lithera:

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. Today is Veteran's Day. These things are associated together and well they should be as my dad is a veteran. I love him very much, though I suffer badly from out of sight out of mind with people. I struggle with keeping as well connected as I'd like, I've seen my parents twice this year and while once that would have been enough, as I grow older I realize all of the changes in relationships as you become your own person and stop struggling against everything so very much.

So, Happy Birthday and Happy Veterans Day, Dad. I wouldn't the person I am today without you.

Yesterday, he sent on a request to me and I'm putting it up here.

Please vote for Ontonagon (in Michigan near where my parents live) to get a $10,000 grant from the NFL for an upgrade to the playground at the elementary school. There are 5 schools around the country in the finals of the original 1,200 who applied and you can vote for one, once each 24 hours until December 1. I would appreciate it if you would go to kaboom.org/playday to vote for Ontonagon. (And now, I'll have my dad signing Ontonagon to the tune of Oklahoma for a few hours at the very least.) I know these kids would really, really appreciate it.

Thanks.

lithera:

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that The CW has decided to turn "Smallville's" upcoming Justice Society-themed two-parter into a two hour movie event airing on January 29. Written by Geoff Johns, the episodes - titled "Society" and "Legends" and featuring such DC Comics stalwarts as Stargirl, Hawkman, and Dr. Fate - were originally designed to air separately. OOOOOOH!

Mark Harmon as Superman? Gina Torres as Super Woman?


Another trailer - Huh. This looks like fun.


There are Error Ring variants – with the wrong ring logos mixed with the wrong colours - of each of the color rings that are currently coming out with specific issues. That sounds like it would be fun to find.

Screenwriter Bill Birch says to Cinema Blend that while the Captain Marvel movie will have an edge to it — but it won't be Dark Knight gritty, and will probably have a PG-13 rating. He admitted that Dwayne Johnson could be a possibility for a role, possibly Captain Marvel, given Johnson's relationship with director Peter Segal.

Robert Patrick will appear in the midseason episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac."

According to an MTV exclusive, Dolph Lundgren may be headed for a cameo or more in Conan.

A rumor is that Black Cat will be in Spider-Man 4 and that they're even looking at actresses for the roll. Hmmmmmm.

According to a survey by Simba Information, One in 10 adult American book buyers also read comic books.

lithera:



Ummmmmm. That makes me all kinds of giddy about cheesy monster killing goodness.

lithera:

LEONARD NIMOY WILL BE ECCC!

!!!!!!

Woah!

Also recently added on the comic side:
Tim Bradstreet
Peter Tomasi
Kevin Maguire
Douge Mahnke

tcdale, posting in roleplayers:
Morning all,

I'm Taig, and I'm a roleplayer. (Hi, Taig!) I've been D&Ding since 1st edition back when "elf" was a class. Second edition was my fave until 3.5 came along. Now that 4th is here, I'm really not impressed, so I won't be "upgrading."

That isn't to say that 3.5 doesn't have its problems, of course, so I'm also looking at some alternatives. The two big "3.5 nextgen" systems seem to be Pathfinder and Fantasy Craft.

Pathfinder I've read and, while I like the direction they're going in, I think they're sticking too close to the 3.5 basis. They're trying to remain compatible and "fix problems" at the same time, and it's very difficult to do both (as the more you "fix", the less compatible it becomes). FantasyCraft doesn't seem to have this problem, but it's also gone the "ultra-crunchy" route, which I'm also not all that fond of.

So... people who have played these systems (or other D&D 3.5-ish systems): what do you think? What are the pros and cons?

The other possibility I'm looking at it, of course, is D&D 3.5 basis (or FantasyCraft, or Pathfinder) with extensive houseruling. So, opinions about that welcome as well (your favorite houserules and such).

Big Note: I'm not interested in engaging/starting a "4E rules/sucks" thread. If you like it, great, it's just not my style and I'm not interested in it.

lithera:


"Wait. Are you flirting?"

c_jyd:
Jen has been very awesome and supportive of the entire process, and I'm turning out prolific enough that I'm finding myself being convinced of taking a real shot towards getting this mass collection of spelling and grammatical errors published when November and the dark and evil time called 'editing' is done. Going to definitely need test reading and editing help, for while I am a prolific writer, editing, especially my own work, is not anywhere among my talents.

