Story by Rick Klaw Art by Newt Manwich
Click on image to enlarge
From the moment I introduced her in "Of Bottlecaps and Babes," Godiva became my favorite supporting character and this storyline was originally crafted to showcase chocolate diva. As you’ll discover in a few weeks, the truncated story didn’t really afford me that opportunity. If I ever return to Kandyland, relating her tale will be one of my first priorities.
As part of the San Antonio Current‘s decade recap, I provided an overview of the 21st century’s first new literary movement, New Weird.
| Quote: |
| Early in the aughts, a new creative force emerged. Worldwide political events, crystallized by the 1999 Seattle WTO protests and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, energized a self-aware readership that embraced New Weird, the 21st century’s first major new literary movement. Books such as China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station (2000), Jeff VanderMeer’s City of Saints and Madmen (2001), Paul Di Filippo’s A Year in a Linear City (2002), K. G. Bishop’s The Etched City (2003), and Steph Swainston’s The Year of Our War (2004) birthed a revolutionary, real-world, postmodern literature that often included surreal elements found in urban fantasy, horror, science fiction, and political thrillers. |
| Quote: |
| Of course the earliest New Weird authors began working in the style well before it was acknowledged as a movement. Miéville and VanderMeer, often seen as leaders of the movement, produced works containing New Weird concepts for smaller presses throughout the ’90s. The development of a moniker provided a marketable identity for publishers, which resulted in much larger venues for the work. Both authors’ careers benefited from the increased exposure, much like those later identified with the movement, most notably Jeffrey Ford and Jay Lake. |
Book People honcho Steve Bercu’s comments to the New York Times regarding book theft are eerily reminiscent to something I wrote shortly after being laid off by Book People, where Bercu was my immediate supervisor.
From the December 16, 2009 NYT piece:
| Quote: |
| At BookPeople in Austin, Tex., the rate of theft has increased to approximately one book per hour. I asked Steve Bercu, BookPeople’s owner, what the most frequently stolen title was.
“The Bible,” he said, without pausing. Apparently the thieves have not yet read the “Thou shalt not steal” part — or maybe they believe that Bibles don’t need to be paid for. “Some people think the word of God should be free,” Bercu said. |
And from my 2002 "Geeks with Books" essay "The Five Finger Discount" (later reprinted in my 2003 book Geek Confidential):
| Quote: |
| There is a whole other class of bible thief: the one who believes the word of God should be free for all to experience. I want to get these folks bumper stickers that say "The word of God, not just for terrorists anymore." What these fools don’t realize is that the price covers paper, binding, the bookstore rent, employees and a zillion other expenses. |
(I added the emphasis.)
Perhaps this is just a coincidence. Bercu could have read my piece when I wrote it and the phrasing stuck in his subconscious. I know while I was working there, Bercu was a regular reader of my column. I have no idea if he continued the practice after I left.
Thus begins the final four week installment of the KandyLand strip.
Story by Rick Klaw Art by Newt Manwich
Click on image to enlarge
Check out the KandyLand/LemonHead story from the beginning.
I’m no expert, but I’d think that Photobucket offering merchandise using Steve Ditko’s Shade, the Changing Man #1 cover would be illegal. Pretty sure it’s owned by DC.
Ditko’s cover
Merchandise advertised on Photobucket
Does anyone out there know something about this that I don’t?
Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.
The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals: The Evil Monkey Dialogues by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Promo copy:
Whimsically illustrated, this bite-sized bestiary is the deciding vote on which fantastical creatures are kosher. Embarking on an undomesticated romp from A to Z, the ritual cleanliness of E.T., hobbits, Mongolian Death Worms, and the elusive chupacabra are discussed. This hilarious kashrut is the offspring of a debate that began on Jeff Vandermeer’s blog, between his alter-ego, Evil Monkey, and his editor/wife. Addressing questions such as Is a vegetable-lamb a vegetable or a lamb? Does licking the Pope make you trayf? What exactly is a Pollo Maligno? and Is Sasquatch roast stringy? this irreverent abecedary is a perfect gift for anyone seeking to broaden their imaginary culinary experiences guilt-free.
