A Literary Geek Meme in 1 Part

A Literary Geek Meme in 1 Part

1) What author do you own the most books by?

Robert A Heinlein. Own everything he wrote in one form or another. Slowly trying to get all the Hardcovers.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?

The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs I own a first edition HC, three different paperback versions (Bought for the different covers) and The Modern version of all three books of the series all collected together.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

Nope I have horrible grammar and writing skills so why would I care?

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Tara Chace from Greg Rucka’s Queen and Country series.

4a) What fictional character would you most like to be?

Someone who has survived the end of the world type outbreak (along with my family I wouldnt want to have to watch them die)…

4b) What fictional character do you think most resembles you?

Donald Duck.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life?

The Stand by Stephen King.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

The Tripod Trilogy.

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

World War Z. It wasnt a bad book. I was just a little let down after all the hype.

8 ) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

The Secret life of Harry Houdini

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

Traction Man meets Turbo Dog. Just to make sure to remind people that life should be fun.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?

JK Rowling. Forget if the books themselves are “literature” look at how many people actually read a book because of her.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Nothing, I am always so let down in the movies…

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

Anything I have read.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

When I read the Monster Island series I kept dreaming I was a zombie fighter.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?

The Conan the Barbarian series.

15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

Les Miserables.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen?

Othello?

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

The Russians.

18) Roth or Updike?

Updike, not a big fan of Roth.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?

Neither.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Shakespeare.

21) Austen or Eliot?

Austen.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

Havent read a ton from the Beat Generation, and dont have much desire to.

23) What is your favorite novel?

War of the Worlds or Frankenstein.

24) Play?

Julies Ceasar by William Shakespeare.

25) Poem?

A number of different ones by ee cummings. (Tea’s Fault.)

26) Essay?

Can’t Say I have one…

27) Short story?

An occurance at Owl Creak Bridge.

28) Work of non-fiction?

The Coming Plague.

29) Who is your favorite writer?

Robert A. Heinlein.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

James Patterson. I like his books, but he is just a machine now. Doesnt even write the majority of the books with his name on them.

31) What is your desert island book?

The Stand

32) And … what are you reading right now?

I am reading all of the following right now. Each book is in a different spot and what I read is based off of where I am at the time.

DC Showcase: Blackhawks V.1
Critical Space by Greg Rucka
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck
Flash Gordon – Mac Raboy years V.4

?

Books – Prey by Michael Crichton

It has been a long time since I have read any Crichton. I forgot just how much I liked his writing.

Prey is the story of a team of foolish scientist who while messing around in Nanotechnologies unleash a new plague upon man kind in the form of swarms of Nanobots. These bots quickly evolve into stronger and more predatory creatures, as our hero comes in as an consultent and ends up being the one who has to try to save the day.

I really liked this book as I read along, but this one like so many others I have read as of late had a major fault in the vagueness of its ending. When I read a book I want the story wrapped up if there is no intent for more books in the story line. If it is part of a series it is no big deal. If it is a stand alone story, I really think that there needs to be a resolution of some sort.

The ending aside I really liked this book. There was people to hate, people to care about and a good helping of people just to feel sorry for.

I give it:
4 ducks out of 5

Books – MPC#8 Hulk : The End

Writer :
Peter David
Artist:
Future Imperfect – George Perez
The End – Dale Keown

This Volume of Marvel Premiere Classics is made up of two Hulk Prestige Comics (do they even still make Prestige format comics? Cant remember the last time I saw one…). The book contains The comics Future Imperfect and Hulk : The End, both of which were written by Peter David.

I never really cared for Peter David’s work with the Hulk on the regular comic. In these two stories he does right by the big green guy.

FUTURE IMPERFECT :

Future Imperfect is a alternate time line of the Hulk’s. Many years after the humans have destroyed themselves via war, the Hulk survives. Not just surviving he has thrived. The fallout radiation from the war has given him new strength, the bad thing is that it has also driven him insane.

