The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death review

I'm poking my head above ground briefly to share my San Antonio Current review of Charlie Huston's latest crime thriller The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death.

Despite self-aware prose and excessive gore, The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death barrels at a frenetic and exciting pace to a satisfying, inconclusive threads-akimbo conclusion on page 280. Unfortunately, L.A. resident Huston, in typical Hollywood fashion,felt compelled to tie up all of his dangling story lines and rambles on for another forty pages, sanitizing his otherwise deliciously dirty world.

Continued...

Time to return to my burrow. More geekiness to come...

A lil hiatus

I'll be going to ground for a week or so as I catch up on several looming deadlines.

Y'all be good. I'll be back soon with some fresh geekiness goodness.

C.O.U.S.: Reflections from Rick's Collection #17

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I'm taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Beginning sometime in the late 90s, filmmaker Tim Harrison under the thinly veiled nom-de-plume Harrison! began published his mini-comic Monkey's Paw. Issue #2 was a 17" x 11" sheet printed on both sides and folded into fourths. The mini offered, among four other strips, a two page story which while not using names ridicules a well know Austinite who produces a very famous and influential geek site.



"The Comic They Didn't Want Me to Do!" p. 1



"The Comic They Didn't Want Me to Do!" p. 2



As was trendy in the 90s, Harrison included an essay blasting the mainstream for disrepecting comics. He also admonishes the comic creators themselves suggesting that "the majority of comics put out in the last one hundred years is CRAP." His solution? Concentrate more on story and less on guys beating each other up.



"Johnny Tourette" from Monkey's Paw #2



Harrison's Aw, Shaddup! ran for several years in the Austin American Statesman.

C.O.U.S.: Reflections from Rick's Collection #16

From Titbit

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I'm taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Titbit 5 (1992) proudly promised "choice morsels for cerebral appetites." This small, slim 'zine offered poetry and art by Amanda Duckworth, Lance Myers, Mark Portier, Ruben Soriano and others.



Art by Lance Myers



Art by Ruben Soriano

Fair Use and Sciborg Sam

Last January, I blogged about Sciborg Sam.

Last night while mindlessly flipping through channels, I discovered that Sciborg Sam has his own Austin cable access show. I first met Sam Alexander years ago while a buyer at Book People when he was hawking his self-published novel Sciborg Sam and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. He claimed the book was factual and actually happened to him.

I went on to relate all that Sam had been up to in the ensuing years including reviews and commentary-- mostly negative. As is common in blogs, I included an image of Sam as well as a You Tube video. Essentially what I did was give Sam free publicity.


The Dark Forces Book Group blog (and homepage) is graciously hosted by Erik Secker. Erik received this cease and desist letter from Sam Alexander.

Sam Alexander

XXXXXXXX-XXXX.com

XX XXX XXXX

Austin, TX 78765

January 20, 2009

Erik Secker

XXXXXXXX

Austin, TX 78750

Dear Mr. Secker

This letter is to inform you that your website is in violation of United States copyright laws. Since you clearly attribute material on the site to me, you either know or should know that the material contained on the site is subject to copyright protection. This is the link on your website that is in violation:

http://darkforces.powbangzap.com/blog/labels/Sciborg%20Sam.html

There is an image of my artwork posted on it and a music video produced by my band and also text copied from my website. These were posted without permission or contract. Your website portrays my work in a negative way, which I believe may be libelous. This link and infringed artwork and video must be deleted from your server within 33 days from the date of this letter, otherwise I will be forced to take up legal action and you will be summoned to court. Feel free to inform me when your obligation is complete.

Sincerely,

Sam Alexander

Subject to copyright protection? I think not. Reviews, negative or not, are protected under Fair Use statutes.

From BitLaw:

Nonetheless, there are some traditional activities which have been used to illustrate when the fair use doctrine would apply. These activities include:

• small excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment;
• a parody which incorporates some elements (but not all) of the work being parodied;
• quotations from a speech, address, or position paper in a news report; and
• limited copying made by a student for academic work.

And Badmovies.org provides an excellent article about the use of copyrighted material in reviews. In the article, the author quotes from Title 17, United States Code Section 107.

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

I'm not a lawyer, but I sincerely doubt that using one image and a video that is readily available for use on a public video site, constitutes copyright infringement. Would any of the lawyers out there like to chime in?

If I remove this entry because one person didn't like what I wrote about him, I'm afraid it could establish a bad precedent and place limits upon not only my abilities as a reviewer and commentator but others as well.

C.O.U.S.: Reflections from Rick's Collection #15

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I'm taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

An interesting combination of lucha libre and noir (lucha noir), Sonambulo relates the adventures of the eponymous masked-Mexican wrestler private eye! Following the publication of the first full-sized issue of the initial series, Sonambulo: Sleep of the Just (1996), the mini-comic Sonambulo Sneak Preview #2 came out in 1997.


