Memories of Movies and Games

MEDIA MEMORIES OF MY PAST
By Alex Ness
January 5, 2026

FILMS AND GAMES 

My cousins and good friends contributed to my love of fantasy. For me the best films in the vein of fantasy include a greater story, and the myths born from those stories, guide us. No hero is automatically successful, they must strive, and they do, but heroes fail too. An invulnerable hero, one who never bleeds or cries, is wounded from the very beginning. Who can be moved by a person who is never questioned in their likely victory?

The Black Rose features some anachronistic themes, but tells a story of romance with vigor. It moves me, as I wanted the ending that it comes with. But add Mongols, China, Saxons, and Normans with a very lovely French woman, and it is a match made in Heaven.

Adventures of Robin Hood is an equal, adventure, perhaps some anachronism, but a story told well. In this movie there is jumping from ropes to reach an opponent during battle. Fighting a castle's load of soldiers by a band of thieves and rogues to foil the evil pretender king. And romance, of a sort.

Ivanhoe speaks of a knight and the women, the honor, the code of chivalry that move him. A wonderful work for a gravely limited time about diversity, religious views, and honor. It is a glorious film, and honorable for the questions asked.

Dragonslayer was the first time I saw a Dragon that it looked true. I loved the effects, the story, the feel for a tale. It was frustrating to me that no one I knew then nor now, ever saw it. As it is a mage and his apprentice who must sacrifice all to save the land from a dragon. There are  flaws but I believe it to be a great work. A sequel or additional story in that universe might have done well with a knight who was raised as a Dragonslayer by trade. 

Excalibur is Arthurian legend made unified in stories and sources, with a huge budget, characters who might stray from the original, but for the better, and masterful direction. The role of Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father, is wonderfully played, as is the story of a tryst and lustful act. The director Boorman took great care in the deeper areas, such as the dragon, the grail, loyalty and dishonor. He understood what was so important. To tell an Arthurian story, one must strike the chord of an authentic Kingship.

Arn, the Knight Templar isn't a perfect work, but I like it. And I've done enough research for various reasons, that I am not taken in by the Templar myths, nor the untold story. Ridiculously, after so many years gone by, the true Templars are not treated well by historians, cultural voices, nor even public archives. Arn doesn't address those, it is a tale about a Swedish man, who considers himself a soldier of God.  He pursues his faith and service in a way that interests me. 

I love Ray Harryhausen, 20 years ago I interviewed him, and Jason and the Argonauts is a work he made great! The story, already good, might move a bit slower for modern audiences, but I've loved it for over 45 years. It tells the story of how Jason acquired the golden fleece, and sees great and mythic beasts and battles. 

GAMES 

I grew up in an era when board games were not seen as old fashioned or necessarily boring, by the average person. They might be too difficult or unrewarding, but you'd play them again to get better. And I am not, in fact, saying the board games of then were the all time best or the most interesting things to do. My cousins and best friends taught me the love of games. I was all over RISK, but there were so many different games back when I was in my teens, and they didn't involve platforms or electricity. They required fingers to push the chits from the sheet of markers. And often dice. Sometimes, lots of dice.

Mostly, especially with the sort of games shown below, the greatest requirement was a strategic mind, and an imagination. I liked Ogre and all the editions that followed. Ice War was, however, my favorite. Having said that, I like video games too. I just find when people were more patient, the build up and reward were significantly better.

Note well, none of these are role playing games, (RPGs) and I note this because some people assume if I say game, it usually means RPG. Or so I've been told.  I have many RPGs that I like, just saying for the people who like one or the other but not both, or for those who make no distinction. 

The Micro Game from Metagaming Image above is shown not for playing all of those shown, (but still many) were insanely cheap for what you received for the money to buy and play them. Collecting them was not always easy, since we didn't have Ebay or Amazon at the time.

Lastly:

I would very gladly review CDs, games, books & comics.  
Write to my email for directions how to make it happen.

LINKS

MY POETRY AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
HERE: Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com 
MY PUBLISHED WORKS 

Social Media
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All works shown and/or considered are copyright the respective owners, fair use is the sole means of use asserted.

BOOKS TO READ FOR WINTER BREAK (Northern Hemisphere only)

OFFERINGS FOR THE END OF THE YEAR
By Alex Ness
December 31, 2025

WHY DO IT?

While I've had year end articles, even gave out "best of the year" awards, but I'd prefer to not label these as best work, or best work about romance or epic heroics... I haven't read enough books for anything to be meaningful. But in this piece I am aiming specifically at works that are worthy of a long look, or, books by specific authors worthy of reading more than a single work. I am doing this in the way of a group of works where the concept is a completed story without extraneous books to find and follow, or, the works of a particular writer of talent. And at the end, a surprise entry.

Someone told me how much they like reviews or offerings of works that speak about the emotional pay back of the work. They also mentioned appreciating the likely readers who would enjoy the works the most, and the kind of work within the genre, that they were. For instance, Ursula K. LeGuin wrote a series that I include here, where there is magic and fantasy, but not swords and constant action. LeGuin's works are often delivered in subtle yet well established ways, whereas most other fantasy creative talents utilize action to remove all doubt. Which is about, for me anyway, how some view fantasy. But it is such a great genre, I love each of the wings of it, and know it has many different ways of looking at it.

INVESTING TIME AND BEING REWARDED

First, Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser adventures in Lankhmar. The pair are friends, adventurous comrades, one is a massive giant of a man, another small and quick, naughty and able. The two are deadly in combat, and they fight wizards, cold monsters, undead and more. If you dislike buddy comedies of the deep past, you might call this sexist. But it isn't in how women are portrayed, but instead, how the two heroes are male and the world swirls about them. It is a very fun work if you pay attention to the story at hand.

