Been a crazy month of April around here - partly because of the work I've been putting in on the Spring 2008 issue of A Thousand Faces, the Quarterly Journal of Superhuman Fiction.

I think it's our best issue yet; check it out HERE and let me know if you agree.

 
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Check THIS out -- watch the banner ad for Devil's Cape near the top of the page - awesome.   

Reading the new Richard Price novel, Lush Life.  It's not a whodunit, or even a whydunit -- there's a murder, and you know pretty quickly who did it, and then watch it ripple through a NYC neighborhood.  I like it -- his best since Clockers, I think, maybe better than that. 


            "What am I supposed to tell myself," Billy hissed in his ear, "it was his time? He was summoned? It was for 
            his own good? He's better off now? He's romping in some, some cloud meadow? He was sacrificed to prevent 
            some great evil from happening?

            "OK, look -- " Matty began.

            "And my son isn't watching over me. He doesn't live on in my heart. He doesn't talk to me. I talk to me and 
             what I say to myself -- "

            "OK, hang on, stop."

            "Cherish your memories . . . My memories feel like knives and I would gladly burn them out of -- "

            "Just stop." 


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It's OPENING DAY!!!

There's an interview with me up at Comic Bits Online -- check it out HERE.

We talk about Requiem and A Thousand Faces, among the usual topics. 


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"And when the men kissed the women good night, and their weekend whiskers scratched the women's cheeks, the women did not think shave, they thought:  stay." 

-- Amy Hempel, "Weekend"

My story "Hollow", originally published in Aphelion back in February of 2007, was chosen by readers and editors of that magazine as one of their fifteen Best Short Stories of 2007. 

Unfortunately, I hadn't checked their site lately, and this just came to my attention this week, despite having been announced earlier this month.  C'est la vie.

"Hollow" is the fifth story I have published in the pages of Aphelion -- great magazine, always worth a look. 

You can read (or re-read -- your mileage may vary) "Hollow" HERE.  Superheroes, TS Eliot, Cancer. . . you won't be disappointed.


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Joe  and I just finished up a fun, three part "illustrated" version of "Requiem", the titular story in my most recent fiction collection.  We ran it on the Order webpage as a bit of a filler between Issues #2 and #3.  You can check it out here -- it's always fun to see your stories come to life.  I particularly liked the illustration for part 2 of the story, as Byron visits the Talley family with some bad news.

You can check it out HERE. 
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The second issue of The Order is now completed over at Drunk Duck -- check it out HERE. 

Plenty of good stuff in this issue -- Giant gorillas!  Sentient computer viruses!  Even a little old-fashioned romance! 


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The winter 2008 issue of A Thousand Faces is LIVE.

Biggest issue yet -- interviews with Van Allen Plexico and Christopher Knowles, and the usual assortment of great fiction. 

I would particularly recommend Steve Goble's "The Bigger They Are" and Robichaud & Glencer's "Making Time." 

Check it out!

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Well, you can't say a little promotion doesn't help:  after a day and a half as the top featured book on Drunk Duck's main site, The Order of Valor is now the #31 book overall, and the #3 superhero book in total readership, despite having only a fraction of those other books total page counts. 

The #1 book is, of course, the gold standard of superhero webcomics, DJ Coffman's awesome Hero By Night.  


JANUARY 6th UPDATE:  Now five days into our front page exposure, we are the #2 superhero book, and #18 book overall, and still getting more hits in a day than we got in a month previously.  Ah, the power of exposure.  Just goes to show that it doesn't matter how good something is, if no one knows it's there, no one will read it. 


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The Order is the featured comic today over at Drunk Duck -- check out the blurb HERE.  

I don't know the usual surfing time for most webcomic readers, but it's not even lunch and we've already had over 10 times our usual visitors.  

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And another list.  Again, in no particular order, my ten favorite graphic novels that I read in 2007:


* The Nightly News
* Powers:  Cosmic
* Laika
* The Hood:  Blood From a Stone
* Elk's Run
* The American Way
* Rock Bottom
* Ex Machina:  Smoke Smoke  /  Ex Machina:  Power Down
* Meltdown
* Gotham Central:  Quick and the Dead  /  Gotham Central:  Dead Robin

And special mention for Ed Brubaker's books, the only ones I still pick up monthly:  Daredevil, Captain America, and Criminal. 


