How I Started My Day

This morning began with my bi-annual MRI. For the uninformed, Magnetic Resonance Imaging takes amazingly detailed pictures of the body's interior especially the soft tissue. Since I have multiple sclerosis and take the relatively new drug Tysabri, my doctor likes me to get a new brain scan every six months.


Basically, I am placed in a narrow tube and must remain motionless as this loud clanging noise moves around me. This device is a nightmare for claustrophobic people. The top wall of the tube is but two inches from my eyes and I can't move my shoulders.

Thankfully, it is a relatively short procedure-- about 45 minutes-- and painless.

Below are some of the actual scans of my brain.






YUM!
BRAINS!























EYES! Complete with stalks! CREEPY!

Sanctified and Chicken-Fried: The Portable Lansdale

The prestigious University of Texas Press have announced one of the first "must have" 2009 publications Sanctified and Chicken-Fried: The Portable Lansdale.

Sanctified and Chicken-Fried is the first "true best of Lansdale" anthology. It brings together a unique mix of well-known short stories and excerpts from his acclaimed novels, along with new and previously unpublished material. In this collection of gothic tales that explore the dark and sometimes darkly humorous side of life and death, you'll meet traveling preachers with sinister agendas, towns lost to time, teenagers out for a good time who get more than they bargain for, and gangsters and strange goings-on at the end of the world. Out of the blender of Lansdale's imagination spew tall tales about men and mules, hogs and races, that are, in his words, "the equivalent of Aesop meets Flannery O'Connor on a date with William Faulkner, the events recorded by James M. Cain."

UT's rep goes all to hell in March, 2009.

Pensions frozen at Random House Inc.

In case any of us were wondering how bad things really are in the print publication universe, this sad news came across the wires today.

The country's largest trade publisher, Random House Inc., has frozen the pensions of its current employees and eliminated them for future hires, the latest cuts in an industry hit by declining sales and anticipating, at best, a difficult 2009.

Most likely this was in response to this disturbing information:

Earlier Thursday, Barnes & Noble Inc. reported a larger-than-expected quarterly loss. The superstore chain reduced its full-year sales and earnings forecasts, sending its shares down sharply, and said it would cut the number of new stores opening in 2009.

Sales for B&N stores 15 months or older, a key indicator of a retailer's health, fell 7.4 percent from last year.

and

Two other leading publishers, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins, have reported low earnings in recent weeks, citing an especially weak market for older, "backlist" books.

"What I think is happening is that you would have somebody who would go into a store and buy a front list title, and then ... buy a second book. And now they aren't buying that second book," says Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy.

What this means is even less diversity of books and authors from the mainstream publishers. Fewer new authors or original ideas. Just rehashing of the same old shit.. over and over again. Also, fewer overall titles. This presents an even bleaker outlook than previously thought for the foreseeable future in the book world.

My review of Bradley Denton's Laughin' Boy

My review of Bradley Denton's Laughin' Boy appears in the latest San Antonio Current.

Throughout his riveting satirical novel, Denton successfully incorporates text equivalents of several early 21st-century mass communication modes, including video clips, newsgroup posts, sound bites, internet group chat, talk shows, and web pages alongside the more traditional-looking therapy transcripts and linear prose episodes. He wisely centers the story on the tragic tale of Laughin’ Boy, forcing us to take a hard look at contemporary media and its ability to derail society from the important to the trivial.

Quantum of Solace at HMSS

The folks at Her Majesty's Secret Servant have just posted my review of Quantum of Solace.

...Quantum of Solace is frustrating. In looking backwards and forwards it cuts Bond, both physically and psychologically, in ways we’re not used to. This is hardly surprising when one considers that the movie is continuing to explore ground covered by its predecessor...Deep though these cuts might be, however, they are too often quickly bandaged by unnecessary action sequences. Worse still, the bandages aren’t as binding as they should be; they threaten to unravel the entire picture, leaving it to die from blood loss.

The Matrix Runs on Windows

This parody from CollegeHumor speaks to all of us that have struggled through the Windows reality. Make sure you stay for the ending which tickled this Open Source advocate to no end.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

"Our free trial of kung fu has expired!"

The cure is worse than the disease!

Sadly, this Guardian article reads like a bad sf parable.

Hypothetical question: You're heartsick about global warming, so you've just paid $25,000 to put a solar system on the roof of your home. How do you respond to news that it was manufactured with a chemical that is 17,000 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a cause of global warming?

It may sound like somebody's idea of a bad joke. But last month, a study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography reported that nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), with a global warming potential of 17,000, is now present in the atmosphere at four times the expected level and rapidly rising. Use of NF3 is currently booming, for products from computer chips and flats-screen LCDs to thin-film solar photovoltaics, an economical and increasingly popular solar power format.

wow... that sucks!

My review of Quantum of Solace

My take on the latest Bond film:

Craig returns for his second go, sans Campbell, as the world's most famous spy in Quantum of Solace, a direct sequel to the previous movie. Sadly, like his predecessors, Craig failed to shake the sophomore doldrums.

In the midst of careening cars on the streets of Siena, Italy, Quantum picks up soon after the conclusion of Royale as Bond begins his quest to avenge Vesper's death. Following the opening credits, director Marc Forester attempts to recapture the excitement of the previous film's frenetic, parkour chase, but fails miserably. This sequence typifies a flaw throughout. By using too many closeups and jerky camera angles, the scenes become murky and indecipherable.

More

Forthcoming selections

At our previous meeting (and shame on you for not being there), we determined the selections through March.

