A Galaxy Called Dallas

“Serenity: Float Out” to be penned by Patton Oswalt

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:36:00 +0000

MTv news put out this evening that Patton Oswalt will be writing a one-shot for Dark Horse Comics in the Firefly universe. It will concern a group of Wash’s friends in the wake of his death purchasing a new ship and sharing memories of Wash during the float out, or christening.

Written by Oswalt with interior art by Patric Reynolds and a cover by "Buffy" artist Jo Chen, "Float Out" explores how the end of one character's life spins out into the beginning of a new chapter in the "Serenity" universe.

I look forward to new stories from the ‘verse, be it comic or book. I’ve seen some folks that have issues with Oswalt, yet I haven’t seen the reasons why. I’ll do a little research on this and get back to you or feel free to let me know what is going on below in a comment.

In the meantime, I look forward to reading it and immersing myself back into the Firefly universe that so many people the world over have come to love!

Have you got a beef against Patton Oswalt? Why? Looking forward to new merchandise from the Serenity ‘verse or are you kind of “meh”? Let me know people!

Courtesy of MTv Splash Page Blog

The original art will be donated to the charitable organization Can't Stop the Serenity, which you can find more information about here: http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/

Iron Man 2 Trailer

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000

I watched Jimmy Kimmel after the Oscars and was treated to an interview with Robert Downey, Jr. and the new trailer for Iron Man 2. Robert comes out on stage in true Tony Stark fashion in a tux with black high-tops and a powder blue bow tie that matched the lenses in his shades escorted by two lovely ladies. Not an in-depth interview but they had fun jabbing at each other.

This is one of the few movies that I’m just giddy over. I’m interested in seeing how Don Cheadle takes over the character James Rhodes and can’t wait to see Scarlett Johansson back as the Black Widow!

Is this a movie that you are excited about or just ho-hum?

Treasure at the Bookstore!

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Got what was left of our tax refund and went out to eat. We’ve been really good as of late and had been eating at home like we should. We were amazed how much we got back because the majority of it paid some back taxes completely off and we’ll still had a nice little sum left!

Took the wife and kid out to Friday’s (it’s her favorite) and then cruised down to the Half-Price Books to sell some and browse. I made the mistake of going by the “Nostalgia Case”. Someone had sold off some of their old D&D books. Some of the covers were hidden but I recognized the color right away. Ended up walking away with “Dungeons & Dragons Basic Vol. 1” and best of all “The Keep on the Borderlands.” Glad we decided to get out of the house.

Except for the blemishes on the covers and some stain along the edges of the pages, these are in great shape. They’ll go along fine with my others and soon I’ll have a complete set of the early years!

Question: Is there something from your childhood that you would love to replace? A favorite book, game, or toy? One that I would really love to get my hands on is “Raydeen” of the Shogun Warriors. What’s yours?

Is Avatar 'Best Picture' material?

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:42:00 +0000

Just a quick observance and question. Is 'Avatar' a truly 'Best Picture' worthy movie or did they just throw it in because it's James Cameron and he spent a bajillion dollars making it? I can see it being in all the other categories that it's nominated for, but really to me the story and acting are lacking to make it truly a contender amongst all the over movies in the category. This has nothing to do with it being a science fiction, because I would love more than anything to see a sci-fi movie make it to the top. This is just asking if it's meeting all the requirements of a 'Best Picture' film. Let me know what you think!

The Right Man for the Job

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000

I was tooling around twitter hitting up people for post ideas and M. B. Weston gave me a great one. The question? Whether Tim Burton is the right man for the job considering Disney’s audience or too dark a director. I think he’ll do just fine, because Disney has already tempted tougher subject matter with earlier movies.

When you think Disney, you think animated movies like the original ‘Alice in Wonderland’ or ‘Bambi’. Maybe you think of classic live-action like ‘The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes’ with a young Kurt Russell or ‘Herbie’. Those are nice feel-good movies with action and heart and a moral to tell the kids at the end. But, you can go all the way back to 1954 and ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ to find an adventure movie with enough dramatic scenes to keep up many a kid. Then, in 1958 the animated ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ poses some pretty scary stuff for little children to contend with after the lights dim for the night. It may not seem that spooktacular to us adults, but to a little kid, just because it was animated didn’t make it any less frightening.

