Wrapped Up Like a Blog

A good friend of mine suggested Queen & Country to me. It was one of her favorite comics and I picked it up with a little of my birthday scratch. Midway through the 5th issue or so of the title I sent her a message:

This year, I turned 36. This marks the first year I am old enough to run for President of the United States. As we all know, there are dozens of candidates for the office and, though I have not gone through the process of getting on the ballot in ANY states, I figure I have a pretty good shot to win the election if I can get enough write-in votes. I am sure I can't do any worse than the 43 other people who have held the office. So I implore you, when it comes time to vote in November, write me in. And spread the word to everyone you know. You won't regret it.

Time to play a little bit of catch-up with the Before Watchmen books. Today I'll review issue #2 of one of the first-wave titles and the debut issues of two new titles.

Ozymandias #2 -- This is one title I expected to dislike, and I began each issue with the sense that I would not want to read any more. But there is something about the book that intrigues me. Ozymandias was, as I said in my review of the first issue, one character that seemed to get short shrift, but I find that I am slowly learning about him. The dialogue is a little off (he does not always sound like the world's smartest man) and the art is not my favorite (the images look static and exaggerated, though I do like the panel layouts), and the framing device feels a little cheap BUT I am finding Adrian's journey interesting. His style as he dominates the criminals and dives into the underworld is undeniable, and I can't help but root for him. I am not sure there is enough potential here for four more issues, but I think I'll pick up #3.

Rorschach #1 -- For many, this is THE Watchman character. His investigation sets the story in motion and he is our first PoV character. His origin is cleverly done (with all those mirror images) and his victory over all odds in the prison is fun to watch. Plus, his extreme personality is SO 80s comic-book archetypal. I wondered if this story would use his journal as a framing device, and if we'd see pre- or post- dog-killer Walter. The story is set in 1977 (the year of the Keene Act), so we get psychotic break Rorschach and we DO get the journal. It's nice to see him on a normal case, and the antagonists shape up to be fairly interesting. But best of all, the story is set up properly so that the rest of the mini (this is a four-issue story) can flow properly.100 Bullets writer Brian Azarello does a good job here. I am interested enough to check out issue #2.

Dr. Manhattan #1 -- Perhaps the toughest of all the characters to write. Jon's origin story in the original series was so well done with great examples of non-linear storytelling. I was curious to see if that would be the case here, too, and it is. But J. Michael Straczynski does a good job with it, though he touches base on many of the moments from the original series, making me wonder if writers were locked into these connections by editorial fiat or if they did so by choice. However, this book does a great job taking the temporal mechanics of Dr. Manhattan one level up, exploring the idea of multiple universes and divergent outcomes as a grand theme. (he takes the "what's in the box?" trope of Schrodinger and J. J. Abrams as a framing device and it works out well). There is one moment from Watchmen that the writer seems to use as inspiration, and by the end of the book, it is off in a direction I did not anticipate. After Silk Spectre, this is probably the title that excites me most. Bring on #2

Okay, I admit, I picked this one up because of the title. I mean, it's pretty salacious, isn't it?

But then I read the description on the back of the book, and I decided I needed to read it. And I did, indeed, devour it in a matter of hours. It tells the tale of Thad Roberts, an ordinary, hard-working Mormon who decided to reinvent himself as a daredevil prankster and, to impress a beautiful young woman he hardly knew, he decided to steal moon rock samples. Putting aside the fact that this is awfully similar to an idea in the upcoming Misty Johnson sequel, The National Maul (well, without the comely coed), it sounds like just the kind of book I'd dig.  And I did.

It's partly a heist caper. How did Roberts steal one of the rarest and most valuable substances on the planet from a secure government facility? But even moreso, it is a character study. Roberts reminds me just a bit of Stephen Glass, the writer who was fabricating articles for The New Republic. Like Glass, Roberts is intelligent and should have known better, but he let himself get swept up in the fantasy and took himself down. Big time. Watching his journey from guilt-ridden Mormon, to brilliant, up and coming future star at NASA, to thrill seeker to criminal is fascinating. Mezrich does an excellent job painting an honest and well rounded picture of Roberts and, even though I knew how it would end (badly), I could not stop reading. Plus, there is a hopeless romantic in Roberts, and we get to read excerpts from his letters that proclaim and undying love for his muse. I can dig that.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants a crime thriller/character study. Read it. You'll dig it, too!

