Mike Mitchell's Tumblr of Amazing Things.
2011 was a great year for me. I learned a lot, grew a lot. Gained a completely new appreciation for science and space. Made some art that I am really pumped about. Overall just a year well spent, even if it flew by.
For 2012 I’d like to continue that trend. I want to try my best to become a better person, devoid of apathy. I want to be happy, I want to make other people happy. It’s an attainable resolution, so I think I’ll shoot for it.
How about you guys?
I thought I’d suggest some of my favorite things, from this year as well as….other years. You might notice that I am using special “Amazon Affiliate” links, which I am indeed. I will be donating any of the proceeds from this post to charity, though I haven’t decided on which one. Regardless, take a gander and maybe you will find something for someone you care about and earn a little money for charity at the same time.
Amazing Everything: The Art of Scott C. - This is the only thing on this list that I don’t currently own. I am recommending it because Scott C is my bro, and I have seen enough of his work to know that it will be amazing. I will be picking it up very soon!
Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton - Kate is the real deal, and this book is not only insanely affordable, it’s extremely entertaining. Covering everything from obscure Canadian history to Sexy Batman, you will find many things to love.
Feynman by Jim Ottaviani & Leland Myrick - I don’t normally pick up graphic novels without some sort of recommendation but I couldn’t help myself. I recently discovered Feynman (the man, not the book) and a graphic novel about his life was all I needed to know. His life was as interesting as he was, and inspiring to boot. If you know someone who is into science or interesting/inspiring people definitely pick this up.
Cats Are Weird By Jeffrey Brown - I love everything Jeffrey Brown does and this is no exception. This little comic is perfect for cat enthusiasts like myself.
The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman - If you’ve never read this graphic novel, I HIGHLY recommend it. Easily my favorite comic series of all time, I read the first 75 issues in a span of 24 hours. I could not put it down. The Compendium is the first 48 issues in one giant ass book.
World War Z by Max Brooks - Possibly my favorite book of all time. A future history in a post zombie apocalypse documenting survivor stories. Very detailed and engaging.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - This book was recommended to me by many people of respectable status. Basically a history of the universe and Earth until present day. Really fascinating. If I had to recommend a book for someone, this would be it.
Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth - Andrew Loomis - For those of you who are unfamiliar with this book, I don’t think I can explain how stoked I am that this was recently reprinted. It used to be a sort of Holy Grail for artists because it was hard to find and usually fairly expensive. I have an old copy and I absolutely love it. Andrew Loomis was a master, and it shows.
Adventure Time - Two Favorite People - If you don’t know about Adventure Time, you are MISSING OUT. I cannot stress the awesomeness that is Adventure Time. Sadly this is the only DVD currently available.
Tangled - You might be wondering why I added this, and if you are, chances are you haven’t seen Tangled. It’s really an awesome film, beautifully put together, great story, really funny. If you need to pick up a gift for a special lady friend, consider this. I have yet to find someone who was not pleasantly surprised by this movie.
Skyrim - I chose not to buy into any of the hype, in fact I didn’t even consider purchasing it. Holy shit did I almost make the biggest mistake ever. Easily the game of the year, possibly my favorite single player game of all time. Get this for the gamer in your life who for some reason doesn’t have it already…
Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15x70 Binoculars - I bought this a couple months ago because I wanted to start getting into Astronomy. They were $20 more expensive than they are now, and I don’t even care. These things are impressively large, have a nice, quality feel to them and they really enhance stargazing considerably. My favorite thing to do with these is take people outside to show them Jupiter. When they see 4 tiny little moons they generally do a Joey Lawrence type “Woah!”
