Even though it's ripping my guts out to continue with this character, I really think I have something with The Dark Staircase. And since it's short even for a novella (about thirteen thousand words) I figure it's going to need a companion story to get publishers to look at it. Of course this doesn't have to be a sequel but I've realized that I can change the character's name to whatever I want, it'd still be Annie I would be writing about.
So here's the beginning:
Annie closed her eyes.
Riveting, huh? I'll keep you posted.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Action Needs an Audience: You Like to Read So...
Taking an unplanned break between books, all my reading over the past two weeks has been pretty much of the comic book variety. I've been buying more lately too and soon I'm going to need another box (that would be #8) for proper storage. So I've been a casual comic book reader for most of my life and a serious one for about the past eight years and lately I've been asking myself, "Are comics getting better?" Is that why I'm buying more?
Taking a look at what I'm currently collecting, the answer certainly isn't apparent. Over eighty percent of the books I follow and have followed over the years are Marvel, featuring superhero-types in that world. Many of the graphic novels I purchase are this too but those that are Marvel usually don't contain recent material at all. The vast majority of it comes from the eighties and nineties. As far as titles like X-Men goes, this is a direct reflection of how I feel about their state. Aside from a run of forty-some issues of the New Mutants title launched in late 2003 or early 2004, that eventually was renamed simply New X-Men (not to be confused with the title written primarily by Grant Morrison starting around 2000), I've never been able to maintain an interest in any X-book of the past decade. If I want stories featuring mutants I look to Chris Claremont and John Byrne, mostly. With some early stuff by Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld.
So I definitely don't think any of the X books are getting better but there's also a lot I simply haven't bothered with so it's fair to say I'm possibly missing out on something. I've been tinkering with the idea of picking up the newest X-Force but this will probably come to nothing.
But it's clear that I believe the Avengers have gotten a lot better. Here is a team that I have had almost zero interest in before 2004. The "big three" of Cap, Iron Man and Thor never did anything for me and even today after all that's transpired, it's only Cap whom I've changed my tune about. Brian Bendis is of course the man most responsible for this, with assists from guys like Ed Brubaker and Dan Slott here and there.
I could go on and on in this vein without really getting anywhere and possibly boring the living hell out of you so let's leave Marvel behind, shall we? Hell, let's leave superheroes behind too. Because really, as much as I love that genre and always will, I completely understand that it is the genre that simultaneously dominates and embarrasses the medium. No matter how well these titles are written, they're probably never going to escape the stigma that they carry for a lot of people. Which is unfortunate but fine.
But it's really not fine that this is probably the leading reason why so many people who love books and reading don't take an interest in comics and graphic novels. Do I have a solution? No. Really, if someone wants to deprive himself of the brilliance of something like Watchmen, Sandman, Maus or The Unwritten or any alternative comics by geniuses like Chris Ware (or how about Renee French? Look these people up!) just because they make naive assumptions about comics, then that's just his loss and I feel sorry for him. Call me a snob but if you have never read any comics or manga then I don't see how you could possibly call yourself a true fan of or authority on literature. I mean, you can be one to a point of course, but by ignoring a huge section of it, you maintain a narrow view. Then again, I can't say I've read a great deal of medieval ballads - so does that make me some kind of hypocrite? Yeah...no.
Ever since their birth, comics have been fighting an uphill battle to achieve legitimacy and respect in literary circles and sadly, it still seems like there's a ways to go. Someone recently told me that they themselves didn't read comics simply because they "didn't see the appeal". That was certainly a new one to me. Usually, if anyone had something to say on the subject, they'd talk about what they found to be unappealing. But just a lack of appeal overall? I find that hard to buy. Comics, more than any other literary medium - wears its appeal on its sleeve - it's right there. You don't have to search for it. It's front and centre. The fusion of writing and art to tell a story. Any story you can think of. I've yet to meet anyone who says they don't appreciate good art. So isn't good art appealing? Is there something about combining good art and good writing that somehow lessens their value? That seems a little screwy to me. As a pretty experienced student of the school of close reading, I figured I should take a stab at explaining comics and their appeal.
As a medium that is read, comic books relinquish a degree of control to its audience that television, movies, theatre and records do not. Even the shortest passages - maybe just one panel - are limitless in the time that they can command. The images remain frozen, the words echo on the page. Only once we've absorbed the tone and meaning do we move on. That's not something we do when reading a prose novel. A comic's inclusion of visual information is probably the major reason for its ghettoization, the idea being that words are harder earned information than pictures. But the fact is that while images do replace imagination, they also invite readers to slow down and reflect in a way that pure text never will. To me, this makes the experience of reading a comic more engaging than reading a novel. Not better. They're just different. Nothing is better than comics for delivering that one-two punch of active engagement and submissive escapism.
Since a comic book requires both acute visual and narrative talents, the comic book industry, kind of like the film industry, was facilitated by a studio system, at least in its earlier days. Comics are very rarely singular in their vision and nearly always collaborative in their creation. This makes them quite different once again from the novel, novella, play or short story. Even writer-artists have inkers, letterers (an often overlooked artform in itself) and of course, editors to work with.
