Wrapped Up Like a Blog

In my world, the only thing worth talking about, it seems, is the start of the zombie apocalypse. Over a decade ago, Florida was the epicenter of controversy, bringing us hanging chads and a presidential election that was hanging in the balance. Now, it seems, Chad is hanging on to chunks of human eyeballs and facial matter, after spending a nice afternoon with some bath salts.

Word has spread about the face eater, of course, and other stories that seem to imply that the zombie apocalypse is near: people throwing their intestines at cops, and MMA fighters cutting 18 holes in people to rip out Satan.

So, what does this mean for us? Is it a government cover up? Is it, in fact, the beginning of the end? Should we stock up on firearms, machetes and canned goods? Should I re-read my Zombie Survival Guide and see if I can locate Michonne and her sword-fighting skills?

I say, better safe than sorry. It starts in Florida and moves up the coast. Maybe it's time to start heading north. It probably can't hurt, I'd say. There were some who vowed to head to Canada after the 2000 presidential election no matter who won that Supreme Court case, and some people liken presidential elections to the end of the world. For me, though, the prospect of spending four or eight years with a president I don't like is no big deal (I mean, really, the president has very little impact on the country anyway, and there hasn't been a good president in several decades at least). But the prospect of having my eyeballs eaten by a naked man?

Hopefully St. Nick has some openings in his factory. I am short enough to pass for an elf, yea?

What do YOU think of all this?

We all went to school. We all have memories of the end of the year. When we were in grade school or high school or maybe college. Some of us were teachers or parents, too, with different memories of the end of school. I am trying to collect a variety of EOY memories from a variety of people. Got any you wanna share?

I have always said that the one item I would LOVE to have from pop culture, is the Absorbascon, which Hawkman used to learn everything about the human race when he arrived from Thanagar.

What item would YOU want? The One Ring? A Green Lantern Ring? The Elder Wand? A lightsaber? How about the Iron Man Mark VII armor? Or Mjolnir? Or Cap's Shield? Would you want The Book of Three? Or what about Ice? Maybe you'd like Misty Johnson's magical vest?

What would YOU want to have?

Do you play DrawSomething? Do you have thoughts on any of the following?

1) People who write words instead of drawing. Do you mind if they write words as part of the picture? Do you play with anyone who writes nothing but words?

2) Do you like it when your partner guesses early? When they figure out your drawing from the letters alone, even if you have spent a lot of time making an image?

3) Do you use your bombs? Do you use them to narrow down letters or do you use them to pick better topics?

4) Have you ever sent a screen cap to someone to ask them for advice because you didn't want to break a huge streak?

5) Have you ever drawn the wrong picture, thinking you clicked on a different term?

Do you have any other problems or quirks about your play or the play of your friends?

Finally, we get to my thoughts on two shows that debuted mid-season. Each showed promise, and both were among my favorite for the year. One is coming back, one is not.

First, there is Scandal, which I loved. Not just because I went to college with Kerry Washington, or the fact that she played a great Alicia Masters in the FF movies, or even because she is easy on the eyes. In fact, I love the ensemble cast of the show, with Desmond from LOST getting to play a guy who is not altogether a nice bloke but is good at what he does, and the evil dude from GHOST playing a president who is not evil, but is still not 100% flawless. I love how the show had different cases each week, and Olivia Pope and her group got to show their creativity in "fixing" these problems, letting each team member shine in the process. I also enjoyed the overall arc of the season. It was suitably twisty but still came to a logical head in the end, while at the same time leaving some loose ends to pick up later. The show thrived in a seven-episode chunk. I hope it does as well for a full season. The cliffhanger at the end of season 1 didn't pack a whole lot of punch, probably because it was vague enough to mean anything.

