Category Archives: Anatomy

Cardiac MRI Becoming More Widely Available Thanks to AI and Reduced Exam Times – Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been described for the past few decades as a futuristic imaging technology that will one day become the one-stop shop for cardiac evaluations. However, its expense, complexity, long imaging exam protocols and long post-processing times have presented a barrier to wider adoption. That might be about to change with the help of new MR technologies released in the last few years, which experts say will change cardiac MRI's fortunes and make it much more widely available.

"Over the last 15 to 20 years, cardiac MR has been present, but has operated more in the research realm. But I think it is now coming into maturation and we are now seeing cardiac MR play a major roll in the diagnosis of common cardiac conditions, such as cardiomyopathies, heart failure and ischemic heart disease," explained James Carr, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, and incoming 2020 President of the Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (SCMR). He spoke with DAIC at the at the 2019 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.

"I think some of the biggest obstacles to its adoption to date have been the complexity of the exam, the availability of expertise for people who really know how to run the exam and know how to read the exams, and also in the processing of the information," Carr said. "We seem to be at a point now where people know about cardiac MR, and the technology is such now where you can more easily do the exams, and it is becoming clear as to what clinical indications are best suited for cardiac MRI."

He said there have been a lot of advances in MRI technology the past few years, with a concentration in new ways to speed up the image acquisition. This includes techniques like compressed sensing, parallel imaging andecho sharing.

"In the past, a cardiac MRI exam would take about an hour to an hour and a half, but with current acceleration strategies we can now do a cardiac exam in probably about 30 minutes or less, andthere are some papers out there saying it can be done in 15 minutes or less," Carr said. "So now we are at a time scale which is much more comparable to echocardiography or other techniques that are faster and simpler to acquire."

Another barrier to wider use of cardiac MR is the time required to post-process images. But vendors have recently introduced new technologies to greatly speed up this process.

This is an example of artificial intelligence automation for cardiac MRI using an AI app from TeraRecon's Envoy AI marketplace. This GE MRI image has been countoured, anatomy labeled and all quantification automated by the AI, greatly reducing post-processing time.See this and other new AI imaging technologies from the 2019 RSNA meeting.

"The analysis side has always been an area that is somewhat laborious for the practitioners because you need to sit down and spend maybe another hour or so analyzing all the data," Carr explained. "But now, with some of the new software platforms, especially more recently using artificial intelligence, you now have a much more automated wayof analyzing the images. And not just for more common parameters like ejection fraction, but also for tissue characterization to look for fibrosis."

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a significant role in cardiac MRI automation to speed workflow and quantification. Carr said these technologies will become mainstream in the next few years.

AI is now incorporated into several MRI functions, including the third-party Arterys MRI post-processing software offered by several MRI and advanced visualization vendors. AI is also being incorporated into image reconstruction software being developed by vendors such as Philips, GE Healthcare and Canon. Examples of these works-in-progress to remove common MR image artifacts and improve resolution were shown at RSNA 2019.

"MR has historically been known as being very complex, so people have been scared by that, Carr said. "But I think it is now much simpler than what we have been used to in the past. I think you will find more imaging specialists will adopt and use the technology."

Carr stated this wider use at more hospitals outside of the research setting will make it more accessible to referring physicians.

"With the combination of much more accelerated imaging techniques, plus with the addition of automated post-processing, we now have a much simpler task," Carr explained. "I think this really puts cardiac MR at the precipice of being easily adopted by a practitioner who maybe is not an expert in the field of MR. So people can now use it on a more universal level."

The Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) believes cardiac MR will soon be offered to more patients and recently created a patient-facing information website at http://www.heartmri.org to answer patient questions.

MR has unique characteristics compared to computed tomography (CT) and echocardiography. Carr said CT is pretty good at anatomical imaging to look at structures and coronary artery disease. MR on the other hand can also look at morphology, function, metabolism and perfusion all in one imaging exam, he explained. MRI can look at the T1 and T2 mapping (which highlights either the water or fat in the body) and identify the content of the extra cellular spaces within the heart heart muscle. He said this can help identify fibrosis, which is a marker of disease in cardiomyopothies such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and amyloidosis.

"We also now have new techniques to look at fibrosis, water content in the heart to look at edema in the setting of inflammation like myocarditis, so it gives you a lot more information about the disease in onesingle exam protocol," Carr said. "With this T2 mapping capability, MRI is now becoming the first-line imaging for diagnosing myocarditis for patients who are presenting to the emergency room."

The use of cardiac MRI in congenital heart disease is common in serial imaging of patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), one of the most common congenital heart diseases for which patients are referred for post-operative magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. In the past few decades, surgery has proved successful, but most patients require repeat imaging throughout their lives and MRI can offer more detailed soft tissue imaging without the use of radiation.