Now jump ahead to to 2002 and you get ‘The Hot Chick’ with Rob Schneider. I did not know this was a Disney film at the time or I might have gotten a little squeamish. It was the next year that ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl’ hit theaters and set up the franchise for a long run. ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ is slated for a May 20, 2011 release date. This run of movies in itself has flaunted with subject matter that clearly made it a movie for older kids and adults. I’m not saying it was the first, but, to me, it started the trend of movies to come from Disney. From barnacle-crusted sailors, tentacle-faced pirate captains, to that nasty little skeleton monkey and even I wanted to put my hands over my face at times.

The list continued with ‘National Treasure’ (2004), ‘Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ (2005), and now ‘Alice in Wonderland’. I think that Mr. Burton will fit in just fine with those that have paved the road before him. And we can now look forward to more great movies such as ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’, ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, plus their adaptation of the Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ ‘John Carter of Mars’ both due out in 2012.
I give them credit. All of these movies have provided quality entertainment as proven by their box office scores. So, I really have no doubt that they will continue to score big in the future.
Agree? Why not? And what upcoming Disney film are you the most excited about?
Thanks to M. B. Weston for the suggestion.

North Texas Irish Festival 2010

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Alas, another year has come ‘round and caught me with my kilt down. The warm weather is helping to usher in the North Texas Irish Festival and large crowds are expected to be in attendance! My wife and I try to go when we can but looks like this year will take a back burner. In addition to the fact that I didn’t realize it was time until two days ago, the purse strings seem to be a little tight as of late. But, with your help, I can live vicariously through your adventures. Send me stories and photos or links to such and I’ll post them here or link to them. And if anyone wants, you can send food and drink. Just email me for directions! Sláinte!

Photo courtesy of JD Thompson of Open Window Photography, and the Southwest Celtic Music Association, Inc.

Book and DVD Releases for Tuesday March 2, 2010

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:54:00 +0000

Books

The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer
Coyote Destiny by Allen Steele

DVDs

Thanks to io9.com

Getting to know Mr. Gaiman

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:43:00 +0000

I happened to be cruising twitter the other day and Neil Gaiman himself threw a tweet out pointing to a post from the fine folks over at Geeks of Doom. Published in 2008, this short work is still pretty good for people who have never read Gaiman and don’t know where to start.

I myself read his ‘American Gods’ and ‘Coraline’ before picking up the “Sandman Vol. 1”. Loved all of them and look forward to reading more. The link below will send you to a wiki that is very comprehensive but doesn’t include one of his latest children’s books, ‘Odd and the Frost Giants.’ I’ve read a preview chapter on that and it’s pretty cool. May pick that one up real soon.
What Gaiman books have you read and did you enjoy them? If not, why?

Neil Gaiman’s Body of Works

On a personal note: I saw on his blog where he did a reading in Tuscaloosa, Ala. I missed that reading by about 24 hours as we had to drive through there on our way to Georgia to introduce the baby girl to her great grandparents. Man, what a difference a day makes. I would have definitely stopped overnight to see that. But according to his site, those tickets sold out in 2 minutes.

UPDATE: I came across this post in my wanderings and wanted to add it also. Check out J. T. Oldfield's Blog and let him know what you think!

The Matrix is real!

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Well, actually it’s not the matrix but just a well-placed green screen. Check this video out. Found it over on BoingBoing by Cory Doctorow.

Moments from ConDFW 2010

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:06:00 +0000

I’ve finally gotten the energy and time to write about my evening at ConDFW 2010 this past week. Friday was the only evening I had available so I asked Tom from work if he would like to check it out. I dropped the wife off her parents with the baby and Tom and I headed over to the Crowne Plaza. Had a great time and got to meet some great folks, some I already knew and some I didn’t. Check out the pics here and the links below, and if you have any to share, send them to me.

Enjoyed meeting R. K. Milholland, Henry Melton, Gloria Oliver, and the fine folks at the Champagne Publishing table, Kerry Tolan, Ciara Gold, and T. M. Hunter.

