As I was growing up, I read a lot of old pulps that were reissued as paperbacks. Some of these were about the Rio Kid, featured above. Others were about the Masked Rider (kind of a Lone Ranger character) and his faithful Indian companion, Blue Hawk.
I didn't really know what pulps were back then, but I loved the action-oriented stories and larger-than-life characters. And I enjoyed the cowboy adventures. Of course, after I discovered Louis L'Amour's books and the authenticity he brought to the genre, I mostly read those. Interestingly enough, L'Amour was one of the big pulp writers too.
Today's kids don't quite grasp the concept of the cowboy hero, but the stories aren't far removed from many of the fantasy novels they read these days. Fantasy focuses on magic sometimes, but you always have the two-fisted adventurer like Conan that refuses to die out. And Conan wasn't that far removed from the wandering saddletramp riding for the brand.
I just read about Scottish brewery BrewDog and couldn't believe it. I'd thought at my age I just couldn't be shocked by anything STRANGE again. People hurting people still shocks me, but this is different.
A cozy made from a squirrel's body? And it sells for $750 a bottle? It's supposed to be 55 percent alcohol, so I suppose you could get a buzz from it, but still...
Squirrels just want to be free, to ride Harleys and explore the wide open roads. They don't want to be cozies.
One day soon squirrels are going to get angry over this treatment. They're tough little critters. Keep it up and one day a dead one will slither right on up the bottle you're drinking and bite your lips off!
At one of the parks Sherry and Chandler visited, he found deer that would come up to him and eat out of his hand. He thought it was really cool.
Two of my favorite Chandler quotes:
When presented with an opportunity to go golfing (the day was really hot), Chandler said, "I don't want to go golfing. I can't do mini-golf on a cloudy day."
And when we got back to Moore, "I feel better about going to the correct McDonalds."
Coming out this Friday, and I'm gonna have a ticket in my hot little hand. I've been looking forward to a chic thriller with a lethal lady, and Angelina Jolie looks like she's gonna deliver in this one.
Hands down, Christian Kane as Eliot Spencer from Leverage. The fight choreographer is amazing. Leverage is absolutely some of the best popcorn tv out there right now. I don't miss an episode.
Saw it yesterday with Sherry and Chandler. Not deep, but fun. Special effects were good. The plot was decent and developed, and the pacing was practically nonstop.
Yup. This story is being released at ComicCon in San Diego and is part of a prose anthology that will be out in October. I gotta admit, I'm looking forward to this one. Strange to think that most people who are reading these mash-ups have never read the original material and are still enjoying the stories.
Okay, I'm probably admitting my age, but I don't care. This song still gets to me too. After I looked up Whitesnake, I had to look for Andy Kim.
Enjoy, retch, or look at my post in disbelief. I don't care. I still like this song and the voice. The dancing leaves a lot to be desired, but I feel Kim's heart was in the music.
This one is going to be absolutely brilliant, or it's going to be a big fat dud. Either way, the special effects are going to be the awesome, so I'm going to see it.
Gotta admit: this new series is seriously looking sweet! Alec Loughlin has been climbing the charts, and I love Scott Caan. Caan's role in this series looks fantastic.
This show looks intriguing and like a lot of fun. I hope it lives up to the hype because I'm looking forward to it. A kind of gentler, more innocent ALIAS maybe?
A Chicago cop, hard-nosed and brilliant, moves to the Florida Glades to set up shop and work on his golf game? Sounds like a perfect mix to me. The trailers look interesting and I'm taking an evening to watch this one. This has been a great summer season so far, and I have hopes it will continue.
You can even get a copy of the screenplay for the first show here at Barnes & Noble. How cool is that?
I ended up watching American Dad with my kid last night. I'm not as into the show as he is. But one of the songs in the show was Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again." He didn't get the references till I showed him this video.
And to be honest, this is one of those songs that speaks to me. It has from the very first time I heard it. As it turns out, it's one of my wife's favorite songs too. It's one of those we sing in the car when no one can hear us -- except the kids. Yeah, parental punishment has reached new levels at our house. :)
My buddy and editor Phil Athans has a new fantasy writer's handbook out. And he should know fantasy. He's worked at Wizards of the Coast for years, and edited several of my books.
In addition to a great reference book, you also get an original story by Drizzt author, R. A. Salvatore. That's bonus!
I just found out that Ray Palmer is going to be back as the Atom and I can't wait. When I was a kid, Ray Palmer was one of the coolest characters I read about. Most of his adventures were written by Gardner F. Fox and usually had a bunch of science facts strung through the stories. I learned a lot and the adventures (especially the Time Pool stories) were a lot of fun.
