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

ALEC: The Years Have Pants (A Life-Size Omnibus) by Eddie Campbell

Promo copy:

For the first time ever, the pioneering autobiographical comics of master cartoonist Eddie Campbell (From Hell) are collected in a single volume!

Brilliantly observed and profoundly expressed, the Alec stories present a version of Campbell’s own life, filtered through the alter ego of "Alec MacGarry." Over many years, we witness Alec’s (and Eddie’s) progression "from beer to wine" – wild nights at the pub, existential despair, the hunt for love, the quest for art, becoming a responsible breadwinner, feeling lost at his own movie premiere, and much more! Eddie’s outlandish fantasies and metafictional tricks convert life into art, while staying fully grounded in his own absurdity. At every point, the author’s uncanny eye for irony and wry self-awareness make even the smallest occasion into an opportunity for wit and wisdom. Quite simply, ALEC is a masterpiece of visual autobiography.

This Life-Size Omnibus edition of ALEC includes collects the previous Alec books The King Canute Crowd, Graffiti Kitchen, How to Be an Artist, Little Italy, The Dead Muse, The Dance of Lifey Death, and After the Snooter, as well as an all-new 35 page book, The Years Have Pants, and some other short stories rarely or never before seen.

Almost Silent by Jason

Promo copy:

A deluxe, hardcover collection of four Jason classics: Meow Baby, Tell Me Something, You Can’t Get There From Here, and The Living and the Dead. Almost Silent packages four original Jason graphic novels—three of them out of print since mid-2008—into one compact, hardcover omnibus collection. (As the title indicates, this volume favors Jason’s pantomime works.)

You Can’t Get There From Here, the longest story of the book (and the only one to be printed in color—well, a color), tells the tale of a love triangle involving Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Monster’s Bride: Jason cleverly alternates between totally silent sequences involving the three characters and scenes in which Frankenstein’s hunchbacked assistant discusses the day’s events with a fellow hunchbacked assistant to another mad scientist. (You didn’t know they had a union?) Tell Me Something is a brisk (271 panels), near-totally-silent (just a few intertitles) graphic novelette about love lost and found again, told with a tricky mixture of forward- and back-flashing narrative. Meow, Baby! is a collection of Jason’s short stories and gags, and finally, The Living and the Dead is a hilariously deadpan (and gory) take on the traditional Romero-style zombie thriller.

All of these yarns star Jason’s patented cast of tight-lipped (or -beaked) bird-, dog-, cat- and wolf-people, and show off his compassion and wry wit. Almost Silent is a perfect starting point for a new reader wanting to know what the fuss is all about, and a handsome, handy, inexpensive collection for the committed Jason fan. 72 pages in two-color, 228 pages in b&w.

Original Sin by Allison Brennan

Promo copy:

Haunted by chilling memories of demonic possession and murder, Moira O’Donnell has spent seven years hunting down her mother, Fiona, whose command of black magic has granted her unprecedented control of the underworld. Now Moira’s global search has led her to a small California town that’s about to become hell on earth.

Tormented by his own terrifying past and driven by powers he can’t explain, ex-seminarian Rafe Cooper joins Moira’s dangerous quest. But Fiona is one devilish step ahead. Hungry for greater power, eternal youth, and stunning beauty, the sorceress is unleashing upon the mortal world the living incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Together with a demonologist, a tough female sheriff, and a pair of star-crossed teenagers, Moira and Rafe are humanity’s last chance to snatch salvation from the howling jaws of damnation.

Pandorum

Promo copy:

In Pandorum, Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, The Express) and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) join Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down, Twilight), Cung Le (Tekken, Fighting), newcomer Antje Traue, and director Christian Alvart (Antibodies) to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton (Quaid) staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower (Foster) ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.

The Great Anti-War Cartoons edited by Craig Yoe

Promo copy:

For centuries, cartoonists have used their pens to fight a war against war, translating images of violent conflict into symbols of protest. Noted comics historian Craig Yoe brings the greatest of these artists together in one place, presenting the ultimate collection of anti-war cartoons ever assembled. Together, these cartoons provide a powerful testament to the old adage, "The pen is mightier than the sword," and remind us that so often in the 20th century, it was the editorial cartoonist who could say the things his fellow newspapermen and women only dreamed of, enlightening and rallying a nation against unjust aggression. Readers of The Great Anti-War Cartoons will find stunning artwork from the pens of Francisco Goya to Art Young, from Robert Minor to Ron Cobb, and from Honore Daumier to Robert Crumb.

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.

Last Week’s Strip

Next Week’s Strip

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.

Check it all out in the current San Antonio Current.

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:

And from my 2002 "Geeks with Books" essay "The Five Finger Discount" (later reprinted in my 2003 book Geek Confidential):

(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.

Next Week’s Strip

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.

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

Sita Sings The Blues

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.