darin. The film is black and white, which surprised me, but I guess they were still switching over in 1960. I found that a shame, just because I so enjoy seeing the fashion in these old films in all its glory. The stage play origins are visible, although the scenes have been opened up with different locations. The reaction shots are lengthy and the wisecracks telegraphed.

I can see how some of this was considered racy for the time, although what most surprised me was the locker room scene where Fonda is confronted with a naked player (not Perkins). One of the professors (Marc Connelly), visiting a colleague’s wife, asks if they have “time for a snort”. I haven’t heard that in decades! I was a little surprised when all the adults, knowing that she’s angling to snare him, thinks there’s nothing wrong with him joining her on her babysitting job alone in the house. The second half of the film turns into more of a sports story, as Perkins’ team is going to play some Russians in an exhibition game. There’s a bribery attempt and conflict over player eligibility.

The film has visible specks and lines at times, but the monochromatic tones are crisp. As with many of the more recent Warner Archive releases, there is also a trailer for the movie included. This one’s 3 minutes 42 seconds and features the director, Josh Logan, praising the “youth, beauty, and talent” of new discovery Jane Fonda.

This would make an excellent double bill with Where the Boys Are, also featuring 60s college girls, or for a more seasonal twist, pair it up with one of the beach party movies for an example of what the students did in the fall. You can see some images from the film online. (The studio provided a review copy.)

Tom Spurgeon posted today this thought-provoking quote:

there’s a bunch of stuff out there right now on creative teams fighting and/or dissolving. It’s not something I care to link to, but you can find it pretty easily if you look around. The thing that I wanted to note is that this kind of public griping always seems to happen when comics is in a real emotionally stressful period; I think the mini-era we’re in qualifies, for sure. I think we’re past the point where people are just starting to realize that all the exciting things happening around them may not happen to them, and into a phase where people are beginning to worry that comics may have a detrimental effect on their lives.

This struck a chord with me. As someone who chose to leave the comic field and pursue primary-job employment elsewhere, I look around at acquaintances my age who stayed in and see the things they don’t have: Health care coverage. A home (instead of a rental). A retirement account. Any kind of job security. (Not that anyone has that these days.)

I value their work and am glad they could pursue an artistic career, but I worry what might happen to them as they reach the tail end of middle age and beyond. The U.S. is not a friendly country for those who don’t have enough. Maybe my definition of “enough” is bigger than theirs, and they’re happy with it, I don’t know.

That doesn’t even consider the various mental challenges of working in an industry that often attracts … well, there’s no polite word that comes to mind. I’m fond of saying that most people in comics are broken in some way. We’re all drawn to this wacky field because it gives us something we couldn’t get elsewhere, whether escapism or validation or a feeling of community or a business where the usual rules don’t apply or room for extreme individualism or sheep to be fleeced. The flip side of that is how much comics can bring bad feelings or fallings-out or mental scars.

I’m rambling. I wish comics, like most other entertainment fields, had more collective agreements for protection, because the Hero Initiative can’t cover everyone. Like Tom, I worry what’s going to happen as profits continue to shrink.

Update: Faith Erin Hicks blogs about this issue, revealing some actual figures (and how beneficial for health care and art grants it is to live in Canada) and the trade-offs she’s made. Her lengthy piece is well worth reading, but here are just a couple of excerpts:

First of all, let me say that I feel I am poor, but not deprived. I’m not going to yammer on about how I have it rough and scrape out a living, because I made a choice to work in comics, and I feel I’m very lucky that I’ve been able to make it work financially for this long. I’m very grateful. There are things I wish I had (like a house), but I don’t feel like I’m staring into the financial abyss. I live in a decent apartment in a decent part of a small city (Halifax). I like buying things like comics and sushi. I have a car. But there are choices I make that allow me to live cheaply. I do not buy new clothes. I rarely go to the movies. As much as I like buying comics, I voraciously use the library to read everything I might want to only read once. I do not have a cellphone (shock, horror!)…. I cook at home a lot, which is much cheaper than dining out. We do not have cable. My car is 10 years old, and I bought it outright used, so I didn’t pay interest on car payments. Spending over $20 is a big deal….

I feel this art lifestyle is maybe not for everyone. It works for me because I don’t think I want some of the things other people might (I never saw myself as having a family, and while I’d like a house someday, I am content to rent), or at least I don’t want them right now. I’m still young, and I feel like this is my chance to draw comics for a living, so why not take it? If I had things like a family or a house, this lifestyle would maybe not be an option. But I’ve seen other people make that work, so it is probably possible.

The comments are interesting, too, as other artists talk about how they make it work.