After the one-shot special, the Atom is going to be one of the staples in the newly revamped Adventure Comics.
My buddy Bill Crider has a new e-book out, a Western that's sure to please. I've been reading Bill's stuff for years and got the opportunity to meet him at a convention. Western readers, and people curious about Westerns who haven't yet taken the plunge, will be pleased with this one.
Who knew they did video book reviews of my stuff? This is the first time I've seen one. And, yeah, I'll admit that I found it by entering my name on YouTube.com. :)
Just to prove that sometimes it's better to be luck than to be good, I've got a copy of Ice Cold, Tess Gerritsen's new novel, hot off the presses to give away to one lucky reader. I'll put the names of all interested parties into a hat and draw out the winner the night of July 12, when the Rizzoli and Isles television show debuts on TNT.
Good luck!
And here's a sample of the upcoming television show.
Since I have a 12 year old boy, I've got more than a passing acquaintance with The Last Airbender. He watched all three seasons on television unfailingly, and I ended up watching a fair amount of the series as well.
The animated stories (see how I cleverly avoided calling them cartoons?) were deep, well thought out, and humorous. Gotta wonder if M. Night Shyamalan can hold a candle to the original (and if you've seen the trailers, you get the joke).
We're taking Chandler to see the film today, and it's a dream come true for him. It's really cool watching a kid as he sees his hero come to life on the Big Screen. Of course, he probably saw the same look on my face during both Iron Man movies. :)
Maybe it's more appropriate, but the long-standing look is gonna be missed if DC Comics stays with this. Is this an adjustment to be more PC? Is this a costume that will make the character easier to clothe for a Hollywood movie?
Dunno. I kind of like the looks of it because it's different, but there's something about a half-clothed Amazon battling crime that still makes my heart beat fast.
I was pumped when I found out Chris Evans (Human Torch, Fantastic Four) was also going to play Steve Rogers/Captain America. Evans was totally cut in The Losers and will look fantastic in the suit.
Now Tommy Lee Jones is going to star as one of his commanding officers, probably back in World War II. I can hardly wait to hear Tommy Lee doling out wisdom as a tough, no-nonsense Army officer. This movie is getting me stoked.
Many of you who enjoy the film noir books/movies I cover, or suspense thrillers, and just about anything else because the guy is as omnivorous as I am, it appears, would probably enjoy stopping by http://www.bishsbeat.blogspot.com/.
I drop by regularly and have found a lot of material I would have missed if not for Paul's detective skills. Keeping an eye on everything is a daunting job, but Paul Bish is a great wingman to have along the way.
Okay, I have to admit it. This game has got some serious chops. I've played it off and on this week, and I've gotten totally creeped out. The atmosphere, the music, the story development -- all of that works to pull me into the fog-shrouded forest where Alan Wake has to fight off the Taken (shadow creatures with axes) with nothing more than a flashlight and (usually) a revolver.
I try to play an episode a night. There are only six. But I'm crushing a deadline and haven't had the time. I'm on Episode Three right now, and I'm getting my butt slammed by a possessed bulldozer that reminds me a lot of the old Theodore Sturgeon short story "Killdozer!" that got made into a creepy Clint Walker film back in the 1970s. The film was called Killdozer, and it was a trip. It also got made into a Marvel Comics issue.
Theodore Sturgeon was only 25 or 26 when he wrote the story back in 1944, so I assume his Tonka toy phase hadn't quite worn off and had become incredibly twisted. Now I'm getting flashbacks from my childhood.
This game has got me all twisted up. On one hand, the Taken are so creepy that I dread when the sun goes down in the game. On the other hand, the mysteries are so sharp and the stakes so high, that I have trouble walking away.
Last night with the possessed bulldozer, I finally had to lay the controller down and walk away because my spirit's willing but my adrenaline-addled flesh just couldn't save me on-screen. My 12 year old has gotten farther than me, but even he has trouble staying in the same room with me when the game is on. Not because it's boring, but because he knows all the spots the Taken will jump out and he gets creeped all over again. I don't mind dying in the game. Chandler doesn't like it. But the Taken just trigger my fight/flight instinct like a four-alarm fire bell.
And there's downloadable content coming for this game! It's not going to be over for some time. This is one of the best games storywise I have ever seen. I normally love first-person shooters the most, but I've never found a game as immersive as Alan Wake.
Try it. I guarantee at some point you'll be sitting on the edge of your seat with creepy music playing all around you -- and you'll duck shadows on your way to bed.
