Once Upon a Geek

Van Allen Plexico’s latest novel, Sentinels: The Shiva Advent, is an engaging and fun read. At first I was unsure whether I’d enjoy the book as I’m not usually a fan of superhero prose. Compounding my concern was the fact that this is the fifth book in the Sentinels series and I haven’t read any of the previous volumes. Well … I’m pleased to report that I was enthralled before the first chapter was over! The mysteries presented early on compelled me to continue and I found myself wanting to learn more about the interesting characters.

This novel makes a great jumping on point in the adventures of the superhero team called the Sentinels. In the first chapter, the team is decimated by a murderous robot called the Vanguard. The rest of the novel features the rebuilding of the team either through rescue or the addition of new members. The story concludes with a huge confrontation against Vanguard. This is an ideal scenario for someone new to the series like me. By tearing apart the team, it provided an opportunity to learn about each hero individually and to be on the ground floor for the new characters.  The Sentinels team features several of the typical superhero archetypes (i.e. super-strong flying man, displaced god, armored avenger, etc.), with some characters having direct analogs amongst Plexico’s favorite team, Marvel Comic’s Avengers. In fact, the title character Shiva has many characteristics in common with the mighty Thor.  While some characters may be representative of established heroes, they are not mere carbon copies.  These characters have original back stories and interesting personalities.

I was shocked that once I started the book I couldn’t put it down.  As I mentioned, I’m not typically a fan of superhero prose, but Plexico has somehow managed to capture the essence of comic book adventures using only words on a page.  While the story is evocative of the superheroic Bronze Age of comics, it lacks the corniness that sometimes accompanied those tales of yore.  You’ll find the spirit of Stan Lee’s characters and Roy Thomas’ plots living-and-breathing in Van Allen Plexico’s writing.

The novel represents the first chapter of “The Rivals” trilogy and features a great cliffhanger.  If you love old school Avengers tales, especially ones dealing with cosmic forces, then this book is for you.  Sentinels: The Shiva Advent was published by White Rocket Books in 2009 and is available by clicking here.

I just finished listening to an excellent Doctor Who audio book entitled, The Forever Trap.  I’m typically more of a full-cast audio drama fan, but this particular audio book really impressed me.  The story was written by Dan Abnett (yes, that Dan Abnett of Marvel Comics Nova, Annihilation, War of Kings, etc), read by Catherine Tate (Donna Noble on Doctor Who), and features the Tenth Doctor and Donna.  This two-disc story was released in the same format as the other BBC Books Tenth Doctor Adventures audio book adaptations, but this one was released exclusively to audio.  It is the second of its kind, preceded by Pest Control and followed by The Nemonite Invasion.

I’ve listened to Pest Control, which was read by David Tennant, but it failed to impress me.  Even with David Tennant reading the story, it still didn’t feel like proper Doctor Who.  Needless to say, after that I didn’t have high hopes for The Forever Trap.  As I had expected, I was disappointed within the first few minutes of The Forever Trap.  Right out of the gate, Catherine Tate provides an unbelievable voice for the role of a holographic salesman.  I was so turned off by that voice, I gave up listening for a while.  A few days later, I started the audio book again.  Wow!  Sure, that salesman voice isn’t great, but the rest of the audio book was fantastic!  I could visualize the Doctor perfectly thanks to an excellent script by Dan Abnett, and Catherine Tate totally nailing David Tennant’s speech patterns.  Did I already say “Wow”?  Well, I gotta say it again.  WOW!  This is proper Doctor Who.  Abnett clearly gets the Doctor and Donna both.  Also, his talent for writing good science fiction really shines through.  Kudos to Catherine Tate for doing such an outstanding job!  She effortlessly switches between the abrasive Donna, the energetic Doctor, and a wide array of other characters.  I didn’t realize what an amazing range she has.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audio book, more so than most other Doctor Who audio books.  Apparently The Nemonite Invasion is also read by Catherine Tate, so now I’m gonna have to track that one down too!

