ADW AD ART DEPARTMENT WEEKLY ISSUE 103 VOL. 12
MASKED HERO WHY HIS RETURN WAS THE BEST THING EVER
t i e d a m e W
9 MONTHS OF QUARANTINE 12 MONTHS OF DUBBS YEARS WITHOUT A McRIB
FULL OF JOY
LESLIE, NIKKAY, STEVE, TOM, JON, AND MORE WHO MADE OUR YEAR
LOVE IT OR HATE IT, 2020 IS
over HOW’S 2021 LOOKING?
MINI BOARD A CURATED LIST OF ESSENTIAL WORDS!
A Facebook friend asked what saying or expressions we’re all done with, and I decided to go look to see what other grammarians decided were played out this year. —MV
literally
Karen
basically
socially distanced
game changer hit the ground running honestly
BUZZSAW is an online tool that strips
buzzwords out of pubic relations materials and announced its list of honorees for Worst Jargon of 2020:
essential
the new normal
Zoom
ideation
remote
curated (thoroughly misused) content
MERRIAM-WEBSTER Widely used terms
disambiguate
with clear definitions are added, like WFH and finna. Here are a few more preserved in our lexicon for a while longer: stan swole thirst trap bae hangry slay FOMO manspreading mansplain bingeable inspo helicopter parent
catfish subtweet unfollow on-brand influencer life hack unfriend selfie booty call po-po noob flexitarian
1972: woke Being aware of social issues, especially in relation to racial injustice, was added to the dictionary in 1972, when it was made popular by the play Garvey Lives!
in the time of covid reach out mainstream media solutions we remain cautious circle back [any word]-preneur CHANGES WE CAN ALL MAKE
Capitalize Black to confer due dignity to the shared identity, culture, and history of Black people, according to dictionary.com. Stop using “homosexual” as it holds clinical and deviant connotations rooted in outdated beliefs. Informed by GLAAD recommendations, dictionary.com changed 50 entries to be more current in support of the LGBTQIA+community.
SO DATED Here’s a list of some of my favorites that I rediscovered in researching this:
cruisin’ for a bruisin’
far out
have a cow
bailout
what’s your bag?
no duh
chad
made in the shade
bummer
I hear that!
not!
burn rubber
heavy
Whatever
can’t even
ankle-biter
do me a solid
You go girl!
yolo
wet rag
psyche!
Get bent
metrosexual
knuckle sandwich
spaz
mother of all —
goals
flip your wig
cool beans
Y2K
lit
bust a gut
gag me with a spoon
truthiness
occupy
WMD
dumpster fire
peepers
Art Department Weekly is published by Dinosaur Girly Productions, 184 Bay 26th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214. The entire contents of ADW are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without expressed written consent of the publisher. ADW accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. ADW reserves the right to edit, rewrite, refuse or reuse material, is not responsible for errors or omissions, and may feature same in other mediums for any and all purposes.
D R A HE
WITH EXCEPTIONS
T R NA
R E V O
My car battery died, and it’s the first time I’ve interacted with strangers in months. People can still be helpful! Autozone switched my battery next to this sign. —MV
I
“It was more popular back then because I grew up before electricity”
DREAM BIG
-Bob
The plot in the listicle was so aspirational, I didn’t click to read any other schemes. Kal came to sit near me while I was working on this issue. “It’s a good scheme as long as no one notices,” he said. What scheme would Kal try to run? “I’d trick this dude [in Hollow Knight]called Lemm to keep giving me Geo. I would keep selling him the Arcane Egg until I could pay for every in-game purchase with game currency like upgrading fragile charm to unbreakable charm.” —MV
“He’s a dog dad” -Bayley
“My mom threw out all our homemade ornaments when I entered college—a savage move, but I respect it”
“THIS WOULD LOOK SO GOOD”
-Carly
Memes like these remind me of the piles of fabric (and other kinds of scraps) we have around here waiting to become real projects. Not every idea needs to be finished. —MV
“I wanna see the poop nugget” -Kal
“You’re a poop nugget!” -Betty
“Now I have Overheard in Art” -Madeline
“Shush and brush” -Luis
December 22, 2020 • Art
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HOME STUDIO Heading into shorter days and longer months, art brings some light to various aspects of life Great art might come from expressing deep suffering, but we still think there’s merit in the delights to be found from escalating pettiness to colorful sarcasm. FORGOTTEN SOCK When Xep Campbell, 45, made the museum label to mark her 10-year-old daughter’s sock that had been lying on the tiny bathroom floor for a week, she probably did not expect to talk about it on Good Morning America. Rather than put the sock in the laundry, her daughter made a pedestal. Then attendees came and more exhibits were added. “I dare not move it,” Campbell told GMA. “The biggest take away I see is the importance of being silly. Celebrate absurdity.”