I've just started a new blog where I intend to discuss writing fiction and the processes that I use. If you'd like to see what I'm doing, or have a question about writing, please go to http://www.onwritingfiction.wordpress.com/.
One of my Professional Writing students, Jaimie Dawn (http://www.jamiedawn.blogspot.com/) has written -- and performed -- a tribute to the first seven books of the Wheel of TIme series. That's all she's been able to read so far. She's also experimenting with embedded video, so you get visuals too. Drop by her site and tell her what you think. Without being mean. And there are spoilers. :)
I had a good time with both of these. MEMPHIS BEAT felt a little rushed in some places, especially at the end, but the overall character development of the principal worked for me, and the music score was awesome. I think the show's going to do fine once it gets its feet firmly on the ground. Jason Lee is likeable as a cop and as an Elvis impersonator. I didn't think he had the chops, but he does. He's endearing in this role, edgy and still innocent, still a believer.
KNIGHT & DAY is an uneven blend of action thriller and romantic suspense. It reminded me of ROMANCING THE STONE in some ways (primarily all good), but there was some development missing and sometimes the creative leaps were too big for the audience to fill in on short notice. Outside of the two main characters, there was hardly any development at all, and even the two stars really only related to each other. Still, it was totally fun and the stunts, one-liners, were awesome.
What did surprise me was how much crossover there was between MEMPHIS BEAT and KNIGHT & DAY. The police captain on MEMPHIS was the CIA leader on KNIGHT, and both main male characters had the same mom. Kind of weird watching them back to back like that.
Summer is here and a lot of videogames are hitting the shelves. I'd heard nothing but good things about ALAN WAKE since it came out last month. My wife picked it up for me for Father's Day and I finally got my 12 year old off the 360 on Monday.
I haven't had much time for gaming even though it's summer and I'm not currently teaching at OU. Last summer was eaten up with family issues (I ended up learning way more about roofing and installing new kitchens than I'd ever wanted to know).
I have dedicated this summer to my writing and am having a good time with the stories I'm currently working on. God, I do love writing, creating, and watching characters. Imagination is my favorite opiate.
Anyway, as a result I haven't been reading as much as I would like, or playing games at all. But Monday I sat down with ALAN WAKE, and I have to say that it's one of the greatest games I've ever played. The actual fighting isn't much different than many of the games I've played, but the SHEER CREEPINESS of the overall storyline is compelling. Not only that, but the designers were geniuses because they broke the game into installments like episodes of a television series.
So far it's been my experience than the episodes play out in an hour or so (some people may get done more quickly, but I enjoying seeing what happens if I win AND if I lose in certain sequences -- you learn more about he game that way). The time is perfect for when I want to vege out in the afternoon for an hour and then get back to the writing for the evening.
Not only that, but the game has the bonus feature of really juicing my imagination again. I don't know where ALAN WAKE is headed for sure, but I'm having a blast with the journey. I love the twists and turns, and the uncertainty of how things are progressing.
If you haven't played or picked up the game, I encourage you to do so. It's one of the most innovative I've seen in a long time, and the natural stopping points are fantastic.
I've been seeing the trailers for weeks. Jason Lee as a cop? From the town that gave us the King of Rock and Roll? I'm already hooked. :)
JUSTIFIED is finished for this year, but I'm hoping this one slides right in as a great replacement. If not, I've still got BURN NOTICE and LEVERAGE. Summer TV has started hitting the sweet spot for me.
Leverage is back and hit the ground running last night with two episodes. They also introduced a season arc that looks interesting. Thankfully it's not going to choke the kinds of stories they can tell. When the first show gave us the femme fatale full of threats, I felt certain we were going to be locked in and constrained. Not so. The second show was a hoot, funny, witty, and touching. Just the kind of thing I'm looking for in this show.
Even if you've never seen an episode of this show before, you can jump in anywhere and have a good time.
This one stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, and it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. Definitely a popcorn movie, but my wife and son are as excited to see this one as I am.
Folks, this is the Phantom I grew up with. Lee Falk's incredible jungle hero who followed a 400 year pledge to battle evil, particularly pirates. I thrilled to his adventures in the Sunday Comics when I was a kid, read the paperbacks when I was in high school, and have never quite got away from wanting to grow up to be him.
Now Syfy network has a new Phantom coming out, and I'm not sure I'm going to be happy with the results. But it's Father's Day, so I'm gonna take the control in hand Sunday night and hope for the best. :)
I'm always glad to hear new magazines are starting up. Just got contacted about this one and will be sending them something soon. The layout of the magazine is wonderful. Have a look here.
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