Posts
Ten Things for the Weekend of the First Locomotive
Which is a vaguely Soviet-sounding way of differentiating this latest Ten Things column. The locomotive in question was Richard Trevithick's first steam loco, which ran on this day in 1804. What a lovely day! What a lovely day for going up to an online detractor of Owl City and saying 'so you say "they ripped off The Postal Service"? Go on then, whistle me a Postal Service tune.' I say, missus!
4: Similarly, the brilliant Tommy Lee Edwards has been in touch, telling me that there's now a website for Turf, the comic he's drawing and Jonathan Ross is writing. The site features graphics, covers, sketches and videos, and is all the insight you could want into the run up to publication of what's going to be one of this year's most talked-about titles. And Tommy's realistic, emotional line work is as gorgeous as always.
5: Amazingly creative modern Doctor Who fans part twenty-nine: this chap (I assume 'Mechmaster' is a chap) has produced some brilliant not-for-profit Dalek Images including a lovely-looking comic strip. This courtesy of Paul Castle.
8: The latest issue (#5) of SF fanzine Journey Planet , edited by James Bacon, Claire Brialey and Chris Garcia is out now, and available, with its predecessors, as an online PDF file. This issue is something of an alternate history special, and includes contributions from Jon Courtenay Grimwood, John Scalzi and Paul McAuley. It's good to see such meaty fanzines, with loads of wholemeal analysis and original fiction, still out there, but with such useful evolutionary adaptations to the modern world. And ta whoever it was who sent me a copy in the post with no covering letter. (Hmm, this was welcome, but what else did I drunkenly subscribe to?)
9: Comic Twart is a group blog of comic artists, where they choose a character every week, and all draw it, in a range of different styles. (Pictured: The Black Beetle by Ron Salas.) Contributors include Declan Shalvey, Dan McDaid and Ramon Perez. These guys are pros, the standard is high, and I'm fascinated to see what comes next.
Yesterday's Twitter request for items for this column was weirder than usual. And that's saying something. I suppose some of you might be interested in an online tennis magazine. Seriously, if you are, say the word, I've got that stuff waiting in the wings. And again, some good stuff got left out, so don't feel snubbed if it's not in the following list. I've only got room for a few each time, and I try to offer a variety of stuff. So you may well get in next time. Here we go.
1: Author Michael Carroll has provided his fellow scribes with an invaluable service in the form of these Name and Title Generators, which automatically come up with character names (Alexis Worthen), superhero names (Kid Widow) and fantasy novel titles (The Duchess's Quarterstaff). I'm severely tempted to make use of them. And to write that fantasy novel.
2: Brian Cox teaches a toddler Hamlet. I think 'yeah' is a perfectly good response to 'to be or not to be, that is the question', myself. Found by Teresa Jusino.
3: Emma Vieceli, who you may remember from last week, has now had the first appearance of her art in Marvel Comics announced, alongside my fellow Clockwork Storybook member Marjorie Liu and the legendary Ann Nocenti, in Girl Comics #3 out May 5th. I'm keen to support Marvel's efforts to bring more female creators into the field, and always pleased to spotlight Emma's work.
3: Emma Vieceli, who you may remember from last week, has now had the first appearance of her art in Marvel Comics announced, alongside my fellow Clockwork Storybook member Marjorie Liu and the legendary Ann Nocenti, in Girl Comics #3 out May 5th. I'm keen to support Marvel's efforts to bring more female creators into the field, and always pleased to spotlight Emma's work.
4: Similarly, the brilliant Tommy Lee Edwards has been in touch, telling me that there's now a website for Turf, the comic he's drawing and Jonathan Ross is writing. The site features graphics, covers, sketches and videos, and is all the insight you could want into the run up to publication of what's going to be one of this year's most talked-about titles. And Tommy's realistic, emotional line work is as gorgeous as always.
5: Amazingly creative modern Doctor Who fans part twenty-nine: this chap (I assume 'Mechmaster' is a chap) has produced some brilliant not-for-profit Dalek Images including a lovely-looking comic strip. This courtesy of Paul Castle.6: I'm honoured to have had my novelette 'One of Our Bastards is Missing', originally published in the Solaris Book of New Science Fiction #3, selected not only for Gardner Dozois' The Year's Best Science Fiction #27, but also for David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer's Year's Best SF #15. Doing this double, in the company of so many friends and peers, is another one of those things that, as a young SF fan, I dreamed about. And the contents lists of the two books offer a bunch of stories ripe for Hugo nomination.