I hit 100k words last night despite slowing down a bunch over the weekend to attempt a social life, girlfriend time and a couple hours of Rock Band. Jen convinced me that what I'm writing is not the Steampunk version of War and Peace, but instead a trilogy. Since three titles have occurred to me, this works nicely. Love it when things work out. In which case, book 1 is now done and behind me, and will not get any more editing than the spellcheck it suffered through this morning until December 1st at the earliest, and by then, I'm going to be so sick of all of this I'll no doubt want to put it off longer than that.

For anyone who is curious, for whatever reason, I'm working in a new genre for me. Doing an early-era Steampunk (1815-1820) designed with an eye towards being the roots from which some more traditional Victorian Steampunk settings may have sprung from. I'm doing all sorts of cross-ups in genre, part adventure, part alternate-history-fiction, and part political conspiracy, with a few Steampunk elements thrown in.
Just because I'm alternately sadistic and masochistic towards myself, the entire story is in the form of letters, journal entries, etc. from the narrating character to a handful of people, now being read and reviewed by the narrator's fiancee during the Victorian era.

For everyone else doing NaNo, good luck with your own books. I can definitely appreciate the work everyone is doing. 50k may not have been the challenge for me, but I definitely have my own obstacles to make a challenge out of it. Which now starts with getting good momentum going for book 2.

lithera:

Smallville really wants me to watch an episode this year. They cast Pam Grier as The Wall, who will be showing up in the JSA episode.

Guillermo Del Toro says to MTV about the Hobbit: "We will be integrating Gandalf's comings and goings [into the script] because he does disappear in the book quite often. So, as opposed to the book, we see where he goes and what happens to him."

Alex Ross drew a nice Catwoman piece for an animal rescue charity.

Not a lot of developments over the weekend.

lithera:
It is that time of year again. It is the time of my favorite charity.




Please take a few moments and see if there is anything you can do to help. I know money is very tight all around this year, so I won't push hard. I'll just note that even just a few dollars makes a difference.

lithera:

So, people ask me about where to start in reading comics from time to time. It very much depends on the person asking but there are a few things I will recommend to most people. Here is what I would recommend - feel free to add your own. There is likely plenty of stuff I've forgotten.

Maus - By Art Spiegelman, this recounts the struggle of Spiegelman's father to survive the Holocaust as a Polish Jew who survived Auschwitz and Dachau. In 1992, it won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award. I remember being very struck by it the first time I read the whole thing through.

Sandman - I know. It is obvious but it /is/ good stuff. The Absolute versions are gorgeous and I recommend them to anyone. The Sandman was the only comic to ever win the World Fantasy Award and is one of the few comic books ever to be on the New York Times Bestseller list (before there was a comic/manga specific list). While I can sum this one up quickly, I shy away from doing so as there is so much more here than the main story.

Y: The Last Man - This is solid stuff. The plot is that every male mammal on the planet dies except for one guy and his pet monkey. There are a few places where it starts to wander a little off path but I think if it didn't, it would have just been unrelentingly brutal. Keep in mind, that it is a Brian K. Vaughan story. If you're expecting happy endings, you should probably find another author to read.

Promethea - Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III. This book is a hell of a ride through metafiction and all sorts of other Alan Moore sorts of things (Hermetic Qabalah, symbolism, mythology) but I never really felt weighed down by it all. I had a lot of fun picking through all of the references and symbols. That and Promethea kicks ass.

Gotham Central - Being a cop in Gotham takes a special kind of crazy. This is a great exploration of what that would be like. If you like crime proceedurals, you might get a kick out of this one. And, well, it has Rene Montoya in it, who is all kinds of awesome.

V for Vendetta - Again, Alan Moore. If you've seen the movie, you haven't seen the whole story, really. While I thought that the movie was a good adaptation, there is a lot that didn't make it in. Like Watchmen, I recommend reading the original and seeing which you like better.

Queen & Country - Spies and assassins working for Her Majesty the Queen. I liked the first one but the second graphic novel is what had me hooked. Nothing is easy for these characters and sometimes it is heartbreakingly hard. At the same time, it is an excellent depiction of good people trying to do the right things in situations where there are few good choices.

