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

Dearly, Departed
by Lia Habel

Promo copy:

Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Resistance: A Hole in the Sky
by William C. Dietz

Promo copy:

The official prequel to the blockbuster videogame Resistance 3

America. July 1953.

In this official prequel to Resistance 3, prospects are not looking up for planet Earth or Lieutenant Joseph Capelli. With the Chimera invasion in full swing, America has crumbled under the fierce alien juggernaut, its defenses overrun, millions dead, the rest left to fend for themselves. Many try to avoid the alien virus that turns humans into Chimeran killing machines.

Capelli may be a pariah to the army for killing hero Nathan Hale, but he is still a patriot fighting to save the country and its citizens. However, some soldiers are ready to shoot him on sight—not to mention that Hale’s beautiful sister has every reason in the world to want him stone dead. But Capelli’s used to being in dangerous situations and taking crazy risks. And the next move he intends to make is pure suicide.

Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Ascension
by Christie Golden
Cover by Ian Keltie

Promo copy:

How long can the Jedi remain in power?
How far will the Sith go to rule supreme?
What chance do both stand against Abeloth?

As Luke and Ben Skywalker pursue the formidable dark-side being Abeloth, the Lost Tribe of the Sith is about to be sundered by an even greater power—which will thrust one Dark Lord into mortal conflict with his own flesh-and-blood.

On Coruscant, a political vacuum has left tensions at the boiling point, with factions racing to claim control of the Galactic Alliance. Suddenly surrounded by hidden agendas, treacherous conspiracies, and covert Sith agents, the Jedi Order must struggle to keep the GA government from collapsing into anarchy.

The Jedi are committed to maintaining peace and ensuring just rule, but even they are not prepared to take on the combined threats of Sith power, a deposed dictator bent on galaxywide vengeance, and an entity of pure cunning and profound evil hungry to become a god.

Alongside the release of Alan Moore’s and Paul O’Neill’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume III: Century 1969 comes the latest installment of Jess Nevins’ equally as extraordinary annotations. Within Nevins and his team reveal all sorts of fascinating tidbits surrounding the often mysterious world of the League including the appearance of Lord Voldemort!

Page 54. Panel 4. “Well, my first name’s Tom, my middle name’s a marvel, and my last name’s a conundrum.”

In J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels the real name of arch-villain Lord Voldemort is Tom Marvolo Riddle. The “Harry Potter” novels are set in the 1990s and 2000s, but Voldemort/Tom Riddle is much older than Harry Potter et al., and as best can be guessed Tom Riddle, in the late 1960s, was a free agent.

According to the novels themselves, Riddle never taught at Hogwarts–he applied for the role of teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts twice but was denied both times. However, it is very much in character for Riddle to claim he is a Hogwarts teacher, as he does in Panel 2.

Other fun facts include:

Page 15. Panel 7. The picture is of three of the Seven Stars in happier times: Captain Universe, an invisible Mina wearing the hat of Vull, and Marsman.

“Captain Universe” is a reference to Captain Universe, who appeared in the British comic Captain Universe (1954). “Working in the research laboratories of the United Nations Interplanetary Division, Jim Logan discovers an amazing secret. He treats himself electronically and thereafter, whenever he shouts the word ‘Galap’, electronic impulses from outer space vibrate through him, endowing him with superhuman powers. He becomes Captain Universe, the Super Marvel!”

Pádraig Ó Méalóid adds, “Captain Universe was created by Mick Anglo, the alleged creator of Marvelman, and it’s obvious that, like Marvelman, Captain Universe is a direct copy of Captain Marvel. Only one issue of Captain Universe was ever published, by Arnold Book Company, which was a subsidiary of L Miller & Son, the publishers of Marvelman, but run by the ‘& Son’ himself, Arnold Miller.”

Page 20. Panel 1. The black-haired gentleman in the bowtie on the far left of this panel is of course the second Doctor Who, played by Patrick Troughton from 1966-1969.