Ideas for Valentine’s Day

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:04:00 +0000

If you’re like me, you wait until the last minute to even begin thinking about Valentine’s Day! If you didn’t, then congratulations. You’re either very well organized and aware of what day it is, or you’re Koothrappali of Big Bang Theory!

So, for the rest of us, I’ve put together this little list of folks who have compiled lists. That’s right, let someone else do the work for me.

Starting off with the card. Women can put a lot of emphasis on a card. “That’s okay, dear. I’ll be happy with just a card.” If she gives you that line, then don’t scrimp. The cards below are not for sale (I didn’t see a link or a checkout), but you can probably show her the picture and still win her over. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Click on the picture to be taken to Jason Stowe’s website and tell him how great they are!

The following are three blogs that I ran across that give a diversified list of gifts for the most discriminating fanboy or fangirl. Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day! Oh, yeah, shoot me a post about what you’re significant other got for you or if you’re Koothrappali, what you bought yourself!

ConDFW IX this weekend!

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:13:00 +0000

ConDFW Guests of Honor for 2010 are Jack McDevitt, Elizabeth Moon, and now Vincent Villafranca!

2010 sees the ninth ConDFW science fiction and fantasy convention, dedicated to promoting the advancement of education with emphasis on sci-fi/fantasy/horror literature, publishing and writing, and science, to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX! Come join us at the Crowne Plaza Suites Hotel in Dallas from February 12 – 14 for a weekend of discussion, books, shopping, fun, and more!"

My only chance to go this year is on Friday, so let me know if you’ll be there and let’s chat a little! Send me photos if you take any and I’ll post the links.

Local Ghost Hunter Organizations

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Had a customer come in the store the other day and purchase a book on local Texas haunts. It reminded me of an article that I had intended on doing several months back. At the job I had worked at before, there were several folks that I worked with that were big fans of SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. I admit that I was one of them, but not as much as Tim and Maria. I watch the the show on a semi-regular schedule though with my DVR. I would love to get the magazine at our bookstore but for now it only seems to be available in the northeast, but I’m still looking into it.

All of this got me to thinking about local organizations that do the same thing and so I set off tracking them down. I think that I’ve weeded out the ones that haven’t posted in a while and have current content. There also seem to be some that are hokey, but fun so I included them as well. Do you know of any sites, local to Dallas and Ft. Worth or even to your own area, if you're outside DFW or the state? Let me know and I’ll put your submissions in a directory here on the site. I will also continue to keep everyone updated as I add more.

National Sites

Texas Sites

Memories of Dallas Comic Con 2010

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:13:00 +0000

I can remember it like it was yesterday. Or, about seven days ago. Okay, so I’m late posting. I got a month old that eats like me. Does a lot of things like me that in one sense makes me proud but in another sense scares the livin’ poop outta me!

Anyway, despite the cold weather and the late night before, I was up and ready to hit the road. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t as bad as the weatherman made it out to be, so I arrived safely. I arrived about 11am which is when the doors officially opened and parking was not that bad. The Richardson Civic Center is not that big, but seem to be just the right size for the event. A small line was at the door but since I had purchased my tickets online, I got to walk right in. Previous experiences have led me to making sure I get my tickets early.

I was really excited to meet Batman (TV), Adam West , but there seemed to be a line waiting for him so I thought it a good idea to peruse the exhibit room. Dealers of every sort were on hand, including Boomerang Comics and the Austin Brown Coats. Saw so many cool things that I wish I had won the lottery.

Made my rounds to all the different artists and made it a point to track down my favorite locals. One of the first was Joel Watson at HijiNKS ENSUE. He recognized his t-shirt that I was wearing and I got him to sign a “Godspeed You Fancy Bastard”.

Just around the corner, I found Joe, Vlad, and Barry from the Variants courtesy of Zeus Comics. Keli showed up later, but Richard didn’t get there until after I had left. I did get Joe to draw a Terrible Sketch. I had him do Spider-man in tribute to episode 5. Check out the Variants website to catch up.