Awake completes its first and only season tonight. When I first reviewed it, I thought it would be tough for the heady show to make it past a first season. Looks like I was right. While the tale of the police detective who lived in two realities was suitably trippy, I don't think it connected with audiences. The cases were interesting, and the interplay between the worlds was good, too, but I am not sure that viewers connected with the story as much as I did. Again, it was a little uneven -- some of the shows focused more on the bi-dimensional detective work, others on the soul of a man who had to deal with different losses in different places -- but that much can be expected from the first season of a show with a complex concept. It needed to find its legs. And now, as it looks like it has, well, it bids us a fond farewell. I imagine there will be a cliffhanger tonight that will never be resolved. This would bother some, but not me. I enjoyed the journey even if it ended far from the destination.

I lost a few shows this year, and picked up a couple, too. I look forward to next season. There are some promising shows on the horizon, which I'll preview soon!

I'm a lover, not a fighter. Too bad my novels contain lots of fight scenes, but no love scenes.

I am not a romance novelist, nor do I write the type of sci-fi fantasy books that have love scenes (and, don't get me wrong, there is a place for that. I grew up on the Wild Cards novels and, as I've said to some ladies in the past, I learned about more than just the HUAC trials from those). But I saw an urban fantasy market oversaturated with sex, so I took that element off the table, but you can't have a paranormal private eye without a few juicy fight scenes.

And those have been harder to write than I expected. For the most part, with a love scene, you have a couple of characters and limited space (let's not get into exceptions. This is a family blog. Well, sorta). But with a fight scene, at least my fight scenes, there is often a LOT going on. Lots of characters to track, lots of space to navigate, lots of variations on words to generate so each punch or kick or dodge does not sound the same. As a writer who cut his teeth on radio dramas, I have always had an easier time with dialogue than action.

But I am working on it. In the first draft of my newest novel, I made it a point to put a fun and engaging fight scene up front, to show off the action and drama of the series. It was a lot better than some of my earlier work, but my publisher pushed me, challenging me to make it even BETTER. In this case, I turned to an expert. I picked up an ebook by Alan Baxter and, while it did not teach me to be a better fighter, it showed me aspects of fighting that I had not considered, truths about the skills involved and about what I, as a writer, should keep in mind.

Tomorrow, I'll post some before and after, and YOU can be the judge...

Last week I talked about Supernatural, and how it was a rare show that got better season after season, at least until it reached its pinnacle in season 5. The same model held true for Fringe, at least for me. The first season was good, though it got very good at the end. The second season was even better and the third season just blew me away. I had huge expectations for season 4...

...and, though it did not quite reach the level of quality of season 3, it was, overall, an excellent edition to the overall story, with some great performances. One strength of the show has always been to connect the weekly case to the overall story, not always through direct plot points, but often through thematic resonance. I think that Fringe, more than any show I watch, has a firm grasp of its overarching themes, both as an entire series and seasonally, as each season has both a major plot and a major theme.

So this year, the season got off to a slow start, after picking up from last season's cliffhanger, and it seemed for a bit that the writers got overambitious with their universe juggling. The heart of the show has always been the characters, and the set up distanced us from them. But slowly, the characters started to come back into focus and, with great acting by the likes of John Noble (give the man an Emmy!), the show got back on track.

For a while, renewal seemed a remote possibility, but the show is coming back and, though the finale was not as jaw-dropping as previous seasons, it was pretty thrilling and, thanks to a previous time-jump episode, set matters up nicely for a shortened season five.  Which cannot get here soon enough for me!

By US TV standard, the "series" (we call 'em "seasons") of British TV shows are often oddly short. This goes double for Sherlock, which, rather than, say six hour-long installments, has given us 90 minute movies, three at a time. It's almost like Sherlock is the UK equivalent of Jesse Stone.

But better.

So last night marked the PBS broadcast of the finale of the second series of Sherlock. It was loosely based on "The Final Problem," and anyone with a passing knowledge of Holmes knows what happened there (and what happened afterward). This episode did not shy from that, but told us up front (via Watson, talking to another character), exactly what to expect. So it was the ride that mattered, not the destination.

