Scott A. Cupp and Jess Nevins have turned in their essays on apes in comics and literature. The fascinating pieces promise surprising insights about primates in pop culture.

A survey of ape literature, The Apes of Wrath delivers 17 classic short stories, along with four original essays on various aspects of apes in pop culture. The book’s stellar lineup includes Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Franz Kafka, Gustave Flaubert, Robert E. Howard, Karen Joy Fowler, Joe R. Lansdale, Howard Waldrop, Steven Utley, Mary Robinette Kowal, Pat Murphy, Leigh Kennedy, James P. Blaylock, Clark Ashton Smith, Aesop, Hugh B. Cave, Jess Nevins, Scott Cupp, Mark Finn, and Rupert Wyatt.

The fun comes your way in March 2013 from Tachyon Publications.

Updating The Apes of Wrath was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

Uglies: Shay’s Story
by Scott Westerfeld and Devin Grayson
Art by Steven Cummings

Promo copy:

“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves.”—Shay

Uglies told Tally Youngblood’s version of life in Uglyville and the budding rebellion against the Specials. Now comes an exciting graphic novel revealing new adventures in the Uglies world—as seen through the eyes of Shay, Tally’s rebellious best friend who’s not afraid to break the rules, no matter the cost.

A few months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Shay eagerly awaits her turn to become a Pretty—a rite-of-passage operation called “the Surge” that transforms ordinary Uglies into paragons of beauty. Yet after befriending the Crims, a group of fellow teens who refuse to take anything in society at face value, Shay starts to question the whole concept. And as the Crims explore beyond the monitored borders of Uglyville into the forbidden, ungoverned wild, Shay must choose between the perks of being Pretty and the rewards of being real.

Caine’s Law
by Matthew Stover

Promo copy:

SOME LAWS YOU BREAK. SOME BREAK YOU.
AND THEN THERE’S CAINE’S LAW.

From the moment Caine first appeared in the pages of Heroes Die, two things were clear. First, that Matthew Stover was one of the most gifted fantasy writers of his generation. And second, that Caine was a hero whose peers go by such names as Conan and Elric. Like them, Caine was something new: a civilized man who embraced savagery, an actor whose life was a lie, a force of destruction so potent that even gods thought twice about crossing him. Now Stover brings back his greatest creation for his most stunning performance yet.

Caine is washed up and hung out to dry, a crippled husk kept isolated and restrained by the studio that exploited him. Now they have dragged him back for one last deal. But Caine has other plans. Those plans take him back to Overworld, the alternate reality where gods are real and magic is the ultimate weapon. There, in a violent odyssey through time and space, Caine will face the demons of his past, find true love, and just possibly destroy the universe.

Hey, it’s a crappy job, but somebody’s got to do it.

Crucible of Gold
by Naomi Novik
Cover by Craig Howell

Promo copy:

Naomi Novik’s beloved series returns, with Captain Will Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire once again taking to the air against the broadsides of Napoleon’s forces and the friendly—and sometimes not-so-friendly—fire of British soldiers and politicians who continue to suspect them of divided loyalties, if not outright treason.

For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain’s last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon.

And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio—and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one’s country do not always run on parallel tracks.

Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers.

Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it.

Books received 2/19/2012 Del Rey edition was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

Uglies: Shay’s Story
by Scott Westerfeld and Devin Grayson
Art by Steven Cummings

Promo copy:

“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves.”—Shay

Uglies told Tally Youngblood’s version of life in Uglyville and the budding rebellion against the Specials. Now comes an exciting graphic novel revealing new adventures in the Uglies world—as seen through the eyes of Shay, Tally’s rebellious best friend who’s not afraid to break the rules, no matter the cost.

A few months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Shay eagerly awaits her turn to become a Pretty—a rite-of-passage operation called “the Surge” that transforms ordinary Uglies into paragons of beauty. Yet after befriending the Crims, a group of fellow teens who refuse to take anything in society at face value, Shay starts to question the whole concept. And as the Crims explore beyond the monitored borders of Uglyville into the forbidden, ungoverned wild, Shay must choose between the perks of being Pretty and the rewards of being real.

Caine’s Law
by Matthew Stover

Promo copy:

SOME LAWS YOU BREAK. SOME BREAK YOU.
AND THEN THERE’S CAINE’S LAW.

From the moment Caine first appeared in the pages of Heroes Die, two things were clear. First, that Matthew Stover was one of the most gifted fantasy writers of his generation. And second, that Caine was a hero whose peers go by such names as Conan and Elric. Like them, Caine was something new: a civilized man who embraced savagery, an actor whose life was a lie, a force of destruction so potent that even gods thought twice about crossing him. Now Stover brings back his greatest creation for his most stunning performance yet.

Caine is washed up and hung out to dry, a crippled husk kept isolated and restrained by the studio that exploited him. Now they have dragged him back for one last deal. But Caine has other plans. Those plans take him back to Overworld, the alternate reality where gods are real and magic is the ultimate weapon. There, in a violent odyssey through time and space, Caine will face the demons of his past, find true love, and just possibly destroy the universe.

Hey, it’s a crappy job, but somebody’s got to do it.

Crucible of Gold
by Naomi Novik
Cover by Craig Howell

Promo copy:

Naomi Novik’s beloved series returns, with Captain Will Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire once again taking to the air against the broadsides of Napoleon’s forces and the friendly—and sometimes not-so-friendly—fire of British soldiers and politicians who continue to suspect them of divided loyalties, if not outright treason.