I recently picked up a very good book called The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman.  In five days I’ve read 240 pages, and I’m about 15 pages from finishing the book.  While I love reading, I’m rarely able to fly through a book this quickly unless I’m on vacation (which I’m not).  It’s a testament to how good it is.  Here is the description from the publisher:

“Grad- school dropout Matt Fuller is toiling as a lowly research assistant at MIT when he inadvertently creates a time machine. With a dead-end job and a girlfriend who left him for another man, Matt has nothing to lose in taking a time-machine trip himself—or so he thinks.”

Maybe I’m the last person on Earth to discover Joe Haldeman, but I’m impressed.  He’s imaginative, creates interesting characters and settings, and his prose feels comfortable making for a swift read.  There is a quote from Stephen King that helped convince me to pick up the book: “If there were a Fort Knox for the science fiction writers who really matter, we’d have to lock Joe Haldeman up there.”

I heard about the book through the Science Fiction Book Club.  On a whim, I decided to give it a try.  I’m glad a I did.  It’s an original take on time travel, with some very creative extrapolations of the future.  I will definitely be reading further Joe Haldeman books.

If you’re a time travel nut like me, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Because nobody demanded it! Here are some updated pictures of my Comicatorium (a.k.a. Shag’s Sanctum Sanctorum).  Did some rearranging recently and I’m pretty pleased with the results so I figured I’d show it off here.  My thanks to the Irrepressible Gena for her assistance and inspiration.

Biggest change below is the new flat-screen monitor for the desktop!  Hooray!  Love it!

Added a new bookcase, which will help get some things organized.  I still need to fill the shelves (which won’t take long).  Yes, the top shelf of the left bookcase is entirely full of Doctor Who audio dramas, and the middle bookcase is almost entirely full of Doctor Who books and RPGs (with Doctor Who videos and magazines stacked on top).  Some of those book shelves are actually stacked three deep.  Feel free to be jealous or horrified.  Your choice.

This corner is most interesting because all the yard equipment is gone!  We enclosed an outside shed-like-thing and moved all the yard equipment out there.  So my Comicatorium is no longer an impromptu garage.  Also, got my Tom Fleming prints framed and hung.  Loving them!  Thanks to Sterling for buying the Aquaman print and starting my love affair with Fleming’s work.

Finally, here is the overflow of comic boxes from my closet.  The nice thing is that they are alphabetized and organized!  Hooray!  I’m now up to 47 comic long boxes.  I’m dreading ever moving again.

I’m closing out my DragonCon 2009 coverage with my favorite costume photos. Some have been shown here previously, but they bear repeating. To see all of my DragonCon photos, be sure to visit my Flickr page. If you have a favorite costume that I left out, be sure to mention it in the comments. A small handful of these photos were taken by folks other than me. In those cases, I’ve linked to their original photo.

A really great Bumblebee from “Transformers”

These ladies were having a blast in their gender-bender “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” costumes.  They were totally in character and so were the screaming fans!

Cookie Monster Michael Jackson.  Really funny, but is it too soon?

The Convention Vixens return to DragonCon.  You can find more on the ConVixens by clicking here.

Star Wars Jedi impaling a Clone Trooper.  This was a really neat and creative costume.  The lightsaber was connected to the trooper on both sides and was lit up.  Impressive, most impressive.

A really good Snake Eyes from “GI Joe”

Is this the future of Marvel Comics now that they’ve been bought by Disney?

The Ghostbusters!  This group won the Hall Costume Contest for Best Movie Group.  The detail on their costumes is amazing!

The popularity of the new “Star Trek” film inspired quite a few simple, yet effective costumes.

The most in character group at the convention! Tony Stark (from “Iron Man”), his assistant Pepper, and his security guards.  Tony was dead-on and never broke character. The security guards actually frisked anyone who wanted their picture with Tony.  Pepper was sure to inquire if you had an appointment.  Brilliant!

The most creative costume at the convention in my opinion.  The two-person AT-AT from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”!

With the popularity of the “Blackest Night” comic book this year, there were quite a few different Lantern Corps represented.  Here is a member of the Sinestro Corps…

… and here is a member of the Red Lantern Corps.

A really great Supergirl!