And it was a hell of a ride.

This was, in my opinion, the best installment yet. Holmes vs. Moriarty with the sole purpose of one-upping each other. The twists kept coming, and the performances were top notch (especially from Moriarty. Tremendous work). And Moriarty's plan was brilliant in its layers and execution. A great villain is not only the dark reflection of the hero, but his actions help illuminate the core of our hero and show us new facets, new dimensions. And boy did we get a lot of that. We saw Sherlock and learned what he valued, how how saw himself and the world and those around him. We saw him falter and rebound and, in the end, well... watch it for yourself. But the end of this episode took the end of Doyle's story and ramped it up by changing the locale.

I can't wait for series 3...

This year, I sampled a few new shows, and a few of them clicked with audiences enough to warrant second seasons. Here is my take on several of those shows.

It was, in a lot of ways, a season of "nice tries."

 I spoke about Ringer before, I said it would have been better off as a mini-series. It didn't seem like there was quite enough story there for more than one season and, in fact, there was probably not enough story for one. There was little for Agent Machado to do for a long time, and the diversion of Juliet and her teacher was entertaining but ultimately served to stretch the soap opera nature of the show even further. The performances were good, but all in all, the show's tone was uneven and had an ever-increasing sense of plot desperation (and whackiness). Too bad SMG's return to TV was not a smash success, but she's having another baby, so I imagine she'll be ok.

The River was another show that seemed promising: exotic locale, lots of mysteries, great cast (drawn from shows like 24, Nowhere Man and Greek). But it lacked a certain something. The faux-documentary style fit the show (better than some comedies that attempt to use it) and the main search was interesting, but somehow, the greater mysteries of the jungle did not resonate and I found myself caring less and less week after week. It was ambitious but I am not sad to see it go.

As for Terra Nova, this was a show that got better as it went along. It was the rare show that could be an action-packed program for the whole family. I didn't love everything about it (the kids got on my nerves, frankly), but toward the end of the season, the show seemed to find a good balance between action, family drama and overarching plot. But it seems to be the victim of the almighty dollar, as it was too expensive to warrant its ratings. Too bad, it had promise.

Finally, I am most disappointed in losing Alcatraz. It, too, had a good cast (Robert Forester, Sam Neill and JORGE GARCIA) and a good producing pedigree. It's hard to say why this one did not click more with audiences. It had an episodic quality -- hunt down the time-displaced baddy each week -- and an uber plot -- what was the story with the time travel, anyway? But maybe it suffered from too many secrets or from that challenge to make each convict unique while still hewing close to the premise. Or maybe people just didn't care about the time-travel plot as much as the creators hoped. Either way, this show had promise and I am sad to see it go.

Next time, some new shows that are sticking around!

For the network shows, mid-to-late-May marks the end of the season, so lots of shows are wrapping up. Some are putting out cliffhangers, some are saying good bye and others, well, were taken too early. I picked up several new shows this year and watched some older ones creak along. Over the next couple weeks, I'll review some of the shows I watched this year, how they did and, if they'll be missed or anticipated for next year.

First, two old favorites probably past their prime. The Office is one of the few comedies I've enjoyed for years. This season was the first in the post-Michael Scott era and it was... uneven to say the least. Without his presence, the show seemed to lack a center. Other characters seemed adrift without his gravity to hold them in. There were moments, of course: the creepy oddness of Robert California, the uncomfortable leadership of Andy Bernard, and the whackiness of the triangular tablet. But all in all, there were some clangers and some old favorites lost a bit of bit this year (Pam and Jim, for example). Next year should be radically different, too, as Dwight might be gone, and Kelly, too. I'll probably watch, but I imagine the office doors will close soon.