Page 21. Panel 1. “I’m Jeremiah Cornelius.”
Jeremiah (“Jerry”) Cornelius is the creation of Michael Moorcock. He’s a secret agent and anarchistic adventurer. He appeared, much younger, in Black Dossier on Page 20, Panels 2-8.

Image by Mal Dean

Page 24. Panel 4. “Soror Iliel”
In Aleister Crowley’s The Moonchild (1917) one of the characters is given the name “Iliel” as part of a magic war on a group of black magicians.

Nevin’s annotations, loaded with obscure information, are almost as fun as reading the book itself.

As regular Geek Curmudgeon readers know, the low budget UK sf film Attack the Block blew me away. Well, I was lucky enough to interview writer/director Joe Cornish and star John Boyega for Blastr.

As for the bathroom breaks, check out the rest of my Blastr interview.

The 2011 Eisner Awards were announced yesterday. Shockingly not only do I agree with most of the winners, but I actually reviewed several of the titles.

Here are the winners and if available my original review of the title.

Best Short Story
"Post Mortem," by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, in I Am an Avenger #2 (Marvel)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)

Best Continuing Series
Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)

Chew Omnivore Edition, Volume 1 by John Layman (script) and Rob Guillory (art) (Image)
Layman and Guillory create an alternate present where, due to avian flu fears, the American government has criminalized the possession, sale, and consumption of all poultry! Tony Chu, investigator for the Special Crimes Division of the powerful FDA, employs his abilities as a cibopathic — he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats — to solve crimes. Guillory’s over-the-top humorous illustrations and Layman’s clever script expertly mix to spawn an enjoyable concoction of cannibalism, conspiracy, and murder. This luscious hardcover collects issues 1-10 (Volumes 1 and 2 of the trade paperback collections), complete with character design and sketches.
(#10 on my Nexus Graphic best graphic novels of the year 2010)

Best Limited Series
Daytripper, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Vertigo/DC)

Daytripper by Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá (Vertigo)
Twin brothers Moon and Bá beautifully recount the life of Brás de Oliva Domingos, crafter of obituaries and son of a world-famous Brazilian writer. The lavishly illustrated chapters relate important epochs of his life, each ending with his untimely and shocking death. Emotionally wrought and expertly told, the lyrical Daytripper breathes new life into the tired slice-of-life format and emerges as one of the best graphic novels of the year.

Best New Series
American Vampire, by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquerque (Vertigo/DC)

American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Stephen King (writers) and Rafael Albuquerque (art) (Vertigo)
I hadn’t caught up with this Vertigo title until its recent five-issue collection from Vertigo. Those a bit weary of "lovelorn Southern gentlemen, anorexic teenage girls (and) boy-toys with big dewy eyes" in their vampire books (and shows) might enjoy this parallel tale set in both the Old West and silent-movie era Los Angeles, as Snyder (with a scripting assist from King in the "western" parts) seek to create a uniquely "American" take on the vampire. Which they do in the form of gunslinger Skinner Sweet, who — in finest American fashion — is both bloodthirsty and psychotic, in both living an undead incarnations. Though there’s also a certain method to his madness as he takes on a cartel of "ruling class" vampires, themselves from "Old Europe," who see perfect bloodsucking opportunities (literal and otherwise) in America’s nascent corporate plutocracy. And hey, the Hollywood parts — with its tales of "B-girls gone bad" — almost get you thinking that Nathanael West must’ve written a vampire tale right before he tackled Day of the Locust. The traffic in the denouement(s) gets a tad cluttered, but it’s a compelling ride all the way through, leaving you with a nice set-up for the next arc (and the next American decade in the cycle!)
(I’m cheating a bit on this one by including the review from my Nexus Graphica cohort Mark London Williams. He included this as #7 on his Nexus Graphic best graphic novels of the year 2010)

Best Publication for Kids
Tiny Titans, by Art Baltazar and Franco (DC)

Best Publication for Teens
Smile, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Humor Publication
I Thought You Would Be Funnier, by Shannon Wheeler (BOOM!)