But back to the actual experience. Comic books aren't a passive experience like film - it still is the imaginative, self-motivated act of reading that puts events into motion and brings characters to life. The result is an experience that we perceive through the intellectual force of text and the visual force of the image. At their best, these elements combine to create an intensity of experience that text alone can't hope to match. Of course, this isn't easily accomplished. Which is what I really believe makes comics special as a medium. While most people are happy to appreciate a pretty picture or to lose themselves in a good story, for some reason the combination creates raised expectations, if not a lack of interest that I just can't fathom.
I've always described myself as a "non visual" person and it's the truth. When recalling a person, I don't see their face flash in my mind, I hear their voice. It's often how I recognize actors in movies when they're playing roles that make them appear different. I'm pretty lousy at remembering appearance but I can't be fooled by voice. I'd much rather attend a symphony than a museum. But there is something still about the visual experience of reading that I adore. It's why I've never taken to audio books. I take great delight in how words are sometimes formed and how they look on the page. I love "oo" words like "moon", "broom", crook". Because it is so rare in English, I'm always pleased to see an "x" somewhere. This visual experience is absolutely crucial for me in reading. Here's a question for you: how often, when you're reading, do you find your eye floating to the bottom of the page to take in new information, maybe not even a full sentence, then return to where you were and continue reading forward? Sometimes I have to consciously force myself to keep my eyes from drifting ahead because I don't trust them. Comics take this experience to an even more pure level as we take in the picture up, down, to the side, up diagonally and so on, merging imagery and words effortlessly. It's not something you have to try to do; you just do it.
I've reached the end of my essay and am sorry to say I haven't been able to come up with a neat, concise conclusion. While that bugs the hell out of me, at least it will keep me from just repeating myself. If I come up with something later, I'll be sure to add it. See you in the funny pages.
Taking a look at what I'm currently collecting, the answer certainly isn't apparent. Over eighty percent of the books I follow and have followed over the years are Marvel, featuring superhero-types in that world. Many of the graphic novels I purchase are this too but those that are Marvel usually don't contain recent material at all. The vast majority of it comes from the eighties and nineties. As far as titles like X-Men goes, this is a direct reflection of how I feel about their state. Aside from a run of forty-some issues of the New Mutants title launched in late 2003 or early 2004, that eventually was renamed simply New X-Men (not to be confused with the title written primarily by Grant Morrison starting around 2000), I've never been able to maintain an interest in any X-book of the past decade. If I want stories featuring mutants I look to Chris Claremont and John Byrne, mostly. With some early stuff by Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld.
So I definitely don't think any of the X books are getting better but there's also a lot I simply haven't bothered with so it's fair to say I'm possibly missing out on something. I've been tinkering with the idea of picking up the newest X-Force but this will probably come to nothing.
But it's clear that I believe the Avengers have gotten a lot better. Here is a team that I have had almost zero interest in before 2004. The "big three" of Cap, Iron Man and Thor never did anything for me and even today after all that's transpired, it's only Cap whom I've changed my tune about. Brian Bendis is of course the man most responsible for this, with assists from guys like Ed Brubaker and Dan Slott here and there.
I could go on and on in this vein without really getting anywhere and possibly boring the living hell out of you so let's leave Marvel behind, shall we? Hell, let's leave superheroes behind too. Because really, as much as I love that genre and always will, I completely understand that it is the genre that simultaneously dominates and embarrasses the medium. No matter how well these titles are written, they're probably never going to escape the stigma that they carry for a lot of people. Which is unfortunate but fine.
But it's really not fine that this is probably the leading reason why so many people who love books and reading don't take an interest in comics and graphic novels. Do I have a solution? No. Really, if someone wants to deprive himself of the brilliance of something like Watchmen, Sandman, Maus or The Unwritten or any alternative comics by geniuses like Chris Ware (or how about Renee French? Look these people up!) just because they make naive assumptions about comics, then that's just his loss and I feel sorry for him. Call me a snob but if you have never read any comics or manga then I don't see how you could possibly call yourself a true fan of or authority on literature. I mean, you can be one to a point of course, but by ignoring a huge section of it, you maintain a narrow view. Then again, I can't say I've read a great deal of medieval ballads - so does that make me some kind of hypocrite? Yeah...no.
Ever since their birth, comics have been fighting an uphill battle to achieve legitimacy and respect in literary circles and sadly, it still seems like there's a ways to go. Someone recently told me that they themselves didn't read comics simply because they "didn't see the appeal". That was certainly a new one to me. Usually, if anyone had something to say on the subject, they'd talk about what they found to be unappealing. But just a lack of appeal overall? I find that hard to buy. Comics, more than any other literary medium - wears its appeal on its sleeve - it's right there. You don't have to search for it. It's front and centre. The fusion of writing and art to tell a story. Any story you can think of. I've yet to meet anyone who says they don't appreciate good art. So isn't good art appealing? Is there something about combining good art and good writing that somehow lessens their value? That seems a little screwy to me. As a pretty experienced student of the school of close reading, I figured I should take a stab at explaining comics and their appeal.
