Robert Silverberg is an author who I used to read an awful lot during my teens as there seemed to be an unending supply of his books in Bristol libraries. He was never one of my big favourites but I always enjoyed his books and have always have fond memories of his work.
After reading this piece though he is my hero, what a guy;
Back in my pulp-mag days I worked from about 8:30 to noon, took an hour off for lunch, and worked again from one to three, for a work day of five and a half hours or so.
Whereas Marvel have hit their stride recently with movies it is DC who are really leading the way with animation. Justice League: New Frontier, Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn and Wonder Woman were all fantastic, high quality films and Superman/Batman and Superman:Doomsday weren’t bad at all.
The latest movie is based on the Grant Morrison version of Crime Syndicate and makes full use of the DC multiverse. I think this is likely to be the best yet - the possibilities for Batman vs Owlman alone make me smile and the trailer looks like the high standard of animation is being upheld.
Well done DC. Makes me proud to be a fanboy!
Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths Trailer (via MrJacobTPaschal)
The original Image series of Powers is amongst my all time favourite comics book stories. In my opinion alongside the first 30 issues or so of Ultimate Spiderman it is the best stuff Bendis has ever written and it was also a time when Oeming was satisfied being an artist before becoming a writer as well (not that he is a poor writer - I just think he is an amazing artist).
Whether a TV version would live up to my expectations or for that matter get past a pilot which seems increasingly difficult for genre shows these days is another matter. Powers could really work well as it has strong elements of the classic buddy cop shows and the superhero elements are treated with real intelligence.
Journeyman was a clever show with a decent cast but it never really found an audience and never lasted long but that happens to many great shows (Firefly anyone!) FX is an interesting channel to take it though as they are a reputation for taking risks so maybe this will happen!
Warren Ellis revels in his mad scientist role as far as comic books are concerned and even by the standards of his increasingly crazy and complex comics No Hero is bonkers! That said it is also fun and clever and the art is lovely from Juan Jose Ryp - read the first chapter here for free (via Issu which works really well for online comics in full screen mode). I’ll be buying the collection on Thursday - assuming the country doesn’t get snowed in again!
I am a recent convert to the io9 website and it is already a firm favourite - as my use of my RSS reader transitions from mainly work stuff to much more fun reading it is one of the highlights and the fact it brings like this to my attention doesn’t hurt!
Kick Ass is the upcoming movie from Matthew Vaughn (who produced Lock, Stock..and directed both the brilliant Layer Cake and the decent Stardust) and written by comic book scribe Mark Millar. Millar is probably about the most successful comic book writer in the business these days and he is also a shameless self promoter and occasional pain in the ass. I have about a 50/50 ratio with his stuff but that may be due to him mainly writing Marvel stuff which I simply have never cared for. However Kick Ass is genuinely a kick ass idea and I can’t wait to see this film (I’m even willing to excuse the presence of movie-killer Nic Cage!).
Watch the trailer - and then remember the film is going to be an ‘18’ and brutally violent and then join me in the cinema in April!
In an amazing display of continued geek fanboy power Chuck is returning for its third season this Sunday in the US.
This is all sorts of good news as Chuck is one of the last great geek shows out there in my opinion.
There are many reasons to love this show and actually the lead character Chuck Bartowski is pretty low on the list. John Casey, played with perfect comic timing by Adam Baldwin, however is a genius in this show - building on the great work he did on Firefly with another pitch perfect performance (I like to think of John Casey as the distant ancestor of Jane in Firefly!) Plus let us not forget Sarah - the hottest, most arse kicking babe since Season 3 of Buffy.
Can’t wait to watch the new season!!
Chuck Season 2 DVD Exclusive Clip: John Casey Presents “So you want to be a deadly spy?” (via tvfanatic4eva)
Went to see Sherlock Holmes today and was pleasantly surprised. It is a nice mix of CSI, Batman and League of Extraordinary Gentleman (the comic rather than the movie obviously). It even managed to use Jude Law in a manner that didn’t make me want to kill him. Robert Downey Jr hams it up a fair bit but in an enjoyable manner and Rachel McAdams is an attractive, feisty addition to the tale & Mark Strong always makes a good villain.
It isn’t without its problems - most notably the fact it spends an awful lot of time setting up a sequel which is a bit presumptuous. Also shifting both Holmes and Watson from cerebral heroes to much more action based characters can be a bit jarring (though I do think it works quite well.)
They skirt around the issue of Holmes’ drug use but do hint at it and Downey Jrs performance does give the impression of a man not afraid of a narcotic.
The relationship between Holmes and Watson rather plays up the man-love aspects but for the most part that seemed light hearted and quite fun.
All-in-all an enjoyable romp (as they used to say) and I’ll be back for the inevitable sequel..
Thou shall remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be..
I started listening to hip hop when I was 10 years old and from the very beginning I was a believer in the Four Elements - I was a graffiti artist from the start and hip hop music was the soundtrack I chose. I was never much of a b-boy or DJ but I loved it all without question and my attention has never strayed.
Tastes evolve obviously but for years the elements evolved at an even greater pace but in recent years the music has stalled.
Then I was introduced to Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - a genuinely original UK duo that blew my mind in a way noone had since I heard Daydreaming by Massive Attack way back when. These are guys who put their own unique spin on things but who believe in the 4 Elements.
Anyway they are amazing enough that I am actual going to see them live in Bristol. Attending a gig is something I only do about twice a decade so its a pretty big deal but the fact the Bristol show was on my birthday kind of sealed it for me..
dan le sac VS scroobius pip “Thou Shalt always Kill” (via splintereddigital)
Cow Eyed Peas - Moo Moo Cow - Countryside Alliance Crew (via ruraltakeover) - gotta love CAC - in small doses - the new Goldie Looking Chain?
Natalie Rap
God bless Natalie Portman - not sure I have ever seen anything funnier ;0)