Read more about this unusual book over at Ecstatic Days.
Beyond the Night by Joss Ware
Promo copy:
A man with no future . . .
When Dr. Elliott Drake wakes from a mysterious fifty-year sleep, the world as he knew it is gone. Cities are now desolate, and civilization is controlled by deadly immortals. Stranger still is Elliott’s extraordinary new "gift"—he has the power to heal, but it comes with fatal consequences.
A woman with a past . . .
Jade barely escaped the immortals and is now hell-bent on revenge. She trusts no one . . . until Elliott. His piercing gaze and tempting touch shatter her defenses, but the handsome doctor seems to have dangerous secrets of his own. Is it safe to trust him with her heart?
If they are to survive in this dark new world, Jade and Elliott must work together to fight the forces that take them beyond danger.
Beyond desire.
This book came with a brain squeeze toy promoting Joss Ware‘s zombie romances.
Mr. Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett
Promo copy:
It is the time of the Great Depression.
Thousands have left their homes looking for a better life, a new life. But Marcus Connelly is not one of them. He searches for one thing, and one thing only. Revenge.
Because out there, riding the rails, stalking the camps, is the scarred vagrant who murdered Connelly’s daughter. No one knows him, but everyone knows his name: Mr. Shivers.
In this extraordinary debut, Robert Jackson Bennett tells the story of an America haunted by murder and desperation. A world in which one man must face a dark truth and answer the question-how much is he willing to sacrifice for his satisfaction?
Sleepless by Charlie Huston
Promo copy:
From bestselling author Charlie Huston comes a novel about the fears that find us all during dark times and the courage and sacrifice that can save us in the face of unimaginable odds. Gripping, unnerving, exhilarating, and haunting, Sleepless is well worth staying up for.
What former philosophy student Parker Hass wanted was a better world. A world both just and safe for his wife and infant daughter. So he joined the LAPD and tried to make it that way. But the world changed. Struck by waves of chaos carried in on a tide of insomnia. A plague of sleeplessness.
Park can sleep, but he is wide awake. And as much as he wishes he was dreaming, his eyes are open. He has no choice but to see it all. That’s his job. Working undercover as a drug dealer in a Los Angeles ruled in equal parts by martial law and insurgency, he’s tasked with cutting off illegal trade in Dreamer, the only drug that can give the infected what they most crave: sleep.
After a year of lost leads and false trails, Park stumbles into the perilous shadows cast by the pharmaceuticals giant behind Dreamer. Somewhere in those shadows, at the nexus of disease and drugs and money, a secret is hiding. Drawn into the inner circle of a tech guru with a warped agenda and a special use for the sleepless themselves, Park thinks he knows what that secret might be.
To know for certain, he will have to go deeper into the restless world. His wife has become sleepless, and their daughter may soon share the same fate. For them, he will risk what they need most from him: his belief that justice
must be served. Unknown to him, his choice ties all of their futures to the singularly deadly nature of an aging mercenary who stalks Park.
The deeper Park stumbles through the dark, the more he is convinced that it is obscuring the real world. Bring enough light and the shadows will retreat. Bring enough light and everyone will see themselves again. Bring enough light and he will find his way to the safe corner, the harbor he’s promised his family. Whatever the cost to himself.
It is July 2010.
The future is coming.
Open your eyes.
I loved Huston’s previous crime/noir novel The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death, calling it "a thoroughly entertaining novel" in my San Antonio Current review. Really looking forward to this one.
[ 
Currently: Listening to Joe Crowe’s annual compilation of funny Christmas music ]
Jews often find Christmas to be one of the most boring days of the year. Almost everything is closed, most of your friends are busy, and TV sucks.
As a child, we engaged in what we called "Jewish Christmas."