Also in attendance were two of my favorite local comic book artists, Josh Howard and Brian Denham. Josh is working on a one-shot Ghostbusters for IDW and says that his cover art got accepted without any changes which is pretty cool. Dead@17 is also in development for a 2011 movie release. Looking forward to that. Brian Denham is also keeping busy with Angel. He takes over drawing in #28 and it’s getting great reviews. He’s also doing the new Olivia Munn one-shot for Antarctic Press and the cover that I saw was awesome. Will have to wait and see if the story is any good.

I sat in on a panel presented by Devin Pike of Red Carpet Crash, Katrina Hill of Action Flick Chick, and Mark Walters of Big Fan Boy about what’s new in 2010 as far as movies go. It also kicked off with Bob Wayne of DC comics. He’s the VP of Sales and is in the know for what’s coming from their vaults in 2010, but he did have a lot of “I can’t divulge that” comments. I can kinda understand, but hey, Bob, toss us a bone, will ya!

And last but not least! I got to meet Batman! The original caped crusader! TV Batman – Adam West! Well, most of you younger ones only know him as Mayor of Quahog on Family Guy (or Adam We – you know the episode). I didn’t get to talk to him as much as I liked because he had a handler, but I did get to shake his hand and what an honor it was to meet him. I was grinning the rest of the day just from that moment. I even commented about it on Geek Orthodox’s post here.

Yea, Charisma Carpenter and Colossus from X2 and X3 were there, but no disrespect, I didn’t connect with them like I did Anne Lockhart and Herb Jefferson, Jr. Sheba and Boomer from Battlestar Galactica TOS were signing autographs and talking with fans. I met Anne last year at All Con and she’s a delight to talk to and Herb is a big supporter of the troops with his work with the USO and the Marine’s Toys For Tots programs. If you ever get the chance to meet them, do.

If you have any stories you’d like to relate, please do or send me links to your photos. Mine can be viewed on my facebook page.

Sleeper Awakes: The Third Book in the Hidden Lands of Nod by Robert Stikmanz

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:17:00 +0000

I was lured to this book by the promise of a fantasy world returning to our present existence and conspiracies run amok. What we believed long since extinct, or to have never existed at all appears easily enough and a danger lurks at every turn.

The Traveler, a man named Boyd, survives a holocaust of what seems to be natural origin, but after waking in a hospital, soon realizes that it was anything but natural. Dogged by a government agent and a case of amnesia, he races cross country to find safety and his memory.

Along the way, he finds that our existence is not quite what it seems. What he knew of dwarves, elves, sprites, and fairies from storybooks are just misinterpreted factual beings and it would seem that they are his only hope of survival and he, theirs’.

I will admit when I started to read this book, I wondered if I had been led astray. After a murky start, the story picks up speed and once it does, you don’t want to put it down. I have very limited time to read due to a new-born and work, but I learned to juggle book, bottle, and baby just to be able to finish it. But, finish it I did.

I have to admit that Boyd does seem to be a bit daft at times. He doesn’t seem to get even the most simple points concerning his situation but Mr. Stikmanz may have played him ignorant to point out just how fanciful and unbelievable the situation was in the first place. I loved the three Dvarsh characters (dwarves) but I believe my favorite was Sigismunde. In my mind's eye, I either pictured him as a fey Tommy Chong (without the herbal additive) or Sgt. Floyd Pepper from the muppets band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Sorry, that’s just how I see him.

I feel that if you give it a chance, you’ll love this book. You can pick it up on the author’s website or at Amazon, but the last time I looked, Amazon was down to two copies. You can see Mr. Stikmanz in the next couple of weeks at these conventions.

Josh Howard News

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:18:00 +0000

So, Josh Howard will be at Dallas Comic Con this weekend so be sure and stop by and get a print and congratulate him on the good news. It seems that they’ve found a director for the Dead@17 movie. In addition to that, he will be drawing a one shot for IDW of the Ghostbusters.

Thanks to Josh Howard and Moviegeekfeed for the heads-up!

Photos and video of the Percy Jackson cast in North Texas

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:02:00 +0000

I missed the opportunity to see Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson, and Jake Abel of ‘The Lightning Thief’ as they made their way to Stonebriar Mall in Frisco. I have to thank two young ladies who came into my store to purchase books for autographing as they returned to show the autographs they had received. Thank you for sharing. I’ve found video from Bigfanboy and photos from Moviegeekfeed. If you have photos or videos of your own, let me know so that I can link them.

