Category Archives: Books/Literature

Books/Literature, Comic Books/Graphic Novels

Hellboy: The Storm And The Fury, a review

I’ve been a big fan of comic book artist/writer Mike Mignola for a very, very long time now.  I first became aware of his work in various Marvel books.  At that point, he didn’t quite have his distinctive style.  It was 1988’s Cosmic Odyssey, illustrated by Mr. Mignola and scripted by comic book veteran Jim Starlin, that first featured a heavy dose of Mr. Mignola’s great artwork and made me a huge fan.  Apparently, I was far from the only one.

Mr. Mignola parlayed his success by eventually devoting his full energies to Hellboy, a character he created.  While Hellboy shared elements present in the other works, most notably those of Jack Kirby (Hellboy might well be a close cousin of Kirby’s Demon and the various monster books Mr. Kirby did for Marvel), the series had its own unique -and delightful- storytelling universe.

I absolutely loved it.

The first full Hellboy serial, The Seed of Destruction, was released in 1994.  It was conceived and illustrated by Mr. Mignola and featured a script by another comic book veteran, John Byrne.  From there, Mr. Mignola would produce many more Hellboy serials, this time taking on the full writing and illustration chores.  The character proved a big success, and in time there were animated films, feature films, and comic book off-shoots (many written by Mr. Mignola but illustrated by others) that followed.

I picked them up almost religiously and pretty much loved everything to do with the character.  However, as his success increased and more and more material was released, Mr. Mignola moved from being the writer/illustrator of many of the works to being simply the writer.  Sadly, at that point my interest in the various books declined.  The fact is I was just as big a fan of Mr. Mignola’s artwork as his writing, and while many (if not most!) of the artists who he hired to draw his stories were damn good, they simply weren’t Mr. Mignola.

Thus, it totally escaped my attention when Hellboy: The Storm and the Fury was released between 2010 and 2011.  When I learned this storyline was Intended to be a “finale” to the Hellboy saga, I had to have it.  When I looked the book up on Amazon.com I was surprised to find the reviews for the book were, for the most part, negative (You can read those comments here).

Nonetheless, I ordered the book and, yesterday, it finally arrived.  Eagerly, I read it.

To begin, the story is written by Mr. Mignola and features artwork by Duncan Fegredo.  Let me state right off the bat that Mr. Fegredo is a damn good artist and one I was familiar with from previous Hellboy books.  His artwork style produces decidedly mixed feelings in me.  While other artists who were hired by Mr. Mignola to do Hellboy books had their own style, Mr. Fegredo’s style is obviously attempting to emulate Mr. Mignola’s.  And while he is indeed damn good at it, seeing someone “doing” Mike Mignola-like artwork makes me yearn to see “genuine” Mike Mignola artwork.

However, given Mr. Fegredo’s talents, the success or failure of this particular book ultimately fell to the story being told.

And in that case, sadly, I have to side with those who offered negative comments on Amazon.  The Storm and the Fury is, unfortunately, a pretty average Hellboy story.

BEWARE:

SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!

 

Yes, the story presented in The Storm and the Fury is a very average Hellboy story with one major difference:  By story’s end, Hellboy is (BIG TIME SPOILER!!!!) dead.

Really dead.

Considering this is meant to be the finale to the Hellboy saga, at least on Earth (more on that later), its surprising how ordinary the whole thing felt.  Mr. Mignola had hinted from the very beginning that Hellboy’s end would be something equivalent to Ragnarok, with Hellboy in the role of Odin/Thor.  This element does indeed appear within the story, and various plot threads that were presented earlier on in other books do find their way here…

…but, again, the story itself is simply not anywhere near as “big” an event as one would have thought it should be.  Yes, Hellboy fights against monsters, but he’s always fought against monsters.  Again, the only big difference is that this time he dies.  However, the single most bewildering element of the book is the fact that the great cast Mr. Mignola created around Hellboy (a couple of whom appeared in the movies) don’t show up in this story except for a single “flashback” or “memory” panel.  That’s right, I said panel.  There is no tearful goodbye between Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. characters.  There is no emotional reunion before the end.

Bewildering, to say the least.

I could go on and on, but I think I’ve made my point.  The Storm and the Fury feels like the work of a writer who was running out of gas and wanted the whole thing over and done with, rather than creating the grand finale many fans were expecting.

Perhaps Mr. Mignola was eager to move on to Hellboy’s next adventure.  Yes, that’s right:  Next adventure.

It turns out The Storm and the Fury is not really Hellboy’s grand last adventure.  It’s merely his last Earthly adventure.  If you read some of the bonus material after the main story, you discover that Mr. Mignola is writing and illustrating the next Hellboy story, wherein our hero goes to Hell.  So while his “Earthly” adventures are over with this volume, it appears Hellboy’s next stories will take place in the afterlife.