The second most creative costume at the convention in my opinion.  He perfectly captured Peter Parker’s Spider-Sense tingling from the comics.

An astonishing “Doctor Who” look-a-like.  Several people were doing double-takes to ensure it wasn’t really David Tennant.

An impressive Catwoman from the “Batman Returns” film.

Spaceman Spiff from “Calvin & Hobbes”.  Notice the stuffed tiger on his shoulder!

“Watchmen” – Thankfully Doctor Manhattan went for the briefs, rather than what was shown in the movie.

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld

An impressive Silver Surfer from “Fantastic Four 2″

A really well done “Barbarella”

If you’ve never seen “Logan’s Run”, then go rent it right now.

A recreation of the famous picture taken in Times Square at the end of World War II

Really clever way to represent the video game “Mario Cart”

The Harry Potter/Hogwarts bad-girl thing continues to be popular.  Understandably.

Remember, the Visitors are our friends.

A really obscure Boba Fett costume from Star Wars.  This particular version of the costume was only used in his first appearance in the animated portion of the 1978 televised “Star Wars Holiday Special”.  Like I said… really obscure, but also really neat that someone took the time to make this particular variation.

An eight-foot Sasquatch from the Alpha Flight comic book!

A fun Stormtrooper variant in the parade – the Indianapolis Colts Trooper!

And finally Max from “Where the Wild Things Are”.  This young lady was having a blast hopping around as Max!  She mentioned that lots of people didn’t know what her costume was supposed to be.  That surprised me, but I guess they’ll all figure it out next year after the movie comes out.

Coverage of Dragon*Con 2009 continues here!  I’ve already recapped Friday and Saturday, so today will cover Sunday and Monday.  If you’d like to see over 600 pictures I took at the event, you can view them on Flickr and THE UNIQUE GEEK photo gallery.

SUNDAY

After going to sleep around 5am the night before, we all slept-in on Sunday morning.  Eventually I awoke, cleaned up, and got in line to see Patrick Stewart.  Yes, THE Patrick Stewart!  Patrick Stewart, as in Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Patrick Stewart, as in Professor X from X-Men.  Patrick Stewart, as in the famous Shakespearean theatre actor.  Patrick Stewart, as in teh awesome!

I waited in line for about 80 minutes with the Methvin clan for the Patrick Stewart panel.  We were in another one of those lines that stretched outside and wrapped around the block.  Surprisingly, even though I was around the block, I was only number 400 in line for a room that holds 1,500.  Just before showtime, we got into the room and scored great seats.  Patrick Stewart was wonderful!  From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t do a lot of conventions.  Based upon his apparent nervousness and unrehearsed stories, I’d guess that was true.  I’m really glad his stories were unrehearsed because they sounded a lot more genuine that some celebrities at conventions.  He talked at great length about his time on Star Trek, mostly focusing on experiences he had during filming (rather than about the stories themselves).

I waited in the Q&A line, unfortunately they didn’t get through many audience questions.  So I returned to my seat about 15 minutes before the end of the session saddened that I didn’t get to ask my question.  Then surprisingly Patrick Stewart seemed to fumble while trying to answer someone else’s question.  After a really protracted pause by Stewart, I saw the opportunity to ask my question from my seat (without the benefit of a microphone).  The question Stewart was attempting to answer was something like, “What things did you enjoy while filming Star Trek?”  He seemed to have run out of things to say on the subject and was pausing quietly on stage.  So I took it upon myself to fill the uncomfortable silence and yelled out my question with my loudest stage voice, “What about the dune buggies?”  I wanted to ask this question because in the movie Star Trek: Nemesis, Patrick Stewart genuinely looks like he’s having the time of his life during the dune buggy scenes.  My question from the audience caught Stewart by surprise, but it was apparently a pleasant surprise.  His face lit up at the mention of the dune buggies!  He then made a joke about the audience leading him by the elbow (which I was pretty embarrassed about, deservedly so).  Next he went on to talk cheerfully about filming the dune buggy scenes for about ten minutes.  In fact, someone tried to change the subject and he responded with, “I’m not done talking about the dune buggies.”  PATRICK STEWART LIKED MY QUESTION!  Hooray!  I guess I was thrilled with this because celebrities have usually heard just about every question.  It’s rare to catch them off-guard or,  even better, to excite them with the subject matter of your question.