Supernatural was one of the rare shows that got better and better each season for its first five years. Its fifth season was nearly flawless and, when it came back last year, it was still pretty good. But this year has been tough. Many of the whacky episodes missed the mark, the overarching villains were not as gripping as past foes, and the brothers lost their tethers to the world and familiar tropes went away. I was a little surprised the show got a final season, but I expect them to pull out all stops and give it a good sendoff.

Next time, Fringe and Survivor! Then new shows like Ringer, Once Upon a Time, Person of Interest and others, plus Awake and Scandal!

What could be more fun than a Murder Mystery Rally tour of Europe, where vacationers can take part in a puzzle-filled chase across the continent, collecting clues to figure out who murdered the party host? How about a REALY mystery wrapped into the mystery game? How about vacationers with secrets, a tragedy that has befallen the writer of the game, hidden identities, past crimes coming to light, a touch of romance and a gaggle of amateur detectives anxious to sink their teeth into a real case? It's a high concept story that could have sprung from the mind of a classic mystery writer, complete with interesting characters, a dynamic lead, and plenty of red herrings. Plus: taco shells and sour cream! It makes for a fun, quick read and a great debut for Conrad, mystery of the mind-teaser and man behind Monk. I look forward to his next installment!

Last week I reviewed the latest episode of the second series of Sherlock. This week, rather than speak about the second episode (or, let's face it, TV movie), I thought I'd talk a bit about the man himself. Specifically, whether or not he is, in fact, on the autism spectrum.

The show that is. Not the band.

Once upon a time, the finale of the first season of Survivor drew about a zillion viewers. The show was everywhere -- on talk shows, movie covers, board games. That was a dozen years ago and, once in a while, people ask if it's even on the air anymore. It is and, though each season is a quality crapshoot, it is still a very good show and worth watching. Even the weaker seasons have merit.

It is, after all, a social experiment. As game shows go, it's pretty far afield from most. It's not a talent show or a dating show or a trivia show. It's a show about forming a tiny society, trying to get ahead, learning to live with others and learning to defeat them. Each week you see a group of seemingly ordinary people make decisions about what to eat, what to say to other contestants and to the camera, whom to trust, and how to behave in the jungle and on TV. Season after season, I see behaviors I never would have anticipated and, oftentimes, the gameplay itself takes a back seat to the sociology. And that is what I love about it.

The show may not achieve the heights of its first-season fervor anymore, but I am on board until it goes off the air. Or until they replace Jeff Probst. Unless they move from him to me, that is. He is a man crush of mine. I like him almost as much as I dig me, which is saying a lot...

I don't plan on riding the Avengers train forever, but one more Avengers-themed post for you. Check out these Avengers-themed adult beverages here. You won't be sorry!

When I was growing up, I had comics and precious little else. There were a couple of cartoons with Marvel characters (Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends for example) and the Super Friends shows and whatnot, and of course the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, but not much else.

Of course, there were the Batman multimedia entries, from the Adam West show to the Tim Burton flicks, but there were few Marvel properties out there that were worthwhile. Slowly, that started to change, with the excellent X-Men cartoon of the 90s (not as good as the Batman cartoons, but still), and then Blade, X-Men and Spidey movies.

And now, with Avengers, these comic characters are mainstrem. I talked about it recently with Draw Something but today, when I got ready to tutor a 5th grade boy, I heard something that made me smile. I asked him what he did this week, and he said he saw Avengers, and he loved it. I asked him his favorite, and he said "Tony Stark."

10 years ago, he was a question in Trivial Pursuit, and now is he a beloved character of an 11-year-old boy. How cool is that?

Of course now, to get back to my elitist nature, I'll have to become a fan of something even MORE obscure, like Fringe or Wild Cards or... Misty Johnson, Supernatural DiC. Yeah, that's the ticket. Maybe SHE will be an answer in Draw Something someday, or the favorite character of someone, somewhere.

A guy can hope, right?

Check out the video below for gadgets and apps!