I hope those adventures prove better than the anti-climactic The Storm and the Fury.

Books/Literature, Movies

The Hunger Games…and its predecessors

Found this interesting article by Andrew O’Hehir for Salon.com concerning the various “influences”, both literary and in movies, to the very popular young adult novel (and soon to be movie) The Hunger Games:

http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/what_came_before_the_hunger_games/singleton/

When I first heard about The Hunger Games from my youngest daughter (she’s a big fan), my immediate reaction was similar to the one stated early in Mr. O’Hehir’s article:  Boy, this story sure sounds a lot like Battle Royale.  I realized, perhaps like Mr. O’Hehir, that there were plenty of other influences, from The Most Dangerous Game to (yes) The Running Man (both the film and the Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman novel).

So while The Hunger Games may not be one of the more original literary concepts, its success is unquestionable.  As I write this, the upcoming release of the movie appears to be a sure fire hit, perhaps on the level of other young adult lit films such as the Harry Potter and Twilight movies.

But, I also wonder, why has The Hunger Games succeeded as well as it has?  Why, for example, does Battle Royale remain a “cult” film/book while this work looks to be the next big thing?

Once again one realizes just how astute legendary writer/screenwriter William Goldman was when he said this about movie making: Nobody knows anything.

John Carter, a big budgeted adventure film audiences seem to enjoy (Rottentomatoes.com has the film scoring a pretty high 72% among audiences with a more mediocre 50% among critics), looks to be a bust.  In other times, the ingredients present in this film looked to make it a sure fire hit:  Big budget, big effects, action, suspense…And, based on the audience reaction, it appeared the film delivered.

And yet…for whatever reason, it didn’t connect as well as it might have.  Why?  Was the film a victim of its release date?  Are audiences, perhaps, exhausted by the “big budget special effects” extravaganzas?  Is it possible Disney’s marketing department failed to “sell” the film to audiences?  Or was the audience reaction cooler than what Rottentomatoes.com has us believe, and those who saw the film may well have “liked” it, but they didn’t really “love” it, at least enough to recommend it to friends?

And returning to The Hunger Games, in a market saturated with young adult adventure books, why has this book, derivative or not, scored so big when so many others fade away?  For that matter, why did Harry Potter and Twilight become such big hits before it?

I suppose the lesson is this:  You work hard, you create your works, then you hope that they succeed.  However, there are no guarantees.  You could create the next Hunger Games.  You could create the next John Carter.

Nobody knows anything.

Books/Literature

Coming soon…

First, sorry for not posting in the past few days.  Things have been busy and will likely remain so, at least for the next few weeks.  Among other things taking up my time is this:

This is my first full attempt at the cover to my latest novel, Nox.  I suspect I’ll tinker with it a little here and there, but at least at this point I’m delighted with the end result.

Nox is the fourth part of the Corrosive Knights series, the first three parts of which were Mechanic, The Last Flight of the Argus, and Chameleon.

As I’ve mentioned before, Corrosive Knights is a series that, at least with regards to those first three books, can be read in any order at all.

With Nox, however, things start to come together.  The cover to Nox was purposely made in the style of Mechanic, as the lead character in that book, Nox, is the lead character in this novel as well.  Nox, for those who haven’t read Mechanic, is an industrial “gun for hire” with a conscience, a woman who is haunted by plenty of demons from her past…and present.

Nox explores her character in further depth as she deals with an incredibly dangerous new/old enemy.  This novel features action, suspense, and plenty of surprises.  Though its not fully polished, I’m very proud of the work, and think anyone who has read the series to this point and enjoyed it will not be disappointed.

For now, I’m just about finished with the second major revision of Nox.  I’ve worked out all the plot kinks and polished much of the writing.  I anticipate more polishing and. if there are no major snags, the novel should be fully completed in another two months.

In the meantime, enjoy the cover design.

Books/Literature

Last Flight of the Argus ebook available free through Amazon.com

Starting on tuesday the 21st and concluding on 2/22, the following day, an ebook copy of my novel The Last Flight of the Argus will be available for free via Amazon.com.  (Note: I mistakenly posted this offer would begin today, Feb 20. My apologies for any confusion caused by this error)

The Last Flight of the Argus represents the second part of the Corrosive Knights series, which also includes Mechanic and Chameleon.  The novel is a space opera that explores the many mysteries behind the abrupt end of a potentially devastating intergalactic war.