Strangers in Paradise - This, I will warn you up front, is not for everyone. This is mostly a story about relationships. There is, admittedly, a lot of guns and butt kicking and such that goes on but mostly, this is about relationships and how messed up everything can get when people are being people. This is a heartstring jerking ride and I had to take some time off from it and come back to it. The ending is beautiful.

DMZ - I'm new to this one myself, having only read the first two of them but so far, the whole thing is well planned and well told. The series is set in New York City. It seems to be sometime in the near future and in the midst of a civil war that has turned the island of Manhattan into a demilitarized zone between the two sides. I like the interaction between characters and I like that everything is not spelled out clearly for you.

Planetary - I love Planetary. This is a exhilarating romp through fiction in the first half - pulpy sci-fi, noir comics, Tarzan and many more genres/eras are shown off. You get all of the good parts and none of what may have left a bad taste behind. The second half is more plot focused but it brings together all of the elements built up in the first half, using them as touchstones. It took forever to be finished but the result is awesome.

I didn't put much 'superhero' stuff on here and that's on purpose. While there are runs of almost every character that I would recommend, they're harder to pinpoint and they're not well self-contained. In most cases what I've put up above is held in one book, though Y sprawls out to encompass ten and SiP more than that. I've also noticed that people react differently to superhero comics than other things I give them. I still haven't entirely figured out why that is or if it is my guess as to what they like about things that is wrong.

nemoblack, posting in nwsfs:



Boxcar Astronaut #139:  Red Rover!
Greetings, Fellow Astronauts! It's another sunny day in the backyard as the gang takes sides in the age old game of Red Rover. As with most of Ben's ideas, playing Red Rover against the team of Robot and Caveman isn't very well thought out. It seems those poor boys are about about to learn the hard way that a huge metal robot from space is NOT what you want to see running top speed at you. Check out this week's All New Boxcar Astronaut for the amazing Red Rover Action!

And be sure to check out SpookyDoofus.com, and Clockworks: A Steampunk Adventure too. 

crispengray:
My brother has had some significant difficulties in his life, as many of you know if you've followed this blog for some time.

Today, he got married to a wonderful woman. I could not be happier for them.

In addition, my nieces and nephew continue to astound me.

It was a beautiful (and entertaining) ceremony, and the reception was a great deal of fun. I saw family I hadn't seen in years, and even met an old friend of the family I had never actually met in person. I couldn't have imagined a more incredible and perfect event for celebrating the love these two people have.

Todd: I love you. Rae: Thank you for becoming part of this family.

kmarier, posting in nwsfs:

Loads of author news - book reissues, articles, obits and much more...

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thewrittenwyrd, posting in nwsfs:

Howdy all.   Only twenty (20) more days to Orycon!   A couple friends and I are planning to go down to Portland on Friday the 27th, on Amtrak train #501.   That leaves Seattle at sometime around 7.30, which may be a bit early, but I am wondering if any of you will be taking that train?  

If so, shoot me an e-mail and let's see if we can connect.   It's a beautiful ride along the Sound, and it's cheaper than driving.

The writing went excellently this week, and I am really pleased with how my newest project, 'MacKenna'. is shaping up.   If I keep this up, I should have it done shortly after Orycon.

My best to all, and if you plan to take the train, please give me a heads up.   Party train!

TTFN

kmarier, posting in nwsfs:

Looks like Greg Bear, Cherie Priest and Jeff VanderMeer will all be around town for readings and signings next week. Details below...

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science_cyrano, posting in roleplayers:

Hey Guys, thanks for all the comments and return questions!   If any of you live near Cleveland Ohio, please drop me a PM!

I thought some of you might like to know how things turned out.  I was quite surprised at how it turned out:
( Cut for those who are not interested )

lithera:

Because Geoff Johns asked for people to say so on his Twitter, I'm going to say that he and Greg Rucka should work on the mystery project together. Because, well, awesome. I am all in favor. Feel free to mention how in favor you may be as well. (I gotta get on this Twitter thing. I know, I know, I keep saying that.)