I Thought You Would Be Funnier by Shannon Wheeler (Boom! Town)
Best known for creating the iconic slacker Too Much Coffee Man, cartoonist Shannon Wheeler always entertains with his humorous observations of relationships, politics, and society, in multi-panel stories or as in the case with I Thought You Would Be Funnier, single gag panels. A regular contributor to The New Yorker, this volume collects Wheeler’s cartoons that the respected publication rejected. Though always funny and insightful, several of the strips may have been to caustic for the magazine. The second strip in this volume has two women sitting at a table drinking wine, one of them looking over an open newspaper, with "Here’s one: ‘an unattractive incompetent man seeks an attractive bitchy woman for a sitcom-type relationship.’" scrolled across the bottom. Perhaps not New Yorker material but hilarious nonetheless. Within, Wheeler pulls back the thin veneer of American society to reveal the comedic underbelly. I Thought You Would Be Funnier supplies yet further evidence that Shannon Wheeler is one of the preeminent cartoonists of his generation.

Best Anthology
Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, edited by Paul Morrissey and David Petersen (Archaia)

Best Digital Comic
Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl, www.abominable.cc

Best Reality-Based Work
It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)

It Was The War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)
This extraordinary collection of World War I tales offers perhaps the finest work from the lauded Tardi. Each story, based on actual accounts from French soldiers, relates the often-horrific realities of trench-warfare. Disturbing yet compelling images abound: a dead, mangled horse hanging from a tree serves as a warning; rats feasting on corpses; amputations; executions; countless dead. Far more memorable are the impassioned stories themselves. Betrayal, deceit, mistrust, murder, hope, and even humor run throughout these tales. Painstakingly researched, the amazing Tardi perfectly captures the everyday despair of the World War I trench soldier. Visceral, powerful, and effective, the flawless It Was The War of the Trenches blazes a new standard for the war comic.
(#3 on my best of 2010)

Best Graphic Album-New (tie)
Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann and Janet Lee (Archaia)
Wilson, by Daniel Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album-Reprint
Wednesday Comics, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)

Wednesday Comics (DC)
Throughout the 30s, 40s, and 50s, adventure strips dominated the Sunday newspaper comics pages. Oversized, full color pages featured the thrilling tales of Prince Valiant, Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and countless others. Under the guidance of DC art director Mark Chiarello, Wednesday Comics successfully re-captured this lost era with a series of oversized weeklies à la the Sunday funnies (dubbed Wednesday rather than Sunday in honor of the day new comics arrive in stores). This beautiful 11"x17" 200-page hardcover volume collects all the tales from the incredible 12-week run. While each featured A-list talent, some stories work better than others. Jack Kirby’s creation Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth (expertly rendered by writer Dave Gibbons and artist Ryan Sook); Paul Pope’s unique take on Adam Strange; and especially Hawkman as delightfully envisioned by Kyle Baker lovingly embrace the format and lessons of their antecedents. Other excellent tales include writer Brian Azzarello’s and artist Eduardo Risso’s noir-infused Batman; the charming Silver Age style science fiction adventure of the Green Lantern (Kurt Busiek, writer and Joe Quiñones, art); the Karl Kerschi/Brenden Fletcher unique time travel take on The Flash; and an unusual team-up of The Demon and Catwoman (imagined by writer Walt Simonson and artist Brian Stelfreeze). Regardless of the story, one mood permeates the entire volume: fun. Combine all this with previously unpublished strips starring Plastic Man and Creeper, original sketches, and Chiarello’s impressive book design, and Wednesday Comics quickly emerges as must-experience for all classic comic book fans.
(#5 on the best 2010)