As a medium that is read, comic books relinquish a degree of control to its audience that television, movies, theatre and records do not. Even the shortest passages - maybe just one panel - are limitless in the time that they can command. The images remain frozen, the words echo on the page. Only once we've absorbed the tone and meaning do we move on. That's not something we do when reading a prose novel. A comic's inclusion of visual information is probably the major reason for its ghettoization, the idea being that words are harder earned information than pictures. But the fact is that while images do replace imagination, they also invite readers to slow down and reflect in a way that pure text never will. To me, this makes the experience of reading a comic more engaging than reading a novel. Not better. They're just different. Nothing is better than comics for delivering that one-two punch of active engagement and submissive escapism.
Since a comic book requires both acute visual and narrative talents, the comic book industry, kind of like the film industry, was facilitated by a studio system, at least in its earlier days. Comics are very rarely singular in their vision and nearly always collaborative in their creation. This makes them quite different once again from the novel, novella, play or short story. Even writer-artists have inkers, letterers (an often overlooked artform in itself) and of course, editors to work with.
But back to the actual experience. Comic books aren't a passive experience like film - it still is the imaginative, self-motivated act of reading that puts events into motion and brings characters to life. The result is an experience that we perceive through the intellectual force of text and the visual force of the image. At their best, these elements combine to create an intensity of experience that text alone can't hope to match. Of course, this isn't easily accomplished. Which is what I really believe makes comics special as a medium. While most people are happy to appreciate a pretty picture or to lose themselves in a good story, for some reason the combination creates raised expectations, if not a lack of interest that I just can't fathom.
I've always described myself as a "non visual" person and it's the truth. When recalling a person, I don't see their face flash in my mind, I hear their voice. It's often how I recognize actors in movies when they're playing roles that make them appear different. I'm pretty lousy at remembering appearance but I can't be fooled by voice. I'd much rather attend a symphony than a museum. But there is something still about the visual experience of reading that I adore. It's why I've never taken to audio books. I take great delight in how words are sometimes formed and how they look on the page. I love "oo" words like "moon", "broom", crook". Because it is so rare in English, I'm always pleased to see an "x" somewhere. This visual experience is absolutely crucial for me in reading. Here's a question for you: how often, when you're reading, do you find your eye floating to the bottom of the page to take in new information, maybe not even a full sentence, then return to where you were and continue reading forward? Sometimes I have to consciously force myself to keep my eyes from drifting ahead because I don't trust them. Comics take this experience to an even more pure level as we take in the picture up, down, to the side, up diagonally and so on, merging imagery and words effortlessly. It's not something you have to try to do; you just do it.
I've reached the end of my essay and am sorry to say I haven't been able to come up with a neat, concise conclusion. While that bugs the hell out of me, at least it will keep me from just repeating myself. If I come up with something later, I'll be sure to add it. See you in the funny pages.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
My 2010 Reading
Inspired by kingshearte's post, I decided to try to recall the books I read in the past year. I never thought to try to keep track of them but since I have a really good memory for this sort of thing, I figured I would take a shot at it.
Obviously, these are in absolutely no order whatsoever. Not all of them are novels - some are collections of short stories and some are plays or novellas - and most of the nineteenth century stuff was for school. Some of them, like Red Dragon, I have read more than three times. Some, like A Christmas Carol, Watchmen or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I read every year.
1. Tooth & Nail - Ian Rankin
2. Dracula - Bram Stoker
3. Ghosts - Henrik Ibsen
4. Magic Moon - Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein
5. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident - Eoin Colfer
4. Pluto (8 volumes in total) - Naoki Urasawa
5. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
6. Silas Marner - George Elliot
7. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard
8. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
9. To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
10. Earth X - Jim Krueger and Alex Ross
11. Universe X - Jim Krueger and Alex Ross
12. Hellboy: The Crooked Man and Others - Mike Mignola and Jim Corben
13. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
14. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
15. Ender in Exile - Orson Scott Card
16. Hide & Seek - Ian Rankin
17. The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye - Robert Kirkman
18. Akira Volume One: Katsuhiro Otomo
19. The Castle in Transylvania - Jules Verne
20. Red Dragon - Thomas Harris
21. Batman Year One - Frank Miller
22. JPOD - Douglas Coupland
23. Dissolution - Richard Lee Byers
24. Insurrection - Thomas M. Reid
24. Condemnation - Richard Baker
25. Extinction - Lisa Smedman
26. Knots & Crosses - Ian Rankin
27. Voice of the Fire - Alan Moore
28. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fford
29. Love Hina Volume One - Ken Akamatsu
30. Pirate Latitudes - Michael Chrichton
31. Give Our Regards To Atom Smashers! - edited by Sean Howe
32. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
33. The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
34. The Dark Tower: Treachery - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
35. The Dark Tower: Fall Of Gilead - Peter David and Richard Isanove
36. The Dark Tower: Battle Of Jericho Hill - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
37. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
38. Inherit The Wind - Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
39. X-Men: Days Of Future Past - Chris Claremont and John Byrne
40. Dark Entries - Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'edera
41. Sacrifice of the Widow - Lisa Smedman
42. Storm of the Dead - Lisa Smedman
42. Ascendancy of the Last - Lisa Smedman
43. Swordmage - Richard Baker
44. Corsair - Richard Baker
45. Avenger - Richard Baker
46. Watership Down - Richard Adams
47. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R Tolkien
48. The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien
49. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien always insisted they all be treated as one novel but oh well)