Page from Sonambulo Sneak Preview #2


For his efforts, creator Rafael Navarro received a grant from the prestigious Xeric Foundation. In the over ten years since the character's introduction, Sonambulo has became a cult figure with numerous comic book appearances, multiple foreign language editions, and even a potential feature film!


Inside Back Cover to Sonambulo Sneak Preview #2


Navarro contributed storyboards to Rugrats and (fittingly) ¡Mucha Lucha!, produced numerous lucha noir tales for the legendary From Parts Unknown magazine (collected in Lucha Noir), and continues to develop new Sonambulo adventures.


Back Cover to Sonambulo Sneak Preview #2

1000 Novels Everyone Must Read: Crime

According to the Guardian Online. A few questionable choices (Jurassic Park? The King of Torts?) and a few I'd never heard of (The Strange Boarders of Palace Crescent). The list is weighted a bit towards British and European books, only natural for a English paper, but that makes it a little more interesting and worth a quick look. This is apparently the first group of lists that will come out over the next week and include SF, fantasy, and other categories. 

C.O.U.S.: Reflections from Rick's Collection #14

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I'm taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Like many of the objects from my shelf, I have no idea how I acquired the Defective People Ashcan Edition #1. This odd 1999 publication, created by Edward Vertigo-- he claims that's his real name. With a name like Klaw who am I to argue?-- relates a non-nonsensical tale starring Delirious-Ed, a floppy-eared rabbit, and Hello-Amy, an anime-inspired cat, centering around food.


From Defective People Ashcan Edition #1 (Spring 1999)


Currently, Vertigo lives and works in the Austin area, primarily in the computer gaming field.



Back cover

News to me!

At Lewis Shiner's Fiction Liberation Front, I stumbled across this interesting piece of info in the author's notes that accompanies the legendary essay "Confessions of an Ex-Cyberpunk."

In the original 1991 New York Times op-ed piece Shiner wrote:

As one reader told me: "We're the first generation that spent our entire lives around computers and video games. We don't see computers as threats; we see them as toys. Cyberspace [computer-generated reality] is just an enhancement of video games. We can see the future. We can see this happening."

In his notes among several other interesting tidbits, Shiner divulges this "shocking" information:

By the way, the "one reader" I quote is my friend Rick Klaw, who's gone on to write a lot of criticism.

This was certainly news to me. I'm very familiar with the essay. It elicited some serious discussion within the sf field. And even though I was hanging out with Shiner at the time, I did not realize that "reader" was me until I read his revelation.

If you've never read "Confessions of an Ex-Cyberpunk," it offers a unique insider's account of the rise and downfall of the Movement.

C.O.U.S.: Reflections from Rick's Collection #13

From Memories of Green

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I'm taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Before they worked on their first Star Wars comics, created the cult phenomenon Maxell Strangewell, or published the first tales of the Hunter S. Thompson-inspired Captain Freebird, the Fillbäch Brothers produced the 1997 mini-comic Memories of Green.


Memories of Green back cover


Limited to 250 signed and numbered copies, Memories of Green contains four short sequential tales and two pieces of flash fiction (including a Captain Freebird prose story).

>



Each story relates a tale of minor rebellion.


"The Metal Machine. Or: Beyond Empyrean II" p.1 (Memories of Green, 1997)



"The Metal Machine. Or: Beyond Empyrean II" p.2 (Memories of Green, 1997)


The prose stories include an illustration.


"The Man Who Stole Time" (Memories of Green, 1997)


Overall, an excellent product that successfully showcases the many talents of the Fillbäch Brothers.

C.O.U.S.: Reflections from Rick's Collection #12

From Frederick & Eloise

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I'm taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Brian Biggs's 7 3/4" x 7 3/4" graphic novel Frederick & Eloise (Fantagraphics, 1993) remains one of the prides of my collection. Biggs expertly uses his Gorey-esque stylings to relate this unusual, disturbing love story.

From Frederick & Eloise

Judging from the book's back cover, I wasn't alone in my assessment.



The quality isn't the only reason I hold this copy in high regard.


Inscription from title page of my copy

I first learned of Brian Biggs when he lettered "Scales" (written by Lewis Shiner Art by Carlos Kastro) in my anthology Modern Perversity (Blackbird Comics, 1991).


Page from "Scales", Modern Perversity (Blackbird Comics, 1991)
Written by Lewis Shiner Art by Carlos Kastro Letters by Brian Biggs


Soon after, Brian sent me a proposal for Frederick & Eloise. Okay, actually, he sent me the entire book photocopied at the original art size of 3 3/4" x 4 1/2"! His initial plan was to produce the book with one panel per page as opposed to the two per page in the final version.


Sample page from original Frederick & Eloise submission


Envelope from original Frederick & Eloise submission


Even though Blackbird (where I was editing at the time) passed on the project (I don't recall why), I managed to convince Brian to illustrate the second issue of my never completed series Wings. Through no fault of the creators, the entire project fell apart. Brian completed six incredible pages.