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Everybody else is doing "best of" lists, so here's mine: 
In no particular order, my five favorite novels (not necessarily the best, but my favorite) that I read in 2007:

The Road, Cormac McCarthy -- bleak, apocalyptic, masterful.  I still can't quite believe it was an Oprah book, but whatever.  A very visceral read for a father to be with a son on the way (as I was when I read it).  Heartbreaking. 

Fortunate Son, Walter Mosley -- a modern parable that reads very much like a fairy tale (in a weird way).  I dare you to read it and not examine your own views on race in today's America.  Powerful stuff. 

Star Wars: Allegiance, Timothy Zahn -- the master of the Star Wars novel returns with another good one, set this time between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, detailing a platoon of stormtroopers from the fearsome 501st. 

Bust, Ken Bruen & Jason Starr -- the best of the excellent Hard Case Crime series that I read this year.  Hilarious, violent, thrilling -- it's like a postmodern Elmore Leonard.

Patriot Acts, Greg Rucka -- the latest Atticus Kodiak novel (after a long break), this was one of my most anticipated books in '07 and it did not disappoint.  It is criminal that Rucka doesn't have permanent residency on the best-seller list. 


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Happy New Year!

Final tally for my 2007 reading:  35 books, 103 graphic novels.  A bit short on my book goal, a bit over on the GN goal, so we'll call it a wash and a successful reading year.  (2006 saw 43 books and 108 GNs, but we had a kid in October of this year, so what do you want?)   

Observations:

* Of my 35 books, 9 of them were Star Wars titles (and 8 comics, as well).  The Legacy of the Force series made up most of those (7), a series that started out at as interesting, almost sympathetic look at the evolution of a Sith Lord, but later became your stock evil villain, a disappointing turn. 

* I was really pleased to see that 15 of the books and 14 of the GNs came courtesy of the Howard County Public Library System, which was a big improvement in our banking account. 

* 8 of the books were non-fiction, easily the highest number that I've read since I started keeping track a few years ago. 

* I also finally read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, just in time to find out that the first movie gutted everything that made the books interesting.  A pity, really.  My wife's mostly mad that it took me so long to read them that she can't remember  the specific details necessary to really, really discuss it.  She read them 6-7 years ago, and has been after me to read them ever since.  My fault -- really good stuff, after all. 

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FINALLY updated my ComicSpace profile.  If anybody else is a member, friend me!  

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The first issue of The Order, created by artist Joe Jarin and myself, is now complete over at Drunk Duck.

You can check out the final few pages HERE, or read it from the beginning HERE. 

Silver Age fun, Digital Age format.  (Still working on a tagline.)


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Anybody else find their writing influenced by what they're reading / watching on TV?  The obvious answer is yes, of course so, but I guess I'm more curious as to how your reading / viewing affects your writing.  

For example:  I've been watching The Shield a lot lately.  I know, I know, I'm only about six years behind, but I never watched it when it was airing on FX, and only recently started picking up the DVDs at the library.  I have one more disc to finish off Season Three, and so far, I'm really enjoying it.  

So, of course, last night on the train ride home from work, I cooked up a story with some strong street gang elements to it.  It would have several of my "street level" hero characters working together (A Team-Up!!  Haven't done one of those yet.) when gang factions in their respective neighborhoods go to war with one another.  We'd see Silversword, El Torero, Adonis, Jack Sampson, I think, with plenty of other cameos.  It would also provide a look into the criminal structure of Jefferson Falls.  A lot of racial politics, that sort of thing. 

I'm also reading Tulia at the moment, a (nonfiction) book dealing with dirty cops and the broken system with which we fight the war on drugs, with heavy emphasis on some of the racial elements therein.  Similar to The Shield in some regards (racial issues, crooked cops, drugs, gangs), and a good read as I get ready for the final season of The Wire.

So is there any wonder I had that story idea last night? 

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The conclusion of "Harvey", behind the cut.


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