Best Adaptation from Another Work
The Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Strips
Archie: The Complete Daily Newspaper Strips, 1946–1948, by Bob Montana, edited by Greg Goldstein (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books
Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia
Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

Best Writer
Joe Hill, Locke & Key (IDW)

Best Writer/Artist
Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark’s Parker: The Outfit (IDW)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Skottie Young, The Marvelous Land of Oz (Marvel)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)

Blacksad Written by Díaz Canales, Art by Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse)
Perhaps the most acclaimed French comic of the new century, Canales and Guarnido cleverly combine the seemingly disparate elements of anthropomorphic animal and 1950s crime fiction into their wholly original creation, Blacksad. Private eye cat John Blacksad uncovers the often filthy depths of mysteries involving child abductions, nuclear secrets, racist hate groups, and of course murder. Guarnido evokes the period through his evocative and elegant art while Canales’ script successfully evokes the era’s moods and attitudes through a contemporary lens. One of the best books of the year, Blacksad more than deserves its abundant praise.
(#4 on the best of 2010)

Best Cover Artist
Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Dark Horse)

Best Coloring
Dave Stewart, Hellboy, BPRD, Baltimore, Let Me In (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Neil Young’s Greendale, Daytripper, Joe the Barbarian (Vertigo/DC)

Best Lettering
Todd Klein, Fables, The Unwritten, Joe the Barbarian, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom (WildStorm/DC); SHIELD (Marvel); Driver for the Dead (Radical)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
ComicBookResources, produced by Jonah Weiland (www.comicbookresources.com)

Best Comics-Related Book
75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, by Paul Levitz (TASCHEN)

Best Publication Design
Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition, designed by Randall Dahlk (IDW)

HALL OF FAME
Judges’ Choices: Ernie Bushmiller, Jack Jackson, Martin Nodell, Lynd Ward
Elected: Mort Drucker, Harvey Pekar, Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman

Los Tejanos by Jack Jackson (Fantagraphics)
Under the non-de-plume "Jaxon," the late Jack Jackson may have first established his legendary reputation as the producer of the first underground comix (God’s Nose) and as the co-founder of the influential publisher Rip Off Press, but his most important and lasting legacy lies in his historical publications. His third Texas history graphic novel, Los Tejanos, relates the tragic tale of Juan Nepomuceno Seguin. An important figure during the War of Texas Independence, Seguin played crucial roles at the Alamo and the war’s finale at San Jacinto. He served as a Senator in the Texas Republic and as mayor of San Antonio, but he ran afoul of his own government when he protested the mistreatment of Tejanos, Texans of Mexican descent. Falsely accused by his opponents of aiding the Mexican army, he fled to Mexico where he was conscripted into the army and even served with Santa Anna during the Mexican-American War. Refusing to gloss over the uglier aspects of history, Jackson expertly and accurately recounts this largely ignored tale of racism and betrayal.

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award:
Nate Simpson

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award:
Patrick McDonnell

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award:
Del Connell, Bob Haney

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award:
Comics & Vegetables, Tel Aviv, Israel – Yuval Sharon, Danny Amitai[i]

Congratulations to all the winners.

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

The Cold Commands
by Richard K. Morgan

Promo copy:

With The Steel Remains, award-winning science fiction writer Richard K. Morgan turned his talents to sword and sorcery. The result: a genre-busting masterwork hailed as a milestone in contemporary epic fantasy. Now Morgan continues the riveting saga of Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a peerless warrior whose love for other men has made him an outcast and pariah.

Only a select few have earned the right to call Gil friend. One is Egar, the Dragonbane, a fierce Majak fighter who comes to respect a heart as savage and loyal as his own. Another is Archeth, the last remaining daughter of an otherworldly race called the Kiriath, who once used their advanced technology to save the world from the dark magic of the Aldrain—only to depart for reasons as mysterious as their arrival. Yet even Egar and Archeth have learned to fear the doom that clings to their friend like a grim shadow . . . or the curse of a bitter god.

Now one of the Kiriath’s uncanny machine intelligences has fallen from orbit—with a message that humanity faces a grave new danger (or, rather, an ancient one): a creature called the Illwrack Changeling, a boy raised to manhood in the ghostly between-world realm of the Grey Places, home to the Aldrain. A human raised as one of them—and, some say, the lover of one of their greatest warriors—until, in a time lost to legend, he was vanquished. Wrapped in sorcerous slumber, hidden away on an island that drifts between this world and the Grey Places, the Illwrack Changeling is stirring. And when he wakes, the Aldrain will rally to him and return in force—this time without the Kiriath to stop them.

An expedition is outfitted for the long and arduous sea journey to find the lost island of the Illwrack Changeling. Aboard are Gil, Egar, and Archeth: each fleeing from ghosts of the past, each seeking redemption in whatever lies ahead. But redemption doesn’t come cheap these days. Nor, for that matter, does survival. Not even for Ringil Eskiath. Or anyone—god or mortal—who would seek to use him as a pawn.

Lord of Souls
by Greg Keyes

Promo copy:

Forty years after the Oblivion crisis, the empire of Tamriel is threatened by a mysterious floating city, Umbriel, whose shadow spawns a terrifying undead army.

Reeling from a devastating discovery, Prince Attrebus continues on his seemingly doomed quest to obtain a magic sword that holds the key to destroying the deadly invaders. Meanwhile, in the Imperial City, the spy Colin finds evidence of betrayal at the heart of the empire—if his own heart doesn’t betray him first. And Annaïg, trapped in Umbriel itself, has become a slave to its dark lord and his insatiable hunger for souls.

How can these three unlikely heroes save Tamriel when they cannot even save themselves?

Based on the award-winning Elder Scrolls® series, Lord of Souls is the second of two exhilarating novels that continue the story from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, named 2006 Game of the Year by numerous outlets, including Spike TV, the Golden Joystick Awards, and the Associated Press.

Tattoo
by Kirsten Imani Kasai
Cover by Katarina Sokolova

Promo copy:

Her fate is in her flesh.

In an environmentally fragile world where human and animal genes combine, the rarest mutation of all–the Trader–can instantly switch genders. One such Trader–female Sorykah–is battling her male alter, Soryk, for dominance and the right to live a full life.

Sorykah has rescued her infant twins from mad Matuk the Collector. Her children are safe. Her journey, she believes, is over, but Matuk’s death has unleashed darker, more evil forces. Those forces–led by the Collector’s son–cast nets that stretch from the glittering capital of Neubonne to the murky depths below the frozen Sigue, where the ink of octameroons is harvested to make addictive, aphrodisiac tattoos. Bitter enemies trapped within a single skin, Sorykah and Soryk are soon drawn into a sinister web of death and deceit.

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

Flip Flop Fly Ball: An Infographic Baseball Adventure
by Craig Robinson
Foreword by Rob Neyer

Promo copy:

How many miles does a baseball team travel in one season?

How tall would A-Rod’s annual salary be in pennies?

What does Nolan Ryan have to do with the Supremes and Mariah Carey?

You might never have asked yourself any of these questions, but Craig Robinson’s Flip Flop Fly Ball will make you glad to know the answers.

Baseball, almost from the first moment Robinson saw it, was more than a sport. It was history, a nearly infinite ocean of information that begged to be organized. He realized that understanding the game, which he fell in love with as an adult, would never be possible just through watching games and reading articles. He turned his obsession into a dizzyingly entertaining collection of graphics that turned into an Internet sensation.

Out of Robinson’s Web site, www.flipflopflyball.com, grew this book, full of all-new, never-before-seen graphics. Flip Flop Fly Ball dives into the game’s history, its rivalries and absurdities, its cities and ballparks, and brings them to life through 120 full-color graphics. Statistics-the sport’s lingua franca-have never been more fun.