The Hulk, now referred to as the Maestro, has rebuilt a society ruled over by himself. A rebel group led by the great grand-daughter of Rick Jones go back in time and bring the modern Hulk with them to fight the Hulk. A battle of course follows soon after his arrival in his future that ends with the Hulk wounded and the prisoner of the Maestro.

Even though I think Spoilers would not apply in a book this old I still will refrain from talking about the ending. I will just say that I thought that they did a really good job of bringing the whole story to a close in a nice round about manner.

The story seems a little rushed at times, but it is still a good story. It presents a good picture what could become of the Hulk. I think by far my favorite part of the whole book is the various images of Rick Jones’ Relic Room. It was a trip sitting there trying to pick out what all the various relics were.

Click picture to see a labeled version on Flickr.

THE END :

Again a story of a possible future for the Hulk. In this one the Hulk and Banner are alone in a world destroyed by Nuclear War. I kind of see this one as a story of what Banner who had seen the Maestro would have done to insure that that future would not come to pass.

While I do not like this story as much as the story in Future Imperfect, I do prefer the art a lot more. I think that Keown has a better grasp of who the Hulk is then Perez did.

This story is the story of the struggle of life and death. Banner, broken lonely and old wanting to die and The Hulk, strong as ever wanting to never die. While it is an interesting tale, it just doesn’t have much of the action and fighting that one normally associates with the Hulk. Instead it is mostly words which leaves me, and I think most other Hulk fans feeling somehow cheated. We didn’t want to see the Hulk sitting in the sunset at the end of time, we wanted to see him go out with a bang in a blaze of glory…

Books – MPC#5 Wolverine : Weapon X

This is a day early. I am going to be really busy tomorrow, so instead of setting it up to publish itself tomorrow morning i figured I would just post it now…

Who knows, maybe I will make another post that will show up tomorrow instead… if I have sometime.

Wolverine has never been a favorite of mine. I have always thought that he was an over used and a very flat character.

When I found a couple volumes of the Marvel Premiere Classic series of the Hard Covers (#5 Wolverine – Weapon X and #8 The Hulk – The End) for cheap at Half Price Books I figured I really didnt have much to lose so I picked them up.

I have to tell you, I liked Weapon X. I really did not expect to like it, but I did. I thought that the story was well done and the art was amazing. Then again, how could the art not be amazing with BWS on the book. I have always been a fan of Barry Windsor-Smith since his days on the Conan the Barbarian book for Marvel.

The story tells how Logan is abducted by a government group who then use him for experiments as they try to create the ultimate killing machine. Needless to say, it does not go the way that they plan it to and Logan gets away one step closer to being the wolverine that we know today.

I did find it very interesting seeing what Hollywood choose to take and leave out of this story in the X-Men Origins : Wolverine movie.

The one fault I had with the story was the rhythm. When it was originally released it was in short pieces in the Marvel Comics Presents comic book series (issues #72 thru #84). The story seems to be filled with tons of little acts instead of one overall story arc.

As far as the Marvel Premiere Classic series goes, I really like the look of these books. I will soon have some more additions to my collection of these books (#6 Avengers : The Defenders War, #14 XMEN : Longshot and #22 Avengers : Hawkeye) I like how this series of hardcovers features a selection of Key Marvel stories as well as some that are off the beaten path. I also really like the look of the dust jackets for the Comic Store version of these books. I like having books on my shelf that the publishers use a consistent theme to the book design and these fit that bill.

My God I wish I would win the lottery tomorrow…

Because if I did I would so bid on this auction until I won!

I would love to have that collection. I would have to buy a new home and build a special Library room just for all my pretty books.

Found on BoingBoing

PIPER MAY AND THE FIGHT FOR LIFE. – Week Off

I have been a little under the weather, so I am not going to post what little I have done so far… Instead, I will post this short that I did, it is basically the first story I have done with our hero… This was done in the short stretch of time that I had let someone talk me into changing the name.