One of my heroes of weird fiction is Lord Dunsany. In the two volumes shown he weaves a tapestry of luxurious prose, lush wording in a distant fantasy world, elves and humans, in expertly told events. His view of the past and of the medieval world of Ireland has a legacy born from myth and legend, and Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene. It reminds some folks of Edmund Spenser in that it is a wielder of words who doesn't worry to show his roots, to write with more words perhaps than fewer, such as past writers.  But Dunsany's heart is honorable, his goals beautiful, and his words well thought.

Evangeline Walton's Mabinogion novels tells a tale of a prince going to Annwn, the Welsh underworld, and explores a heroes journey in doing so. For quite awhile, I had chosen the Arthurian Legacy view of the underworld and Celtic mythology, but it was of the Welsh legends, and great Gwyn Ap Nudd is the king of the underworld only in Annwn, where the days are golden and none shall age. The writer Watson's words are truly beautiful, and she makes the legends live, and her written work is easy upon the mind and lovely.

Ursula K. LeGuin Earthsea Trilogy tells the tales of a world of islands, magic, and short stories each focusing on the layers of wonder and beauty, in LeGuin's world. That this might be perceived as not epic prose, is false, it tells just as large of tales as so named or described works. But what brings the impact in this trilogy, is how much is told and how much is implied. The writing is purely fantasy, but written in such ways, it captures all human intuitions.

My first Leigh Brackett work read was a Science Fiction novel and it was brilliant. The Long Tomorrow rightly imagines a world gone to hell due to nuclear wars. But she had written works in various genres, but her work is unique in each genre. Her fantasy tales are rich in details and human dialogues. Her works capture well the sort of setting in fantasy, despite being found upon a Mars of her imagining. This is a lighthearted work, worth reading.

Hope Mirrless was a poet, who tells a story that is also an allegory for our existence's meaning. It is absolutely unique and might strike the reader powerfully, or the reader might miss the point. Like her, I am a poet, and I found it brilliantly written, along with deeply considered. She makes use of the desires of humans, the failures of humans, and tries to create an illusion, which is fantasy, while trying to ask much deeper questions. As such, it blew me away.

AUTHORS TO INVEST TIME IN

DENNIS McKIERNAN When an officer in the military was accidentally run over, he spent months in casts and recovering from surgery. During that time he chose to challenge his ability to write, and created a world of fantasy that was moving, and rather emotive. I loved it.

KEN ST. ANDRE  You've seen me mention Ken, and his works, Tunnels & Trolls, Monsters! Monsters! and more, being games set in the fantasy worlds of his making. He also worked on other systems, primarily the 3rd Edition of Stormbringer. But those books shown below are for reading, while they have some connection to the games of Ken's making, as prose and near poetry they actually shine.

MICHAEL STACKPOLE  I haven't actually, that I remember, have done any consideration of the works of Michael Stackpole, but it wasn't due to anything bad. There is a lot more I can cover in any genre than of a fine author. And I did play a game he inspired, SW Rogue Squadron.  Stackpole's writing is very steady, ready to go off to war, it does well as military fiction in both Fantasy and Science fiction genres.

ELIZABETH MOON My wife and I used to read the same books and in the case of Elizabeth Moon, the person opening our eyes to her, was Gregory Pinter, a high school friend in the Air Force for 30 years. Moon's characterization felt real, a woman sheepherder who becomes a hero, has fantasy in it, but it is as much a book of a rebellion or call to arms against a great foe. The action felt entirely right. Moon's science fiction works are amazing. She writes and my wife and I enjoyed the ride.

KIM CORMACK Ms. Cormack's works are about beings who live again, as vampires or warriors, each still retaining lustful desires, while being restricted by whatever house they belong to. The constant rivalries, battles and tests all seem to be made greater by the fact that the world was hard enough, now, some live, but have to fight their way through eternity. Kim Cormack is also quite funny, as an author, and her humor does make it to the pages of her works. 

DIEDRE DRAKE I am saddened to share this a bit, as my friend Diedre Drake contracted Covid  and suffered long covid, and passed away from a stroke a year or two after I interviewed her. We often spoke on Twitter/X and I miss her. Her stories are how in her telling, vampires and elves have similar qualities, and so, took that and created a 6 book series about how a world lives without knowing, the competitive trade and wars, between rival houses of power. Eternals in life span, but not entirely invulnerable to damage or pain. Lots of sexual/romantic aspects to this, and still, despite my few issues with lots of lust, passion, romantic emotion in my reading her writing is superb.

ONE LAST GREAT AUTHOR and a lovely work
Mike Grell and Warlord

DC Comics is making a very fine attempt to reprint all of the works of Mike Grell as a creator. His lovely Green Arrow works were first, now his Warlord seems to beckon reprinting all of the works he did while he was one of the great creative stars while at DC. 

I have heard some voices of dissent saying they didn't get enough, the issues covered, and the look of these reprinted works. The audience who have already purchased their copy need to understand that they received something very good, even if they had fewer issues.  Having not had money to order, I will have to find out myself. But the series for me was a very favorite in the lifetime of a guy who is now 62 years old. I know that I will like it.  I'll be ordering my copy on Amazon.

LINKS

MY POETRY AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
HERE: Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com 
MY PUBLISHED WORKS 

Social Media
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All works shown and/or considered are copyright the respective owners, fair use is the sole means of use asserted.

END OF THE YEAR Offerings: Comics Edition

GREAT WORKS TO READ in the coming year!
By Alex Ness
December 22, 2025

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?

It is one thing to support creative artists I like, but this is not aimed at that. Almost certainly I initially reviewed each work because I wanted to share good works or to announce the beginnings of what had a portent of future greatness. It might have been a decade ago that I wrote the review or considered the series in general, but the time since the original piece by me has only reveled in the work's excellence and timeless qualities.

Overall currently, I wanted, with this, to have a list of works that should work if you read them for fun, for quality, or for the themes they celebrate.  That is, if Mice Templar worked currently, it has lingered in the fact that it is high quality and has themes that have a timeless quality about it. Not every work is great for every reader. That is how taste works. However, it probably is true that a work so good will have something to say for every reader.

