Not surprisingly, I subscribe to a couple of Bettie Page mailing lists. From time to time, comics will be discussed. Tim Pilcher’s Erotic Comics: A Graphic History from Tijuana Bibles to Underground Comix came up and unbeknownst to me, I am quoted on p. 118. Wonder what I said…

(Thanks, Herb.)

Erotic Comics quote was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Matt Staggs interviewed me for his blog Enter the Octopus. We talked about geekdom, my grandfather, my new SF Site column, and other related topics.

This may be the first interview I’ve ever done with no mention of gorillas or apes!

I’m interviewed at Enter the Octopus was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

This is a short story in the collection Dead and Loving It. It tells the tale of Antonia, a clairvoyant werewolf who can’t change into werewolf. She wants to find true love, but her own kind refuse to mate with her because she can’t shift. While wallowing in self-pity, she gets a clairvoyant message from her brain that said "If you help Quuen Betsy, you will get what you want."

So she arrives to help Queen Betsy, the reluctant vampire queen. There she finds out interpreting visions is a difficult job.

Cute short story. Lacks the depth (and that says a lot – cause the regular series is a wee bit shallow.) of one of the novels. Take it or leave it.

The trailer, littered with explosions and quasi-X-Files moments, shows exactly what I feared from this film. The original was a thoughtful, quiet film that successfully explored paranioa. The beautifully written and directed picture perfectly captured science fiction movies of the era. Then on second thought with explosions and overt paranoid elements, this new version may sadly capture the science fiction movies of the current era.

First Day The Earth Stood Still trailer was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
Joanna Brady is celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary, or will be once her husband Andy, a local sherrif’s deputy, comes home. Unfortunately for her, Andy is shot and left for dead.

As Joanne tries to deal with what is happening, rumours begin to swirl around town that Andy is involved in drug smuggling and tried to kill himself. Joanne sets out to clear his name and find out what really happened. This immerses her in a world of crooked cops, hired killers and mysterious amounts of money in her bank account.

Desert Heat is the first of J.A. Jance’s Joanna Brady mysteries. Gripping and hard hitting, it is a page turner. I really enjoyed re-reading it after all these years. I plan to bug the local library to buy a copy, even though it was published more than two years ago.

[  Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Waiting for My Son to Fall Asleep – Here’s Hoping ]
Lauren Weisberger burst on the scene with her first novel The Devil Wears Prada in 2004. You may have heard of it.

Her second novel, Everyone Worth Knowing, follows pretty much the same formula. A young woman, who also has talent with writing, lands a dream job only to have it all go wrong. In this case, the young woman is named Bette and the dream job is working for a PR firm that plans celebrity filled events. She is also expected to party and get positive notice in the papers for the firm.

As Bette tries to learn the ropes of her new job, she is thrust into a fake romance, as well as deal with a gossip columnist who seems to have access to all the wrong info.

A fun read. Not going to change your life, but fun.

Last year, I interviewed Lewis Shiner about his Fiction Liberation Front. Now, I’ve reviewed his latest novel, Black & White, for The Austin Chronicle.

Lewis Shiner’s Black and White was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
Sarah Dunant used to write trillers. Then she wanted to write a novel about Renaissance Florence. Birth of Venus was the result.

The book tells the story of Alessandra, the youngest daughter of a merchant family. Alessandra is smart, well educated and shar tongued. She is also an artist. The problem is that women are still only supposed to be mothers, wives or whores. Alessandra fights against these fetters, flaunting her knowledge and studying art.

Dunant has created a rich, textured world for her novel, with vivid characterizations. The novel starts slowly, but that is a good thing. Like unwrapping a present wrapped in exquisite wrapping paper, the story unfolds with care and love.

Worth the time and effort.

The Golden Age of Comics promises to be the “#1 site for downloading FREE copyright free golden age comics.” I certainly cannot confirm or deny that statement, but with over 4,500 scanned Golden Age comic books, it is the most impressive I’ve seen. Publishers include Ace Comics, American Comics Group/ACG. Better/Nedor/Standard Publications, Charlton, Comics House Publications/Lev Gleason Comics, Eastern Color Printing Company, Fawcett Comics, Fiction House, Fox Comics, Hillman Periodicals, MLJ Comics, Quality Comics and many more. Scanned titles include multiple issues of Captain Marvel Adventures (and his extended family), Simon & Kirby’s Fighting American, Crime Does Not Pay and literally thousands of others.

In order to access and download the comics, you must register. Downloading can be a bit tricky at first, so make sure and read the Golden Age Comics Help FAQ immediately after registering.

Whatever the hassle, this is the finest resource of Golden Age comics available on the web. To acquire a mere fraction of these stories would cost you in the tens of thousands of dollars. So go forth and experience a bit of comic book history.

The Golden Age of Comics was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Happy ]
Geeklet will get to partake of his first celebrations later on today. We have bought him an outfit and everything.

(Not exactly as pictured)

Husband Unit is looking forward to the Great Canadian Chicken BBQ. I am looking forward to actually enjoying a Canada Day rather than having to do first aid.

Happy 141 Canada!