I did a lot of reading this weekend, so the reviews (book and comic) will come fast and/or furious. First up, a quick non-fiction book,  What's the Matter With Batman?: An Unauthorized Clinical Look Under the Mask of the Caped Crusader by Robin S. Rosenberg Ph.D. That's right, Robin analyzes Batman. You can't make this stuff up.

For most people, the XXX Summer Olympiad ended long ago, but for me, well, I'm still watching.

As I mentioned earlier, I am a little obsessed with the Olympics. I recorded dozens of hours of competition each day and, even skipping events such as boxing, gymnastics, swimming, track and basketball, I still had so much to watch. In the end, I realized that I would not be able to finish it by the time the torch was snuffed.

So, I wanted to update you all, and let you know I am still watching. I have been viewing competition from about August 5-7 this week. That puts me less than a week from the end, which is progress, I suppose. The good news is, I have something good to watch during these summer doldrums of TV programming. Even better, by extending the Summer Olympics, I am shortening the wait time until the Winter Olympics in 2014, which is a bonus.

Alright, enough blogging. I have to get back to Team Handball and Water Polo now...

Sometimes second installments in a series are better than the first (I love The Two Towers a lot more than Fellowship of the Ring (when it comes to the books, at least), and sometimes they are not as good (I did not enjoy Catching Fire as much as I did The Hunger Games, for example). But it is rare that a sequel is so good that it elevates the first book and makes me want to re-read it, though that is exactly my reaction to reading The Coldest War, sequel to Bitter Seeds and the second book in the unfortunately titled Milkweed Triptych.

And, when the titles of the books or the series are the biggest complaints I have, that's when I know the book is pretty darn good.

Again, I am going to do my best to review this book without hefty spoilers because there are some keen surprises here and the book takes an exciting and surprising turn near the end that was both satisfying and tantalizing. I can't wait to read the third and final installment of the tale of Raybould Marsh and his role in this alternate history of the world.

The book picks up more than two decades after the conclusion of the previous novel and we learn how those figurative bitter seeds have grown to shape the world. And it is a world that is far different from the one we know. The US is mired in the fourth decade of its Great Depression, the Soviets Control most of Europe and their biggest rival in this new Cold War is the empire of the United Kingdom.

Our POV characters from the previous book have fallen on hard times. Marsh is bitter and broken, as a personal tragedy (foreshadowed in the earlier novel) has cut him to the core. Will is in better shape, though he has a dark secret that will certainly come back to haunt him. We also catch up with some of our favorite former Nazi supermen, one that is in hiding in England and a pair who have become captives of the Soviets.

Behind it all, though, there are the machinations of Gretel, the woman who can see the future. Is she a sociopath, manipulating everyone in her life simply because she can? Or does she have some sort of greater plan in mind, one that reaches far beyond her own petty wants and needs? And how does her foresight tie into the Eidolons, demons who transcend space and time and who abhor humans, but who were harnessed by British warlocks to turn the tide of the war and are now... acting strangely.

The book has excitement in the superhero and spy molds, plus lots of alternate history, mysticism, politics and, most of all, great characterization. There are no easy choices to be made by our heroes, and their actions have real ramifications, for themselves and for the world. But all of that comes into a different focus at the end when... well, since you are limited by linear time, I won't tell you, but I know you'll dig it. AND you may want to go back and reread the first book with a new eye based on what you learn in the second.

Now I wish I had the ability to see the future so I can see what Tregillis has in store for the final book...

This weekend was the annual Connecticut ComiCONN, and it was a blast. It was held in Trumbull, CT this year, which I think was a better location than Stamford, last year's host city. This new location, coupled with the fact that there was no impending hurricane (well, tropical storm) made for a strong turnout. There were lots of great dealers with lots of bargains and rare items. Plus, there all kinds of pros -- artists, writers and more -- who were gracious and chatty and kind. There were also lots of people in costumes (and lots of little kids, too). I took a few iPhone pics of those costumes and of some of my purchases, so those will follow on my blog post tonight!

It's known as the CT Comic Convention FOR fans and BY fans, and I'll be there tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates. Last year, the show was ruined by the specter of a tropical storm, but this year they look to have some great guests, some fun panels and events, and, oh yeah... COMICS! I'm hitting  it early tomorrow morning, and I'll have updates as I can!

There's an old joke about the Vice President, and how his (or her, but so far only "his") primary duty is to frown on the body of dead foreign leaders (thanks, Dave Barry). The point is, what power does the VP really have? Are people really thinking "Man, this candidate will do a GREAT job breaking ties in the Senate and clapping at State of the Union Addresses!" It was popular to think of Dan Quayle as "assassination insurance" for George Bush, since no one would want Quayle as president, but do people really think about the order of succession? Has anyone REALLY been swayed to vote for or against a candidate based on his or her VP candidate? I know that Joe Biden seems to be losing his mind but, in the grand scheme of the country, do we really care?