50. Akira Volume Two - Katsuhiro Otomo
51. Daredevil: The Man Without Fear - Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.
52. Weapon X - Barry Windsor-Smith
53. The China Wall - Johnny Bower with Bob Duff
54. The Gunslinger - Stephen King
55. The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris
56. The Thief Of Always - Clive Barker
57. The Ghost King - R.A. Salvatore
58. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
59. Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? - Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert
60. The Dark Hills Divide - Patrick Carman
61. Hellboy: The Conqueror Worm - Mike Mignola
62. Death On The Nile - Agatha Christie
63. The Last Iron Fist Story - Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction and David Aja
64. Guardian Devil - Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada
65. Strange Tales - J.R.R Tolkien
66. The Pirate King - R.A. Salvatore
67. The Orc King - R.A. Salvatore
68. The Glass Menagerie - Tennessee Williams
69. Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
70. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
71. DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore - Alan Moore and various
72. The Black Book - Ian Rankin
73. Exit Music - Ian Rankin
74. Arkham Asylum A Serious House On Serious Earth - Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
75. MW - Osamu Tezuka
76. 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
77. Daredevil: Born Again - Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
78. Sideways Stories From Wayside School - Louis Sachar
79. Murder On The Orient Express - Agatha Christie
80. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt - Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo
81. Batman: The Long Halloween - Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
82. Blaze - Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
83. The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
84. The Running Man - Richard Bachman
85. The Two Swords - R.A. Salvatore
86. X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga - Chris Claremont and John Byrne
87. Akira Volume Three - Katsuhiro Otomo
88. Akira Volume Four - Katsuhiro Otomo
89. Out Of The Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
90. Let The Right One In - John Ajvide
91. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life - Bryan Lee O'Malley
92. Scott Pilgrim VS The World - Bryan Lee O'Malley
93. Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness - Bryan Lee O'Malley
94. Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together - Bryan Lee O'Malley
95. Scott Pilgrim VS The Universe - Bryan Lee O'Malley
96. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour - Bryan Lee O'Malley
97. Wizard And Glass - Stephen King
98. Joker - Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
99. Primal Fear - William Diehl
100. A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett
101. Wayside School is Falling Down - Louis Sachar
102. The Three Muskateers - Alexandre Dumas *wins the Longest Thing Read This Year Award...I think
103. The Drawing of the Three - Stephen King
104. Tommy Taylor And The Bogus Identity - Mike Carey and Peter Gross
105. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
106. Batman And Son - Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert
107. Batman: Cacophony - Kevin Smith and Walter Flanagan
108. Batman: The Widening Gyre - Kevin Smith and Walter Flanagan
109. Batman: R.I.P - Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel
110. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
I definitely forgot a few, like three or four books I read standing in the bookstore. And I left out a lot of comic arcs that were too short to mention. More will probably occur to me later but still, that's the most significant stuff, I think.
Obviously, these are in absolutely no order whatsoever. Not all of them are novels - some are collections of short stories and some are plays or novellas - and most of the nineteenth century stuff was for school. Some of them, like Red Dragon, I have read more than three times. Some, like A Christmas Carol, Watchmen or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I read every year.
1. Tooth & Nail - Ian Rankin
2. Dracula - Bram Stoker
3. Ghosts - Henrik Ibsen
4. Magic Moon - Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein
5. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident - Eoin Colfer
4. Pluto (8 volumes in total) - Naoki Urasawa
5. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
6. Silas Marner - George Elliot
7. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard
8. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
9. To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
10. Earth X - Jim Krueger and Alex Ross
11. Universe X - Jim Krueger and Alex Ross
12. Hellboy: The Crooked Man and Others - Mike Mignola and Jim Corben
13. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
14. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
15. Ender in Exile - Orson Scott Card
16. Hide & Seek - Ian Rankin
17. The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye - Robert Kirkman
18. Akira Volume One: Katsuhiro Otomo
19. The Castle in Transylvania - Jules Verne
20. Red Dragon - Thomas Harris
21. Batman Year One - Frank Miller
22. JPOD - Douglas Coupland
23. Dissolution - Richard Lee Byers
24. Insurrection - Thomas M. Reid
24. Condemnation - Richard Baker
25. Extinction - Lisa Smedman
26. Knots & Crosses - Ian Rankin
27. Voice of the Fire - Alan Moore
28. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fford
29. Love Hina Volume One - Ken Akamatsu
30. Pirate Latitudes - Michael Chrichton
31. Give Our Regards To Atom Smashers! - edited by Sean Howe
32. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
33. The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
34. The Dark Tower: Treachery - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
35. The Dark Tower: Fall Of Gilead - Peter David and Richard Isanove
36. The Dark Tower: Battle Of Jericho Hill - Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
37. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
38. Inherit The Wind - Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
39. X-Men: Days Of Future Past - Chris Claremont and John Byrne
40. Dark Entries - Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'edera
41. Sacrifice of the Widow - Lisa Smedman
42. Storm of the Dead - Lisa Smedman
42. Ascendancy of the Last - Lisa Smedman
43. Swordmage - Richard Baker
44. Corsair - Richard Baker
45. Avenger - Richard Baker
46. Watership Down - Richard Adams
47. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R Tolkien
48. The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien
49. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien always insisted they all be treated as one novel but oh well)
50. Akira Volume Two - Katsuhiro Otomo
51. Daredevil: The Man Without Fear - Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.
52. Weapon X - Barry Windsor-Smith
53. The China Wall - Johnny Bower with Bob Duff
54. The Gunslinger - Stephen King
55. The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris
56. The Thief Of Always - Clive Barker
57. The Ghost King - R.A. Salvatore
58. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
59. Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? - Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert
60. The Dark Hills Divide - Patrick Carman
61. Hellboy: The Conqueror Worm - Mike Mignola
62. Death On The Nile - Agatha Christie
63. The Last Iron Fist Story - Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction and David Aja
64. Guardian Devil - Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada
65. Strange Tales - J.R.R Tolkien
66. The Pirate King - R.A. Salvatore
67. The Orc King - R.A. Salvatore
68. The Glass Menagerie - Tennessee Williams
69. Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
70. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
71. DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore - Alan Moore and various
72. The Black Book - Ian Rankin
73. Exit Music - Ian Rankin
74. Arkham Asylum A Serious House On Serious Earth - Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
75. MW - Osamu Tezuka
76. 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
77. Daredevil: Born Again - Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
78. Sideways Stories From Wayside School - Louis Sachar
79. Murder On The Orient Express - Agatha Christie
80. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt - Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo
81. Batman: The Long Halloween - Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
82. Blaze - Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
83. The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
84. The Running Man - Richard Bachman
85. The Two Swords - R.A. Salvatore
86. X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga - Chris Claremont and John Byrne
87. Akira Volume Three - Katsuhiro Otomo
88. Akira Volume Four - Katsuhiro Otomo
89. Out Of The Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
90. Let The Right One In - John Ajvide
91. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life - Bryan Lee O'Malley
92. Scott Pilgrim VS The World - Bryan Lee O'Malley
93. Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness - Bryan Lee O'Malley
94. Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together - Bryan Lee O'Malley
95. Scott Pilgrim VS The Universe - Bryan Lee O'Malley
96. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour - Bryan Lee O'Malley
97. Wizard And Glass - Stephen King
98. Joker - Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
99. Primal Fear - William Diehl
100. A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett
101. Wayside School is Falling Down - Louis Sachar
102. The Three Muskateers - Alexandre Dumas *wins the Longest Thing Read This Year Award...I think
103. The Drawing of the Three - Stephen King
104. Tommy Taylor And The Bogus Identity - Mike Carey and Peter Gross
105. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
106. Batman And Son - Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert
107. Batman: Cacophony - Kevin Smith and Walter Flanagan
108. Batman: The Widening Gyre - Kevin Smith and Walter Flanagan
109. Batman: R.I.P - Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel
110. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
I definitely forgot a few, like three or four books I read standing in the bookstore. And I left out a lot of comic arcs that were too short to mention. More will probably occur to me later but still, that's the most significant stuff, I think.
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Walk to the Water
It's four am. I just got in from my walk. It's a walk I've been doing for the last three years. Mother doesn't like that I do it. She insists I shouldn't be "wandering the streets" late at night. She doesn't understand that I need to do it.
But unlike most nights when I take my walk to the water, I eschewed my headphones. I needed to think, even more than usual. I also kept my hood down and let the cold wind hit my face. I always do a lot of thinking on this walk but I guess something made me more pensive tonight than usual.
It could have been the fight I had with my father a few days ago. It didn't involve much; I simply angrily stormed off after reaching my limit for tolerance of his sarcasm. I understand that at the moment, his father is in the process of, well, dying, and maybe I should have cut him some slack. It's just that I've heard this from him many times before. Apparently, I don't do anything with my life. I never leave my apartment or do anything worthwhile. All I do is waste time and money. He got especially annoyed when I said I would walk home from the hotel rather than taking a cab. I don't like cabs, especially when it's a walk that I can do easily enough. But my discomfort with taxis is just one more of my faults in his eyes.
So anyway tonight I did my walk to the water. It always takes me onto the boardwalk at a certain point near Bishop's Landing. Years ago, I used to do that part with Anne, except that it was usually around sunset, the one time of day when Halifax Harbour can look halfway scenic (although I suppose it must also at sunrise). I think I've seen more sunrises than a lot of people. But back to Anne and I (something long dead) - we used to look at Bishop's Landing and talk about the future; our future. I was in my mid twenties and she was in her early, and we both wanted something beyond being students or kids with low-paying jobs. We wanted careers and status. We wanted to live somewhere nice and own nice things. We wanted security and comfort. We talked about me being successfully published and us moving into ritzy Bishop's Landing. But even that would be temporary. I knew Anne didn't want to always live in the city. She's an outdoorsy type who wants a big yard and a million pets. I hope someday she gets those things. Well, she already has a million pets but she wants horses, for Christ's sake. I hope she gets everything she's ever wanted.
