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

The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer’s Inside View by Doug Glanville

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An insider’s revealing look at the hidden world of major league baseball

Doug Glanville, a former major league outfielder and Ivy League graduate, draws on his nine seasons in the big leagues to reveal the human side of the game and of the men who play it.

In Game from Where I Stand, Glanville shows us how players prepare for games, deal with race and family issues, cope with streaks and slumps, respond to trades and injuries, and learn the joyful and painful lessons the game imparts. We see the flashpoints that cause misunderstandings and friction between players, and the imaginative ways they work to find common ground. And Glanville tells us with insight and humor what he learned from Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and other legendary and controversial stars.

In his professional career, Glanville experienced every aspect of being a player—the first-round pick, the prospect, the disappointment, the can’t-miss, the cornerstone, the veteran, the traded, the injured, the comeback kid. His eye-opening book gives fans a new level of understanding of day-to-day life in the big leagues.

Wish I got more baseball books to review.

The Machinery of Light by David J. Williams

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With The Machinery of Light, David J. Williams completes his furiously paced, stunningly imagined trilogy—a work of vision, beauty, and pulse-pounding futuristic action.

September 26, 2110. 10:22 GMT. Following the assassination of the American president, the generals who have seized power initiate World War Three, launching a surprise attack against the Eurasian Coalition’s forces throughout the Earth-Moon system. Across the orbits, tens of thousands of particle beams and lasers blast away at one another. The goal: crush the other side’s weaponry, paving the way for nuclear bombardment of the cities.

As inferno becomes Armageddon, the rogue commando unit Autumn Rain embarks on one last run. Matthew Sinclair, an imprisoned spymaster, plots his escape. And his former protégé Claire Haskell, capable of hacking into both nets and minds, is realizing that all her powers may merely be playing into Sinclair’s plans. For even as Claire evades the soldiers of East and West amid carnage in the lunar tunnels, the surviving members of the Rain converge upon the Moon, one step ahead of the Eurasian fleets but one step behind the mastermind who created Autumn Rain—and his terrible final secret.

The Devil’s Playground (Morgan Kingsley, Book 5) by Jenna Black

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Morgan Kingsley, a kick-ass exorcist, can deal with Lugh, the supersexy demon living inside her, but does he have to moan softly during her intimate moments with her mortal lover? Understandably, Brian is reluctant to share the pleasures of Morgan’s flesh with a gorgeous rogue from the Demon Realm.

But personal matters will have to wait when the opportunistic owner of the Seven Deadlies demon club in Philadelphia enlists Morgan’s help in heading off a crisis: It seems that demons have started showing up at the hot spot in alarming numbers and in the unwilling bodies of rough trade club-goers. Morgan is sure that Dougal, Lugh’s sworn enemy, is behind this, but why? To find out, Morgan must summon every ounce of power at her command—or risk becoming just another casualty in an all-out demon war.

More in Part I

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

Mysterius the Unfathomable Written by Jeff Parker Art by Tom Fowler

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When Ella attends a séance for a report in her local paper, she gets sucked into the world of Mysterius (the Unfathomable), a magician who’s more than just a performer of flashy tricks. Sensing Ella is the perfect person to play the role of his assistant, Delfi (the latest in a long line), Mysterius hires her. Their cases drag them deep into the modern world of magic, at least one pocket dimension, and the wicker effigy about to be set alight at a Burning-Man-esque festival. Acclaimed creators Jeff Parker (X-Men: The First Class, Agents of Atlas) and Tom Fowler (GREEN ARROW, CAPER) make their WildStorm debut with this exciting, offbeat new miniseries!

What a hoot! Really enjoyed the first Agents of Atlas collection and digging Fowler’s Jack Davis-inspired art.

Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Allies by Christie Golden

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What began as a quest for truth has become a struggle for survival for Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben. They have used the secrets of the Mindwalkers to transcend their own bodies and speak with the spirits of the fallen, risking their very lives in the process. They have faced a team of Sith assassins and beaten the odds to destroy them. And now the death squad’s sole survivor, Sith apprentice Vestara Khai, has summoned an entire fleet of Sith frigates to engage the embattled father and son. But the dark warriors come bearing a surprising proposition that will bring Jedi and Sith together in an unprecedented alliance against an evil more ancient and alien than they can imagine.