So, as an author, I probably think more about reviews than most people. I check my Amazon page from time to time to see if there are more reviews coming in, and I try to write reviews on all sorts of different properties (books, comics, movies, TV shows, etc.) not because I think people care all that much about my opinion, but because I believe that the people involved in a creative project want to see reviews. They like the good reviews and, hopefully, can learn something from the not-so-great reviews.

My question, then, is... what do YOU think of reviews? Do you read them? Do you write them? I have asked anyone who has read my book to review it on Amazon or elsewhere, simply because I want to know what people think and I want others to have a chance to read that information as well. (which reminds me, have YOU reviewed Misty Johnson yet?)

On a related note, what do you think of those quotes on the covers and inside pages of books? You know, the ones from other authors. Do you read them? Do you care? Do they make a difference?  I am trying to decide whether to seek them out for the Misty Johnson sequel, so I am curious as to how people view them.

You can answer in the comments or via Facebook or Twitter. My enquiring mind wants to know!

The sequel to the first Misty Johnson book is due out on September 25th. Here is the back cover copy to whet your whistle!

Misty Johnson has a werewolf problem.

Since hanging up her shingle in Washington, DC, the supernatural investigator has kept a tight leash on the local lycanthropes. But the appearance of a rival pack, receiving supernatural support from a particu

Here it is, the official cover of the latest Misty Johnson book! It will be coming  your way on September 25, so get your orders ready! And, if  you are interested in previous Misty Johnson adventures, don't forget to pick up Capitol Hell and Misty's short story in The Game. 

Stay tuned here for updates on more Misty Johnson short stories, a Capitol Hell audiobook, guest blog and podcast appearances by R P Steeves and more!

I've written before that my favorite comic book of all time is DP7. It was a tour-de-force by my favorite comic book writer of all time, Mark Gruenwald, and my favorite artist of all time, Paul Ryan. And, for what it's worth, it was set in Wisconsin. But, sadly, Gruenwald passed away 16 years ago tomorrow at the age of 43. Paul Ryan, still alive and kicking, worked on titles such as Quasar, The Avengers and Fantastic Four. And today I heard he would be the next Vice President of the United States.

Then I found out it was some OTHER Paul Ryan.

Too bad. If you'd asked me in 1986, I would have voted for  Gruenwald/Paul Ryan ticket in a second. But it's a different guy, and I am far less excited. It will take a lot more than a name-alike to get me to vote for a candidate from a major party...

It seems that technology has defeated me. When last I wrote about my Olympics obsession, I was just starting to go into overload. And, now, well, I feel like I am almost ready to surrender. You see, I am almost a week behind on my viewing, and the darn thing is about two weeks old!

As I have said, I try to delete certain sports that fall to the bottom of my hierarchy: (basketball, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, track and, reluctantly, boxing), but that still leaves dozens of hours of content per day in volleyball, equestrian, handball, water polo, beach volleyball, shooting, kayaking, diving, canoeing... etc. Even when I fast forward through the commercials, I feel like I barely make a dent in the DVR. Plus, I've had to erase most of my scripted content off the thing (though that purge is probably good for my soul), and I  have given up on other viewing (who know what is happening in Major League Baseball or preseason NFL right now!)

But, on the bright side, I'll be enjoying "new to me" Olympic events until the end of the month, most likely. That'll shorten the distance between now and the Winter Games in 2014, when I can start all over again (curling! luge! bobsled!!!)

See you in September, world!

I have already written posts about my obsession with the Wild Cards books, so, in an effort to expand my reading a bit more, I have decided to try to read as many books by the consortium authors as possible. An online recommendation brought me to Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis. It's the first book in a planned trilogy (or triptych, if you will) and, if you want a bit of a spoiler, I am already onto the second book!

I'll try to review Bitter Seeds here without spoiling too much, but it will be tricky. The book is more or less an alternate history of the early years of World War II. But in this universe, the Nazis have succeeded in creating "supermen" with traditional superpowers (invisibility, intangibility, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, etc.) To combat these powerful beings, the UK decides to enlist its own superhuman allies: warlocks. So we get a battle between superscience and supernatural beings, with some very ordinary men caught in between.

There is a lot to like about this book, but it's one of those books that seems to work even better as a part of a whole. I find I am liking it even more in retrospect as I read the second installment. First, let me say what I like about the initial novel.