Video Interview Photos

Oh, and don’t forget about the movie release party at all Borders Books locations!

Star Wars Literature – Where to start

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 05:40:00 +0000

I’ve read some of the old SW novels but after I joined the Navy, I didn’t really have time for it. Now, that I’m reliving my second childhood (or going through a mid-life crisis. However you wanna look at it,) I’ve decided to try to get back in there. I remember reading the original movie books and then picked up the Han Solo novels, “Han Solo at Stars’ End” and “Han Solo and the Lost Legacy.” I figured if I was gonna start reading them again, I might as well start at the beginning, but where the heck was the beginning?

After a little research, I found three pretty good sites. The first is the Star Wars Wiki, Wookiepedia. Covers everything and even includes some future product. It’s color-coded to let you know if the book is adult, young adult, e-book, or unpublished. You have to go to other links to get comics and other stories but all-in-all pretty good.

The next link is from Del Rey. Clicking this link will take you to the home page but if you notice the menu across the banner at the top, it says “Star Wars Timeline.” Click this and it will pull up a two page pdf for printing. It only shows the books, not e-books or comics, though it might at a later time. This comes in handy though, because you can print it out and go to your local bookstore and get the next one in line.

And last but not least, is a website out of the UK called Star Wars Books. Not only do they have timelines for each of the story arcs, including comics, they also carry news and interviews in the Star Wars literary universe.

I’m confident that with these sites, I will not get lost or confused and can read from beginning to end or jump in at any story arc and enjoy myself. Though, when I look at how many books are out there, it seem a little daunting. Anyone claim to have read all of them or even come close? Which ones were your favorites or not-so-favorites?

My “Team Edward”

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:05:00 +0000

Here in Dallas resides a talented cartoonist named Joel Watson. He has a web comic called HijiNKS Ensue and the topics usually deal with sci-fi/fantasy pop culture and the like. Recently he put together a strip showing his own “Team Edward” and it was such a hit, produced the shirt. I’ve got mine. It’s only $20 and all licensing proceeds go to ‘Doctors without Borders’. Get yours and show those Twilight fans whose boss! So Say We All!

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Movie Release Party

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

February 06, 2010 2:00 PM

Lewisville - Borders
2403 S. Stemmons, Suite 100
Lewisville, TX 75067

The Lightning Thief will be released in movie theaters very soon. Celebrate all things Percy Jackson with Borders at this very special Movie Release Party! Fans ages 7 to 14 will have a great time participating in Olympian Games, a Demi-God Debate, Percy trivia and more!

(Courtesy of Borders)

Dallas Comic Con January 30-31, 2010

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:16:00 +0000

Ah, nothing kicks off the new year like the first convention of the year and nothing beats the Dallas Comic Con. Great guests, lots of your favorite artists, and hundreds of exhibitors to browse. Of course, this is all hearsay because this will be my first visit and I’m looking forward to it.

First off, it’s Adam freakin’ West. The original Batman. Okay, he’s no Dark Knight, but it’s the original Batman! You also have Charisma Carpenter from Buffy, Angel, and Legend of the Seeker along with Daniel Cudmore of X-men 2 and The Last Stand and Twilight. Peter Mayhew was added after Alan Harris postponed due to a bloodclot. Herb Jefferson, Jr. is still in attendance. For all you young folks, it’s the original Boomer from Battlestar Galactica! Can’t wait to meet him!

There will also be tons of artists, but I’m looking for my two local favorites, Brian Denham and Josh Howard. Denham is penning the new story arc for Angel that started in issue #28 and Howard has just this past year had an offer to turn his Dead@17 into a movie. Keep a watch out for these folks.

The Variants are also going to be there. If you haven’t heard of these folks then you need to check them out ! Richard, Barry, Keli, and Joe of Zeus Comics in Dallas will be on-hand promoting their web show. Episode 6 is up on the site so it shouldn’t take long to catch up!

The recently crowned official Woman of The Web by G4 will also be there, local girl Katrina known as Action Flick Chick. She was featured on Attack of The Show for her coverage of the last comic con.

