| |||||||
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
IDW Publishing Expands Artist Editions with New Releases From DC
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
The Last before The Last one (for awhile)
Fatigue and Thoughts
By Alex Ness
May 25, 2023
I might have two cancers now, I won't find out for a while, but it might announce itself, I had covid, now have post covid syndrome. Writing takes forever. And I am no genius to begin with. I thought maybe I should write about something I like. But my memory banks have been wiped due to illness. So one more edition in a week, and then I don't know.
Q & A
A couple people asked a few questions...
"Should Pete Rose or Shoeless Joe Jackson enter Baseball's Hall of Fame?"
Read the rules about what is legal and illegal in Baseball and why they should or should not. I am not, and have not been a strict originalist about rules. I think consistency is a good thing. I don't like Interleague play, the game clock, and when people who don't know how dangerous to baseball's existence the Black Sox scandal was tell me it isn't important.
"Why don't you write about cooking shows, and cuisine shows, or alternatively more about different kinds of entertainment?"
I tried that a couple times and had the lowest number of hits in each effort, of all time. I think food has crossed over into the reign of Bread and Circus that was originally a Roman term that meant we lose focus of the important things about life, when distracted by food, wine, sex and violence."anem et circenses"
I am not anti-food shows, or famous chefs, but I do think it is no coincidence that we are fat, and food shows themselves, not when I write about them, are highly popular.
In nearly every case, I read the book first. No, not because I get angry when they change facts or aspects of the book, but because one should start with the original, whatever form that takes. I'm no snob, I find movies better when they are adapted from books if I don't read the book first, often I didn't know it was a book, song, poem,... the original form. I think people ought to read the original for a clarity of intent. George Orwell's 1984 in book and movie form are incredible. But the book was such a clear voice of truth to me, no movie could ever capture that. And I liked the movie.
"How does life look as an "old fart"versus that of being young?"
Really don't know how to answer this, but since I answer questions as best as I can, and honestly... I find being older to be challenging. My body is breaking down. The covid and cancer in joint concerted action, left my mind unable to remember the previous 3 weeks. That was scary. And I am truly more fatigued than I've ever come close to be. The pain, memory loss and constant grieving for those I've lost along the way, has made older age an unpleasant experience. I'm not saying it is an aspect of life that is unfair. I think entropy is responsible, and so, I hate entropy. There, I said it.
"If you return to writing a regular article weekly, will there be any changes to the content?"
I am aware that I have readers who would like a new focus or more variety. I have people who give me numerous topics and suggested genres and formats. I've had people offer to write guest columns about music, a regularly appearing as in monthly, about a genre (fear/horror), and I would gladly run guest written articles, aimed towards specific genres or subjects. I've some wonderfully articulate and generous friends and acquaintances who have offered in the past, so if anyone is interested, write to me alexanderness63 @ gmail.com with guest column in the subject line.
"3 Each of your favorite poets, authors, artists, photographers, and composers"
Poets: Ezra Pound, ee cummings, William Carlos Williams
Authors: Albert Camus, Ernest Hemingway, Lord Dunsany
Artists: Jackson Pollock, John William Waterhouse, Hokusai
Photographers: Masahisa Fukase, Ansel Adams, Jonathan Ness
Composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Orff, Aaron Kerr
End note
I still want to write weekly but I might make use of shorter articles, not to suggest that writing is hard, I enjoy it. But, coming perhaps close to the end of my life, I have many varieties of subjects to write about, but most of the ones I am most interested in, are not greatly popular. The Fall of the Roman Empire, Samurai, the historic King Arthur, Beowulf, Vikings, and my cats, particularly my Katya. She is my sole savior at times, I've mourned greatly in the last year and a half, and she seems to come for cuddles and to cuddle at the worst times. I feel sorry for people without pets and those without friends, the added love to my life is well worth the naughty events of cats, and dealing with the differences in each friend.