PIPER MAY AND THE FIGHT FOR LIFE. – Chapter Two

This week was a little hard to get going. I had the opening and the title but I wasnt 100 percent sure where I was going to be going with the story. After about a dozen false starts I think I finally got to the point where I was happy with what I was going to do. I sat down and kicked out this chapter and a outline of where I was going and how I was going to get there. So here you go. Chapter Two in the First Piper May story…

Chapter Two.

“So tell me your story, Tell me what it is that I can do for you…”

“My name is Sarah Jane Marigold Jones. Of the Long Island Jones’es. You might have heard of my Husband Steven Jones, The investment banker.” she said as she took off her gloves and laid them across her knees. “Well, he is trying to have me killed, and I would rather not die just yet.”

“why do you think he is trying to kill you” I asked her walking back to my chair and sitting down. “Is it just a feeling or has something happened?”

“A couple of weeks ago, I found some love letters hidden away in the back of his desk drawer when I went looking for some stamps in his office.” she said as she dropped her eyes from mine. “One of them talked about how after the 24th I would be out of the way forever. That they soon wouldnt have to hide their love and could be together.”

“yes, that would make me a little nervous as well.” I said as I pulled a notebook out of my desk and started jotting some notes down on the paper. “It is the 21 st now so that means that what ever they plan to do that it will have to be in the next few days. Have you considered that he might just be planning to ask you for a divorce?”

“That is very unlikely. If he were to end the marriage at this point the amount I would get as set out in our prenuptiual agreement would ruin him.” she explained as she pulled a handkerchief from her purse. “I just… I just dont understand. I never saw any indications of a change in our marriage. I thought that we were still as happy if not more so then the say we were married.”

***

I finished taking some notes on the case, then we talked money. Mrs. Jones seemed very scared, but more then that heartbroken. The idea of her husband wanting to get her out of the picture let alone leave her was just more then she could handle.

After she had calmed down and pulled herself back together I had her call her husband from my office. The plan was to have her make an excuse that an old friend had suddenly came into town and that she was driving in to pick her up to stay with them for a few days, at that point Mr. Jones made it even easier for us, suggesting that they stay the night in the hotel and treat themselves to some fun. This gave me an evening to get a start on the case and might even let me find out who the other women was.

As Mrs. Jones was wrapping up the call with her husband there was a soft knock on the door. Opening the door and gesturing for quite I let Johnny into the office. Johnny was my closest friend one of a very small group of people that I actually trusted to have my back. Crossing the room in two strides he took the chair in the corner and I returned to my desk.

Hanging up the phone Mrs. Jones looked back at me. “Don’t worry, This is Mr. Lee. He is a associate of mine, he provide back up for me when I need to be more then one place at once. If he is available” I said as I turned my head to look at Johnny “then he will be helping us make sure nothing happens to you over the next couple of days.”
Johnny gave me his happy to help smile with a slight nod. “I can make a quick call and clear my schedule” he said.”what is it that I can do to help?”

“While I am setting up someplace safe for Mrs. Jones to spend the night, I need you to be out watching her house” I explained giving him a quick summerized account of what was going on. “ If there is another women we need to know who she is and what they are doing.”

______________________________________________________________________

I am starting to go back and turn what is already written into script so that I can start drawing the start of the story. I know that I wont have anything finished in time for the spring convention but I really want to get a jump on having something to be printed for the fall convention this year.

I’m thinking that I might post the script pages here, just to show the transformation from one form to the other…

Books – Monster Island

Monster Island
By David Wellington
Identify the book by author, title, and sometimes publishing information.

Monster Island is the first volume of the Monster Trilogy by David Wellington. The Monster Trilogy (Island,Nation and Planet) take place in a world that has been or is about to be over run by zombies. In other words, my kind of book.