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow Shortly after Betty’s outtake from our denim shoot for Issue 102 appeared on Instagram (@bettythebold), her teacher used it to say she is a super hero in class. Meanwhile, Boom’s first art assignment of the school year was to create his name in a way that represented who he is. I suggested using Legos , but he didn’t take to the idea—until last week. He later added an exclamation point using a clear piece to create the space in the shape.
Having watched a lot of Chopped, I appreciate this @MiddleClassFancy post even more.
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Art Department Weekly • December 22, 2020
ARTISTS WE LOVE: GEORGIA O’KEEFE Reducing her work to symbols of female sexuality trivializes what really captured the world’s attention Reading the descriptions of Georgia O’Keefe’s work on georgiaokeefe.net sheds a light on why my middle school art teacher might have brought up O’Keefe during a painting unit, but I can’t hear O’Keefe’s name and not think she painted labias disguised as lilies. That’s totally wrong and only what Sigmund Freud wanted us to believe. Flowers have male and female parts. As the site puts it, “these ravenous views are tributes to the sensual forces and ecstasy of nature itself.” O’Keefe’s vivid work transports viewers to another world with joyful release. Let’s scratch the idea of her as a feminist icon and only consider her as the mother of American Modernism. Born in 1887, she shunned European traditions. Her vision focused on finding the essential, abstract forms in subjects, using emptiness to signify fullness, making the large small and the small large. O’Keefe stressed visual edges with metaphysical implications: day and night, earth and sky, life and death. O’Keefe took chances, “sometimes upsetting conventions of visual harmony in order to startle the eye into new kinds of seeing,” according to the site. What seems most inspiring heading into a new year is the way O’Keefe overcame various struggles to paint for as far into her life as possible and keep creating art. —MV
O’Keefe painted things we’ve all seen but in ways we couldn’t: flowers (though “Music Pink and Blue II” (1918) is simply abstract...) and the view of clouds from an airplane (“Sky Above Clouds IV” (1965)). O’Keefe said, “The bones seem to cut sharply to the center of something that is keenly alive on the desert even though it is vast and empty and untouchable and knows no kindness with all its beauty,” according to georgiaokeefe.net. “Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses” (1931)
“Red Tree Yellow Sky” (1952) was one of many dead cedar trees O’Keefe painted near her ranch in New Mexico.
December 22, 2020 • Art
In the middle of hating her own paintings, Madeline was extra moved by this research
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HOME OFFICE In January, MV reorganized the front room and brought back ADW. Within three issues we were all at home for the foreseeable future. Dadda School started in the kitchen, but now three of us work out of the redesigned office.
HOW IT STARTED We published Art Department Weekly irregularly for the better part of a decade.
LEAST IMPROVED While Madeline did get a new computer and switched her office chair, she would not say she prevented her posture from looking like the example at the end of the chart.
TIGHT SCHEDULE
Convention issues took months to produce in the past, but Madeline published the 2017, 2018, and 2019 con issues June 16, July 14, and August 12.
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Art Department Weekly • December 22, 2020
PRETTY MUCH Madeline made this
collage at the start of the 2020-21 school year. The other day, Boom went to gallery mode on his zoom class while I was near his work space and that’s basically how it looked. “I’m confused about what you’re doing with your body” is Madeline’s favorite reaction from teachers.
Umbrella Academy was a highlight
BEYBLADES If Present Kal could time travel to see Pre-pandemic Kal, he needs to warn him only 26 episodes of Beyblade Burst Rise will be released in the U.S. in 2020. It might minimize the heart ache.