Sorry for such a short piece
GETTING REVIEWS?
I
can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email
Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at
any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street
address.If you send hard copies for review I will try to always review them,
but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these
at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry
that I'd dispense them for free to others.
My Creative Blogs:
5k poem blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
Cthulhu/horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis Lost Kingdoms AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
Published works AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
All images are copyright © their respective owners, use is simply as fair use and no ownership rights asserted.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
IDW announces exciting variant cover program from CLIFF CHIANG for THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK
#HotOrcSummer is coming…
Last month IDW announced THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK, a new epic fantasy series from G. WILLOW WILSON (Ms. Marvel, Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy) and CHRIS WILDGOOSE (Batgirl: Rebirth, Batman: Nightwalker).
Debuting in July, Wilson’s self-proclaimed dream project is a high
fantasy tour de force promising heartrending drama, pulse-quickening
romance, awe-inspiring world-building, and bloody carnage to satisfy
every manner of genre fan!
Now,
IDW is sharing the unique variant cover program for the entire series.
Each issue’s Cover B will spotlight the sensational art of Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman, Paper Girls),creating an epic series of 12
collectible covers in all! Plus, special Chiang “Gold” variants will be
available as a 1:100 on THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK #1, and as a 1:50 on
#2-12.
"THE
HUNGER AND THE DUSK is such a bold and ambitious book, offering rousing
fantasy with elegant depth as humans and orcs try to survive a broken
and dying world,” said Chiang when asked about the series.“This is sword
and sorcery with a modern eye, and I wanted to lean into those special
qualities while giving it a striking and memorable design. It's been a
real thrill to create these covers and celebrate the brilliance of the
stories within."
And
series artist Chris Wildgoose could not be more thrilled to have Cliff
be a part of this project. “Early on when starting THE HUNGER AND THE
DUSK we talked about who to ask on board for variant covers for the
series and we all instantly glued together over the idea of Cliff
Chiang,” said Wildgoose. “Cliff is a genuine personal art hero of mine,
so hearing that he was on board the Orc romance train with us and for a
whole series of covers...the news made my heart skip a beat. The honor
of having Cliff on this is all mine. I'm going to get his set of cover
art pieces printed for my own studio wall for sure!"
In
addition to Chiang’s B and RI “Gold” variants, each issue of THE HUNGER
AND THE DUSK will be available with multiple covers for fans and
retailers to enjoy. Cover A will feature series artist Chris Wildgoose
and rotating contributors will grace each Cover C month to month, with InHyuk Lee (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, The Flash), Nick Robles (The Dreaming: Waking Hours), and Jessica Fong (Poison Ivy) assuming cover art duties for the first three issues, respectively.
Final order cut off for this series is MONDAY MAY 29TH so fans and retailers should get their orders in early—don’t sleep on one of the most buzzed-about books of the summer!
About IDW:
IDW
(NYSE AMERICAN: IDW) is a leading media company providing uniquely
compelling stories and characters in various genres for global audiences
across all entertainment platforms. The award-winning IDW Publishing and IDW Entertainment
divisions holistically evaluate and acquire IP for franchise
development across comics and graphic novels, television, theatrical,
games, merchandise, and other entertainment platforms, in addition to
bringing world-renowned storytelling to life with our creative partners.
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Until I know
End Note
By Alex Ness
May 19, 2023
I still don't know what the end result of tests and such will be. But the depth of sorrow from waiting for hours and days and months and indeed, years, has worn away my ability to endure more. So beyond thanking those who've helped me, and there are many. Beyond listing great works, and explaining why I love them. I will answer the 5-6 questions I've received recently, discuss some works I consider my favorites. Still working on the big review project.
Q&A
1) Who is the one creative person who makes you want to create, from all eras of time?