So, with the imminent release of Misty Johnson, Supernatural DiC in... The National Maul (details on that to follow when I get edits from the publisher and cover designs and whatnot). But, since I have started working on book 3 as of yesterday, I thought I'd drop some hints there:

• The subtitle is "The ********** **** of  ****" and it fits into the rough theme of the previous titles (and no, the **** does NOT stand for DOOM)
• It takes place in the first few days if July
• The number 6 plays an important role
• There are flashbacks to Misty's first encounters with several prominent characters
• Early on in the story, there is an explosion
• Later in the story, there is an even bigger explosion
• Questions are answered
• More questions are raised
• Misty acts stubborn
• Dru says something funny
• Teri wields a gun
• More LIZARD MAN

I love me some Christopher Moore (the author, but I like the I used to work with at the hardware store, too. Whopappy!) Lamb is one of my top 10 favorite books of all time and his other works I dig, too. Some I love (The Stupidest Angel) and some I merely like (Fluke), but I enjoy them all.  And Sacre Bleu is a nice addition to the cannon.

It reminds me a lot of Lamb and Fool, moreso than some of his books with contemporary settings (like Bloodsucking Fiends  and its sequels). It weaves its story in and around the art world in Paris in the late 19th century (with a few nods to other eras of history) and is kind of a history of the color blue. As usual, it is full or Moore's trademark humor (and some of his favorite phrases, like Poopstick) and some bits are laugh out loud funny. Plus, the characters, from baker/painter Lucien, to the mysterious Juliette to the fictionalized version of Henri Toulousse-Lautrec, are engaging well drawn.

I'd recommend this book for any Moore fan, anyone who likes art history (and ribald humor) and those who enjoy fantastical, silly humor layered into thought-provoking themes and big ideas (kind of in the Douglas Adams mold). Check it out, you'll say merci to me!

If, somewhere out in the universe, there was a mad scientist attempting to create the perfect woman for me, he would need several elements. She would have to be smart, probably smarter than me, so she could keep me on my toes. She would have to be funny, with a sharp wit to match mine (and probably a sarcastic streak, too). She would have to be kind, thoughtful and caring. She would be beautiful, but modest about it, so I could appreciate her beauty and show it to her in ways that surprise her. Oh, and she would need to be a genuine geek, one who loves sci-fi and comics, and comic book movies. That is a pretty tall order and, since there is not a mad scientist out there designing the perfect woman for me, she likely does not exist.

However, my list of requirements for a perfect super hero movie would be just as long. And, I would have thought it impossible that someone could craft a super hero flick that had everything I wanted. Well apparently Joss Whedon (who was ever so gracious to me when I spoke to him at the San Diego Comic Con, and who I have followed since the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (but not Roseanne.  I couldn't stand the actress who played Becky)) has been engineering the perfect comic book movie to MY specifications. It's awfully nice of him.

Marvel's The Avengers is good. It is very, very good. It is not flawless, but it is everything I always wanted an Avengers movie to be, but never, ever expected to see. It has humor. LOTS of humor, and not always from expected sources. I expect Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark to get good lines (the movie version is way funnier than the comic version, but it is a change I relish), and I'd hoped to see some quips from Hawkeye (though he was not as funny as I'd hoped), but Thor gets a laugh, and Cap gets a laugh, and Bruce Banner/Hulk get more laughs than almost anyone.

And that brings me to the characterization. The problem with most origin movies is we have to spend so much time on moving the pieces into place (who are the villains? How did the hero get his powers? etc.) and, furthermore, in a team movie (think X-Men or even the Star Trek flicks), there is usually only room for one or two characters to shine and the rest are relegated to the background. But here, every member of the team gets several good scenes, and character arcs and everything. Whedon loves to give us interesting combinations of characters, and unexpected ones work well (Hulk and Black Widow, Loki and Black Widow, Hulk and Thor, Hulk and Loki).