Back when I was with Anne, I believed in my writing. Nowadays, it seems to get harder and harder to do that. So maybe that's why I get especially upset and defensive when someone like my father expresses their own doubts. On the walk tonight, I thought of all these things and decided the best thing I could do would be to be write about it when I got back. So here I am.
Walt Disney said "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." While I've been writing, I realize it's rarely come close to the level that's required if I'm really going to make it work. So here goes.
But unlike most nights when I take my walk to the water, I eschewed my headphones. I needed to think, even more than usual. I also kept my hood down and let the cold wind hit my face. I always do a lot of thinking on this walk but I guess something made me more pensive tonight than usual.
It could have been the fight I had with my father a few days ago. It didn't involve much; I simply angrily stormed off after reaching my limit for tolerance of his sarcasm. I understand that at the moment, his father is in the process of, well, dying, and maybe I should have cut him some slack. It's just that I've heard this from him many times before. Apparently, I don't do anything with my life. I never leave my apartment or do anything worthwhile. All I do is waste time and money. He got especially annoyed when I said I would walk home from the hotel rather than taking a cab. I don't like cabs, especially when it's a walk that I can do easily enough. But my discomfort with taxis is just one more of my faults in his eyes.
So anyway tonight I did my walk to the water. It always takes me onto the boardwalk at a certain point near Bishop's Landing. Years ago, I used to do that part with Anne, except that it was usually around sunset, the one time of day when Halifax Harbour can look halfway scenic (although I suppose it must also at sunrise). I think I've seen more sunrises than a lot of people. But back to Anne and I (something long dead) - we used to look at Bishop's Landing and talk about the future; our future. I was in my mid twenties and she was in her early, and we both wanted something beyond being students or kids with low-paying jobs. We wanted careers and status. We wanted to live somewhere nice and own nice things. We wanted security and comfort. We talked about me being successfully published and us moving into ritzy Bishop's Landing. But even that would be temporary. I knew Anne didn't want to always live in the city. She's an outdoorsy type who wants a big yard and a million pets. I hope someday she gets those things. Well, she already has a million pets but she wants horses, for Christ's sake. I hope she gets everything she's ever wanted.
Back when I was with Anne, I believed in my writing. Nowadays, it seems to get harder and harder to do that. So maybe that's why I get especially upset and defensive when someone like my father expresses their own doubts. On the walk tonight, I thought of all these things and decided the best thing I could do would be to be write about it when I got back. So here I am.
Walt Disney said "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." While I've been writing, I realize it's rarely come close to the level that's required if I'm really going to make it work. So here goes.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Bark at The Moon
Coming to a theatre near you in 2014.
*************************
Cut to: Spector is lying unconscious in the desert. The sun is high in the sky. There's no sign of civilization anywhere; the desert seems to go on forever. Spector stirs. He touches his head.
Spector: Where? (he slowly rises and looks around) Right. Dumped here. Left to die.
He looks in all directions - everything looks the same. He closes his eyes and points then turns slowly around. He stops and opens his eyes.
Spector: That works. Gotta try.
He begins to trudge along.
Cut to: A long shot from above. Spector is a tiny figure moving through the vast desert. Different angles show us the passage of time. At one point, Spector makes his way through a blowing sandstorm, almost collapsing.
Cut to: Night. The moon is full and huge in the sky. Spector is crawling along now, barely able to move. The storm continues. But now, making it to the top of a dune, he somehow manages to stand. Shouts in a foreign language are heard.
Cut to: Several robed figures standing outside what looks to be a tomb. There are a few tents set up nearby. The men see Spector's silhouette against the moon.
Robed Man #1 (in Arabic or Egyptian or some language of the region): There's a man out there! We've got to help him.
They rush up to him just as he starts to collapse again. Two of them catch him and hold him up.
Robed Man #2: Quickly, get him inside before the storm starts up again.
Robed Man #1: Someone go get Missy from her tent. Maybe she knows him.
Robed Man #3 rushes off towards the tents while the other two take Spector, who has gone completely limp, inside the tomb. The chamber is lit by torchlight. As they lay him on the floor in front of an ancient statue, Marlene comes running in.
Marlene: Who is he, Jallad? Has he said anything?
Jallad: I don't know, Missy. He's not conscious. I do not recognize him. He is white.
As Marlene comes closer, Jallad checks Spector for a pulse then looks at his face.
Jallad: He did not make it. Allah, he is dead.
Marlene leans in to look closer.
Marlene: He's one of the mercenaries who attacked our dig. I'm glad he's dead. They killed my father, probably the others too. Just leave him here.
Jallad (rising); Very well. We'll get back to packing. We'll be set to leave once the storm passes.
Marlene (still looking down at Spector): Alright Jallad. That's fine. I'll be along in a moment.