The one creative is very difficult to answer because we are all a sponge, gathering without distinction, the single creative who made me want to create should be Jack Kirby, as he made me realize that work doesn't have to be perfect or beautiful, to be successful. Peter Gabriel or Billy Corgan inspire me deeply with the wide variety of thought, placed into music. But while there are brilliant creatives who have all changed my being, I think Jackson Pollock was the one who did more for me than any other. He illustrated ideas using abstract means, making a world's madness and beauty perceivable in ways that any straight forward representational would suffer in comparison. A world held captive by fear of the Atomic weapon era, could never be shown, the emotional aspects, the crushing madness of the idea of a war that intentionally causes our species extinction is impossible without using something outside of our minds, so the abstraction is needed to know and show our response, intellectually. Ezra Pound is sort of thought to be half mad, well I think he makes me think much deeper than any other creative.
2) Why is art used to express one's response to the disasters and victories? Is it the same as when the Romans built Arches to recall the triumphs or the parades for victory? Are we that vain that we need to remember in art the killing of an enemy?
First off, yes humans are that full of vanity that they want to forever be remembered for their greatness. And that ends up being translated as hubris. Where the mind is so arrogant and mindful of his own greatness, that the past is just perceived as one step towards the ultimate greatness and achievements of our species. I think art is used to depict our rise, fall, and everything good, bad and indifferent. We wish to be great but instead, we depict ourselves as great, so even if we fail, we can still tell the world how we wish we had been. Another term for what we use it for, is propaganda.
3) If you could relive your life starting at any point, would you do so? Why or why not?
I'd never relive my life, any portion of it, even if I were allowed to change the things I did or said. That isn't because I find myself so damn perfect. It is the opposite. I know I can't change what I've done, and it wounds me. And honestly, knowing I can't truly change any of the choices made, words spoken, actions taken, to go try again, would be foolish and filled with hubris, and pain re-inflicted.
4) I've watched you on Twitter and elsewhere, being kind to many different people Christians are said to hate. I wonder then what makes you different? If you are a Christian but everyone else of the same faith are unable to do the things you do, makes me wonder about Christendom. Are you different because you really aren't a Christian, or are you different for some other reason? Not blowing smoke up your ass, I just want to know what the difference is, because I suspect there are fine, bright, joyful people who are Christians, but the ones I see are toxic.
I'm by no means better than other Christians. I'm a failure and deserve the punishments offered in the bible for those who lead others astray or are hypocritical. But in the public setting, I'm an introvert, but also as a poet and historian I have two traits that allow me to practice what I believe. I'm transparent, so that I can better be honest about my outlook, and by that help others see what I am saying. I'm a sort of reporter of facts. If I lie or try to be what I am not it will become evident. I know from previous emails from yourself that you are curious how a Christian can support gays, trans, and look at other genders, races, and more without judgment.
I confess, my ability to not judge comes from having two reasons. My parents were perfectionist, and so much of their perfectionism came from self judgment, and that is toxic. The other aspect of life that made me different, came from marrying a woman who had such a heart for the broken, the lost, and the wounded, that even if I disagreed with her on a different idea, or view, I had to remember, she was someone who deeply believed whatever she believed, and she taught me how to be kind.
If someone is different in orientation, gender, race, religious views, practice in living, my views are unimportant. God loves them, and I'd be a fool to act differently. I might not love as much as possible. I know God does, and whatever any extremist has to say, God's ultimate call for you is to love your neighbor as you would have them yourself. That is a message of love and whatever your orientation, race, gender, views, I believe you are every bit as equal to me as possible. God doesn't make mistakes. But I certainly make mistakes and far too many of them.
5) When I first read your reviews, I feel like I don't often agree with you, but I now think that I find what you say to be rather honest, and makes me want to read again the things you just reviewed, and see if there is something wrong in my view. You made me love Mike Grell's work, which I haven't experienced before. I tried Savage Dragon from the early era and late, and find it to be far better than my original views. I plan to read the Badger and Nexus next. What is the secret recipe you are using to achieve this?