To me, the most interesting part of the Corrosive Knights series is that these three initial books can be read in any order.  The stories in the books are self-contained and feature unique individuals, situations, and eras (Chameleon is set mostly in the present, Mechanic is set 250 or so years into the future, and The Last Flight of the Argus is set some 3000 years into the future).  Currently, I’m very hard at work on the next book in the series.  I’m hoping to have it done in the next couple of months.  That book, I promise, will start to tie the loose plot threads within the first three books together.

Upon reading The Last Flight of the Argus, good friend and professional artist Steve Scott said it was his favorite work of fiction, behind only the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Considering my own love of the works of Mr. Doyle (something Mr. Scott didn’t know at the time!), his praise was truly an honor.

I hope everyone out there takes advantage of the free ebook offer.  And those that do, I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I did writing it.

Books/Literature, Comic Books/Graphic Novels

Kamandi Omnibus #1, the review

This post originally appeared in October of 2011.  A bit of news:  The second volume of the Jack Kirby Kamandi issues, collecting the rest of his run, is scheduled to be released later this year.

To some degree, reviewing the Kamandi Omnibus Vol #1, released last week, is almost pointless.  I have all of the Jack Kirby written/drawn issues of the series (indeed, even the 19 issues after he left with issue #40 plus the 2 issues never released but collected in the Cancelled Comics Cavalcade. Yes, I’m a BIG fan of Kamandi!) and I pretty much know the book backwards and forwards.

Yet seeing the first 20 issues all together in one volume, I recognized something that hadn’t really occurred to me until they were read all together: This was Jack Kirby doing comic book versions of movies. Many movies.

The primary movie source material is obvious: Kamandi, the first issue of which was released in 1972, borrowed quite a bit from the then very popular original Planet of the Apes movies. Indeed, there were many back in the day who dismissed this series out right because of the fact that it borrowed so heavily from those movies. The series, after all, featured a “boy” in a post-apocalyptic world where animals (including, of course, apes!) were sentient and humans were viewed as lower life forms. The cover to the first issue of the original series also had strong echoes to the ending of the original Planet of the Apes, at least with regard to that famous statue present at that movie’s end, you will also find references to, among others, the original King Kong, The Andromeda Strain, Ben Hur, Westworld, various Gladiator movies, etc. etc.  And if you look beyond that, you’ll also find references to then hot topics such as Watergate and the then very hot topic of pollution.  Unlike other series Jack Kirby was working on at the time, Kamandi appeared to be Mr. Kirby taking a fictional look at the things that currently interested him.

And it is so much fun.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  While Kamandi may not be the very last work of Mr. Kirby, it was certainly his last sustained successful comic book work. I know he made several books and series afterwards, but none, in my opinion, were as entertaining as this one. If you’re a fan of Jack Kirby, you’d be crazy to ignore this incredible series.

I’m not sure when Volume 2, collecting the last 20 issues Mr. Kirby did, will be released, but I’ll most certainly be picking it up. While the series lost steam toward the end of Mr. Kirby’s run and the very best stories, in my opinion, are in this first volume (of those, my absolute favorites are found in issues #9 and 10), the second volume will certainly be a must buy for me.  Sadly, Mr. Kirby faced many obstacles when he chose to leave Marvel in the late 1960’s.  Much of his work was derided by fans and it wasn’t until toward the end of his life that fans began to once again appreciate what it was he brought to the comic book field.  I’m pleased that DC Comics has decided to reprint all his 1970’s works, including the various New Gods issues, Omac, The Demon, and Jimmy Olsen.

And while I can understand that the Kamandi reprints will end with Mr. Kirby’s last issue, I’m such a fan of the series that I wish they’d offer a third volume that features all the rest of the stories in the series. Regardless, Kamandi Volume 1 is well worth your time.

Books/Literature

William Gibson interview…

For those who enjoy William Gibson’s works, or those who simply enjoy reading an interview conducted with a prominent author, this may be right up your alley:

http://www.salon.com/2012/01/22/william_gibson_i_really_cant_predict_the_future/singleton/

I’m of two minds with Mr. Gibson and his novels.  I’ve read many of them, not all, and while I admire the hell out of how he writes (he creates some of the most incredible descriptive passages), I find I’m not always as big a fan of the actual stories he’s telling.  The early ones, such as Neuromancer, were pulp inspired works that reminded me of similar stories in Heavy Metal magazine.  His later works, the last one of which I read was Spook Country, feel like they could use more actual plot.

But, oh those descriptive passages!

One of my all time favorites examples of one of those descriptive passages that really turned my head appeared at the start of the second chapter of Spook Country:

The old man reminded Tito of those ghost-signs, fading high on the windowless sides of blackened buildings, spelling out the names of products made meaningless by time.

Incredible, incredible stuff.  I wish I could write a passage as good as that one!

For what it’s worth, my favorite William Gibson book is a collaboration between he and author Bruce Sterling, The Difference Engine.  If you have yet to try any of Mr. Gibson’s works and find the interview with him interesting, I highly recommend you give that book a try.