Jallad leaves. Marlene is alone in the tomb with Spector. The statue gazes over them. She bends closer to the dead man.
Marlene: What was he doing all the way out here alone? He's the one who tried to help me. I can't really be glad he's dead. I...don't want to be like that.
She begins to weep softly. She takes Spector's head in her hands and looks at his face.
Marlene: He must have suffered horribly in the desert. He was...handsome. And now he's gone.
Cut to: The stony countenance of the statue that stands silently over them. Shadows from the flickering torchlight dance across its visage. Someone has draped a white robe over its shoulders.
Suddenly, Spector sits up, very much alive. Marlene leaps back.
Spector: Where am I? Who am I?
Marlene: You! You were dead! I saw it. No heartbeat. Nothing. You were gone.
Spector: Well, I'm alive now. Starting to remember who I am...
He turns and looks at the statue.
Spector: Him! He...spoke to me. Said he'd bring me back, give me another chance. To....redeem myself after the life I've led.
Marlene: What? You mean Khonshu? But that's just a statue.
Spector: Yes, Khonshu. One of the gods of the moon. A taker of vengeance. A figure of terror.
Marlene: Well, yes. How did you know that? Do you study Egyptology?
Spector: No. No, he told me. Told me who he is. Who I am. What I have to do.
He stands and gazes up at the statue. Then he reaches up and pulls the robe from it.
Marlene: You're delirious. You've had a...shock to your system. What are you doing?
Spector fastens the cloak over his shoulders and pulls the hood over his head.
Spector: This is mine now. I'll wear it in Khonshu's name. I'm a ghost now. A spectre of the moon. Khonshu...he said I'm to be the moon's knight of vengeance and I've got work to do.
Marlene: Listen to you! You sound insane.
Spector runs out of the tomb into the night with Marlene following. He gets in one of the jeeps.
Spector: I'm borrowing this.
Marlene: Wait! Where are you going?
Spector drives off into the night. Jallad runs up to Marlene.
Jallad: Missy, the jeep - what is happening?
Marlene: Never mind. I'm taking the other jeep.
Jallad: But the storm-
Marlene: Is abating. I'll be fine. I've got a ghost to follow.
***********************
*************************
Cut to: Spector is lying unconscious in the desert. The sun is high in the sky. There's no sign of civilization anywhere; the desert seems to go on forever. Spector stirs. He touches his head.
Spector: Where? (he slowly rises and looks around) Right. Dumped here. Left to die.
He looks in all directions - everything looks the same. He closes his eyes and points then turns slowly around. He stops and opens his eyes.
Spector: That works. Gotta try.
He begins to trudge along.
Cut to: A long shot from above. Spector is a tiny figure moving through the vast desert. Different angles show us the passage of time. At one point, Spector makes his way through a blowing sandstorm, almost collapsing.
Cut to: Night. The moon is full and huge in the sky. Spector is crawling along now, barely able to move. The storm continues. But now, making it to the top of a dune, he somehow manages to stand. Shouts in a foreign language are heard.
Cut to: Several robed figures standing outside what looks to be a tomb. There are a few tents set up nearby. The men see Spector's silhouette against the moon.
Robed Man #1 (in Arabic or Egyptian or some language of the region): There's a man out there! We've got to help him.
They rush up to him just as he starts to collapse again. Two of them catch him and hold him up.
Robed Man #2: Quickly, get him inside before the storm starts up again.
Robed Man #1: Someone go get Missy from her tent. Maybe she knows him.
Robed Man #3 rushes off towards the tents while the other two take Spector, who has gone completely limp, inside the tomb. The chamber is lit by torchlight. As they lay him on the floor in front of an ancient statue, Marlene comes running in.
Marlene: Who is he, Jallad? Has he said anything?
Jallad: I don't know, Missy. He's not conscious. I do not recognize him. He is white.
As Marlene comes closer, Jallad checks Spector for a pulse then looks at his face.
Jallad: He did not make it. Allah, he is dead.
Marlene leans in to look closer.
Marlene: He's one of the mercenaries who attacked our dig. I'm glad he's dead. They killed my father, probably the others too. Just leave him here.
Jallad (rising); Very well. We'll get back to packing. We'll be set to leave once the storm passes.
Marlene (still looking down at Spector): Alright Jallad. That's fine. I'll be along in a moment.
Jallad leaves. Marlene is alone in the tomb with Spector. The statue gazes over them. She bends closer to the dead man.
Marlene: What was he doing all the way out here alone? He's the one who tried to help me. I can't really be glad he's dead. I...don't want to be like that.
She begins to weep softly. She takes Spector's head in her hands and looks at his face.
Marlene: He must have suffered horribly in the desert. He was...handsome. And now he's gone.
Cut to: The stony countenance of the statue that stands silently over them. Shadows from the flickering torchlight dance across its visage. Someone has draped a white robe over its shoulders.
Suddenly, Spector sits up, very much alive. Marlene leaps back.
Spector: Where am I? Who am I?
Marlene: You! You were dead! I saw it. No heartbeat. Nothing. You were gone.
Spector: Well, I'm alive now. Starting to remember who I am...