On a related note, Mr. Rucka has a new comic out yesterday - Stumptown. I have not gotten to pick up my copy yet but from what I've seen, if you're at all a fan of Q&C or Gotham Central, this would be for you: http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/comicproportions/2009/11/05/quickie-comic-review-stumptown-no-1/

Heat Vision reports that John C. Reilly and Mary-Louise Parker are in talks to join the cast of Red. (Summit Entertainment's adaptation of the Wildstorm/DC Comics miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. http://www.dccomics.com/wildstorm/graphic_novels/?gn=1319) Helen Mirren signed on to play an assassin earlier this week.

Gerard Butler has signed on to join the cast of Coriolanus, as Tullus Aufidius. It has been awhile since I've read that one...

Screen Daily is reporting that actress Nicole Kidman will be joining Robert Pattinson in "Bel Ami." That will be interesting as it is a biopic about 19th Century French writer Guy de Maupassant, a young man who scandalously slept his way to the top of Paris' high society in the 1890's with some of the city's most influential women.

Steve Guttenberg is saying that there is going to be another Three Men and a Baby movie and maybe there should be another Police Academy movie. Me thinks he is just looking for something to do.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that J.J. Abrams is in talks to produce a movie about the Japanese interchangeable toys Micronauts, which Hasbro just acquired. Oooookay.

On the same sort of Hasbro note... Columbia Pictures & Overbrook Entertainment (Will Smith's company) are developing a movie based on Risk..... Uh-huh. Land war in Asia, yadda, yadda.

Pajiba says that Hasbro is hard at work to resurrect Jem. Ummm. Jem was cool and all but it was SO VERY 80s. SO, SO, SO 80s.

Johnny Depp is in negotiations to join "The Tourist." He would star with Angelina Jolie as "an American tourist drawn into a web of intrigue and danger by a female Interpol agent as she attempts to locate a criminal who was once her lover." That'd be okay with me.

And speaking of Angelina, the trailer for Salt is here: http://www.latinoreview.com/news/pour-some-angelina-on-those-wounds-with-this-salty-trailer-8453

And while we're at it on the whole trailer thing, here is the new Holmes trailer: http://www.latinoreview.com/news/brand-new-trailer-for-sherlock-holmes-8451

And here is a new Caprica trailer:

lithera:
My heart hurts.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/fort-hood-shootings-7-dea_n_347366.html

My thoughts are with those in the Fort Hood community. To give you some perspective, Fort Hood has about 30,000 people on it. There is a mall on base as well as 9 schools. This is a small city, it si a small city where a large number of the people risk their lives day in and day out.

I have a lot of opinions on this but a lot of them involve swearing, so I'm going to refrain for the moment.

science_cyrano, posting in roleplayers:
I'm playing a cleric of Tyr in the underdark, she's a slave--which has been pretty harrowing, but she's doing her best to keep her alignment and whatever good she can.   Yeah, I know-- she's probably going to die horribly, but it's pretty cool right now.  At the moment she's alive, and unsurprisingly stuck with a moral challenge:

The cleric of Tyr has been traded to some slavers.

One of the slavers, a drow NPC who seems actually pretty decent, offered her to protect her from The Sisters.   Who I'm guessing are probably some kind of cleric of Lloth.   This would require sleeping with him, as the Sisters find those who have been 'tainted' by a lowly male unsuitable.    He would otherwise not be interested in sleeping with a human. 

So...what should she do? 

   She is a chaste (and currently celibate by perference) widow.   The cleric is by all standards rather chivalrous and a 'nice girl', sleeping with a stranger is something she would not do on her own.   It's not that she considers it evil, but perhaps a more respectful and honorable choice.

Of course she'd rather not be at the mercy of these Sisters, her death in these circumstances would probably not serve Tyr particularly well. 

  I don't think that Tyr would abandon her with either decision(1).

(1) http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0490.html

kmarier, posting in nwsfs:

If you missed getting a chance to hear Jeff VanderMeer at steamcon or missed this week's seminar at the U. Bookstore, he's giving a talk t the fantastic Fiction Salon at Hugo House on the 9th. kijohnson won a World Fantasy Award, Cherie Priest talks about destroying Seattle and several other local authors have sold stories! More news below...

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