"While congenital patients are surviving into adulthood and doing much better than they did 30 years ago, there are complications that are expected after the correction of the congenital defects," explained Karen Ordovas, M.D., MAS, professor of radiology and cardiology at the University of California San Francisco (UCFS) School of Medicine and a SCMR board member. "MRI is a wonderful test to identify these problems early and allow clinicians to do interventions, a second surgery or intensify medical treatments to help these patients live a better life and live longer. These patients need several imaging tests throughout their lives, so the lack of radiation really adds a lot of value."

Ordovas specializes in cardiac and pulmonary imaging, and has particular expertise in using CT and MRI techniques in cardiovascular imaging in women. She said MR can be particularly helpful in looking at the differences of presentation in imaging between male and female cardiac patients. She is helping advance education around heart disease in women and to help bring awareness of quality tools to diagnose heart disease and howheart MRIcan help.

"Women who have heart disease have a completely different pathophysiology than males," Ordovas explained. "They typically don't have obstructive coronary lesions, so the tendency to look at the coronaries is not what we should be doing for females. We should be looking at the muscle itself and the blood supply to the muscle, and MRI is the key method to do that."

She said heart MR is a very comprehensive assessment of ischemia in females. It comeswithout radiation and brings very precise mapping and quantification of the myocardium, which is where to focuson the cause of women's disease.

Cardiac MRI Delivers Accurate Diagnosis for Frontline Chest Pain Evaluation

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Advantages and New Applications of Cardiac MRI

VIDEO: Dedicated Cardiac MRI Use at the Baylor Scott White Heart Hospital Interview with Haojie Wang, M.D.

Will Cardiac MRI Expand?

VIDEO: Use of Cardiac MRI in Congenital and Women's Heart Disease Karen Ordovas, M.D.,

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Cardiac MRI Becoming More Widely Available Thanks to AI and Reduced Exam Times - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 16: Link and Amelia’s romance may be doomed just like the other couples before them – MEAWW

'Grey's Anatomy' is not known for successful and happy relationships. Think for yourself, which couple on this show actually got to ride off happily into the sunset?

Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd's epic love story spanning 11 seasons ended in a fatal car crash. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Cristina Yang's break up (Sandra Oh's) was comparatively less painful than the rest as Cristina left for greener pastures. Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner's (Sarah Drew) passionate romance faded out too. Mark Sloane (Eric Dane) saw Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) die in a catastrophic airplane crash. Later, Mark died too. Callie Torres (Sarah Ramirez) and Arizona Robbins's relationship didn't make it either despite the tears and heartbreak. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr) and Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) are going to separate. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) won't be seen anymore in the show and we're nervously biting our fingernails because we don't know what this means for Jo (Camilla Luddington).

So, after sticking with 'Grey's Anatomy' for 15 years, it seems rather improbable that the relatively new relationship between Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Link (Chris Carmack) will survive the baby drama that has been thrust upon them. For a long time, Amelia was under the impression that the father of the baby was Link...except, uh oh, there's a chance it might be Owen Hunt's. Owen and Amelia's relationship was the most complicated and dragged out spectacle on the show and digging that up again, just spells doom for Link and Amelia. Also, Owen had just about found happiness with Teddy (Kim Raver), but that might just go south soon.

Link has asked Amelia to do a paternity test and she has asked for time and is avoiding him. When will that girl ever get happiness, Grey's? Going by the show's track record, this just *might* be the end. But, no harm in staying positive, right?

'Grey's Anatomy' airs on ABC, Thursday nights, 9pm.

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'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16: Link and Amelia's romance may be doomed just like the other couples before them - MEAWW

Jennifer Esposito to Join New Netflix Series From the Creator of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Shonda Rhimes continues being one of the most ubiquitous creative presences on TV and in the streaming universe, with some of her older shows still going. Now shes delving into the Netflix arena with a new series called Inventing Anna.

Those familiar with Jennifer Esposito will know shes not a part of the usual Rhimes repertory of actors. Shes nevertheless been hired by Rhimes to play a pivotal part in Inventing Anna, a show exploring the true tale of criminal German heiress Anna Delvey.

Its going to be a different role in how Esposito fans usually see her. Take a minute to see what this means based on her more familiar roles in shows from Blue Bloods to NCIS. Even though shell play a more outlandish role in Inventing Anna, shes done comedy very well before.

According to most media sources, Esposito plays Talia Mallay, possibly loosely based on a Martha Stewart lifestyle guru. Her character is like Anna Delvey in being an avid user of Instagram.

Such a role may involve a little bit of comedy or satire since the premise of the series is already a little broad. However, its perfect territory for Rhimes to explore and turn into an interesting portrait of women dealing with unique circumstances.

Whether theres any real comedy in this is still yet to be determined since its marketed as a drama. Also, Esposito will only play her character as a background figure since the main cast has Anna Chlumsky and Julia Garner in the leads.