We get the point of view of both the British and the German sides. We follow some of the Nazi superbeings and learn about their lives, their powers and their plans. And we also follow some of the British agents, one ordinary man and one extraordinary, as they scramble to raise their forces against this powerful threat. So that makes for a nice variety of characters. But what I like the most is that this book surprised me. I expected the war to unfold as we remember it, but with all of this going on in the background. Tregillis, though, is not afraid to deviate from history. Also, he is not afraid to do terrible things to his characters, and he does not feel the need to hew to traditional structures of pain and redemption, either.

As I said, the book seems even better in light of the sequel (though I am only about halfway through). There is one character in the series who can see the future and, well, we start to see how she has shaped events in a sort of "long con." Thematic and plot elements from book one are seen in a different and sometimes more important light as the story unfolds into book 2, and that is making me excited for the third book (which is not yet out). Expect to see my review of The Coldest War soon.

For now, pick up Bitter Seeds. I dig it!

There is a saying that the Golden Age of comics for each collector is when she or he was 10 years old. If that is true, I am solidly a child of the 80s. While some of the more cutting edge titles (Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, etc) were above my head at the time, I fondly remember Secret Wars and the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I count DP7 as my favorite title of all time. This was an era when Ben Grimm, my favorite comics character, was deftly handled by John Byrne, and Hawkeye, my second favorite, was written by Mark Gruenwald (my favorite comics writer) and Steve Englehart. So those stories from the 80s are my benchmarks for reviewing modern stories about my favorite characters. And, once again, Clint Barton gets another shot at a series.

I adored the 80s Hawkeye mini, as written by Gruenwald. Clint was off on his own, proving his worth and making a name (and rogue's gallery) for himself. He found love and tragedy (is Hawkeye still deaf? Or was he cured when he was Resurrected?). And he became a leader and complex character in West Coast Avengers (I recently wrote a forum post about my favorite Hawkeye moment of all time, from West Coast Avengers Annual #2). He was brash and bold, funny and deadly, and he cared so much about being a hero, being an Avenger. Plus, he was a regular (though talented) guy (well, when he wasn't a giant) proving his own alongside gods and super soldiers. I dug everything about him.

But Clint's Solo Avenger/Avengers Spotlight series was tepid at best, and his Fabian Nicieza-penned series from the last decade was only OK. I did enjoy Hawkeye's recent series with Mockingbird, but that was short lived. Now, though, he has a new series written by Matt Fraction. My verdict? Cautiously optimistic. Let me give a spoiler-free take first, then a few spoilery thoughts.

The first issue looks at Hawkeye as a man. He is out of the costume for most of it and barely holds a bow. He deals with a conflict that is human rather than superhuman, and he shows his character as much as his skills, which I like. I wish there was a little more humor in Clint's dialogue, as that is an aspect of the character I really dig, but at his heart, Hawkeye is all about doing what is right. But he is not Steve Rogers, so his methods may not be as pure. If Cap is Lawful Good, Clint, like Robin Hood, might just be Chaotic Good. The art is decent. I want to see a little more superheroics soon, so I am hoping it stacks up well there. It seemed to fit the mood of the piece, but I want to see more of it before I give full judgment. I am going to pick up the next issue and see where it takes me.

For the record, I've always wanted to pitch a Hawkeye series, picking up on an element from the Gruenwald Cap days that I think has a lot of potential. If this doesn't work out, Marvel should call me.

SPOILERS BELOW

So the first splash page is almost a screen shot from the movie, which made me nervous. (for the record, I need to see Clint back in a classic costume SOON). But as I said, he is Clint Barton almost the whole issue, which was nice. I like how the story highlighted how deadly he is with ordinary objects (ala Bullseye) due to his training from Swordsman as well as Trick Shot, though tossing the card was a little much. My favorite part was how he looked out for the little guy and stood up to the bullies, handling matters on his own rather than calling in the bigger guns. The dialogue comparing himself to Cap was a little on the nose, but it helped pinpoint that tricky aspect of his character. And, the guy got himself a rescue dog. I support that, even if it seems like a heavy-handed trick to get me to like him. It worked. (though I groaned at the dog's name). I hope to see more SUPERheroing from Clint soon, but as I said, I am on board.

When I was teaching writing, I told students that the elements of revision were basically: add, delete, move or change. It seems pretty simple when I say it that way. But some revisions are trickier than others I am finding.