I don’t mean Chanukkah. Only the uninformed equate the eight day Festival of Lights to Christmas. A relatively minor Jewish holiday, Chanukkah only achieved prominence for its proximity to Christmas.
| Quote: |
| Chanukkah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday’s religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu’ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance, and you won’t find many non-Jews who have even heard of Purim! Chanukkah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of Maccabees, which Jews do not accept as scripture. |
For most of my pre-teen years, I’d eat Chinese food with my grandparents, mother, and sister on Christmas and then my mom, sister, and I would head out to the movies. That is a Jewish Christmas!
I don’t remember most of the movies except for the magical 1978 Christmas screening of Superman: The Movie. Only a dozen people or so attended the showing!
As I entered my teen years, I started spending Christmas with my gentile friends. Then later with my Christian girlfriends. After I married my first wife, we always spent the holiday with her Catholic family.
After our divorce, I took up the tradition once again with friends.
When I first explained this idea to Brandy, she’d never heard of the concept. All it took was one Jewish Christmas and it became our annual tradition. We may not always eat Chinese food (sometimes fittingly enough Jewish food instead) or see a movie (though we often do), but we always have a fun, relaxing holiday. There is no other way I’d rather spend the day.
(Sadly this year, Brandy developed a stomach bug, so we didn’t go out to eat or see a movie. We’ve promised each other Chinese food –hopefully dim sum– and a movie before the end of the year.)
In celebration of Michael Moorcock’s 70th birthday, I’m reprinting my essay "Michael Moorcock: No Ordinary Buckaroo." I originally crafted this piece in 2001 for a Salon essay contest. I didn’t win. This essay first appeared in my book Geek Confidential. This is the first online appearance.
Nearly ten years after I crafted this piece, everything I wrote about his drive still holds true. I imagine it’ll still be the same when he reaches 80 and 90. Michael Moorcock can’t help but push the limits of creativity by him and those around him. That’s the core of what makes him an incredible author, visionary editor, and a guiding light to countless writers and artists.
Happy Birthday to one extraordinary gentleman, Mike Moorcock!
Michael Moorcock: No Ordinary Buckaroo
Buckaroo is one of those weird words in the English language; funny sounding and almost antiquated. The truly odd thing is that it is the favorite word of one of the most forward thinking literary minds of the 20th century. And like the buckaroos of the past, Michael Moorcock is often on a mission.
Moorcock first rode unto the public consciousness when, after a ten year editing career for other British pulps, he became the editor of New Worlds in 1964 at the age of 24. Worlds was Britain’s answer to Astounding and Amazing and was established in the SF pulp mode. Almost immediately Moorcock changed all that. He had seen the future in Burroughs. Not the more traditional SF Edgar Rice, creator of Tarzan, but rather William S., king of the hipsters and writer of Naked Lunch. In Burroughs, Moorcock saw a new and unconventional type of SF, one that focused on entertainment and was a reflection of the times. During the next 35+ years, Michael Moorcock’s career as a writer and editor would feature unconventional entertainment that not only reflected the times, but also shaped them.
From his saddle atop New Worlds, Moorcock oversaw a literary movement, the New Wave, which created ripples that are still being felt today. The list of writers whose work appeared in New Worlds reads like a who’s who of fantastic fiction. J.G. Ballard, Harlan Ellison, Samuel Delany, Roger Zelazny, John Brunner, Thomas Disch, Norman Spinrad, D.M. Thomas, M. John Harrison, and Moorcock himself all produced some of their best works for New Worlds.
This New Wave, guided by a Moorcockian vision, revolutionized not only the worlds of fantastic fiction but some 15 years later would be a significant force behind the cyberpunk movement of the early 80’s. Visionary writers like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling mention Moorcock and several other New Wave writers as influences.
It was one of Moorcock’s own pieces from New Worlds that could arguably be cited as the very first cyberpunk story. 1965 saw the serialization of the first Jerry Cornelius novel, The Final Programme. Cornelius was the ultimate postmodern anti-hero, a master manipulator of everything from people to reality itself. Moorcock’s melancholy and streetwise character would later inspire the anarchistic and bleak future of the cyberpunks.