HOW IT’S GOING Now we’ve published an issue every month in 2020. Next year should be interesting.
BIGGER THAN WE IMAGINED
When Madeline made her Lego models to build off the idea that driving sucks so much in Brooklyn because there are too many people, she never believed that more than 300,000 would die before the end of the year and she wouldn’t go to her friends’ new houses in 2020.
NOT MUCH OF AN ENDORSEMENT
I asked Kal why he thinks Little Fires Everywhere was so popular. “I don’t know.” In 2017, we missed the endorsements for Celeste Ng’s second novel when Kal ran around the Book Con entrance. He discovered the title on Audible in November and was aghast when I said maybe it was too adult. “It started out as just teenagers having teenager issues, but then it became more adult at the end. It went from being really engaging to ‘Meh. I’m so close to the end, I might as well finish it.’” He says he will not be watching the Hulu show. —MV
December 22, 2020 • Art
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RECAP REVIEW Our only issue in 2018 (the first ADW since 2015) was all about our first year under Trump, so Madeline needed a page to talk political coverage. Now in our last year of Trump, she’s still a fan of these reporters.
2007 wasn’t the last time Luis collaged, but it kind of feels that way
#WCW OF THE ADMINISTRATION
Nicolle Wallace’s daily show expanded to two hours because there’s never enough time to discuss every harm being done to the democracy.
STILL IN THE WHITE HOUSE April D. Ryan
will be The Grio’s first correspondent.
NEWS TO ME At my poll worker training in 2020, I learned affidavit ballots almost never count. I guess the Bernie volunteer who said Luis should vote affidavit in the 2016 primary also didn’t know that.
TAKING HIM TO TASK Kristen Welker
moderated the final 2020 presidential debate after continuing to ask pointed questions in the press corps.
I couldn’t watch more than two episodes of Season 6 Homeland when it aired in January 2017 Three seasons sat on our DVR unwatched until December 2020
BEST 2020 LISTENS Luis’ favorite podcasts of the year ROBSERVATIONS
The infectious joy of Rob Liefeld as he discusses the history of comics while recounting the books and experiences of his youth has truly been one of my favorite audio experiences of the entire year. THE ARN SHOW
The podcast with the creator and enforcer of the 4 Horsemen really shines every other week in the “Ask Arn Anything” installments. Conrad Thompson’s podcast empire continues to dominate the wrestling landscape. LITERALLY WITH ROB LOWE
Rob seems to have so much fun on his new podcast series as he interviews friends and guests from all walks of pop-culture. Very conversational and relaxed, a really nice and easy show based on 40+ years of Hollywood life.
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ON THE LIST I never took Samantha Bee, The Circus, or Last Week Tonight off the DVR lists, but I can’t say I was watching them regularly. It was too depressing.
STILL ON THE TO-DO LIST We’ve been talking about an ADW podcast for years, but never prioritized its production. “Microphones” and “RSS feed” have been on the white board for at least nine months. Madeline recorded and edited audio versions of each issue, but then we ran out of free space on SoundCloud seven months ago. Issue 88 is the last upload. Check out what we have online at https://soundcloud.com/ artdepartmentweekly Madeline is still thinking she’ll go back to video production before podcast production, but we’re not crossing “start a regular podcast” off the 2021 to-do list yet.
Art Department Weekly • December 22, 2020
A REMINDER FROM 2015 Madeline saved
this meme one afternoon after reading Mindy Kaling’s book touting how important it was she had spent so much time with her family. When she switched computers, she made sure to transfer the meme as a reminder to be thankful for how things are going in 2020.
outfit might have been the outfit of the entire year. Also, kudos to the Emmys for sending all the major comedy awards this season up the creek.
Boys
The second season of this Amazon Prime original ramped up the danger and the drama for Hughie, Butcher, and Starlight. Homelander further cemented himself as one of the most evil characters on television. I’ve enjoyed the series far more than I enjoyed the comic. Amazon has already renewed the show for two more seasons and even has plans for a prequel.
Watchmen
The best expansion to comics IP ever. Damon Lindeloff and crew did the impossible. They wrote a sequel to what is widely considered the greatest comic book of all time... and it was perfect. Powered by Regina King’s masterful performance, the show builds on all the notes from the comic series and turns it up to an 11. I wish there was going to be a second season.
