Drawing a Blank

Last updated

Drawing a Blank, or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of my Dreams is a 2006 young adult novel set in the United States and Scotland, featuring a 17-year-old comic book fan as the protagonist. It was written by Daniel Ehrenhaft and illustrated by Trevor Ristow.

Contents

Plot summary

At the beginning of his junior year at Carnegie Mansion, a prestigious private school, Carlton A. Dunne IV attempts to go through the year without attracting attention to himself as he has done for the past two years. He has a fondness for art and a "secret" identity as a Connecticut comic strip artist.

When his father is kidnapped by a Scottish clan exacting revenge for a feud nearly a thousand years ago, Carlton is drawn into the battle. After arriving in Scotland, he meets Aileen, an 18-year-old Scot who plans to become a cop and wants to be on Cops in America. After learning of Carlton's story she vows to help him on his quest.

The pair venture to Northern Scotland where they attempt to solve the mystery surrounding Carlton's dad. They are gradually drawn into the clan's mythology, a mythology that both Carlton's dad and his kidnapper strongly believe is true.

Location

The first quarter of the book is set in Connecticut while the rest is set in the northern part of Scotland, in the area known as Orkney.

The majority of the action takes place in small towns or villages, occasionally in a forest or a castle. The castle of Castle Glanach is on the coast of the Loch of Stenness.

Characters

Author

Daniel Ehrenhaft is the author of several novels, including Tell It to Naomi, The After Life and 10 Things to Do Before I Die. Other books include The Last Dog on Earth , The Thing Under the Bed and Killer Clowns of King County.

He attended Columbia University.

Illustrator

Trevor Ristow illustrated the comic books sections of Drawing a Blank. He is a film editor whose projects include the 2003 film Book of Love and 2004's Poster Boy .

He lives in New York City.

Related Research Articles

Clan McDuck Disney comics characters

The Clan McDuck is a fictional Scottish clan of cartoon ducks from which Disney character Scrooge McDuck is descended. Within the Donald Duck universe, the clan is related to the American Duck family through the marriage of Hortense McDuck and Quackmore Duck, Donald and Della Duck's parents, giving both of them partial Scottish ancestry.

James IV of Scotland King of Scotland from 1488 to 1513

James IV was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death in battle in 1513. He assumed the throne following the death of his father King James III at the Battle of Sauchieburn, a rebellion in which the younger James played an indirect role. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended in a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden. He was the last monarch from Great Britain to be killed in battle.

Cartoonist Visual artist who makes cartoons

A cartoonist, also known as a comic strip creator, comic book artist, graphic novel artist, or comic book illustrator, is a visual artist who specializes in drawing cartoons or comics. Cartoonists include artists who handle all aspects of the work and those who contribute only part of the production. Cartoonists may work in a variety of formats, including booklets, comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, graphic novels, manuals, gag cartoons, illustrations, storyboards, posters, shirts, books, advertisements, greeting cards, magazines, newspapers, and video game packaging.

Blair Castle

Blair Castle stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, though the current (12th) Duke, Bruce Murray, lives in South Africa. The castle stands in Glen Garry, and commands a strategic position on the main route through the central Scottish Highlands.

The name Sigar can refer to four people in Scandinavian mythology, surrounding the legends of Sigurd the dragon slayer. One of them only appears as the friend of Helgi Hjörvarðsson in the eddic lay Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar. The other two appear as the villainous members of the same clan in several sources.

<i>Leave It to Psmith</i> 1923 novel by P.G. Wodehouse

Leave It to Psmith is a comic novel by English author P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 30 November 1923 by Herbert Jenkins, London, England and in the United States on 14 March 1924 by George H. Doran, New York. It had previously been serialised, in the Saturday Evening Post in the US between 3 February and 24 March 1923, and in the Grand Magazine in the UK between April and December that year; the ending of this magazine version was rewritten for the book form.

William Burn Scottish architect

William Burn was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival.

Carlton House

Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James's district of London. The location of the house, now replaced by Carlton House Terrace, was a main reason for the creation of John Nash's ceremonial route from St James's to Regent's Park via Regent Street, Portland Place and Park Square: Lower Regent Street and Waterloo Place were originally laid out to form the approach to its front entrance.

<i>Kidnapped</i> (1971 film) 1971 British adventure film directed by Delbert Mann

Kidnapped is a 1971 British adventure film, directed by Delbert Mann and starring Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Jack Hawkins and Donald Pleasence, as well as a number of well-known British character actors. The film is based on the 1886 novel Kidnapped and the first half of the 1893 sequel Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson.

A bodach is a trickster or bogeyman figure in Gaelic folklore and mythology. The bodach "old man" is paired with the cailleach "hag, old woman" in Irish legend.

Lochranza Castle

Lochranza Castle is an L-plan fortified tower house situated on a promontory in Lochranza, on the northern part of the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Most of the castle was built in the 16th century.

Josepha Sherman was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel The Shining Falcon.

Clan MacLellan Lowland Scottish clan

The Clan MacLellan is a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan.

<i>Superbad</i> 2007 film by Greg Mottola

Superbad is a 2007 American coming-of-age teen comedy film directed by Greg Mottola and produced by Judd Apatow. The film stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as Seth and Evan, two teenagers about to graduate from high school. Before graduating, the boys want to party and lose their virginity, but their plan proves harder than expected. Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the script began development when they were 13 years old, and was loosely based on their experience in Grade 12 at Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver during the 1990s; the main characters have the same given names as the two writers. Rogen was also initially intended to play Seth, but due to age and physical size this was changed, and Hill went on to portray Seth, while Rogen portrayed the irresponsible Officer Michaels, opposite Saturday Night Live star Bill Hader as Officer Slater. Upon release, the film received critical acclaim, with critics praising the dialogue and the chemistry between the two leads. The film also proved financially successful, grossing over $170 million on a $20 million budget.

Balfour, Orkney Human settlement in Scotland

Balfour is a village on the island of Shapinsay, Orkney. The village is situated on Elwick Bay, which was used as an anchorage by Haakon IV of Norway before sailing south to eventual defeat at the Battle of Largs in 1263. Today, the village still possesses a harbour, with mock defensive walls constructed at the same time as the castle. David Balfour even added a stone marked with the date 1725, taken from Noltland Castle on the island of Westray, to his defences. A car ferry to Kirkwall, operated by Orkney Ferries, sails from a pier at the harbour. This became a roll-on/roll-off service in 1990.

Jamie Smart is a British comic artist and writer, most famous for his ten-issue comic series, Bear. He has also had his comic My Own Genie published in the popular children's magazine The Dandy.

Carter-Campbell of Possil

Carter-Campbell of Possil is a branch of Clan Campbell, a Scottish clan. Historically, they are part of Clan Campbell, which was regarded as one of the largest Scottish clans. The branch of the Campbell clan was historically centred in Lawers. Some of the clan, which originated with the original Campbells, had links to the lands of Argyll.

<i>Axe Cop</i> (TV series)

Axe Cop is an American adult animated series based on the webcomic of the same name that was created by Ethan Nicolle and Malachai Nicolle. It premiered on Fox on July 21, 2013, as a part of the channel's Animation Domination HD programming block. The first season consists of 12 11-minute episodes. The second, broadcast in April—June 2015 on FXX consists of 10 episodes.

Land of Maidens Motif in Irish mythology and medieval chivalric romance literature

The Land of Maidens is a motif in Irish mythology and medieval literature, especially in the chivalric romance genre. The latter often also features a castle instead of an island, sometimes known as the Castle of Maidens.

References

Editions