David Wellington has chosen to present his novels in a very unique way. His novels are first presented online on his website blog a chapter at a time (yes, that is where I got the idea to post my Piper May story online.). A friend of mine. Jason Marcy, had posted about him on his blog and I had to check it out. I did end up reading one of his novels online, but for the rest I ended up buying them (partially to support him as an author and also because I wanted to be able to read them laying in bed…)

In Monster Island, the zombie plauge has already swept across the world, pockets of huhmanity survive. For the most part the earth is ruled by the undead. In Africa a warlord has saved who she could, but now she faces a problem. In a world overrun by zombies there is no flow of the AIDS medication that she needs to survive. In a desperate attempt to stay alive she sends Dekalb, a UN weapons inspector that she has kept alive, to New York in hopes of finding a stock pile of the drugs she needs. Dekalb finds himself with no choice but to honor her request since his young daughter will be held hostage until he returns.

The rest of the story unfolds as they reach New York via boat and proceed to search for the drugs while trying to avoid the undead of New York.

This book, being the first of the series was actually the second one that I read. Even though I read out of order nothing was really ruined for me. While the first and second book take place in the same world, they are only loosely connected. It is very important to have read Monster Island before Monster World though. I really enjoyed this book. Much more so then Monster Nation. I found the book to be a little more action filled and suspensful then it’s sequal.

Monster Island is a great book (dont get me wrong so is Monster Nation, Island is just better.) and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes horror or Zombie stories.

Piper May, Private Eye.

So today begins what I hope to make a weekly feature. Each week I plan to post a chapter of my story. This story will unfold here in the blog in the raw form. Eventually, hopefully… to be converted into a graphic novel in a more refined form… we will see.

The story, is that of Piper May. A old school detective in a glitzy new world of crime solving. Trying to make her way as she competes against the new firm across town.

The image to the left is the latest version of the charecter design Piper May in this tale. As I go along I might post some early sketches or what not as it seems to fit. For now though, lets stop wasting time and post the start of the story.

I hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback.

PIPER MAY AND THE FIGHT FOR LIFE.

It was a dark and Stormy night, and there was a sense of dread in the air. Outside the window the glow of the neon light illuminated the rain as it poured out of the sky and into her life.

That was all that was on the paper that she sat and stared at in the typewriter. She figured that if she wasn’t going to be working cases that she might as well write about them. Although so far all that had ended up doing for her is leaving her angry at herself for the cliché ridden lines on the paper.

She wanted a case, pure and simple. She didn’t want to write about them she wanted to solve them. Unfortunately since the firm of young upstarts had opened their glitzy firm across town the jobs had slowed down to a slow trickle at best. So she sat here, on a bright sunny morning day dreaming about dark and stormy nights…

* * *

It was a dark night, a small desk lamp lite a small area on the desk and neon tinted the rest from the street.

A pair of feet sat in the center of the desk plotter the lamp spotlighting them like a pair of actors in a play ready for their big scene. The paper still sat in the typewriter, nothing changed since the afternoon. She on the other hand was out cold, bottle in her arms leaning back in her chair.

The rap on the door woke her, but did not bring about movement. It was about this time every night that Johnny showed up, so why should she bother. “come on in” she grumbled from under the hat that she had used to shade her eyes that afternoon. She heard the door swing open and heard three foot falls that obviously came from a High heeled shoes and not Johnnys flat feet. Sitting up with a jerk her feet hit the floor and she had crossed the was across the room in a flash and turning on an overhead light.

“am I disturbing something” the new comer asked looking down with a disapproving air at the beer bottle still clutched in Piper’s hand.

“By no means, I was just sitting her having a soda” she replied setting down the bottle on the desk revealing the whole label. “the Hardest thing I ever drink is ‘Doc’s Old Fashion Root Beer’ I was just expecting a friend, not a client at this time of night. So what can I do for you. I assume it must be something serious for you to be out at this time of night.”

“Someone is out to kill me” she blurtted out holding her small purse to her chest as if it might protect her “and I need someone to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Well then, we best sit down and talk about this” Piper said as she pulled out the guest chair and guided her to it with a sweeping hand gesture.