(By the way, the answers: about 26,000 miles, at least if the team in question is the 2008 Kansas City Royals; 3,178 miles; they were the artists atop the Billboard Hot 100 when Ryan first and last appeared in MLB games.)

Craig Robinson is, among other things, an Englishman and a New York Yankees fan with a soft spot for the Colorado Rockies and a man-crush on Ichiro. Last season he played outfield for the Prenzlauer Berg Piranhas in the Berlin Mixed Softball League (.452/.548/.575). His previous books include Atlas, Schmatlas: A Superior Atlas of the World and Fun Fun Fun.

Beautiful book full of all sorts of fun and interesting stats presented in a creative manner. A must for baseball fans!

Another Kind of Dead
by Kelly Meding
Cover by Cliff Nielsen

Promo copy:

She can heal her own wounds. She can nail a monster to a wall. But there’s one danger Evangeline Stone never saw coming.

Been there. Done that. Evy Stone is a former Dreg Bounty Hunter who died and came back to life with some extraordinary powers. Now all but five people in the world think she is dead again, this time for good—immolated in a factory fire set specifically for her. Evy and Wyatt, her partner/lover/friend, can no longer trust their former allies, or even the highest echelons of the Triads—the army of fighters holding back from an unsuspecting public a tide of quarreling, otherworldly creatures—they can trust only each other. Because when the Triads raided a macabre, monster-filled lab of science experiments and hauled away the remnants, they failed to capture their creator: a brilliant, vampire-obsessed scientist with a wealth of powerful, anti-Dreg weaponry to trade for what he desires most of all—Evy Stone: alive and well, and the key to his ultimate experiment in mad science.

The Difference Engine
by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
Introduction by Cory Doctorow

Promo copy:

The 20th anniversary edition of the classic steampunk novel with new commentary by the authors

1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full swing, powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. Three extraordinary characters race toward a rendezvous with the future: Sybil Gerard—fallen woman, politician’s tart, daughter of a Luddite agitator; Edward “Leviathan” Mallory—explorer and paleontologist; Laurence Oliphant—diplomat, mystic, and spy. Their adventure begins with the discovery of a box of punched Engine cards of unknown origin and purpose. Cards someone wants badly enough to kill for.

Part detective story, part historical thriller, The Difference Engine took the science fiction community by storm when it was first published twenty years ago. This special anniversary edition features an Introduction by Cory Doctorow and a collaborative essay from the authors looking back on their creation. Provocative, compelling, intensely imagined, this novel is poised to impress a whole new generation.

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

The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities
Edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer

Promo copy:

The death of Dr. Thackery T. Lambshead in 2003 at his house in Wimpering-on-the-Brook, England, revealed an astonishing discovery: the remains of a remarkable cabinet of curiosities.

A carefully selected group of popular artists and acclaimed, bestselling fantasy authors has been assembled to bring Dr. Lambshead’s cabinet of curiosities to life. Including contributions from Alan Moore, Lev Grossman, Mike Mignola, China Miéville, Cherie Priest, Carrie Vaughn, Greg Broadmore, Naomi Novik, Garth Nix, Michael Moorcock, Holly Black, Jeffrey Ford, Ted Chiang, and many more.

This is the amazing-looking follow up to The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases. Eager to delve into this.

Steelhands
by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
Cover by Paul Youll

Promo copy:

With Havemercy, Shadow Magic, and Dragon Soul, the acclaimed writing team of Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett has fused magic and technology into something that can only be termed “magicpunk.” Their distinctive style, featuring a chorus of quirky first-person narrators and brilliantly sophisticated world-building, has won these young writers the plaudits of fans and critics.