APPLESEED by Masamune Shirow Published by Eclipse, Viz, & Dark Horse

Appleseed is in my list of my very favorite Manga works. It shows how loyalty is able to trump nationalism, malice or glory in the combat teams allow for greater success by bonding each team. In Appleseed the particular pair Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires fight to allow the other to succeed. In the dystopia presented, the power of a state is gone, but there remained apocalyptic dangers, and rare but dedicated cities of technological greatness. The wars go on and on in a grinder of human weakness. The various anime adaptations and new works in animated form, are relatively excellent, if slightly trying to retell the origin stories. I bought all the Eclipse/Viz works way back when, but added to my library with Dark Horse collections.

MICE TEMPLAR by Bryan JL Glass, Mike Oeming, & Victor Santos, Published by Image Comics

While Mice Templar may look like a fantasy book with adventure in mind, it is far more than that. The Templar order, the driven seekers of holiness and military oaths, have fallen. A split over the goals, beliefs and destiny has led to chaos within the order, and the world outside of its reach. This story is bound within the seeking of truth, discipline and knowing the voice calling each of them to take up the cause. Like the experience of many different pilgrims and followers, the world has little clarity, and the chapters of this order cannot immediately resolve the issues of hope and fear of loss. One character might be the returned Messiah, it is his direct response which the reader follows, and sympathizes. This work is an honorable effort and features the depth that accompanies the drive to find truth.

JULE'S VERNE'S LIGHTHOUSE By David Hine, Brian Haberlin, & Geirrod Van Dyke Published by Image Comics

My discovery of David Hine and Brian Haberlin was a moment of deepening my love for sequential story telling. David Hine is also a fine storyteller, but here as the interpreter of words of Jules Verne, a pioneer author of science fiction, he is utterly perfect. Meanwhile, the images and adaptation of the story by Brian Haberlin, also a fine storyteller, is imaginative, serious in his depiction of characters, and revels in the opportunity to make new an idea that has had over 100 years to ferment. An outpost in space, a massive watch tower of calm cast into a sea of wild and dangerous wormholes is a sanctuary, meant to guide spacefaring races to safety. But into this place comes pirates, eager to use technology to create a disaster in the form of bombs and missiles, and inflicting damage, fear and despair. The keepers of the lighthouse face grave danger for themselves, and all people and planets. It is a unique work, worth every read taken. 

THE PUMA BLUES: By Stephen Murphy & Michael Zulli, Published by Aardvark One International & Dover Publications, Inc

I think people forget that the 1980s and 1990s even, were a moment of great new offerings. The explosion of excellence happened when independent creators worked in black and white, or from the big 2, DC & Marvel, using the new comic market distribution, new paper, new technology, and a new awareness by all creators that they could try anything. Puma Blues was published by the same publisher of Cerebus, a ground breaking series by Dave Sim. It didn't care if it fit any market, it just created. Stephen Murphy and Michael Zulli told a story of the coming world, through eyes of nature, using the spectre of real villains and real humans, there is a moment of pause, to say, hmm, it might work better with a wholly fictional bad guy, but then embracing the story regardless. Now collected in one giant bastich of a book, it is gorgeous, and still apt.

SAVAGE DRAGON By Erik Larsen Published by Image Comics

A reader here, since as far back as 2002, would know that I think Erik Larsen is a great story teller, and that Savage Dragon is a fun read. I consider him an inheritor of the mantle of great story teller over many bigger names. He doesn't homage without notice, he doesn't ape other works telling his stories, but they celebrate the best of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many more fine writer artists. His Savage World arc was/is a well remembered work, being unleashed in the Jack Kirby Kamandi glory. He uses real time, despite being a comic, so the father's son is currently the featured star of the book, with the original Savage Dragon being off world paying for his evil deeds in his previous life. The three omnibus works released so far have been pure fun. If you are looking for serious, you probably can find something of that nature elsewhere, but I don't read Savage Dragon for that.

BIG GUY AND RUSTY THE BOY ROBOT By Frank Miller, Geoff Darrow, Published by Dark Horse

It used to be, if you wanted giant robots, you had to go to Japanese manga or anime, or even Kaiju films. Go Nagai and all those taking up the challenge since created memorable characters and giant robots. Pacific Rim reminded us all of that kind of fun. But in the 1990s the greatest work about such characters came from Frank Miller and Geoff Darrow, from America and France, although Darrow is an expat. Iron Giant of kid's film fame is a similar burst of joy.

The story here reminds of the amazing Astro Boy and Mazinger, but plays with themes of youthful optimism, heroic and duty filled honor. Although the characters are made of metal and wires, they are the heroes we might never be. I think they deserve sympathy, for to be so powerful and have such a difficult job, they need to be made of the hardest metal, the most intricate and perfectly designed minds, to endure. Humans use machines, and these two work for human survival. And while I missed them, they were interpreted into animated stories. I loved this series, and found it moving.

SANCTUM: By  Xavier Dorison & Christophe Bec Published by Humanoids

Combining the lure of ancient cultures, artifacts and relics of a dark sect or unknown powerful gods, that are in the present found only in caverns, Sanctum begins with wonder, and ends in a wonderful sense of dread. While there might be small tics of imperfection, the work from Humanoids is truly worth the price of entry.  Few comics come close to the manner of inducing horror. I shared my copies with various artists and writers, and twice had to reacquire copies for my self. If you are looking to borrow my copies, the answer is no.

ARTESIA: By Mark Smylie Published by Sirius Entertainment and Archaia Studio Press

The story of Artesia is more than about warriors and battle, it is more about what alternate powers, of magic, of persuasion, reveal the layers of effort it takes to win a war. How this work does more than so many others, is in the unflinching view it takes, unfiltered for the audience, showing all kinds of gifts, talents and intellect of the character it follows, Artesia, beautiful, powerful, intelligent leader of warriors, and her court and throne. It is, on occasion for mature audiences. But it is prurient in that telling, and if anything, it reveals how even in discourse of lovers reveals negotiation and the expression of power. Mark Smylie is an amazingly talented fellow, his art is gorgeous to behold, but the eloquence of written word and telling the tale, reveals an excellent writer.  