While the Skywalkers and their Sith allies set off on their joint mission into the treacherous web of black holes that is the Maw, Han and Leia Solo risk arrest and worse to aid the Jedi imprisoned back on Coruscant. Tyrannical Chief of State Natasi Daala has issued orders that will open a permanent schism between her government and the Jedi Order—a schism that could turn all Jedi into renegades and wanted criminals.

But it is in the depths of the Maw that the future of the galaxy will be decided. For there the Skywalkers and their Sith allies will engage a true monster in battle, and Luke will come face-to-face with a staggering truth.

Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

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JUSTINE KNOWS SHE’S GOING TO DIE. ANY SECOND NOW.

Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem.

Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness—only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.

More in Part II

I reviewed Repo Men for Moving Pictures.

Check out all the damage at Moving Pictures.

I reviewed the new IMAX film Hubble 3D for Moving Pictures.

Check out the entire review at Moving Pictures.

From the Think Progress blog comes this Onion-like headline and news item:

I weep for the next generation.

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

Castle in the Sky: Special Edition

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Introduce your entire family to Castle In The Sky, featuring a timeless story of courage and friendship with stunning animation from acclaimed Academy Award–winning director Hayao Miyazaki (2002, Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away). Plus, this special edition DVD includes never-before-seen bonus features that transport you deeper into the film’s amazing world! This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer’s apprentice, finds a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky, wearing a glowing pendant. Together, they discover both are searching for a legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta’s neck. Their quest won’t be easy, however. There are greedy air pirates, secret government agents, and astounding obstacles to keep them from the truth—and from each other. Add Castle In The Sky to your DVD library, and this magical and uplifting classic from Studio Ghibli and Disney will thrill and amaze your family for years to come.

My Neighbor Totoro

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Visionary and Academy Award–winning director Hayao Miyazaki (2002, Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away) has created a heartwarming, music-filled, and wonderful world in My Neighbor Totoro, a delightfully animated family adventure. And now, exclusively in this special edition DVD, never-before-seen bonus features reveal even more of Totoro’s fantastic world! Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight, they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro—who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters—including a cat that doubles as a bus!—and takes them on an incredible journey. Bring home My Neighbor Totoro from Studio Ghibli and Disney for your family’s DVD library and experience the timeless classic film Roger Ebert calls “one of the very few that come along that are magical for all ages.”

Kiki’s Delivery Service: Special Edition

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Discover Kiki’s Delivery Service, a fantastic coming-of-age tale full of magic, adventure, and self-discovery from the sensational imagination of Academy Award–winning director Hayao Miyazaki (2002, Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away). And now you can explore even more of Kiki’s amazing world through never-before-seen bonus features—exclusively in this special edition DVD! Kiki is an enterprising young girl who must follow tradition to become a full-fledged witch. Venturing out with only her chatty black cat, Jiji, Kiki flies off for the adventure of a lifetime. Landing in a far-off city, she sets up a high-flying delivery service and begins a wonderful experience of independence and responsibility as she finds her place in the world. Bring home Kiki’s Delivery Service from Studio Ghibli and Disney for your family’s DVD library and share Kiki’s high-flying adventure again and again.

Ponyo

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Welcome to a world where anything is possible! Academy Award® winning director Hayao Miyazaki (2002, Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away) and legendary filmmaker John Lasseter together with Disney bring to life a heartwarming and imaginative telling of Hans Christian Andersen s classic fairy tale The Little Mermaid. A young boy named Sosuke rescues a goldfish named Ponyo, and they embark on a fantastic journey of friendship and discovery before Ponyo’s father, a powerful sorcerer, forces her to return to her home in the sea. But Ponyo’s desire to be human upsets the delicate balance of nature and triggers a gigantic storm. Only Ponyo’s mother, a beautiful sea goddess, can restore nature s balance and make Ponyo s dreams come true. Ponyo will delight your family with its magnificent animation and timeless story.

YOWZA!

My coverage of the 2010 STAPLE! appears in the March 10 issue of the San Antonio Current.