Overall, Patrick Stewart was an amazing guest and a real joy to listen to.  I’m not sure how many opportunities I’ll have in my life to see him, so I’m really glad I did.

Next up was lunch with an internet buddy of mine, Adama.  Adama runs the Green Arrow blog, Dispatches from the Arrowcave. This was the first time we’ve met face-to-face.  I’ll detail this meeting more in a future post over at my other blog, FIRESTORM FAN.

While all this was going on, I missed out on the DC Comic cosplay photo shoot.  While I didn’t get any pictures of it, thatdjspider on Flickr did.  It looks like it was truly amazing!

I did a little shopping at the Tales of Wonder booth and picked a couple amazing deals.  First up was Marvel’s Hulk Visionaries: Peter David volume 1 which normally retails for $19.99, but I got it there for $6.  This trade covers Peter David’s earliest Hulk issues with art by Todd McFarlane.  I’ve never read these issues, so this was a real steal!  Next up was Dark Horse’s Star Wars: A Long Time Ago… Volume 5 which normally retails for $29.95, but I got it there for $15.  The A Long Time Ago… series of trades reprints the original Marvel Star Wars comic.  I’m a huge fan of the old Marvel run and have been slowly picking up these trades.

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Sunday evening was the night for THE UNIQUE GEEK Board of Directors dinner!  This is basically a chance for all those that participate in THE UNIQUE GEEK to get together and hang out. It’s open to anyone who participates in our listserv, listens to our podcast, or that we find randomly wandering the streets.  This time 21 of us descended upon a local Mexican place to cause havoc!  We had good food, lots of booze, and lots of laughs.  The gang included: Serv, Doctor Jen, Jon, Choco Taco, Damian, Leigh, Rox of Spazhouse, Scott C, Eli, Jemma, Jamin, Ron, Holly, Race, Erika and her husband John, Ravenface, Shockwave, myself, and Michael Bailey and his wife Rachel.  Shockwave’s spouse made her annual brief appearance decked out in her Cobra Baroness costume! Below are a couple pictures from dinner.  Again, visit Flickr or THE UNIQUE GEEK photo gallery for a great deal more photos from dinner.

After dinner (and working out everyone’s share of the bill using differential calculus), we headed off to play late night games.  We played several rounds of Werewolf (also known as Mafia or Assassin) into the wee hours of the morning.  This game is becoming a DragonCon tradition for us!  Another tradition is for our game moderator to become completely wasted!  It makes the game more interesting, trust me.  We were joined (unwillingly for us) by a freshly-turned 18 year old girl in full Michael Jackson zombie make-up.  She didn’t exactly gel with the crowd, so we soon dispersed.  We wandered the hotels for a while and eventually settled in a room party.  Sometime around 3am (I think) we finally crashed.

MONDAY

Since I had an early afternoon flight, Monday was really a day for goodbyes and last minute shopping.  Back at Tales of Wonder again I picked up another great bargain.  Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson normally retails for $24.95, but I got it there for $5.  I’ve never read these issues, in fact I’ve read very few issues of Thor in my life.  However, Walt Simonson has never disappointed and I’ve heard rave reviews of these issues.  Can’t wait to jump into this book!

I also picked up the Big Finish Doctor Who spin-off audio adventures Dalek Empire at a reasonable discount.  I picked up the first four disks for $40.  This is one of the few Big Finish Doctor Who spin-offs I haven’t picked up. Given the discount, I just couldn’t pass it up.

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That wraps up my on-site coverage of DragonCon 2009.  Come back tomorrow when I’ll feature the best of DragonCon 2009 costumes!

Coverage of Dragon*Con 2009 continues here!  To read about Friday, click here.  If you’d like to see over 600 pictures I took at the event, you can view them on Flickr and THE UNIQUE GEEK photo gallery.