ULTRAMAN By Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi

As readers of this page know, I adore the Ultraman Animated series appearing upon Netflix. They might not know that that series is based upon, adapted closely to the most recent Ultraman series found at Viz comics. It is a knowing glance to the original Ultraman, the tv series, and closely follows the origins and later lives of people given the opportunity to fight for earth, in the guise of Ultraman, bearing all the powers and limitations. As series go, I thought the Netflix work was great, and I found that the books, shown below, are an even better work. 

LINKS

MY POETRY AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
HERE: Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com 
MY PUBLISHED WORKS 

Social Media
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All works shown and/or considered are copyright the respective owners, fair use is the sole means of use asserted.

My Point of Departure: A Bit of Everything

WHY WRITE ABOUT MEDIA
By Alex Ness
December 11, 2025

Criticism of Popular Media Considered

I am not complaining, I am trying to explain my experience. A while ago I was contacted and asked multiple times to consider a work of fiction that was ultimately turned into a successful HBO series. A friend who follows my work sent me a copy of the book, the first of what turned into a very long series, as yet unfinished. I had begun to read the first book and realized it would be unfinished by the author as its own projections of the plot and of characters suggested to me, at least, that it would be a while before it even began to take shape. I said no, I didn't want to read more, and I won't watch the series, first because I can't pay for tv or cable, and second I was not a fan of what I read with regards to the flavor or concepts, as such I had no reason to view the series. It was of great quality in writing, but I don't have the ability keep my attention on super long series when I am not reading for pleasure. I read or listen to 50 things a month. I can't give more attention for non-personal products.

Hence my appreciation for Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, HP Lovecraft and Lord Dunsany. They wrote lush poetry, short prose, serialized content. As I read them, I get enough, can get more, and they satisfy.

So my friend didn't understand why I didn't want to invest time in the products, asking, Isn't it the point of criticism to consider new media? I said, it is far more about one's exposure to a piece of media, and the response to how that media worked on me. Therefore the point is to share a creative work's ability to move one. The person asking said, could you just consider it because I'd like to hear what you thought?  I said, it is a work of great writing quality, but I don't want to go further since I have had enough interest or like the flavor enough to know it wouldn't work in my brain. They said why can't you just write that to open up the discussion. Finally I said, you already did that. I find my addressing the work done, you received a personal version.

As such, that was I think 15 or more years ago, perhaps 20 years, and the series is still unfinished in book form, and I think it was completed in series, but since I didn't watch, I don't know if it concluded well, or said, here it is for now, we'll come back if necessary.

RECENT BOOK READS

Here are 5 books I've invested time and interests in a fashion the above mentioned book didn't inspire the same. That isn't a complaint, my purpose was not the same.

I have been told that people do not read what they consider to be archaic in tone. Or about subjects they no longer fear or wonder about. Buy each of these and give them your attention. From works done long ago, these books stir your imagination, or your love for heroes, or villains, joy or sorrow, grace or selfishness.

I collect copies of BEOWULF, for profit or trading, rather to find and acquire all the copies I do not already own. This version is probably to me, the most beautiful. Barry Tharaud's verse adaptation and translation sings, and it is easier to perceive the culture, the events and dialogues. Rockwell Kent is magnificent 

One of the first fictional fantasy novels ever, THE MAGIC RING by Baron De La Motte Fouque is indeed a hard read. Yet, I love it though for the reasons it exists. It is clearly trying to express a new form, capturing fiction and imagination. Amy H. Sturgis makes the prose more readable, and clear. And the art is well done.

Similar to the Magic Ring, the Magic Goblet by Emilie Flygare-Carlen, also edited by Amy H. Sturgis once again, tells the tale of a wedding, a gift of a goblet, bad luck or curses, and divorce. It was brilliant for the day, as divorce was not a well tread path, nor was it commonly assumed that woman should be authors. Which is baloney, quite honestly.

The Last Man has been discussed hear before, and this is a repeat read over the last 3 years. The reason for such is that Mary Shelley wrote about something that was barely understood by science minds of the day and for a long time thereafter. By breaking new ground, she made it into a subject of thought by common folks, and without being being a scientist. It also considers the consequences of a world pandemic, in the early 1800s.

The Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe is notable for how it explains, examines and expresses in prose and poetry the ideas of an unique thinker, and creative writer. It is a commonly known fact of the life of Poe that he wasn't well supported by sales, as his work, exceptionally good for the day and beyond was thought odd. But every pioneer of an art form is almost surely limited by the reader shock in the face of a new work. His talents of presenting information in a fashion that will directly challenge the conforming society, and of their ideals of normal.

Find them on Amazon

Beowulf  tranlated by Barry Tharaud, edited by Tharaud & illustrations by Rockwell Kent
The Magic Ring by Baron De La Motte Fouque edited by Amy H. Sturgis, & Jef Murray (Illustrator)
The Magic Goblet by  by Emilie Flygare-Carlen (Author),  Amy H Sturgis (Editor)
The Last Man by Mary Shelley
The Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe

RECENT RPGs CONSIDERED

This is less of a statement of purpose by me, as an appreciation. I don't have a gaming group, I don't game much since, but those times when I tried to introduce my players to a new work, it almost inevitably ended in failure. They never wanted to change the flavor, and the two most constant players were decidedly in favor of battle first, killing if possible, and leaving scorched earth behind them. The two or three best players, who enjoyed new systems and settings weren't involved when I had the most time to devote, but make gaming more fun than with anyone else.