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

The Complete Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale

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Friday night at the Orbit Drive-in: a circus of noise, sex, teenage hormones, B-movie blood, and popcorn. On a cool, crisp summer night, with the Texas stars shining down like rattlesnake eyes, movie-goers for the All-Night Horror Show are trapped in the drive-in by a demonic-looking comet. Then the fun begins. If the movie-goers try to leave, their bodies dissolve into goo. Cowboys are reduced to tears. Lovers quarrel. Bikini-clad women let their stomachs’ sag, having lost the ambition to hold them in. The world outside the six monstrous screens fades to black while the movie-goers spiral into base humanity, resorting to fighting, murdering, crucifying, and cannibalizing to survive. Part dark comedy part horror show, Lansdale’s cult Drive-In books are as shocking and entertaining today as they were 20 years ago.

Complete with this quote under PRAISE FOR THE DRIVE-IN:

[b]Blood of the Mantis (Shadows of the Apt 3) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Driven by the ghosts of the Darakyon, Achaeos has tracked the stolen Shadow Box to the marsh-town of Jerez, but he has only days before the magical box is lost to him forever. Meanwhile, the forces of the Empire are mustering over winter for their great offensive, gathering their soldiers and perfecting their new weapons. Stenwold and his followers have only a short time to gather what allies they can before the Wasp armies march again, conquering everything in their path. If they cannot throw back the Wasps this spring then the imperial black-and-gold flag will fly over every city in the Lowlands before the year’s end. In Jerez begins a fierce struggle over the Shadow Box, as lake creatures, secret police and renegade magicians compete to take possession. If it falls into the hands of the Wasp Emperor, however, then no amount of fighting will suffice to save the world from his relentless ambition.

Hating Perfection: A Subtle Search for the Best Possible World by John F. Williams

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The best heaven and the worst hell are the same place. Travel with author John F. Williams into the jungles of Laos and into a new understanding of existence.

In lively short stories, Hating Perfection shows the everyday world as uncanny, equally strange as the imaginary worlds of Borges or Kafka. This engrossing, strikingly original book invites you to experience your life in a new way.

Hating Perfection weaves its stories together with an elegant logic. Our hateful world –painful, unjust, ruthless, fatal –stands revealed as the best of all possible worlds, flooded everywhere by a perfection both alien and addicting. What we want is different from what we get. But the reason why has a divine splendor.

Stand beside the author for a time, and look in the direction he is looking. Your troubles may still be your troubles, but the world will be more than it was.

The Devil in Green (Dark Age, Book 1) by Mark Chadbourn

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Humanity has emerged, blinking, from the Age of Misrule into a world substantially changed: cities lie devasted, communications are limited, anarchy rages across the land. Society has been thrown into a new Dark Age where superstition holds sway. The Tuatha De Danaan roam the land once more, their terrible powers dwarfing anything mortals have to offer. And in their wake come all the creatures of myth and legend, no longer confined to the shadows. Fighting to find their place in this new world, the last remnants of the Christian Church call for a group of heroes: a new Knights Templar to guard the priesthood as they set out on their quest for souls. But as everything begin to fall apart, the Knights begin to realise their only hope is to call on the pagan gods of Celtic myth for help.

It’s got a gorgeous John Picacio cover. What more do you need to know?

The Men Who Stare At Goats

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In this comedic look at real life events that are almost too bizarre to believe, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) discovers an experimental top-secret wing of the U.S. military called The New Earth Army, trained to change the ways wars are fought through New Age psychic power. In search of his next big story, Wilton tracks down Lyn Cassady (Academy Award® winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be a member of this legion of “Warrior Monks” with unparalleled psychic powers who can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it.

Let’s take a quick look to see what I picked up STAPLE! 2010.

Atomic Robo TPB Volume 1: Atomic Robo & the Fightin’ Scientists of Tesladyne Written by Brian Clevinger Art by Scott Wegener

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In 1923, Nikola Tesla’s career is in its twilight until he unveils a robot with automatic intelligence — ATOMIC ROBO! After decades of dealing with all manner of weirdness, ATOMIC ROBO and the so-called ACTION SCIENTISTS of TESLADYNE became the go-to defense force against the unexplained. See ROBO take on Nazis, giant ants, clockwork mummies, walking pyramids, Mars, cyborgs and his nemesis, Baron von Helsingard, in his first trade paperback graphic novel. This edition collects the hard-to-find, sold-out, debut issues of ATOMIC ROBO #1 through #6, complete with cover gallery, pin-ups, concept sketches and bonus stories. Created by Brian Clevinger of 8-BIT THEATER fame.

Great adventure comic that is sure to appeal to fans of Invincible and Hellboy. You’ll be hearing more about this from me in the coming months.

Buffalo Speedway Volume 1 by Yehudi Mercado

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Every pizza Boy has a story.

Figgs is a lifer. He’s 23 years old, he’s been delivering for Houston’s Turbo Pizza for eight grueling years, he lives with his dead-beat best friend, Super Cheese, and he’s got a supreme crush on his Friday Regular, a rich girl named Pia. Life sucks, but it’s about to get suckier. This day is June 17th 1994. Today the Rockets will battle the Knicks in the NBA Finals, America will host the World Cup and OJ Simpson will lead the LAPD on a slow speed chase. These will cause a perfect storm of events, keeping a nation at home, watching TV, resulting in the BUSIEST PIZZA DAY EVER.

In the One Bad Day tradition of Harlod and Kumar Go to White Castle, Clerks, and Do the Right Thing, we gp deep inside the dangerous world of pizza delivery drivers.

They’re fast, they’re furious, they’re f***ing your wife!

Creator Yehudi Mercado offered the most inspired promotion of the show: pizza gift certificates with a purchase Buffalo Speedway.

Hit Point High Sneak Preview Written by Paul Benjamin & Yehudi Mercado Art by Mercado

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Hit Point High is the realm’s preeminent adventurer’s academy. The students will one day be the greatest warriors of Midway Earth, battling the darkest evil and protecting the righteous. This is not the hero’s story. This is the tale about Kenny (a centaur) and Booney (a minotaur), the other guys. The underachievers who would rather get high in the boy’s room than protect the highlands from barbarians. The only quest that Kenny and Booney will accept involve getting stoned or gettin’ slayed.

More mythical high school hijinks with the creator of Pantheon High. Though unlike the previous, High Point High is definitely NOT for young adults.

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo Official Program March 6, 2010

Handed out to each attendee, this 24-page, staple-bound program book offers far more than just a schedule of events and map of the exhibitor hall. Uncle Staple and his crew wisely included 14 pages of fresh alternative comics. Like the show itself, the STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo Official Program showcases a diverse cross-section of the cartooning world.

The most important and coolest Central Texas comic book happening of the year occurs tomorrow with the sixth annual STAPLE!, "the independent media expo." Begun in March, 2005 after Chris "Uncle Staple" Nicholas, co-creator of You Chose Right The First Time, realized that the Austin area offered enough talent "to put on a pretty good indie comics show" but none in the region. By combining a focus on independent, alternative, and small press media with independent-friendly comic book shop sponsorship and an affordable entrance fee (only 5 bucks!), STAPLE! succeeded like no similar Central Texas event before.

This year’s event features over 85 exhibitors and several top notch special guests including Guy Davis (BPRD, The Marquis), Andy Runton (Owly), Chris Schweizer (Crogan’s Adventures), and Jason Neulander (The Intergalactic Nemesis).

The one day STAPLE! even has some pretty exciting programming planned. It starts off with two Q&A sessions: Guy Davis at noon, Andy Runton at 1:30. Next up is a presentation by Chris Schweizer entitled “Twenty Common Cartooning Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them”, at 3pm. Last, but certainly not least, at 4:30 it’s an amazing performance of The Intergalactic Nemesis: The Living Comic Book.

If all the above wasn’t enough, an Official STAPLE! program with original comics is given to every attendee! As part of my bi-weekly column Nexus Graphica, I reviewed last year’s program.

Can’t wait for tomorrow’s festivities then be sure to stop by Austin Books tonight at 8:00 PM for the STAPLE! pre-party.

I know I’ll be at both events. Hope to see you there!