Saturday

After the WAR OF THE SNORE the night before, Choco Taco and I decided to grab some breakfast.  Thankfully we had access to the Executive Level in the Hilton where they supply complimentary breakfast.  Turns out that many of the celebrities also have access to the Executive Level.  So there we were eating, while a couple tables over were Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter), Adam Savage (Mythbusters), Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh on Battlestar Galactica), Neil Innes (best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python), and others.  It was neat being with so many celebrities during their down time.  As I looked around the room trying to identify everyone, I wondered if they were looking at us trying to figure out if we were famous too.  Probably not, but a boy can dream.

We then made our way to the parade.  We got there minutes before the parade started, so we didn’t have a great view.  Last year there were approximately 3,500 spectators for the parade; I’d say we had more this year.  The parade was pretty good this year.  The Colonial Marines lead the parade and the Star Wars characters finished it.  In-between were the usuals like the Cobras, Star Trekkies/Trekkers, superheroes, Middle Earth folk, pirates, Stargate folks, Battlestar Galactica folks, horror folks, Ghostbusters, Doctor Whovians, Anime folks, and many, many more.  I’ve got over 100 pictures of the parade up on Flickr and THE UNIQUE GEEK photo gallery. The most creative parade costume I felt was the two-person AT-AT.  Unfortunately, my pictures of the AT-AT didn’t turn out that great, so here is a pic from the costume creators.  A really clever idea!

After the parade I visited the Walk of Fame.  I considered taking my picture with Eric Roberts since he was in Doctor Who, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I can’t stand his acting and really hated him in the Doctor Who TV movie.  I did stop by and visit Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Spin City, Star Trek: Generations).  He was super cool!  We shook hands (he offered his hand immediately) and he asked me my name.  I’m not much for autographs, I usually prefer to get my picture taken with famous people.  So we chatted for a few moments and then he came around the table for the photo.  A couple days later, we were both on the same street corner waiting for the light to change.  We started to chat and he remembered meeting me and shook my hand again.  He was probably one of the nicest and most approachable celebrities I’ve ever met.

Then I visited Dirk Benedict (Battlestar Galactica, A-Team).  One of my goals at Dragon*Con this year was to meet him.  To me he represents everything that was fun about television in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  I had a question prepared that I didn’t get to ask during Friday’s A-Team panel, so I figured now was a good time.  I asked if the scene with the Cylon in the A-Team opening credits was originally scripted, or was improvised on-set.  He said the shot was his idea as a joke for the guys who weren’t there on-set that day.  Apparently the Director didn’t want to do the shot, but Dirk convinced him to.  Turns out the shot was so well-received, it ended up in the opening credits!  After that I got my picture taken with him and also purchased one of his books. I’m about a quarter of the way through his first book, Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery And Life.  The book covers his early life, his battle with cancer, the benefits of a macrobiotic diet, and taking control of your own health through diet.  There is a lot of controversy surrounding his dietary suggestions, but it’s worth listening to.  I don’t normally go in for autobiographies, and I REALLY don’t go in for health food propaganda.  However, I’m really fascinated by this book and find myself questioning the way I eat.  I’d recommend this book to anyone with an open mind.

I then when hunting for more great costumes to take pictures of.  I was shocked to find out I’d filled my memory card entirely after about 500 pictures!  Wow!  Thankfully I brought my laptop that has a built-in SD reader slot.  So I downloaded all the pictures, cleared the memory card, and started off again.

There were two panels I was planning to attend but was disappointed to find out they were canceled.  Both the Eureka creator panel and the Leonard Nimoy panel were canceled for Saturday. Bummer.  So instead I got in line for the Stargate Atlantis panel.  I’ve seen some Stargate panels before at Dragon*Con. They’re very well organized and the guests are great, so I figured it was worth a shot.  The line was insanely long.  It went outside and wrapped around the building.  I waited for about an hour with some very nice people and we had a great chat.  Once we got inside we were lucky enough to find seats on the fifth row!  That was awesome! While I’m not an expert on Stargate Atlantis, I have watched my fair share of episodes.  The cast were funny, kind to the fans, and genuinely seemed to be having fun.  One of the stars, Rachel Luttrell (Teyla), was late.  So Joe Flanigan (Colonel Sheppard) called her on his cell phone.  He held his phone to the microphone so we could all hear the conversation.  He lied and told her the panel hadn’t started yet and the hilarity ensued!  Throughout the panel they all had some really good banter and teased each other mercilessly.  This panel was a blast. I’m going to be sure to attend more Stargate panels at future Dragon*Cons.