I did a double-take on this last fellow. To preface, I was in a Half Price bookstore about 7 months back and was browsing the comics bin when I came across a comic called Team Tejas. I love locals so I picked it up to do a little research. To my surprise I saw that it was also autographed. Couldn’t find any information at the time but lo and behold I see the comic’s creator Richard Dominguez on the docket for the con. I will be bringing my copy and having him sign it again for me.

Dallas Comic Con will be held at the Richardson Civic Center in Richardson, Texas January 30th and 31st. Hours are 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Noon to 4pm on Sunday. Priority Access Passes are sold out but the Celebrity Access Tickets are still selling for $20. That is good for both days according to the site and is a great deal especially when it’s the same as a general access but you get media area access. If you get the chance to go be sure and link me the photos and tell me your stories!

Cast of Percy Jackson at Stonebriar Centre in Frisco

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:38:00 +0000

January, 17 2010 03:00 PM - Cast of Percy Jackson and The Olympians Signing at Stonebriar Centre Hot Topic

2601 Preston Road, Frisco, Texas 75034 -
Logan Lerman (Percy), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth) and Brandon T. Jackson (Grover) from Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief will be signing autographs at the Stonebriar Centre Hot Topic located at 2601 Preston Road, Frisco, TX. 75034 on Sunday, January 17th at 3 PM! Want to meet them? Just purchase the Percy Jackson Tour T-shirt for $25 at the Stonebriar Centre Hot Topic location only and receive a wristband** that guarantees you the opportunity to meet the cast members on January 17th. Need more info? Then call the Stonebriar Centre Hot Topic at 972.377.2157. Note: This event is an HT+1 Member Exclusive!* Not an HT+1 Member? That’s okay. Click here to sign up and start taking advantage of all the great benefits! *Offer valid for HT+1 Members only. Enrollment accepted at time of purchase. Membership is free with no obligation. **Limit one wristband and one autograph per person. Purchase must be made at specified Hot Topic locations only. Space is limited. Wristband required for entry to signing. No cameras allowed within Hot Topic locations.

[Courtesy of Hot Topic MySpace]

Spider-Man 4 is a reboot?

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

So, it’s not so much that Raimi and the crew are not going to be in on #4. Well, maybe it is but, to be sent all the way back to high school really sucks. I feel like I’ve done something to Sony and now I have to pay for it!

After #3, was Sony so disillusioned with Raimi that they didn’t want to let him try with #4? And was #3 really that bad, not to let him do another? I didn’t think the movie was a great as the first two, but it was still a pretty cool movie.

I guess that’s my big question. Did you think that Spidey 3 was a stinker and if so did you think that Raimi should be sent packin’! If not, do you think that Sony has done the right thing by rebooting? Let me know what you think out there!

New Kick-Ass Trailer

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

The hits just keep on coming! I love to watch the trailers at least once a day. Does that make me an addict?

'Kick Ass' Theatrical Trailer 2 @ Yahoo! Video

Greats gifts and purchases this holiday

agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com (James Pickering) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Got some good swag for Christmas and found some great deals while tooling around this past week. I have to say thank you to my in-laws for supporting my gaming habit. I got ‘Dragon Age: Origins’ for the PC and having to re-schedule life around my sessions.

I hit the local Half Price book store with my wife today and found '”BSG: Razor” for cheap. I also purchased ‘District 9’ and ‘Something Something Something Dark Side’ to satisfy my movie cravings. Now, to add those to my already busy schedule.
In books, I had to get my ‘Serenity’ fix, so I purchased “Those Left Behind”. I also found “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs in a Ballantine print from 1964. It’s a second printing but it’s in pretty good shape so I got it to keep on the shelf and a extra copy by a more recent publisher to read. This is going to probably be the setting for the new John Carter of Mars that is filming as we speak. I’m also reading a book by A. Lee Martinez called “Gil’s All Fright Diner” and it’s a hoot! It’s been described as similar to Douglas Adams in it’s humor and I seriously like and look forward to more. Born in El Paso, Martinez now lives in Dallas which means I’ll add him to my list of local authors and get that posted.
With the new year, I think I’m gonna try and revamp the site a little so expect some changes. In the meantime, let me know what you think and drop a comment.