Weekend Patterings for Jan 30, 2015-- Comixology being throttled in the Midwest?

** Two weeks ago, Comixology responded to report of slow downloads, particularly in the midwest, with this Tweet:
As of January 28th, this still seems to be an issue

Doing a quick Google Search, there have been some complaints of Comcast throttling other Amazon services, such as their streaming video.  Of course, it doesn't sound like anything is being confirmed one way or another by Comcast about any actions on their part but it seems like Comcast is reducing download speeds during prime evening hours for key content providers.  I've had this happen regularly with trying to download comics.  Just tonight, I tried to download the new issue of Multiversity and it was taking 3 to 4 seconds just to download a 10th of a megabyte.  That's a comic that's over 90 megabytes.  I'm sure if I try it again, oh say after 11pm, things will be better.

This all ties into the discussion about Net Neutrality and how the service providers can basically hold the content providers hostage until they pay.  Between mid 2013 and early 2014, Netflix services were slowed down by Comcast until Netflix paid an undisclosed amount to Comcast.  Are they trying to get money from Amazon now using the same tactics?

From Chris Ware's Building Stories
** Over at the Paris Review, Jeet Heer has an enlightening interview with Chris Ware.  There's a lot in that interview to digest but I found Ware talking about color and line utterly fascinating.
Sure. In a way, it’s really the difference between painting and drawing, if one wanted to be art historical about it. It’s also what the core of comics is—a combination of memory and experience into a simplified visual language. What one thinks of as pictures in comics are really the equivalent of drawn words—words meant to be read, not looked at—which is analogous to the way humans perceive the world. Looking is a part of it, but not all of it. It’s ultimately the limiting effect of language on experience, a ratcheting down of perception by the human mind that begins the moment we learn how to communicate with words and to name things. Sometimes I think it’s why time seems to speed up for adults as we age—because we spend so much of our conscious time remembering rather than simply looking. To say nothing of the distractions of cell phones and Facebook nowadays to help us along.
Color is the way we see the world and line is the way we want to see/remember it.  It's a great theory and makes a lot of sense.  I'm trying to think of what this may mean for black and white comics.  Are they all memory?

** Katsuhiro Otomo is your winner of Angouleme's Grand Prix.  In case you're wondering, here's the list of all past winners.  That's quite impressive talent.  It kind of makes you wonder who will be winning this in 10-20 years.  Both Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez have to do this sometime, right?  Dan Clowes?  Chris Ware?

And it gives us a chance to run some excellent Otomo artwork from Domu.  Someone really needs to put out a new printing of that book.


** Your moment of Spiegelman.

** Ng Suat Tong provides his nominations for the best comic criticism of 2014 at The Hooded Utilitarian.


** Your Panel Patterers in action:
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Scott Cederlund

Scott Cederlund

Missing.
Presumed having a good time.
https://twitter.com/scottcederlund

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