After that I hit the Art Show.  There I picked up my third Tom Fleming print. This time out it was Doctor Fate!  I’ve already got an Aquaman and Firestorm from him.  They look great framed in my office!  He’s slowly working his way through the JSA, so I might pick up some more from him in the future.  You can see more of Tom Fleming’s work by clicking here and clicking here.

Later Ravenface and I came across someone in an Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld costume!  We couldn’t believe it!  You may recall a few months back Ravenface and I interviewed the creators of Amethyst for this blog (click here for more on that interview).  This was the first time either of us had ever seen someone dressed as Amethyst.  We chatted with this lady for about ten minutes.  She was super sweet and really was a big Amethyst fan.

After that we witnessed the astonishing Alpha Flight photo shoot being organized.  Allen (a.k.a. The Evil Twin) had dressed up as Firestorm last year for Dragon*Con.  This year he created an impressive Sasquatch costume.  Seriously, this costume was eight feet tall!  You can read more about it on his blog. We were only there while they were preparing the photo shoot.  So I’m using some pictures here from other photographers.

During the convention, some of our friends were handing out THE UNIQUE GEEK bingo cards.  You can see the cards below.  In order to qualify to win, you had to have very specific pictures.  My old friend Shockwave took this challenge as a personal crusade.  Through determination and cleverness, he managed to get a bingo!  Way to go Shockwave.  Below you’ll see one of his required photos, a JSA member in Saturday Night Fever pose.  In this case, Doctor Fate discoing.

Finally, from 10pm until 4am we were at the Nuts on the Road: Gonzo Sound & Vision film fest (presented by NeedCoffee.com and Quickstop Entertainment)!  This thing is amazing!  They play hilarious video clips all night long, taking breaks every hour to hand out thousands of dollars in prizes.  Seriously!  If you show up, you’re going to go home with something.  More than likely you’ll go home with multiple prizes. This year I went home with Sideshow Collectibles gift cards, Batman The Brave & the Bold The Atom action figure, and a DC Universe Infinite Heroes action figure set with Bizarro, Supergirl, and Wonder Girl.  There were also numerous packages of caffeinated mints, caffeinated chocolate chews, and Bacon-flavored chewing gum given out (or to be exact, thrown out to the audience).  They offered a lot more prizes, but I declined as my suitcase was already beyond full.  Also featured was an opening musical act, Neil Innes (best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python – yes, the same guy we saw at breakfast).  There were other celebrities on-hand, such as Adam Savage (Mythbusters), Dr. Forrester & TV’s Frank (Mystery Science Theater 3000), Doc Hammer (Venture Bros), and more.  As always, we had a phenomenal time.  This year’s crop of comedy videos was possibly the best yet.  If you attend Dragon*Con next year, this event is a MUST!  Below is a photo of THE UNIQUE GEEK gang around 4:00am after the event was over.

That was Saturday!  Come back tomorrow for a recap of Sunday and Monday…

There is a book coming out in October that I’m anxious for … Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip by Nevin Martell.

If you’ve been reading ONCE UPON A GEEK for a while, then you probably know I’m a big fan of Calvin & Hobbes.  This comic strip found me at just the right time in life and I’ve felt a strong connection ever since (yes, it found me rather than the other way around).  Beyond reading the daily strips, I purchased the collections, and even put the unauthorized decals on my vehicles.  No… not Calvin peeing or praying.  These were actual images from the strips featuring Spaceman Spiff and a fierce-looking Hobbes.

This new book studies the life of reclusive writer/artist Bill Watterson.  While it appears that Watterson wasn’t actually interviewed for the book, the amount of research done is impressive.