• December 10 The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
• January 14 The Anubis Gates
  by Tim Powers

As documented in my essay "What if We Had a Book Group And No One Came?", Peggy and I were the only attendees of the Dark Forces' initial meeting where we were to discuss The Anubis Gates. So it seemed fitting to make the first selection our 100th. Hopefully, it will be more than me and Peggy this time.

• February 11 Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
• March 11 Beloved by Toni Morrison

New Book Uncovers James Bond's Secret History in Comics

A little later than originally planned, but the day has arrived and my latest book, “JAMES BOND: The history of the illustrated 007” is now on sale and available through your local book and comics stores.



The book uncovers James Bond’s secret history by examining the untold story of his 50 year portrayal in comic books and newspaper strips from around the world.

As well as a history of Bond in comics, the book includes a detailed look at over a hundred Bond stories published in the comics medium, interviews with various Bond comics creators and a look at many of the Bond spoofs. The book is lavishly illustrated with examples of comic book covers from around the world, artwork from comics and the newspaper strips, and sketches as well as a variety of movie posters and first edition book cover art.

“JAMES BOND: The history of the illustrated 007” is published by Hermes Press (ISBN 1-932563-18-0), price $29.99. You can take a quantum of solace in knowing that you can buy it through Amazon, and all good bookstores.

To celebrate the launch of the book I’ll be appearing at the following stores in the next few weeks:

Austin Books & Comics – Austin, TX - November 19th, 4:00pm-7:00pm
Murder By The Book – Houston, TX – November 29th, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Borders Books @ The Domain – Austin, TX – December 6th, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Other signings are being scheduled.

I will be discussing the book on the November 18th edition of the Planet Comic Book Radio podcast.

You can find out more about the book in a couple of on-line interviews at
NEWSARAMA and THE PULSE.

Pretty sure I need one of these... what about you?

BRUCE CAMPBELL 12" FIGURE

On sale Apr 15
12" fully articulated doll, includes seven accessories
Comes packaged in a deluxe collector's box
$89.99

One of the most anticipated genre movie releases of the year is My Name Is Bruce, starring the cult hero (or is that antihero?) Bruce Campbell. Campbell is abducted from his trailer-park home to fight against Guan Di, a Chinese war deity. Thinking it all a joke, although thinking clearly is not one of his strong suits in this picture, Mr. Campbell discovers that it all is real, much to his shock and dismay. Mayhem ensues.

The fully articulated doll is formed from a 3-D scan of Campbell himself. Besides a custom fabric miniature version of his actual Hawaiian shirt, which was loaned to us by Mr. Campbell, proving that he's the kind of partner who would "give you the shirt off his back," an array of movie-specific accessories are included.

Two of these are miniature "angel" and "devil" versions of Mr. Campbell. They attach to his shoulders using hidden magnets. Additionally, we have:

Shemps Olde Tyme Whiskey

A Bruce collectible toy in melted package

Refreshing Lemon Drink bottle

A miniature Chins book

A big honkin' gun with price tag still attached

Puzzled? You won't be once you have seen the movie.




I especially love the angel and devil Bruces and the miniature Chins book! Gotta love it...

My review of I Live Here

My review of the extraordinary I Live Here runs in this week's San Antonio Current.

Celebrity philanthropic efforts often center around a few photo opportunities showcased to further a career. These usually well-meaning events generally turn a fleeting spotlight on the truly needy, such as the numerous Africa plights, conquered Tibet, or the disaster relief du jour. With I Live Here, Mia Kirshner (The L Word) shines an unwavering, informative light on important and troubling non-U.S.-centric issues in a truthful and often disturbing manner. She elevates celebrity philanthropic efforts to an extraordinary new level of sophistication in content and style.

Kirshner visited four ravaged areas, conducting interviews with the women and children most affected. I Live Here compiles her encounters in Ingushetia, Burma, Ciudad Juárez, and Malawi in a graphically intense series of four oversized, thin paperbacks wrapped inside a hardcover case. Each book also contains a graphic novella, and two of the volumes offer related short stories.

Be sure to check out the book's incredible site.

Latest Nexus Graphica is available

The latest edition of my graphic novel column Nexus Graphica went live today albeit with a more political slant.

This morning a friend revealed his Obama presidency fears to me. While he stands firmly with the candidate, desiring a change from the Republican rush to ruin of the previous eight years, he fears the neo-Nazi racists of the extreme far right, fermented by the assertions of neo-cons and their new poster child, Sarah Palin, that the black, falsely-labeled Muslim, pro-choice, baby-eating (OK, I made that one up), Barak Obama and his "terrorist" friends will destroy the so-called "real" America of the pro-life, gun-toting, evangelical Christians. My friend worries that shortly into Obama's term, one of those nutcases will assassinate the president, and plunge the U.S. into decades of political and civil strife. This unlikely scenario lies beyond my friend's control, yet it paralyzes and consumes him.

I understand the instinct to freeze when confronted with the overwhelming. I encounter a similar situation every day, albeit without the additional pressure of a potential disaster some months away.

I do go on to discuss The Man Called Nova, the Legion of Superheroes, Herbie, Stardust, and several other comics.

King of the Hill is over the hill

This came from Yahoo News today:

"King of the Hill" is over the hill at Fox, which is canceling the long-running animated comedy.

Final episodes of the half-hour series, now in its 13th year, likely will air during the 2009-10 season, Fox said Friday. The network recently ordered 13 new episodes, and animated series have a long production schedule.

King of the Hill, much like Simpsons reached its expiration date quite sometime ago, but it's still sad to see. The lives of Hank Hill, his family and friend, actually offered a fairly accurate portrayal of Texans.

Thanks for the thirteen fun-filled seasons.