Mark London Williams interview

Long time Dark Forces friend Mark London Williams discusses his popular YA series Danger Boy and parenthood in this brief feature over at Monsters & Critics.

Monsters: Do you feel parents are reading less to their children in lieu of pacifying them with video distractions?

Everyone is too distracted, too busy. And we're starting to have a generation of parents that don't read much -- at least, not for pleasure -- themselves. Everything now is relegated to one "screen" or another, including the one you're reading these words on. And while I freely admit I've made much of my own livelihood on this same screen, we all need to step away from it once in awhile.

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Staple Pop

I don't know if you all are already listening, but just in case, Staple Pop is a weekly podcast for the sort of person who knows that the new comics come out on Wednesday. In other words, our sort of people. 

Each episode consists of the group reviewing the comics that came out that week along with fast and funny (and Lone Star Beer aided) riffing on pop culture in general. The ringleader is Brandon from Austin Books who many of us do actually see every Wednesday. 

It's fast become one of the podcasts I listen to right after I download it. With that said, a warning. They do work blue---and I'm talking Redd Foxx I Ain't Lied Yet blue--so if that sort of thing distresses you, you might want to give it a pass. 

But they did a great show with formerly local comics artist John Lucas, so you should go to their site and download that episode at the very least. (Those of us who know Lucas know that he is the straight arrow type who can be counted on to halt any sort of foul-mouthed shenanigans.) 

Happy Holidays, Ya Geeks!

Chuck Norris Sues, Says Tears Don't Cure Cancer

Chuck Norris is suing Penguin Putnam and the author of the book and website The Truth About Chuck Norris, saying that the "facts" in the book are untrue, and might lead his fans astray.

Really, Chuck?

"Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer. Too bad he doesn't cry."

"Chuck Norris was once bitten by a cobra. The snake died 2 days later, in terrible pain."

"Chuck Norris doesn't do pushups. He pushes the world down."

All untrue? Say it ain't so!

I notice that it was okay for Mike Huckabee to say stuff like this in his political ad where Norris endorsed him. Was only that stuff true, Chuck? Or does it not matter if voters are confused and lied to, as long as they vote Republican?

Asshat.

I Am Legend review

My I Am Legend review is available at RevolutionSF.

Arguably the most paranoid novel ever published, Richard Matheson's powerful tale of isolation, I Am Legend, informed the works of Stephen King, Dean R. Koontz, Joe R. Lansdale, and pretty much everyone else who has written horror since the story's 1954 publication. The book spawned two previous movie adaptations. The first, L' Ultimo Uomo Della Terra (The Last Man on Earth, 1964), starred Vincent Price in a dull yet faithful Italian production. Although Matheson penned the initial screenplay, re-writes by other writers angered him so much that he asked to be credited as "Logan Swanson." 1971's The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston, used only the bare bones of the original story. This diverting action rendition relied on brawn over brains, offering a mindless entertainment. Some 26 years later, director Francis Lawrence attempts Matheson's classic a third time with the latest film version, the first to sport the book title, I Am Legend.
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Two Gift Reccomendations

In the latest Austin Chronicle, I contributed reviews for both their Books and Geek Out! gift guides.

For the former:

When Jack Cole killed himself in 1958 with a .22 caliber Marlin rifle, he left behind an impressive artistic legacy. His most famous creation, Plastic Man, not only introduced arguably the first pliable superhero – decades before the Fantastic Four frontman, Mr. Fantastic – but also influenced generations of artists with his outlandish sight gags and superior draftsmanship. In the early 1950s, Cole left his zany stretchable character and joined the staff of the fledgling Playboy, where he pioneered the watercolor paintings that came to typify the publication's cartoons. Not satisfied with two iconic creations, Cole invented and sold a daily strip to the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate in 1958. Betsy and Me collects for the first time the complete run of Jack Cole's final artistic endeavor.
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And the latter:

Premiering on Sept. 8, 1966, to lackluster ratings, Star Trek ended its three-season run in 1969 and almost immediately began a wildly successful syndicated existence. The once-doomed program eventually spawned five more original series, 10 motion pictures, and an abundance of pop-culture paraphernalia, becoming the most successful television franchise of all time and joining the cultural zeitgeist. Phrases such as "Beam me up, Scotty" and "red shirt" entered the popular lexicon. NASA named the first space shuttle Enterprise. To celebrate Star Trek's 40th anniversary, Paramount, custodians of the venerable franchise, decided to give the 23rd century a face lift.
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Wells Meets Welles

On October 28, 1940, H.G. Wells and Orson Welles briefly met and discussed such topics as the rise of Hitler and the panic caused by Welles's broadcast of The War of the Worlds. The discussion originally was broadcast on KTSA San Antonio, and can be found here.



Probably the most awe-inspiring moment of my day thus far.

My Golden Compass review

My Golden Compass review (co-written with Brandy) is available at RevolutionSF.

The Golden Compass moves at a snail's pace. Director/screenwriter Chris Weitz has filled the lumbering scenes with unnecessary and cumbersome exposition that results in a dumbed-down film apparently made for just children. Weitz's film inspires absolutely no emotional investment as it is stripped of the complexity and subtext of Pullman's original story.
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Ubik Screenplay

Commissioned in 1974 by Jean-Pierre Gorin, Philip K. Dick wrote the screenplay adaptation of his finest novel Ubik. While the film was never produced, the screenplay was finally published in 1985 as a 1200 copy limited from Corroboree Press, complete with four full color tipped in plates by Doug Rice. This was the only print edition of the screenplay, until now.

Subterranean Press released this announcement:

[W]e’ve reached agreement to publish two of Philip K. Dick’s works. The first, Nick and the Glimmung, is a YA sf novel making its first US appearance, and first publication anywhere in nearly 20 years. The second is Dick’s own screenplay adaptation of his novel Ubik, which appeared from a small press in the mid-eighties, and has been out of print since. We’re still in the process of selecting an artist for the YA novel, but Ubik: the Screenplay, will sport a cover by Dave McKean.

It's about time someone reprinted the screenplay. I am surprised with the sustained PKD hoopla of the past 20 years, that it's taken this long.

101 Christmas Videos

For the new season, Greedo over at Fanpop! updated his 101 Christmas Videos available online (last year's list).

Another Holiday season is upon us and you know what that means: break out the egg nog, light up the tree, put up the stockings, take out a second mortgage for the credit card bill and fire up The Carpenter's Christmas album (turn it up to 11, will you?).

It also means it's time for another list of Christmas video goodies.

So kick back and get ready to enjoy another batch of holiday fun.

Greedo breaks the list into thirteen categories: The Essentials, Cartoons, Animation & Puppets, Documentaries, Old School Christmas Programs, Parodies & Humor, Sitcoms, Crime & Christmas, Sci-Fi, Holiday Songs & Music, Commercials, Viral Christmas Videos, and The Weird, Wacky and Awful ;-). Beyond The Essentials there is virtually no duplication from last year's list, so be sure to check them both out for the complete holiday experience!

Devil May Care Cover Art

From The Literary 007:

"The jacket image for Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks is unveiled today by publisher Penguin. The cover features model Tuuli Shipster, muse of the British photographer, Rankin (whose subjects include Young Bond author Charlie Higson)."



Alas, it lacks the both the pulp beauty of the old Signet paperbacks and the retro sensibility of the Penguin reprints, but it has its own charm nonetheless, and I can't fault the artist's use of Tuuli Shipster.