HarnWorld from Columbia Games is a self contained massively detailed setting, and it can be explored without game specifics and using your own stats. Many go further and utilize the Harnmaster Fantasy Roleplaying game engine, and as a GM go with a gaming group to explore the setting, with a game engine that aims to enhance play. I find Harn a brilliant concept, a wonderful achievement, and worth digesting as an example how populations interact, geography, climate, ocean currents and species exist in a setting. I am not likely to use Harnmaster with new players, as I find it less useful than D&D, T&T, Monsters!Monsters! or similar game systems.

HARN's Designer's website
HARNMaster from Columbia Games

LINKS

MY POETRY AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
HERE: Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com 
MY PUBLISHED WORKS 

Social Media
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All works shown and/or considered are copyright the respective owners, fair use is the sole means of use asserted.

TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS: NEW RELEASES

New Top Shelf Releases!   Cadets now!   Cheese later!

There’s been a brazen theft, and all signs point to the Cadets’ guilt! Blast off to a colorful adventure full of mystery and intrigue!

Cosmic Cadets (Book 2): Accused! by Ben Crane and Andy Alves $14.99 (US) | ISBN 978-1-60309-570-9 156 pages | 6.5” x 7.5” Full-color softcover graphic novel Browse preview pages Available Now! Link to Cosmic Cadets (Book 1): Contact!

ARRIVING IN FEBRUARY 2026

Return to the crackling, critically acclaimed series that combines vintage comic-book energy and unbeatable 21st-century vibes! In the second volume of Kevin Alvir’s raw, relatable, and rambunctious graphic novel series, Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar must team up like never before—to smash jerks, navigate frenemies, shop for magic crystals, and save the world!

Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar (Book 2): The Rock God Complex by Kevin Alvir $19.99 (US) | ISBN 978-1-60309-584-6 216 pages | 6 1/2" x 9 1/4" Full-color, softcover graphic novel Browse preview pages Release Date: February 24, 2026 Link to Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar (Book 1): Attack of the Snack

INTERVIEW WITH Sci Fi/Fantasy Great Painter: Peter Andrew Jones

INTERVIEW with Painter, Artist Peter Andrew Jones
By Alex Ness
December 5, 2025

I remember becoming a fan of Peter Andrew Jones while in University as an undergraduate, seeing the cover of White Dwarf #76. I'd likely seen his work previously, but at this point I decided to both collected White Dwarf for the content, but deeply appreciating the cover art, which captured perfectly, a dark perhaps fantasy image. Taking me to a different land.

All images here are copyright their respective owner, and fair use is the only use by me. Peter Andrew Jones 1980-2025© All rights reserved.

I hereby present my interview with Mr. Peter Andrew Jones:

ALEX: As I am a fan, I could aim towards my favourite works, but let me start with, why did you choose being an artist as your vocation? Was it clearly obvious from the beginning or did you work towards it along with other aims in the beginning?  I am aware that aviation held a realm of fascination for you as well, does that often show in the work you do, whatever the genre?

Peter Andrew Jones: As mentioned several times to readers of my magazine, I had zero intention, aspiration, desire or inclination to be an artist, I simply had drawn from a very, very early age as a coping mechanism in response to growing-up in what these days is referred to as "relative poverty" and to entertain myself. Having said that, growing up living in one room with my parents, in a post-war smog-ridden London, there were things to enjoy as distractions. Even on my meagre pocket money I could travel the entire length of London's Underground system which, in those days, worked reliably, and allowed me to visit numerous art galleries, museums, art fairs and more, all for free. Probably, unconsciously, being able to walk up close to Salvadore Dali's works, something that is impossible for young artists in today's world, had an enormous impact on me, indeed, also when visiting the Tate Gallery on most Sundays and sitting in front of John William Waterhouse's giant Lady of Shallot painting was somebtiwng that was very special to me, eventually leading me to recently creating a celebratory piece so many years later as an adult!

Ultimately, the cliche, of having a wonderful helpful art teacher at school who encouraged me to go to art school, was in fact a reality, and so I did, simply because I could see no reason not to.

ALEX: As a working artist, did you intend a path through science fiction, fantasy or otherwise? Was it based upon what you were interested in seeing, or more about being paid to use your significant skills to create:

Peter Andrew Jones: As has also been shown numerous times to readers of my magazine, my introduction to the genre was totally accidental. A very kind visiting lecturer at St. Martins got me an interview with the art editor at Puffin Books and it all took-off from there. She had a need for cover art, and I offered to fulfill it. 

ALEX: Going to and graduating from the St. Martins School of Art, you must have sharpened your skills. But as such, were there warning signs for serious artists of what cultural media were less well thought of, by the field? Or did every genre and medium have a place of respect by the education you received, so long as it was treated with seriousness or respect?

Peter Andrew Jones: The subject never crossed my mind, nor was it ever presented to me. In any event, I became so immersed in what I was creating I was too busy to even consider such thoughts. Nor do I still. 

I'd read (be it correct or not) that the reason Italian Renaissance Artists began painting on canvas was that because paintings used in Italian Churches were much  bigger than those created by Northern Renaissance Artists (because the churches there were smaller) that painting on canvas enabled them to roll the paintings (um, does that actually seem feasible, when it is painted in oil paint?) in order to transport the painting through the entrance doorway.

Regardless of whether it be an accurate account, it does have a logic to it, and it certainly connected with my own "evolutionary experience" when choosing surfaces (or "grounds" as the art world likes to call them) to paint on. 

I'd also read that Jan Van Eyck, a northern renaissance Artist, who, as was a favoured technique back then, had a painting that he had executed on a wooden panel, spoilt, when the panel cracked.

Certainly, none of this was a preparation for being a Science Fiction book cover artist!

And that was just the start of what was to transpire . . .

The account about Van Eyck connected with me deeply. As a classic technique of the day, when I first began experimenting with what method I was expected to use when creating and supplying images for book covers, simply proved dangerously unreliable, "dangerous" . . . because if the demands of the industry were that deadline fidelity was "flexible, but only up to a point" (to quote Art Editor Doreen Scott at Puffin Books) then it would be a distinct threat to my reliability if, at the point of delivery, the painting was badly damaged if the technique employed failed at the last moment. 

The technique I was taught at art school was that of stretching a sheet of paper on a drawing board using gum-strip to allow the paper to be worked on, wet, and then it would become flat when the surface, moistened by the water-based paint I was using, dried out. I would then cut the paper from the board and use cow gum applied with a spatula to mount the paper on a sheet of stiff cardboard. 

Things needed to change, especially, as my career took off, and demand increased, I could not risk disruptions to workflow.

ALEX: Were some industries easier to work with magazines, books, comics or games? What made such work easier or more difficult? Did compensation help where it was more difficult?

Peter Andrew Jones: Each industry had its own unique environment, but certainly, as my career progressed, and the markets evolved from paperback books to eventually computer games, the entities publishing these items were radically different from each other. Books were a fairly mature market and the people working in it were very experienced and highly professional (which made usefully educating demands on me to also be professional in my response) but as the role-play book industry evolved into computer games things changed dramatically. As it was a totally new market often the people coming into it, as publishers, were often totally inexperienced in running a business and, arrogant though it may sound, I increasingly found myself providing the organisational input needed to bring projects to a final presentation point. Indeed, it was my total frustration with that as it became worse and worse, that lead me to becoming self-published, so I could focus all my creative energies on producing a positive outcome, rather than spending massive amounts of time managing matters that were not actually my responsibility, but needed doing to bring projects to a conclusion.

ALEX: What people, events, cultural experiences would you suggest were the greatest influences upon your work and enjoyment of art? From being a boy who did plastic models and airfix dioramas, did they help you in creating scenes as a professional artist?

Peter Andrew Jones: Those as already mentioned, plus, definitely, teaching myself all the skills needed that enabled me to become self-published, including, but not limited to, teaching myself to hand-code a website when no software existed back then, being the first artist in Britain to run an e-commerce website and absorbing legal skills (copyright knowledge, licensing techniques) business management and so much more . . . . .

ALEX: What media project offered great reward but cost you the most time and hard work to finally achieve it?

Peter Andrew Jones: All and none really, in the sense that, a major part of my career and business success was that I was reliable (something fairly rare in the creative industries then) and so clients trusted me to "just get on with it" which allowed me to effectively manage my own part of any project. Indeed, in the paperback book era of my career publishers in the UK were told by W.H. Smith, then the UK's leading book retailer, that they would "take any book that has a PAJ cover without needing to first see it" and that led to sales reps out on the road not having to show cover proofs of my work to shop owners, thus reducing their workload, and to art directors "just leaving me to it" which also reduced their workload and indeed, mine.

Peter Andrew Jones: Reliability, and organisational ability, equals profit, for all involved. That forged mutually respectful relationships. To quote Brandon Chase at Group One Films in L.A. when I was there working on a film poster for him - "A deal's only as good as the people who make it". Sadly, as time wore-on, and businesses expanded, things changed, and many talented and business-like people were fleeing various industries, especially book publishing and TV industries, because they felt that things were becoming "too corporate" eclipsing the very creativity that they enjoyed and which had originally forged those industries.

For me too, that changed things significantly, simply because so many wonderfully talented and professional people I had worked with were now not there, and as readers of my magazine also know, it got so bad, that one major art director I had worked with many times actually told me "you don't need us any more" when, after a year of him trying to get "senior management" to make a decision about what they wanted on a book cover, used one that I had spontaneously created and supplied because I too had gotten fed up waiting for a decision and . . . . the cover sold so well that "a cheer went up around the room" during a meeting - well, it proved his point, I was taking all the decisions, and responsibilities, and so I thought, I might as well do it entirely for myself, which again, was how I came to be self-published and be able to "just get on with it!". 

ALEX: Do you have a favourite work from the near 50 years of artwork? Why is that so?

Peter Andrew Jones: That is very difficult to pin down, if only because I have never stopped to consider it.

ALEX: How much do you think AI will change arts, and will it ever be considered greater than physical and hand drawn, mentally planned, and emotionally constructed art?  In the long scheme of time, will AI art even matter?

Peter Andrew Jones: Again, this was, in fact, a major theme in my most recent magazine issue, prompted by a 20 year old artist training to be a computer games artist who contacted me about the current concerns and impact of AI on the creative industries. There is no fundamental answer to the question, because, it depends on who you are and where you are in any particular marketplace, indeed, it was always the case, but these days, it is global in nature, not remotely the same as when I started out, in an era where, again, reliability and mutual respect between key people in key positions "made things work".

ALEX: What is the greatest advice you received when young considering art, and what has been the best advice you've given others?

Peter Andrew Jones: Advice given to me > My art teacher at school, an excellent artist in his own right, once remarked (about making a painting) "sometimes you have to do it wrong, in order for it to look right".

Advice by me > Understand the difference between "supply and demand" and "demand and supply".

Peter

ALEX: Thank you Peter Andrew Jones for your time and thoughts!

FIND Peter Andrew Jones at:
His Self Titled Site
His page at Facebook

A Chat with Indie Multi-Talented, Comic Story Teller Rich Koslowski

Hello friends, readers, bystanders, fans... I love Rich Koslowski. I interviewed him in 2007, reviewed his works and seriously enjoyed them, and think he was a similar soul, baseball, comics, growing up in the Wisconsin, land of the Enchanted Cheese and Wurst. Bart Starr and Football for me as well. However, Rich escaped the midwest and launched himself on a journey to California, and we kind of dealt with family and our works.

He did the art upon one chapter of my book, A Life of Ravens. It was stunning. So readers, please enjoy and dig in to the life and work and philosophy of Rich Koslowski.

All art, creative writing and published works are copyright Rich Koslowski 2025©. My use is based upon fair usage. No abridgement or assertation of ownership by me is claimed. 

Hi Rich, it's been a long time since we chatted about comics and your glorious achievements in the world of those Comics, graphic novels, tpbs and sequential storytelling. What comic work have you released recently? Are you still inking many publisher works?