Books/Literature

Haze eBook available for free on Amazon.com

4 Comments

The eBook of Haze, my very first novel, is available for free starting today and going through January the 25 on Amazon.com.  So, if you have a Kindle or read books via Kindle software on your mobile device, iPad, computer, etc., please take advantage of this offer:

http://www.amazon.com/Haze-ebook/dp/B0041OSGTI/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_6?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Haze was my first attempt at writing a full novel and remains, to this day, my most personal work.  When I first conceived of the story back in the early to mid-1990’s, I was going through some peculiar personal issues.  I had graduated from College and was working at a hospital while trying to make a career in art/writing.  I was also starting to work for an Independent Comic Book publisher as an inker, but even in those early days when sales were high I had a suspicion the ride wouldn’t last.  Added to all that, I was also in the process of getting married and considering what I would ultimately make with my life.

And during that time, I caught a cold/flu that I just couldn’t get rid of.  Usually when I catch something, my illness will last three or four days, tops.  This one dragged on for a couple of weeks.  By the time I was approaching the end of the second week of being dreadfully ill, I finally decided to see a Doctor (I was really sharp back then!).  The Doctor heard what I was going through and promptly began a series of tests on me culminating in chest X-Rays.  The Doctor feared I had developed Pneumonia.

Luckily, I hadn’t, but my condition was serious enough to be prescribed a regimen of medicines which eventually took out that cold/flu. Throughout that time I slept very badly and was like a zombie during my waking hours.  Worse, my thoughts were increasingly discombobulated, to the point where I could barely concentrate on things at work or home.

One day after seeing the Doctor and while driving home from work, I spotted a bus on the side of the road.  It was out of order and its rear hatch was open.  In my weakened mental state, the open hatch and exposed oily machinery looked alien, quite literally like something from out of this world.  I was so struck by that image…so much so I feared I had just suffered a hallucination.  Upon reaching my house I had the beginnings of Haze brewing in my mind.  In those early days of coming up with the story, I envisioned someone not unlike me as the protagonist, young and at a crossroads in his life, exposed to visions from another world.  I wrote the first few pages, wherein my protagonist sees this alien bus-like device on the road and comes to the realization that through illness he’s been exposed to visions from other worlds.

But as good a start as that was, I quickly reached a dead end.  At least with the idea of a man peering into other dimensions.

Instead, I moved off into other story directions.  Rather than seeing other dimensions, I had my protagonist see visions of a famous dead actor.  And rather than a science fictional story, my novel became a murder mystery with supernatural elements.  Alas, the actual inspiration to the book, that sequence with the alien-looking bus, was ultimately cut as it didn’t fit in with the story I was now telling.

I learned quite a bit while writing Haze, both in terms of the mechanics of novel writing as well as the efforts involved in trying to create something you can be proud of.  The experience was alternately exhilarating and frustrating, and more than once tried my patience.  Still, I’m proud with the final product and am happily continuing the writing experiment I began all those years before.

I hope you enjoy the novel as well.

Books/Literature

SHADOWS AT DAWN free eBook offer is over…

..but the end results, again, were incredible.

I hope everyone who took advantage of the offer reads the material.

Those who didn’t and are interested, the eBook is available at the below link for only 0.99 cents.  You can read almost the entire first story, Dreams Do Come True, if you click the link to look inside the book (all that’s missing is a few words at the tail end of the story).

Again, thanks for your continued interest!

http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-At-Dawn-ebook/dp/B0063NGIUE/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Books/Literature

SHADOWS AT DAWN free eBook offer ends today!

Just a quick note to everyone interested:  Shadows at Dawn, my short story collection, has been available for free from Amazon.com in the Kindle eBook format.

This offer, however, ends today, January the 6th.

Thus, if you have a Kindle or read books via your computer or mobile device, please take advantage of this offer.  If you like what you read (and I hope everyone does!), please provide comments…I welcome them!  Please click on the image below or link below to reach the Kindle download page:

http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-At-Dawn-ebook/dp/B0063NGIUE/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Books/Literature, General

Once More Into The Brink…

I was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the blog software I was using and decided the New Year was a good time to make a change.  What you see here is a quick fix, a temporary blog that is nonetheless to my eyes far nicer than what was going on before.  As time permits (and my knowledge of Word Press increases), I’ll do tweaks as well as links to my old posts.

In the meantime, I hope that those reading this post have taken advantage of the FREE KINDLE EBOOK download of my short story collection Shadows at Dawn.  If you haven’t, the promotion will be in effect through Friday, January the 6th and can be reached at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-At-Dawn-ebook/dp/B0063NGIUE/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2