Should Esposito play someone with a little more comedic flare, it wouldnt be the first time by any means. Shes one of the rare actresses whos been able to fluctuate successfully between doing dramas and comedy in movies/TV.

Her first role on TV was on Law & Order: SVU, setting her up for playing parts in cop-related shows, something shes done several times in her career. The same year (1996), she acted in a TV movie remake of The Sunshine Boys, proving she could split it down the middle when it came to veering into two different genres.

The best example of Espositos early dramatic work in film was Summer of Sam in 1999, leading to a string of dramas for a couple of years until finally moving into a few movie comedies.

As she continued to flourish on TV at the same time, the only Oscar-caliber movie she appeared in happened to be a drama: The notorious Oscar Best Picture winner Crash.

Before this occurred, she did find herself on a comedy series for a brief time (Spin City), later starring in her own sitcom called Samantha Who? on ABC. Latter series lasted a couple of years from 2007-2009, giving everyone awareness she could do comedy with aplomb.

Rather than venture further into sitcoms, she pivoted into playing cop roles more recent audiences would find familiar. A year after Samantha Who? ended, she nabbed a role on CBSs Blue Bloods playing Det. Jackie Curatola. During the third season, however, Esposito found out she had Celiac disease, causing her to collapse one day while filming.

Her doctors told her shed have to take time off from acting to properly recover, hence the producers of Blue Bloods dropping her character, never to return. Esposito was more than a little upset about being laid off from the show, despite it only being a temporary setback.

Since those days, shes been working steadily on shows like The Affair and even briefly on NCIS. Now shes maybe reinventing herself from the cop show persona into something different in Inventing Anna, a plan already started recently by joining the superhero show The Boys.

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Jennifer Esposito to Join New Netflix Series From the Creator of 'Grey's Anatomy' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Greys Anatomy season 16: 5 best moments from Save the Last Dance for Me – Netflix Life

Greys Anatomy is taking quite an interesting route in its 16th season. There has been a lot of back and forth with its storyline and plot, and Im not sure its making a whole lot of sense. Its unclear how theyre going to tackle the Alex Karev angle. I mean, is he just going to be at his mothers house forever? And just never going to answer Jo but answer Richards text? What are you doingGreys Anatomy?

And then theres the whole Pac-North and Grey-Sloan merger. Is thisreallynecessary? And if all the doctors were going to come back to Grey-Sloan, whyd they leave in the first place? It seems counterproductive at this point.

As we head inch closer and closer towards the season 16 finale, I hope that we get more clarification on Alex Karev, and I sincerely hope that Justin Chambers gets the farewell his character deserves. Hes one of the originals!

Theres a lot to discuss from this weeks episode, Save the Last Dance for Me, so lets get right into it!

Bravo,Greys Anatomy for giving us a character like Dr. Lauren Riley. But not just for the character, but for the fact that the actress that plays her, Shoshannah Stern is deaf. I love it when a series is inclusive and diverse in every imaginable way, and bringing in Stern was the perfect touch to this episode.

Dr. Riley was brought in, under false pretenses, by DeLuca to help treat Suzanne (Sarah Rafferty). The case is a mysterious one, and it seems like no one knows how to get to the bottom of it. Which is why Dr. Riley is brought in as she is a master diagnostician.

Of course, her methods are unconventional, but it just might be the way to figure out whats going on with Suzanne.

Ah, yes, the typicalGreys Anatomy plot twist that we all definitely saw coming. After Alex, Richard, Maggie, and Owen left and went to Pac-North, the whole story was getting so weird. I say weird because it was inevitable that they would all find their way back to Grey-Sloan.

Which is why I dont quite understand why we had to deal with all of that just for it to end up the way it has. After getting in a fight with Richard, Catherine decided to buy out Pac-North out of spite, just so Grey-Sloan could absorb it.

To fight back, Bailey and company decide to take the reins back in their control and away from Koracick and Catherine. They laid out their terms and left Koracick no choice but to accept it.

Not sure we had to take the route we did to get here, but at least everyone is back!

This is my favorite part of this weeksGreys Anatomy episode, hands down. Levis patient of the week was an elderly woman who had very little time left to live. She and her husband met while dancing and spent their lives together as dance enthusiasts.

As one final gesture, the husband asks Levi to help him plan a ballroom dance for his dying wife, and its all the feels. My heart was sinking and exploding all at the same timeand it was simply beautiful.

For a while, Amelia and Links storyline was the most interesting to me. We have Amelia who has made great strides in her life and finally comes across a nice guy like Link. So it was really infuriating when her pregnancy is turned into an it might be Owens kid plot point. Was this really necessary?

Couldnt we just let Amelia be happy for once?

Heres to hoping that the paternity test says something other than Owen.

Greys Anatomyneeds to address Justin Chambers exit in a proper way! He is one of the original cast members from day one, and it would be an incredible shame if Karevs exit was just chalked up to him running away from Seattle.

So far, thats the only inclination we have in regards to Karevs character. The show has started planting seeds of his absence by showing that he wont answer Jos texts (but conveniently answers Richards?) and then by showing the very apartment at the end of the episode.

Can we please make sure this is not the way Alexs story ends?

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Greys Anatomy season 16: 5 best moments from Save the Last Dance for Me - Netflix Life

Anatomy of a Panel: John Jennings, Damian Duffy, and PARABLE OF THE SOWER – Comicosity

Extraordinary comics creators in their own right, when joining forces the inestimable John Jennings (artist) and Damian Duffy (writer/letterer) pull of the superheroic. For over a decade, this virtuoso dynamic duo have channeled their co-creative talents into radical revolutionizing of the comics scene.

Already in 2008, they pushed the art of comic book storytelling beyond any and all boundaries with their Glyph Award winning, The Hole: Consumer Culture Vol. 1. In this sci-fi horror narrative, Jennings and Duffy richly texture how capitalism, consumerism, and racism intertwine in ways that destroy AfricanAmerican communities. Its been hailed as The Waste Landof the 21st century and as seminal to todays graphic novel renaissance.

Their inexhaustible work to upturn a dominant straight and white the comics industry continued in the founding of expos and curating of exhibits across the country. For instance, in their 2009 exhibit Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics they threw the spotlight on women of color, LGBTQ comics creators as well as the vital comics work coming out of small press, independent, web, and self-published spaces.

In 2014, Jennings and Duffy joined forces with Stacey Robinson, creating Kid Code: Channel Zero a time-traveling adventure story that follows the protagonist, Kid Code, and his compadres as they take down The Power. The creative trios geometrizing of the story turns hip-hop from something we typically hear to something vitally and visually seen.

In 2018, Jennings and Duffys Black Comix Returns(Lion Forge) introduced and celebrated nearly a hundred independent, cutting-edge, new gen. African American comics creators working across all the genres, shouting from rooftops that this is where the epicenter and life force to comics resides.

This same year, Jennings and Duffy published their recreation of Octavio Butlers Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation (Abrams)and to great critical and popular acclaim, including a Bram Stoker and Eisner award.

Cover art by John Jennings

Jennings and Duffy are some of the most skilled and hardest working comics creators doing the work to radically transform and diversify the comics scene. In between their creating, workshopping and teaching as profs (Riverside and Urbana-Champaign), parenting, and jet-setting, I had the great fortune and pleasure of catching up with Jennings and Duffy to talk about Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation that just dropped with Abrams.

Frederick Luis Aldama: Damian, why dont you launch us by talking about the process of working with a source text Octavia Butlers original sci-fi novel, Parable of the Sower and how this differs from co-creating a wholly original comic like The Hole: Consumer Culture Vol. 1 (2008).

Damian Duffy: Its different in a couple of ways. With both our 2017 graphic novel adaptation of Butlers Kindred and this adaptation of Parable of the Sower, I know we felt a tremendous amount of pressure to do justice to the Octavia Butlers original work, her legacy, her estate and, the fandom of her novels.

Whereas, in 2008, I dont think we cognizant of an audience in the same way. We did make The Hole to be taught in college classrooms, and eventually it was, but I think we primarily created that book to address some of our own interests and obsession. Also, more practically, the process was just different because with Kindred and Sower we worked with an editor, and the Butler estate had to sign off on our work during a few different stages of production.

FLA: Damian, can you walk us through the prep process for Parable. I know that you spend a lot of time distilling the original novel and reconstructing it in a mock-up with rough text and sketch layouts. This is then submitted to Abrams for final approval.

DD: After the success of Kindred, Abrams invited us to pitch another adaptation. We pitched both Parable of the Sower and its sequel, Parable of the Talents, at the same time, in January 2017, right after Trump was elected.

Interior art by John Jennings

So, there was a sense of urgency, since the subject matter was so prescient, featuring as it does a crumbling American society thats mostly abandoned or undermined things like the rule of law and public education. Thats being destroyed by wildfires and droughts and unchecked climate catastrophe. And, in Talents, that includes a fascist president thats elected by promising to make America great again.

The script process involves a lot of reading the novel over and over again, figuring out what parts definitely need to stay and what aspects are key to the character development of the protagonist. Its about breaking down the story to key components needed to communicate core ideas then translating these into the comics form. I think of it as a cartooning design philosophy, using visual abstraction to communicate complicated concepts.

FLA: For the two of you its clear that comics is the distillation then reconstruction of stories that matter.

John Jennings: One of the things I love about the comics is that its an ever-flexible storytelling medium where everything in the comic is essentially a storytelling device, a storytelling mechanism. You can even start your stories with the visuals of the front cover that then spills into pages proper of the comic. Borders, gutters anything and everything in comics can be used for the narrative. Everythings a picture, even sound and thought. You can actually bend sound and thought in really cool ways that advance the story.

The language of comics is inherently symbolic and surreal, almost like a dream space. Readers are willing to accept and enter into the surreal, dream space of comics. This allows me to take readers places I wouldnt be able to in other storytelling media. I can take readers to new, strange places. The way comics convey information through the pictorial, the symbolic, along with the text is what is so powerful to me about this hybrid storytelling medium.

Sketch by John Jennings

FLA: Damian, can you share some of your creative decisions about the lettering, especially focused on the first couple of pages of Parable of the Sower.

DD: I knew early on that I wanted to reproduce the visuals of lined notebook paper since all the narration comes from the protagonist, Lauren, writing in her journal. I made the narration caption boxes with notebook paper lines and explored using different digital fonts that look handwritten.

The first font that I used, and was printed in the advance readers copy, didnt work. It looked like cursive writing, and the editor and designer at Abrams decided that it was too hard to read. We ended up using a different font in the final product. Which is important because, if I lettered the comic by hand, it would be coming out in roughly a thousand years.

FLA: Damian, you use this journal/notebook motif in the beginning to give shape to her dream sequences in the opening and throughout. Tell me a little about the choice to use dream sequences, especially in the opening?

DD: I decided to use the notebook style to shape the dream motif here and throughout Parable. So much of both novels involves Lauren working out this religion she founds, Earthseed. A lot of it is her giving voice to her dreams and ideas by writing them out, building a belief system as she goes. So it seemed to make sense, connecting the journaling to her dreams.

When I first started the script, I was considering cutting the prologue-like dream sequence that opens Butlers novel. I was worried about introducing the world of the novel through as abstract as a dream. But the more I looked at it, the more I knew that we needed it to function like an overture and foreshadowing of the entire story. The elements of walls, doors, and fire, of flying and falling, and family that show up in that sequence all have huge resonance later on.

Interior art by John Jennings

FLA: John, can you share the decisions you made when geometrizing pages 2 and 3.

JJ: Damian provides a really concise way that he wants the page laid out, either telling me about it or sketching it out for me. Because we have to do advanced reader copies, all the pages have to be sketched out, digitally inkedthe entire book is done digitally and then sent to the color assistants. They do a process called flatting: drawing parallelograms under the images in Photoshop to fill in the color with a flat color before its rendered.

Essentially, theyre using Photoshop to color under the art. They then send me a Photoshop file with flats. I then render it. I add like the color, the nuance and differentiation in the color to show whats going on around it what the image looks like in space.

DD: Texture and shading.

JJ: There you go. All that texture and shading.

FLA: John, with Kindred you inked all the pages. With Parable you digitally ink. Can you talk about the pros and cons for both?

JJ: Honestly the main con for not doing things by hand is that I dont have originals. A lot of artists sell their originals. I donated my entire, set of originals for Kindred to the Science Fiction Archive here at UC Riverside; they are the remnants of the final project.

Honestly, digital is the way to go, especially if youre working on a really serious deadline. The iPad is totally revolutionized the way that I think about making comics.

Everything is generated within iPad, making it easy to import and export Photoshop files. You can make changes very quickly. You can make duplicates of images very quickly. We have tools that allow you to mimic what actual inks look like. If youre trained classically like me, when it comes to the image making you can replicate the feel of actual analog. I dont see going back to hand done comics, honestly. It doesnt make sense to me at this point.

Interior art by John Jennings

FLA: John, elsewhere youve talked about your style as informed strongly by a woodcut aesthetic. Can you tell us a little more about that, especially as it relates to these first couple of pages of Parable?

JJ: Definitely. My mentor, Tom Kovacs, was a woodcut artist, a linocut artist. I was attracted to the German Expressionists creators like Kthe Kollwitz, for instance. Kollwitz was a huge influence on Kindred. She did a lot with translating into art the trauma of the Holocaust. Others like Frans Masereel, Ed Ward, and Denys Cowan were really big influences on my hand.

I abstract in my comics storytelling but I also give them a very personal feel. Comics storytelling doesnt have to be stylized like a superhero comic. To convey this rich experience, I created my own style by drawing on influences from the Harlem Renaissance, German Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism. Ive been working on my woodcut style for years. I love printmaking, but I dont have time to cut prints. But I can simulate that feel through the digital, and thats something that I try to do.

FLA: Damian, page 2 is the prologue-like dream sequence followed by a conventionally stacked page 3. What were you and then John trying to convey as we launch from prologue into the story proper?

DD: We wanted the dream sequence to convey that the main character, Lauren, is sort of a visionary. And, as I mentioned earlier, the imagery is necessary as it previews the events of the story. The panels on page 3 are stacked in a more conventional composition because those scenes are our first proper introduction to the predominant setting of the first half of the book. It takes place inside the walls of the Robledo, a kind of lower middle-class gated community in Southern California where the main character comes from.

Here we wanted the page layout to communicate the perceived safety the community draws from being walled in. But, at the same time, there arent panel borders between the gutters and the panels because, while Robledo is walled in, its really a false sense of security. The walls eventually fall, and when they do the panel structures become less geometric, more disordered.

Cover art by John Jennings

FLA: John, Parable is set in a dystopic Los Angeles with folx of color front and center. How did you decide on a color palette to convey the setting here at the beginning of Parable and throughout?

JJ: One of the things that attracted me to Parable is its a very diverse cast. We wanted to create strong representations of people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. I live in the Imperial Valley, so Im not in L.A. proper. There is a character in the story from Riverside, where I live. That said, I did want the color palette taupe and browns to convey a really strong connection to the people and landscape in this part of the world. We are surrounded by mountains, but basically, were in a desert. So, I chose to use color schemes that are based off of the desert. I also base a lot of color and shapes of buildings from the Spanish, colonial style architecture here in Riverside.

I also use a rusty red color overtone in Parable. Weve messed up the environment pretty badly, so when the atmosphere starts to be affected by the ozone it starts to get this reddish tint to it. I chose the red color scheme to convey how were killing the environment.

DD: With the recent wildfires and the fire tornados, there were plenty of photo references of it really happening

FLA: While very different in terms of color, feel and layout, is there a way that the dream sequence prologue (page 2) and the beginning of the story proper (page 3) connect with one another as a spread?

JJ: I tried to amplify symbols and motifs in ways that would interconnect the two pages. So the pages that make up this opening spread echo each other in subtle ways, like how the barbed wire fence around the wall starts to feel like the lined-notebook paper, creating a visual motif that connects the two. And, the two pages of the spread work together to foreshadow events and set the tone: Lauren as visionary.

Interior art by John Jennings

FLA: The opening spread also provides a lot of breathing room with the gutter space?

JJ: While it shrinks the art page a little bit, it does give you the feel of, say, a sacred text. Its like you are looking at some of those older, pretty bibles that had a lot of gutter. This in addition to the printing process makes it feel really sacred and precious. Its almost like youre carrying around a chatbook or a bible. This sacredness mirrors Laurens journey in the creating of a new faith and scripture.

FLA: Theres a certain stability with this opening spread that we see eliminated as the narrative unfolds and Laurens life becomes more precarious.

DD: As her life and the story generally becomes more hectic and intense, the page compositions and panel layouts start to mirror that. They become sort of stacked more haphazardly, and the line work around the panels becomes rougher as the events happening in the panels become more chaotic, violent, and crazy.

JJ: Damian did some send me examples of masters like Will Eisner as a way to show me how we might use a meta panel structure doors as smoke and erratic images to convey, for instance, the deterioration of Laurens community.

In comics storytelling everythings a picture, so images of anything like doors as smoke or the borders themselves can be generators of the story.

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Anatomy of a Panel: John Jennings, Damian Duffy, and PARABLE OF THE SOWER - Comicosity

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: How Will Alex’s Exit Affect Jo? Properly Addressing Justin Chambers’ Departure Will Take Some Time – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Greys Anatomy changed forever when Justin Chambers announced his departure from the Shondaland series after 15 strong years. The actors final episode reportedly aired on Nov. 14, meaning writers will have to wrap up the longstanding character offscreen. As things stand now, Alex is married to Jo (Camilla Luddington), who still has a presence at Grey Sloan Memorial. So how will Alexs exit affect Jo on Greys Anatomy? Theres plenty to unravel in the next few weeks.

[Spoiler alert:Greys AnatomySeason 16, Episode 13.]

On Friday, Jan. 10, Deadline reported Chambers exit from Greys Anatomy. In a statement, the actor said:

Theres no good time to say goodbye to a show and character thats defined so much of my life for the past 15 years. For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time.

As I move on from Greys Anatomy, I want to thank the ABC family, Shonda [Rhimes], original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, and the rest of the amazing cast and crew, both past and present, and, of course, the fans for an extraordinary ride.

As Chambers announcement was made in the midst of the midseason break, Greys Anatomy briefly touched on the actors absence in the season 16 winter premiere. Jo stated Alex went to take care of his mom in Iowa. But dont worry. That isnt the full extent of Alexs ending.

In Greys Anatomy Season 16, Episode 13, the ABC series dropped a few subtle clues to indicate Alexs actual exit hasnt happened yet but will in the near future. For now, everyone expects Alex to return from Iowa. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Richard (James Picken Jr.), Bailey (Chandra Wilson), and Owen (Kevin McKidd) got Alexs job back at Grey Sloan. But will he ever come back to take the position?

Midway through the episode, Jo told Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) that Alex hasnt been returning her calls. Jo revealed Alex may need some time. However, she also wondered whether Alex was getting revenge for when she needed time after discovering she was a product of rape. But she quickly refuted her deepest fears, noting her husband would never do something like that.

Nevertheless, Jo returned to an empty apartment at the end of the episode. Time goes on, Meredith said in a voiceover. And when one thing ends, something new always begins.

Following the Greys Anatomy episode on Feb. 13, Krista Vernoff spoke with Variety about all the changes in season 16. The showrunner also touched on Alexs storyline moving forward, confirming everyone will find out what is happening soon.

Viewers will learn more about what is going on with Alex in the coming weeks, Vernoff said.

But when will Alex officially leave Greys Anatomy? It seems the exit will drag on for some time before fans are given a solid answer.

Were, episode by episode, illuminating the story of where Alex is, Vernoff said. And it takes us quite a few more episodes to get there and to give the audience clarity.

Meanwhile, Vernoff explained how Alexs departure will affect Jo. And as expected, it is not an easy task.

It was a very careful threading of a needle, where we are giving a little bit of information and pain to Jo, Vernoff said.

That said, Vernoff shared the Greys Anatomy writers dont plan to make Jo spiral like in season 15. However, to properly do so, the series will need to take some time. She said:

Jo went through so much pain and so much grief just last season that I wanted to be careful. And so its a bit of a mystery [whats going on with Alex], so that we dont watch Jo in the same place that we watched her in last season. We did it as carefully as we could. But it takes a while to get there.

At this point, its too early to tell how Alex will leave Greys Anatomy. As Vernoff noted, the ABC drama will add more pieces to the puzzle within the next few weeks. And from the sounds of it, Jo will come out the other end just fine. But how will the writers be able to pull that off when Alex was Jos rock? It seems highly unlikely Jo will end up completely unscathed. Regardless, well just have to see what happens next.

Read more: Greys Anatomy: Shonda Rhimes and Sandra Ohs Oscar Party Reunion Has Fans Begging for Cristina Yangs Return

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'Grey's Anatomy': How Will Alex's Exit Affect Jo? Properly Addressing Justin Chambers' Departure Will Take Some Time - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Inside the Funhouse Action Scene From Birds of Prey – The New York Times

In Anatomy of a Scene, we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series each Friday. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Roller skating in an action scene? Difficult. Roller skating in an action scene while on a rotating carousel? Good luck with that.

Margot Robbie pulls off the stunt as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey. Though the climactic moment, which takes place in a funhouse, wasnt just a challenging set piece for Robbie. Other cast members, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ella Jay Basco and Rosie Perez, performed many of their own stunts in a sequence that required months of training and preparation. That included leaping on bouncy props and executing complex fight choreography on that rotating set.

In this video, the director Cathy Yan further discusses the scenes levels of difficulty and how the shots were organized. For one, she and her team came up with a clever way to maintain continuity when shooting on a spinning set with a wildly colorful background.

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Inside the Funhouse Action Scene From Birds of Prey - The New York Times

Jason Winston George from ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Is a Doting Husband and Dad Meet His Family – AmoMama

"Grey's Anatomy"star, Jason Winston George hit it quite big in Hollywood, and despite his fine acting career, the actor is a family man who knows how to keep things running in the home.

Jason Winston George is a sterling Hollywood act who knows his onions in the industry and has gained substantial approval. But he makes sure to keep his marriage running fine with his spouse of 21 years.

Speaking with "Closer Weekly," the star actor shared an interesting fact ofhow he and his wife have managed to keep their matrimony free of conflicts.

CAULIFLOWER TO THE RESCUE!

As it is, that couples usually go through disagreements and misunderstandings, Winston's marriage is not an exception. The actor, however, made it known to the publication that a vegetable always helped him through their tiffs. Hesaid:

"It's almost like a safe word. When I yell, 'Cauliflower,' we stop arguing. We walk away. Neutral corners. Then, 99 percent of the time, we're prepared to own our mistakes."

Winston added that he always won his wife over with a prose after a quarrel. He told the news outlet that he usually penned emotional write-ups, which always seemed to do the trick.

JASON'S WIFE

Jason's spouse, Vandana Khanna, is astarin her own right. The New Delhi native is an award-winning poet who has gotten accolades for her works, which include "Train to Agra" and "The Goddess Monologue."

Although she is from New Delhi, the star poet was raised in Virginia. Khanna and Winston got married in 1999, and they share three children, Arun, their first child, Jasmine, and Nikhil, a set of twins.

One thoughtful advice the actor once shared about his 21-year marriage experience was that fights were inevitable, but it's always good to fight fair.

A MEMORABLE MOMENT

Through their blissful union, the Winstons have their fair share of turbulence.Oneof such was when Vandana was due to have her twin babies. The couple had been on their way to the hospital when another car T-boned theirs on the road.

The "Grey's Anatomy" star, described that fateful day as the scariest day of his life. The actor told "Wet Paint"that that was the day he knew he was capable of murderous thoughts as the driver of the other car did not check for their welfare.

Vandana was rushed to the hospital, where she safely delivered her twin babies. Although the circumstances of their birth could be termed dramatic and terrifying, the babies were born healthy and safe.

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Jason Winston George from 'Grey's Anatomy' Is a Doting Husband and Dad Meet His Family - AmoMama

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Why Amelia Won’t Reveal the Father of Her Baby – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

[Spoiler alert: Greys Anatomy Season 16.] Sorry, Greys Anatomy fans the messy triangle between Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), and Atticus Link Lincoln (Chris Carmack) is far from over. For weeks, viewers as well as our beloved characters have been stressed about the father of Amelias child. However, in the 13th episode titled Save the Last Dance for Me the neurosurgeon decided against a paternity test. So why didnt Amelia reveal the father of her baby on Greys Anatomy? Theres more to this story than meets the eye.

In the Greys Anatomy Season 16 premiere titled Nothing Left to Cling To Amelia learns about her pregnancy after a visit with Carina DeLuca (Stefania Spampinato). At this point, Amelia and Owen are broken up and she is dating Link. Meanwhile, Owen and Teddy (Kim Raver) are gearing up to raise a family together.

Regardless, by the time the episode ends, the paternity of Amelias baby is questioned. But as season 16 continues, its clear Amelia believes the father is Link. Then when she tells him the news, Link is excited and ready to dive in. However, that feeling doesnt last for long.

In the Greys Anatomy Season 16 fall finale titled Lets All Go to the Bar Amelia gets an ultrasound. And it turns out, she is 24 weeks pregnant, rather than 20. So its possible Amelias baby is Owens and not Links.

Eventually, Amelia gathers up the courage to tell Link the truth. That said, she doesnt want to get a paternity test since she made her decision and wants to be with Link. At first, Link is fine with Amelias decision. But he reconsiders and wants to take the test.

Then in episode 13, Amelia puts her foot down. She doesnt want to take the test. As Link is stressing out in the plant room, Amelia texts her boyfriend. Im sorry, she writes. I didnt run the test. I need time.

Link stares at his phone in disbelief.

When speaking with Variety on Feb. 13, Greys Anatomy showrunner, Krista Vernoff, delved into the drama surrounding Amelias baby, explaining why the character is having such a difficult time facing the paternity of her unborn child.

She is not going to play by anyone elses rules, Vernoff said. And she is protecting her own heart and her own pregnancy and her own sanity at whatever cost.

The showrunner later added: She is figuring out what it is on her own terms. This character has learned how to listen to her own body and shes been through one very traumatic pregnancy. And the feelings that came up in her body were not feelings that she wants to navigate during this pregnancy. So shes looking to take care of herself and her baby.

But despite isolating herself from Link at this moment, Vernoff said Amelia isnt alone and will likely find refuge in her sisters, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary).

Vernoff also confirmed the father of Amelias baby wont be revealed for some time. I know the fans want an answer as to whose baby this is, and theyre not going to get it as soon as they wish for it, she said.

Greys Anatomy fans have already expressed their frustrations in regards to Amelias story storyline. Now, viewers can expect more in the upcoming weeks but thats sort of the point.

The way weve written this story, from week to week, Im sort of on her side, and then Im on Links side, and then I dont really know, she said. I think it sparks a lot of conversation of, Is she being selfish to not find out or is he being selfish to want to know? It is kind of the question that we ask.

Read more: Greys Anatomy: Shonda Rhimes and Sandra Ohs Oscar Party Reunion Has Fans Begging for Cristina Yangs Return

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'Grey's Anatomy': Why Amelia Won't Reveal the Father of Her Baby - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Greys Anatomy Season 17: When is the new season airing? Any Guesses? – Next Alerts

American Medical Drama television series Greys Anatomy is all set to go into its season 17.

The show, which first premiered on 27 March 2005 on ABC (American Broadcasting Network) as a replacement to a show that used to run on the network, is created by Shonda Rhimes.

The series, which revolves around surgicalinterns,residents, andattending doctors, as they evolve into doctors while trying to balance their personal lives and relationships.

The show is set in Seattle but the filming for the show takes place in Los Angeles.

The title of the show is taken from the classical book on Anatomy called Grays Anatomy, a classic human anatomy textbook, first published in 1858 in London, written by Henry Gray.

The casting for the series is racially diverse and revolves around the character Dr. Meredith Grey, which was played by Ellen Pompeo.

Now the seventeenth season of the show is in the pipeline.

The seventeenth season of Greys Anatomy is expected to air in September 2020.

The following are expected to form the cast of the seventeenth season of the show:

Apart from these, there is a huge possibility that Ellen Pompeo might not return for the seventeenth season of the show.

Whatever the seventeenth season of the show has in store, is going to be worth waiting for.

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Greys Anatomy Season 17: When is the new season airing? Any Guesses? - Next Alerts