He turns and looks at the statue.
Spector: Him! He...spoke to me. Said he'd bring me back, give me another chance. To....redeem myself after the life I've led.
Marlene: What? You mean Khonshu? But that's just a statue.
Spector: Yes, Khonshu. One of the gods of the moon. A taker of vengeance. A figure of terror.
Marlene: Well, yes. How did you know that? Do you study Egyptology?
Spector: No. No, he told me. Told me who he is. Who I am. What I have to do.
He stands and gazes up at the statue. Then he reaches up and pulls the robe from it.
Marlene: You're delirious. You've had a...shock to your system. What are you doing?
Spector fastens the cloak over his shoulders and pulls the hood over his head.
Spector: This is mine now. I'll wear it in Khonshu's name. I'm a ghost now. A spectre of the moon. Khonshu...he said I'm to be the moon's knight of vengeance and I've got work to do.
Marlene: Listen to you! You sound insane.
Spector runs out of the tomb into the night with Marlene following. He gets in one of the jeeps.
Spector: I'm borrowing this.
Marlene: Wait! Where are you going?
Spector drives off into the night. Jallad runs up to Marlene.
Jallad: Missy, the jeep - what is happening?
Marlene: Never mind. I'm taking the other jeep.
Jallad: But the storm-
Marlene: Is abating. I'll be fine. I've got a ghost to follow.
***********************
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Dark Staircase - Complete
Yes, I finished something. Technically, the story has been done for a long time. But it wasn't done. Now it is. I have no idea what to do with it. I started writing it years ago for very personal reasons. Those reasons don't mean much anymore and I guess that's why it took me so damn long to finish a story that's only thirteen thousand words. If you search this blog you can find an early excerpt.
I think it's good though. I think it's publishable. I really think it's that good. I suppose it requires still more editing and revising but not much. The main problem I'm facing now is I don't know who to show it to. I'd like a few outside opinions before I do anything official with it but uncopyrighted works are a tricky business (not that I believe anyone I'd show the story to would steal it from me or anything) and also I guess I just feel bad that the person I actually wrote it for in the first place isn't going to be reading it.
But it's done. I'll figure something out and hopefully then I will give the story to the world. You know, like a writer.
I think it's good though. I think it's publishable. I really think it's that good. I suppose it requires still more editing and revising but not much. The main problem I'm facing now is I don't know who to show it to. I'd like a few outside opinions before I do anything official with it but uncopyrighted works are a tricky business (not that I believe anyone I'd show the story to would steal it from me or anything) and also I guess I just feel bad that the person I actually wrote it for in the first place isn't going to be reading it.
But it's done. I'll figure something out and hopefully then I will give the story to the world. You know, like a writer.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Update the update - is this an update?
What the fuck? It's May? It's LATE May? What have I been doing? Ignoring this blog, that's for sure. Well, that ends now. Even if it means posting lame crap like this, I vow there will be regular updates throughout the summer.
The novel is back on track (only took two and a half years), the play is...going, and the short story is finished and a new one is halfway through. Back in November I tried NaNoRiMo (well, I'll always have 2003 and 2006) and failed again for the third straight year. I thought maybe I could resurrect the story I came up with but several attempts have fallen short. I think I'll just have to let that one go. I don't know why I tried hard sci-fi anyway.
I recently read the first two Twilight "novels"; took me about three hours. What's amazing is that this series seems to actually get worse as it goes along. Maybe I'll post some insights on it although I know that I am quite far behind the rest of the world in this respect. What jokes can I make that haven't already been said? But hell, I was spending my time reading books and comics that were actually GOOD. Hey, at least the youtube channel is working out well. The one year anniversary is tomorrow. I have nothing planned. Maybe I should think of something.
So this is a pretty good post even though it's not creative or interesting, right? I'll get to that next time. Great, now the phone's ringing. I swear, god does not want this blog to thrive. How many more times do I have to renounce him? I'll get published on my own! I don't need your fucking charity! You'll get no prayers from me! Alright, that was fun. Stay tuned.
The novel is back on track (only took two and a half years), the play is...going, and the short story is finished and a new one is halfway through. Back in November I tried NaNoRiMo (well, I'll always have 2003 and 2006) and failed again for the third straight year. I thought maybe I could resurrect the story I came up with but several attempts have fallen short. I think I'll just have to let that one go. I don't know why I tried hard sci-fi anyway.
I recently read the first two Twilight "novels"; took me about three hours. What's amazing is that this series seems to actually get worse as it goes along. Maybe I'll post some insights on it although I know that I am quite far behind the rest of the world in this respect. What jokes can I make that haven't already been said? But hell, I was spending my time reading books and comics that were actually GOOD. Hey, at least the youtube channel is working out well. The one year anniversary is tomorrow. I have nothing planned. Maybe I should think of something.
So this is a pretty good post even though it's not creative or interesting, right? I'll get to that next time. Great, now the phone's ringing. I swear, god does not want this blog to thrive. How many more times do I have to renounce him? I'll get published on my own! I don't need your fucking charity! You'll get no prayers from me! Alright, that was fun. Stay tuned.
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