Here is the description from the publisher, Continuum:

The fascinating life, work, and legacy of the reclusive creator behind the beloved Calvin and Hobbes comic strip

For ten years, between 1985 and 1995, Calvin and Hobbes was one the world’s most beloved comic strips. And then, on the last day of 1995, the strip ended. Its mercurial and reclusive creator, Bill Watterson, not only finished the strip but withdrew entirely from public life. There is no merchandising associated with Calvin and Hobbes: no movie franchise; no plush toys; no coffee mugs; no t-shirts (except a handful of illegal ones). There is only the strip itself, and the books in which it has been compiled – including The Complete Calvin and Hobbes: the heaviest book ever to hit the New York Times bestseller list.

In Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip, writer Nevin Martell traces the life and career of the extraordinary, influential, and intensely private man behind Calvin and Hobbes. With input from a wide range of artists and writers (including Dave Barry, Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Lethem, and Brad Bird) as well as some of Watterson’s closest friends and professional colleagues, this is as close as we’re ever likely to get to one of America’s most ingenious and intriguing figures – and a fascinating detective story, at the same time.

Only 3,160 Calvin & Hobbes strips were ever produced, but Watterson has left behind an impressive legacy. Calvin & Hobbes references litter the pop culture landscape and his fans are as varied as they are numerable. Looking for Calvin and Hobbes is an affectionate and revealing book about uncovering the story behind this most uncommon trio – a man, a boy, and his tiger.

Comics Worth Reading received an advance copy and did a fairly in-depth review.  While they were critical about much, they ended by saying, “… this really is a wonderful, warm, and informative book that manages to capture just the right amount of magic about the creator and his creation.“

I’m looking forward to reading this book and getting a better understanding of Bill Watterson, the creator of such beloved characters.

I’m totally excited for the new Star Wars nine-book series, Fate of the Jedi.  The third book comes out today, Abyss.  I’ve really been enjoying the Legacy of the Force series (still have a couple to go on those) and look forward to these next adventures.

Here is a description of Fate of the Jedi from Wookieepedia:

Fate of the Jedi launches a huge story arc, with heroic roles for the galaxy’s most beloved characters — Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, and their surviving children, Ben Skywalker and Jaina Solo. While Luke and Ben set off on the journey of a lifetime — of discovery and hardship, of obstacles and victories—the others remain in more familiar territory, dealing with the aftermath of the civil war that rocked the galaxy in the Legacy of the Force.

THE FUTURE AWAITS…

It has been two years since the death of Darth Caedus. Chief of State Natasi Daala has ushered the Galactic Alliance into a time of unprecented calm, and now the entire galaxy stands poised to freely embrace the same enduring peace that Jacen Solo once sought to impose as a Sith Lord.

In this new era, Luke Skywalker finds himself battling control of the very order he founded. After Jacen’s fall to the dark side, much of the galaxy sees Jedi Knights as rogue soldiers too dangerous and unstable to leave unfettered. It is a view shared by Chief Daala, who has sworn to bring the order under government control–or disband it entirely.

But the greatest threat to the Jedi remains unseen, a faceless menace even more lethal and insidious than the Sith who have plagued the Jedi for millennia. Awakened by Jacen Solo during his five-year odyssey, this hidden peril is reaching out from the darkest corner of the galaxy, assaulting Jedi Knights in ways that even Luke has yet to perceive–but which he must quickly thwart if he is to have any hope of redeeming the New Jedi Order.

Below you’ll find some videos from San Diego Comic Con featuring the authors discuss the Fate of the Jedi series.  The authors discuss where they got the idea for the series, how they collaborate on the series (out of nine total books, each author writes three), their favorite bits of the series to write, and the audiobook versions of the books.

Star Wars Fate of the Jedi Interview pt. 1 | SDCC 2009

If you can’t view the embedded video, click here.

Star Wars Fate of the Jedi Interview pt. 2 | SDCC 2009

If you can’t view the embedded video, click here.

I’ve got a few recommendations for the old school Doctor Who fans around here.  That’s not to say more recent fans wouldn’t enjoy these, it’s just I believe these are targeted for us old fogies.