7: As does the Final Ballot for this year's Nebula Awards. This is the second venerable SF awards, voted on by members of the Science Fiction Writers of America, whose ranks I joined last year. The Nebulas feature a very open voting process, where what's currently nominated in each category is visible to SFWA members as a rolling online list, while one can change one's online ballot at any time. Titles fall in and out of favour, voters cluster around electable material, discard personal favourites that aren't in with a chance. Generally, the cream rises. This sporting contest was, frankly, worth the membership fee all by itself. And it's produced a very healthy and forward-looking shortlist, in which I'm particularly pleased to see China Mieville's The City & The City and Paolo Bacigalupi's 'The Gambler' and The Windup Girl. The SFWA is in the process of reinvention, re-establishing themselves as a modern force in the genre, and this shortlist, and the ease of the process, is a sign that things are moving in the right direction.
8: The latest issue (#5) of SF fanzine Journey Planet , edited by James Bacon, Claire Brialey and Chris Garcia is out now, and available, with its predecessors, as an online PDF file. This issue is something of an alternate history special, and includes contributions from Jon Courtenay Grimwood, John Scalzi and Paul McAuley. It's good to see such meaty fanzines, with loads of wholemeal analysis and original fiction, still out there, but with such useful evolutionary adaptations to the modern world. And ta whoever it was who sent me a copy in the post with no covering letter. (Hmm, this was welcome, but what else did I drunkenly subscribe to?)
9: Comic Twart is a group blog of comic artists, where they choose a character every week, and all draw it, in a range of different styles. (Pictured: The Black Beetle by Ron Salas.) Contributors include Declan Shalvey, Dan McDaid and Ramon Perez. These guys are pros, the standard is high, and I'm fascinated to see what comes next. 10: And finally, it's time for the Horse Related TV Show of the Week. This time, it's the Mother of All TV Horse Shows. It's -
Black Beauty. (Yes, I know, more weird search queries ahoy.) The iconic strength of this sequence still astounds me. Or, to put it another way, if I may, gentlemen... squeeee!!! I associate this with eating jelly and angel delight on a Sunday afternoon in some golden and perfect corner of my childhood. I think the resonance is somewhat down to living then at the bottom of downlands that had a white horse carved on them, in an area when impossibly out of reach people would trot by on their horses. But there's no bitterness to the vision. Like all these shows, it's a bit of a British agrarian dream, which I gladly bought into. The theme, by Denis Andrew King, actually gets more impressive in the full version, which morphs into a reflective, melancholy stretch that sounds like Vaughan Williams by way of the New Seekers. All in all, phew. And to anyone not sharing in the Proustian rush of these sequences, don't worry, there's only a couple left.
There won't be a Ten Things next weekend, because I'll be at the Gallifrey One convention in L.A. and after the SFX Weekender I've learned my lesson about making such attempts. Gallifrey is shaping up to be excellent, I already have three rather extraordinary sets of dining companions sorted out, and I'll be blogging my panel schedule midweek. Until then: Cheerio.
Labels:
Brian Cox,
Comic Twart,
Doctor Who,
Emma Vieceli,
Hamlet,
Jonathan Hamilton,
Jonathan Ross,
Journey Planet,
Michael Carroll,
Nebulas,
Tommy Lee Edwards
|
JOURNEY PLANET #5 arrived in the mail Friday but so far I've only dipped into it. Was greatly amused by the idea of Spinrad working on a film of 'The Iron Dream' with Lars von Trier.
I first came across Mechmaster's site about a year ago and, if you haven't done so, I recommend you click on the 'Dalek Storm' link since someone was sufficiently taken with his design that they constructed that Special Weapons Dalek. And judging from the photos, it was built to a quality that rivals that of the Daleks on the modern TV show.
- Rob Hansen
For more fun with generators, there's a site called Seventh Sanctum which has generators for, like, everything, from Lovecraftian gods to "Adventure Sites" (like the Saucer of the Vulture Tribe or the Warped Hotel of Monsters).
Have a wonderful time at the convention Paul! Looking forward to reading about your experiences there when you return! :)
Cool bit of trivia about the locomotive. Well it was until you mentioned the postal service. I'm not greatly impressed with Royal Mail at the moment. They lost another batch of comics that Rich sent. He sent them over 3 weeks ago now. Its the fifth time its happened. Anyhow enough of that before I go postal.
I'm looking forward to Turf. I like stuff set in the 30s with Gangsters. I also like stuff with Vampires. So a comic with Gangsters and Vampires and their molls. Winner.
BTW did you see the new Doctor Who trailer yesterday. Pretty cool hey.
Thanks so much for the nudge towards Mechmaster's Dalex strip. It's had so much love poured into it! It's totally inspiring. The scene with the Daleks leaving their spaceship on page 4 had me laughing out loud with pleasure. I'd never have seen it without it being mentioned here. So ... cheers to thee!
I know, Rob, Daleks in the real world! Thanks for that, Wesley. Neb: Ta. I will *try* and blog a bit while in L.A. I'm not sure it's the Royal Mail that Owl City are meant to be ripping off, Ian. And yes, I loved the trailer. Cols: that's what we're here for!
"G.I. ROBOT: He's punched a dinosaur square in the face. What have you done for your country?" Best thing I've seen all month. Thank you very much for linking to Comic Twart.
Paul: probably not owl city they're ripping off. But I'm sure you understand the frustration:)
BTW I hope you have a great time at the convention next weekend.
Are you familiar with 'Hurricane Who' in Orlando? Just asking because one the folks behind that event is an acquaintance of mine on Facebook.
Thank you for the fun with the titles generator. I got 'The Witch and the Trebuchet' on my first try and am now imagining a cackling font obsessive on a broomstick...
Re: Girl Comics #3 - HOW DID I MISS GIRL COMICS #1 AND #2?! I'm so bad at keeping up with comics news. See? This is why your Ten Things is such an important public service. GC #3 had me at "Jo Chen Cover".
Also, I'm so glad you posted that Brian Cox video. That Theo is THE BEST. I especially love how he gets physical with "slings and arrows" totally instinctively. LOVE IT.
It's the characters that really make that site, I think, John. Ian: I've heard of it, but never been. Hants: I think there's a whole genre of font-related fantasy waiting there. 'Time's New Roman.' 'Cooper Black.' Teresa, I bring good news. That being an advanced solicitation, Girl Comics #1 isn't in stores until March 3rd. And yes, part of the joy of that video is seeing how powerful the learning processes of children are. Even though there's something over to the left which is a bit more fun.
Ah! just saw this...thank you SO much as always for mentioning my work, Paul. It means so much. Have a great time in LA and I hope to see you soon ^_^
Paul: As soon as you're not going to be able to do ten things for next weekend. I have a suggestion for some of the indi comic fans amongst us.
The SciFiPulse Podcast this weekend features an interview with UK Comics writer Chris Lynch. Who will be chatting about his new Graphic Novel The Dark, which has been described by reviewers as The Dark Knight meets The Matrix.
You can find out more at: www.blogtalkradio.com/scifipulse
The show airs live every sunday at the same time each week, and can also be subbed two using SciFiPulse as your keyword on iTunes.
Our next three shows are centred on comic book writers. And then we skip back to the TV and Movie stuff for awhile:)
Though I am tempted to do a Doctor Who show right after the new series starts as a live call in show.
Anyhow, got to do interview prep now for one of our march shows.
Thanks
Ian
Totally a propos of nothing, but I had to share...
You know you're a geek when a cousin you haven't seen since you were about 6 and have only within the past couple of months reconnected with on Facebook sends you a link to an article about how Issue #1 of Superman sold for over $1million, because "it made him think of you."
Yeah. That's how much of a nerdgirl I am. That someone who barely knows me can look at my status messages on Facebook for two months and be all "Superman. She'll like this." :) *slaps forehead*
You're welcome, Emma. Ian, you're welcome to publicise your stuff here. That live call in show would be something new. Ter: yes, people mentioned it to me yesterday too!
Thanks Paul,
I'll try and only post stuff that I think will be of interest though. I don't want to dive bomb you with stuff.
The Doctor Who thing would be good. Only setback is. The call in number for my show is an American one. Because I host it from an American switchboard. There isn't a British version that I know of unfortunately. So its a little on the impractical side unless you have an international call plan with Skype.
I'd love to do a full on Doctor Who show at some point though. I mean am not that authoritative on the show. But I do enjoy it. And I enjoy episodes of the classic show as well. And love talking about it.
As the show stands. Its a lot of work:) I often interview folks up to six weeks in advance of them being on the show. Then we spend anything from three to five days editing each interview to make it sound good.
The show is part recorded and part live:)
Teresa: I'm on Facebook too, and know what you mean about people catching you up. I've had my fair share of Facebook stalkers too. Plus for some reason have had a lot of women add me for no apparent reason. They haven't even said hello either. Odd.
Anyway must dash. Things to do and stuff to write.
Black Beauty!! It totally deserves the squee you gave it. We had BB here in the States, too, courtesy of a cable channel called Nickelodeon. It also brought us The Tomorrow People, which I saw & loved a few years before Doctor Who came to my public TV station. Thanks for the fond memory! :)
I'm glad someone out there has seen it!