However, Moorcock’s influence extends far beyond the cyberpunks. He popularized what he terms the multiverse. The origin of the word and concept may sometimes be in doubt, but there is no question that Moorcock is the trail boss in this arena. The multiverse is a literary construct in which multiple parallel realities co-exist and are constantly intersecting. Moorcock has created many characters that exist in different parallel realities. The characters’ lives and worlds interact from time to time, sliding between worlds like we cross the street. It can all make for some chaotic fun.
First appearing in the early 60’s, the most popular creation from Moorcock’s multiverse is Elric, the exiled albino king. His tragic tale of exile, illicit love, and the battles between the forces of Chaos and Order would be showcased in a fantasy sequence unlike anything the world had ever seen. Elric was Conan gone mad. He would become one of the most popular anti-heroes in fantasy fiction and eventually an industry unto himself. In the 1980’s the popular British acid band Hawkwind recorded an entire Elric-themed album, The Chronicle Of The Black Sword, and Blue Oyster Cult had a minor hit with the song Black Blade, based on the adventures of Elric and his soul sucking sword. (BOC also recorded the Moorcock-penned song Veteran of the Psychic Wars for the cult film Heavy Metal.) There have been comics, games, posters, figures and other merchandise. Almost forty years after his initial appearance Moorcock recently produced his most ambitious Elric work to date, The Dreamthief’s Daughter to much fanfare and delight.
His ability to transcend the limitations of a genre is the thing that makes Michael Moorcock truly unique. To him there are no boundaries. Considered to be his best book, Mother London is one of the finest novels ever written about the great city and was nominated for the prestigious Whitbread Prize. Using genre elements, Moorcock created a mainstream novel that captures essence of London.
Like his New Wave co-conspirator J.G. Ballard, Moorcock transcended the genre ghetto and emerged as one of the most important and influential literary minds of his generation. And the sun has yet to set on this buckaroo as evidenced by the recent U.K. release King of the City (And soon to be available in the States). This sequel to Mother London is being heralded by critics and readers alike as a literary epic.
As Michael Moorcock, editor and writer, enters the sixth decade of his professional life, his outlook and work remains as fresh and diverse as the day he began. This buckaroo is still in the saddle and riding lead.
Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.
Star Trek: A Comic Book History by Alan J. Porter
Promo copy:
Now for the first time the complete history of the Star Trek universe in comic books and newspaper strips from all over the world. Written by pop-culture historian Alan J. Porter, author of the bestselling James Bond: The History of the Illustrated 007, this book will be the definitive history on the subject. Nine information-packed chapters detailing the history of Star Trek in comic books and newspaper strips from the first Gold Key comic books, to the English newspaper strip, to the Marvel and DC titles, to the present day. Exhaustively covers all publications of the entire Star Trek universe. Includes creator interviews, unpublished artwork and a detailed checklist. Published to coincide with the release of the new Star Trek movie. Boldly goes where no book has gone before!
Alan J. Porter is a RevSF contributing editor and blogger. I interviewed him last year about his James Bond book.
The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett
Promo copy:
Sita is a Hindu goddess, the leading lady of India’s epic the Ramayana and a dutiful wife who follows her husband Rama on a 14 year exile to a forest, only to be kidnapped by an evil king from Sri Lanka. Despite remaining faithful to her husband, Sita is put through many tests. Nina (the filmmaker Nina Paley herself) is an artist who finds parallels in Sita’s life when her husband – in India on a work project – decides to break up their marriage and dump her via email. Three hilarious Indonesian shadow puppets with Indian accents – linking the popularity of the Ramayana from India all the way to the Far East – narrate both the ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the epic.
In her first feature length film, Paley juxtaposes multiple narrative and visual styles to create a highly entertaining yet moving vision of the Ramayana. Musical numbers choreographed to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw feature a cast of hundreds: flying monkeys, evil monsters, gods, goddesses, warriors, sages, and winged eyeballs. A tale of truth, justice and a woman’s cry for equal treatment. Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told."
To learn more about this extraordinary film, check out sitasingstheblues.com for trailers, etc.
Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.
