HOW TO FIND ZODIAC (Kobek, 2022)
As with Kobek's series as a whole (the first of the duology, MOTOR SPIRIT, is quite excellent – and I do recognize that I might have done a disservice by reading them so far apart from one another), there are two books in HOW TO FIND ZODIAC: one, an utterly compelling examination and portrait of not only the pre-internet internet of fandoms and fanzine culture but of the collision of that culture with right-wing, anti-government ideology and Cold War paranoia; the other, half a portrait of a deeply disturbed man, Doerr, one whom I could readily believe would commit a reign of terror to prove his own unappreciated genius to the world – I do agree, wholeheartedly, with Kobek's portrayal of the killings as the late 60s, pre-internet equivalent of today's mass shootings (if Zodiac were active now, he'd be livestreaming) – but still only half a portrait: I wanted to know more about Doerr, beyond the screeds and personal ads, the married father with a secret double (or, perhaps, triple) life. Maybe that was intentional, maybe not, but I was, nonetheless left wanting more, hoping that, eventually, we'd get to it. We didn't: the final page left me with the impression that I had read half of a book, a deeply-drawn and exceedingly well-researched portrait of half of a person - but then again, maybe I didn’t take the title of the book literally enough.
That being said, while Kobek's theory is, by far, the most compelling one put forth, I never had that oh shit / eureka / evidentiary moment that fully convinced me that Doerr was Zodiac (though the sketch, devoid of glasses with added mustache, came pretty damn close). Perhaps I missed something – or perhaps the other half of the book, the missing half, would finish the job?
links/2023w09
Sad to see this voyage end - but what a great legacy; one of my favorite Treks: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ To End With Fifth Season In Early 2024 On Paramount+ | Deadline
DNA found on a sweet potato helps Massachusetts police solve 12-year-old cold case murder | CNN
Scientists rediscover elusive ‘fairy lantern’ plant in Japan | The Washington Post
I will always, always prefer stick; perhaps there's hope for the future after all: Some younger drivers relish the idea of stick shifting | Autoblog
Love: Totally is a Font That Takes Inspiration from Superhero Magazines of the ’50s | PRINT Magazine
Via a new favorite site thanks to ooh.directory: The Witch Trials of Europe | Maps Mania
Very, very cool - THE GOOD ASIAN is some of my favorite comics of the last decade: MRC, James Wan’s Atomic Monster & 3 Arts In Deal To Develop Pornsak Pichetshote’s Noir Graphic Novel ‘The Good Asian’ Into Series | Deadline
Useful and thorough but I remain (forever) perplexed: The Legend of Zelda timeline: Every Zelda game in chronological order | Polygon
Definite classics here: Some of the Best Stories from a Century of Weird Tales (That You Can Read Online) | Literary Hub
links/20230123
Trying to get in the habit of the occasional linkblog-gy posting here if only for myself…
Lessons on How to Draw by Hokusai | kottke.org
Had been looking for a place to see these mini-comics again Super Powers Mini-Comics | Kleefeld on Comics
Sweeping facade animates manga artist's house in Tokyo | Dezeen
E Ink’s latest color displays have me dreaming of electronic paper magazines | TechCrunch
Wikenigma - an Encyclopedia of Unknowns | Wikiengima
DoeNetwork: International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons