The Happy Nerd

Justice League: Doom

2012-03-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of quick cartoon catch-ups today. First is an item that probably shouldn't be called a cartoon at all--the new DC animated feature "Justice League: Doom" was released this week. As some of you know, I'm a huge fan of the animated movies both DC and Marvel have been putting out for the last several years. I own a number of them on Bluray, and have been looking forward to Doom since it was announced. Anything Justice League and I'm there. I tried to put it in my Netflix queue, but they don't have it available yet, so I went ahead and ordered my own copy of it. Amazon has already shipped it, so if I'm really lucky I'll be watching it this weekend.
On a side note, Netflix has really been falling down on the whole disc thing lately. I know they want to move toward streaming but they used to have a much better selection of Blurays. I pay extra for Bluray access and don't like the way things are going. But anyway...

It seems like forever since Cartoon Network first previewed their new Green Lantern: The Animated Series cartoon. I have no idea why they ran their preview so long ago, but the show finally "premieres" tomorrow morning. I've got my DVR set for it. I'm not a tremendous GL fan, but I like him enough to watch the show. The preview was actually pretty good.

But the better news is that my favorite cartoon at the moment, Young Justice, is finally back with new episodes, starting tomorrow morning right after Green Lantern. Young Justice was a show that I didn't love at first, but it's really grown on me. At the time when it first came out I think I was still wishing for more Justice League episodes, and the "kid" versions of Superman and Martian Manhunter weren't doing it for me. But I stuck with it, and there's enough cameo appearances by J.L. members to make things exciting.

Lastly, tonight's episode of Clone Wars looks pretty decent. That show runs hot and cold for me. Sometimes I really enjoy it, other times I find it deadly dull. I mostly watch cartoons for the action, so I wish that show would pick up the pace a bit. Sometimes it's just way too talky.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Book News

2012-02-29T14:56:00.003-05:00

Two quick book related items today for those of you who come here looking for that sort of thing. The first is that my upcoming novel, The Forever Knight, is now listed up at Amazon for pre-order. Just because it's fun, I pre-ordered a copy for myself :) I'll probably forget all about it until it comes in the mail someday. Amazon has it listed as "A Novel of the Bronze Knight," which is accurate and sounds pretty cool. They also list the formal release date for the book--November 6, 2012. I know a lot of people have been waiting a very long time for this book to come out, me included. Eight more months, folks. A drop in the bucket in publishing terms.

The other bit of news is that I have now seen the cover art Todd Lockwood has painted for The Forever Knight. I have to say, it's pretty cool. It's also rather hard to describe. There's only one figure depicted in it, and that's Lukien. He totally dominates the cover, looking all awesome and powerful. I'm not sure if I can post it yet, but as soon as I get the go ahead I will.

John Carter

2012-02-28T11:55:00.003-05:00

In a couple of weeks the movie John Carter of Mars will be released. I'm breathing a sigh of relief, because I've wanted to go to the movies for a couple of weeks now but there just hasn't been anything that has me jazzed enough to lay down my eleven bucks. At the moment, my favorite multiplex is filled with Oscar nominees (now winners and losers) hoping to cash in on the hype. Saying this is going to make me sound like a real Neanderthal, but Moneyball and Hugo bored me, and I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than sit through a silent black and white film. So here's hoping John Carter delivers the goods.

I have my own great memories of reading the John Carter books. Back about a million years ago I picked up my first John Carter tale at Waldenbooks. Remember Waldenbooks? Ah, the good old days. They had a great fantasy section, and as a kid I used to love to poke through it, looking for those memorable gems. I picked up Thuvia, Maid of Mars that day (along with Tarnsman of Gor).

But I think my favorite memory of the John Carter stories is when Carl Sagan spoke about them on the show Cosmos. If you're interested, go to Youtube and check out episode 5 of Cosmos, called Blues for a Red Planet. There's a great and touching scene where he describes reading the Mars books as a kid, then going outside at night and looking up at the stars and trying to transport himself to Mars the way John Carter did. It's been decades since I first saw that scene and I still recall it vividly and fondly.

That's the power of story-telling. Little Carl Sagan looking up at the stars. Awesome.

Skylanders Part 2

2012-02-26T18:52:00.003-05:00

Skylanders Giants. Huh. I guess they are pretty big.

Just after Christmas I wrote up a post here about the Skylanders video game. I spoke about how much fun it was (to my surprise, in fact), and how difficult it was/is to find the Skylanders figures that make the game so enjoyable. Since that time, I've had literally hundreds of people come to this site after Googling the term "Skylanders." More specifically, many of these people come after searching for something like "Skylanders hard to find," or "Skylanders sold out everywhere."

Skylanders has been a huge hit. I really don't think anyone thought it would be as successful as it's become, even the people who created it. My son and wife and I are still in constant search for the figures, hunting them down at Target and Game Stop only to hear that they are sold out.
In fact, the good and very knowledgeable people who work at all the Game Stops around my area tell us the same thing every time we come in--they sell out as fast as they get them in, and sometimes people wait outside just for the delivery truck to drop them off, just so they can buy them all. Frankly, I think that's bullshit. Not the story--I believe it--but the practice. You just know those people are buying them to put them up on ebay. But it's a kids toy, for crying out loud. Sure, adults like me play it too, but it's primarily a game for children, and I hate thinking of people hording them just to make extra money. (And honestly, how much are they really making?) Yeah, it's capitalism. Whatever.

Despite these roadblocks, however, my son has managed to amass a nice collection of Skylanders figures. His birthday was this weekend, and somehow his friends and family managed to scare up a few new ones for him. As I think I mentioned in my last post on the subject, Skylanders is a perfect game for fantasy fans like me. Last time we were obsessing over the character named Stealth Elf. At the moment I'm enjoying playing the techno-dragon, Drobot. The game is wonderfully imaginative and populated with fun and interesting characters. No wonder it's become such a hit.

Now I hear there's a sequel coming soon, called Skylanders Giants, and this time some of the little figures will be double in size. That doesn't actually make them giants in my book, but what the hell. I'm just happy to see another version of the game coming soon. Here's an article from USA Today with more info on it.

Hulk Smash!

2012-02-23T09:50:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I've made it back to the blog! A full week I think. I usually manage to fire off a blog post every other day or so, but lately I've been overwhelmed with the mundane and haven't had much time for fun things. I'm way behind on my comic book reading, although I did manage to read the latest edition of Incredible hulk (I think it was issue #5). And that got me thinking...

The very first Hulk comic I ever read was an annual. Do they still publish those? This particular issue goes way back to when I was in school. I was home sick that day and my mother came home with comic books for me, one of which was the Hulk. I remember thinking "Hulk? I don't read Hulk. I read Spiderman!" Ungrateful little brat :)
Anyway, I wound up reading it and loving it, and the storyline of that comic book has stuck with me all these years. Without going into too much detail, it was about Hulk in some strange world and this weird little spinal column creature attaching itself to his back, and how the two of them become friends and help each other. Sounds terrible, but it wasn't. It was great, or at least I thought so at the time. I don't have that comic book any more, because then, as now, I just don't take care of my comic books. But I remember it fondly, and that's probably more important.

I did a little research while writing this post and found out that my beloved Hulk issue was annual #13. I've posted the cover, which totally jumped out at me from Google images--I recognized it at once. I'm thinking I'll head over to ebay and see if I can find a cheap one.

Anyway, all these years later I'm finally reading the Hulk again. It's changed a lot from the Hulk of my youth. It's darker, but the issues I've read so far have been inventive and well written, and I'm glad I've made it one of my monthly titles.

Today, it's Superman #5. So far Superman has been disappointing, but I'm going to stick with it because a new creative team is taking over the book soon. Here's hoping.

Ghostly Goodness

2012-02-17T16:47:00.004-05:00

Check out the cover art for the upcoming sixth issue of Savage Hawkman. What makes it awesome? Because that's Gentleman Ghost tossing Hawkman a beating. Jim Craddock, aka Gentleman Ghost, is probably my all time favorite "obscure" DC character. He's been around for a long time, but he's definitely not a household name. I'm totally psyched to see him on the cover of one of my monthly to-read titles. Here's the teaser for issue #6, due out February 22:

Hawkman comes face to face with Jim Craddock, a.k.a. the Gentleman Ghost, a malevolent spirit obsessed with finding an ancient relic called the Mortis Orb. Can Hawkman stop Craddock from using the power of the Orb to unleash hell on Earth?

Sounds good to me. I've been a "fan" of Gentleman Ghost since I first saw him years ago on one of my favorite episodes of Super Friends. That's the one where he takes over the United Nations and starts turning the delegates into ghosts. Oh, so good. Pretty scary too, for a little kid. I love the way he's drawn in this picture. Here's hoping the inside art lives up to the outside.

The Best Little Kids Show Ever

2012-02-17T09:26:00.003-05:00

At the end of March, Disney is going to launch its well known "Disney Junior" morning programming into a full channel of its own, fittingly called the Disney Junior channel. Why is this interesting? Well, mostly because I'm into anything that has more cartoons to watch, even if they're geared toward rugrats, but it's also interesting because the "new" channel is going to be leaning on some old, classic Disney Junior shows. Or maybe I should say "Playhouse Disney" shows, because that's what the Disney Junior programming block was called not that long ago.

I've seen the trailer for the new channel, and it includes clips from a lot of the shows I used to watch with my son when he was a toddler, like Rollie Pollie Ollie, Higglytown Heroes, the Koala Brothers. These are all perfectly fine shows, but none of them compare to the best little kids show ever--Bear in the Big Blue House. Bear ran on Playhouse Disney for years and was hugely popular. They made over a hundred episodes of the show, and even made the characters the centerpiece of the stageshow Playhouse Disney Live on Stage at Disney World in Florida (a show that I'm proud to say I saw two or three times over its run). I could try to explain what Bear in the Big Blue House was about, but really the title kind of says it all. What's important to know is that the character Bear was a gentle giant of a creation, with a soft voice and natural kindness that kids--and their parents (and me!)--loved. The other important thing to know is that Bear was created by the Jim Henson company. Even though Henson was long gone by the time Bear was made, you can see his influence all over it. Bear had a great cast of characters, including the only memorable Luna, who was literally the moon. At the end of every show Bear would go out to his balcony and say goodnight to Luna, and together they would sing the show's signature "Goodbye Song." Just great.

Unfortunately, the trailer for the new Disney Junior Channel didn't show any clips for Bear in the Big Blue House. I'm hoping that they manage to find space for it on their schedule. Despite being a big hit, Bear has pretty much disappeared, which is a shame. If they do bring it back, I'll be setting my DVR to relive some good memories.

Sour Cream & Onion Doritos

2012-02-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

About a week ago I was in my local bagel store buying breakfast, when something green and fascinating caught my eye on the chip shelf. I've been a Doritos lover since I was a kid. My sister used to gobble them up when we were little. She stopped, I didn't. So on the rare occasion that Doritos comes out with a new flavor, I'm interested. And there it was--Sour Cream and Onion flavor Doritos. I brought two bags (always thinking ahead!), but then got sick for a couple of weeks and didn't try them until today. I guess I was just waiting for the right time, so I popped open a Dr. Pepper and dug in.
I did a little research while chomping down and discovered that these Sour Cream and Onion Doritos aren't exactly new. They were around before, but didn't last very long. Kind of like the McRib. You know how food companies like to mess with us. Anyway, they're back now for a limited run, so that might mean they're already gone because I haven't seen any more since I picked up my two bags.

Oh, how do they taste, you ask? Pretty good. But not awesome, sadly. The taste of both the sour cream and the onion are rather subdued, and I wish both had more punch. In fact, they sort of taste like a blander version of Doritos excellent Cool Ranch variety. So all in all, they were fun to try but I won't be searching for them the way I do my other rare food faves.

In similar news, the McDonald's Shamrock Shake is back--for a limited time only, of course.

Dead or Alive 5

2012-02-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I started wondering what's going on with the next version of my favorite video game, Dead or Alive. As I wrote here a while back, I've become rather obsessed with the Dead or Alive series of fighting games, and now I'm waiting anxiously for its next incarnation to arrive. So this morning I stumbled across this interesting article about Dead or Alive 5, confirming the "rumor" that it will be out at the end of this year, but also describing some of the updates that players can anticipate. There's also some extremely cool images from the game in the article.
This is the first article I've seen that's actually described a hands-on experience with the upcoming game, albeit a very stripped down version of what's to come. Up till now all the posts I've seen about DOA 5 have been essentially the same, basically just saying that it's in production and will be out eventually. But let's face it--if you're a rabid fan of anything, "eventually" just isn't good enough. What you really want is a firm date. I still don't have that, but it definitely looks from this article that DOA5 is moving forward. And since I'm an Xbox guy, I'm glad to see it's going to be released on both Xbox and Playstation.

I still have lots of outstanding questions though, like whether Christie will be back as a playable character, or as my son and I call her, "Snake Girl." I've googled around to try and find out, but so far haven't been able to find a definitive answer. Guess that's part of the frustrating fun of waiting.

More Fantasy Art

2012-02-13T17:01:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about fantasy art, and about book covers in particular. The process is one that has always intrigued me. If a genie could grant me one talent, I might choose the ability to draw and paint well (as opposed to horribly, which I can already do). So I was interested in a recent comment fantasy author Debra Martin posted on my Facebook page, pointing me toward an article on her blog written by the cover artist for her latest book. If you're at all interested in book art and the process an artist goes through, it's worth checking out.
The artists name is John Dotegowski, and although it's just a short piece, it does give some insight into how he goes about working with his clients to turn out the kind of art they envision for their book, game, etc. Since I may or may not be going the self-published route for future books, I'm particularly keen on learning all I can about what's involved.

John Dotegowski has a website, by the way, where you can check out some of his other work. I particularly like his painting titled "Sirens."

Dark Shadows

2012-02-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, the radio show This American Life did a program about conventions, featuring the yearly Dark Shadows convention in one of the segments. I know a tiny something about the Dark Shadows con because I've attended it twice. While growing up, my sister was a huge fan of the show and she still is. She's one of those devoted fans who likes to go and see the old stars of the show, get their autographs, buy some memorabilia--all the things that fans do.

This American Life likes to take an ironic look at things, and so it was with their feature on the Dark Shadows convention. Sure, there's the easy jokes about how the people who attend cons are friendless weirdos, but the segment avoided those kinds of cheap pot-shots. (TAL is one of my favorite radio programs, btw, and is always better than cheap pot-shots.) There was, though, an acknowledgment of the strangeness of fandom, and also a celebration of it. I myself did not want to attend the first Dark Shadows con I went to--I went because my sister needed someone to take her and I felt compelled to help her out. But I had a good time, good enough to go back again two years later, and good enough not to just toss away the reminders I get in the mail when another one is coming up, but to actually consider going back.

The funny thing is, I've never once seen an episode of Dark Shadows. I've considered sitting down to sample it, but I think that might ruin it somehow. I prefer to hear my sister tell me about the show, to answer my novice questions about the plot and characters and to share her excitement about something from her past, the way I get excited when talking about Star Wars or something else I loved when I was young.

Sure, fans are weird. The term comes from the word fanatic, after all. And so what? Dark Shadows has meant a lot to a lot of people. Being a little weird is fun.

Typewriter Love

2012-02-11T11:34:00.003-05:00

I love typewriters, and although I knew I wasn't alone in this affection for them, I really didn't know there were so many folks still using and loving typewriters until I saw this last Sunday on CBS News. (I wanted to embed the video here but wasn't able to do so. But click the link--it's worth it!)

The first typewriter I ever used belonged to my sister. It was a little portable job my parents got from Sears that had its own carrying case.
A few years later, my father "borrowed" a typewriter from work, a big, beautiful green monster that become mine over time, mostly because no one else was interested in it. I used that typewriter to write up my first stories, dreaming of the day I'd get them published. Since we never got new a new ribbon for it I would rewind the old one by hand from time to time. Amazingly, it never completely ran out of ink. Eventually I made the move to computers, first the VIC-20 and then the Commodore 64, and never looked back. The typewriters sat there, unused and forgotten, until they eventually found their way into the trash.

Of course we don't know how much we love something until it's gone. I wish I still had that big green typewriter. I wish it was right next to me, inspiring me to write the way it did when I was a kid. From time to time I hope over to ebay, looking for a typewriter, but I never pull the trigger. There's some great old typewriters for sale, but none of them are my typewriter, my old friend. If you watch the video above you'll get some idea of how attached people can get to typewriters. I'm sure I'll never even attempt to write a book on one again, but it's nice to know there are still folks out there who do.

Remember VIC (and Eliza)

2012-02-09T13:24:00.001-05:00

If you've been reading this blog for a while you probably know I'm a big fan of the Retroist Podcast. Ever since I turned 40 I've been in love with things from my childhood, and no one brings all that cool stuff from the 70s and 80s back to life quite like the Retroist and the other folks who post on his website. So I was pretty thrilled last week when he finally got around to podcasting about one of my favorite childhood items--the Commodore VIC-20 computer.

The VIC-20 was one of the very first home computers that people could afford, and it sold massively. It started out priced at around 300 bucks but eventually sold for about a hundred dollars. I don't recall my family having a whole bunch of money when I was growing up (unless they were hiding it maybe), so I'm guessing that my dad sprang for it when the price dropped. I was ridiculously excited to get the VIC-20. It didn't matter that it had such a small amount of memory (it could hold about a page of typed data). It didn't matter that I knew nothing about computers. I learned what I could, pouring over the book that came with it and trying to understand the rudiments of programming. By that time we were taking computer classes in my high school, but I didn't learn much in there. The things I learned about computers I learned from banging around on that VIC-20. We didn't have one of those data holder/tape cassettes either--whatever "programs" I typed in would be lost the moment I turned the thing off. Ah, good times. Nerds aren't made, my friends--they're born.

The weird thing that I remember most about the VIC is wanting to get a program typed in--I think it was called Eliza--but never being able to do it. Eliza was a rudimentary artificial intelligence program. You typed something in, and "she" would answer you back. That just sounded ridiculously cool to me when I was a kid. I'm not sure if the program was just too long for the VIC's memory, or if I just gave up on the typing, or what the problem was, but I still don't have an Eliza to talk to. Sad, right?

Red Angel

2012-02-07T15:36:00.000-05:00

One thing I like about Twitter is that it's allowed me to meet some interesting, creative people. I never know who I'm going to discover, or who might discover me, which is why I was surprised when one of my "tweeps" (ugh, did I just use that word?) asked if I'd like to read and review an independent comic he published. Over the years I've asked a lot of people to read and review my books, and I remain grateful to all out there who agreed to help me get the word out. So when Larry Jarrell of What the Flux Comics offered up a free copy of Red Angel #1, I said yes immediately. I didn't bother thinking about it. Reading a comic book isn't a major commitment after all, and if I I didn't like it I could just write him back and say so. As it turns out I liked the comic quite a bit.

Red Angel is a steampunk story and proud of it. It takes place on an airship (the titular Red Angel) captained by bare-midriffed ass-kicker Victoria Angel and crewed by a group of characters with the kind of cool names you can only pull-off in comics like Marcus Broadside (the gunner, naturally). My favorite of the bunch is a well-armed robot named 2458, the ship's first mate, who along with his array of firepower also carries a cutlass. The Red Angel is basically a peace-keeping vessel, patrolling what's left of Great Britain after a twenty-five year, world-spanning war in which machines and humans battle it out. Apparently the war left behind some assorted baddies like pirates and killer machines, and it's the job of the Red Angel and her crew to mop things up. It's all very imaginative and well-conceived, and the story moves along at a brisk pace, with just enough exposition to let readers know what's happening without smothering them with endless dialog and details (got that, Superman writers?) The story was written by Erin Pyne, a writer I've never heard of before but who seems to have a real love for Steampunk and action adventure.

Of course, comic books live or die by their artwork. Speaking for myself, the art in a comic is every bit as important as the story. Before opening up Red Angel, I prepared myself to be disappointed by the art, but honestly it was pretty damn good. Artist Russ Leach does a yeoman's job of bringing the characters to life, especially the sexy Captain Angel, and the action panels are well-drawn and eye-catching. The art in Red Angel kind of reminds me of the art in one of my favorite old cartoons, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot. There's even echoes of Big Guy in the storyline (which I'm not complaining about). Yes, there are panels that aren't as strong as they could be, and sometimes the expressions of the characters don't quite feel right, especially around the eyes. Honestly, though, these are quibbles. One of the reasons I love comics is because they bring fantasy tales to life with pictures, and not just words. It's an ability I've always craved but never possessed, so anyone who can do it gets my respect.

What the Flux Comics is part of something called the ICCW, a group of independent comic creators. I wish I knew more about both of them, but I don't. I do know that we live in an age in which independent artists of every stripe can produce cool work and reach out to fans in ways they never could before--and that's something I applaud big time. So here's the thing--go on over to What the Flux and check out Red Angel and their other offerings. And if you like what you see, help spread the word. Maybe retweet this post or post about indie comics yourself. Sure, we all love Spiderman and Wonder Woman, but it's refreshing to see comics without capes for a change. Red Angel is definitely worth checking out.

The Most Dangerous Game

2012-02-05T08:05:00.002-05:00

From the best known movie
version of the story. Ooo, spooky!

I first read The Most Dangerous Game way back in junior high school. It was in a collection of short stories in a hardbound text book, along with the great Ray Bradbury story All Summer in a Day. I don't remember ever being assigned any reading from this book--I just read the stories anyway because they were so good. You know The Most Dangerous Game, right? Even if you've never read it, you know the story.
It's about a guy who gets washed up on an island with a mad big game hunter who likes to stalk humans instead of animals. It's a story that been riffed on a thousand times in movies and television, but there's something about the original, written back in the 1920s (I think), that's just so much cooler than the "modern" version of the tales.

Fast-forward all these years later. I'm at work the other day, trolling through my iPhone for something to listen to, when I come across a radio play for The Most Dangerous Game. Oh iPhone, how I love you. You bring me technological treats for around the world, even from back in time. I have a bunch of old time radio stations programmed into one of my apps, and every once in a while I get the urge to listen to them--you know, the shows your mom and dad talk about (well, if you're old enough). The Shadow, Suspense, Nick Carter, Private Eye, Inner Sanctum. Cool stuff even now. So up comes a show called "The Chase," which I'd never heard of before, and they're doing a version of The Most Dangerous Game. Suddenly I'm an adolescent again, listening to wonderfully hammy dead actors bringing the hunt to life.

Sometimes I talk on this blog about "man" movies (or comics, or stories, whatever). The Most Dangerous Game is one of those. I know, women and girls don't just sit around all day playing with Barbie dolls. But a story with a crazy cassock, "maylay man-catchers," and a duel at the end? Oh yeah--guy stuff. How do I know? Because when I told my mom about the story after reading it all those years ago, she rolled her eyes and told me how much she disliked it. She knew the story. She just wasn't interested in it. Nothing like a mom to stick a pin in a kid's fun!

If you want to listen to The Most Dangerous Game episode from "The Chase," you can do so at this link. Scroll down to episode #27. There's a lot of places selling these online, but I "hunted down" this free link because I like you.

The Grey

2012-02-03T09:37:00.002-05:00

If you pitched a movie about a plane crash in the arctic, where all the survivors band together and then get picked off by wolves one by one, you might get a reaction like, "Wow, that sounds terrible." But then you'd miss out on The Grey, one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

I was expecting to see Red Tails last night, but a last minute change of plans had me sitting in the theater for The Grey instead. I like Liam Neeson, so I was expecting to at least like The Grey, but I wound up loving it instead.
This isn't just a movie about survival in the wilderness. If it was, it would probably have been dull. Instead, think Jaws with Wolves. But don't think horror movie. Don't think thriller either. Hell, I don't know how to categorize this film! It doesn't fit neatly into any pigeon hole, because it's better than it should be given its simple premise. And it's all anchored by Liam Neeson's quiet, powerful performance as a man who wants to kill himself when the movie starts, yet somehow finds the strength to fight and stay alive against arctic elements and the craziest son-of-a-bitch wolves you've ever seen.

Unfortunately, when the closing credits started, some guy two rows behind me started moaning (loudly) about how crappy he thought the ending was. But he was wrong. I loved the ending. I won't spoil it, obviously, but it's totally fitting and cool. I just wish that guy's obnoxious comments weren't the last thing ringing in the theater after watching such a great movie. Jackass.

Star Wars 3D

2012-02-01T17:04:00.001-05:00

After all the hype and waiting, it's almost here--the first re-release of a Star Wars film in 3D is just about a week away. I've talked about Star Wars a lot here, sometimes unkindly, but I have to say I'm actually looking forward to seeing The Phantom Menace again. Yes, it's the weakest of the prequels, and the prequels are pretty weak. And yet, there's something about Star Wars that keeps pulling me back. There's always something to enjoy about it.
Nowadays whenever you go to the movies you have to sit through an avalanche of previews before the feature starts. Some people enjoy that, I suppose, but I hate it. I don't hate trailers--I hate an onslaught of trailers. I hate waiting twenty minutes for the damn movie to start. But last week, while waiting for Haywire to start, I sat in a kind of childish glee while the trailer for The Phantom Menace played. As soon as that music started up I was ten years old again. I was back in the RKO Twin with my dad. Some movies really are made for the big screen. The Star Wars films are, absolutely. I don't know what the 3d will look like (because the preview wasn't in 3D), but I'm not particularly concerned about that. I'm sure it will be fine. Mostly I just want to sit in that theater and watch Darth Maul.

The best is that I'll finally be able to take my son to see a Star Wars film. As Darth Vader would say, the circle is now complete.

Pine Bros.

2012-02-01T13:43:00.001-05:00

Well, after a bout of illness that lasted longer than expected, I'm finally back on my feet and back at my desk (huh?). Nobody likes being sick, but I have to admit to enjoying that "tail-end" of an illness. You know, when you're not really suffering anymore but not quite ready to take on all those pesky responsibilties again. You can just stay in bed and watch TV, read some comic books, and eat ice cream. Call me a coach potato if you want, but if you have a job and kids and all that stuff, you know how great it feels just to relax a little. You can pick up that remote control and have a guilt-free good time surfing cartoons.

I thought I'd have a whole lot to talk about after my blogging absence, but the truth is I've been drawing a blank. I could talk about how much I'm enjoying Kickin' It, a silly DisneyXD show about a bunch of karate kids, or how I missed the new episode of The Looney Tunes Show last night, which is shocking since I spent the last 48 hours all over Cartoon Network. But then I started coughing this morning and needing a cough drop, and then I remembered Pine Bros.

When I was a kid, Pine Bros soft cough drops were the ONLY cough drops I would use. Forget all that burning menthol crap--give me candy for my sore throat! And my mom always accommodated me, buying me packs of those chewy gum drops, so many that I used to share them with friends right up until High School. And then suddenly they just disappeared, and it was all Ludens and other serious cough drops. Yuck. A few years ago I went in search of Pine Bros on the internet and found they had just stopped making them. Sad.

But miracles do happen, and now apparently Pine Bros cough drops are back. I first heard about their return a few months ago, and though I still haven't seen them for sale in stores on Long Island, people have reported buying them, like this gal on her blog.

It's amazing how many folks remember these tasty little meds. It was some folks at work who first told me they were returning. When you hit 40, retro stuff starts meaning a lot to you. Oh sure, you say you'll never turn into your dad. Just wait.

Aquadog

2012-01-27T15:06:00.002-05:00

Everything was going so well. I was loving the new Aquaman comic--the artwork, the story--all great stuff. Aquaman and Mera had just defeated the creatures from the trench in a very satisfying conclusion to the first story arc of his new title. And then this happened. On the last page of issue #4.

Aquadog.

Really?

Ugh. This is why it's so hard to defend Aquaman. Just when you think he's crawling out of the muck of silliness.

Screw it. Just bring back Tusky.

Haywire Review

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

If you simply must be strangled, try this.

So I finally saw Haywire yesterday. I’ve had the night to think about it, and I’m sad to say it was disappointing. Sometimes there are movies that just can’t live up to the hype, and I was so certain that I would love it that I think I did myself in. The movie has gotten solid reviews from critics, all of whom seem totally willing to overlook the thin story and lackluster dialog simply because the protagonist is female. And I might have overlooked these things too, if only the action had been better. Everyone’s been crowing about how amazing the action in the movie is, so let me publicly dissent. Aside from the fight scenes, which were good (not great) and too few, everything else about this movie drags.

The story isn’t just thin—it’s a complete after-thought, draped over the film simply to give it some sort of narrative. Nothing about it is clever or engaging, and the “payoff” at the end is tacked on as punctuation, and underwhelming shrug of exposition for the simple purpose of completing the circle.

If all this makes it sound like I hated the movie, I didn’t. I liked it. Or maybe I should say I liked watching Gina Carano. There was just enough in the movie for a guy like me who wants to see an authentic, ass-kicking woman who can perform her own fights and stunts. Gina Carano totally brings it. Forget her acting—to me it was adequate, and since I expected nothing more from her big screen debut it didn’t bother me. I can definitely see her doing more of these kinds of action movies. And Wonder Woman? Look no further. She’s got just the right kind of presence to play the Amazonian princess. I’ll be in nerd heaven if that happens, but right now I think that’s just a rumor.

So, after talking about the movie for a couple of weeks, I’m gonna finally shut my mouth about it now. I hope to see more of Gina C. in the future, but Haywire won’t be a movie I see again.

Kid Stuff

2012-01-25T10:26:00.001-05:00

The other day my son was watching the Boomerang channel while I was getting ready for work. I like Boomerang because they play tons of old Hanna Barbara cartoons, most of which I remember from when I was a kid. But the show he was watching that morning caught my eye because I’d never seen it before—Tom and Jerry Kids. I’ve seen plenty of Tom and Jerry cartoons, but this one had them as little “kids”—Tom was a kitten and Jerry was a baby mouse. My reaction to seeing this was something like “WTF? Another show where they turn the characters into babies?”

(Of course I didn’t say that out loud—my kid was in the room.)

Wow, maybe cartoons really are for babies. Here’s the ones I can remember off the top of my head—A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Muppet Babies, Baby Looney Toons, and Flintstone Kids. There may be others, but I’m going to need Google to help me find them. I’m telling you right now that the theme from the infantilized Scooby Doo is the best. If you’ve never heard it, beware—it will stick in your head all day.

One thing about Boomerang is that they occasionally dig up some show that hasn’t been played in forever. Maybe this Tom and Jerry Kids is one of those, because I honestly don’t remember ever seeing it before. I also love when Boomerang plays Space Ghost and Herculoids and Bird Man and all those other great “heroic” cartoons. It’s what Cartoon Network used to be before they started producing their own shows (a lot of which are great, btw, so don’t think I’m knocking them).

I just think this notion of creating “baby” versions of beloved characters is a little weird. I guess kids enjoy them, but I really don’t want to see a baby version of Space Ghost.

The Twilight Samurai (and other movie stuff)

2012-01-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted about Gina Carano. I said at the time that I'd never heard of her before. Well, that's over. Now I'm seeing her all over the place. It might be a temporary blip because her movie Haywire just came out. Or it could be something bigger (and better) for her. Now I'm not just curious about the movie, but curious to see how things go for her careerwise after her big screen debut. I still haven't seen the movie yet (I'll be seeing it on Thursday most likely), but the Rotten Tomato score for Haywire is a very nice 82%, which bodes well for a good experience. Truth is, I'd be shocked if I don't like it. It's got a great cast, a great director, and a revenge-themed plot--love my revenge-themed plots.
Unfortunately, the movie only grossed about 9 million on its opening weekend. Not great, but hey, if I had 9 million bucks I'd be a millionaire 9 times over.

In continuing my exploration of Netflix's foreign film selection, I've been watching The Twilight Samurai, a Japanese film that came out around ten years ago. Netflix has a bunch of these kinds of movies available for streaming, sort of obscure stuff buried underneath all the reality TV and kid shows. Last time it was The Warlords, which I liked a lot, but The Twilight Samurai is the complete opposite--a quiet movie with very little violence which proves that not every movie about guys with swords is action-packed. That doesn't mean it's not good, however. It's a thoughtful portrait of Samurai life, slow-moving but oddly compelling. Here's how Wikipedia describes the movie:

Set in mid-19th century Japan, a few years before the Meiji Restroration, it follows the life of Seibei Iguchi, a low-ranking samurai employed as a bureaucrat. Poor, but not destitute, he still manages to lead a content and happy life with his daughters and senile mother. Through an unfortunate turn of events, the turbulent times conspire against him.