Plus, the performances are great. Tom Hiddleston's Loki is outstanding, and RDJ is as good as always, but Mark Ruffalo gives me the best Bruce Banner since Bill Bixby and Chris Evans continues to astound as a Captain America who is noble and old fashioned but not hokey. All of the performances are spot on and, in this movie, it really matters. There are several bang-up action scenes (and, really, for a guy who stuck to TV and has only one feature under his belt, Whedon got a lot out of the special effects and created dynamic, exciting action sequences), but the heart of the movie is in the quiet moments (or, in the bickering moments, which are not exactly quiet).

I feel like I am rambling. Am I? It's probably because I adore the movie so much. There are a couple lines of dialogue that fall flat, and the initial part of the film, as the pieces move into place, is not without wrinkles, and perhaps the villain's plot is not as linear as I thought at first (though that may be a part of its charm), but it is both a great movie (fun, funny, exciting and engaging) and a great superhero movie. These are not exactly the characters I've been reading for 33 years, but they are pretty darn close, and the movie hews to the spirit of the comics, if not the letter, which is all I ask.

I am afraid that, if I say much more, I'll start spoiling stuff and, if you're not one of the people who shelled out $10 or $15 of that $200+ million the movie raked in over the weekend, I don't want to spoil a damn thing (the trailers already ruined a couple beats for me). But let me end with this thought: Joss Whedon and company have been working for the last two years to make the perfect superhero movie for me, and now it exists. So, if that exists, then perhaps the perfect woman is out there waiting for me, too. And if not, I'll merely ask Joss Whedon to take care of that for me.

Get on it, Joss, will ya?

Sometimes newer is not better. Sometimes the second season of a show that captured our imagination is not as good as the first. Sometimes the updating of an old property can fall flat. Sometimes, though, it comes together nicely, as evinced by the debut of the second series of Sherlock, as seen last night on PBS.

The show is a lot of fun. Reimagining Sherlock Holmes in the modern day is a tricky idea (it didn't work for me on House, for one thing). And it takes just the right actor to play the possibly-autistic lead character (and even more of a burden falls on his regular-guy sidekick, Watson. By the way, there is a lot of the aloof Holmes in Misty Johnson, and a touch of the everyman Watson in Dru Chance). But the BBC version is a smashing success, and last night's episode, "Scandal in Belgravia" just upped the ante.

Without giving too much away, the episode had the usual dose of mystery, action and interplay, with touches of wry British humor thrown in for good measure. But also had more than a dash of sex appeal, adding a nice layer to the show. The mystery and deductions were sharp, as always, with some nice twists (though I have one meta-pop culture nitpick with the dialogue that I am happy to share with anyone who saw it). All in all, I am excited to see more of this 2nd series. But, honestly, I'll watch anything with Martin Freeman. Tim Canterbury, Arthur Dent, John Watson and Frodo Baggins? Come on, man, that is an embarrassment of riches.

Up next in the review cycle... AVENGERS!

As an exercise with my students, I used to ask them about a recent movie, posing the question "what is it about?" They would usually say something like "It's about a teenage science nerd who gets bit by a genetically altered spider. He gets super powers and fights against a man dressed in a goblin suit." I tell the student that this is what HAPPENS in the movie, not what it is about. It's about a boy becoming a man and learning responsibility. The answers vary, but you get the point.

So, if people ask what Cabin in the Woods is about, it's hard to answer. People have heard that there are twists, but rather than that, I feel like it is a series of layers that must be peeled. And, indeed, the film is structured like that, with layer after layer. There are three movies all spliced together, but not in a disjointed way. Two storylines alternate from the beginning, and the dialogue hints at the third, which is unearthed gradually (and explained by a cool casting choice). The whole cast is great, actually, with a few familiar Whedon faces.

But what, really, is the movie about? It's about stereotypes and expectations. It's about responsibilities and day jobs. Its about old ways and tough decisions. It's about deciding who the protagonist is, and making hard decisions. It's about confounding and upending the norms and mores. And it's about blood. And a cabin in the woods. And what lies beneath. Far beneath.

So see the film. Peel back the layers, and decide for yourself. But not all decisions come easily...

I really dug the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy. But recently, I have been so busy writing my own books (Misty Johnson, Supernatural DiC in... The National Maul will be out soon!), I didn't have time to go to the movies. I finally saw the flick, though, and I have to say, I really dug it.

I try to judge movies and books separately. Judging the novelization of a movie or a film based on a book on the original property is unfair. The media are quite different, of course, so a good movie will be quite different from a good book. I always use One Flew over the Cukoo's Nest as an example. The book is tremendous, but it hinges a lot on the narration of the Chief, which is hard to convey on screen. And the movie is great, but it hinges on the visceral performances, which would not come across on the printed page.

So how does the HG movie stack up, on its own merits? I have to say, pretty darn well. A lot of narrative weight hangs on the shoulders of the lead, Katniss Everdeen, and Jennifer Lawrence does a great job. She shows the strength and vulnerability of the character. She is tough but caring and I found myself on her side from the beginning. The other performances are great as well, especially Donald Sutherland in a small but vital role, and Wes Bently is surprisingly good in a role which proves important.

The plot is strong as well, with the first part of the movie setting up the world and the problems, and the second half morphing the action from hypothetical to visceral, and it proved exciting. The direction and camera work is strong, as well, and the whole package hangs together tightly.

If you get a chance, see the flick in the theater, and check out the book, too. I am curious to see how the inevitable sequel hangs together, as it has a different structure and some interesting new characters. A new director is on board, but the leads are back, so that should lead to some continuity.

Up soon? MORE MOVIE REVIEWS!

There came a day like no other...

When Marvel's The Avengers opened in US theaters! (I suppose the "Marvel" part is to distinguish it from the lousy Steed and Mr. Peel movie from the 90s. The less said about that the better).

It coincides with Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you!) And tomorrow, as has been the case for a decade, is Free Comic Book Day. It usually coincides with a comic book movie (Spider-Man, for example), and it gives people the opportunity to pick up FREE comics at their local comic shops. Don't know where that is? Try comicshoplocator.com. And, when you go, you should buy some comics. You might even want to come back for more.

I am happy that Avengers is getting good reviews. I am happy that the comics fans that I know seem to love it, and I am confident that non-comics fans will dig it, too. You'll see my review here on Sunday. Until then...

Excelsior!

So, where I live, the Avengers movie debuts tomorrow (well, shortly after midnight) and I am pretty darn excited about it. I'll probably see it during a matinee over the weekend, so you can expect to read my review here soon. But I am, first and foremost, a comic book guy, so I wanted to take the chance to recommend some of my favorite collections of Avengers tales that you can and should read at your leisure. It's not a comprehensive list by any means. For one thing, I focused on tales that are available in trade paperback. As much as I love hunting down back issues, it's probably easier for others to by these suckers online in full form. For another, well, it's just the first six off the top of my head. After I publish this, I'll probably think of more, and I encourage you to chime in with your favorites.

A couple other disclaimers: I am an old fuddy-duddy. I am not a fan of Brian Michael Bendis, either, especially his work on Avengers, so you won't see anything from this millennium. There will be a lot from the 70s and 80s because, well, that is what I dig. Again, feel free to chime in with your suggestions. I chose seven, by the way, because there are seven Avengers in the movie (if you count Nick Fury) and, for a while, that was the government-regulated number of heroes on the team (though later it was six), so I thought it was appropriate. Here, then, in (more or less) order of publication, are my top seven Avengers story lines!


7) The Kree/Skrull War: This was one of the first big Avengers epics. Though it came out before my time, it was legendary, mentioned constantly in various titles. Two star-spanning races who hated each other, and constantly ended up putting the Earth in jeopardy, were facing off, with the Avengers caught in the middle. This had some wild story points, with Hawkeye in a new role, revelations about the Vision and an ending which featured an unlikely hero.