Unpublished p.9 from Wings #2
Words by Rick Klaw Art by Brian Biggs


Unpublished p.11 from Wings #2
Words by Rick Klaw Art by Brian Biggs


I did include a story by Brian in my Eisner-nominated anthology Weird Business (Mojo Press, 1995).


Page from "The Stranger", Weird Business (Mojo Press, 1995)
by Brian Biggs


Brian Biggs has gone on to a career as a successful, award-winning children's illustrator. He's currently developing Frederick & Eloise as a film.

C.O.U.S.: Reflections from Rick's Collection #11

From Beyond Cyberpunk!

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I'm taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

In the late eighties and early nineties, cyberpunk was all the rage. Not just in literature but as a lifestyle complete with it's own fashions, language, and media. The mini-comic, kata sutra in Beyond Cyberpunk! was produced by Mark Frauenfelder & Gareth Branwyn to promote their Computer Lab production Beyond Cyberpunk: a Do-It-Yourself Guide to the Future. This was 1991, long before the days of the World Wide Web or even cd-roms. Computer Lab offered their essential guide on four 800k floppies for $29.95! It came complete with this mini-comic and an intro booklet. Thankfully, the entire contents are now available for free online.




The comic itself is nothing special. More or less an advertisement for the far more interesting stack. Basically, our heroine kata sutra saves the day thanks to the vital info found within Beyond Cyberpunk: a Do-It-Yourself Guide to the Future.

From Beyond Cyberpunk!

Perhaps my favorite part of the comic is at the very end of the story that informs the purchaser that they "MUST lick this sticker before booting up the program." How Timothy Leary of them!

From Beyond Cyberpunk!

And let's not forget the advertisement for the PRINT version of boing boing, the precursor of both the Boing Boing blog and Wired!

From Beyond Cyberpunk!

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of

This is the kind of stuff I fantasize about...

New York literary treasure rescued from warehouse

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – A literary hoard that includes works by Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, as well as 18th and 19th century texts, has been rescued from New York City's storied but now defunct Gotham Book Mart.

The 220,000-item collection, including books, periodicals, posters and catalogs, has been languishing in a Connecticut warehouse since 2005 when the 85-year-old bookstore - a midtown magnet for many literary figures over the years - closed.

The University of Pennsylvania's Rare Book and Manuscript Library has acquired the store archive and has started taking delivery - on eight tractor-trailers-- of 3,800 boxes containing the collection. It will spend the next several years evaluating and cataloging it.

David McKnight, director of the library, said the books and other items are in excellent condition because they have been kept in a cool, dry environment since they had been removed from the Gotham store.

The literary treasure trove has been anonymously donated to Penn - which beat four other institutions that bid for ownership -- and is worth at least $4 million, said McKnight. The collection was originally acquired by the donor for $400,000 when Gotham Book Mart closed.

It contains first editions, experimental literary magazines and advance readers' copies of well-known works. About a third of the collection is classified as "rare books," McKnight said.

Subjects covered include poetry and prose, art, architecture, photography, music, dance and film. In addition to its modernist writers of the 1930s and 40s, the collection also contains valuable materials from the 18th and 19th centuries.

My mouth waters just thinking about it...

Keeping It All In Perspective

The History of the Internet in 22 Characters

Not just a series of tubes. This animated documentary was produced by Melih Bilgil, a freelance graphic designer in Germany, using a set of 22 icons. Thanks to Alan for guiding this to us via Twitter.

History of the Internet from PICOL on Vimeo.

This is the coolest bit of tech demonstration/design since the Nokia Morph concept animation.

Chris Roberson's End of the Century

My review of Chris Roberson's End of the Century appears in today's San Antonio Current.

Chris Roberson wisely dedicated his 14th novel to Michael Moorcock, Alan Moore, and Kim Newman, three authors who pioneered the difficult to execute non-linear, historical, time-travel adventure. Following in their perennially successful footsteps, Roberson’s End of the Century recounts three unique interrelated tales from three distinct time periods.

A World Fantasy Award finalist and winner of the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Short Form, Roberson ultimately delivers a superior multi-linear novel worthy of the authors to whom he dedicated End of the Century.

A Very, Very, Very, Very Long Life

My (brief) review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is up at Revolution SF.

Fincher appears to be channeling not Fitzgerald but Steven Spielberg, in particular the Spielberg of “Kick the Can” from Twilight Zone: The Movie. And that turns out to be only one of the picture’s problems.

That Was The Year That Was. Part Two.

As Mark so elegantly announced last time, the Nexus Graphica brain trust have compiled our very own top ten graphic novel or comics-related publications lists of 2008. Mark began this shindig, so it falls to me to introduce the final five selections.

That Was The Year That Was. Part Two.