Yup, that pretty much says it. Still haven't finished it yet, but I will very soon. I one time wrote a story set in Japan around that time, and have always had an affinity for it.

And finally, I saw The Iron Lady last week. Another quiet movie, much "smaller" than I expected it to be. Or maybe I should say intimate instead of small. It definitely wasn't a typical bio-flick. About ten minutes into it I started to feel bored. But then I quieted myself down and settled into the style of the movie and wound up enjoying it, especially the bits about the Falklands war. War always perks up a story. Really, though, it was just a good opportunity to watch Meryl Streep act. I'm sure people get sick of hearing how great she is, but I'm one of those who love watching her. She's just ridiculously good.

So, Haywire for Thursday. Looking forward to it.

Savage Hawkman

2012-01-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to be a fan of a superhero without having read his/her comic books? Because it seems like forever that I've had a thing for Hawkman. Definitely not one of DC's A-list characters. Call it a wing fetish. I always liked characters with wing. Not just characters who could fly--which never really made sense to me unless he/she had wings anyway. Hawkman would pop up from time to time in cartoons when I was a kid, or might make an appearance in some comic I was reading. But for some reason I never picked up any of his titles. I had a close friend who was a huge fan of the Flash who used to always say Hawkman is gay. Maybe that's why.

So fast forward twenty-plus years and here comes Hawkman all over again, only this time he's the "Savage Hawkman." I have no idea why DC relaunched him as "savage;" it might have something to do with my friend's epithet, who knows. But I'm glad they included him as part of the New 52, because it finally game me a chance to read him.

I'm liking the new Hawkman so far, even though I'm totally confused by his origin. Thankfully I'm not the only one otherwise I'd feel like a shmuck; I've seen this complaint about the new Hawkman in other places. And since I read comics as much for the artwork as the story, I do wish the art was a bit stronger. As for Hawkman's new, tougher look, I have to say that I prefer the older look better. But then I'm a guy who only wants to see Batman in blue. Not grey, and certainly not black. Blue.

The Revolution will not be Televised

2012-01-19T09:23:00.002-05:00

Here's something to add to your to-do list. At some point today, go and listen to this podcast from Anthony Marco. No matter how you feel about the SOPA/PIPA act, take the time to listen to it and see if it doesn't at least make you think about the internet and what it really means.

There's been a whole lot said and written about SOPA recently, and maybe you're tired of hearing about it. Or maybe it's all become noise to you. Either way, if all you're doing is listening to standard media outlets about it, you're probably missing the passion behind the outrage, as I was. Anthony Marco's podcast on the subject does a fantastic job of reminding his listeners what's really at stake. It's a thoughtful, even sentimental look at the "old days" of the internet, and how it's bloomed into a place for expression and creativity.

If you're an artist or a writer or a musician--if you're creative in anyway or just want uninhibited access to knowledge--give it a listen. I'm not looking to change anyone's mind here, but it's worth your time to hear one man's impassioned view on the subject.

Fantasy Art

2012-01-17T20:20:00.002-05:00

Recently I've had the enormous pleasure of emailing back and forth with Todd Lockwood, the artist assigned to paint the cover for The Forever Knight. As a long-time lover of fantasy art, this is a real treat for me. Todd Lockwood is tremendously talented and did the cover for one of my previous books, The Sword of Angels. Authors don't always get approached to offer input about the covers of their books (especially authors at my level, I'm guessing), but luckily Todd was curious enough about both his work and my book to ask for some guidance regarding the look and dress of some of the characters.

At this point I have the feeling that he has some pretty good ideas for what he's going to paint. I've been trying to pry some hints out of him, but he's not budging--yet. I suppose he's more beholding to the publisher than he is to the author. After all, it's the publisher who pays him, not me. But I am confident that I'll see some sketches at some point, once he and the publisher have narrowed them down. I still have the sketches he sent me way back in 2005 (I think it was), when he was working on my previous book. They're rough, but cool to look at and see what might have been had the publisher chose a different direction. Honestly, though, back then they chose the best of the bunch, which is why I've reposted the finished painting here for folks to see, without all the title print.

As a writer, it's always a little frustrating not to be able to paint or draw the characters as I see them in my head. Writers paint with words, I suppose, but if I could have any other talent in the world it would be the ability to paint or draw well. I've often thought how awesome it would be if I could both write and paint, as some writers do. But, I can't. Which is why it's so much fun when an artist actually takes an interest in recreating my characters for me.

Of course I'll post the cover art for The Forever Knight as soon as it's available. (Warning--like all things publishing-related, it'll be a while)

Btw, Todd Lockwood has a website and a blog, both of which are worth checking out.