My current project, for example, is challenging me in unexpected ways. I got to the end of the first draft and I discovered a key thread that was buried in the work that I didn't even know was there. I used it to make what I thought was a satisfying conclusion. But when I re-read the work, I found something lacking. There was not enough depth to the protagonist. She simply didn't have a strong enough arc.

So I thought about it, and I decided to tie her story, thematically at least, into that ending. I wanted her to have some parallels to another character and the best way to do so, I thought, was to add in some backstory and a new, off-camera character as well. This has turned out to be tricky. I want to include references to this storyline in thought and dialogue without making it seem ham-fisted. I also want to add a few new scenes, but I need them to seem organic and not like they are plopped in the middle of the story, distracting from the main plotline.

I am finding it challenging but enjoyable. I think, in the end, after a few MORE rounds of revision, it'll turn out okay. But for now, there is a LOT of deleting and rewriting going on...

When some people were up in arms about the Before Watchmen series, I could not quite understand what the big deal was. Now, a few months into the experiment, I understand what the fear was: mediocrity. And that, as I read The Comedian #2 and Nite Owl #2, was the impression I got. As a friend of mine would say: MEH.

The Comedian meets with RFK at a Cassius Clay fight. He goes off to Vietnam, where his sociopathic ways help him fit it. And that's about it. It was violent and brutal, typical of what we might expect from the Comedian. But other than that, there was not a ton of characterization. That is what I am looking for in these titles (and what I am getting with Silk Spectre and, maybe Ozymandias). So there is not much going on here that excites me.

As I said, Nite Owl II is my favorite character from Watchmen, so I had high hopes for this series. And, again, there is not a lot here. In fact, we get almost as much shading added to Rorschach as we to do Dan. We explore more of his daddy issues and we get hints that we'll be delving into some of his psychosexual quirks but again, not a whole lot that is new hear (except for LOTS of nudity).

I am hoping the next wave, with Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach, are a little bit better. Again, these issues are not bad, they are just... uninspiring. And, considering their source code, it's a bit of a shame.

I have decided there are just not enough hours in the day.

The networks of NBC have SO much Olympic coverage, and my DVR is working so feverishly to capture it all, that I am WAY behind. The good news is that there are certain sports (swimming, basketball, soccer, gymnastics, most of the track and field events, sadly, boxing) that don't interest me. But that still leaves dozens of other events: archery, shooting, equestrian, cycling, volleyball, handball, water polo, rowing, kayaking and canoeing... and more. I record dozens of hours a day, but I'm only able to watch a few hours a day. So I am behind -- way more than the time difference between the UK and CT, I am DAYS behind. But I suppose there is a benefit. When the Games are over, I'll still be enjoying content until September!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some water polo to catch up on...

Sometimes they fall together.

I recently finished the first draft of a story I've been working on for 15 years (on and off, mostly off). I wrote the final scene, and was happy because I found an unexpected character beat for the antagonist to tie everything together. It was an element that was there all along, and I just had to make it explicit.

But after I wrote those final words, I took a bit of a break. I didn't write for a few days, focusing instead on catching up with my reading. Something was percolating in the back of my head, and today it finally turned into a full, rich brew. I realized I need another character, and a subplot that will run throughout. Adding this thread will make the revision process longer and more difficult, but I think it'll add a richness to the protagonist and, to be honest, she was a bit lacking.

Sometimes inspiration can hit at the oddest times, in the quiet moments in between. I thank my Muse for bailing me out once again. She should probably get co-plotting credit on most of my work!

It's August today, can you believe it? Here is hoping that the month gets off to a good start for everyone, that any news you receive in August be exactly what you want to hear.

I have a lot going on this month. In addition to my ongoing Dungeons and Dragons campaign, I am looking forward to attending Connecticut ComiCONN this month -- as a fan. Last year it was disrupted by weather (a tropical storm was looming), so here is hoping for a good show this year. I am also looking forward to attending the New York Renaissance Faire, though I might not make it there until September. Always fun to hear the music and comedy, and watch the acrobats and jousters and more. I also love the food, and usually end up buying something I don't need on Spendpenny Lane!

On the writing front, I finished the final proof of the second Misty Johnson book, The National Maul, and I am getting ready for a publicity push for that. It is due out in September, and I may have two Misty short stories out soon and I am going to set the wheels in motion for an audio book of the first MJ, SD title. As for new projects, I am working on a dystopian Sci-Fi novel that has been on the back burner since 1997, and I'll be working on a YA project that has been in development hell since 2003. And there may be a few other fun projects in there somewhere, too!

I am cautiously optimistic that August will be a good month for me, and I hope it is a GREAT month for all of you!