BEST TV IN 2020
The Mandalorian
With sports and commuting canceled, Luis had more time to watch television shows (on streaming services) on bigger screens. Here are his favorites that he hasn’t written about in previous issues:
Brooklyn 99
My favorite comedy on network television. This season focused mostly on Jake and Amy as they got ready to welcome the baby Peralta. Captain Holt continues to be my favorite comic character on television. The episode when Cheddar is kidnapped maybe the single funniest episode of the year.
Better Call Saul
We finally saw the transition from Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman. This season really took off when it focused on
Lalo’s rise and refusal to die. His scene with the incomparable Kim Wexler from the season finale was as good as this series has ever been. This was the season that Saul surpassed Breaking Bad in my eyes.
Lovecraft Country Trippy and magical, HBO’s Lovecraft was such a deep exploration of the mystical with heavy commentary on race relations with a mix of Afro-futurism. It was exactly what you would expect from the minds of J.J. Abrams and
Jordan Peele. A touch of horror, a touch of time travel all wrapped into the social commentary revolving around race identity and civil unrest. I can’t wait for more.
Schitt’s Creek
The wedding of David and Patrick, the personal growth of Alexis, Johnny launching his new business and Moira restarting her acting career paid off six seasons of wonderful story-telling and family dynamics in this Dan Levy vehicle. Moira’s pontiff inspired wedding officiant
December 22, 2020 • Art
I’d say the single best thing on television this year has to be Season 2 of The Mandalorian. The further adventures of Din Djarin and Grogu (Baby Yoda) builds on everything from Season 1 while introducing more of the untapped characters from the universe’s animated adventures. The introduction of Bo Katan and Ahsoka, and the reintroduction of fan favorite Boba Fett have given this show a huge shot in the arm. It is quickly becoming the best thing that has ever been released under the Star Wars banner. ALSO... GIANCARLO ESPOSITO is
becoming the go-to villain of the smallscreen, being evil in three shows on this list.
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MORE 2020 BESTS
In what was the strangest year of my life—probably all of our lives—I did not see a single movie in a theater. I visited fewer stores. I watched less sports. But I gamed regularly and hunted for figures online (not nearly as satisfying). Here’s what I enjoyed... —LV
The Last Dance
If you ever doubted the fact that Michael Jordan was the GOAT, ESPN films was here to remind you over 10 beautifully produced episodes. Rarely have we ever gotten a glimpse into the psyche of a player both in the moment and retrospectively. The end of episode 6 when Jordan breaks down while talking about the high cost of winning and attaining excellence might have been the top sports moment of the year.
Onward
With a very limited theatrical release, Onward became a hit on Disney+. The story of two brothers in a world filled with magic trying to connect with their since passed father was truly heartwarming. The ending hits you hard.
Hamilton
Due to be released in 2022, Disney rewarded staying in with Hamilton on Disney+. It’s a once in a lifetime achievement on stage beautifully captured for the small screen. Months later and my family still finds themselves singing these songs.
MLB The Show 20
My favorite game of the year has got to be the latest installment of SDS The Show Franchise. With gameplay that rewards both casual and experienced gamers, it is the best sports simulation game on the market. A robust roster of both modern and legendary players make it a baseball fan’s dream.
Marvels Avengers
The oft-delayed Marvel project delivers exciting gameplay and unique skillsets for each of the members of the core team. With additional characters in the coming future (Kate Bishop is already out), the game looks to build on an uneven launch. I think this game’s future is very bright.
Star Wars Fallen Order
This expanded universe tale of hidden Jedi Cal Kestis and his journey back into the ways of the Force is the best Star Wars video game of all time. The game sets up nicely for a sequel, so I’m very much looking forward to Cal’s further adventures.
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Art Department Weekly • December 22, 2020
NOTHING DISAPPEARS
Radiators make sense when you look at it like that...
Punchline
The Joker’s new right-hand, Punchline, is the shot in the arm DC needed. The former podcast host who became obsessed with the Joker was created by James Tynion IV and Jorge Jimenez. Every appearance of hers flies off the shelves. The collector market is burning up over her first appearance. I haven’t seen a character resonate this quickly since Harley Quinn.
