Aquadog

Everything was going so well. I was loving the new Aquaman comic--the artwork, the story--all great stuff. Aquaman and Mera had just defeated the creatures from the trench in a very satisfying conclusion to the first story arc of his new title. And then this happened. On the last page of issue #4.

Aquadog.

Really?

Ugh. This is why it's so hard to defend Aquaman. Just when you think he's crawling out of the muck of silliness.

Screw it. Just bring back Tusky.

Haywire Review

If you simply must be strangled, try this.

So I finally saw Haywire yesterday. I’ve had the night to think about it, and I’m sad to say it was disappointing. Sometimes there are movies that just can’t live up to the hype, and I was so certain that I would love it that I think I did myself in. The movie has gotten solid reviews from critics, all of whom seem totally willing to overlook the thin story and lackluster dialog simply because the protagonist is female. And I might have overlooked these things too, if only the action had been better. Everyone’s been crowing about how amazing the action in the movie is, so let me publicly dissent. Aside from the fight scenes, which were good (not great) and too few, everything else about this movie drags.

Kid Stuff

The other day my son was watching the Boomerang channel while I was getting ready for work. I like Boomerang because they play tons of old Hanna Barbara cartoons, most of which I remember from when I was a kid. But the show he was watching that morning caught my eye because I’d never seen it before—Tom and Jerry Kids. I’ve seen plenty of Tom and Jerry cartoons, but this one had them as little “kids”—Tom was a kitten and Jerry was a baby mouse. My reaction to seeing this was something like “WTF? Another show where they turn the characters into babies?”

The Twilight Samurai (and other movie stuff)

Last week I posted about Gina Carano. I said at the time that I'd never heard of her before. Well, that's over. Now I'm seeing her all over the place. It might be a temporary blip because her movie Haywire just came out. Or it could be something bigger (and better) for her. Now I'm not just curious about the movie, but curious to see how things go for her careerwise after her big screen debut. I still haven't seen the movie yet (I'll be seeing it on Thursday most likely), but the Rotten Tomato score for Haywire is a very nice 82%, which bodes well for a good experience. Truth is, I'd be shocked if I don't like it. It's got a great cast, a great director, and a revenge-themed plot--love my revenge-themed plots.

Savage Hawkman

Is it possible to be a fan of a superhero without having read his/her comic books? Because it seems like forever that I've had a thing for Hawkman. Definitely not one of DC's A-list characters. Call it a wing fetish. I always liked characters with wing. Not just characters who could fly--which never really made sense to me unless he/she had wings anyway. Hawkman would pop up from time to time in cartoons when I was a kid, or might make an appearance in some comic I was reading. But for some reason I never picked up any of his titles. I had a close friend who was a huge fan of the Flash who used to always say Hawkman is gay. Maybe that's why.

The Revolution will not be Televised

Here's something to add to your to-do list. At some point today, go and listen to this podcast from Anthony Marco. No matter how you feel about the SOPA/PIPA act, take the time to listen to it and see if it doesn't at least make you think about the internet and what it really means.

There's been a whole lot said and written about SOPA recently, and maybe you're tired of hearing about it. Or maybe it's all become noise to you. Either way, if all you're doing is listening to standard media outlets about it, you're probably missing the passion behind the outrage, as I was. Anthony Marco's podcast on the subject does a fantastic job of reminding his listeners what's really at stake. It's a thoughtful, even sentimental look at the "old days" of the internet, and how it's bloomed into a place for expression and creativity.

If you're an artist or a writer or a musician--if you're creative in anyway or just want uninhibited access to knowledge--give it a listen. I'm not looking to change anyone's mind here, but it's worth your time to hear one man's impassioned view on the subject.

Fantasy Art

Recently I've had the enormous pleasure of emailing back and forth with Todd Lockwood, the artist assigned to paint the cover for The Forever Knight. As a long-time lover of fantasy art, this is a real treat for me. Todd Lockwood is tremendously talented and did the cover for one of my previous books, The Sword of Angels. Authors don't always get approached to offer input about the covers of their books (especially authors at my level, I'm guessing), but luckily Todd was curious enough about both his work and my book to ask for some guidance regarding the look and dress of some of the characters.