DOCTOR WHO – THE FORGOTTEN

Within the past couple years, IDW has picked up the Doctor Who comic book license here in the United States. They’ve really done an outstanding job with their original content and reprint books!  They’ve done a few mini-series, lots of one-shots, and have just started an ongoing series.  The one I’m recommending to old school Whovians is a mini-series called The Forgotten.  In the story, the Doctor and Martha finds themselves stranded in a strange museum dedicated to the Doctor himself.  Additionally, the Doctor has lost his memories of every one of his previous incarnations.  Throughout the series he finds objects that bring back his memories of each incarnation one-by-one.

This was a really neat opportunity for IDW to tell short stories with each of the Doctors.  They went as far as to show the first two Doctor’s stories in black in white! There are also numerous cameos by old companions.  Writer Tony Lee did a really good job finding the “voice” for each actor that has played the role, and artist Pia Guerra found a way to capture each actor’s likeness while still making it look like a comic book (as evident in the image above).

If you are a fan of the original series, you gotta check this out.  It’s worth it. You can find Doctor Who The Forgotten in trade paperback form.  If your local comic book store doesn’t have it in-stock, just ask them to order it for you.

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DOCTOR WHO: THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS

During what I consider to be the second era of “lost years” (1996 – 2005), there were several non-televised efforts to keep the spirit of Doctor Who alive.  The BBC published a long-running series of monthly novels, Big Finish began their monthly audio adventures, and Doctor Who Magazine continued their long-running comic strip.  In each of these, the Eighth Doctor (portrayed by Paul McGann) was considered to be the “current” Doctor.

Also during this time the popular non-televised companion, Professor Bernice Summerfield, was spun-off into her own series of books and audio adventures.  Summerfield premiered during the first era of “lost years” (1989 – 1996), appearing in the Virgin Doctor Who: The New Adventures novels and the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip.

Big Finish’s new audio release The Company of Friends features companions of the Eighth Doctor from this era of “lost years”.  There are four short stories, each running about 30 minutes.  Each story is dedicated to a companion from one of the spin-off series.

• From the BBC novels, you’ve got Fitz Kreiner.  Fitz was a fun companion.  In some ways, he was supposed to represent the readers themselves.  He was a 27-year-old slacker that came from the year 1963.  He smoked, drank and liked to think of himself a ladies’ man (which he was not). He often found himself out of his depth in futuristic and alien settings, but was always loyal to the Doctor and was the longest serving companion in the Eighth Doctor novels (55 novels).
• From the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip, you’ve got Izzy Sinclair.  She was a 17-year-old science fiction fan and amateur paranormal investigator from the year 1996.  She had an infectious enthusiasm and of course always found ways to get into trouble.  Izzy was the longest serving companion in the Eighth Doctor comic strips, appearing in nearly all of the Eighth Doctor’s adventures between 1996 and 2003.
• Professor Bernice Summerfield, mentioned previously, gets an adventure here also.  Even though she traveled with the Seventh Doctor, as a spin-off character her appearance here makes sense.  Her reunion with the Eighth Doctor is lots of fun.
• Finally there is Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.  I know, “Huh?”  While Shelley wasn’t truly a companion of the Eighth Doctor, there have been vague references in several Big Finish stories about an adventure the Doctor had with her.  Since the Big Finish adventures are spin-offs themselves, this is their nod to their own adventures.

Overall this is a fun series of stories.  Whether you are a fan of these “lost years” adventures, or new to the subject matter, I think anyone could enjoy these stories.  You can download a digital copy from Big Finish or order the CD version from a number of online retailers (I recommend Who North America).

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WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

You may find this an odd suggestion at first, but I firmly believe that Gene Wilder (as he portrayed the role of Willy Wonka) would have made an outstanding Doctor Who.  I realize he’s not British, but outside of that, he played the role perfectly.  Next time you watch the 1971 version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, watch Wilder’s portrayal closely.  He is brilliant, bizarre, spontaneous, and full of enthusiasm.  He’s very Doctor-ish.