6) The Korvac Saga: This is another big story, with tons of Avengers, guest stars from the future (the Guardians of the Galaxy, a favorite of mine) and an all-powerful baddy. It's one of those great stories with high stakes and fun twists and a villain who really feels like a match for the Avengers. Plus, once again, it ends in an unexpected way. I won't spoil that one, though.

5) Under Siege: The Avengers are known for a lot of things: their battle cry, their cool Quinjets and, perhaps in the 80s, their headquarters, Avengers Mansion. It was an impenetrable fortress, right? Well, the Masters of Evil, an assemblage of some of the baddest baddies in the Avengers rogue's gallery, thought otherwise. This one had a moment that broke my young heart, but it was exciting and gripping nonetheless. Highly recommended.

4) Lost in Space Time: Also in the 80s, in the West Coast Avengers were making their own mark. I loved this team, with the newly established leader Hawkeye, the hot-head version of Wonder Man and the wild card of Tigra. And, when the team gets stuck in a time machine that only goes backwards, and time splits in seven, well, anything can happen, including amazing crossovers with titles published decades earlier. Another storyline that was heart-rending, this might be my all-time favorite Avengers story. This is a cheat, because I could only find it in hardcover. Sorry.

3) Operation Galactic Storm: Another cheat, because this one is only available in several parts, it was, in many ways, a sequel to the Kree/Skrull war. But this time, the Kree take on the Shi'ar. Some would say the story was TOO big, stretching across two Avengers titles and solo books from several different heroes, but I really dug it, and it had drama, action and conflict both with the bad guys and among the Avengers. Plus, it featured lots of Wonder Man and Quasar, which was fine with me. Its ending was quite controversial at the time.

2) Avengers Assemble: (not to be confused with the newest Avengers title from Marvel) After a dark time where the Avengers titles were bizarre and disappointing, and then shunted to a different universe, fan-favorite writer Kurt Busiek took over and reinvigorated the franchise. He had a story that involved every Avenger in one way or another, and gave them an enemy that fell outside their usual purview and presented them in a new and exciting way. Plus, it started a great run that introduced cool new characters and ideas.

1) Avengers Forever: Speaking of Busiek, I saved his grand opus for last. Best read only if you have an appreciation for Avengers history (read the above to start), this time-travel tale weaves together threads from 30+ years of Avengers tales, tying up loose ends, giving more depth to old characters, and developing a fun and exciting storyline. I can't say much about this without spoiling it, and it may give you a headache if you don't read the endnotes, but it is more than worthwhile for any Avengers fan.

That's a pretty good list to start. There are other stories, like the introduction of the Vision or the downward spiral of Hank Pym, that I also love, but I gotta save something for later posts, right?

What do YOU think?

Check out my new video on Avengers tech!

I think a good barometer of pop culture, I think, is seeing something appear on a casual game. So the appearance of NICKFURY as a clue in Draw Something certainly caught my attention.

As a kid, I was lucky if people knew any Marvel Comics characters beyond Spider-Man and the Hulk. MAYBE they knew Captain America, but talk about Thor, the Thing, Daredevil or Hawkeye, and you'd get blank stares. Now, if I mention the name Tony Stark, people understand. And that is amazing to me.

Now, to be fair, most people only know the characters from the movies (if I tried to show them a picture of the gray-templed, cigar chomping version of Nick Fury who started in the comics in the 1960's they'd probably be confused (and no, I won't discuss the David Hasselhoff version)), but beggars can't be choosers. I am somewhat sad, though, that most people who sample these movies never make their way into a comic shop. I love the medium. I always have. And I think Scott McCloud should be required reading in elementary school classrooms. But at least it gives me a starting point, a frame of reference to talk Mjolnir and repulsor rays with people. And to draw them on my iPhone to win coins.