I've often said, mostly to other reviewers and comic journalists, I find too many good or fun works compared to awful ones, and to focus on the works that smell of dog poop rather than the great works I am doing a disservice to the reader. I don't usually call what I do reviewing, any more at least. I try to refer to what I do as offerings. Because at one time I'd get over 150 items a month to review, and 120 or better were good, interesting, fun or better than my expectations. To then focus on the ones I disliked, was rather unfair, I thought to the ones that I liked. So I decided to offer the best works, and maybe discuss one bad comic. I did this for a reason.
When talking to a mentor, Jamie Delano, he said people are so cynical in our present era, they won't believe your good reviews, if you don't also review something bad. He said, "so just throw in the odd turd now and then." So while I don't get anywhere near that many items for review now, I try to keep on the same outlook. My guess why it works for you is that you aren't cynical. And if you are willing to reread things from a new outlook or an outlook ready to change, you are open minded and bright. Few people are so. Most intellectuals aren't nearly as curious about life and arts as they'd like to think.
For me, I learned greatly from highly educated, with many degrees in science Rich Chapell taught me about a lot of subjects by his refusal to be anything but one who shares his outlook. I used to be a single issue voter. He changed that. I used to wonder about certain things, and he said, maybe there is no answer. Don't assume you are wrong about your first instinct, but also, prepare in your mind to not be right. Life is too short to assume you are right about everything because learning the truth is far more exciting and fulfilling than assuming you are right.
I am not certain where my life will take me, whether I live passed summer or even if I am healed fully. So I get asked about future projects. I am not against the thought but it might seem foolish to some to even consider it.
I am going to try to write 4-6 short stories or epic long poems, and have them illustrated by some fine talents. Then have each of them numbered and signed. A sort of more personal work, aimed at a last work in the arts. I've 5 works coming out perhaps by the end of 2023, with a talented person who I am blessed to know. My portion's been done, but we've not announced it yet. So perhaps in its own way, it will seem similarly personal. I don't know. And I've a work with a number of people, an anthology that considers how stereotypes, legends and myths don't really explain a subject, using both fictional narratives and non fiction. I am not yet certain, but if I live, I'd like to do a Life or Ravens II, to end my run as a creative person. I'll aim from their on on blogging and writing less. I've spent 16 years writing 60-80 hours a week and that has exhausted me.
WHAT TO DO WHEN IT IS JUST YOU
Solitaire games have both an advantage and disadvantage regarding multi player games. If you are alone and have the time to spend, you can play certain games alone, enjoying your time, focusing upon time alone with something worth doing alone. I've played all sorts of games alone, and some do it better than others, regarding ease of play, interest in play, and resolving issues within the game that are bound to collide. I've worked at a number of comic/game shops and discovered games to play alone, and in one glaring case, the wording of a player character's abilities meant he could use a part of the game meant as a penalty as a benefit. It took a few years before attending a convention where the maker of the game appeared. I asked them about, they had a look on their face of frustration, and said, we had to rewrite that character and the penalty so it was clear in the second edition As it was, I didn't care for the game, but my friend did. I tried to explain it to him what I was told, and he refused to believe me. Oh well. But as a solitaire game, that loss of nuance and actual confusion made playing a bit more difficult. For me, the clarity and ease of play have to be balanced by fun. Shown below are the games I found the most fun, clearly written, and worth the time spent playing. Your mileage may, obviously, vary.
GETTING REVIEWS?
I
can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email
Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at
any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street
address.If you send hard copies for review I will try to always review them,
but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these
at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry
that I'd dispense them for free to others.
My Creative Blogs:
My 5000 poem Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
Cthulhu Alien Horrors CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Support: Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com/2022/06/for-sale.html
All images are copyright © their respective owners, use is simply as fair use and no ownership rights asserted.
Monday, May 15, 2023
SHAMAN'S TEARS CARD GAME
DEVELOPMENT
The Mike Grell Universe is coming back in a big way: on the heels of the announcement of a scripted audio fiction podcast adapting and continuing the original 1990’s Image Comics series, creator Grell and Pocket Universe Productions (PUP) will partner with Zombie Orpheus Entertainment to develop and produce a Shaman’s Tears RPG Card Game. The game and fiction podcast will be funded simultaneously through a forthcoming pair of crowdfunding campaigns in late summer and fall, with both product and production to be released in the first half of 2024.
Shaman’s Tears dealt with issues of identity, heritage and the environment. Joshua Brand, the son of a Lakota father and an Irish mother, returns to the reservation he ran from as a young man, only to discover that he has been chosen to bear the mantle of protector of the Earth itself when he inherits the powers of all animals as the spiritual avenger Stalking Wolf. Soon after Brand finds himself at odds with a rogue scientific organization usurping nature with human/animal hybrids known as The Blood, their experiments hitting closer to home in ways he never imagined.
The RPG card game inspired by the series allows players to take on the roles of either the heroes or villains from the original Shaman’s Tears run with each character having unique characteristics that can help or hinder them in a game where survival is paramount. As animals and the environment are key elements in the series, players can use the abilities of animal totems and ecological crises as both protection and the means to attack.
An “early bird” campaign - managed by Zombie Orpheus Entertainment with Mike Grell and PUP working in tandem at the heart of it - will allow gamers and Grell fans alike to pre-order not just the game, but also a special surprise booster pack, limited edition playmats and acrylic stands. Both campaigns will feature perks applicable to both the game and the audio drama, including digital downloads and CD’s of the complete first season, a Kickstarter-only game box, a retail tier for game stores, script books, prints drawn by Mike, and even an extremely limited edition Shaman’s Tears leather jacket for the most generous supporters.
Sign up at https://shamanstearsaudio.
Sunday, May 14, 2023
EDGAR POE Award
5th Annual Saturday Poe “Visiter” Awards, submissions due May 30
Rodney Barnes, presenter and guest of honor at awards ceremony in October 2023
Baltimore, May 12, 2023 - From Netflix’s movie The Pale Blue Eye to mentions on Wednesday or
even the Austrian Entry in the Eurovision Song Contest “Who the Hell is
Edgar?” Poe is everywhere. Writers, performers and artists are invited
to submit their Poe-inspired works highlighting their greatest original
or adapted work from the last three calendar years. The Saturday
“Visiter” Awards (SVAs)are an international contest honoring a new
generation of artists and writers inspired by the legacy of Edgar Allan
Poe and is part of the fifth year of Poe Baltimore programming which
recognizes the best in two categories Adaptations and Original Works.
Entries can be any genre or medium such as film, art, performance, and
writing. The deadline for submission is May 30, 2023. SUBMIT HERE:
Details, promotional video and FAQs can be found here: https://poefestinternational.
Rodney Barnes, Maryland-born award-winning writer, producer, and Eisner nominated comic book creator, will be the presenter and guest of honor at the SVA ceremony on October 7, 2023 where the winners will be announced. Mr. Barnes (WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY, BOONDOCKS, KILLADELPHIA).
WHAT ARE THE SATURDAY “VISITER” AWARDS?
The Saturday “Visiter” Awards are named after the prize a young Poe won in 1833 from the Saturday Visiter, a weekly periodical published in Baltimore. That prize launched the famed writer’s career. The fee for SVA submission is $25 per entry and nominees will be given a ticket to the Black Cat Ball, a prize medal and a “Saturday Visiter Awards” designation for their work. Poe Baltimore announces the six-person panel of judges designating winners for 2023. These Edgar Allan Poe experts/enthusiasts include:
Chris Semtner, The Poe Museum (Richmond VA)
Kalin Thomas, Maryland Women's Heritage Center
A.L. Kaplan, Maryland Writers Association
Roger McCormack, The Poe Cottage, Bronx County Historical Society
Heather McKlveen, Westminster Preservation Trust
Thomas Brown, Poe Baltimore
Monday, May 8, 2023
More to keep you busy/COMICS
CLOSE TO THE END
By Alex Ness, AlexanderNess63@gmail.com
May 9, 2023
I've decided that I better take a hiatus. Being so sick makes me either weepy and nostalgic or pissed off and unreasonable. So when I finish the big review in 10 days or so, the edition following will be the last one for perhaps a long time. Still working on the big book review, in the meantime, please give this a read and wait for the 17th or 18th for the big review. But I've added Covid to my list of health issues. For me, I thought if I ever get covid I'd surely die. Somebody suggested that I'm a magnet to shit health. Maybe that is true. This isn't meant to be meaningless jumbles of words, loads of filler, but to suggest some wonderful works that you might have overlooked it. The names are familiar, but the works themselves are perhaps not.
Particular thanks for recent inspiration and outlook go to Barbara Schulz, Rich Chapell, David Hine, and of course, and always Mike Grell.
MIKE GRELL DC Comics Batman Elseworlds MASQUE
There is something to really celebrate about the amount of thought Mike Grell puts into his stories. He is a fine artist, I like his work, but when he is writing for his own hand, there is something far deeper at play. Here he looks at Batman from the angle of 1890 Gotham City, with an opera house, that is fortunate to have the work of Harvey Dent as main actor in many performances. But during a fire, Dent's costume catches fire, and he is disfigured for life. The story itself seems familiar, but it is made perfect by Grell's work on it. It deserved way more attention to it, and I get something new from it with each read. I think the Elseworld's are special, because most are truly good, and offer an opportunity to see the character in a different setting.
GREY the Perfect collection VIZ Yoshihisa Tagami
I was never a fan of the Anime of GREY, but the story in the Manga is more than good, it is intriguing, with a level of thought that most comics of the day never bothered with. The story of GREY is familiar in Manga, a post apocalyptic world, trying to restore itself, and beset by rebellion and war lords. The art is consistent, nice to look at, and went beyond most other Manga, in terms of detail, cinematographic scenery, and displaying action as needed, rather than as being the sole source of interest. I really liked this. The Manga has aged well, especially in terms of the depth of thought regarding how earth would try to recover from war, and in general disaster.
The Original ASTRO BOY Now Comics, previously from Japan
When I bought my first buttload of Astro Boy it was due to the fact that it was 10 comics for 2 dollars. When I bought the second buttload of Astro Boy, it was due to loving the character. NOW Comics gets a lot of notoriety for having gone bankrupt, once the fault of the owner, the other the fault of being part of a major buy out and his debt to a printer being used as a reason to delete his ongoing company. I know the owner Tony Caputo, and while some folks disliked him due to his going out of business and owing money, he was not anything what I was told he would be. I think of him still as a friend or more correctly, a business friend. He's talented, charismatic, and has the flaw of being emotional in a world where that is perceived as weakness. But by the Gods of Valhalla I have to say, he had an eye for quality, new talent, and understood the business. Taking the license to do Astro Boy when Manga was first being discovered by American readers, seemed to some to be opportunistic, but what he did was place an artist who was in love with the character and a writer who completely understood the concept, and turned out 20 issues of f'king brilliant new adventures of an old and beloved character. I know from other pros in the field that they wouldn't touch a comic by NOW, but if you want good reading, ignore those who have a grudge, and just read what you want. Astro boy is lovable, more human than humans in his kindness, and smart and powerful as a robot should be.
I love it.
GETTING REVIEWS?
For now, reviews won't be quickly happening, but when I return I will try to be as good as I've been over the last two years, which was but for one review item, pretty damn good.
I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at
any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street
address.If you send hard copies for review I will try to always review them,
but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these
at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks.
My Creative Blogs:
My 5000 poem Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
Cthulhu Alien Horrors CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
All images are copyright © their respective owners, use is simply as fair use and no ownership rights asserted.