Caliber: First Canon Of Justice Written by Sam Sarkar Art by Garrie Gastonny
Promo copy:
The Arthurian legend of Excalibur is reborn in the Old Pacific Northwest – a world in which shamans replace wizards, gunfighters ride without a knight’s armor, and a mystical six-shooter forged from the metal of the fabled sword will change the world. In a land where lawlessness runs rampant, only Arthur can bring balance to the scales of justice, and only Caliber can bring justice to the land.
City of Dust Written by Steve Niles Art by Zid, Brandon Chng, and Garrie Gastonny
Promo copy:
From the dark mind of legendary horror writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) comes a story set in the aftermath of our world’s collapse. Records show the Earth once known was consumed by religious wars, spurred by the suppression of free thought and where creative expression is now viewed as the rot and infestation of the mind. This chilling vision of the future unveils a world where the police now patrol for crimes of the imagination, or Mind Crimes as their called. This beliefs, along with any tales of false heroes, idols or gods, are illegal. Special detective Philip Khrome doesn’t enforce Imagination, instead he works in homicide; thats where the action is, and he has seen it all before. But criminals evolve and the world is forever changing. When a killing spree hits his department, Khrome finds himself face-to-face with a perpetrator who has merged reality with superstition, something is not what it seems. This enemy of folklore will require old-fashioned detective techniques to bring to justice, but the only problem is it will take one’s imagination to find the source of this new evil.
Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising Created by Mark Long & Nick Sagan Written by M. Zachary Sherman Art by Bagus Hutomo
Promo copy:
Venus, 2250. After five years of war, the last free colony in the Solar System is about to fall. Unknown to the attacking Marines – or even the colonists themselves – the most infamous heroine of the war has gone into hiding in exile on their planet. Now she must organize a revolt against the very Marines she once fought alongside and lead the colonists to freedom.
Incarnate by Nick Simmons
Promo copy:
From Nick Simmons, son of rock legend Gene Simmons and star of A&E’s top-rated television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels, comes his first breakout American Manga comic book for which he serves as creator, writer, and artist! Mot is a boy who cannot die. Riddle him with bullets, burn him at the stake, douse him with napalm, hang him from the gallows… still, he will walk away. He is a Revenant – an immortal, ageless creature that has existed since time immemorial. Their origins are a mystery – they have been worshipped as gods, feared as monsters, and scorned as devils. But they have always been there living in plain sight in the bright altars and dark corners of every ancient civilization since the beginning of humanity. There has never been a force on this earth that has been able to give them the death that Mot secretly seeks. Until now. Now, something is different. Now they are being hunted! A shadow organization known only as Sanctum has discovered a way to kill the Revenants, and is carrying out a secret genocide that spans the globe. Mot, his protege Connor, and the rest of the Revenants now must decide how to ensure their place at the top of the food chain.
Hercules: The Thracian Wars Written by Steve Moore Art by Admira Wijaya
Promo copy:
Nearly 3,200 years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth as neither man nor god: Hercules, powerful son of the god-king Zeus, and for this he received nothing but suffering. After 12 arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding solace only in bloody battle. Over the years, he warmed to the company of six similar souls, bonded by their love of fighting and the presence of death – never questioning where they go or who they fight, just how much they will be paid. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to turn his men into the greatest army of all time, which means training them to be as bloodthirsty and ruthless as their own reputation. It is time for this band of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen – and the narrow, perilous path to their own redemption.
Hotwire: Requiem For The Dead by Steve Pugh and Warren Ellis
Promo copy:
In the near future, the living and the dead share the same space. Most of the "Blue Lights" are harmless, witless drones, as lost in death as they were in life. Some want revenge. Some want power. Some even want company to join them in the ranks of the departed. Enter Alice Hotwire, Detective Exorcist. She’s the best there is at keeping the peace on the Blue Light beat, and her fellow officers hate her for it. It’s a job she doesn’t want, in a world she doesn’t understand – but when a break-in at the Maximum Security Necropolis sets off a surge of violent, brutal hauntings, Alice Hotwire knows she’s the only one that can pull the city from the brink of chaos.