In the Volstov capital of Thremedon, Owen Adamo, the hard-as-nails ex–Chief Sergeant of the Dragon Corps, learns that Volstov’s ruler, the Esar, has been secretly pursuing the possibility of resurrecting magically powered sentient robot dragons—even at the risk of igniting another war. That Adamo will not allow. Though he is not without friends—Royston, a powerful magician, and Balfour, a former corpsman—there is only so much Adamo and his allies can do. Adamo has been put out to pasture, given a professorship at the University. Royston, already exiled once, dares not risk the Esar’s wrath a second time. And Balfour, who lost both hands in the climactic battle of the war, is now a diplomat who spends most of his time trying to master his new hands—metal replacements that operate on the same magical principles as the dragons and have earned him an assortment of nicknames of which “Steelhands” is the least offensive.

But sometimes help comes where you least expect it. In this case, from two first-year university students freshly arrived in Thremedon from the country: Laurence, a feisty young woman whose father raised her to be the son he never had, and Toverre, her fiancé, a brilliant if neurotic dandy who would sooner share his wife-to-be’s clothes than her bed. When a mysterious illness strikes the first-year students, Laurence takes her suspicions to Adamo—and unwittingly sets in motion events that will change Volstov forever.

Ghosts of War
by George Mann
Cover by Benjamin Carré

Promo copy:

NEW YORK CITY IS BEING PLAGUED BY A PACK OF FEROCIOUS BRASS RAPTORS…

…strange, skeletonlike creations with batlike wings that swoop out of the sky, attacking people and carrying them away into the night. The Ghost has been tracking these bizarre machines, and is close to finding their origin: a deranged military scientist who is slowly rebuilding himself as a machine.

However, this scientist is not working alone, and his scheme involves more than a handful of abductions. He is part of a plot to escalate the cold war with Britain into a full-blown conflict, and he is building a weapon—a weapon that will fracture dimensional space and allow the monstrous creatures that live on the other side to spill through. He and his coconspirators—a cabal of senators and businessmen who seek to benefit from the war—intend to harness these creatures and use them as a means to crush the British.

But the Ghost knows only too well how dangerous these creatures can be, and the threat they represent not just to Britain, but the world. The Ghost’s efforts to put an end to the conspiracy bring him into an uneasy alliance with a male British spy, who is loose in Manhattan protecting the interests of his country. He also has the unlikely assistance of Ginny, a drunken ex-lover and sharpshooter, who walks back into his life, having disappeared six years earlier in mysterious circumstances.

While suffering from increasingly lucid flashbacks to WWI, the Ghost is subjected to rooftop chases, a battle with a mechanized madman, and the constant threat of airborne predators, while the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Can he derail the conspiracy and prevent the war with the British from escalating beyond control?

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

Samurai’s Blood #2
Co-Created by Michael Benaroya
Co-created and written by Owen Wiseman
Pencils by Nam Kim
Inks by Matthew Dalton
Cover by Jo Chen

Promo copy:

Revenge should never be left to the young. As our three teenage samurai leave their ravaged home behind they search for ways to sustain themselves and execute their vengeance. But as young blood boils, rash decisions are made and the consequences can only bring hardship. There are reasons for the laws of Bushido…and Katashi is about to learn more than one of them at the expense of the one he loves most.

Damaged Issue 1
Created by: Michael Schwarz & John Schwarz
Written by: David Lapham
Illustrated by: Leonardo Manco
Cover Art by: Alex Maleev

Promo copy:

After committing a bloody massacre on a criminal ring, two cops – and brothers – decide to take separate paths: one to uphold the law, the other to do what the law cannot stomach. 35 years later, veteran cop Frank Lincoln takes one last assignment, investigating a gruesome string of vigilante killings with echoes from his past. But as his estranged brother prepares for retirement and trains his brutal replacement, Frank has one last chance to find redemption, and put a stop to the cycle of murder.