Rich: Hi Alex, yes, it has been too long! It's always great hearing from you.

Well, it's a good and exciting time to ask. Just this past week my newest graphic novel hit the stores. It is called, F.A.R.M. SYSTEM: RAGE, a sequel to my 2022 release, F.A.R.M. SYSTEM, from Top Shelf productions/IDW Publishing. It's another massive book--this one clocked in at 188 pages--so it took me the better part of a year and a half to write, pencil, ink, color and letter it, and another 6-8 months for the editing and construction crew at IDW to put the whole package together, do their marketing, slotting, and pre-press stuff. It's a whole thing putting these things together. Hence the 3-year gap between books.

But it turned out great! Couldn't be happier and it's already received a sweet review from the fine folks over at The Slings & Arrow site. And those guys can be pretty tough! 

And just two weeks back the new FLASH GORDON ADVENTURES Anthology hit the stores! It's an "All Ages" book series published by Papercutz and it is a whole lot of fun. I was especially thrilled when I was invited to contribute a couple stories because I am a lifelong Flash fan. When I was a wee lad my brother and I would watch the old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies on Friday nights and they were always followed by the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon serialized episodes. I just loved those cheesy sparkler effects that shot out of the flying spacecraft! 

And, yes, I still do the occasional "inking gig" for Archie. This past summer I was the Inker on the ARCHIE MEETS JAY & SILENT BOB one-shot written by Kevin Smith and brilliantly penciled by my friend, Fernando Ruiz. That comic broke some serious barriers with Archie and the gang!

Alex: For new readers, perhaps those who haven't read your works, such as the King, 3 Geeks, F.A.R.M, 3 Fingers, are you an artist primarily, or a writer with the mutant ability to do both? Or is it something different entirely that moves your pens and typewriter?

Rich: Ha! Yes, the "mutant ability to do both," or stubbornness and a need for control. I have worked for publishers and editors, because they had established characters with established... expectations... I found the experiences somewhat constricted. I knew in my heart of hearts that my way was, perhaps, more interesting and, possibly, better than what they wanted. I don't want to sound like a pompous jerk when I say that, but editors are sometimes, themselves, handcuffed by their bosses. I'm too impatient and anxious to handle the whole Chain of Command sometimes. I just want to get in there and Do It! I've never done well with sitting around and waiting on others. 

Hence, my stories like Three Fingers, The King and the F.A.R.M. System graphic novels and prior to that my The 3 Geeks series. They're all me, all original characters and stories with no preconceived restrictions or handcuffs. And, hence, why I do the all the writing and art chores myself.  

Alex: I've asked this of many creative people, but I think it's important, does where you have lived influence your work? I know that it seems that your time in California seems to have had less influence than your roots in Wisconsin... Was the time in California wonderful but short, moving but too different from your own outlook? Is Milwaukee a place you'd still enjoy?

Rich: Born and raised in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and it has greatly influenced me, of course. It's a Blue Collar town and I was raised by two very Blue Collar parents. Their work-ethics were ridiculous and shaped my work-ethic as well. My dad started as a butcher's apprentice in war-torn Germany after WW2. He starved as a child and took the job because they paid him with food!

When he was 19 he came to America, worked his butt off, and eventually owned and operated his very own, very successful, grocery store. He was the hardest working human being I have ever seen! The man never took a break. As a result he won just about every award you can imagine on his sausage recipes. 

His motto was simple, and pre-dated Nike--"Just do it!" He did not waste even seconds on business decisions or approaches. He just went at it, full-steam ahead! 

I got this from him and I am so grateful. 

California is much more relaxed. At least the area we lived in, along the coast near Santa Cruz. A beautiful place with the Pacific ocean on one side and Redwood forests and mountains on the other! Absolutely stunning! Great wine country too. I fell in love with Pinto Noir there and spent a year working at a world class winery called Windy Oaks. We met and befriended many excellent people out there!  

But if a repairman says they'll be there at noon, they mean 5pm. Or next week! There's a bit less follow through and a bit more apathy with a certain segment of the population. For me it was sometimes frustrating and infuriating. And the cost of living was rough. Right before Covid hit we moved back to Wisconsin. It was a pretty sweet 11 years out there though! No snow was certainly a huge bonus.    

Alex: I tend to like the works from Top Shelf, in general and I think Chris Staros is a genius, (and honestly. I think that of you too.) But why is Top Shelf the publisher for you? Is it that your works ring true for them, or they are best at bringing different works forward?

Rich: Yeah, Chris Staros is/was the key to my approach and staying with Top Shelf for the five books I've done with them. He really trusts the creators he calls on board and lets us do our thing. I was super nervous when I handed in the finished Three Fingers files. I expected a lot of revisions and re-writes and was fully prepared for that. He called me the day after receiving the files and shook me to my very core when he said, and I'll never forget these words, "You are a f$#@ing brilliant writer! I'm not changing a single word." When you hear something like that, from a publisher you really admire...it's life-changing. Why the hell would I go anywhere else? By the way, I do like to remind him of his saying that sometimes. He just gives a wry southern smile. 

With my second book, The King, a book about Elvis Presley, he was a bit more "hands on" because Chris is, maybe, the biggest Elvis fan on planet earth. I kid you not. And I knew this going in. It's why I pitched an Elvis book to him in the first place. It went exactly like this... Me: "Hey, Chris, I hear you're an Elvis fan. What if I pitched an Elvis book to you?" Chris: Eyes lit up WIDE: "You write an Elvis book and I will publish it!" I thought to myself, "Jesus, this is too easy...It's not supposed to be this easy." 

On that book he did step in with just a few minor tweaks. Mostly on dialogue, correcting a few sentences because "Elvis wouldn't use those particular words." The way Elvis died was also a concern. I needed to portray it accurately but be as respectful as possible. 

This is why I love working with Top Shelf and Chris. The freedom to create the stories the way the artist envisions them. The Trust!

Alex: Tell us about your last two works at Top Shelf looking at a world with farm teams and general acceptance of the superhero world, both in parody and satire, or is it more straight up hero tales? What has compelled you to tell this story?

Rich: In addition to being a lifelong comic book nerd I am also a lifelong baseball fan. It's my favorite sport to watch and to play. At 58 I still get out there every spring and summer and play softball. 

Some years back (at least 20 now) the idea occurred to me that "if super-heroes really existed there would have to be a farm system like Major League Baseball has." A system where raw, young talent is nurtured, trained and coached up on how to be the best possible player--or in this case, Super-hero--that they could possibly be. It also occurred to me that not every person in the farm systems of MLB "make The Big Leagues." 

In fact, most do NOT. More often than not they bust their asses but never get "the call." They flounder for years before they either give up on their dream, or their minor league contracts expire. It's sad. It sucks. And those are the stories I wanted to tell! 

I have skeevy Agents, desperate would-be heroes, underhanded deals and contracts, PEDs, and court cases...all the dirty, seedy, underbelly shit that I find interesting! It's fun stuff!!!

Alex: From your earliest work to that of the present, has the comic market maturation helped in the rise of independent publishers more than the big two, since there is less attention towards continuity, company deadlines or story content to fit possible adaptation to screen?

Rich: Boy...Yes, it has changed a lot in the 33 years I've been working in the comic book industry.  Back in 1996 I started self-publishing my series The 3 Geeks. It was fun! Everything was "grass roots." Just hitting the road, doing comic conventions, shaking hands and kissing babies! There were no internet review sites or digital downloads. It was simpler time, indeed. And I did well with it. I was one of the "Big Fish in the Small Pond." And it was kind of cool. 

Of course I also wanted to be the "Big Fish in the BIG Pond!" That hasn't quite happened yet. 

Indy Publishers felt red hot for awhile back in the mid-90s to mid-2000s. Then it felt like they cooled off as Marvel and DC got back on track after a very rough 1990s patch. Now, it seems like Marvel and DC are in a massive rut again. Too many titles! I mean, just how many Batman or Avengers titles are there each month now?! I can't keep it straight! I can't keep up! And I certainly can't afford it! And I think most fans feel the same. And, as a result, it seems like there's a shift back to Indy titles and original graphic novels. 

You buy a title like Something is Killing the Children or one of my graphic novels and you know you don't have to take out a loan to buy all the connecting titles to have the story make sense. One and done!That's what I like these days. 

I still buy Marvel and DC books but just back issues or collected TPBs of the older stuff--especially the 70s and 80s era. Back when there was one Avengers title a month, one X-Men title a month. Those stories remain the absolute best! 

So, yeah, I do like when the fine folks in Hollywoodland recognize the Indy books and adapt them to film. The Big Two seem to have run out of a bit of steam with their properties, so seeing something new and fresh like The Kingsman or Locke & Key is a breath of fresh air and evidence that the smaller publishers are a gold mine of great ideas! I would also have to believe that these stories are easier to navigate for the studios as they don't have 75 years, and thousands of different iterations, and history, behind them to have to filter and sift through. 

Alex: The world has seen a new bubble in comics bursting, as the more or less common theme of Marvel and DC leading the way is not so true any more. Where do you see the comics market in 10 years? Do you think movies helped the balloon form, or will it be that comics require more money and time, but movies scratch the itch and then they are done? Or ... is it something else?

Rich: We're experiencing a definite exhaustion when it comes to Marvel and DC these days. Again, over-saturation of the product. When Marvel Studios started with Iron Man and all the way through Avengers: Endgame, it was "Gimme MORE!!! YESSSS!!!!" Then...not so much. There was too much of a good thing and they got greedy. "More Avengers titles! More Deadpool titles! More crossover events! MORE MORE MORE!!! Milk it, Baby!!!" And the movies became hit or miss (BIG miss with Thor: Love and Blunder. Barf!). But they didn't slow down the machine, did they? And we now see the exhaustion of it all. 

Movies certainly filled the bubble, and it was fantastic for a long time, but, yes, it has burst. That bubble burst HARD. I think we're all eager for a reboot. Of it all; the comics and the movies. The new Superman and FF movies were just okay. That was supposed to be the big reboot/reset of better things to come and they both fell kind of flat.

So, I don't know if there's going to be a bounce back for the Big Two anytime soon? I'm definitely over them. They've run their course for me but it was a very long and happy run for me while it lasted. For 40 solid years I enjoyed both companies works immensely. 

My personal "itch" was scratched very well for a very long time with both the comics and the movies. It had to end sometime. As the great Ookla The Mok (the band, not the cartoon character) put to song, "Everything turns to crap, eventually."

And, again, that is why I have looked elsewhere to satisfy my itch for the wonderful form of sequential storytelling--the independent market. It is a treasure trove!

Alex: What would you tell an artist or writer as advice to get their works noticed in the comics market, or to the publishers who still look at unsolicited pitches?

Rich: It's tight right now. Now more than ever it seems publishers are cinching their belts. I don't think it's the most fertile time right now to find work, sadly. We seem to be in a valley, not a peak, as an industry right now. But we can't give up, can we? I find that my creative spigot cannot be turned off no matter how frustrated I might personally get sometimes. I have so many stories I still think need to be told so I won't stop. I'll keep knocking on doors. Someone's gotta be home, and willing to invite me in, eventually, right?

Publishers like Image Comics or Boom! still seem to be eagerly and constantly turning out new, exciting books, so I would recommend approaching them over a Marvel or DC.

And I'm still a big advocate of self-publishing. That's how I started out and it worked for me. It got me noticed by Top Shelf.  In other words... Just Do It!!

Thanks Rich for your time and great answers!
FIND RICH's Work and Social Media... 

Rich over on FaceBook

RICH KOSLOWSKI.COM

Rich's Blog