Viking Raiders WWE Elite Collection
The long wait for this duo to finally get their figures did not disappoint. The attention to detail was impeccable. All the extra entrance gear accessories were highly detailed. Plus Ivar is gigantic. The sheer scale of these two is impressive. Mattel crushed it with these two.
Rorschach
Tom King is building quite the legacy at DC Comics. His expansion on The Watchmen with his brilliant take on Rorschach is a book that would make even Alan Moore proud. Jorge Fornes pencils fit the noir tone of the book perfectly. Every issue builds off the last, crafting a modern Watchmen masterpiece.
The Fiend WWE Elite Collection
Let Him In! The highly sought after figure of this Bray Wyatt alter-ego would have been hard to find under normal circumstances, and it became nearly impossible during a pandemic. Great sculpt, paint deco and gear. A++
Strange Adventures
Who would have ever thought Mt. Terrific and Adam Strange would be the most captivating book of the year? Tom King’s multi-layered split hero story told both on Earth and Rann features two oft over-looked heroes. The amazing art by Doc Shaner and Mitch Gerads is trippy. The pages blend together so seamlessly it’s almost impossible to tell which artist worked on which page.
Din Djarin/ The Child Black Series 2 pack
Once the Mandalorian removed his helmet in the first season’s finale, fans clamored for an unmasked Din Djarin. Hasbro upped the stakes by including little Grogu with him. This two pack sold out in seconds on Target’s site. I am hoping it’s back in stock soon.
December 22, 2020 • Art
Fan theories make it sound better than simply recycling.
Madeline had never had a McRib before last week. She even worked at McDonald’s, but her customers were always asking about when the McLean was coming back. Luis loves to talk about when the McRib is coming back. When Madeline opened her McRib box, she thought it looked cheap. The bun flopped around. Why wasn’t all the BBQ sauce holding the sandwich together? She kept her mouth shut until the next time Luis asked if she wanted a McRib. Nope. And Kal said he’d rather have the Filet-o-Fish. Luis can enjoy them all he likes while they’re back, but the rest of us will be okay if the McRib doesn’t make it to 2021.
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WORTH THE WAIT Luis explains the awesomeness of Boba Fett’s return When I saw “Chapter 14: The Tragedy” was a short episode, I was pissed. I didn’t even know Boba was supposed to be showing up to claim his armor. But it’s basically a 30-minute fight sequence, and it’s perfect. Whereas the veneer of Vader has been stripped away over the years to expose a whiny teen, Boba Fett has only gotten cooler and more impressive. I had books about him before even Return of the Jedi came out. He was the pinnacle of cool. He was the ultimate badass talking back to the most menacing bad guy at the time in Empire Strikes Back: “He’s no good to me dead.” He sassed Lord Vader! Then the books give us all his backstory as a bounty hunter. Then he was unceremoniously dumped in a Sarlaac Pit in Jedi. It was like a slap in the face to fans. He comes back in Episode II because his dad is the father of all the clones, but “The Tragedy” is what fans have been waiting to see for 40 years. He has a stick and bad armor, but he still defeats a team of Storm Troopers. Temuera Morrison has never been better. Jango Fett was not nearly as cool. George Lucas must have known what a cash cow Boba Fett was and how important it was to work him into the prequels, but no one cared about Jango. The fact that we have a weekly show about a badass cowboy Mandalorian who shows up, solves a problem, and then continues to build and build and build—it’s perfect. The Mandalorian is the best thing we’ve seen from the Star Wars universe since Empire Strikes Back. I was really angry when I fired up Disney+ and saw “The Tragedy” was such a short episode, but they made it the perfect bite size for all of us to dive back into again and again. The whole episode is badassery. If you took a vote of Star Wars fans, I guarantee you Boba Fett would be a Top 10 if not a Top 5 favorite character. His design was awesome. His backstory was tremendous. And it’s just like they created the coolest bounty hunter in the galaxy. Forty years of waiting for Boba Fett to be a badass and him actually being a badass was everything I could have asked for from that series. It was probably my single favorite episode of anything I’ve watched on Disney+. —LV
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THREE MARKER CHALLENGE For a home with so many Boba Fett collectibles, we don’t have a lot of Boba art. “It’s tough to convey emotion with that character. I don’t draw a lot of fully masked characters,” Luis explained. “If you think about the characters I draw, I tend to not draw fully masked characters” really large—he seems to love them for his daily challenges in December.