For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain’s last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon.

And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio—and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one’s country do not always run on parallel tracks.

Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers.

Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it.

Books received 2/19/2012 Del Rey edition was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

My first Blastr contribution of 2012, 7 Stan Lee creations that should have been movies a long time ago came about from an article by Mark London Williams. As part of his regular gig for Below the Line, Mark covered the 10th annual Visual Effects Society awards show, where they remarkably gave Stan Lee “the lifetime achievement award, for creating so many characters that provided so much work for the people in the room.”

(Photo by Alex J. Berliner/abimages)

It got me to wondering how many of Lee’s (co-)creations still hadn’t made it to the big screen. And hence the article.

I found 7 creations that fit my criteria. You’ll have to head over to Blastr to find out what they are, but check out this image for a few clues.

7 Lee creations that shouldve been movies a long time ago was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

My first Blastr contribution of 2012, 7 Stan Lee creations that should have been movies a long time ago came about from an article by Mark London Williams. As part of his regular gig for Below the Line, Mark covered the 10th annual Visual Effects Society awards show, where they remarkably gave Stan Lee “the lifetime achievement award, for creating so many characters that provided so much work for the people in the room.”

(Photo by Alex J. Berliner/abimages)

It got me to wondering how many of Lee’s (co-)creations still hadn’t made it to the big screen. And hence the article.

I found 7 creations that fit my criteria. You’ll have to head over to Blastr to find out what they are, but check out this image for a few clues.

7 Lee creations that shouldve been movies a long time ago was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Just because it’s fun every once in a while to write about something besides apes, my latest Nexus Graphica effort focuses on the comics based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ legendary Mars series.

I then recount, complete with commentary, every John Carter comics appearance, all without evoking apes. Well, expect for the inevitable brief references to Tarzan. This is about ERB creations, after all.

As an added bonus, I review three recent graphic novels. Check it all out at SF Site.

Four-Color Skies Over Barsoom: John Carter in Comics was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Just because it’s fun every once in a while to write about something besides apes, my latest Nexus Graphica effort focuses on the comics based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ legendary Mars series.

I then recount, complete with commentary, every John Carter comics appearance, all without evoking apes. Well, expect for the inevitable brief references to Tarzan. This is about ERB creations, after all.

As an added bonus, I review three recent graphic novels. Check it all out at SF Site.

Four-Color Skies Over Barsoom: John Carter in Comics was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

Silent Partner
by Jonathan Kellerman
Adapted by Ande Parks
Art by Micheal Gaydos

Promo copy:

The first graphic novel adaptation from master of psychological suspense Jonathan Kellerman brings a stunning new visual edge to the classic New York Times bestseller Silent Partner—a “harrowing tale of murder and manipulation” (The Plain Dealer) that “hits the reader right between the eyes” (Los Angeles Times Book Review).

Alex Delaware is struggling to keep his relationship with girlfriend Robin Castagna alive when a beautiful face from the past suddenly steps back into his life. Sharon Ransom was Alex’s lover back in the day—until her mind games and increasingly erratic behavior drove them apart. Now Sharon tries to rekindle old feelings and seek his help with some new troubles. Alex turns her away—a decision he bitterly regrets when Sharon ends up dead the next day.

The official ruling is suicide, but for Alex the case won’t be closed until he finds out what happened. Driven by guilt and grief, he plunges deep into the territory he knows best—where dark secrets, dangerous fears, and twisted needs prey on hearts and minds. With the aid of his trusted friend, homicide cop Milo Sturgis, Alex traces Sharon’s fatal path through a world of Hollywood high life riddled with scandal, corruption, and blood—where innocence and lives are easily lost.

Scripted by Ande Parks, author of the acclaimed graphic novels Union Station and Capote in Kansas, and illustrated by Marvel and DC comics veteran Michael Gaydos, Silent Partner captures Jonathan Kellerman’s trademark blend of crime drama and psychodrama with noirish style and eye-catching, page-turning intensity.

The Son of No One

Promo copy:

In this searing police thriller, Jonathan (Channing Tatum) is a second-generation cop who gets in over his head when he’s assigned to re-open a double homicide cold case in his Queens neighborhood. An anonymous source feeding new information on the long-unsolved murders to a local reporter (Juliette Binoche) leads to evidence suggesting a possible cover-up by the former lead detective (Al Pacino) who was on the investigation. As Jonathan digs deeper into the assignment, a dark secret about the case emerges, which threatens to destroy his life and his family. Written and directed by Dito Montiel, Son Of No One also stars Tracy Morgan, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta and Jake Cherry. Music by David Wittman and Jonathan Elias.

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars: The Jesse Marsh Years
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Adapted by Paul S. Newman
Art by Jesse Marsh

Promo copy:

In 1947, Jesse Marsh – an artist who would inspire generations of comics creators and earn the esteem of professional peers such as industry legends Russ Manning and Alex Toth – won over millions of readers with his four-color vision of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ beloved character Tarzan. To the delight of his readers, Marsh would continue to draw Tarzan comics for the following nineteen years. But his passion for Burroughs’ creations wasn’t limited to the legendary writer’s jungle lord, and in the early 1950s he teamed up with prolific comics writer Paul S. Newman to breath life into another of Burroughs’ beloved heroes: the courageous adventurer John Carter of Mars!

Stuff received 2/15/12 was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon