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

You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation! by Fletcher Hanks

Promo copy:

The first volume of Fletcher Hanks stories, I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets! (now in its fourth printing) was an Eisner Award-winning smash hit and a staple on "Best of the Year" lists. Edited by cartoonist Paul Karasik, this second volume, You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation, collects all of the rest of Hanks comic book work. The thirty-one tales in this book, when combined with the first volume, will comprise The Complete Fletcher Hanks! Fletcher Hanks was the first great comic book auteur: that is, he wrote, penciled, inked and lettered all of his own stories, many of which feature the cold space wizard superhero Stardust or the jungle protectress Fantomah. Today’s mature readers – both comics fans and non-comics fans who learned about the book from magazines such as The Believer and other journals – are stunned by these comics’ pop surrealism and outright violent mayhem.

I heaped praise upon the previous Hanks collection I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! in my RevolutionSF review. "[It] rescues Fletcher Hanks from the purgatory of forgotten creators and restores his rightful place among the pantheon of the bizarre." For The Austin Chronicle I dubbed it "the most interesting and entertaining book of the year." As you can imagine, I’ve been eagerly awaiting this collection.

Hitler’s War by Harry Turtledove

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A stroke of the pen and history is changed. In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, determined to avoid war at any cost, signed the Munich Accord, ceding part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. But the following spring, Hitler snatched the rest of that country and pushed beyond its borders. World War II had begun, and England, after a fatal act of appeasement, was fighting a war for which it was not prepared.

Now, in this thrilling, provocative, and fascinating alternate history by Harry Turtledove, another scenario is played out: What if Chamberlain had not signed the accord? What if Hitler had acted rashly, before his army was ready–would such impatience have helped him or doomed him faster? Here is an action-packed, blow-by-blow chronicle of the war that might have been–and the repercussions that might have echoed through history–had Hitler reached too far, too soon, and too fast.

Turtledove uses dozens of points of view to tell this story: from American marines serving in Japanese-occupied China to members of a Jewish German family with a proud history of war service to their nation, from ragtag volunteers fighting in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion in Spain to an American woman desperately trying to escape Nazi-occupied territory–and witnessing the war from within the belly of the beast.

A novel that reveals the human face of war while simultaneously riding the twists and turns that make up the great acts of history, Hitler’s War is the beginning of an exciting new alternate history saga. Here is a tale of powerful leaders and ordinary people, of spies, soldiers, and traitors, of the shifting alliances that draw some together while tearing others apart. At once authoritative, brilliantly imaginative, and hugely entertaining, Hitler’s War captures the beginning of a very different World War II–with a very different fate for our world today.

Goats: Infinite Typewriters by Jonathan Rosenberg

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It’s not as if one decides to wake up one day, argue existentialism with livestock, and fly a spaceship to the center of the galaxy to meet, greet–and eat–God. It just sort of happens. At least it does in the world of Goats, the cult-hit webcomic wherein a clutch of brave if baffled barflies (including humans, chickens, and a cyborg goldfish) hit the interdimensional bricks to save the multiverse from certain doom kicked off by a cosmic computer glitch. You can’t make this stuff up–unless you’re one of the monkeys tapping on infinite typewriters who controls all reality. You’ll see. . . .

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Promo copy:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

More in Part One.

At the creative writing program Shared Worlds students create fantasy and science fiction worlds that as the name implies are to be shared with others.

As a precursor to the forthcoming class (July 19-August 1 @ Wofford College), Jeff VanderMeer, Shared Worlds Assistant Director and Instructor, asked Elizabeth Hand, Nalo Hopkinson, Ursula K. LeGuin, China Miéville, and Michael Moorcock the following question: "What’s your pick for the top real-life fantasy or science fiction city?"

Given this group, the answers not surprisingly encompassed a wide range of the Western world’s cities– from Reykavik to Kingston to Marrakesh and points inbetween. Some more views from the Eastern world would have been nice.

Having not traveled all that extensively (never out of North America), my pick would be Montreal with it’s clash of cultures and languages. And hell, it’s got a biosphere! Don’t get much more sf geeky than that.

What would be your top real-life fantasy and/or science fiction city?

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

Conan Volume 7: Cimmeria by Timothy Truman (writer), Richard Corben (artist), and Tomas Giorello (artist)

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Conan volume 7: Cimmeria marks a transitional period in young Conan’s life, as he spurns civilization — with its turncoats and legal trappings — and returns to the beloved, brutal country of Cimmeria, where he was born and raised. The dangers found in the snowy mountain passes of his barbaric homeland are a welcome change from the mind games and treachery Conan encountered in the cities of the East, but there are unfortunate lessons in treachery to be learned here, too. When a tentative truce with the Aesir is threatened by the actions of Caollan, the first woman Conan ever loved, Conan again finds himself at the heart of a larger conflict that will test not only his physical strength and cunning mind-but his passionate heart as well.

Lankhmar Book 8: Swords Against the Shadowland by Robert Wayne Bailey

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Years ago, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser turned their backs on the city of Lankhmar and the painful memories it held.

But now, a deadly plague, spawned from a sorcerer’s curse, sweeps through the streets of Lankhmar, eating its victims from the inside and laying waste to the once-vibrant city. The two reluctant heroes are called forth once again to face Lankhmar’s winding alleys — and the old ghosts who lurk in them.

* After writing nearly forty stories chronicling the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Fritz Leiber chose acclaimed fantasy writer Robin Wayne Bailey as his official successor. Swords Against the Shadowland marks Bailey’s first foray into the rich world of Nehwon. Based on Leiber’s notes and drawing heavily from the mythos he constructed, a new chapter in the lives of two of heroic fantasy’s most enduring heroes begins here.

Nexus Archives Volume 8 by Mike Baron (writer), Steve Rude (artist), and Paul Smith (artist)

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The landmark Nexus/Badger crossover concludes!

Horatio, Judah, and the Badger have survived their reentry of the Bowl-Shaped World. As they head from outer rim to inner city, the threat that prompted this journey worsens: the Gravity Well is nearing collapse. The Web’s population is evacuating in a panic, hoping to escape the artificial black hole. By the time this installment of Baron and Rude’s celebrated sci-fi series comes to a close, the desperate trio will fight a powerful, fusionkasting tyrant in mortal combat, Kreed the Quatro will be sentenced to death for the Mars massacre, and Horatio will hang up the Nexus mantle once and for all!

A multiple Eisner Award-winning series that defined the careers of acclaimed creators Steve Rude and Mike Baron, Nexus is a modern classic not to be missed.

* Collecting issues 47 to 52 of Nexus Vol. Two and issue #1 of the Next Nexus miniseries, wherein we learn what the vengeful Loomis sisters have been up to.

Turok, Son of Stone Archives Volume 2 by Paul S. Newman (writer) and various artists

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Earth’s prehistoric past flourishes in a lost valley where two young Native Americans, Turok and Andar, have become trapped. While they struggle to survive among the honkers (dinosaurs) and prehistoric human residents, they hold on to the hope that one day they will discover a way out of the valley and be reunited with their tribe.

* In early 2008, a seventy-minute animated DVD titled Turok, Son of Stone was released by Classic Media.

* This volume collects Turok: Son of Stone #7-#12.

[  Mood: Amused ]
While shopping for groceries this morning, I caught my first glimpse of the Limited Edition Star Trek Eggos!

Yes, you too can now how you’re very own waffles with full color images of your favorite Trek characters!

Kirk & Spock

Nero

Besides the ones pictured, character waffles include Kirk, Spock, Kirk sitting in his Captain’s Chair, McCoy, Sulu, Uhura, Chekov, and Scotty.

Other waffles have logos and insignias:

Technology:

Planets:

And phrases including "Live Long and Prosper," "I’m Giving Her All She’s Got Captain!," "Beam Me Up," and "Highly Illogical."

No word yet on how they taste.

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

Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame by Zev Chafets

Promo copy:

The first book to draw back the veil on the Hall of Fame, combining an insider’s history of the Hall and its players with a consideration of baseball’s place in culture.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is the holiest institution in American sports. It’s not just a place to honor great athletes. It’s where America’s pastime announces to the world what it is and what it wants to be. It’s not just a sports museum; it’s a mirror of American culture. As Zev Chafets points out, it’s no coincidence that the first black Hall of Famer, Jackie Robinson, was inducted in 1962, at the height of the civil rights movement. Or that the Hall is now planning a wing to honor Latino players. For a hundred years, the story of the Hall of Fame has been deeply tied up with the story of America.

For the first time, this book shows the inner workings of the Hall: the politics, the players, and the people who own and preserve it. From the history of the founding Clark family to a day on the town with the newly inducted Goose Gossage, from the battle over steroids to the economics of induction and secret campaigns by aspiring players, this is a highly irreverent and highly entertaining tour through the life of an American institution. For anyone who cares about baseball, this is essential reading.

Child of Fire by Harry Connolly

Promo copy:

Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He’s the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him—or let someone else do the job.

Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise’s next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who’s sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must also find—and destroy—the source of that inhuman magic.

Masterpiece Comics by R. Sikoryak

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MASTERPIECE COMICS adapts a variety classic literary works with the most iconic visual idioms of twentieth-century comics. Dense with exclamation marks and lurid zip-a-tone, R. Sikoryak’s parodies remind us of the sensational excesses of the canon, or, if you prefer, of the economical expressiveness of classic comics from Superman to Peanuts. In "Blond Eve", Dagwood and Blondie are ejected from the Garden of Eden into their archetypal suburban home; Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray is re-imagined as a foppish Winsor McCay character; and Camus’ Stranger as a brooding, chain-smoking Golden-Era Superman.

Sikoryak’s classics have appeared in landmark anthologies such as RAW and Drawn & Quarterly all of which are collected in MASTERPIECE COMICS, along with brilliant new graphic literary satires. He is an illustrator for the New Yorker and his animation has been featured on the Daily Show with John Stewart.

The Surrogates: Flesh & Bone by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele

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In a dark, downtown alley in Central Georgia Metropolis, a juvenile prank goes too far and a homeless man is killed. When the ensuing investigation reveals that the attackers aren’t who they appeared to be, justice depends on the testimony of a single missing witness – a street snitch with a history of providing information to a cop named Harvey Greer. Harvey is placed on special assignment to track down the informant, but others have their own designs, including a wealthy socialite and an ex-con turned religious leader known to his followers as The Prophet. As days pass and anger among the anti-surrogate population grows, the city stands on a razor’s edge. Will punishment be exacted in a courtroom or on the streets? Set fifteen years prior to the events of the original Surrogates graphic novel, Flesh & Bone sheds light on the past that binds the cast together. From the streets of Central Georgia Metropolis to the boardroom of Virtual Self, Inc., Flesh & Bone takes us on a journey through a city struggling to come to grips with its present. Not only a suspenseful thriller but also a cautionary tale, this book reminds us that tomorrow will be determined by the choices we make today.

Watch for my Baker’s Dozen with creators Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. Coming soon to a monitor near you!

More in Part Two.

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

Resurrection: The Insurgent Edition by Marc Guggenheim (writer) and Dave Dumeer & Douglas Dabbs (artists)

Promo copy:

There is life on other planets. They invaded ours. Pillaging Earth for a decade. Then they vanished without explanation.

THE END WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING…

The science fiction saga that explores the aftermath of Earth’s most brutal conflict starts here! For ten years the alien invaders have laid waste to our planet, but now they’ve vanished, leaving the surviviors with two questions–"Where did the ‘bugs’ go?" and "Where does humanity go from here?"

It’s big existential questions, edge-of-your-seat alien-fueled intrigue, and epic thrills in this collection of the original seven installments of Resurrection! (Includes issues 1-6, plus the 2008 Annual.)

Resurrection: The Insurgent Edition[i] collects all of the black-and-white [i]Resurrection material in conjunction with the launch of the new full color ongoing series that’s now in development as a major motion picture with Universal Studios. Created by noted writer and producer Marc Guggenheim (TV’s Eli Stone, Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man) and featuring moody art from newcomers David Dumeer and Douglas Dabbs, this book picks up where all the other alien invasion stories end.

At only $6 for 184 pages of quality story and art, this book is a fantastic deal and should be on the shelf of every sf comics fan.

The Education of Charlie Banks

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The Education of Charlie Banks, which marks the directorial debut of Limp Bizkit’s front-man Fred Durst, is a riveting tale about college students learning to deal with life, love, and ultimately facing their fears. This coming-of-age drama spans from the playgrounds of Greenwich Village to the idyllic greens of Vassar College.

From Wonderland with Love: Danish Comics in the Third Millennium Edited by Steffen P. Maarup

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Edgy comics from the country of Lars von Trier and The Raveonettes. In all the excitement over manga from Japan and bandes dessinées from France, it’s easy to forget that other countries have a thriving comics culture all their own. This eye-popping anthology, assembled by Danish publisher/editor/ translator Steffen P. Maarup, introduces adventurous readers to 19 exciting talents, most of whom are taking their first bow on the English-speaking stage.

One centerpiece of the book is Nikoline Werdelin’s stunning “Because I Love You So Much,” a Doonesbury-style slice-of-life daily strip about a suburban Danish couple who discover their daughter is being molested—is it happening at her daycare center, or, horrifyingly, closer to home? Other major revelations include Julie Nord’s elegantly drawn “From Wonderland With Love” (which gives the collection its title), a modernistic riff on Alice in Wonderland, and Ib Kjeldsmark’s “Sloth,” a riotously punk-inflected day-glo duo-toned road trip.

The book also spotlights the snarky and surreal single-panel work and gags by HuskMitNavn, Christoffer Zieler, and Johan F. Krarup; the visually explosive silent comics of Mårdøn Smet and Peter Kielland; cover artist T. Thorhauge’s spectacular philosophical piece “M”; and many other stories in a wide variety of styles from the sinister black and white Lynchian surrealism of Simon Bukhave’s wooden robot story “All that I Hold in My Hand” to the watercolored animal-fable extravaganza “Tomb of the Rabbit King” by Allan Haverholm, from Søren Mosdal and Jacob Ørsted’s meticulously delineated and colored nightmare yarn “Dog God” to Zven Balslev’s slashing, black and white, Panter-esque “Cadarul Zombie.” And more! 66 pages full-color, 110 pages b&w.

More in Part One.

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

DC Comics Classic Library: Roots of the Swamp Thing by Len Wein and Berni Wrghtson

Promo copy:

The tales that made Swamp Thing a fan-favorite are collected in hardcover for the first time! Featuring the first appearance from HOUSE OF SECRETS #92 along with SWAMP THING #1-13 and featuring moody art by legendary artist Bernie Wrightson!

The definitive and only hardcover edition of these beautiful stories.

Fragment by Warren Fahy

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In this powerhouse of suspense—as brilliantly imagined as Jurassic Park and The Ruins—scientists have made a startling discovery: a fragment of a lost continent, an island with an ecosystem unlike any they’ve seen before . . . an ecosystem that could topple ours like a house of cards.

The time is now. The place is the Trident, a long-range research vessel hired by the reality TV show Sealife. Aboard is a cast of ambitious young scientists. With a director dying for drama, tiny Henders Island might be just what the show needs. Until the first scientist sets foot on Henders—and the ultimate test of survival begins . . .

For when they reach the island’s shores, scientists are utterly unprepared for what they find—creatures unlike any ever recorded in natural history. This is not a lost world frozen in time, an island of mutants, or a lab where science has gone mad: this is the Earth as it might have looked after evolving on a separate path for half a billion years.

Soon the scientists will stumble on something more shocking than anything humanity has ever encountered: because among the terrors of Henders Island, one life form defies any scientific theory—and must be saved at any cost.

Wolfbreed by S. A. Swann

The Drowning City by Amanda Downum

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Symir — the Drowning City. home to exiles and expatriates, pirates and smugglers. And violent revolutionaries who will stop at nothing to overthrow the corrupt Imperial government.

For Isyllt Iskaldur, necromancer and spy, the brewing revolution is a chance to prove herself to her crown. All she has to do is find and finance the revolutionaries, and help topple the palaces of Symir. But she is torn between her new friends and her duties, and the longer she stays in this monsoon-drenched city, the more intrigue she uncovers — even the dead are plotting.

As the waters rise and the dams crack, Isyllt must choose between her mission and the city she came to save.

The Map of Moments: A Preview by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon

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Weeks after Hurricane Katrina, Max returns to the devastation of New Orleans to bury the woman he once loved. But in death, he discovers more about her than he ever knew in life: how she was involved with a mysterious, feared organisation; how that organisation is still alive and thriving in the ruins; and how, if Max immerses himself in the city’s hidden magic, there may be a chance for him to get her back.

This preview, limited to 650 signed copies, was sent to reviewers by Bantam Spectra editor Anne Lesley Groell as a promotion for the trade paperback edition of the full novel.

Promo copy for The Map of Moments: A Novel of the Hidden Cities:

What if you were given a map to a magic that could change the worst moment of your life…for a price?

From two all-stars of dark fantasy, Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, coauthors of Mind the Gap, comes this terrifying new thriller of magic and dangerous passions, where an ordinary man searches the magical landscape of an extraordinary city for the chance of a lifetime.

Barely six months after leaving New Orleans, history professor Max Corbett is returning to a place he hardly recognizes. The girl he’d loved—and lost—is dead, and the once-enchanted city has been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Max has not thought much beyond Gabrielle’s funeral—until a strange old man offers him a map, and an insane proposition . . .

“Forget all the stories about magic you think you know. . . .”

It looks like an ordinary tourist map, but the old man claims that it is marked with a trail of magical moments from New Orleans’s history that just might open a door to the past. But it is a journey fraught with peril as Max begins to uncover dark secrets about both his dead love and the city he never really got to know. How is Gabrielle linked to an evil group from the city’s past? And can Max evade them long enough to turn back the clock and give Gabrielle one last chance at life?

My latest Nexus Graphica column is now available. This time, I explore the world of nonfiction comics.

I talk about and review several other books as well. So check it out.

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

In the 80s and 90s, it was not unusual to be handed Chick tracts at rock concerts. Published by Chick Publications, these rectangular palm sized pamphlets contained comic book stories that proselytized against great evils such as greed, gluttony, Catholism (and other "false" religions), Satanism, rock music, reincarnation, and Dungeons & Dragons.

Reputedly all written and drawn by company founder, Independent Baptist Jack T. Chick, there are over 200 tracts. Many of the Chick publications, which include traditional comics and prose books, are available in many languages and online.

The company’s official statement of faith begins:

The short, laughingly heavy-handed, and often well drawn stories have achieved a cult-like status among non-believers. Currently, I own seven different volumes: The Pilgrims, Somebody Goofed, Holy Joe, The Trap, How To Get Rich, Ivan the Terrible, Bad Bob!, and Angels? Like many, I acquired several of these at concerts but some of them have been found in bookstore bathrooms and even hidden within books that were for sale!