PERFECT STORYTELLING
Jon Favreau is building a masterpiece. I don’t think anything in pop culture builds on IP the way The Mandalorian —LV does.
Art Department Weekly • December 22, 2020
ANTICIPATED While we can’t wait for the next seasons of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and Cobra Kai, I don’t think anyone around ADW wonders why we don’t watch Thundercats Roar anymore. See Issues 85 and 99 to read more about why we loved watching how Zoey and Johny’s stories unfolded.
WE LOVE FRIDAY NIGHTS AND NOW THERE WILL BE MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2021 When Disney announced how many new series and movies were in the works to expand the Star Wars universe, fans posted gifs to symbolize their heads exploding with joy. The weekly series on streaming services have earned fans’ trust on how well intellectual properties can be expanded. Cobra Kai on YouTube and The Watchmen on HBO used characters from the original stories who displayed more depth and hooked us on new stories. Then The Mandalorian introduced new characters operating in the same galaxy as established characters. They took Ahsoka who debuted more than a decade ago in The Clone Wars cartoon, brought her into the live action story, and made her more relevant than she’s ever been. Now she’s getting her own series, starring Rosario Dawson. More representation comes to the weekly Disney+ event series lineup with Andor and Lando starring Latinx and Black actors. Knowing the creators are fans of the projects makes the announcements even more exciting. Patty Jenkins told Jimmy Fallon how Rogue Squadron (2023) is the fighter pilot story she’s been searching for her whole career. We get Disney bought Lucasfilm Ltd. because they’re fans of money, but it’s nice to picture the talent is fans of the material.
OBI-WAN, LANDO, AHSOKA, BAD BATCH, AND ROGUE SQUADRON WERE JUST A FEW OF THE STAR WARS ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT GOT OUR HEARTS RACING Temuera Morrison played Jango Fett, the father of all the clones, so it was possible that Captain Rex, a clone, was who was watching Din Djarin with Boba’s armor at the end of the Season 2 premiere episode. If Ahsoka
has shown up in The Mandalorian, Captain Rex could still show up!
We like to taunt Luis that Jar Jar, not a Jedi, is going to answer Grogu’s call.
Bulloch, original Boba Fett actor, died this week
December 22, 2020 • Art
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Governments are established to protect inalienable rights.
It’s not supposed to be a cult of personality. It’s supposed to be an arena for us to be protected by law in order to pursue happiness. That’s the entire point of the country. —Jon Meacham, historian after introducing how the American idea gives people an open field and a fair chance
Joyce’s son tweeted she’s making his mom too powerful 14
Art Department Weekly • December 22, 2020
CHOOSE JOY After watching Leslie Jones live Tweet herself yelling at MSNBC, I felt vindicated in my Issue 78 fangirl moment. I couldn’t wait for Leslie to show up anywhere on MSNBC. “Either you’re gonna cry all night or you’re gonna laugh,” she told Joy Reid. “I’d rather laugh.” The next day Leslie appeared on Deadline: White House where Claire McCaskill surprised her. It was everything I could have hoped for. —MV
Steve Kornacki not only brought the big board to Sunday Night Football for play off predictions, but also came back to MSNBC to walk viewers through the Electoral College vote. At left, I’m so glad Joyce is getting more love.
Kal’s class watched Home Alone 2, but didn’t notice Piers he
Madeline’s poll worker appreciation
It would be nice if 2021 brought relief for the restaurant industry so they don’t have to figure out how to make the inside outside.
December 22, 2020 • Art
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FIVE THINGS WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2021
LUIS All the awesome new things on Disney+. MADELINE Becoming better
at painting. KAL Corona going away. BOOM Going to Target to look at toys. BETTY Seeing teachers
in person. Betty
Kal
After hiding out together in the apartment for nine months, we have managed expectations Boom
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Art Department Weekly • December 22, 2020