Red Spike #3
Co-Created by Michael Benaroya
Co-created and written by Jeff Cahn
Art by Salvador Navarro & Mark Texeira
Cover by Texeira

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Having lost all control when his new implant was fully activated, and nearly killing Matt, Greg has fled the base and made his way into the DC metro area. It’s up to Matt to track down his brother-in-arms and bring him back before he causes any harm to himself, the city, or its civilians. But what is it about the "upgrade" that triggered Greg’s mental break? Could there be a sinister secret hiding within the Project Red Spike files?

As it sometimes happens, my original concept for a Nexus Graphica episode leads me down a rabbit hole, digging deeper and deeper into the abyss of nonsense. Rather than subject you, our loyal reader, to the unadulterated chaos of my thoughts, I decided to reach into the Klaw archives and reprint a circa 2001 essay that originally appeared as part of my previous long running SF Site column ]url=http://www.sfsite.com/geeks01.htm]Geeks With Books[/url] and reprinted in my collection Geek Confidential.

One of my earliest pieces on graphic novels, "Broadminded" recounts the struggles of an unabashed comics fan in the often close-minded realities of 90s science fiction fandom and publishers.

Check it all out plus my reviews of the latest Tardi and the lauded French cartoonist Ludovic Debeurme American premiere over at SF Site.

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

Conan the Barbarian
by Robert E. Howard

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THE CLASSIC STORIES THAT INSPIRED THE BLOCKBUSTER FILM

Conan the Barbarian is one of the greatest fictional heroes ever created—a swordsman who cuts a swath across the lands of the Hyborian Age, annihilating powerful sorcerers, deadly creatures, and whole armies of ruthless foes. Today his name is synonymous with the epic battles of ancient times, but Conan originated in the early decades of the twentieth century with one of the founding fathers of fantasy, the visionary Robert E. Howard. The unforgettable stories collected here form a thrilling adventure, following Conan from his mercenary youth to his bloody conquests on the frontier and even the high seas. Bold and enduring, the legend of Conan the Barbarian continues to grow in popularity and influence.

Includes these stories:

The Phoenix on the Sword
The People of the Black Circle
The Tower of the Elephant
Queen of the Black Coast
Red Nails
Rogues in the House

Seduce Me in Flames
by Jacquelyn Frank
Cover by Craig White

Promo copy:

ICY RECEPTION
Ambrea Vas Allay is the rightful heir to the throne of Allay. But when she is summoned home from exile, she discovers that her father, who had executed her mother, has died. Her young half-brother, controlled by their uncle, has taken power. Ambrea is torn by an impossible choice: renounce the crown or waste away in prison. The last thing she expects is to be liberated by a huge, tattooed Tarian—or to feel a searing passion for her mysterious rescuer.

SMOLDERING DECEPTION
Rush “Ender” Blakely loves being part of the elite force of the Interplanetary Militia and the mission to save the princess Allay. But the tough Tarian hides a fiery secret—a blazing power that makes him literally too hot to handle. He must be crazy to carry a torch for this strong, beautiful princess—when any intimacy between them is bound to be explosive.

BLAZING INSURRECTION
As Ambrea steels herself to take back the throne, does she dare entrust this scorching stranger with the fate of an empire—and, even more so, with her heart?

The Black Lung Captain
by Chris Wooding
Cover by Raphael Lacoste

Promo copy:

Chris Wooding, author of the thrilling novel Retribution Falls, returns to a fantastical world of spectacular sky battles and high-flying heroics for another epic adventure.

Deep in the heart of the Kurg rainforest lies a long-forgotten wreck. On board, behind a magically protected door, an elusive treasure awaits. Good thing Darian Frey, captain of the airship Ketty Jay, has the daemonist Crake on board. Crake is their best chance of getting that door open—if they can sober him up. For a prize this enticing, Frey is willing to brave the legendary monsters of the forbidding island and to ally himself with a partner who’s even less trustworthy than he is.

But what’s behind that door is not what any of the fortune hunters expect, any more than they anticipate their fiercest competitor for the treasure—a woman from Frey’s past who also happens to be the most feared pirate in the skies.